Social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter, and more continue to search for ways to monetize their sites and business models beyond commercial advertising.  In the past it has not been easy to target mass media advertisements at people on these sites because they are busy with conversation or are just plain better at ignoring ads.  To make money by improving and optimizing the overall end-user experience and in searching for other ways that could potentially result in a revenue stream, there is a strong need to analyze the user behavior and traffic, gathered from large amounts of data. Through better social network analysis, the value of the network can increase for everyone.

For example, improved data analysis allows social networking sites to quickly identify the difference between normal and suspect/abusive user behavior.  This quick detection helps prevent spam and curb malicious user abuse. Other ways of increasing network value include promoting u

Most companies still rely on employees following rules and procedures in order to keep their sensitive data secure.  Rules such as "don't write your password down" or "don’t take your company laptop home" are the weak link in data security.  If IT security is deployed and procedures are specified but users don't comply, is the company really protected at all?  Most companies believe they can control user behavior with reasonable security policy.  But they can't.  Employees cut corners, "cheat" the rules, or are just plain lazy.  They put passwords in their briefcases, take company laptops home, leave notebooks in rental cars, download files to their laptops that they're not supposed to.  Not providing for a fix in such situations is tantamount to giving employees a vote in whether a security set-up will work - and the employees shouldn't have a vote, should they?

Fail-safe, technology-driven controls such as triggered data destruction are essential for real IT security, a

BizBuySell.com, the nation's largest online business-for-sale marketplace, just released its data on what businesses are selling for across the country. The company offers numbers for individual U.S. cities, and also takes a look at the national trends each quarter. Results may be surprising to some, considering the troubled economy.  

Information for various specific industries are likewise available. Visit http://www.bizbuysell.com/ for more details.