'Net Features : endorsements

Kudos in a Click with LinkedIn Endorsements

Administrator — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Professional social network Linkedin has introduced a new feature in “Endorsements” recently which makes it quite a bit simpler (like one-click simple) to recognize your professional connections for their skills and general expertise.

LinkedIn Endorsements make it possible to endorse connections for any skill they have listed on their profile and can also be used to recommend a skill those connections have yet to add. Unlike the network’s existing recommendations feature, endorsements can be made with one click when visiting an individual profile.

The new Endorsements are visible from within the new “Skills & Expertise” section. LinkedIn users are notified by email and on LinkedIn whenever new endorsements are received.

The new feature has numerous potential uses but likely none greater than being able to rank individual users based on the volume of their endorsements for particular skills. Coming soon? We think so, b ut how about you?

Share your thoughts on how LinkedIn might use the data gathered from endorsements by commenting below.

Celebrities a Driving Force in Social Media

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:59:00 GMT

For a few benjamins, Snoop Dogg could like your Facebook page.

ad.ly, a company which facilitates celebrity endorsements on Twitter announced it has extended its offering into Facebook pages with six of its 150 current advertisers. During the 2010 holiday season, Ad.ly matched six brands with over a dozen celebs to endorse their products. The results were interesting - the brands saw an average of 49,000 consumer visits campaign, and averaged 500 comments and likes per post. Pretty impressive.

“Celebrities are the driving force in social media, creating the lion’s share of content that attracts consumers and keeps them coming back,” said Arnie Gullov-Singh, CEO, Ad.ly. “Facebook is no exception. By expanding into the world’s most popular social network, we’re making it easy for Marketers to tap the power of celebrity influence at scale.”

Ad.ly’s celebrities range from artists like Mandy Moore, Channing Tatum and Snoop Dogg to pro athletes like Derek Fisher, Paul Pierce and Nick Swisher. Its 150+ advertisers include Sony, NBC, Microsoft, Toyota, LionsGate, AT&T, BestBuy, Old Navy, THQ and others.

FTC Revises and Targets Bloggers

MaureenA — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:00:00 GMT

The Federal Trade Commission on Monday updated its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising – last updated 29 years ago. And this new revision now includes bloggers.

It’s an ongoing practice in the Web landscape that bloggers and Web professionals review products and services for payment of some kind. The FTC now views this practice as an endorsement. The revised guidelines now state those professionals must clearly disclose the relationship between themselves and the company providing the product or service.

Other noteworthy changes include:
- Simply stating “results not typical” on an ad is not good enough. Advertisers now need to clearly explain the advertised product or service is not what consumers should typically expect.

- If companies advertise results of research they sponsored, they must disclose this information to consumers.

- Celebrity endorsements also need to clearly state they are providing endorsements. The revision on this part of the Guides is that both the celebrity endorser and the advertiser can be liable for false claims. They also must explain their relationships anywhere the endorsement is taking place.

Stay up to date on the latest Internet trends:
Request a professional subscription to Website Magazine,
the most popular print publication on Web success.