Mixing business with pleasure: a job search application on Facebook?

   As a college student I spend a majority of my free time on Facebook. Its the most convenient way to catch up with all my friends and keep track of who's doing what. While most of us use Facebook as a means of gossiping, a large number of people have started using it like LinkedIn, for job networking.

   A new Facebook application called "BranchOut" allows users to post job openings, find and make new important business contacts with "friend of a friend" features, and apply for jobs. With 85% of college students using Facebook, it seems like the perfect platform for a job application to thrive on.

   BranchOut is currently available for download on Facebook. Check out the video below for an introduction to BranchOut. Would you use this Facebook app to find a job after college? Comment and let us know what you think.

by: Caitlin Carver
ccarver@flagler.edu

Developing Social Network: Foursquare

We all knew Myspace.
Then were introduced to Facebook.
More recently, Twitter came into our lives.


Now, the next social network is here. Foursquare is a location-based social networking game/website/phone application. According to the co-founder Dennis Crowley's personal website, it is service that mixes social, locative and gaming elements to encourage people explore the cities in which they live. (See YouTube clip below!!)


The idea is that users can “check in” to locations using a phone app (iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Palm), sending a text message to ‘50500’, or accessing the website on their mobile browser. The application uses GPS to locate venues near you to check in at. The user can see where their friends are, and the location of the venue. A venue can be anything from an airport, to a bar, to a gym. Users unlock points and badges as they go out and about. Users are able to feed their Foursquare activity through their Twitter or Facebook pages. 







Foursquare is obviously the most popular in bigger cities, and started in 2009 with limited availability in only 100 worldwide metro areas. They are growing at incredible speeds, and have gained a following in the past few months. In January 2010, Foursquare changed their location model to allow check-ins from any location worldwide. As of March 2010, the service had 500,000 users internationally. In the past two weeks alone, they had 100,000 new users (including myself).


Here are some screenshots of the Foursquare app:




This form of social network is fast and new. So, go ahead, "check in"!

Caitlin Brown
http://myamericanjetset.blogspot.com/