Facebook, the popular social networking site, has launched its own mobile messaging service to challenge the marketing space occupied by the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).

Launched in the US only, Facebook Messenger lets users send instant messages on their mobile for free to anyone in their ‘friends’ list.

From in.news.yahoo.com:

In a direct bid to rival BBM, the new Facebook app, also allows people to send messages to friends on their mobile contacts list and push out group messages too, the Telegraph reports.

The free Facebook Messenger app is available on both Android and iOS devices, but there are no dates revealed for when it would be made available outside the US.

Facebook engineer Lucy Zhang wrote a blog post explaining the new service.

“More and more of us rely on our phones to send and receive messages. But it isn’t always easy to know the best way to reach someone on their phone. Should you send an email or text? Which will they check first? Did they even get your last message?” Zhang wrote.

“We think messaging should be easier than that. You should be able to write a message, click ‘Send’ and know that you will reach the person right away,” he added.

BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) is believed to have over 45 million users around the world.

The new social network of Google Inc, Google+, has attracted 25 million users. The feat makes it the fastest website to reach that audience size, according to data released by comScore.

Launched in late June, Google+ had 25 million unique visitors as of July 24 and is growing at a rate of roughly one million visitors a day.

From in.finance.yahoo.com:

While the data show Google’s latest attempt at breaking into social networking has started strongly, it may not mean the project is a long-term success. MySpace grew to 25 million unique visitors in less than two years — faster than Facebook or Twitter. However, it’s lost a lot of visitors in the past year, comScore data show.

The United States had more than 6 million unique visitors, and India more than 3.6 million, the data show,

Canada and the UK had around 1 million unique visitors each, Germany over 920,000 and Brazil just over 780,000. France and Taiwan each had around 500,000.

Facebook, on the other hand, took about three years to attract 25 million visitors and Twitter took just over 30 months, according to comScore.

Google has recently unveiled its new social networking service — Google+ social network — to take on Facebook.

The Internet search engine giant said its social network will meet the most basic human needs to connect with others.

From in.finance.yahoo.com:

Aiming to take advantage of flaws in networking on Facebook, Google said, ‘Today, the connections between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of our online tools. In this basic, human way, online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And we aim to fix it.”

Google said, ‘We’d like to bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software. We want to make Google better by including you, your relationships, and your interests. And so begins the Google+ project.”

It would offer options of networking, including ‘Circles’ interface for adding friends and sharing ‘what matters, with the people who matter most’ and ‘Hangouts’ interface for group video chat.

The New York Times said ‘At stake is Google’s status as the most popular entry point to the Web. When people post on Facebook, which is mostly off-limits to search engines, Google loses valuable information that could benefit its Web search, advertising and other products.’

Facebook has recently admitted that it had hired a public relations firm for highlighting supposed flaws in the privacy practices of Google Inc.

The company, however, denied it had intended a smear campaign against the search giant.

From news.yahoo.com:

Facebook, which has taken privacy missteps of its own with users in the past, hired WPP owned PR firm Burson-Marstellar to focus attention on the use of consumers’ personal information on Google Social Circles, one of Google’s less known social networking features.

The revelation highlights the growing rivalry between Google, the world’s leading Web search business, and Facebook, the largest social networking site with over a half a billion users globally.

Facebook and Google’s skirmish shows how consumer privacy, particularly around sensitive data, could be a ticking time bomb for modern Internet companies who manage an increasing amount of information about their users such as credit card and social security numbers.

Burson-Marstellar contacted several journalists and privacy experts without revealing the identity of its client. Facebook said it should have presented the issues in a “serious and transparent” way.

The company said in a statement, “We wanted third parties to verify that people did not approve of the collection and use of information from their accounts on Facebook and other services for inclusion in Google Social Circles.”

Microsoft Corporation’s Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said in an internal memo that the company is planning to broadly raise salaries and stock awards to attract and retain top talent.

The company is presently losing top employees to hot upstarts like Facebook.

From in.finance.yahoo.com:

“Through our history, we have been THE place people came when they wanted to make a difference in the world through software, hardware and services,” the chief executive said in a memo sent to all employees on Thursday morning.

“This is as true today as it has been at any time in our history, and the changes we’re rolling out today will help ensure Microsoft continues to be the place that top talent comes to change the world.”

The action follows Google’s 10 percent increases this year. Microsoft plans, among other things, “important” compensation increases for divisions with fast-moving markets, including research and development and certain geographies.

All employees will have a portion of their stock awards shifted into base salary, according to the memo. Microsoft’s shares are at the same level as 10 years ago.

Ballmer said Microsoft needs to retain talent by improving the way it rewards and support its most talented staff.

Web Travel Media, founded in 2006 by travel professionals and provider of modern media and marketing for all-inclusive resort vacation packages and cruise lines, launches a new website and travel marketing services for helping industry partners bridge the gap between existing “Traditional” marketing and “New-Age” solutions.

The leading source of travel marketing solutions for the travel industries offers varying services including Search Engine Marketing (PPC – Lead Generation), Social Media, Video Marketing Solutions, Email Marketing, and Website Solutions.

From News.yahoo.com:

The lineup of travel marketing solutions include: Search Engine Marketing (PPC) which is used to drive ticket sales and leads from interested travelers. Web Travel Media will help travel groups setup and manage marketing campaigns to increase sales of travel products and bookings.

Social Media Marketing is designed to give travel companies an online presence through popular social sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and in the professional networking site – LinkedIn.

One of the more popular services is the Travel Video Marketing solution which allows travel companies to use their supply of promotional DVDs and other videos which are created by popular resorts and cruise ship providers, and display these videos on the independent travel company websites for the benefit of the travel consumer. Also, by creating profiles on the popular video search engine YouTube, the travel companies can display a library of travel videos to show their potential customers more about the travel products the company offers.

These services by Web Travel Media are expected to help offer the travel industry a new way to present the highly sought after travel content on popular portals such as Google and YouTube.