LinkedIn reached a global milestone today with 150 million users worldwide now signed up and using the online professional network, including more than two million in Australia – about 10 percent of the population – LinkedIn devotees.

IT solutions and services provider, Clearswift, has released the latest versions of its web and email security solutions that it says allows users easier, more productive and secure use of social media sites, with the addition of specific policy routes for LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Global messaging technology provider, Retarus, has released a new version of its WebExpress, multi-channel communication platform, that now facilitates users posting messages on social media networks, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Xing.

An update of Zoho CRM delivers a new user interface and improved integration capabilities.

For some considerable time there have been nay-sayers who remind us that Facebook users are not 'customers,' they are the 'product.'  With plans for an IPO, we now know what they are likely to be worth.

The first major update for Microsoft's Office 365 includes more than 30 changes, including improved support for Windows Phone and Mac OS X.

According to Telstra, research it has conducted suggests that around 12 percent of employers have rejected job applicants based on what they have found on the applicant's Facebook or Twitter postings.

Australian professionals are after promotion in their jobs to fulfil their major career ambition, but they also want to look at greener pastures abroad and they might not stay in their current job and, instead, make a holus bolus change to a new industry and an entirely different career.

Australian small businesses are increasingly looking to the online marketplace to find new ways of promoting and selling their products and services, but when it comes to leading the way it’s the women not their male counterparts, in greater number, who are biting the bullet and embracing the opportunities offered by the social media networks and other online channels.

Social media companies should build new business models to tap into increased usage and levels of engagement by a maturing user base, according to one major research firm, which reports that worldwide social media subscription revenues will reach $236 million by the end of this year.