Friday, December 21, 2007

Networking your Network to maximize your Network's Network

If you think it's out of control, this social networking stuff, well, you are not alone.

More people joined LinkedIn than live in Norway!

Try out Plaxo Pulse today!

I am now Facebook friends with someone famous!

(Not to mention Xing, MySpace, Xanga, and more than we can count.)

And I will admit to fueling the flames with a healthy dose of aerosol -- whoomph! -- as we here claim to be a cross between "eHarmony" and a social network for the college admissions process. (And so much more in store, like for parents and stuff.)

So the point?

YOU NEED TO NETWORK YOUR NETWORK FOR MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY! YES, YOU!!!

What does that mean?

First of all, you need to know what makes each of these tick and which ones make sense for you IF YOU ARE GOING TO COLLEGE. Our thoughts? (Not an exhaustive list, by the way...)

Facebook -- best for the high school student to get a sense of a semi-realistic college experience.

LinkedIn -- no, not really for students. Might be for professors. Definitely for professional types.* Might be good for sleuthing out MBA program(me)s.

Xing -- valuable for those seeking an international MBA. Not used in the states that much.

mySpace -- dude, like, have you heard this band?

U Sphere -- c'mon people, you know the drill by now...

Thursday, December 20, 2007

CEO of Sallie Mae: "Let's get the f--- out of here"

Higher Ed is all abuzz after yesterday's conference call from SLM Corp., known as "Sallie Mae" and one of the leading student lending companies, dropped an F-bomb.

Context for public company neophytes: CEOs have conference calls from time to time and share their views on the outlook of the company with analysts (those people who suggest to the investment community whether or not companies are good stock picks).

SLM CEO Albert Lord was having a rough week: his company was going to go private and then the private equity people backed out and then his stock began a free-fall and then...

Well the conference call started spinning out of control. One analyst asked an agitated Lord for an answer and he responded by suggesting the analyst call "Steve." Which didn't work for the analyst, who said, in response, "You're the CEO."

Then the Operator gave instructions to those listening in, then Mr. Lord fired his parting shot, speaking with Steve and everyone else listening in:


"How good is this? Steve, let’s go. There’s no -- no questions. Let’s get the f--- out of here."

OOPS.

Lessons?

- All microphones are live microphones
- If you don't like the terms offered by the lender, or the financial aid office, you can just "get the (deleted) out of here."
- Of course, you may not like what happens after that.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

More Stuff About TutorVista

Hi gang,

We've been fighting various illnesses here at U Sphere HQ, and one of the things that got me thinking about is, well, what I need to do to catch up.

And I'm not even a kid in high school.

Yet another reason why tutoring help, provided online at your convenience, can be a big plus.

We recommend TutorVista, and you can even do a free trial with them.

Click here for more info.

Great company and we've been working with them for over a year now, and we love hearing about the results from satisfied students. (And parents.)