Tarik Sansal

Getting employed is as hard as ever, thanks in part to the downward economy. Hope grows for a better economy, but students just out of college are finding it difficult to even get noticed by potential employers.

Back in the day, families would gather around the TV set or radio to watch or listen to the presidential debate. Before that, presidential debates were overshadowed by newspapers, pamphlets, and the occasional public meeting. And so, once again, the political arena has changed, thanks to a force that was once thought a teenage fad: social media. Business owners use social media to promote their brands. Even commercials and advertisements have hopped onto the social media bandwagon to great effe

For many users on Facebook, Twitter, and every other social media platform, it all boils down to the number of friends and followers. It makes sense to a degree; without a good number of friends, sharing a link or putting out information can feel like you're talking to yourself. At the same time, some people treat the social media realm like one big popularity contest.

A big part of the Internet these days is taken up by social media and social networking. Twitter, Facebook, and multitudes of other platforms allow friends and family to stay in touch at all times while also encouraging communication with other artists, writers, celebrities, and business persons. As prominent as social media has become, is it something that should be tolerated in an office or workplace environment?

In exploring ideas that leverage social networking to help common life situations, one idea that may be worth exploring is a system that lets friends share personal crises, problems, or challenges.

Venture capital for early-stage companies has fundamental problems and alternative models should be introduced to transform it. Venture capital is available largely to established models that are already up and running, or established teams—neither of which are short of sources for capital. But what about entrepreneurs?