professional

Professional social networks that take on LinkedIn

You might be using LinkedIn to stay connected with your business contacts, but there are alternatives on the Web that will help you network and enjoy some extra features while you're at it. Whether you want to hang out at some professional parties or you're more interested in sharing best practices, there are some really neat business-centric social networks on the Web you'll want to visit.

Go pro with these social networks

Focus If you're looking for answers to important business decisions, Focus is the social network for you.

After signing up for Focus, you can immediately start researching topics that have some relevance to your business. From finance to customer service, the site is filled with professionals both asking and answering questions on topics that impact business. To push its social element, Focus allows you to write a blog, connect with others in groups, or simply post comments to discussion boards. If you're looking to learn more about your industry and you want peers to help you do it, Focus is for you.

Netparty If you're a young professional, networking is one of the most important elements of your career. If you don't know colleagues, you might lose a competitive advantage over others vying for the same job. That's where Netparty comes in.

Netparty's goal is to connect young professionals in a party atmosphere. The site arranges networking events for young professionals in several cities across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and even South America. It sets up parties at different places around the city you live in, charges an admission fee, and even gives you directions on getting there. From the site, you can buy tickets and get on the V.I.P. list, so you don't need to wait in line. It's a great service. More young professionals should be using it.… Read more

First full-size Shure headphones make U.S. debut

Last month, Shure announced its first foray into the full-size headphone space, but the scope of availability was limited to the U.K. Now, the company is introducing the cans in the U.S. market--a move that's sure to please Shure fans based in the States.

Unlike the company's established in-ear line, the circumaural sets are geared toward at-home listening, particularly for novice DJs and others who are passionate about music but can't afford the professional models on the market. The new line includes three sets, which are outlined below.

SRH840 Professional Monitoring Headphones: ($199.99) Optimized … Read more

A look at Dell's P2210 for the 'professional'

The full name for the Dell P2210 is the Dell Professional P2210. So what exactly does "professional" mean? Who is Dell referring to? The everyday office user? Or maybe the graphics artist professional to whom color accuracy is of the utmost importance.

Hmmm, based on the P2210's current price of $209 and Dell's decision to use Twisted Nematic (TN) technology for the panel, I'm 99 percent sure this monitor is targeted to the former professional and not the latter.

We just got this one in, so while we're busy rigorously testing the ever-lovin' crap … Read more

Nitro's a better bet than before

PDF conversion is an essential part of business. A program that quickly and easily does the job is always in demand. Unfortunately, Nitro PDF Professional still doesn't live up to these high expectations, but it has improved.

Nitro looks like the real deal. It has a start-up wizard that offers to answer any questions and walk users through the process of converting files to PDF, or vice versa. The program's interface has been refurbished to make it look more like Office 2007, offering a layout that mimics Microsoft's button design and layout. Create and Convert, Insert and … Read more

Impressive maintenance program

This system maintenance program gives you all the tools for ridding your computer of clutter and problematic files. Normally, we'd write off a program that only offers a measly 3-day trial period, but we were left impressed after experiencing its fully functional trial.

System Mechanic Professional has a very professional, intuitive user interface. We were able to jump right in and the process required us merely to click the Scan button to find any problems. The program very quickly recognized several registry, memory, and startup issues with our system. We liked that the program gave us the option of … Read more

Insufficient PDF converter

PDF conversion is an essential part of business. A program that quickly and easily does the job is always in demand. Unfortunately, Nitro PDF Professional doesn't live up to these high expectations.

Nitro begins very promisingly. It has a start-up wizard that offers to answer any questions and walk users through the process of converting files to PDF, or vice versa. The program's interface is also fairly simple. It looks a great deal like Adobe's PDF viewer, with similar buttons along the top for key commands and formatting options. The most prominent commands are those that convert … Read more

Memeo means business with new backup software

Backing up data is important and should be done often. But remembering and knowing how to do it is a different story.

With this in mind, Memeo--an online digital company that offers a variety of online services such as photo sharing --has released a backup solution for business users that will help keep track of backing up data. Memeo Backup Professional 4.5 is tied to an online console, from which an admin user can remotely view the status of backups of other users. This means that once it's installed on network computers, a single admin can oversee the … Read more

Eizo's pro monitor complicates things

I'll be completely honest: LCD computer monitors intended for graphics professionals are not my area of expertise. Most of the monitors I've reviewed have been consumer-focused.

Monitors like the Dell SP2309W and Samsung P2370, while great for gaming or just looking nice in your apartment (respectively), would not be caught dead on the desk of a graphics professional. (Of course, if I'd found a monitor could actually die at all, well, I probably would not be writing this, as the prospects of an inanimate object possessing a soul would be far too exciting to continue sitting at … Read more

Might overwhelm beginners

KLS Backup 2008 Professional works well, but, like this publisher's standard edition, doesn't feature the most intuitive user interface. Though it successfully backed up our designated files, novices might find all its features a bit overwhelming.

The user interface has commands at the top of the window, and four panels that display created profiles, profile tests, archives, and archive content. It wasn't immediately clear what to do first, but a backup wizard is offered that helps guide you through the process. Using the wizard, we easily added the files, selected the compression level, and applied encryption and … Read more

USPS probes possible mass security breach

Update 9:40 a.m. May 4: Added comment from the Postal Inspectors Service and details about when the breach took place.

This story was originally published at CBSNews.com.

CBS News has learned of another data breach potentially compromising the personal information of thousands of people. Companies Lexis Nexis and Investigative Professionals have sent up to 40,000 letters to customers whose "sensitive and personally identifiable" information may have been viewed by individuals who should not have had access.

The United States Postal Inspection Service is investigating a data breach at both companies that resulted in sensitive … Read more