Facebook slowly becoming known as the do anything for money internet business attempts to hit Google below the belt but gets caught.

It seems like the ongoing rivalry between Facebook and Google has taken a turn for the subversive. Last night, a spokesman for the social network confirmed to the Daily Beast that Facebook paid a top PR firm to spread anti-Google stories across the media and to encourage various outlets to examine allegations that the Mountain View company was violating user privacy. The PR firm, Burson-Marsteller, even offered to help blogger Chris Soghoian write a critical op-ed piece about Social Circle — a service that allows Gmail users to access information on so-called “secondary connections,” or friends of their friends. Social Circle, in fact, seems to have been at the epicenter of Facebook’s smear campaign. In a pitch to journalists, Burson described the tool in borderline apocalyptic terms:

“The American people must be made aware of the now immediate intrusions into their deeply personal lives Google is cataloging and broadcasting every minute of every day-without their permission.”

Soghoian thought that Burson’s representatives were “making a mountain out of a molehill,” so he decided to prod them about which company they might be working for. When Burson refused to spill the beans, Soghoian went public and published all of the e-mails sent between him and the firm. USA Today picked up on the story, before concluding that any claims of a smear campaign were unfounded. The Daily Beast’s Dan Lyons, however, apparently forced Facebook’s hand after confronting the company with “evidence” of its involvement. A Facebook spokesman said the social network hired Burson to do its Nixonian dirty work for two primary reasons: it genuinely believes that Google is violating consumer privacy and it also suspects that its rival “may be improperly using data they have scraped about Facebook users.” In other words, their actions were motivated by both “altruistic” and self-serving agendas, though we’d be willing to bet that the latter slightly outweighed the former. Google, meanwhile, has yet to comment on the story, saying that it still needs more time to wrap its head around everything — which might just be the most appropriate “no comment” we’ve ever heard.

Facebook Buying Out Skype? $4 Billion Deal Was Being Talked About. Now the hammer has been dropped and the winner is Microsoft at 8.5 Billion (yes billion). We just hope Microsoft doesn’t screw things up, skype is near perfect.

After rumors that first Facebook and then Microsoft were in talks to acquire Skype, the latter announced that it has acquired the VoIP giant for $8.5 billion in cash.

Skype will be integrated into Microsoft devices and systems such as Xbox and Kinect, Xbox Live, the Windows Phone, Lync and Outlook, Microsoft said in a statement. The company has pledged to continue supporting and developing Skype clients on non-Microsoft platforms as well.

The deal, which was spearheaded by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer with assistance from Charles Songhurst, the company’s head of corporate strategy, was completed Monday evening, AllThingsD reported earlier.

The acquisition is an expensive one for Microsoft. Not only is it the largest price Microsoft has paid for a company in decades, Skype is not yet profitable. Despite revenues totaling $860 million last year and operating profits of $264 million, the company lost $6.9 million overall, according to documents filed with the SEC. And the company carries $686 million in debt.

Much of the company’s appeal rests in its largest user base of 663 million, 145 million of which use Skype monthly (Update: Microsoft says Skype has 170 million regular users), and 8.8 million of which are paying customers.

There is one clear set of winners here: Skype’s investors. A group including Silver Lake, Index Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Investment Board purchased the company from eBay for $2.75 billion in September 2009.

In August, Skype filed for an IPO but put plans on hold after Tony Bates joined the company as CEO in October. Bates will take on the title of president of the Microsoft Skype Division and report directly to Ballmer.

American Apparel is always known for pushing the limits and their latest banner ad is no exception. Most of the pictures don’t even show the underwear, but I assume they knew that.

1. Enjoy what you’re doing.

Because starting a business is a huge amount of hard work and requires a great deal of time, you better enjoy what you’re doing. When I started Virgin from a basement flat in West London, I did not set out to build a business empire. I set out to create something I enjoyed that would pay the bills.

There was no great plan or strategy. The name itself was thought up on the hoof. One night some friends and I were chatting over a few drinks and decided to call our group Virgin, as we were all new to business. The name stuck and had a certain ring to it.

For me, building a business is all about doing something to be proud of, bringing talented people together and creating something that’s going to make a real difference to other people’s lives.

A businesswoman or a businessman is not unlike an artist. What you have when you start a company is a blank canvas; you have to fill it. Just as a good artist has to get every single detail right on that canvas, a businessman or businesswoman has to get every single little thing right when first setting up in business in order to succeed. However, unlike a work of art, the business is never finished. It constantly evolves.

If a businessperson sets out to make a real difference to other people’s lives, and achieves that, he or she will be able to pay the bills and have a successful business to boot.

2. Create something that stands out.

Whether you have a product, service or a brand, it is not easy to start a company and survive and thrive in the modern world. In fact, you’ve got to do something radically different to make a mark today.

Look at the most successful businesses of the past 20 years. Microsoft, Google and Apple, for example, shook up a sector by doing something that had never been done and continually innovating. They are now among the dominant forces.

3. Create something that your employees can be proud of.

The people on your team are your biggest assets.

4. Be a good leader.

As a leader, you have to be a really good listener. You need to know your own mind but there is no point in imposing your views on others without some debate. No one has a monopoly on good ideas or advice.

Get out there, listen, draw people out and learn from them. As a leader you’ve also got to be extremely good at praising people. Never openly criticize people or lose your temper, and always lavish praise on your colleagues for a job well done.

People flourish if they’re praised. Usually they don’t need to be told when they’ve done wrong because most of the time they know it. If somebody is not working out, don’t automatically throw him or her out of the company. A company should genuinely be a family. So see if there’s another job within the company that suits them better. On most occasions you’ll find something for every single kind of personality.

5. Be visible.

A good leader does not get stuck behind a desk. I’ve never worked in an office — I’ve always worked from home — but I get out and about and meet people. It seems like I’m always traveling, but I always have a notebook in my back pocket to jot down questions, concerns or good ideas that occur along the way.

If I’m on a Virgin Atlantic plane, I make sure to get out and meet all the staff and many of the passengers. If you meet a group of Virgin Atlantic crew members, you are going to have at least 10 suggestions or ideas. If I don’t write them down, I may remember only one the next day. Get out and shake hands with all the passengers on the plane, and again, see if anyone has a problem or suggestion. Write it down, make sure that you get their names, get their e-mail addresses, and make sure the next day that you respond to them.

Of course, I try to make sure that we appoint managing directors who have the same philosophy. That way we can run a large group of companies in the same way a small business owner runs a family business — keeping it responsive and friendly.

When you’re building a business from scratch, the key word for many years is “survival.” It’s tough to survive. In the beginning you haven’t got the time or energy to worry about saving the world. You’ve just got to fight to make sure you can look after your bank manager and be able to pay the bills. Literally, your full concentration has to be on surviving.

Obviously, if you don’t survive, just remember that most businesses fail and the best lessons are usually learned from failure. You must not get too dispirited. Just get back up and try again!

Not many big auto makers are producing fuel cell cars, but that isn’t stopping Mercedes-Benz (the luxury brand from Daimler). The company has made 200 of its F-Cell fuel cell sedans, which it’s renting out for $850 per month, for up to 36 months, including the cost of the hydrogen. Driving it on the streets of LA, it felt just like a regular car, and there was no behavior change needed due to the fuel cell technology.

In line with international efforts to curb climate change, the Costa Rican government has stated it wants to become carbon-neutral by the year 2021. One important step toward that goal is now happening: the availability of consumer electric cars on the market.

Last week, Japanese automaker Mitsubishi announced that in March its Costa Rican distributor, Veinsa, would begin selling the i-MiEV, a four-door electric plug-in car that emits no carbon emissions. The i-MiEV, or Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle, is powered by a chargeable lithium battery and can drive 160 kilometers on a full seven-hour charge.

The launch of the i-MiEV here is a small victory for Costa Rica, as it will hit stores here before it is sold in the U.S., South America and China. Only in Japan and Europe will it be available first.

Mitsubishi chose Costa Rica because of the country’s positive environmental image abroad, thanks to a bit of old-fashioned political lobbying.

“Costa Rican Foreign Minister [René Castro] recently visited Japan’s Mitsubishi headquarters and spoke with [the automakers] about bringing the i-MiEV here,” said Guillermo Charpentier, Veinsa’s general manager.

“He also used the visit to promote Costa Rica’s goal of becoming carbon-neutral. One way to do that is with electric cars,” he said.

Costa Rica currently emits an estimated 12 megatons of carbon dioxide each year. Automobiles account for 75 percent of the country’s total carbon dioxide emissions.

“Transportation is, by far, our biggest challenge,” said Pedro León, director of the Peace with Nature program, a governmental environmental initiative launched by ex-President Oscar Arias in 2007.

“Many people drive alone, and that’s a habit we need to change, especially with the type of cars we currently have on the road,” he said.

Changing Costa Rica’s driving habits may seem like a daunting task. But there are signs of improvement.

In August, the National Power and Light Company (CNFL) donated tha Reva – an electric compact car made in India – to Castro and his staff at the Foreign Ministry. The Reva became available in Costa Rica in 2009. Foreign Ministry staff use the car for transportation in and around San José.

“Castro is a great ally for our cause,” said CNFL General Manager Pablo Cob.

“We want other agencies and companies to get enthusiastic about this idea, and realize that we are privileged to be an environmentally rich country. We should do what we can to try to prevent climate change,” Cob said.

The use of electric cars by government officials is a popular marketing tactic to spread the word about Costa Rica’s potential for selling electric cars. While campaigning, President Laura Chinchilla scooted around town in a Reva and praised its efficiency. Employees of the British and Swiss embassies also drive Revas to promote the importance of fossil fuel emissions.

“We want to show people that we don’t need to have something big and luxurious to do some of the things that are needed as far as getting around,” Kate Cruse, the sustainable operations officer at the British Embassy in Costa Rica, said earlier this year.

Even with government support, electric cars have a long way to go before they become prevalent on the streets of the capital. According to Luis Echeverri, director of Reva’s offices in Costa Rica, 70 Revas have been sold since 2009, and import taxes drive the starting price up by 18 percent.

“We have to be realistic about the market size we have for electric cars in Costa Rica,” Echeverri said. “But if the government steps in and lowers import taxes as they have promised to do, there could be a much larger market for a less expensive vehicle.”

A Reva starts here at $14,000 here. Yet to be priced, the i-MiEV may cost twice as much.

Locking down the social network jungle can be hard.

Here is 6 tips to staying on track:

1. Don’t Ignore Trends
2. Push Into Your Competitors Territory. Pick Fights With The Big Guys
3. Be A Businessman (or Woman) First
4. Stand By Your Brand
5. Be Adaptable
6. Stick To What You Know or Go With Your Gut

Social News is a great way to promote your site. If you have the time create a account on each of these sites and submit your story to it. It’s guaranteed link and in some cases you can create buzz. If you prefer head over to Freelancer.com and post a job for about $50 to have someone do it for you.

General Social News Websites

1. Reddit: Popular social news website with a large user base. Covers a wide range of news. Includes several topical sections called subreddits, which focus on specific topics like programming, science, politics and business.

2. Digg: The largest and most popular social news website on the internet. Covers all topics including politics, entertainment, technology and general news. Includes a separate video and image section.

3. Propeller: A social news site that covers all topics from technology to politics and entertainment. Operates in a similar fashion to Digg.

4. Fark: A community news site which allows users to comment on news articles. User submitted links will be posted on the main page once they are approved by the administrators.

5. Slashdot: Primarily a tech news site, Slashdot also covers topics like books, games, politics and entertainment. Users can submit stories and they may be published after editors approve it. A popular site that can send a large amount of traffic.

6. Metafilter: A community weblog which allows users to share links and discuss interesting websites/topics. Moderation is done through editors as well as peer pressure in order to prevent gaming.

7. I am bored: Covers general topics with a strong focus on weird and offbeat news. You can submit a link which may be posted after the editors approve it.

8. Mixx: A general social news sites which has a category for all types of news. Topics covered include business, entertainment, sports, health and tech. Includes the ability to create groups to share news with other users.

9. Removed

10. Newsvine: A website consisting of community-driven news stories and opinions. Users have their own blogs and can write articles, save links to external content and vote/comment on other user stories.

11. PageRanked: A general social news site that with a large website owner userbase. Topics covered include entertainment, sports, politics and internet news.

12. Linkfilter: Covers all sorts of news. All links are posted and moderated by users. Links can be ranked on several levels: clicks, votes, age, or a combination of all three called points.

13. NewsCloud: A general social site with a focus on news in all topics. Similar to Newsvine, each user has their own blogs and can publish content to be voted up by other users.

14. Hugg: Hugg is a social news site with a strong focus on environmental issues. Also includes other categories like politics, science, fashion and technology.

15. Plime: A general news site which features a wide variety of topics ranging from religion and sports to technology or business. Odd news performs best in this community.

16. C2NN: An active social news site with a variety of topics including environment issues, business, politics, animals and offbeat. Similar to Hugg in focus but much more populated and active.

17. Kirsty: A general news site with a focus on fashion, entertainment and design on top of other topics like technology and food. Has a strong female user base.

18. Nowpublic: A participatory news network which focuses on citizen journalism. Each user has their own individual profile blog/page and can upload videos, images and news stories.

19. Stirrdup: General social news site with four broad categories: politics, technology, news and entertainment.

20. Searchles: A hybrid social news sites which covers all topics. Includes a video section and offers personalized filtering features and the option of joining groups made up of other users with similar interests.

21. Linkinn: A social news site that specializes in pictures and video. Covers a broad range of topics, particular offbeat and weird content.

22. Earthfrisk: Covers topics like humor, politics, entertainment and business. Combines a social network and group features with digg-style news voting.

23. Truemors: A social rumor news site which focuses on the publication of “true rumors that are relevant, informative, and interesting.” Users can post links anonymously via text, voicemail, web or email. Editors moderate content.

24. StumbleUpon: A social network and browser toolbar which allows users to channel surf the internet. Technically not 100% a social news site, although users can submit webpages to be rated by other users.

25. Linkswarm: Covers a wide range of topics from celebrity gossip to funny media, science and politics. Focuses on pop culture and bizarre news as well.

Here are social websites which focus on a specific niche. For best results, only submit to them when your site falls within the same niche or covers the same topics. Or else you’re likely to be marked as spam.

26. Sphinn: Sphinn is a social site for search and interactive marketers. It’s designed to allow you to share and discover news stories, read and take part in discussions, discover events of interest and network with others.

27. Dzone: DZone is a free link-sharing community for developers. Other topics commonly featured include web design and programming.

28. Tweako: A user-powered site and social network with a focus on guides and tutorials in all categories like computing, technology, and the Internet.

29. Autospies: A social site that focuses on automotive news, car reviews, auto show photos and videos.

30. Design Float: A social news site for design-related content. Topics covered include business, freelancing, advertising, digital art and branding.

31. Ball Hype: A site that aggregates content from thousands of sports blogs. Users can submit stories and votes will determine if they make it to home page.

32. YCombinator Hacker News: A news site that focuses on technology, startups, business and entrepreneurship.

33. SWiK: A community driven resource for people who use open source software.

34. Buzzflash: A user driven progressive political news website that allows you to submit political stories.

35. DNHour: DNHour.com is a user-powered news portal built specially for the domain name industry. Most members are generally from the domain name industry, which includes domain name owners, companies or professionals.

36. PlugIM: PlugIM is a user driven internet marketing community. Topics covered include search engine optimization, products, business and marketing.

37.Showhype: Operates in a similar way to Ballhype. Stories come from two sources — users and aggregated content. Users can also submit a link to a story that they’ve found or write their own article on ShowHype.

38. Small Business Brief: A niche social site which focuses on small business news. Topics covered include marketing and sales, website development, management and entrepreneurship.

39. Hypediss: Social news site with a focus on design, fashion, urban culture and art.

40. Chictini: Product-oriented social site which a focus on new trends and styles. It’s possible to submit news stories although most of the submissions feature products from online retailers.

41. DotNetKicks: DotNetKicks.com is a community based news site that focuses on topics like NET development techniques, technologies and tools including ASP.NET, C#, VB.NET, C++ and Visual Studio.

42. Lipstick: Reddit-style social news site for celebrity gossip.

43. Hubspot: Social news site for marketers, entrepreneurs and business professionals.

44. Winelifetoday: A niche social site for wine lovers. Topics covered included news and opinion articles to do with wine.

45. iliketotallyloveit.com: Allows users to publish and share products with the broader public which they find cool, innovative, exceptionally beautiful, or just weird. Included with every item is a link to an online shop where it can be purchased.

46. Wordsy: A niche social news site for people who love reading and books. Topics covered include small presses, fiction writing, authors, book awards and poetry. (Note: Wordsy has suspended its site since Dec 2008)

47. Value Investing News: A niche social news site that covers stocks and investment news. A small but active community.

48. Teenwag: Focus on celebrity gossip. A hybrid social network with digg-style voting. Users can submit links to be voted up by other users.

49. Muti: Muti is a social bookmarking site inspired by reddit and Digg but dedicated to content of interest to Africans or those interested in Africa.

50. Tip’d: A social media site for finance, investing, and business topics. Tip’d users vote on stories they like by clicking the ‘Tip it’ button that appears next to each story, and then can comment by pressing the ‘Discuss’ link below the story.

It can be tough to pinpoint exactly what the term “personal brand” means, especially when it’s loosely used to describe everything from professional image, to manner of dress, to online reputation. While this broad definition may make the term seem like just another empty business buzzword — developing a personal brand can actually be a great get-ahead strategy for both job seekers and those looking to advance their careers.

So what exactly is a personal brand?

According to Dan Schawbel, author of “Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future” and owner of PersonalBrandingBlog.com, “A personal brand is what you stand for and what makes you special. [It's] composed of values, a mission, and a positioning statement that depict what you do and who your audience is. [It] is an indicator for how valuable you are to employers and customers at every stage of your career.”

Your personal brand also encompasses the way you market yourself to your professional community, whether it be via your résumé, your LinkedIn profile, your manner of speaking or, yes, even the way you dress.

While creating a personal brand may seem daunting, chances are, you’ve already started building one. Here’s what you need to know in order to expand upon, shape and make use of the personal brand you’re already creating.

Define your brand

First and foremost, you need to decide what you want your personal brand to convey about you.

According to Schawbel, “Your personal brand should represent something that is unique to you; your personality, your passions, your talents and your dream goal. Ask yourself: ‘What do I want to be known for?’”

For instance, if you’ve spent most of your career as a human resources manager in the financial world, and your ultimate goal is to become the vice president of human resources at an investment bank, then your personal brand needs to send the message that you’re an expert and a leader in the areas of HR, management and finance.

Market your brand

Once you decide upon your professional goals and values, it’s time to start letting others know about them. This may seem like an odd concept at first — especially for those who have trouble tooting their own horn, so to speak — but there are plenty of ways to subtly start getting your new message out there.

The Internet is a good place to start establishing both visibility and a strong personal brand, Schawbel says. “[Take] ownership of your online presence because that is where almost all first impressions now occur. Start your own blog or website under your full name, as well as accounts on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Then, add your bio information to each and start reaching out to people in your industry using the tools. By constantly getting your name, face and valuable content out there, you will start to build and shape your brand, which will turn into opportunities,” he says.

On LinkedIn and Facebook, for example, that may mean joining groups that reflect your professional goals. On Twitter, that means tweeting about what’s going on in your field instead of your plans for the weekend. If you have a blog, update it regularly with posts and insights on your industry.

Be consistent

“Think about how you dress, how you behave, what you publish online — and what that says about who you are,” Schawbel says. All of these things should be consistent with the message your personal brand is trying to send.

For example, if your goal is to reach an executive-level position in the next five years; highlight your leadership qualities on your résumé, follow corporate leaders on Twitter, offer to spearhead new projects at work and dress like you’re already in the executive position you’re aiming towards.

“Your brand should be consistent because you never know how someone might find you,” Schawbel says.

Look at how others are branding you

To gauge the effectiveness of the brand you’ve created for yourself, evaluate how others see you — and whether it’s in line with the image you want to project.

“You know you’re communicating your brand effectively when your self-impression is equal to how people perceive you,” Schawbel says. “One way to find out this information is to see how people categorize you on Twitter, with Twitter lists. If you’re a personal finance expert, but people put you in real estate lists, you have a real problem.”

If you’re not on Twitter, asking colleagues or friends to sum up your professional image in a sentence or two will help you evaluate whether you’re branding yourself properly.

The bottom line, Schawbel says, is that “By building your brand throughout your career, you protect yourself from the unpredictable nature of the economy, and gain more career options and opportunities.” And in a time like this, who couldn’t use more opportunity?