Consumer content

Updated at 7:15 p.m. PST to correct number of LinkedIn members.

Nearly a month after unveiling a new developer platform, business social-networking site LinkedIn took the wraps off a new search platform Monday night.

In a summary of the new key features, Esteban Kozak, senior product manager at LinkedIn, said the new platform is "redefining the way professionals go about finding talent, business partners, customers, or a former colleague."

The site, which has about 31 million members, examined more than a billion search queries executed by members to create new productivity tools, Kozak says.

With the … Read more

Talks to make The Beatles' catalog available on Apple's iTunes have "stalled," according to Paul McCartney.

Apparently the impasse is between the band's representatives and record label EMI, McCartney told the Associated Press in London on Monday. EMI, the smallest of the four top recording companies can't close a deal with iTunes or any new music formats without the authorization of the Beatles: McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the estates of the late George Harrison and John Lennon.

McCartney made the comments at an … Read more

A Sony-owned online video entertainment site is expected to unveil its latest "season" of Internet programs on Monday, as the media giant moves to beef up its online entertainment content.

Crackle.com, which Sony bought in 2006 when it was known as Grouper, will showcase shows that include sketch comedy by The Groundlings and Anytime with Bob Kushell , a five-minute talk show hosted by a Hollywood writer, Reuters reported Sunday. Crackle has adopted the television practice of rolling out new programming in seasons instead of rolling out episodes when they are completed. Crackle's season begins December 1, … Read more

YouTube gathered up its viral celebrities to stream its first-ever live event on Saturday from San Francisco.

YouTube sold the event as "part concert, part variety show, and part party." Its Live channel featured three different views of the event--from the main stage, backstage, and "off stage."

According to TechCrunch, calculations via Akamai showed that about 700,000 people were watching the live stream at its peak. It wasn't completely clear who actually did the streaming for YouTube, but TechCrunch felt comfortable enough to assert that it was Akamai itself.

YouTube gained its fame through … Read more

Texas college freshman "Kiki"--she asked CBS News not to use her real name--hopes to become an online star with her "How to Cheat on a Test" video.

"This method of cheating, it will work," she says in her online video.

She told CBS News science and technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg, "Um, like, I didn't know it was going to be kind of controversial."

There are more than 3,000 "how to cheat" videos on YouTube alone. Some are silly, using elastic bands. Others get creative with clothing. The … Read more

Courtney Holt, an MTV executive, will be named as president of MySpace Music, possibly as early as Monday, according to a source close to the company.

MySpace Music is the digital music service formed by News Corp. and the four largest recording companies. Some observers say that MySpace, with a well-established history of offering music, could emerge as a competitor to Apple's iTunes.

CNET News first reported that Holt was offered the job last month. He has long been a fixture at the intersection of digital technology and music. Currently, he is MTV Networks' executive vice president of digital … Read more

Political site The Huffington Post has reportedly received a $15 million third round of funding, according to the Times UK.

That funding round brings The Huffington Post up to $40 million in raised capital, giving it an estimated valuation of $100 million, says a report in PaidContent.org

The Huffington Post anticipates using the proceeds to help fund its expansion, which will include offering local news and investigative journalism, according to the Times UK site.

Oak Investment Partners participated in this latest round. In previous rounds, SoftBank Capital and Greycroft Partners have provided investments.

Remember that little old BlackBerry app for MySpace that premiered last week? Apparently it struck a chord with users because RIM reported just after midnight on Friday (EST), that it hosted more downloads for the product's first week than it has for any other app.

While 400,000 downloads in one week for the BlackBerry-compatible MySpace software is a drop in the bucket compared to Firefox 3's 1 million downloads in 24 hours, it did beat out the initial release of RIM's Facebook app.

RIM did not reply with comparative numbers.

In a statement, RIM's co-CEO … Read more

The San Francisco Bay Area is a region already well known for its fabulous food, innovative technology, and breathtaking beauty. In the coming years, we could add one more thing to the list: electric vehicles.

On Thursday, the mayors of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose held a press conference at San Francisco's city hall to announce their ambitious goal of turning the Bay Area into the electric vehicle capital of the country. Here are details of the nine-point plan that will launch in December, as released by the San Francisco Mayor's office:

Expedited permitting and installation of … Read more