While news outlets vary widely in the number of feeds they offer -- and tweets they produce -- Twitter has become a standard distribution system for the entire industry. On average, news organizations offer 41 different organizational feeds, according to a study of 13 major news organizations by Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism and The George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs. The research, which examined more than 3,600 tweets over the course of a week, revealed that these news organizations use Twitter in limited ways--primarily as an added means to disseminate their own material. …

For agencies and brands -- particularly those without an online focus -- recruiting young talent is only getting tougher, according to new findings from employment data and consulting firm Universum. Among some 6,700 “early-career” professionals -- defined as college grads under the age of 40 with one to eight years of work experience -- the most desired employers include Google, Apple, Facebook, the U.S. State Department and Walt Disney. In particular, Google has "established a very strong brand in what its culture is, in what it's like to work there," Chris Cordery, Universum's director of Americas, tells The Wall Street …

Along with the integration of Google+, Google is quietly testing some serious changes to YouTube. “Besides the generally updated look, one of the more important changes here is the focus this redesign will put on shared content from Google+,” The Next Web reports. “This move should take Google one step closer towards extending the social platform more heavily into each of its products.” Specifically, the new YouTube features content that users’ “Circles” have recently shared and recommended within Google+. The redesign -- which select users can currently access -- also emphasizes user subscriptions, which TNW considers a good way to …

Sorry, Lenovo. Among personal computer manufacturers, Apple is the best positioned to capitalize on China’s economic boom, according to survey results released this week by Morgan Stanley. Currently, 31% of Chinese PC owners have a Lenovo, but only 23% plan to buy another. By contrast, just 5% currently own Apple’s, but 21% hope to buy one. The findings follow a report published by IDC this summer, which concluded that China had overtaken the U.S. as the world's top consumer of PCs. Summarizing the results of a proprietary Alphawise survey of 1,553 consumers in 16 Chinese cities, Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty …

  As if consumers needed another deal site, French-based Vente-Privee just made its U.S. debut. The 10-year-old company is credited with developing the luxury flash sales model, which was later adapted by Gilt Groupe and services, according to Mashable. Vente-Privee’s U.S. division is a joint venture between American Express and the French company. Citing a report in WWD, Mashable reports that both companies have each invested approximately $35 million in cash and another $5 million in “human capital and technology transfers.” The U.S. division expects to generate $500 million in annual sales within the next three to four years, having …

How confident is Wall Street in Groupon’s prospects? Well, last week, the daily deal site completed the biggest initial public offering by a U.S. Internet company since 2004. Now, however, the company’s stock ranks among the most difficult for short sellers to borrow and bet against. “The cost to borrow Groupon shares to short them is rated a 10 by Data Explorers, the most-expensive level on the New York- based research firm’s scale,” Bloomberg reports. Translation? “Strong demand to borrow the stock to bet against it and a small supply of shares available to borrow mean that investors must pay …

So much for content differentiation. Just like Barnes & Noble’s new Nook Tablet, Amazon’s soon-to-launch Kindle Fire is expected to boast Hulu Plus, too. Along with the ESPN ScoreCenter app, Hulu will no doubt help Amazon better compete in the tablet space. “The Kindle Fire’s app additions mean the Nook Tablet/Kindle Fire app lineups are now looking similar, with the streaming video advantage for Amazon because it also offers Prime Instant Video access from the Kindle Fire,” according to paidContent. That service is available to Amazon Prime members, who pay $79 per year for free two-day shipping. Earlier this week, …

Could Amazon price itself out of the gadget business? The company’s new soon-to-debut Kindle e-reader will retail for $79, but -- according to a new report from market research firm IHS iSuppli -- costs $84.25 to make. “Amazon’s new $79 Kindle e-reader isn’t just undercutting all competitors on price, it's also undercutting Amazon,” jokes MainStreet.com. “That means Amazon will effectively lose just more than $5 for every e-reader it sells.” However, Amazon still plans to make money on its e-reader strategy. "This is a subsidized device that comes with advertisements that make money for the company and offsets that manufacturing …

Continuing to tweak its premium content strategy, Facebook is testing “Read” and “Listen” buttons on select users’ Ticker streams. “Some users are seeing an interface adjustment on Facebook’s Ticker that makes it easier to start consuming the media that you see your friends engaging with,” Inside Facebook reports. “News articles and songs in the Ticker now include buttons that allow you to start reading or listening when you click on them.” First, a newspaper or music note icon appears to the right of the Ticker story. Then, if users mouse over those icons, the word “Read” or “Listen” appears. As …

As consolidation continues in the daily deal and couponing space, WhaleShark Media just raised another $150 million to pick up the pace. “The shell company has grown through acquisition, picking up eight sites in the past two years, including RetailMeNot.com and Deals.com in the U.S., and VoucherCodes.co.uk in the UK,” AllThingsD reports. All told, the company currently claims to attract 100 million unique visitors a year, all of whom are looking for deals on something. “We are actively pursuing a number of acquisitions, and it will take us another year to spend the money,” CEO Cotter Cunningham tells …