When Twitter launched a new version of its service last Thursday, I held my breath and braced for a possible letdown.  But much to my relief, New Twitter offers many benefits to individuals and companies alike. Here are 6 of my top takeaways about the new service. How do you like New Twitter?  Feel free to add your comments below.

1. The home screen has had a major makeover!  Now you can see whole stories at a glance, complete with embedded photos and video, and the familiar links to followers, following and trends appear in the lefthand sidebar.
2. Bloggers, rejoice!  Tweets are now embeddable so visitors can reply, retweet and favorite from wherever.  Mashable has a great post about how to embed tweets on your own site.
3. The Discover tab allows you to find new users to follow, and you can even browse categories, such as “technology” or “fashion”.  A vast improvement on finding people by searching for username or hashtags, or using Twellow or other third-party services.
4. The Connect (@) tab shows how you’re interacting with others, such as follows, mentions, retweets and favorites, all in one place.
5. A new “Following” page allows users to view the Twitter streams of other accounts they follow.  So you can see what others are discussing without viewing their individual profiles to determine whether you should follow. This feature is only live for some users at the moment, but soon it will be available to all.
6. Companies, take note – Twitter is going to offer free Brand Pages.  On a brand page, you can customize the look with a large logo and extended tagline, and promote tweets in the timeline on the page.

Want to know more?  Reference Mashable’s 25 Tips and Tricks for Savvy Tweeters for more help on navigating the new interface and functionality.

What’s better than treating yourself to a pampering day at the spa?  During Spa Week (which is actually one month long), luxurious spa treatments are made available for only $50 at nearly 1,000 spas across North America!  The $50 treatments are still available through the month of October, so be sure to visit www.spaweek.com today to book an appointment!

I was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in Spa Week Fall 2011, and the spa director at Body Beautiful Laser Medi-Spa in Monroeville, PA, provided a complimentary Photofacial treatment for this post.  Read on for my spa experience.

The Photofacial Promise

Erase skin damage and reduce redness, wrinkles and pores with a gentle light energy that stimulates the production of natural collagen.  Gentle laser treatment soothes sun-damaged skin, superficial scars, and acne for smooth, beautiful skin.

What Is The Photofacial?

The Photofacial makes use of an Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) device that is steadily passed over the skin’s surface and treatment areas.  The light emits high intensity wavelengths that reach deep within the skin’s layers to cause a structural breakdown of damaged cells; this promotes the healing process as the body rapidly removes the injured tissues and cells.

My Photofacial Experience

The Body Beautiful Laser Medi-Spa felt more like a sterile doctor’s office than a relaxing day spa, which was oddly comforting considering the fact that I was there to damage my skin with a laser to somehow make it less damaged.  The things we do for beauty! The aesthetician was patient and talked me through the entire process, from removing ALL of my makeup (“If there’s any left, your skin will burn!”) to warning me that the laser would feel like a tiny rubber band was slapping my face.  The treatment was painless and fairly comfortable, without any stinging or burning sensation.

My face was a bit red for a few hours after the treatment, and my freckles were all very apparent for one day following my visit.  However, after a few days I noticed that they disappeared, and my skin looked and felt smooth, clean and blemish-free.  So I would say the Photofacial worked!

If you receive a Photofacial, you should go back every four weeks for best long-term results.  You can call Body Beautiful at 724-987-3221 to schedule your first consultation and treatment.  Feel free to leave any questions or comments about Body Beautiful, Photofacials or Spa Week below!

About Body Beautiful

Body Beautiful specializes in cosmetic and anti-aging procedures, such as teeth whitening, spider vein removal, laser hair removal and more.  Visit www.bblmspa.com for more information on services.

The perfect summer getaway calls for bright bikinis, warm sunshine and a pretty pedicure. But no one wants to deal with chipped, smudged or yellowing polish on a weekend getaway or a long-awaited vacation.  Orly has toes covered with must-have treatments that can be used at home or on-the-go, allowing for a perfect pedi throughout vacation and beyond.

I reviewed two of the Orly products that target specific problems to create a beautiful summertime pedi that lasts: Primetime quick-dry shine drops and Flash Dry chip preventing primer.

Primetime: This little wonder is an advanced formula with citric acid that brings the surface of the natural nail to the proper PH levels for optimal adhesion guaranteeing smooth, long-lasting, chip-free lacquer.  I used it at home as a primer for my fave new hot pink polish, and my nails stayed spotlight-ready for 6 days before the first chip appeared.  ($7.49)

Flash Dry: Allowing you to hit the waves in no time, a single drop of this formula accelerates drying time and delivers a mirror shine finish. I used it to top off my hot pink pedi, and I loved how easy the dropper makes it to apply.  The drops dried my polish in just 3 minutes, and the formula adds a subtle shine.  ($7.49)

I highly recommend these two Orly products, especially if you do your own nails a lot and are tired of touching up or re-applying the paint every few days.  These treatments and others can be purchased at Ulta and Sally Beauty. (click to visit online stores)

The Internet is buzzing with news of BeKnown, Monster’s new app launched on June 25 that allows you to build your own professional network within Facebook.  If you’ve never heard of it before, take a minute to watch this video introduction:

Now that you have a general idea of what BeKnown is all about, here are six of the main reasons I’ll be using the Facebook app to build professional connections from here on out.

6 Key Benefits of BeKnown:

• Auto-fill in your profile using your existing Monster, LinkedIn and/or Twitter accounts, and edit it as you wish.
• Connect with coworkers and companies inside Facebook without revealing your personal connections, photos and posts!  Network with 750 million people (nearly 70 percent of whom are between the prime professional ages of 25 and 54) vs. LinkedIn’s 100 million.
• Refer connections to job postings, and earn rewards for helping friends find jobs.
• Easily endorse connections and request endorsements (like on LinkedIn)
• Companies can claim and manage company profiles, and users can follow companies.
• Integrated semantic job search (powered by Monster’s job board)

Strong privacy settings allow you to decide what information is shared with others and easily manage data.  There is the option to upload your resume as a PDF, and soon there will be the ability to upload a portfolio, as well.

BeKnown rewards badges to users that get posted to user profiles, such as working at the same employer for more than two years or being connected with more than 25 people.  While this sort of gaming rewards system might seem silly to some, if you understand Millenials, it makes way too much sense. Gen Y (my generation) is sometimes referred to as the “Trophy Generation”.  We were brought up to believe that mere participation deserves a reward.  BeKnown made sure to incorporate a rewards system based on both participation and merit to encourage users to keep using the app and growing their networks by making them feel accomplished.  Genius, and it works for me!

I am part of the team of community managers at BeKnown so I can answer questions and take any feedback you have back to the team.  I myself am new to the app but I’m already enjoying it, adding to my connections and seeing great value in it, so I hope you’ll give it a try.

Go ahead and BeKnown!