Every week, we post a New Media News Break to help catch you up with what’s going on in the world of new media and get you through the work week. Here are this week’s top stories:

LinkedIn to Buy SlideShare

When talking about social media, we usually mention Facebook, Twitter, and even Google+ and Pinterest, but let’s not forget about LinkedIn. This company is doing exceedingly well. This week the business and professional networking platform issued an earnings report and announced plans to purchase SlideShare in an $118.8 million deal. “Presentations are one of the main ways in which professionals capture and share their experiences and knowledge, which in turn helps shape their professional identity,” said LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner in a statement. I think he’s right on the money. This is a great way for LinkedIn to expand, as well as a great way to get more businesses to start using SlideShare to connect with others online.

Tweets in Space

This September, your tweets won’t just reach a global audience – they’re going to space! At least, that’s the plan if Scott Keldall and Nathaniel Stern, the duo beyond collaborative projects such as Wikipedia Art, have anything to do with it. Their team plans to send tweets with the hashtag #tweetsinspace to a planet that’s approximately 22 lightyears away. Known as GJ667Cc, this planet has the potential to support life, and the project is meant to give aliens that might inhabit this plant a look at our planet’s culture and daily life. Tweets will also be archived on their website. Here’s to hoping we send messages that are important, not just what we had for lunch and links to our latest blog post.

LOLcats in College

Believe it or not, LOLcats may actually be making us smarter or at least it can lead to some really smart discussions. Kate Miltner, who earned a Master’s degree after presenting dissertation on the appeal of LOLCats (pdf), is asking the hard questions about LOLcats and other memes: Why? Kate spoke on a panel at ROFLCon at MIT this past weekend called “Adventures in Aca-meme-ia” where panelists talked about what we can learn from studying the type of people who share memes. It’s an interesting discussion, and learning about the psychology of why people share or join a community can help you build your community, not just understand memes like LOLcats.

Judge Rules that Facebook Likes are Not Protected by Free Speech Laws

A Virginia judge ruled this week that Facebook likes are not protected by the Constitution and therefore, employees can be fired over them. This ruling came about after workers were allegedly fired for ling liking the Facebook page of a their boss’s political opponent. In Virginia, political statements are protected for public employees, but is clicking a button a statement? In the past, court cases have determined that actual statements on Facebook are protected by the Constitution, but this is the first time the like button is entering the court room. Although the judge ruled no, this decision is expected to be appealed, and the case could eventually go all way to the Supreme Court. I have to ask, if liking an opponent is not a political statement, then why was anyone fired over it? Hm?

In Case You Missed It

Here’s what you might have missed on the BlogWorld blog in the past week:

• The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Your Blog, Podcast, or Videos on Pinterest – our new eBook is here!
• Q & A with Bob: 5 of My Most Frequently Asked WordPress Questions – great FAQ from one of our speakers
• How to Design a Blog that Converts – where things are places on your blog make a big difference
• Review: Online Community Management for Dummies (Plus a Giveaway!) – leave your comment to enter our giveaway!
• 005 The Podcast Report – Women In Podcasting And More! – our latest episode, about females in the indusy
• Google and the Borg have More in Common than You May Think – Wil Wheaton rants about YouTube and we talk about Google’s recent button changes
• Ramon De Leon Interview – Domino’s Pizza Social Media – Future of Publishing – a great video interview with one business owner doing social the right way
• Getting Through the Gate: How to Connect with Popular People in Your Niche – how to set up interviews with industry leaders
• Weekend Reading: 22 Brilliant Bloggers Talk About Facebook Likes – lots of great advice on getting more likes

Awesome from the Archives

There are some golden posts in the post hidden in the BlogWorld archives. Here are three of my favorites that I think you should check out:

• Social Media for Small Businesses with “No Time” – yes you can have a great online presence even without much free time
• Why You Should Delete Blog Comments – an argument for trashing some of your comments
• Is Your Blog Like Chinese Food? – a fun but helpful post that might make you hungry!

Check back every Wednesday for a New Media News Break just when you need it!