Currently in Seattle and Miami only, Jobaline geographic expansion is planned by the end of the year. Where it heads is dictated by digital requests of job seekers. Jobaline CEO Luis Salazar told the AIM Group that Dallas is the number-one requested area, followed by Orlando and San Diego.

Employers use Jobaline on a pay-per-results basis, for jobs such as food and beverage, retail, hospitality and administration. Jobaline is in conversation with print recruitment publishers to offer its mobile features to their advertisers. We’ll be sharing much more about this, the Jobaline platform, and what we learned from Salazar about mobile recruitment, in an upcoming CIR.

In the meantime, Salazar shared with us the following impressive infographics, gathered during Jobaline’s four-week pilot program:

Notable especially are that 55 percent of candidates applied by way of text messaging, and the conversion rate (posting to hire) was ten times that of the traditional print or online job post:

Regarding the recent rehash of allegations that the consumer review site manipulates reviews and ratings to reward advertisers or punish non-advertisers, Vince Sollitto, Yelp VP of Communications wrote, “Let me be clear: This claim is not — and has never been — true.”

As proof Sollitto invokes Google, third-party research, and a court decision in Yelp’s favor. Read more on The Next Web.

May New-Vehicle Retail Selling Rate Expected to be 1 Million Units Stronger than a Year Ago                                                                                                                                                                               

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 23 May 2013 — Robust new-vehicle retail sales in May are the driving factor of returning total sales above the 15-million unit selling level for the month, according to a monthly sales forecast developed by J.D. Power & Associates’ Power Information Network^® (PIN) and LMC Automotive.

Retail Light-Vehicle Sales

New-vehicle retail sales in May are projected to come in at 1,157,900 vehicles, which represent a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 12.5 million units, the highest level since January, and will be the third consecutive month with retail sales in excess of 1 million units. Retail transactions are the most accurate measure of true underlying consumer demand for new vehicles.

The full-size pickup segment is contributing to the overall strong sales pace in May, accounting for 11.4 percent of industry retail sales, an increase from 11 percent in April and up from 9.7 percent in May 2012.

U.S. Retail SAAR—May 2012 to May 2013

(in millions of units)

  Strong demand for full-size pickups is also helping to keep industry average transaction prices at record levels. The average transaction price for all new vehicles thus far in May is $28,921, the highest ever for the month of May and 3 percent higher than May 2012. Several components are contributing to strong industry transaction price performance, including: low interest rates, which help keep monthly payments low; the use of extended-term vehicle loans—72 months or longer—which also help reduce monthly payments;   strong used vehicle values, which equate to more trade-in equity; and strong new-vehicle residual values, which lower new-vehicle lease payments.

 “Collectively, these components mean that while industry new-vehicle transaction prices have risen by 19 percent during the past six years ($28,921 in May 2013 from $24,404 in May 2008), the average monthly payment for new-car buyers and lessees has increased only 3 percent ($455 in May 2013 vs. $443 in May 2008),” said John Humphrey, senior vice president of the global automotive practice at J.D. Power & Associates. “This market dynamic is enabling consumers to purchase new vehicles with improved fuel economy, safety and technology at an affordable monthly payment.”

 Total Light-Vehicle Sales

Total light-vehicle sales in May 2013 are expected to increase to 1,439,400, up 8 percent from May 2012. Fleet sales have generally been weaker than expected in 2013, but continue to average nearly 21 percent of total sales. Fleet sales in May 2013 are projected to reach 281,000 units, representing less than 20 percent of total sales.

J.D. Power and LMC Automotive U.S. Sales and SAAR Comparisons

(8% higher than May 2012)1,032,321 units1,070,816 unitsTotal Vehicle Sales1,439,400 units

(8% higher than May 2012)1,285,750 units1,332,663 unitsRetail SAAR12.5 million units12.1 million units11.5 million unitsTotal SAAR15.2 million units14.9 million units13.9 million units

¹Figures cited for May 2013 are forecasted based on the first 10 selling days of the month.

Sales Outlook

LMC Automotive is holding the total light-vehicle sales outlook for 2013 at 15.4 million units. The 2013 outlook for retail light-vehicle sales also remains the same, at 12.5 million units.

“This is the time of year when the automotive industry holds its collective breath as the recent past has dealt with a spring slowdown in demand; however, the current pace suggests full steam ahead for the second half of 2013,” said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting at LMC Automotive. “Economic and market headwinds have been minimized, while demand continues to build momentum.”

North American Production

North American light-vehicle production year to date through mid-May is up 4 percent, compared with the same period in 2012. Most major manufacturer volumes are either flat or up slightly, with the exception of General Motors, which is down 4 percent on the transition of the Impala and weaker large SUV sales ahead of the new models for 2014.

Vehicle inventory levels in early May are at 3.2 million units—a 63-day supply—and consistent with the current level of demand. Inventory was at a 55-day supply in May 2012.

LMC Automotive is increasing its forecast for 2013 North American production to 16.0 million from 15.9 million units. With this increase, 2013 will mark the first time production in the region has been at the 16 million-unit level since 2002.

“With several manufacturers at or near capacity, it becomes a balancing act to plan production for the remainder of the year,” said Schuster. “An effective way to manage the near-term demand and increase production levels is to reduce planned summer shutdowns, as the Detroit automakers recently announced.”

About J.D. Power & Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power & Associates is a global marketing information services company providing performance improvement, social media and customer satisfaction insights and solutions. The company’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information and ratings for cars, retail banking, credit cards, health insurance, cell phones, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power & Associates is a business unit of McGraw Hill Financial.

About McGraw Hill Financial:

McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI), a financial intelligence company, is a leader in credit ratings, benchmarks and analytics for the global capital and commodity markets. Iconic brands include: Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL, J.D. Power & Associates, McGraw Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Company has approximately 17,000 employees in 27 countries. Additional information is available at www.mhfi.com.

About LMC Automotive

LMC Automotive, formerly J.D. Power Automotive Forecasting, is the premier supplier of automotive forecasts and intelligence to an extensive client base of automotive manufacturer, component supplier, logistics and distribution companies, as well as financial and government institutions around the world. LMC’s global forecasting services encompass automotive sales, production and powertrain expertise, as well as advisory capability. LMC Automotive has offices in the United States, the UK, Germany, China and Thailand and is part of the Oxford, UK-based LMC group, the global leader in economic and business consultancy for the agribusiness sector.  For more information please visitwww.lmc-auto.com.

It looks pretty different from the appearance of comparable Stepstone niche job sites like this one for HR in Germany:

Swedish marketing manager Charlotte Ulvros said she was excited to have launched Stepstone’s first niche portal for HR in Sweden. Especially, since it was a completely new design and the Swedish niche portal was the first one in the Stepstone Group to show it off.

“Stepstone’s web developers in Düsseldorf, Berlin and Poland worked with a local designer to bring a Swedish flavor to the new design,” explained Ulvros.

Stepstone customers who advertise on the traditional Stepstone site, will also get their recruitment advertisements placed on the niche HR site (link above). On the niche site, employers can also boost their image by appearing in a section for employer branding.

This drove Shira Abramowitz, who graduated from McGill University in Montreal in 2012, absolutely nuts. She turned her angst into entrepreneurship and started a post-college classified marketplace she calls “Campus Swaps.” She received a small grant from the McGill Office of Sustainability and, at the end of the 2011 academic year, she and a partner drove around her campus in an SUV with a trailer attached, collecting non-furniture items that graduating seniors no longer wanted. They ended up with 4,000 pounds of stuff. They did it again the following year, hauling more than 7,000 pounds.

Abramowitz and team are now in the process of launching a website – CampusSwaps.com – and promoting the concept beyond just her alma mater. She’s already signed up San Jose State University in California, which is where Abramowitz is originally from.

Of course, two campuses and a website do not a business make, but we wanted to bring this to your attention for a couple of reasons. First, it shows how out-of-the-box thinking can make a real difference, marrying environmental concerns with business initiative. And second, because more established classified advertising firms may be missing a growth opportunity right under their noses.

We’re not trying to push Abramowitz out of business. But in today’s market, we suspect she may be looking for a job – or the right opportunity that could turn her small town vision into a big city game changer.

Here’s the announcement:

For Rent Media Solutions™ Introduces YouTube Apartment Search App

Innovative online tool provides new apartment search resource

Norfolk, VA – (May 17, 2013) – For Rent Media Solutions™ has introduced a new way to search for apartments. Consumers are now able to explore rental listings from within the ForRent.com© branded YouTube channel. This new tool gives apartment shoppers the opportunity to tour apartments virtually and provides an easy-to-use resource for finding their next apartment.

For Rent Media Solutions’ YouTube search app has revolutionized the apartment search process by creating a seamless design that mimics the ForRent.com website experience. ForRent.com visitors and new apartment shoppers alike will find the new YouTube search app easy to use and helpful. With one of the largest video libraries in the industry at more than 10,000 videos and 3 million total views, For Rent’s YouTube channel is the ideal medium for advertisers to feature their communities.

For Rent is leveraging the power of YouTube, the second most-used search engine in the world, to bring renters a high-quality apartment search that will allow them to take a virtual tour of apartments that interest them. Apartment shoppers will be able to search using the same filters available on ForRent.com, including city, state, zip code, price range, or number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Each property has a profile page with a video tour or photo slideshow and a description of the apartment community, including amenities, features, floor plans, directions, pet policy information, and leasing office hours. Consumers are also able to share their favorite options with family and friends via YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.

“We make it our business to understand the next generation of renters and search trends for our customers,” said Terry Slattery, president of ForRent.com and Homes.com.  “YouTube’s explosive growth, combined with the consumers’ demand for video when apartment shopping gave us an opportunity to formulate a solution. By providing video tours and community information to our advertisers in this space, we are making it even easier for consumers to discover their next apartment and for our customers to be seen.”

For Rent is promoting its new YouTube search app with an entertaining new commercial and campaign banner ads, all of which are featured on YouTube.

About For Rent Media Solutions™

Founded in 1982 as For Rent Magazine®, For Rent Media Solutions™ is headquartered in Norfolk, Va., and provides property managers and owners with diverse marketing and advertising products. These products are easy to use, easy to understand, and designed with the renters in mind. For apartment shoppers, For Rent Media Solutions provides robust community listings in a multitude of media, including print, social, online, mobile, video and an extensive distribution network. For Rent Media Solutions publishes 85 magazines covering more than 80 markets nationwide, including After 55™ Housing & Resource Guide, ForRent.com Magazine and ParaRentar. For Rent Media Solutions operates five additional websites: ForRent.com^©, SeniorOutlook.com®, Corporate Housing.com®, ParaRentar.com® and ForRentUniversity.com®. Visit ForRent.com for more information, or visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and LinkedIn.

Now McMillan is encouraging other small businesses to sue Yelp as well, and offering to assist in those lawsuits.

Yelp is appealing the ruling.

The stumbling block is the class action lawsuit that 120 or more auto dealers have filed against Carfax, based on its unpopular exclusivity clauses with sites such as AutoTrader.com, Cars.com and other auto listing providers.  Here’s our coverage of the lawsuit.

WSJ.com subscribers can read more on the Polk sale obstacles here.

On-demand temporary staffing agency LaborSmart, for example,  just broke its weekly sales record, and is opening up new branches and expanding into new states as a result of the growing interest in temps. The Fordyce letter reports on the growth in temporary and contract hires, noting a 6 percent jump in temp hires from Q1 2012 to Q1 2013, and anticipating an additional 5.9 percent in the coming quarter.

Here’s the LaborSmart announcement:

Labor SMART, Inc. Breaks Recently Set Milestone With New Weekly Sales Record Of $349,000

Company Opens 14th Branch in Louisville, Kentucky While Expanding Into 9th State

(This stake went down from 23.8 percent to 13.8 percent, when South African-based entertainment group Naspers invested $50 million U.S. in Avito earlier this year.)

Filip Engelbert, co-head of Avito together with Jonas Nordlander, has had close ties with the Lundin family ever since they put him in charge of the Lundin Internet business in Russia following the acquisition of Eniros Russian catalogue business.

The Lundin family originally entered the Russian consumer market to spread its risk in Russia by doing something outside the family’s traditional involvement in the gas, oil and mining fields. Now they want to focus on their traditional business of oil, gas, and mining again.

Maybe they also feel that Avito already is fully valued.

Here is the press release:

Vostok Nafta announces change in shareholder structure

Stockholm, 2013-05-21 08:30 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vostok Nafta’s largest shareholders, Lorito Holdings (Guernsey) Limited (“Lorito”) and Zebra Holdings and Investments (Guernsey) Limited (“Zebra”) have sold all of their Swedish Depository Receipts (“SDR”) in Vostok Nafta Investment Ltd. (“Vostok Nafta”), representing 31.1% of the total number of SDRs in Vostok Nafta.

Lorito and Zebra are investment companies owned by a trust whose beneficiaries are members of the family of the late Adolf Lundin.

All of the SDRs sold by Lorito and Zebra have been acquired by Luxor Capital Group, L.P. (“Luxor”), a New York-based investor. After the above described transaction Luxor controls 33.69% of the total number of outstanding SDRs in Vostok Nafta.

“My father started Vostok Nafta in 1996 and my family has been a major shareholder in the company ever since. As a shareholder, we have seen the portfolio develop over the years. Last year Vostok Nafta initiated a process through which the portfolio has become more focused on private equity investments within the consumer segment of the Russian economy. When the proposed distribution of shares in Black Earth Farming and RusForest takes place early this summer, the portfolio will consist of two private companies: Avito and Tinkoff Credit Systems. I am convinced that there is good potential for further value increases in both of these holdings, but these are investments that are outside the oil and gas and mining fields, where my family and I have our expertise and where our group of companies have always invested,” Lukas Lundin said the sale of SDRs to Luxor.

The distribution of SDRs and shares in Black Earth Farming and RusForest announced on May 7, 2013 will be resolved upon at a special general meeting to be held on May 24, 2013. The distribution is planned to conclude at the end of June, or beginning of July.

Lukas H. Lundin and C. Ashley Heppenstall will both be resigning from the Board of Directors of Vostok Nafta.

Vostok Nafta