Starting a venture and developing your product or service requires working quickly and efficiently. You need to ensure your startup offers value in terms of innovation, quality and convenience, even though you have limited resources and may be racing against the competition to be first to market.

So, how do you strike the perfect balance?

It’s up to the talent you bring in to make this happen. The problems are you (much like myself) have limited funds to hire talent, who may be new to the process. There is an alternative approach that many companies have actually used during the startup phase: outsourced development.

While this may be little known, perhaps because there is considerable controversy over using outsourcing, here are 25 large startups that have succeeded using this strategy to launch their highly-valued businesses:

1. Slack: Now valued at nearly $3 billion, this company used outsourcing to develop its solution in its earliest days.
2. Fab: This large startup partnered with developers in India to maximize funding while scaling up when their business showed signs of growth.
3. Skype: They used a team of developers in Estonia to help them build out their business.
4. Klout: To get its technology in the right place before launch, Klout relied on many outsourced developers.
5. AppSumo: The company has used many freelancers in various fields, including marketing, content and IT to grow its business.
6. Staff.com: Serving as a company that offers outsourced talent and freelancers for other organizations, Staff.com utilized the same model to grow from a start-up into a globally successful business.
7. Branchout: This app was created entirely with outsourced development.
8. Github: The company has used numerous people who completed development work virtually from home.
9. Basecamp: The same practice of outsourcing worked for Basecamp as it developed itself into a technology leader.
10. AlertBoot: The company decided to outsource infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and cloud hosting to speed those areas of development.
11. MYSQL: From the start, the company believed and proved the success of a growth strategy that included using a mostly outsourced staff in various countries to ramp up operations in each location.
12. SeatGeek: This company found a considerable cost benefit to outsourcing specific tasks to talent in other countries. That helped them build their infrastructure quicker at less cost than hiring in-house staff.
13. Squawker: This company partnered with an outsource provider to build its platform solution.
14. JPay.com: Outside developers built their technology and infrastructure. They used people in India, China and Israel for quality assurance, engineering and hardware. It helped to have the outsourcing in place to handle growth. They eventually sold the company to Securus Technology.
15. Splunk: This company, known for search and analysis of data, has used outsource agencies to find the talent that rapidly developed their infrastructure and solution.
16. Opera: This web browser company relied on developers in other countries to create and implement its platform.
17. Pingar: The company helps organizations with data analytics. While establishing itself in its industry it called on outsourced talent to develop its business.
18. Axeda: The company relied on developers to create the software and platform to offer its cloud-based solution.
19. Solix: Even technology outsource companies have used outsourced talent to create its infrastructure as Solix has done.
20. Cloudmunch: This Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) company utilized an Indian outsource company to cull talent it needed to start up its operations.
21. Gliffy: This web-based diagramming tools company has turned to outsourcing for specific aspects of its technology development.
22. Net2Text: The company outsourced the development of its mobile payment platform.
23. Proximate Global Inc.: This company used an outsource service provider to create a location-based service for smartphones called Face2Face.
24. Mailburn: This iPhone email client solution developed thanks to a partnership with an outsource service provider that helped with many of the technical aspects of the solution.
25. Mindspark: This mobile app development company has used outsource providers to create its business and many of its current apps.

After learning about this list I started researching good companies that could build my invoicing for freelancers startup. I now have a large team of developers who are cranking away at new features.

These startups and many others, like myself, have recognized the value that outsourcing brings, whether that is talent in other countries or homegrown experts who work virtually. The primary driver is that outsourcing costs startups much less an in-house team. Outsourcers come with skills already in place, so you do not spend time training. The low costs and knowledgeable talent means you can get infrastructure developed faster and your company launched sooner.

My one tip for success is, before you engage long term, test a couple developers and make sure the code is clean. There are numerous horror stories, so make sure that you have someone who understands code to manage this outsourced team.

Here’s to growing all of our businesses online!

A common challenge faced by every entrepreneur is that they don’t have the bandwidth, interest or skills to do everything that is required to build their startup. Of course, they can outsource part of the work or hire employees, but that approach means more time and money to manage the work, which they don’t have. The right answer is to find a co-founder with complementary skills.

Two heads are always better than one in a startup. Both need to share the passion, long-term opportunity and risk, rather than just getting paid to do a job, win or lose. Investors worry about a single entrepreneur getting overloaded, disabled or led astray, with no balancing and supporting partner. The challenge is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner.

Don’t expect someone else to find the partner for you, since it’s really very much like finding a life partner. Your version of the right chemistry, similar values and passion for your solution probably won’t match mine. Yet from my own years of experience in the startup community, here are 10 common steps that have worked for other entrepreneurs:

1. Write a “job description” for that ideal partner.

Your best friend, spouse or a family member is the least likely candidate, so don’t start there. Take a hard look at your own business strengths and weaknesses, and write down what partner skills and experiences would best complement yours. Seek input from seasoned investors and peers.

2. Network to find co-founders just as you network to find investors.

In fact, many of the same venues, such as industry conferences, entrepreneur forums and local business organizations are useful for both. Online, it pays to join entrepreneur groups on LinkedIn and Facebook, and interact with people who meet your criteria on Twitter.

3. Join online “matchmaking” sites for business partners.

Co-founders are business partners for startups, so don’t be afraid to join and explore sites such as StartupWeekend, StartupAgents and CoFoundersLab. Also start a discussion on the wealth of business blogs frequented by entrepreneurs, where you can make your interests known.

4. Attend local university entrepreneur activities.

University professors and student leaders always know a host of top entrepreneurs, alums or staff members who are just waiting to find the perfect match for their own interests, skills and entrepreneurial ideas to change the world. Support local activities and you support yourself.

5. Look for a partner from a different background.

In today’s global economy, your ideal partner may be half way around the world, from a different geography and business culture. Every startup infrastructure is flush with smart people from all cultures, many of whom may be ready and able to bring new energy and creativity to your startup.

6. Follow up with associates from prior job assignments.

If you were impressed with someone’s drive and capabilities in a prior work role, now is the time to connect again to check their interest and availability, or recommendations they may offer. Use caution to avoid employer conflicts of interest and non-compete clauses.

7. Relocate to a more likely geography.

Finding a high-tech co-founder in the middle of Kansas may be a long search. There’s a reason that Silicon Valley and Boston are hubs for high-tech startups. These areas may have not just your co-founder, but also the robust ecosystem your startup needs for investors, programmers and customers.

8. Explore candidate common interests outside of work.

Co-founder chemistry and interest matches are best explored outside the office. Find some common hobbies or sports to get acquainted before giving away half your company. Business partnerships are long-term relationships, so take your time getting acquainted before closing the deal.

9. Jointly define major milestones and key metrics for the startup.

This process is the ultimate test of a true shared vision and working style. Building a startup is hard and unpredictable work, and people get busy, so now is the time to jointly commit. If you can’t work as a team now and easily agree, it probably won’t happen at all in the future.

10. Negotiate and document roles early, including who is the boss.

No matter how equal you all are, there is only room for one at the top to make the final decision on hard issues. Especially when everything feels good today, don’t be hesitant to ask the hard questions of each other. There can be only one chief executive officer.

For the success of your startup, finding the right co-founder is one of the most important things that a new entrepreneur needs to do. There are so many challenges in a startup that no founder should try to go it alone. When you find someone that works, I’m betting you will be together on your next startup, and the one after that. Great teams persevere, and success breeds success.

There are few decisions in business that are more important than deciding whether you’ll “go it alone” or team up with someone that you may, or may not, already know. Although there are a couple of reasons that going alone might sound appealing — like owning more of the company and being completely in control of decision-making — there are considerably more that should direct you otherwise.

Let’s have a gander at a short list of reasons why you should reconsider a solo career in entrepreneurship.

1. Starting a business is hard. Really hard.

When you have the idea for your new startup it’s easy to get excited — after all, you’re going to sell for a zillion dollars and have your birthday set as a national holiday, right? Yep, the adrenaline is flowing. Then you begin executing on your fancy new idea, only to realize that there is a heck of a lot of work to be done. While struggling to keep your head above water isn’t terribly fun, doing it alone is much worse.

2. Distribute the stress.

As a result of the enormous amount of work that is required to launch a new enterprise, mountains of stress inevitably come. Do you know what you can’t do — or shouldn’t do? Take it home with you. Now I realize that this may not be entirely realistic but it’s important that you know in advance that your significant other and/or children aren’t going to understand what you’re going through and no, you can’t vent to your employees — they’re not your friends.

As a solo entrepreneur you’re never going to feel more alone, so put yourself in a situation to share the stress with someone that you’re working with every day.

3. Nobody will understand your business like you do.

This is a point that cannot be stressed enough — if you’ve never started a company before, I can assure you that the number of details and intricacies will be orders of magnitude greater than your wildest expectations — and the only person that will understand them like you, when you need help the most, is a co-founder.

4. Problem solving can’t be one-sided.

We know that problems are going to come up — no need to beat a dead horse. The issue is that you’re going to need the perspective of another person that understands your business like you do, and that person can only be a co-founder. It’s equally as important that you have an opposing view. Hiring a co-founder that thinks like you do and shares the same opinion won’t be much better than having no co-founder at all.

5. Advisors are advisors, not partners.

You may have gone out and built the greatest crack squad of advisors imaginable. The problem is that you can’t call one of them at 11:15 at night when you’ve had a “eureka” moment or are struggling to come up with a solution to a problem — even if they said you could. Keep in mind that their job is to provide you with advice on an “as needed” basis, which is typically going to be for larger problems than those that appear multiple times throughout the day.

6. Split the early and out-of-pocket expenses.

Hopefully this doesn’t come as much of a shock, but starting a business can be expensive — and fundraising early and without a product or prototype is really difficult, unless of course your grandfather invented Velcro. The opportunity to work with a co-founder will allow you to split the initial costs of getting a working product or prototype going, which will in turn allow you to raise funds at a better valuation.

Are you concerned about giving up equity? Don’t be. Would you rather own 50 percent of something or 100 percent of nothing?

7. Mitigate risk for investors.

At Beachwood Ventures, we’re rather opposed to investing in single-founder companies — that’s not to say we won’t in circumstances where the founder is a repeat entrepreneur with past success, we just prefer a team with at least two founders. Yes, having too many founders can also be troublesome, but that’s a different article.

The potential problems here are many. If the founder has a major problem in the highest levels of the new company, he’ll be relying on employees of the company for help — whom have a different mindset and priority base — as well as people outside the company that won’t understand the intricacies like the founder will.

If the founder burns him or herself out or gets hit by a beer truck, both the company and our investment are likely gone — sorry to be morose, it’s just reality. Unless it’s a truly otherworldly opportunity and all the stars align, it’s just not worth the risk as an investor.

You are attracting website visitors through social media marketing, email marketing, search engine optimization and pay-per-click marketing. Your traffic is highly targeted; and let’s assume you are selling the exact product or service that your visitors want. You also have the lowest price online, yet you still aren’t converting sales.

So, what’s the problem?

Sometimes a simple website problem will drastically hinder your sales. Here are four reasons why your website might not be converting as well as you would like.

1. Your website provides a horrible mobile experience.

You have to have a mobile-friendly website — there is no way around it. It’s very easy to check to see if your website passes Google’s mobile-friendly test, but a passing grade doesn’t necessarily guarantee that your website is going to provide a pleasant experience for your users.

There are many things to consider when optimizing a landing page for mobile traffic. Using text that’s large and easy to read, having just a single call-to-action, avoiding large paragraphs of text and ensuring that a visitor can access every feature using just one finger are a few things to consider.

Invite feedback from actual users — friends, family and customers — and watch them run through every page of your website on a mobile device. Take notes based on their feedback in real time to determine what works and what still needs to be addressed, to give your visitors a hassle-free experience on their mobile devices.

2. Customers are required to create an account to complete the checkout process.

I won’t purchase from a website that requires me to create an account before checking out, and I promise I’m not the only one that shares this stance. Consumers demand speed, efficiency and convenience. Requiring someone to create an account not only adds time-consuming steps to the checkout process, but also acts as a repellant, pushing away consumers who are sensitive about putting personal information online.

You don’t need to completely eliminate the ability to create an account; some consumers, especially repeat visitors, like the convenience of stored information, such as a preferred payment method and shipping address. Just make sure you offer a “guest” checkout option, as well, allowing someone to quickly make a purchase and be done.

3. You don’t offer any visible discounts, special offers or free shipping.

We all like to feel that we are saving money or receiving a special perk. Make sure that all of your special offers, even standard ones, are highly visible.

Here’s an example of how a simple change can make a difference: An ecommerce website I consulted for was offering free shipping on all orders. When the company implemented a two-step exit offer to let visitors leaving the site claim free shipping, its conversion rates went through the roof. We also strategically placed the offer throughout the website. Without adjusting anything else, the company’s revenue numbers grew much stronger.

The message? Work current special offers and discounts into your website design, and include them in areas that are clicked and viewed often (Tip: Use a heat-map tool like Crazy Egg to see where your visitors are scrolling and clicking.) Also, build exit offers that include these special offers, enticing the visitor to stick around and complete a purchase.

4. Your website speed and load time are painfully slow.

What happens when you land on a website and it doesn’t load immediately? You leave. I leave. Everyone leaves. Your website visitors aren’t any different.

If someone leaves your website because it loads slowly, I have news for you — not only did you just lose a possible sale, but you lost all future sales from that person, as well, since he or she will never return. There are several free tests you can run to audit your website speed and load time. In addition to making the changes those tests suggest, you should use quality website hosting, utilize caching and consider signing up for a content delivery network (CDN) to improve your website performance.

Americans can’t get enough of their smartphones. Most of us compulsively check them countless times a day, then stash them by our bedsides at night, according to the Pew Research Center. We’re hooked on them because they make our lives easier.

Fortunately for businesses large and small, smartphones also make it easier for people to research and make purchases on the go. And that very (and very lucrative) mobile purchasing power is precisely why it’s critical for your company website to look great and work smoothly on smartphones — and on tablets, too.

Here are 10 crucial questions to ask when optimizing your company’s website for mobile users:

1. My website looks okay on mobile devices now. Is it really worth it just to make it look and feel as slick as possible on smartphones and tablets?
Yes, without a doubt, says Brian Alvey, “chief scientist” at Ceros, a cloud-based real-time web content authoring platform. Global fashion, auto and retail brands look to Ceros to publish interactive marketing experiences that are designed to “work flawlessly” on all types of devices, and smartphones and tablets are no exception.

“Mobile used to be the future of business,” Alvey says. “Mobile used to be a trend. Now it’s the norm.” The bottom line: If you don’t adapt to mobile and quick, you could miss out on a prime revenue-generating opportunity, or even lose customers to competitors who already embrace mobile.

2. Should I have a dedicated mobile version of my existing website or simply make my existing website responsive to mobile?
You have two choices. You can either opt for a single website that displays content responsively for different device and browser types, otherwise known as responsive web design. Or you can create a standalone dedicated mobile website separate from your main website. If your main site is www.examplesitehere.com, then your dedicated mobile site would likely appear as m.examplesitehere.com. The .m signifies mobile.

Alvey prefers an all-in-one responsive site. He says he’s heard that Google and Bing prefer them as well.

3. Should I try to mobile-optimize my website myself or delegate it to someone on my staff? 
Particularly for small businesses that are light on resources, it’s best to leave it to the pros. The mobile optimization process is generally too cost-prohibitive, complicated and time-consuming to go in-house.

“Most SMBs can’t justify even a single full-time designer, so in-house isn’t an option,” Alvey says. “Unless you have the time and experience to directly manage freelance designers, I’d hire a company [to do the job].”

4. What are some of the best mobile optimization options available and what do they cost?
Luckily, there are a wide variety of solutions available for every budget. Alvey suggests deciding what you’re willing to spend, then choosing the best available option from there.

Alvey’s favorite mobile services are from popular website hosting companies like WordPress (free hosting, plus premium upgrades), GoDaddy (hosting costs $4.99 to $7.99 per month) and SquareSpace (free 14-day trial, hosting costs $8 to $24 per month). Each offers a broad array of automatically mobile-friendly, attractive prefab website designs, features and themes, plus premium add-ons.

Another is bMobilized, whose slogan is “mobilize any website… instantly.” This can be a smart option if you simply want to add mobile responsiveness to your existing website. The service’s software mobilizes your site with the click of a button. Pricing is monthly and reasonable at $15.20 per month annually or $19 month-to-month.

5. Should I just hire a contractor?
Hiring a contract web designer for the job is also an option, though it could cost you more in the end than using an online solution. Alvey says web designer fees are generally charged hourly and vary quite a bit from city to city. If you do go the contractor route, he advises that you hire locally and carefully check customer references before committing.

6. What are some key, must-have mobile site features?
Required mobile features vary, Alvey says. “Obviously, if you don’t have e-commerce, then a shopping cart is useless.” But if you do sell goods online, you should definitely include one in your mobile design. Or, if you own a brick-and-mortar retail business, be sure to prominently display your store address and hours, and perhaps a link to driving directions as well.

Another essential feature all businesses should position front and center is a “click-to-call” phone number. All mobile users have to do is click the number and their smartphone will call you, allowing them to instantly and directly engage with your business.

“Never forget that a customer who is checking out your business on their phone — is holding a phone.”

7. What about social media integration?
Social media integration is like free advertising. It lets users generate a buzz around your brand. In most cases including social elements is a must. For example, on the mobile site for a free online deal-tracking service called Hukkster, first-time users can sign up to use it by entering their Facebook (and Google) credentials. Hukkster’s Facebook integration makes it easier for its users to share their favorite product discounts with their friends on the popular social platform, while simultaneously broadening Hukkster’s marketing reach on Facebook.

Alvey points out that, because they’re so inherently visual, hotels and fashion companies thrive on Instagram and Pinterest, so those particular platforms make sense to integrate into their mobile sites. Whereas Twitter integration is a better fit for airlines and TV shows, which tend to experience high engagement on the microblogging service, he says.

Whichever social platforms you settle on, it’s wise to limit yourself to only two or three social media sharing buttons, not a dozen, Alvey says.

8. What’s the best way to test my mobile site before launch?
Test-driving your site helps you discover and weed out bad links, confusing navigation and a host of other potential functionality issues. Be sure to test yours on as many devices and browsers possible, “not just the ones your team or your CEO uses,” Alvey says.

Interestingly, he also suggests swinging by Best Buy, which he cheekily calls a “free mobile testing lab,” or a similar consumer electronics retailer to check your site out on as many of their sample smartphones and tablets as possible. You’ll get a hands-on feel for what works and what doesn’t — at zero cost.

9. How can I track the success of my mobile strategy?
The most popular, user-friendly website traffic and usage tracking option available is Google Analytics. The free self-service tool shows you how many people visit your mobile site, from which devices and how often, along with where they live, how they found your site and much more. It also tells you which social channels drive people to your mobile entity and what content they share from it. Use what you learn to fine tune your mobile strategy over time.

10. What are some common mistakes to avoid?
One of the biggest blunders is poorly targeting which devices users will view your content on, Alvey says. “If you send my Android phone to a desktop version (of a website) or my iPad to a smartphone version (of a website), you’ve lost me as a customer.”

Other common mistakes on Alvey’s list of mobile mistakes to skip include: crowded designs with links that are too close together for people’s fingers to accurately click, not optimizing image sizes for mobile bandwidth, making people fill out complicated forms and “harassing me to download your app.”

In Start Your Own Specialty Food Business, the Staff of Entrepreneur Media Inc. explain how you can launch a profitable specialty food business, with information on the hottest trends, insight from practicing specialty food business owners, and how you can differentiate your business. In this edited excerpt, the authors offer advice on using social media networks to promote your business.

Social media outlets present a fantastic opportu­nity for all specialty food business owners to meet and engage with targeted audiences full of thousands of potential custom­ers. If used correctly, participating in social media will help your business grow through powerful word-of-mouth campaigns. Here are eight tips on using social media to your advantage:

1. Before you start any social media outreach, define your target audiences. How old are they? Do the people in your audience tend to be more female than male? What groups, organizations, or associations are they likely to join? Are they foodies? Or just people who like to eat healthy or unique foods? Think about the kind of people you market to and want to use your business — then hang out with them via social media outlets.

2. Once your target audiences are defined, locate them online. Search Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Pinterest for groups, organizations, channels, or discussions that would contain the people you’re looking to meet.

3. Use social media search and organizational tools to help you find your audiences. Some sites like Facebook and YouTube have great, built-in search functions that will help you find your audience. To find your audience on Twitter, try using external sites like Twibes.

4. Once you’ve found your audience on these sites, join their groups and lists so you can follow the ongoing conversation. Don’t jump right in with a sales pitch! Listen instead. Learn the etiquette and major players. Spend some time just following along.

5. After you’re familiar with the etiquette and people involved, jump into the conversation when and where appropriate. Don’t hide who you are or the company you represent. Become a regular voice in the conversation and offer your friendly expertise to others. Invite people back to your website and social media accounts to see what it is you do and offer.

6. Once you’re a regular voice in the conversation, don’t be shy about doing a little pro­motion. Contests, giveaways, and raffles can be great tools for audience interaction and promotion of your products. People will love the chance to play in your contest and will invite friends to join in the fun.

7. As your audience grows, stay creative. Invent new ways to engage your audi­ence and encourage them to invite their friends. Continue to avoid hard sales pitches. People don’t forward commercials to their friends. They forward value.

8. Don’t try to do everything everywhere. Focus on the top two or three social media sites that have proven to contain the largest number of people in your target audience. Remember, social media provides you with the opportunity to meet your audience — not sell to your audience. People join these social media networks and participate for friendly interaction and the value it adds to their day. Provide that friendly interaction, and watch your audience grow.

Blogs

Blogs are typically personal and short, diary-like entries that touch on a specific topic. Perhaps you went to an event trade show and found out about a great new technique you’re going to try in the next product you introduce. Or maybe you went to a seminar on whipping cream and want to share what you learned.

Like websites, there are templates, mostly free, available to make the blogging process simple — you sign up, create your blog, write your entries, and the template sets up an archive for you. Tumblr, WordPress, and Blogger are a few more popular blog platforms. Some website template services, like Weebly, offer blogging as an option with your website.

Try to include both pictures and perhaps links to sites with further information in your blog. Again, use it to engage potential customers but don’t use it as a strong selling tool. This is your chance to be personal with existing and potential clients. Give them some good information, and even if they don’t become immediate customers, they may use you to cater their event or they may remember you kindly and tell their friends who are looking for a specialty food source to check out your blog.

You can link your blog to your Facebook and LinkedIn pages as well, so your friends and acquaintances on those sites will know when you’ve posted a new blog entry. It can appear with some initial teaser copy, enticing them to click on the link.

Facebook

Facebook started as a way to communicate with your network of friends. However, not only have people always used it to promote their businesses but Facebook itself has been offering ways to make the social media platform business-friendly. And friends “like” websites that they want to support. So definitely create a Facebook page for your business but use it sparingly for directly promoting your product.

Postings to your Facebook wall might include some fun tidbits you learned about a new type of mustard or the region from which it comes, or some blooper packaging experiment you did. Check out the pages of other food-related businesses and see how they’re using Facebook to their advantage.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is thought of as the Facebook of the business world. The general advice is to make your LinkedIn page more formal than a Facebook page might be. This is where people might go to see your resume, client list, a headshot of you.

LinkedIn is almost definitely going to be the more likely place your business is exposed to the corporate world if, for instance, your products include something that could be used for corporate gifts. However, no one can see more than the most basic information about you without your approval of a “connection” with them.

Twitter

A Twitter account for your business may be best used as an extension of a blog. You can send quick messages of up to 140 characters, a “tweet,” to your subscribers. “Found the greatest fair trade coffee to use in next batch of macaroons — check the Macaroon Mania website for details!” or “Stop by the store Wednesday evening 6 to 8 for tastings of our latest chocolate bars paired with red wines from WineBar at 123 Front Street” might be messages that promote your service while also offering a benefit to readers.

It’s inappropriate to ‘Like’ someone’s firing, breakup, fashion disaster, or untimely demise. That’s the conundrum Facebook has been struggling with since it introduced its ‘Like’ button seven years ago.

Today, after announcing the move last year, Facebook has rolled out its new ‘Reactions’ to all users. The six buttons—Like, Love, Wow, Sad, Bashful, and Sneezy—are intended to convey the full spectrum of human emotion, or at least give users more options to express themselves than they previous had.

Facebook’s ‘Like’ feature has been so fundamental to the definitive social network that it’s part of its branding; as recognizable, if not more so (especially after last year’s rebrand) than the company logotype itself.

It’s a modern-classic problem for a startup that has outgrown its original use-case: the UI that users are accustomed to, no longer reflects the tasks users are trying to accomplish. Twitter faced a similar issue in 2015 when it rebranded its star icon as a heart. It’s a problem LinkedIn would bite your hand off to be troubled by.

Strangely, given how important this update is to Facebook, the icons are both visually, and semantically inconsistent: only the ‘Like’ and ‘Love’ buttons are icons, the other four reactions are emoticons; ‘Like’ is a mild version of ‘Love’, but there’s no ‘Mild Distain’ reaction to partner ‘Hate’; ‘Wow’ could be both positive, or negative.