Best of the blogs: Hate it, love it, or a little bit of both, social media sets the imperative for all companies to compete for clients, customers and talent, Lena West asserts. “The tables have turned in more ways than one. Companies can no longer afford to compete on cash, bennies and perks. They need to be cool and hip — or at the very least have a clue,” West writes in Social media talent wars. “Companies that don’t have a seat at the Internet’s conversation table really are not part of the dialogue and good companies with bright futures are all too often being overlooked as potential employers.” From the InfoWorld Test Center: Taking a “unique and bold approach,” Apple with its OS X Leopard Server brings a product that Tom Yager writes is “as easy to set up and run as a desktop.” Yager adds in Leopard Server: The People’s Unix that this latest incarnation “breaks from the previous Mac server — and all server practices in general — by placing a completely new emphasis on cutting edge network collaboration that includes blog, wiki, instant messaging, calendar and scheduling, and address book. Sure, that’s a trick that Linux or Windows can pull off, but Apple’s spin is unique.” Related review: Mac OS X Leopard a perfect 10. Careers: Counter-offers can be dangerous, particularly when you have another option in hand and try to pull one out of a current boss. “Sometimes, accepting a counter to stay works out,” Nick Corcodilos writes in Is a counteroffer a death sentence? “But you must ask, if your boss matches the other offer and you stay, will he regard you suspiciously? Take the increase he gives you out of future raises? If your boss gives you a counter and you stay, there’s no telling whether he will hold a grudge.” Technology Industry