The trustworthiness of Yelp, Angie’s List, and other “unbiased” ratings services is called into question in a new study by Consumer Reports. And the consumer advocacy publication is hardly the only one taking issue with …
36 Years After Elvis Presley’s Death, Could the King’s Popularity Be Dying?
Long live the King? By some indication, tourist interest in Elvis Presley is on the decline—which would make sense given that fewer and fewer people with firsthand memories of the King of Rock ‘n Roll in action are around. Yet …
Instagram Ads Are on the Way
The popular photo-sharing app Instagram has become one of the world’s largest social networks, recently topping 150 million monthly users. Now the company is developing a plan to introduce ads in order to turn a profit.
Three Reasons Zuckerberg’s “Internet For All” Crusade Rings Hollow
Last week, billionaire Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced a new initiative, Internet.org, aimed at greatly expanding Internet access throughout the developing world — a goal that he said would spark dramatic economic growth in the world’s poorest countries. But is Zuckerberg’s claim really true? And is Internet.org
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Angered By Zimmerman Verdict, Some Call for a Boycott of Florida Businesses
The acquittal of George Zimmerman in the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin kicked off protests around the country, as well as calls for a boycott of Florida—where the trial took place, and where a controversial “Stand Your Ground” law still exists.
The Real Reason Telecoms Cooperate on National Security? Money
Verizon, the phone company whose disclosure of customer data to the U.S. federal government is at the center of the furor over cooperation by technology companies with top-secret national-security programs, has offered a precise, clear, but little-noticed public explanation of why it did what it did.
The Verizon explanation is not in the
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Teens Tire of Facebook — but Not Enough to Log Off
Has Facebook lost its cool? That’s a question TIME posed earlier this year to dozens of teenagers, who mostly insisted that newer social networks like Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter were more engaging, even if (and partially
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The Hot New Online Retail Strategy: Pushing More In-Store Purchases
You’d think that when retailers enhance their online shopping options, the goal would be increased online sales. Not so with Target, Gap and Rite Aid — which are adding new online tools with the hopes of boosting in-store sales.
A Year Later, Instagram Hasn’t Made a Dime. Was it Worth $1 Billion?
Last April Facebook agreed to buy the quickly growing photo-sharing network Instagram for a cool $1 billion. A year later, the jury’s still out on whether Instagram will one day reap huge profits.
Weird Money: 9 Odd Factoids from Recent Consumer Surveys and Studies
Ever wonder which alcohol brands are most popular … among consumers who are too young to buy alcohol? Is daylight savings harmless, or does it cost us hundreds of millions of dollars annually? And most pressing of all, which celebrity do you wish was your insurance agent?
Is Facebook Losing Its Cool? Some Teens Think So
Baret Steed is tired of Facebook. She’s had an account since she was 13, but isn’t a fan of the fact that the social network now includes not only her friends, but also her parents, aunts, and uncles. “It’s almost like …
TurboTax Vs. H&R Block: Here’s the Other Class War Sparked by Taxes
Who knew tax preparation could get so controversial? As tax season kicks into gear, archrivals H&R Block and Intuit, maker of TurboTax software, are squabbling like reality show housewives.