If you’re a mommy blogger with a strong following, companies will fall all over themselves to show you a good time. The Los Angeles Times examines the culture of quid-pro-quo marketing, in which bloggers get bombarded with free samples and go on all-expenses-paid junkets with the understanding that they’ll write positively about the products.
BLOGS
Verizon Configures Phones So You Incur Erroenous Data Charges? (To The Tune Of $300 Million)
By 11.13.09
If you have a Verizon phone, you’ve probably at one point accidentally hit a button that connects you to “Get It Now” or “Mobile Web.” Arg. And it’s double-arg when it turns out that even if you cancel right away, you still get hit with a $1.99 1MB data charge. According to a tipster, this is totally on purpose. [More]
@Couponbot Serves You Coupons Via Twitter
By 11.12.09
Shoppers are getting online coupon code crazy, with searches for promo codes up 55% from last year. But why waste your time Googling when you could be watching thewebsiteisdown.com and an armada of Twitter agents are searching for coupons on your behalf?
Checklist Your Way To Thanksgiving Success
By 11.12.09
It’s time to get ready for Thanksgiving. Stay in budget and manage your time effectively with ShelterPop’s pre-Turkey Day checklist. What do you do around your house to prepare?
Quickly Find Nearby Flu Shots With Google Maps
By 11.11.09
Want to quickly and easily know where you can get a flu shot nearby?
Gorge Like A Pro At All You Can Eat Buffets
By 11.10.09
Eating The Road has posted THE definitive guide to maximizing your all-you-can eat buffet experience. From types of buffets, to pre-game preparations, to inter-diner tactics, to post-game, everything you need to know about pigging your friggin’ brains out like a pro is here. A sampling:
Mafia Wars CEO Brags About Scamming Users From Day One
By 11.9.09
From the beginning, the profitability and viability of popular Facebook social networking games Mafia Wars and Farmville were predicated on the backs of scams, boasts Zynga CEO Mark Pincus in this video. “I did every horrible thing in the book just to get revenues,” he crows in the clip to a gathered bunch of fellow scumbag app developers.
iPhone App Developer Sued For Stealing Users' Phone Numbers
By 11.6.09
For secretly stealing users’ phone number by exploiting a backdoor iPhone vulnerability, app developer Storm8 got slapped with a class action lawsuit.
Save The Polar Bear Sweaters Are Nice, But Do The Bears Really Get The Cash?
By 11.6.09
So you’re shopping and have a choice between Sweater A, and Sweater B, the one that saves polar bears. This so-called “embedded giving” where you buy something and part of the money goes towards a charity has become quite popular, especially during the holiday season, but did you ever stop to think if the polar bears are really getting the money?
10 Things Learned About Life And Personal Finance
By 11.6.09
You blog for 3 years about money, life, and personal finance, all of which are interconnected, and you pick up a few things. Trent from The Simple Dollar shares the 10 most important lessons he’s learned since starting his personal finance blog. For starters, number 10, while it’s easy to get caught up in trying to save one more nickel off every purchase, “Reliability and functionality worth a premium”!
Live In The Mobile Home Of The Future
By 11.5.09
Would you live in a mobile home? No? What if it were solar and wind powered, and tricked out with the latest modern conveniences and looked sharp?
Toyota Says It's Not Hiding Anything In Runaway Cars Investigation
By 11.5.09
One of Toyota’s execs said today that the company isn’t covering up information about its suddenly accelerating cars, but the Department of Transportation doesn’t seem to agree.
Sweepstake Scammers Impersonate FTC
By 11.4.09
Fraudsters frequently pretend to be from official or official-sounding organizations and companies to perpetuate their scams, but one group has kicked the chutzpah level up to a whole new level.
Verizon Wireless To Hike ETFs On "Advanced" Devices
By 11.4.09
Are you looking to get a smartphone on the Verizon network anytime soon? Make sure that you like it before you sign a contract, since starting November 15th, Verizon will be imposing a higher early termination fee—up to $350—on contracts for “advanced” devices. That means smartphones.
Edmunds.com Estimates Real Cash For Clunkers Cost, Gets White House Smackdown
By 10.30.09
Edmunds.com crunched some numbers, and came to the conclusion that the federal Cash for Clunkers program was not a terribly effective use of taxpayer money. They argue that the bulk of rebates went to consumers who were going to buy cars anyway. The White House, however, begs to differ. So how did the Obama administration respond? With a snarky blog post.
Memo Reveals Tragic Details Of Stuck Pedal Lexus Crash (Pics)
By 10.30.09
Tragic details are revealed in NHTSA memo about the Lexus that crashed at almost 100 MPH after the gas pedal became stuck on the floormat, leading to the immolation and death of the four family-members inside, and Toyota’s 3.8 million vehicle recall.
United Loses $12,418.28 Of Famous Rock Climber Steph Davis's Gear
By 10.30.09
Pro rock climber and base jumper Steph Davis is always superstitious about her last “flight.” On any trip, the last jump off the cliff in her wing suit, she’s sure something will go wrong. Recently, her fears came true, but not while hurtling herself off the Eiger. It was her flight on United, who lost $12,418.28 of her gear, including parachute.
