One month ago, home-sharing service Airbnb began rolling out a program called Verified ID, which requires some U.S. users (and eventually people in other parts of the world) to go through a verification process that uses social media logins — either Facebook or LinkedIn — and offline proof of ID, like a scanned license or passport. But what if you don’t use Facebook or LinkedIn? [More]
SEC Settlement Slaps NASDAQ With $10 Million Penalty For Bungling Facebook IPO
By 5.29.13
How many acronyms can you fit in one sentence? Please see the above headline, which pertains to a settlement reached by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that will see the NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations — the more you know!) paying out $10 million for bungling Facebook’s IPO, or Initial Public Offering last year. Whew, try saying that sentence three times fast. Or even once. [More]
Graphic: Which Internet Biggies Are Even Slightly Concerned About Your Privacy?
By 5.20.13
When it comes to online privacy, many consumers assume that their service provider, or the websites they are browsing, have the users’ best interest in mind and that these companies won’t simply hand over your information to authorities. These people are mistaken, as are those who believe that no online companies make user privacy a priority. The truth, as usual, is a bit from column A and a bit from column B. [More]
How Not To React To Internet Criticism: The Epic Facebook Meltdown Of Amy’s Baking Company
By 5.14.13 — Updated: 5.16.13
It appears that the owners of Amy’s Baking Company in Arizona expected an appearance on celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s “Kitchen Nightmares” program to vindicate them. They believed that they serve quality food, that they have been unfairly slandered by the entire Internet. Maybe they had never seen the reality program, which features last-ditch efforts to save failing restaurants run by people who are delusional or incompetent…and frequently both. [More]
Report: AT&T Discontinuing HTC First After Facebook Home Fails To Impress
By 5.13.13
Some called it the first “Facebook phone,” some called it by its name, the HTC First, and now there are those calling the whole joint venture between Facebook and AT&T a flop. According to one report making the rounds today, AT&T is getting ready to drop the HTC First after reportedly poor sales. [More]
UNICEF: Facebook Likes Don’t Save Children
By 5.3.13
Your Facebook news feed is probably overflowing with sentimental images encouraging other users to “like” a page or share an image in order to combat some disease, or save an abandoned animal, or take part in some political movement. But in the end, those likes don’t do a dang thing, and the folks at UNICEF want everyone to know this. [More]
Facebook Lets You Assign ‘Trusted Contacts’ To Help You Access Your Account After Being Locked Out
By 5.2.13
Lots of people give an extra set of house keys to close friends or family in case they get locked out. So why not have a similar way of dealing with those times when you’re locked out of your Facebook account? [More]
Restaurant Learns Instagram Isn’t Intended For Hurling Racial Slurs At Bad Tippers
By 4.25.13
Someone at a restaurant in Delaware missed the class where they explain that the usual place to vent racially biased frustration at a customer is on the receipt, as the eatery is now having to do a lot of apologizing for things that showed up on its Instagram page. [More]
Your ZIP Code And Your Name, That’s All Retailers Need To Track Your Behavior
By 4.18.13
How many times have you been asked “May I have your ZIP code?” when paying with a credit card? Many people just assume it’s for security purposes, but in reality it’s more likely that you may have just given marketers access to a wealth of knowledge about you and your shopping habits. [More]
Facebook Home Earning Oodles Of Negative Feedback From Google Play Reviewers
By 4.15.13
Earlier this month, Facebook announced Facebook Home, the massive upgrade of its Android smartphone app that basically puts the social networking site front-and-center on your device. The app began rolling out to customers late last week, and some of the responses may have you waiting to press “update.” [More]
Insulting A Customer On Facebook Won’t Reopen Those Restaurants You Had To Close
By 4.4.13
When you’re a chain restaurant that recently shuttered all but one location in a town, one might think you’d be a bit grumpy. Crankiness aside, firing a parting shot at a customer on Facebook, like one Houston Tex-Mex chain did, isn’t going to bring back those closed locations. Nope. All it’s going to do is anger and alienate your remaining customers. [More]
Facebook “Home” Makes Facebook The Center Of Your Android Phone’s Universe
By 4.4.13
As promised, Facebook has announced a big new update to its Android mobile platform that integrates the social network deeply into the phone’s operating system, making it the foundation of the smartphone interface. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 2: EA Vs. Facebook
April 1, 2013
Having each thoroughly thrashed their competitors in the opening round, it’s time for the reigning Golden Poo holder and the current king of social media to pick on someone their own size. [More]
FireMe Helps The World Discover How You Really Feel About Your Job
By 3.29.13
Do you hate your job? Do you love social media? Do you make the mistake of combining the two? If so, you may find yourself featured on FireMe, a research project that highlights public tweets from people talking $@#% about their boss and/or employment situation. [More]
Is The ‘Facebook Phone’ Really Just A Better Facebook App For Android?
By 3.29.13
There have been rumors for a while that Facebook, like Google, would be getting into the hardware business and last night’s press invite from Facebook for some big Android-related announcement spurred all sorts of talk about an actual “Facebook Phone,” but some says it’s likely just Facebook finally getting around to releasing an Android app that functions properly. [More]
Meet Your Worst Company In America Not-So-Sweet 16!
March 27, 2013
Last week, 32 terrible titans of industry stepped on to the blood-stained mat of WCIA Death-and-Dismemberment Arena, but only 16 remain in this bestial battle royale to take home the treasured Golden Poo. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 1: Google Vs. Facebook
March 20, 2013
Two of the Internet’s coolest kids take a break from collecting every possible bit of data about consumers in order to beat each other into submission in a much-anticipated WCIA cage match. [More]
Wait, Did Logitech Just Commandeer My Mouse And ‘Like’ Itself On Facebook?
By 3.19.13 — Updated: 3.20.13
Kathryn bought and installed her new mouse, and she noticed something weird. Really weird. She saw a flurry of windows opening when she plugged it in, and assumed that it was some kind of installation function. Then she visited Facebook and noticed that she had “Liked” Logitech. She likes Logitech products, don’t get her wrong, but she doesn’t Facebook “like” them. Except she did. Or someone did. [More]
