Making Fast Money

Group buying site Groupon is growing so fast that its “deals of the day” are attracting the attention of big brand names like the Gap. One small business owner believes this growth is making Groupon “greedy,” so much so that it chose not to honor a signed contract because the agreed upon margins were too small. This is his story.

In January, small business owner Gregroy Yonke used Groupon to run a Featured Deal that gave buyers half off his Phoenix, Arizona Entrees to Go guided cooking sessions. Yonke couldn’t have been more pleased with the results — Groupon delivered new customers who became repeat customers, he says.

After taking the summer to explore working with a bevy of new Groupon clones, Yonke got a call from Groupon indicating that the company was interested in having him run another featured deal. And so, Yonke put off his other marketing plans for another go-around with Groupon, because in his mind, “Groupon is bigger than all the others combined.”

Talks progressed and eventually the terms of the new deal were decided. On September 7, Groupon e-mailed Yonke a merchant agreement and asked him to reply to the e-mail with “agree” in the subject line. Yonke did so on September 14, believing this meant there was now a contract in place guaranteeing him another featured deal within four to six weeks time. That time frame had been discussed in the e-mail exchanges, but was not, in fact, included in the agreement.

Then, on October 11, Yonke was notified that his deal had passed through the “vetting” stage, meaning it had been approved for scheduling. Yonke was anxious to view and approve the deal copy, but his Groupon representative wrote to inform him that the deal would be prepared after it had been scheduled.

This is when things started to go awry. On October 19, Yonke e-mailed his rep to once again press to find out the date on which his deal would run. Here’s the response he received, with confidential information redacted:

“After further deliberation, we have decided that we are not going to be moving forward with the rate confirmation for Entrees to Go. After running the numbers, we don’t feel it is the right move for us at this time. I appreciate your interest in running again, and unfortunately, we were not able to make it work on our end for a second feature. I wish you the best moving forward.”

Astonished, Yonke e-mailed back asking, “On what basis are you making this decision?”

Groupon’s response was as follows:

“With the margin in place, we will be at a loss running this feature. It simply is not in the best interest of Groupon to run Entrees to Go at this time. Per the rate confirmation, Section 1.3, ‘Groupon will offer the Vouchers for sale on dates in its discretion.’ We are choosing, with all due respect, not to move forward at this time. I appreciate your patience and apologize that it doesn’t work at this time.”

In a conversation with Mashable, Yonke explained that he was quite taken aback by the response because he believed that there was a legal contract in place guaranteeing him a featured deal for Entrees to Go.

Yonke also shared that at one point Groupon pressured him to “sweeten the deal,” which he agreed to do, but only if Groupon agreed to take the same dollar amount — i.e. not the same percentage of sales — as agreed to in the initial deal. Groupon, however, wanted the same percentage, and that was just something “I couldn’t afford to do … I was already losing money on the other deal,” he said.

Earlier today, Yonke was again contacted by Groupon, but this time offering him a personalized deal, and not a featured deal. Personalized deals are only sent out to select, more targeted, audiences in the Groupon subscriber base, but Yonke was only interested in the featured deal, which would have gone out to all of Phoenix.

For Yonke, this Groupon deal represented the entirety of his marketing strategy, and it was the only way in which he was planning to attract new business at the Entrees to Go store he owns with his wife Dorothy.

Yonke believes he was overlooked because of the small stature of his business. He points to the fact that the featured deal running in Phoenix today is for Coldwater Creek, a national retailer with a much more prominent brand name. He says, “I get it … they can do a featured deal for the Gap and make $11 million in one day.”

The jilted small business owner reached out to Mashable to share his experience primarily because his marketing plans for bringing in end-of-year business have been stymied. He’s currently offering the deal through the FAQ portion of his own website, but admittedly does not have reach to a large audience.

Given Groupon’s immense growth this year, it follows that the startup will have disgruntled customers from time to time — and we’ve seen this before. While Mashable has confirmed the legitimacy of the e-mail communications between Yonke and Groupon, we caution the reader to remember that this is just one small business owner’s story.

Still, we felt this story to be of particular interest because it suggests that Groupon is shifting the focus of the featured deals away from the small business owners they once catered to. The smaller businesses, instead, seem to be destined for relegation to its personalized deals product or the do-it-yourself Groupon Stores.

Prior to publishing, Mashable reached out to Groupon for comment, and we’re told the company is now looking into the matter. We’ll update this post when there’s an official statement from the company.

For more Social Media coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Mediaclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Media channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Earlier this year, Formspring, a San Francisco-based social Q&A startup, got tongues wagging when it raised $2.5 million in its Series A funding mostly from top angel investors. The round, led by Freestyle Capital, turned out to be a coming-out party for angel investors who have become a big factor in Silicon Valley’s ecosystem.

Seven months later, Formspring is making news again. We’ve learned the company has raised $10 million in fresh funding in a round led by Redpoint Ventures. Geoff Yang, a well-known digital media investor, is leading the investment on behalf of Redpoint. The new round values Formspring somewhere around $45 million. The company declined to comment on the funding.

Formspring’s is relatively simple offering; you sign-up and create a page and then anyone can ask you anything, even anonymously. In many ways, it’s like blog comments, minus the blog post. Apparently, this is something folks like to do; the company says it has about 40 million unique visitors who show up every month. That growth is costing the company a pretty penny and has been a focus of its recent hirings.

The new investment is part of a growing trend. Fast-growing startups with momentum are able to raise big rounds of money, as Sand Hill Road investors try to cherry pick from a vast number of consumer web and mobile companies.  Formspring fits the bill; the company claims more than a billion questions have been answered on its platform.

Formspring.me is also part of a group of startups (and large companies) trying to capture a piece of what is a massive and ever-evolving web trend: personal expression. It started with blogs; it spread with micro blogging (Twitter and Facebook) and, more recently, self-expression through remixing (Tumblr.) Answering questions as an expert is only an extension of that trend, which is why you’re seeing services like Formspring get momentum, and hence the money.

From the Video Archives Chat with Formspring.me CEO Ade Olonoh:

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• How to Make Google Matter in Social Media


• Will Games Help Google Figure Out How to Be Social?


• Why Google Should Fear the Social Web

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Group buying site Groupon is growing so fast that its “deals of the day” are attracting the attention of big brand names like the Gap. One small business owner believes this growth is making Groupon “greedy,” so much so that it chose not to honor a signed contract because the agreed upon margins were too small. This is his story.

In January, small business owner Gregroy Yonke used Groupon to run a Featured Deal that gave buyers half off his Phoenix, Arizona Entrees to Go guided cooking sessions. Yonke couldn’t have been more pleased with the results — Groupon delivered new customers who became repeat customers, he says.

After taking the summer to explore working with a bevy of new Groupon clones, Yonke got a call from Groupon indicating that the company was interested in having him run another featured deal. And so, Yonke put off his other marketing plans for another go-around with Groupon, because in his mind, “Groupon is bigger than all the others combined.”

Talks progressed and eventually the terms of the new deal were decided. On September 7, Groupon e-mailed Yonke a merchant agreement and asked him to reply to the e-mail with “agree” in the subject line. Yonke did so on September 14, believing this meant there was now a contract in place guaranteeing him another featured deal within four to six weeks time. That time frame had been discussed in the e-mail exchanges, but was not, in fact, included in the agreement.

Then, on October 11, Yonke was notified that his deal had passed through the “vetting” stage, meaning it had been approved for scheduling. Yonke was anxious to view and approve the deal copy, but his Groupon representative wrote to inform him that the deal would be prepared after it had been scheduled.

This is when things started to go awry. On October 19, Yonke e-mailed his rep to once again press to find out the date on which his deal would run. Here’s the response he received, with confidential information redacted:

“After further deliberation, we have decided that we are not going to be moving forward with the rate confirmation for Entrees to Go. After running the numbers, we don’t feel it is the right move for us at this time. I appreciate your interest in running again, and unfortunately, we were not able to make it work on our end for a second feature. I wish you the best moving forward.”

Astonished, Yonke e-mailed back asking, “On what basis are you making this decision?”

Groupon’s response was as follows:

“With the margin in place, we will be at a loss running this feature. It simply is not in the best interest of Groupon to run Entrees to Go at this time. Per the rate confirmation, Section 1.3, ‘Groupon will offer the Vouchers for sale on dates in its discretion.’ We are choosing, with all due respect, not to move forward at this time. I appreciate your patience and apologize that it doesn’t work at this time.”

In a conversation with Mashable, Yonke explained that he was quite taken aback by the response because he believed that there was a legal contract in place guaranteeing him a featured deal for Entrees to Go.

Yonke also shared that at one point Groupon pressured him to “sweeten the deal,” which he agreed to do, but only if Groupon agreed to take the same dollar amount — i.e. not the same percentage of sales — as agreed to in the initial deal. Groupon, however, wanted the same percentage, and that was just something “I couldn’t afford to do … I was already losing money on the other deal,” he said.

Earlier today, Yonke was again contacted by Groupon, but this time offering him a personalized deal, and not a featured deal. Personalized deals are only sent out to select, more targeted, audiences in the Groupon subscriber base, but Yonke was only interested in the featured deal, which would have gone out to all of Phoenix.

For Yonke, this Groupon deal represented the entirety of his marketing strategy, and it was the only way in which he was planning to attract new business at the Entrees to Go store he owns with his wife Dorothy.

Yonke believes he was overlooked because of the small stature of his business. He points to the fact that the featured deal running in Phoenix today is for Coldwater Creek, a national retailer with a much more prominent brand name. He says, “I get it … they can do a featured deal for the Gap and make $11 million in one day.”

The jilted small business owner reached out to Mashable to share his experience primarily because his marketing plans for bringing in end-of-year business have been stymied. He’s currently offering the deal through the FAQ portion of his own website, but admittedly does not have reach to a large audience.

Given Groupon’s immense growth this year, it follows that the startup will have disgruntled customers from time to time — and we’ve seen this before. While Mashable has confirmed the legitimacy of the e-mail communications between Yonke and Groupon, we caution the reader to remember that this is just one small business owner’s story.

Still, we felt this story to be of particular interest because it suggests that Groupon is shifting the focus of the featured deals away from the small business owners they once catered to. The smaller businesses, instead, seem to be destined for relegation to its personalized deals product or the do-it-yourself Groupon Stores.

Prior to publishing, Mashable reached out to Groupon for comment, and we’re told the company is now looking into the matter. We’ll update this post when there’s an official statement from the company.

For more Social Media coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Mediaclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Media channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Earlier this year, Formspring, a San Francisco-based social Q&A startup, got tongues wagging when it raised $2.5 million in its Series A funding mostly from top angel investors. The round, led by Freestyle Capital, turned out to be a coming-out party for angel investors who have become a big factor in Silicon Valley’s ecosystem.

Seven months later, Formspring is making news again. We’ve learned the company has raised $10 million in fresh funding in a round led by Redpoint Ventures. Geoff Yang, a well-known digital media investor, is leading the investment on behalf of Redpoint. The new round values Formspring somewhere around $45 million. The company declined to comment on the funding.

Formspring’s is relatively simple offering; you sign-up and create a page and then anyone can ask you anything, even anonymously. In many ways, it’s like blog comments, minus the blog post. Apparently, this is something folks like to do; the company says it has about 40 million unique visitors who show up every month. That growth is costing the company a pretty penny and has been a focus of its recent hirings.

The new investment is part of a growing trend. Fast-growing startups with momentum are able to raise big rounds of money, as Sand Hill Road investors try to cherry pick from a vast number of consumer web and mobile companies.  Formspring fits the bill; the company claims more than a billion questions have been answered on its platform.

Formspring.me is also part of a group of startups (and large companies) trying to capture a piece of what is a massive and ever-evolving web trend: personal expression. It started with blogs; it spread with micro blogging (Twitter and Facebook) and, more recently, self-expression through remixing (Tumblr.) Answering questions as an expert is only an extension of that trend, which is why you’re seeing services like Formspring get momentum, and hence the money.

From the Video Archives Chat with Formspring.me CEO Ade Olonoh:

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• How to Make Google Matter in Social Media


• Will Games Help Google Figure Out How to Be Social?


• Why Google Should Fear the Social Web

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Making Money

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managing personal finances

A survey released today by Javelin Strategy & Research, which serves financial institutions, found in August that nearly one in five Americans doesn't monitor or manage their personal finances. That rate is double what it was just a year ago. Despite the fact the recession has made it more important than ever to carefully track our money, when it comes to personal finances, 19% of Americans stuck their head in the sand. A year before, another survey had the figure at just 8%.



More anxiety-induced news: The percentage of Americans who say they sometimes log onto their checking account balances with their banks' websites dropped to 46%, down 13 points from 59% a year ago. Even those who track their money by pen and paper dropped, from 50% to 46%.





"It's a natural human reaction to stress: 'Maybe if I don't look at it, it will go away.'" explains the study's co-author, senior analyst Mark Schwanhausser. "I think you have fewer people checking their finances online because they don't like what they're seeing. 'I'm going to be a financial sleepwalker. I'm not going to look.'"



Schwanhausser's prescription for the problem involves convincing America's major financial institutions that they're doing a lousy job helping make it easier and less stressful for their customers to track their money. "It's not enough to tell you how to fix the toilet," he says. "You've got to have the wrench."



Yet despite the fact that most Americans' money resides at a bank, few banks are interested in furnishing financial planning tools. Right now, Schwanhausser argues, most people are required to log into a wide variety of websites to track their money. For example, 75% of Americans who have a credit card get it from somewhere other than their primary bank, meaning their finances are scattered across many websites, unreconciled.



When people do turn to their bank's websites, he argues, the financial planning tools are nearly non-existent despite the fact our society increasingly demands greater personal control through technology. "Today's online banking is like having avocado green appliances from the 1970s. It just doesn't cut it," says Schwanhausser.



Schwanhausser is using the survey to convince banks that it will actually endear customers to them if they put personal finance tools front and center on their sites, helping customers paint a clear picture of their own financial habits. He's pressing them to develop systems, both on the Web and through mobile apps, that can draw in customers' information from other sites, such as credit cards and mortgage lenders, so financial care-taking can be a one-stop process.



So far, banks and lenders have been slow to use existing technology to make money management a less daunting chore. Part of the issue is that many banks don't want to acknowledge competitors by drawing in account balances from elsewhere. Banks also stand to make money off poor financial planning through penalties and fees. Like a doctor who makes money off treating disease, promoting financial good health does not on the surface appear to be in a bank's best interest.



"You can't manage what you don't measure," says Schwanhausser. "And if the bank's not going to provide it for you, you have to go get it in other places."



He recommends existing aggregators such as Mint.com, which pulls your data from multiple sources and lays it out in spreadsheets and in spending plans, as a model for what all the banks should be doing for their customers.



He also notes that Bank of America's "My Portfolio" and Wells Fargo's "My Savings Plan" are two fledgling, if little-known, bank-created features that are slowly reaching toward the sort of comprehensive personal finance planning features he advocates.



As long as it remains difficult or scary, though, when it comes to their finances, Americans will remain more likely to use the Ostrich Method.

In the digital age, nobody likes carrying a lot of cash around – I know I don’t, anyway. This can be especially frustrating when you go to keep track of your expenses, who you owe money to, who you lent some to and just where it all goes over the month.

As always, there are a lot of apps out there to help you do various things with your money. There are apps to figure out how to manage your money, oversee expenses, send money to people, keep track of who owes you, and more.

In this article, I’ll show you some of the applications you can take advantage of to do everything I’ve mentioned here, leaving you free to pick and choose the apps that will make your life easier.

id="more-58352">

How to Manage Your Money

I’m beginning to learn just how difficult managing your expenses can be. For the most part, I use my debit card tied to my checking account to make purchases. I use it at the grocery store, when I go out to lunch with my coworkers and on the weekend when I’m out exploring the city.

At the end of the month, my bank statement looks pretty ridiculous. All of these small transactions make it difficult to sift through. I still know what everything is, but if I wanted to see where I could be saving some money I wouldn’t know the first place to look.

Sounds like you? Even if it doesn’t, you could still reap the benefits of visually being able to manage your money. These apps make the process a lot easier.

Mint

style="text-align: center;">

Mint has been on our radar since back in 2007 when Karl wrote about it. Plain and simple, if there is one app I want you to keep in mind it’s this one.

Mint is a free personal finance application that can help you compare your bank accounts, credit cards, CDs, brokerage and 401(k) to the best products out there. It offers a visual representation of your finances and is very easy to set up. Use it to manage your budget, get credit card advice and understand investing.

Here’s a great video showcasing an overview of Mint’s features:

For some helpful tips on how to use Mint, check out Bakari’s article on How To Use Mint To Manage Your Budget & Spendings Online.

Thrive

Thrive (directory app) is also a great application if you’re looking for a simple way to keep track of your spending. With Thrive, you get an overall Financial Health score, which is one number that shows you how financially fit you are. It also shows you scores in other areas and offers you advice on how to make improvements.

style="text-align: center;">

Thrive breaks down your spending for you and shows you where you can save. Compare your current budget to last month’s, as well as view a six month average and target budgets to follow.

Texthog

Looking for an even simpler way to track expenses? Texthog (directory app) lets you easily store, organize and access your receipts, expense reports and more via text message, the web, your email, iPhone and even Twitter.

style="text-align: center;">

A Texthog free account gives one user the ability to track expenses, view unlimited reports and get budget/bill reminders. Take a photo of your receipts and utilize tags and categories to keep track of everything.

To check out Texthog on your iPhone, you can find the application on iTunes.

Venmo

Speaking of text messages, have you heard of Venmo? Venmo (directory app) is a nice little app that lets you pay and charge friends with your phone. Send and receive secure payments by linking your card to your account. This allows you to settle small loans you give/get by eliminating paper transactions for small amounts of money.

style="text-align: center;">

To use Venmo, all you do is create an account. You can then send and receive money to other accounts simply by using text commands in SMS. Accept a “trust” request from your friends and make transactions without having to authorize them by texting a 3 digit code.

This is a pretty solid application that I have been using a lot lately with my friends/coworkers. It’s great for when a bunch of you are out to lunch and not everyone has cash on them. “I’ll just put it on my card and Venmo you all afterwards.”

Owe Me Cash

style="text-align: center;">

Owe Me Cash is a nice app I found recently that is also very easy to use. If someone owes you money, you just sign into Owe Me Cash with your Twitter, Facebook, OpenID, or regular account and tell the app about the debt. The app will send automatic reminders to those that owe you money by phone, text and email, so you can get paid!

This app is more fun than serious, but it doubles as an easy way to keep track of who owes you what. Let the app bug your friends to pay you so you don’t have to do it yourself – it’s a win-win.

Conclusion

With these applications, your finances will never look better. Say goodbye to paper money and change.

What do you think of these money-managing applications? Will you be using any of them?

Image Credit: marema

bench craft company

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Roger Ailes Apologizes for Calling NPR Execs Nazis <b>...</b>

Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News, publicly apologized on Thursday for comparing NPR executives to Nazis.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 11/18 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans! A somewhat shorter version of Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot out there. Enjoy your Kansas City Chiefs news. Oh, and don't forget about football tonight (Go Bones!).

Fox <b>News</b> Decoded - Swampland - TIME.com

What do you do to amp ratings after you've won a big victory at the polls and the public has wandered off to start celebrating the holidays? At Fox News, the answer is obvious: you up the ante.

bench craft company

A survey released today by Javelin Strategy & Research, which serves financial institutions, found in August that nearly one in five Americans doesn't monitor or manage their personal finances. That rate is double what it was just a year ago. Despite the fact the recession has made it more important than ever to carefully track our money, when it comes to personal finances, 19% of Americans stuck their head in the sand. A year before, another survey had the figure at just 8%.



More anxiety-induced news: The percentage of Americans who say they sometimes log onto their checking account balances with their banks' websites dropped to 46%, down 13 points from 59% a year ago. Even those who track their money by pen and paper dropped, from 50% to 46%.





"It's a natural human reaction to stress: 'Maybe if I don't look at it, it will go away.'" explains the study's co-author, senior analyst Mark Schwanhausser. "I think you have fewer people checking their finances online because they don't like what they're seeing. 'I'm going to be a financial sleepwalker. I'm not going to look.'"



Schwanhausser's prescription for the problem involves convincing America's major financial institutions that they're doing a lousy job helping make it easier and less stressful for their customers to track their money. "It's not enough to tell you how to fix the toilet," he says. "You've got to have the wrench."



Yet despite the fact that most Americans' money resides at a bank, few banks are interested in furnishing financial planning tools. Right now, Schwanhausser argues, most people are required to log into a wide variety of websites to track their money. For example, 75% of Americans who have a credit card get it from somewhere other than their primary bank, meaning their finances are scattered across many websites, unreconciled.



When people do turn to their bank's websites, he argues, the financial planning tools are nearly non-existent despite the fact our society increasingly demands greater personal control through technology. "Today's online banking is like having avocado green appliances from the 1970s. It just doesn't cut it," says Schwanhausser.



Schwanhausser is using the survey to convince banks that it will actually endear customers to them if they put personal finance tools front and center on their sites, helping customers paint a clear picture of their own financial habits. He's pressing them to develop systems, both on the Web and through mobile apps, that can draw in customers' information from other sites, such as credit cards and mortgage lenders, so financial care-taking can be a one-stop process.



So far, banks and lenders have been slow to use existing technology to make money management a less daunting chore. Part of the issue is that many banks don't want to acknowledge competitors by drawing in account balances from elsewhere. Banks also stand to make money off poor financial planning through penalties and fees. Like a doctor who makes money off treating disease, promoting financial good health does not on the surface appear to be in a bank's best interest.



"You can't manage what you don't measure," says Schwanhausser. "And if the bank's not going to provide it for you, you have to go get it in other places."



He recommends existing aggregators such as Mint.com, which pulls your data from multiple sources and lays it out in spreadsheets and in spending plans, as a model for what all the banks should be doing for their customers.



He also notes that Bank of America's "My Portfolio" and Wells Fargo's "My Savings Plan" are two fledgling, if little-known, bank-created features that are slowly reaching toward the sort of comprehensive personal finance planning features he advocates.



As long as it remains difficult or scary, though, when it comes to their finances, Americans will remain more likely to use the Ostrich Method.

In the digital age, nobody likes carrying a lot of cash around – I know I don’t, anyway. This can be especially frustrating when you go to keep track of your expenses, who you owe money to, who you lent some to and just where it all goes over the month.

As always, there are a lot of apps out there to help you do various things with your money. There are apps to figure out how to manage your money, oversee expenses, send money to people, keep track of who owes you, and more.

In this article, I’ll show you some of the applications you can take advantage of to do everything I’ve mentioned here, leaving you free to pick and choose the apps that will make your life easier.

id="more-58352">

How to Manage Your Money

I’m beginning to learn just how difficult managing your expenses can be. For the most part, I use my debit card tied to my checking account to make purchases. I use it at the grocery store, when I go out to lunch with my coworkers and on the weekend when I’m out exploring the city.

At the end of the month, my bank statement looks pretty ridiculous. All of these small transactions make it difficult to sift through. I still know what everything is, but if I wanted to see where I could be saving some money I wouldn’t know the first place to look.

Sounds like you? Even if it doesn’t, you could still reap the benefits of visually being able to manage your money. These apps make the process a lot easier.

Mint

style="text-align: center;">

Mint has been on our radar since back in 2007 when Karl wrote about it. Plain and simple, if there is one app I want you to keep in mind it’s this one.

Mint is a free personal finance application that can help you compare your bank accounts, credit cards, CDs, brokerage and 401(k) to the best products out there. It offers a visual representation of your finances and is very easy to set up. Use it to manage your budget, get credit card advice and understand investing.

Here’s a great video showcasing an overview of Mint’s features:

For some helpful tips on how to use Mint, check out Bakari’s article on How To Use Mint To Manage Your Budget & Spendings Online.

Thrive

Thrive (directory app) is also a great application if you’re looking for a simple way to keep track of your spending. With Thrive, you get an overall Financial Health score, which is one number that shows you how financially fit you are. It also shows you scores in other areas and offers you advice on how to make improvements.

style="text-align: center;">

Thrive breaks down your spending for you and shows you where you can save. Compare your current budget to last month’s, as well as view a six month average and target budgets to follow.

Texthog

Looking for an even simpler way to track expenses? Texthog (directory app) lets you easily store, organize and access your receipts, expense reports and more via text message, the web, your email, iPhone and even Twitter.

style="text-align: center;">

A Texthog free account gives one user the ability to track expenses, view unlimited reports and get budget/bill reminders. Take a photo of your receipts and utilize tags and categories to keep track of everything.

To check out Texthog on your iPhone, you can find the application on iTunes.

Venmo

Speaking of text messages, have you heard of Venmo? Venmo (directory app) is a nice little app that lets you pay and charge friends with your phone. Send and receive secure payments by linking your card to your account. This allows you to settle small loans you give/get by eliminating paper transactions for small amounts of money.

style="text-align: center;">

To use Venmo, all you do is create an account. You can then send and receive money to other accounts simply by using text commands in SMS. Accept a “trust” request from your friends and make transactions without having to authorize them by texting a 3 digit code.

This is a pretty solid application that I have been using a lot lately with my friends/coworkers. It’s great for when a bunch of you are out to lunch and not everyone has cash on them. “I’ll just put it on my card and Venmo you all afterwards.”

Owe Me Cash

style="text-align: center;">

Owe Me Cash is a nice app I found recently that is also very easy to use. If someone owes you money, you just sign into Owe Me Cash with your Twitter, Facebook, OpenID, or regular account and tell the app about the debt. The app will send automatic reminders to those that owe you money by phone, text and email, so you can get paid!

This app is more fun than serious, but it doubles as an easy way to keep track of who owes you what. Let the app bug your friends to pay you so you don’t have to do it yourself – it’s a win-win.

Conclusion

With these applications, your finances will never look better. Say goodbye to paper money and change.

What do you think of these money-managing applications? Will you be using any of them?

Image Credit: marema

bench craft company>

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Roger Ailes Apologizes for Calling NPR Execs Nazis <b>...</b>

Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News, publicly apologized on Thursday for comparing NPR executives to Nazis.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 11/18 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans! A somewhat shorter version of Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot out there. Enjoy your Kansas City Chiefs news. Oh, and don't forget about football tonight (Go Bones!).

Fox <b>News</b> Decoded - Swampland - TIME.com

What do you do to amp ratings after you've won a big victory at the polls and the public has wandered off to start celebrating the holidays? At Fox News, the answer is obvious: you up the ante.

bench craft company

bench craft company

bench craft company

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Roger Ailes Apologizes for Calling NPR Execs Nazis <b>...</b>

Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News, publicly apologized on Thursday for comparing NPR executives to Nazis.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 11/18 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans! A somewhat shorter version of Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot out there. Enjoy your Kansas City Chiefs news. Oh, and don't forget about football tonight (Go Bones!).

Fox <b>News</b> Decoded - Swampland - TIME.com

What do you do to amp ratings after you've won a big victory at the polls and the public has wandered off to start celebrating the holidays? At Fox News, the answer is obvious: you up the ante.

bench craft company

A survey released today by Javelin Strategy & Research, which serves financial institutions, found in August that nearly one in five Americans doesn't monitor or manage their personal finances. That rate is double what it was just a year ago. Despite the fact the recession has made it more important than ever to carefully track our money, when it comes to personal finances, 19% of Americans stuck their head in the sand. A year before, another survey had the figure at just 8%.



More anxiety-induced news: The percentage of Americans who say they sometimes log onto their checking account balances with their banks' websites dropped to 46%, down 13 points from 59% a year ago. Even those who track their money by pen and paper dropped, from 50% to 46%.





"It's a natural human reaction to stress: 'Maybe if I don't look at it, it will go away.'" explains the study's co-author, senior analyst Mark Schwanhausser. "I think you have fewer people checking their finances online because they don't like what they're seeing. 'I'm going to be a financial sleepwalker. I'm not going to look.'"



Schwanhausser's prescription for the problem involves convincing America's major financial institutions that they're doing a lousy job helping make it easier and less stressful for their customers to track their money. "It's not enough to tell you how to fix the toilet," he says. "You've got to have the wrench."



Yet despite the fact that most Americans' money resides at a bank, few banks are interested in furnishing financial planning tools. Right now, Schwanhausser argues, most people are required to log into a wide variety of websites to track their money. For example, 75% of Americans who have a credit card get it from somewhere other than their primary bank, meaning their finances are scattered across many websites, unreconciled.



When people do turn to their bank's websites, he argues, the financial planning tools are nearly non-existent despite the fact our society increasingly demands greater personal control through technology. "Today's online banking is like having avocado green appliances from the 1970s. It just doesn't cut it," says Schwanhausser.



Schwanhausser is using the survey to convince banks that it will actually endear customers to them if they put personal finance tools front and center on their sites, helping customers paint a clear picture of their own financial habits. He's pressing them to develop systems, both on the Web and through mobile apps, that can draw in customers' information from other sites, such as credit cards and mortgage lenders, so financial care-taking can be a one-stop process.



So far, banks and lenders have been slow to use existing technology to make money management a less daunting chore. Part of the issue is that many banks don't want to acknowledge competitors by drawing in account balances from elsewhere. Banks also stand to make money off poor financial planning through penalties and fees. Like a doctor who makes money off treating disease, promoting financial good health does not on the surface appear to be in a bank's best interest.



"You can't manage what you don't measure," says Schwanhausser. "And if the bank's not going to provide it for you, you have to go get it in other places."



He recommends existing aggregators such as Mint.com, which pulls your data from multiple sources and lays it out in spreadsheets and in spending plans, as a model for what all the banks should be doing for their customers.



He also notes that Bank of America's "My Portfolio" and Wells Fargo's "My Savings Plan" are two fledgling, if little-known, bank-created features that are slowly reaching toward the sort of comprehensive personal finance planning features he advocates.



As long as it remains difficult or scary, though, when it comes to their finances, Americans will remain more likely to use the Ostrich Method.

In the digital age, nobody likes carrying a lot of cash around – I know I don’t, anyway. This can be especially frustrating when you go to keep track of your expenses, who you owe money to, who you lent some to and just where it all goes over the month.

As always, there are a lot of apps out there to help you do various things with your money. There are apps to figure out how to manage your money, oversee expenses, send money to people, keep track of who owes you, and more.

In this article, I’ll show you some of the applications you can take advantage of to do everything I’ve mentioned here, leaving you free to pick and choose the apps that will make your life easier.

id="more-58352">

How to Manage Your Money

I’m beginning to learn just how difficult managing your expenses can be. For the most part, I use my debit card tied to my checking account to make purchases. I use it at the grocery store, when I go out to lunch with my coworkers and on the weekend when I’m out exploring the city.

At the end of the month, my bank statement looks pretty ridiculous. All of these small transactions make it difficult to sift through. I still know what everything is, but if I wanted to see where I could be saving some money I wouldn’t know the first place to look.

Sounds like you? Even if it doesn’t, you could still reap the benefits of visually being able to manage your money. These apps make the process a lot easier.

Mint

style="text-align: center;">

Mint has been on our radar since back in 2007 when Karl wrote about it. Plain and simple, if there is one app I want you to keep in mind it’s this one.

Mint is a free personal finance application that can help you compare your bank accounts, credit cards, CDs, brokerage and 401(k) to the best products out there. It offers a visual representation of your finances and is very easy to set up. Use it to manage your budget, get credit card advice and understand investing.

Here’s a great video showcasing an overview of Mint’s features:

For some helpful tips on how to use Mint, check out Bakari’s article on How To Use Mint To Manage Your Budget & Spendings Online.

Thrive

Thrive (directory app) is also a great application if you’re looking for a simple way to keep track of your spending. With Thrive, you get an overall Financial Health score, which is one number that shows you how financially fit you are. It also shows you scores in other areas and offers you advice on how to make improvements.

style="text-align: center;">

Thrive breaks down your spending for you and shows you where you can save. Compare your current budget to last month’s, as well as view a six month average and target budgets to follow.

Texthog

Looking for an even simpler way to track expenses? Texthog (directory app) lets you easily store, organize and access your receipts, expense reports and more via text message, the web, your email, iPhone and even Twitter.

style="text-align: center;">

A Texthog free account gives one user the ability to track expenses, view unlimited reports and get budget/bill reminders. Take a photo of your receipts and utilize tags and categories to keep track of everything.

To check out Texthog on your iPhone, you can find the application on iTunes.

Venmo

Speaking of text messages, have you heard of Venmo? Venmo (directory app) is a nice little app that lets you pay and charge friends with your phone. Send and receive secure payments by linking your card to your account. This allows you to settle small loans you give/get by eliminating paper transactions for small amounts of money.

style="text-align: center;">

To use Venmo, all you do is create an account. You can then send and receive money to other accounts simply by using text commands in SMS. Accept a “trust” request from your friends and make transactions without having to authorize them by texting a 3 digit code.

This is a pretty solid application that I have been using a lot lately with my friends/coworkers. It’s great for when a bunch of you are out to lunch and not everyone has cash on them. “I’ll just put it on my card and Venmo you all afterwards.”

Owe Me Cash

style="text-align: center;">

Owe Me Cash is a nice app I found recently that is also very easy to use. If someone owes you money, you just sign into Owe Me Cash with your Twitter, Facebook, OpenID, or regular account and tell the app about the debt. The app will send automatic reminders to those that owe you money by phone, text and email, so you can get paid!

This app is more fun than serious, but it doubles as an easy way to keep track of who owes you what. Let the app bug your friends to pay you so you don’t have to do it yourself – it’s a win-win.

Conclusion

With these applications, your finances will never look better. Say goodbye to paper money and change.

What do you think of these money-managing applications? Will you be using any of them?

Image Credit: marema

bench craft company

bench craft company

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Roger Ailes Apologizes for Calling NPR Execs Nazis <b>...</b>

Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News, publicly apologized on Thursday for comparing NPR executives to Nazis.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 11/18 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans! A somewhat shorter version of Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot out there. Enjoy your Kansas City Chiefs news. Oh, and don't forget about football tonight (Go Bones!).

Fox <b>News</b> Decoded - Swampland - TIME.com

What do you do to amp ratings after you've won a big victory at the polls and the public has wandered off to start celebrating the holidays? At Fox News, the answer is obvious: you up the ante.

bench craft company

bench craft company

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Roger Ailes Apologizes for Calling NPR Execs Nazis <b>...</b>

Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News, publicly apologized on Thursday for comparing NPR executives to Nazis.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 11/18 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans! A somewhat shorter version of Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot out there. Enjoy your Kansas City Chiefs news. Oh, and don't forget about football tonight (Go Bones!).

Fox <b>News</b> Decoded - Swampland - TIME.com

What do you do to amp ratings after you've won a big victory at the polls and the public has wandered off to start celebrating the holidays? At Fox News, the answer is obvious: you up the ante.

bench craft company

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Roger Ailes Apologizes for Calling NPR Execs Nazis <b>...</b>

Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News, publicly apologized on Thursday for comparing NPR executives to Nazis.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 11/18 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans! A somewhat shorter version of Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot out there. Enjoy your Kansas City Chiefs news. Oh, and don't forget about football tonight (Go Bones!).

Fox <b>News</b> Decoded - Swampland - TIME.com

What do you do to amp ratings after you've won a big victory at the polls and the public has wandered off to start celebrating the holidays? At Fox News, the answer is obvious: you up the ante.

bench craft company

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Roger Ailes Apologizes for Calling NPR Execs Nazis <b>...</b>

Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News, publicly apologized on Thursday for comparing NPR executives to Nazis.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 11/18 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans! A somewhat shorter version of Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot out there. Enjoy your Kansas City Chiefs news. Oh, and don't forget about football tonight (Go Bones!).

Fox <b>News</b> Decoded - Swampland - TIME.com

What do you do to amp ratings after you've won a big victory at the polls and the public has wandered off to start celebrating the holidays? At Fox News, the answer is obvious: you up the ante.

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bench craft company

bench craft company
bench craft company

Fox <b>News</b>&#39; Roger Ailes Apologizes for Calling NPR Execs Nazis <b>...</b>

Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News, publicly apologized on Thursday for comparing NPR executives to Nazis.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 11/18 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning Chiefs fans! A somewhat shorter version of Arrowheadlines this morning. Not a lot out there. Enjoy your Kansas City Chiefs news. Oh, and don't forget about football tonight (Go Bones!).

Fox <b>News</b> Decoded - Swampland - TIME.com

What do you do to amp ratings after you've won a big victory at the polls and the public has wandered off to start celebrating the holidays? At Fox News, the answer is obvious: you up the ante.

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Money Making Websites

A chill’s setting in and everyone (in the U.S., at least) is putting away their Halloween pumpkins and skimming over their Turkey recipes. While the seasons are quickly changing, we’ve brought together another round of social media tools and resources from the past week or so.

Check out class='blippr-nobr'>Social Mediaclass="blippr-nobr">social media for tips on how to gain Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter influence, or a glimpse at the future of Foursquareclass="blippr-nobr">Foursquare. Tech & Mobile includes a thorough discussion of online privacy, A/B testing resources for developers, and website designs that blew us away. Business comes packed with tips for using Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook’s new groups, marketing to an international audience, and startup funding tips from eight investors.

Looking for even more social media resources? This guide appears every weekend, and you can check out all the lists-gone-by here any time.

Social Media

• Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week /> Wondering what was hot in the Twitterverse this past week? Check out our comprehensive chart of the top trends.
• 10 Fun Doodling Apps to Unleash Your Creativity/> The pen and paper may be on a fast track to obsolescence, but the doodle will live on forever. These 10 sites are some of our favorites.
• The Future of Social Media and Politics/> With the midterm elections in their final throes, we spoke to some key players for their views on what the rise of mainstream social media has in store for the next generation of political campaigns.
• HOW TO: Gain Twitter Influence/> Twitter Influencers Guy Kawasaki and Robert Scoble share their tips for earning Twitter cred.
• 4 People Who Let the Crowd Control Their Destiny/> We’ve taken a look at four instances of crowd sourcing one’s life — all of which launched around the same time, but include their own set of hardships and rewards.
• A Glimpse at the Future of Foursquare/> CEO and co-founder Dennis Crowley discussed the future of Foursquare Wednesday, touching on customized recommendations, the instant checkin, and brand discovery.
• HOW TO: Organize a Mashable Meetup/> Many of our readers have been taking the reins in getting to know each other by organizing Mashable Meetups. Here’s how to get started setting up your own.
• 5 Must-Follow Non-Profits Making a Difference With Social Media [Mashable Awards]/> From raising money to spreading awareness to connecting with people, social media is a boon for non-profit organizations. Here are five must-follow groups that stood out in 2010.
• Social Media Weddings: 4 Tips From the Pros/> Social media can help you research vendors, communicate with guests and share your big day with your friends and family. Here’s how.
• An Inside “Look” at Showtime’s New Voyeuristic Series/> Based on director Adam Rifkin’s 2007 film of the same name, “Look” was shot via security cameras and integrates social media.

For more social media news and resources, you can follow class='blippr-nobr'>Mashable’sclass="blippr-nobr">Mashable social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Tech & Mobile

• 10 Essential Websites for iPhone Photographers/> We’ve bookmarked 10 brilliant online resources that offer great galleries, talent showcases, app reviews, exhibition news and more, all for the iPhone photography enthusiast.
• 5 Website Designs That Blew Us Away [Mashable Awards]/> A beautiful website can blow you away: Here are a few of the websites we think showcased excellent design work this year, both in terms of form and function.
• 5 Stylish iPhone Alarm Clock Apps to Wake You Up On Time/> We’ve tried and tested five great alarm clock apps for the iPhone that can’t make getting out of bed any easier, but at least you can customize your morning.
• “Def Jam Rapstar” Raises the Roof Just Short of Greatness /> The game’s creators can go on and brush their shoulders off because the limited options won’t hold those living room MCs back from personal stardom.
• The Social Future of Xbox Live and “Halo” /> We spoke with “Halo” Franchise Development Director Frank O’Connor to learn more about Bungie and Microsoft’s strategy for promoting social gaming with “Halo: Reach.”
• 9 iPhone Apps for Managing the Recruiting Process/> Instead of creating new processes or downloading a bunch of new apps, here are some iPhone apps you might already have that can help you manage the recruiting process.
• 5 Media Format Flops Destined To Be Forgotten /> For every VHS, there’s a BetaMax. As consumer electronics companies do battle, the tech landscape is littered with losers. Check out the interesting stories behind 5 famous flops.
• Hands-on With Logitech’s Wireless Solar Keyboard /> The K750 won’t change your life. It won’t even even help you type faster. It will, however, allow you to buy a few less batteries.
• 10 Intermediate and Advanced Tips from PHP Masters/> We asked class='blippr-nobr'>PHPclass="blippr-nobr">PHP experts about their top suggestions for developers on their way to becoming true masters of the art and science of PHP.
• Online Behavior Tracking and Privacy: 7 Worst Case Scenarios/> If advertisers continue to self-regulate online tracking or if the government steps in, what’s the worst that could happen? We spoke to experts on both sides of the issue to find out what’s at stake.
• Two Ways Developers Will Interact With Google TV Viewers/> class='blippr-nobr'>Connectedclass="blippr-nobr">Connected devices like the Google TV promise to bring the web to your living room in one of two ways: optimized websites and native applications.
• 12 Tech Toys for a Geeked-Out Wedding/> A wedding is no time to hide your inner geek. These 12 gadgets will spice up any lo-fi nuptial celebration.
• 7 A/B Testing Resources for Startups and Solo Developers/> If you need a simple, inexpensive way to figure out what’s going to make your website’s users click on that big, red button, check out these tools.
• HOW TO: Start Your Own Internet Talk Show/> Do you fancy yourself a budding talk show personality? With a few inexpensive tools and a bit of planning, you can launch your own web show. Here’s how to do it.
• Why Location Apps of the Future Will Do Much More Than Checkins/> class='blippr-nobr'>Sparkleclass="blippr-nobr">Sparkle is a new location platform launching today from Location Labs.
• 5 MP3 Players for Pumping Up Your Workouts/> Whether you’re looking for a new MP3 player or an alternative to taking your expensive phone into the danger zone, we’ve got five options that are ideal for sporty types.
• The Evolution of Mobile /> We’ve certainly come a long way.

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Business

• HOW TO: Score a Job Through Facebook/> While Facebook is known as a casual network of friends, with 500 million users, it has the potential to be one of the largest job hunting resources available – if used correctly.
• How Online Private Sales Work and How Businesses Can Get Involved/> A look at the ins and outs of online private sales and how businesses can benefit from getting involved.
• 4 Things Small Businesses Should Know About Facebook’s New Groups/> Can Facebook’s new Groups feature be used for business? Here’s a rundown of what you should include in your Facebook biz strategy.
• 5 Tips for Marketing Online to an International Audience/> Expanding your marketing efforts to an international audience widens your brand’s reach, but it entails understanding regional cultures, laws and online behaviors.
• Drupal Founder on Why Open Source is Good for Business /> Fresh off of an $8.5 million round of funding, Acquia and class='blippr-nobr'>Drupalclass="blippr-nobr">Drupal founder Dries Buytaert spoke with Mashable about the role of commercial interests in the success of open source software.
• What to Consider When Building an In-House Social Media Team/> We talked to professionals who have built a social media team – from big global businesses to small companies – in order to pin down some best practices.
• Essential Startup Funding Tips From 8 Seasoned Investors/> Mashable reached out to angels, seed stage investors and VC firm partners and asked them to share their best advice on how to get your big idea in front of the right people.
• 5 Tips for Improving Your Social Customer Service/> Companies that provide support through public channels keep customers happy and gain a reputation as consumer-focused businesses. Check out these tips for streamlining your social support model.
• 5 Proven Strategies for B2B Social Media Marketing/> B2B marketers can use social media to generate leads, create specialized communities, improve SEO, become knowledge sources, and strengthen marketing campaigns.
• HOW TO: Calculate the ROI of Your Social Media Campaign/> If you’re not measuring your social media campaigns on an ROI basis, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Here are some tips to get you on a results-driven path.
• 10 Reasons Every TV Exec Needs to Start Tweeting/> Twitter offers a lot for TV execs looking for a real-time understanding of what fans want. Here’s why everyone in the TV biz should start tweeting.

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

[Image courtesy of Webtreats]

For more Social Media coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Mediaclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Media channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

TV is coming to the Web and there is nothing that can stop it. Just ask Avner Ronen, the CEO of Web TV startup Boxee. Later tonight, he will announce the general availability of his Boxee Box, a small device you hook up to your TV and the Internet so you can watch video from the Web on your TV. The videos come not only from YouTube, but also from ABC.com, NBC.com, CBS.com, Comedy Central, and many other video sites on the Web. I visited Ronen today at his New York City offices where he gave me a demo of the Boxee Box (more on that in a later post), but we also got into a very interesting discussion about how the major TV networks and media companies are reacting to seeing their Web videos increasingly turning up on large-screen TVs.

As he describes in the video below, Ronen argues that the media companies should be more consistent: either charge for videos on the Web or make it free, or go for the freemium model and offer premium video watching experiences on devices like Boxee and the iPad or an additional fee. He reveals that Boxee is working on a payments platform to support such subscription business models on the Boxee service. Furthermore, Hulu Plus will become available on Boxee as a paid option. Yup, the same Hulu that previously blocked Boxee

It is not a foregone conclusion that the media companies who control the most popular TV shows and movies will play along. Just last month, when Google launched its competing Google TV, it was almost immediately blocked by the major TV networks even though it was simply grabbing video freely available on the Web. Hulu also blocked Google TV. Effectively, the media industry is now discriminating based on device and what kind of browser you are using.

Why wouldn’t they do exactly the same thing to the Boxee Box? “I think that is a reasonable assumption to make,” admits Ronen. But he believes that eventually they will come around. “Our view is that ultimately it does not make sense for content owners to discriminate based on browsers and screen size. It is an endless battle. ”

I pointed out that what seems to be happening instead is that the TV networks and movie studios are trying to replicate the business model of cable TV on the Web, by granting access only to services which pay them hefty fees like Netflix does (to the tune of an estimated $2 billion next year).

Ronen is actually fine with making people pay for content, and in fact says that he will make one-click payments part of the Boxee service itself. Next year,” he reveals, “we will launch a payments platform on Boxee. With one click you will be able to subscribe. We think that will be part of the solution.” You can watch videos behind Web paywalls today on Boxee, but you have to enter a different username and password for each site. Boxee’s payment service would be single sign-on and manage all the subscriptions in one place.

What he suggests is a classic freemium model. If you want new shows and videos as soon as they come out in HD, you pay a few bucks a month to NBC or HBO and you can watch those shows on Boxee, your iPad, your computer or anywhere you want. Then a week or so later, it comes out free on the Web in standard definition with ads. The we-support-subscriptions argument is also one the Google TV folks are making.

The media companies are fine with Netflix streaming their movies and shows because Netflix pays them a bunch of money. But where their model breaks down is that often they offer the same TV shows on their own Websites for free. “While they are comfortable with the Netflix model, they are not comfortable with their own services online. I think it is better if they have an online business model that they believe in.”

Watch the shaky-cam video below for more of his thoughts on the matter.

benchcraft company scam

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: November 16, 2010 <b>...</b>

IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Even some reusable bags carry environmental risk; U.N. climate talks seek limited deal as costs soar; Was a Houston energy trader a one-woman Enron?; Bye bye Bluefin tuna: Study reveals decade of ...

Pulse Brings You <b>News</b> and RSS in an Elegant Flow

Android/iOS: Blogs and news sites put all that effort into making their posts graphically appealing, so why not see what they've got? Pulse, a nicely different kind of news reader, pulls your news in through side-scrolling, ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

benchcraft company scam

A chill’s setting in and everyone (in the U.S., at least) is putting away their Halloween pumpkins and skimming over their Turkey recipes. While the seasons are quickly changing, we’ve brought together another round of social media tools and resources from the past week or so.

Check out class='blippr-nobr'>Social Mediaclass="blippr-nobr">social media for tips on how to gain Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter influence, or a glimpse at the future of Foursquareclass="blippr-nobr">Foursquare. Tech & Mobile includes a thorough discussion of online privacy, A/B testing resources for developers, and website designs that blew us away. Business comes packed with tips for using Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook’s new groups, marketing to an international audience, and startup funding tips from eight investors.

Looking for even more social media resources? This guide appears every weekend, and you can check out all the lists-gone-by here any time.

Social Media

• Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week /> Wondering what was hot in the Twitterverse this past week? Check out our comprehensive chart of the top trends.
• 10 Fun Doodling Apps to Unleash Your Creativity/> The pen and paper may be on a fast track to obsolescence, but the doodle will live on forever. These 10 sites are some of our favorites.
• The Future of Social Media and Politics/> With the midterm elections in their final throes, we spoke to some key players for their views on what the rise of mainstream social media has in store for the next generation of political campaigns.
• HOW TO: Gain Twitter Influence/> Twitter Influencers Guy Kawasaki and Robert Scoble share their tips for earning Twitter cred.
• 4 People Who Let the Crowd Control Their Destiny/> We’ve taken a look at four instances of crowd sourcing one’s life — all of which launched around the same time, but include their own set of hardships and rewards.
• A Glimpse at the Future of Foursquare/> CEO and co-founder Dennis Crowley discussed the future of Foursquare Wednesday, touching on customized recommendations, the instant checkin, and brand discovery.
• HOW TO: Organize a Mashable Meetup/> Many of our readers have been taking the reins in getting to know each other by organizing Mashable Meetups. Here’s how to get started setting up your own.
• 5 Must-Follow Non-Profits Making a Difference With Social Media [Mashable Awards]/> From raising money to spreading awareness to connecting with people, social media is a boon for non-profit organizations. Here are five must-follow groups that stood out in 2010.
• Social Media Weddings: 4 Tips From the Pros/> Social media can help you research vendors, communicate with guests and share your big day with your friends and family. Here’s how.
• An Inside “Look” at Showtime’s New Voyeuristic Series/> Based on director Adam Rifkin’s 2007 film of the same name, “Look” was shot via security cameras and integrates social media.

For more social media news and resources, you can follow class='blippr-nobr'>Mashable’sclass="blippr-nobr">Mashable social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Tech & Mobile

• 10 Essential Websites for iPhone Photographers/> We’ve bookmarked 10 brilliant online resources that offer great galleries, talent showcases, app reviews, exhibition news and more, all for the iPhone photography enthusiast.
• 5 Website Designs That Blew Us Away [Mashable Awards]/> A beautiful website can blow you away: Here are a few of the websites we think showcased excellent design work this year, both in terms of form and function.
• 5 Stylish iPhone Alarm Clock Apps to Wake You Up On Time/> We’ve tried and tested five great alarm clock apps for the iPhone that can’t make getting out of bed any easier, but at least you can customize your morning.
• “Def Jam Rapstar” Raises the Roof Just Short of Greatness /> The game’s creators can go on and brush their shoulders off because the limited options won’t hold those living room MCs back from personal stardom.
• The Social Future of Xbox Live and “Halo” /> We spoke with “Halo” Franchise Development Director Frank O’Connor to learn more about Bungie and Microsoft’s strategy for promoting social gaming with “Halo: Reach.”
• 9 iPhone Apps for Managing the Recruiting Process/> Instead of creating new processes or downloading a bunch of new apps, here are some iPhone apps you might already have that can help you manage the recruiting process.
• 5 Media Format Flops Destined To Be Forgotten /> For every VHS, there’s a BetaMax. As consumer electronics companies do battle, the tech landscape is littered with losers. Check out the interesting stories behind 5 famous flops.
• Hands-on With Logitech’s Wireless Solar Keyboard /> The K750 won’t change your life. It won’t even even help you type faster. It will, however, allow you to buy a few less batteries.
• 10 Intermediate and Advanced Tips from PHP Masters/> We asked class='blippr-nobr'>PHPclass="blippr-nobr">PHP experts about their top suggestions for developers on their way to becoming true masters of the art and science of PHP.
• Online Behavior Tracking and Privacy: 7 Worst Case Scenarios/> If advertisers continue to self-regulate online tracking or if the government steps in, what’s the worst that could happen? We spoke to experts on both sides of the issue to find out what’s at stake.
• Two Ways Developers Will Interact With Google TV Viewers/> class='blippr-nobr'>Connectedclass="blippr-nobr">Connected devices like the Google TV promise to bring the web to your living room in one of two ways: optimized websites and native applications.
• 12 Tech Toys for a Geeked-Out Wedding/> A wedding is no time to hide your inner geek. These 12 gadgets will spice up any lo-fi nuptial celebration.
• 7 A/B Testing Resources for Startups and Solo Developers/> If you need a simple, inexpensive way to figure out what’s going to make your website’s users click on that big, red button, check out these tools.
• HOW TO: Start Your Own Internet Talk Show/> Do you fancy yourself a budding talk show personality? With a few inexpensive tools and a bit of planning, you can launch your own web show. Here’s how to do it.
• Why Location Apps of the Future Will Do Much More Than Checkins/> class='blippr-nobr'>Sparkleclass="blippr-nobr">Sparkle is a new location platform launching today from Location Labs.
• 5 MP3 Players for Pumping Up Your Workouts/> Whether you’re looking for a new MP3 player or an alternative to taking your expensive phone into the danger zone, we’ve got five options that are ideal for sporty types.
• The Evolution of Mobile /> We’ve certainly come a long way.

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Business

• HOW TO: Score a Job Through Facebook/> While Facebook is known as a casual network of friends, with 500 million users, it has the potential to be one of the largest job hunting resources available – if used correctly.
• How Online Private Sales Work and How Businesses Can Get Involved/> A look at the ins and outs of online private sales and how businesses can benefit from getting involved.
• 4 Things Small Businesses Should Know About Facebook’s New Groups/> Can Facebook’s new Groups feature be used for business? Here’s a rundown of what you should include in your Facebook biz strategy.
• 5 Tips for Marketing Online to an International Audience/> Expanding your marketing efforts to an international audience widens your brand’s reach, but it entails understanding regional cultures, laws and online behaviors.
• Drupal Founder on Why Open Source is Good for Business /> Fresh off of an $8.5 million round of funding, Acquia and class='blippr-nobr'>Drupalclass="blippr-nobr">Drupal founder Dries Buytaert spoke with Mashable about the role of commercial interests in the success of open source software.
• What to Consider When Building an In-House Social Media Team/> We talked to professionals who have built a social media team – from big global businesses to small companies – in order to pin down some best practices.
• Essential Startup Funding Tips From 8 Seasoned Investors/> Mashable reached out to angels, seed stage investors and VC firm partners and asked them to share their best advice on how to get your big idea in front of the right people.
• 5 Tips for Improving Your Social Customer Service/> Companies that provide support through public channels keep customers happy and gain a reputation as consumer-focused businesses. Check out these tips for streamlining your social support model.
• 5 Proven Strategies for B2B Social Media Marketing/> B2B marketers can use social media to generate leads, create specialized communities, improve SEO, become knowledge sources, and strengthen marketing campaigns.
• HOW TO: Calculate the ROI of Your Social Media Campaign/> If you’re not measuring your social media campaigns on an ROI basis, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Here are some tips to get you on a results-driven path.
• 10 Reasons Every TV Exec Needs to Start Tweeting/> Twitter offers a lot for TV execs looking for a real-time understanding of what fans want. Here’s why everyone in the TV biz should start tweeting.

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

[Image courtesy of Webtreats]

For more Social Media coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Mediaclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Media channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

TV is coming to the Web and there is nothing that can stop it. Just ask Avner Ronen, the CEO of Web TV startup Boxee. Later tonight, he will announce the general availability of his Boxee Box, a small device you hook up to your TV and the Internet so you can watch video from the Web on your TV. The videos come not only from YouTube, but also from ABC.com, NBC.com, CBS.com, Comedy Central, and many other video sites on the Web. I visited Ronen today at his New York City offices where he gave me a demo of the Boxee Box (more on that in a later post), but we also got into a very interesting discussion about how the major TV networks and media companies are reacting to seeing their Web videos increasingly turning up on large-screen TVs.

As he describes in the video below, Ronen argues that the media companies should be more consistent: either charge for videos on the Web or make it free, or go for the freemium model and offer premium video watching experiences on devices like Boxee and the iPad or an additional fee. He reveals that Boxee is working on a payments platform to support such subscription business models on the Boxee service. Furthermore, Hulu Plus will become available on Boxee as a paid option. Yup, the same Hulu that previously blocked Boxee

It is not a foregone conclusion that the media companies who control the most popular TV shows and movies will play along. Just last month, when Google launched its competing Google TV, it was almost immediately blocked by the major TV networks even though it was simply grabbing video freely available on the Web. Hulu also blocked Google TV. Effectively, the media industry is now discriminating based on device and what kind of browser you are using.

Why wouldn’t they do exactly the same thing to the Boxee Box? “I think that is a reasonable assumption to make,” admits Ronen. But he believes that eventually they will come around. “Our view is that ultimately it does not make sense for content owners to discriminate based on browsers and screen size. It is an endless battle. ”

I pointed out that what seems to be happening instead is that the TV networks and movie studios are trying to replicate the business model of cable TV on the Web, by granting access only to services which pay them hefty fees like Netflix does (to the tune of an estimated $2 billion next year).

Ronen is actually fine with making people pay for content, and in fact says that he will make one-click payments part of the Boxee service itself. Next year,” he reveals, “we will launch a payments platform on Boxee. With one click you will be able to subscribe. We think that will be part of the solution.” You can watch videos behind Web paywalls today on Boxee, but you have to enter a different username and password for each site. Boxee’s payment service would be single sign-on and manage all the subscriptions in one place.

What he suggests is a classic freemium model. If you want new shows and videos as soon as they come out in HD, you pay a few bucks a month to NBC or HBO and you can watch those shows on Boxee, your iPad, your computer or anywhere you want. Then a week or so later, it comes out free on the Web in standard definition with ads. The we-support-subscriptions argument is also one the Google TV folks are making.

The media companies are fine with Netflix streaming their movies and shows because Netflix pays them a bunch of money. But where their model breaks down is that often they offer the same TV shows on their own Websites for free. “While they are comfortable with the Netflix model, they are not comfortable with their own services online. I think it is better if they have an online business model that they believe in.”

Watch the shaky-cam video below for more of his thoughts on the matter.

bench craft company scam

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: November 16, 2010 <b>...</b>

IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Even some reusable bags carry environmental risk; U.N. climate talks seek limited deal as costs soar; Was a Houston energy trader a one-woman Enron?; Bye bye Bluefin tuna: Study reveals decade of ...

Pulse Brings You <b>News</b> and RSS in an Elegant Flow

Android/iOS: Blogs and news sites put all that effort into making their posts graphically appealing, so why not see what they've got? Pulse, a nicely different kind of news reader, pulls your news in through side-scrolling, ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

benchcraft company scam

bench craft company scam

bench craft company scam

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: November 16, 2010 <b>...</b>

IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Even some reusable bags carry environmental risk; U.N. climate talks seek limited deal as costs soar; Was a Houston energy trader a one-woman Enron?; Bye bye Bluefin tuna: Study reveals decade of ...

Pulse Brings You <b>News</b> and RSS in an Elegant Flow

Android/iOS: Blogs and news sites put all that effort into making their posts graphically appealing, so why not see what they've got? Pulse, a nicely different kind of news reader, pulls your news in through side-scrolling, ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

bench craft company scam

A chill’s setting in and everyone (in the U.S., at least) is putting away their Halloween pumpkins and skimming over their Turkey recipes. While the seasons are quickly changing, we’ve brought together another round of social media tools and resources from the past week or so.

Check out class='blippr-nobr'>Social Mediaclass="blippr-nobr">social media for tips on how to gain Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter influence, or a glimpse at the future of Foursquareclass="blippr-nobr">Foursquare. Tech & Mobile includes a thorough discussion of online privacy, A/B testing resources for developers, and website designs that blew us away. Business comes packed with tips for using Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook’s new groups, marketing to an international audience, and startup funding tips from eight investors.

Looking for even more social media resources? This guide appears every weekend, and you can check out all the lists-gone-by here any time.

Social Media

• Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week /> Wondering what was hot in the Twitterverse this past week? Check out our comprehensive chart of the top trends.
• 10 Fun Doodling Apps to Unleash Your Creativity/> The pen and paper may be on a fast track to obsolescence, but the doodle will live on forever. These 10 sites are some of our favorites.
• The Future of Social Media and Politics/> With the midterm elections in their final throes, we spoke to some key players for their views on what the rise of mainstream social media has in store for the next generation of political campaigns.
• HOW TO: Gain Twitter Influence/> Twitter Influencers Guy Kawasaki and Robert Scoble share their tips for earning Twitter cred.
• 4 People Who Let the Crowd Control Their Destiny/> We’ve taken a look at four instances of crowd sourcing one’s life — all of which launched around the same time, but include their own set of hardships and rewards.
• A Glimpse at the Future of Foursquare/> CEO and co-founder Dennis Crowley discussed the future of Foursquare Wednesday, touching on customized recommendations, the instant checkin, and brand discovery.
• HOW TO: Organize a Mashable Meetup/> Many of our readers have been taking the reins in getting to know each other by organizing Mashable Meetups. Here’s how to get started setting up your own.
• 5 Must-Follow Non-Profits Making a Difference With Social Media [Mashable Awards]/> From raising money to spreading awareness to connecting with people, social media is a boon for non-profit organizations. Here are five must-follow groups that stood out in 2010.
• Social Media Weddings: 4 Tips From the Pros/> Social media can help you research vendors, communicate with guests and share your big day with your friends and family. Here’s how.
• An Inside “Look” at Showtime’s New Voyeuristic Series/> Based on director Adam Rifkin’s 2007 film of the same name, “Look” was shot via security cameras and integrates social media.

For more social media news and resources, you can follow class='blippr-nobr'>Mashable’sclass="blippr-nobr">Mashable social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Tech & Mobile

• 10 Essential Websites for iPhone Photographers/> We’ve bookmarked 10 brilliant online resources that offer great galleries, talent showcases, app reviews, exhibition news and more, all for the iPhone photography enthusiast.
• 5 Website Designs That Blew Us Away [Mashable Awards]/> A beautiful website can blow you away: Here are a few of the websites we think showcased excellent design work this year, both in terms of form and function.
• 5 Stylish iPhone Alarm Clock Apps to Wake You Up On Time/> We’ve tried and tested five great alarm clock apps for the iPhone that can’t make getting out of bed any easier, but at least you can customize your morning.
• “Def Jam Rapstar” Raises the Roof Just Short of Greatness /> The game’s creators can go on and brush their shoulders off because the limited options won’t hold those living room MCs back from personal stardom.
• The Social Future of Xbox Live and “Halo” /> We spoke with “Halo” Franchise Development Director Frank O’Connor to learn more about Bungie and Microsoft’s strategy for promoting social gaming with “Halo: Reach.”
• 9 iPhone Apps for Managing the Recruiting Process/> Instead of creating new processes or downloading a bunch of new apps, here are some iPhone apps you might already have that can help you manage the recruiting process.
• 5 Media Format Flops Destined To Be Forgotten /> For every VHS, there’s a BetaMax. As consumer electronics companies do battle, the tech landscape is littered with losers. Check out the interesting stories behind 5 famous flops.
• Hands-on With Logitech’s Wireless Solar Keyboard /> The K750 won’t change your life. It won’t even even help you type faster. It will, however, allow you to buy a few less batteries.
• 10 Intermediate and Advanced Tips from PHP Masters/> We asked class='blippr-nobr'>PHPclass="blippr-nobr">PHP experts about their top suggestions for developers on their way to becoming true masters of the art and science of PHP.
• Online Behavior Tracking and Privacy: 7 Worst Case Scenarios/> If advertisers continue to self-regulate online tracking or if the government steps in, what’s the worst that could happen? We spoke to experts on both sides of the issue to find out what’s at stake.
• Two Ways Developers Will Interact With Google TV Viewers/> class='blippr-nobr'>Connectedclass="blippr-nobr">Connected devices like the Google TV promise to bring the web to your living room in one of two ways: optimized websites and native applications.
• 12 Tech Toys for a Geeked-Out Wedding/> A wedding is no time to hide your inner geek. These 12 gadgets will spice up any lo-fi nuptial celebration.
• 7 A/B Testing Resources for Startups and Solo Developers/> If you need a simple, inexpensive way to figure out what’s going to make your website’s users click on that big, red button, check out these tools.
• HOW TO: Start Your Own Internet Talk Show/> Do you fancy yourself a budding talk show personality? With a few inexpensive tools and a bit of planning, you can launch your own web show. Here’s how to do it.
• Why Location Apps of the Future Will Do Much More Than Checkins/> class='blippr-nobr'>Sparkleclass="blippr-nobr">Sparkle is a new location platform launching today from Location Labs.
• 5 MP3 Players for Pumping Up Your Workouts/> Whether you’re looking for a new MP3 player or an alternative to taking your expensive phone into the danger zone, we’ve got five options that are ideal for sporty types.
• The Evolution of Mobile /> We’ve certainly come a long way.

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Business

• HOW TO: Score a Job Through Facebook/> While Facebook is known as a casual network of friends, with 500 million users, it has the potential to be one of the largest job hunting resources available – if used correctly.
• How Online Private Sales Work and How Businesses Can Get Involved/> A look at the ins and outs of online private sales and how businesses can benefit from getting involved.
• 4 Things Small Businesses Should Know About Facebook’s New Groups/> Can Facebook’s new Groups feature be used for business? Here’s a rundown of what you should include in your Facebook biz strategy.
• 5 Tips for Marketing Online to an International Audience/> Expanding your marketing efforts to an international audience widens your brand’s reach, but it entails understanding regional cultures, laws and online behaviors.
• Drupal Founder on Why Open Source is Good for Business /> Fresh off of an $8.5 million round of funding, Acquia and class='blippr-nobr'>Drupalclass="blippr-nobr">Drupal founder Dries Buytaert spoke with Mashable about the role of commercial interests in the success of open source software.
• What to Consider When Building an In-House Social Media Team/> We talked to professionals who have built a social media team – from big global businesses to small companies – in order to pin down some best practices.
• Essential Startup Funding Tips From 8 Seasoned Investors/> Mashable reached out to angels, seed stage investors and VC firm partners and asked them to share their best advice on how to get your big idea in front of the right people.
• 5 Tips for Improving Your Social Customer Service/> Companies that provide support through public channels keep customers happy and gain a reputation as consumer-focused businesses. Check out these tips for streamlining your social support model.
• 5 Proven Strategies for B2B Social Media Marketing/> B2B marketers can use social media to generate leads, create specialized communities, improve SEO, become knowledge sources, and strengthen marketing campaigns.
• HOW TO: Calculate the ROI of Your Social Media Campaign/> If you’re not measuring your social media campaigns on an ROI basis, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Here are some tips to get you on a results-driven path.
• 10 Reasons Every TV Exec Needs to Start Tweeting/> Twitter offers a lot for TV execs looking for a real-time understanding of what fans want. Here’s why everyone in the TV biz should start tweeting.

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

[Image courtesy of Webtreats]

For more Social Media coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Mediaclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Media channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

TV is coming to the Web and there is nothing that can stop it. Just ask Avner Ronen, the CEO of Web TV startup Boxee. Later tonight, he will announce the general availability of his Boxee Box, a small device you hook up to your TV and the Internet so you can watch video from the Web on your TV. The videos come not only from YouTube, but also from ABC.com, NBC.com, CBS.com, Comedy Central, and many other video sites on the Web. I visited Ronen today at his New York City offices where he gave me a demo of the Boxee Box (more on that in a later post), but we also got into a very interesting discussion about how the major TV networks and media companies are reacting to seeing their Web videos increasingly turning up on large-screen TVs.

As he describes in the video below, Ronen argues that the media companies should be more consistent: either charge for videos on the Web or make it free, or go for the freemium model and offer premium video watching experiences on devices like Boxee and the iPad or an additional fee. He reveals that Boxee is working on a payments platform to support such subscription business models on the Boxee service. Furthermore, Hulu Plus will become available on Boxee as a paid option. Yup, the same Hulu that previously blocked Boxee

It is not a foregone conclusion that the media companies who control the most popular TV shows and movies will play along. Just last month, when Google launched its competing Google TV, it was almost immediately blocked by the major TV networks even though it was simply grabbing video freely available on the Web. Hulu also blocked Google TV. Effectively, the media industry is now discriminating based on device and what kind of browser you are using.

Why wouldn’t they do exactly the same thing to the Boxee Box? “I think that is a reasonable assumption to make,” admits Ronen. But he believes that eventually they will come around. “Our view is that ultimately it does not make sense for content owners to discriminate based on browsers and screen size. It is an endless battle. ”

I pointed out that what seems to be happening instead is that the TV networks and movie studios are trying to replicate the business model of cable TV on the Web, by granting access only to services which pay them hefty fees like Netflix does (to the tune of an estimated $2 billion next year).

Ronen is actually fine with making people pay for content, and in fact says that he will make one-click payments part of the Boxee service itself. Next year,” he reveals, “we will launch a payments platform on Boxee. With one click you will be able to subscribe. We think that will be part of the solution.” You can watch videos behind Web paywalls today on Boxee, but you have to enter a different username and password for each site. Boxee’s payment service would be single sign-on and manage all the subscriptions in one place.

What he suggests is a classic freemium model. If you want new shows and videos as soon as they come out in HD, you pay a few bucks a month to NBC or HBO and you can watch those shows on Boxee, your iPad, your computer or anywhere you want. Then a week or so later, it comes out free on the Web in standard definition with ads. The we-support-subscriptions argument is also one the Google TV folks are making.

The media companies are fine with Netflix streaming their movies and shows because Netflix pays them a bunch of money. But where their model breaks down is that often they offer the same TV shows on their own Websites for free. “While they are comfortable with the Netflix model, they are not comfortable with their own services online. I think it is better if they have an online business model that they believe in.”

Watch the shaky-cam video below for more of his thoughts on the matter.

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Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: November 16, 2010 <b>...</b>

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Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: November 16, 2010 <b>...</b>

IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Even some reusable bags carry environmental risk; U.N. climate talks seek limited deal as costs soar; Was a Houston energy trader a one-woman Enron?; Bye bye Bluefin tuna: Study reveals decade of ...

Pulse Brings You <b>News</b> and RSS in an Elegant Flow

Android/iOS: Blogs and news sites put all that effort into making their posts graphically appealing, so why not see what they've got? Pulse, a nicely different kind of news reader, pulls your news in through side-scrolling, ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

bench craft company scam

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: November 16, 2010 <b>...</b>

IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Even some reusable bags carry environmental risk; U.N. climate talks seek limited deal as costs soar; Was a Houston energy trader a one-woman Enron?; Bye bye Bluefin tuna: Study reveals decade of ...

Pulse Brings You <b>News</b> and RSS in an Elegant Flow

Android/iOS: Blogs and news sites put all that effort into making their posts graphically appealing, so why not see what they've got? Pulse, a nicely different kind of news reader, pulls your news in through side-scrolling, ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

bench craft company scam

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: November 16, 2010 <b>...</b>

IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Even some reusable bags carry environmental risk; U.N. climate talks seek limited deal as costs soar; Was a Houston energy trader a one-woman Enron?; Bye bye Bluefin tuna: Study reveals decade of ...

Pulse Brings You <b>News</b> and RSS in an Elegant Flow

Android/iOS: Blogs and news sites put all that effort into making their posts graphically appealing, so why not see what they've got? Pulse, a nicely different kind of news reader, pulls your news in through side-scrolling, ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

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