Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Tailored online reputation management Plans

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Monday, January 24, 2011

foreclosure


LPS Applied Analytics released their November Mortgage Performance data. According to LPS:



• The average number of days delinquent for loans in foreclosure is a record 499 days

• Over 4.3 million loans are 90 days or more delinquent or in foreclosure

• Delinquency rates are down across all products as more loans entered foreclosure and new delinquencies declined.

• Foreclosure inventory increases are being driven both by elevated levels of foreclosure starts as well as a very limited amount of foreclosure sale activity.



Click on graph for larger image in new window.



This graph provided by LPS Applied Analytics shows the percent delinquent, percent in foreclosure, and total non-current mortgages.



The percent in the foreclosure process is trending up because of the foreclosure moratoriums.



According to LPS, 9.02% of mortgages are delinquent (down from 9.29% in October), and another 4.08% are in the foreclosure process (up from 3.92% in October) for a total of 13.10%. It breaks down as:



• 2.61 million loans less than 90 days delinquent.

• 2.16 million loans 90+ days delinquent.

• 2.16 million loans in foreclosure process.



For a total of 6.92 million loans delinquent or in foreclosure.



Note: I've seen some people include these 7 million delinquent loans as "shadow inventory". This is not correct because 1) some of these loans will cure, and 2) some of these homes are already listed for sale (so they are included in the visible inventory).



Two key numbers to watch in 2011 are:

• New delinquencies. With falling house prices, delinquencies could start to increase again.

• Foreclosures. With the end of the foreclosure moratoriums, foreclosure sales should increase - and the number of homes in the foreclosure process should decline.  However REOs (Real Estate Owned) will increase unless the homes are sold.


Obviously for REO there will be two peaks. The first was in late 2008 and largely private-label securities and subprime, and the 2nd will probably be in 2011 and be heavily GSE REOs.



The height of the 2nd peak depends on the number of foreclosures, and the how quickly the lenders can sell the REOs. The foreclosure-gate related moratoriums have slowed the foreclosure process, but foreclosures will probably pick up again in early 2011. My guess is the 2nd peak will happen in 2011 and be close to the same height as in 2008.



One of the key issues is the number of delinquent loans (and loans in the foreclosure process). I use the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) quarterly data and LPS Applied Analytics monthly data to track delinquencies.



Click on graph for larger image in graph gallery.



This graph based on the MBA quarterly data shows the percent of loans delinquent by days past due. The MBA reported that 13.52 percent of mortgage loans were either one payment delinquent or in the foreclosure process in Q3 2010 (seasonally adjusted). This was down from 14.42 percent in Q2 2010.



Most of the decline in the overall delinquency rate was in the seriously delinquent categories (90+ days or in foreclosure process). Part of the reason is lenders were being more aggressive in foreclosing in Q3 (before the foreclosure pause) - hence the surge in REO inventory in the first graphs! Some of the decline was probably related to modifications too.



This graph provided by LPS Applied Analytics shows the percent delinquent, percent in foreclosure, and total non-current mortgages through November.



The percent in the foreclosure process is trending up because of the foreclosure moratoriums.



According to LPS, 9.02% of mortgages are delinquent (down from 9.29% in October), and another 4.08% are in the foreclosure process (up from 3.92% in October) for a total of 13.10%.



With falling house prices, the delinquency rate could start rising again since more homeowners will have negative equity. However just because a homeowner has negative equity doesn't mean they will default. It usually takes another factor such as loss of employment, divorce, or a medical emergency for the homeowner to default.



On the other hand, an improving labor market will help push down the delinquency rate. My guess is the overall delinquency rate has peaked, although I expect the delinquency rate to stay elevated for some time.



Ten Questions:

• Question #1 for 2011: House Prices

• Question #2 for 2011: Residential Investment

• Question #3 for 2011: Delinquencies and Distressed house sales

• Question #4 for 2011: U.S. Economic Growth

• Question #5 for 2011: Employment

• Question #6 for 2011: Unemployment Rate

• Question #7 for 2011: State and Local Governments

• Question #8 for 2011: Europe and the Euro

• Question #9 for 2011: Inflation

• Question #10 for 2011: Monetary Policy



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American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Tiger Woods dev unfazed by controversy <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Tiger Woods dev unfazed by controversy <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Tiger Woods dev unfazed by controversy <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Tiger Woods dev unfazed by controversy <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Tiger Woods dev unfazed by controversy <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Tiger Woods dev unfazed by controversy <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Tiger Woods dev unfazed by controversy <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

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Jack LaLanne dead at 96 – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

American fitness guru Jack LaLanne died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, California, according to his long-time agent, Rick Hersh. He was 96. The cause, said Hersh, was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Headline FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

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Tiger Woods dev unfazed by controversy <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Being Right or Making Money


The UAW, not content with bankrupting GM and Chrysler once, want a repeat performance. And with Bob King at the helm, and apparently done campaigning for world peace and praying at the US capitol, they may yet get the double double. But first, it's time to put on the sheep's clothing and pretend to be rational. From the Detroit Free Press: UAW reveals ideas to try to level playing field. By 'leveling the playing field', what they mean is putting a thumb on the scale to tip the balance in their favor, but such is establishment media and their newspeak.

The document, called “UAW Principles for Fair Union Elections,” outlines 11 ideals that are designed to level the playing field between the UAW and an employer during a union campaign and election.



....The principles include an agreement that the ability to join a union is a “fundamental human right.”
But opting out from being forced to join the union is not. The document with the 11 principles can be found at this link, but just check out #2 for one:

Employees must be free to exercise the right to join a union or refrain from joining a union in an atmosphere free of fear, coercion,intimidation or threats. There is no free choice if a worker is afraid of losing a job or losing benefits as a result of his or her choice, or is intimidated into making a choice not of one’s own making.

The UAW, not content with bankrupting GM and Chrysler once, want a repeat performance. And with Bob King at the helm, and apparently done campaigning for world peace and praying at the US capitol, they may yet get the double double. But first, it's time to put on the sheep's clothing and pretend to be rational. From the Detroit Free Press: UAW reveals ideas to try to level playing field. By 'leveling the playing field', what they mean is putting a thumb on the scale to tip the balance in their favor, but such is establishment media and their newspeak.

The document, called “UAW Principles for Fair Union Elections,” outlines 11 ideals that are designed to level the playing field between the UAW and an employer during a union campaign and election.



....The principles include an agreement that the ability to join a union is a “fundamental human right.”
But opting out from being forced to join the union is not. The document with the 11 principles can be found at this link, but just check out #2 for one:

Employees must be free to exercise the right to join a union or refrain from joining a union in an atmosphere free of fear, coercion,intimidation or threats. There is no free choice if a worker is afraid of losing a job or losing benefits as a result of his or her choice, or is intimidated into making a choice not of one’s own making.

Source:http://removeripoffreports.net/

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Look out, Hollywood. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has a warning for.

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Perfect Market Inc, a start-up that seeks to help news organizations make more money through online advertising, has won $9 million in new funding in a round led by Comcast Interactive Capital, the cable giant's venture arm.

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“Japanese scientists attempt to resurrect Mammoth” shouted the news agency AFP (source: The online version of the Japanese newspaper “Yomiuri Shimbun”: Daily Yomiuri Online). The article lacks any hints about the major hurdles of such ...


Friday, January 14, 2011

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Similarly, if part of the argument was over a bank account, Legal Aid will want repaying if there is a successful outcome with a value over £5,000. Let me give you a scenario. A couple are getting divorced and they are arguing over who owns the £50,000 in a bank account. The funded party claims that 50% of the money is theirs and the non-funded party is claiming that all the money belongs to them. The matter goes to court and the court decides that the money should be split 50/50 and awards £25,000 to the funded person. The bill for arguing litigation was £10,000.
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The board would want £10,000 of the £25,000.00 that was awarded leaving the legal aided person with only £15,000 out of the £25,000. Ouch! With regards to the exemption, if the amount that was being argued over was £10,000 and the award was 50/50 then half of £10,000.00 being argued over (assuming 50/50) is £5,000.00. There is a £5,000.00 exemption ring fenced and therefore the board would get nothing.


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Small Business <b>News</b>: Building Better Strategy

Building a better strategy should be the constant goal of every small business owner and entrepreneur. Think your business is running as well as it can, has.

Great <b>news</b>: Elected officials know less about the Constitution <b>...</b>

So claims the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, which just concluded a five-year study on the American public's knowledge of its foundational legal document. The bad news: the general public gets an F, with just a 54% average on the ...

Hybrid Streetlights: Good Or Bad <b>News</b> For Utilities?

Urban Green Energy — a New York City startup that designs and manufactures small wind turbines — has released and installed the first of its new,


Thursday, January 13, 2011

Online Money Making Opportunities


We’ve provided you with nearly 300 in-depth features, galleries and how-tos in the past year to help you navigate the social media world.

Here you’ll find a comprehensive list of all of those posts, covering everything from how to enhance your class='blippr-nobr'>Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook profile, find videos and music, contribute to a charity and just about any other topic you can think of.

We’ve broken the posts into categories including the big ideas about social media, the most popular social sites, including Facebook and class='blippr-nobr'>Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter, music, videos and photos, geo-location services, education, privacy and safety, social good, activism and government, among others.

If you’re looking to get caught up on — or re-read — class='blippr-nobr'>Mashable’sclass="blippr-nobr">Mashable social media resources from the past year, here’s your chance.

About Social Media

  • How Social Media Has Changed Us
  • 5 Insightful TED Talks on Social Media
  • 5 Levels of Effective Communication in the Social Media Age
  • Why Social Media Means Big Opportunities for Women
  • The Science of Building Trust With Social Media
  • How Companies Are Using Your Social Media Data
  • Why User Competency Matters in Social Design
  • 10 Essential Design Tools for Social Media Pros
  • Why Content Curation Is Here to Stay
  • Inside Gatorade’s Social Media Command Center
  • Why Feedback and Filters are Necessary in Social Media
  • 9 Universal Principles of Viral Media Sites
  • Why Social Experience is the Future of Online Content
  • 10 Beautiful Social Media Infographics
  • A Look Back at the Last 5 Years in Social Media
  • 5 Huge Trends in Social Media Right Now
  • 5 Trends Affecting How We Connect Through Social Media
  • The Next 5 Years in Social Media

Facebook

  • Why Facebook’s Privacy Changes are Detrimental to Users
  • How Facebook Can Become a Money Making Machine
  • HOW TO: Keep Your Facebook Updates Private
  • HOW TO: Block FarmVille on Facebook
  • 4 Easy Ways to Engage Your Facebook Fans
  • Facebook vs. Google: The Billion Dollar Battle to Be Your Default Social Profile
  • How a Facebook Group Helped Reunite a Band for Charity
  • HOW TO: Clean Up Your Facebook Profile
  • 5 Ways Facebook Changed Dating (For the Worse)
  • HOW TO: Disable Facebook’s “Instant Personalization” [PRIVACY]
  • 5 Ways Facebook’s Open Graph Will Impact E-commerce
  • HOW TO: Find Long Lost Friends on Facebook
  • In Defense of Facebook
  • How Facebook Makes Edgy Concepts Mainstream
  • Why Facebook Must Get Serious About Privacy
  • HOW TO: Send a Real Gift on Facebook
  • How Does Facebook View the World?
  • Why Facebook Can’t Genuinely Connect People
  • 3 Things Facebook Does Very Well
  • 10 Cool Facebook Status Tips and Tricks
  • My Facebook Story: An Inside Look at Facebook’s First Privacy Fiasco
  • 10 Fascinating Facebook Facts
  • HOW TO: Put Facebook’s “Like” Button on Any Website
  • 5 Ways Facebook Questions Can Be Improved
  • A Closer Look at the Privacy Features of Facebook Places [PICS]
  • A Field Guide to Using Facebook Places
  • 5 Useful Facebook Trend and Search Services
  • Facebook Privacy: 6 Years of Controversy [INFOGRAPHIC]
  • 5 Fun FarmVille Accessories
  • 3 Tips for Maximizing Engagement With Facebook “Likes” and Shares
  • Facebook vs. Google and the Battle for Identity on the Web [OP-ED]
  • The Biggest Brands on Facebook [INFOGRAPHIC]
  • The New Facebook Messages: A Walkthrough [SCREENSHOTS]
  • 5 Facebook Profile Photos to Avoid
  • 10 Creative Uses of the New Facebook Profile [PICS]
  • Videos and Pics

    • HOW TO: Add Captions To Your YouTube Videos
    • 10 Amazing Magic Trick Videos on YouTube
    • Exclusive: Inside YouTube’s War Room
    • HOW TO: Boost Your SEO with a YouTube Channel
    • EXCLUSIVE: Behind the Scenes at the “Married on MySpace” Wedding [VIDEO]
    • HOW TO: Make a Great How-To Video
    • 4 Tips for Producing Quality Web Videos
    • 10 Best World Cup Goals on YouTube
    • 5 Ways to Build a Loyal Audience on YouTube
    • 6 Tips For Experimenting with Web Video
    • 15 Fab Flash Mob Videos on YouTube
    • 5 Handy YouTube Channels for DIY and Home Improvement
    • Why Hulu’s New Dance Show is a Game-Changer
    • How Social Media has Changed the Game for Documentary Filmmaking
    • 5 Inspiring Celebrity Videos Tell Gay Teens “It Gets Better”
    • 3 Things Any Video Needs to Go Viral
    • 5 Ways to Get a Job Through YouTube
    • HOW TO: Become a YouTube Sensation
    • 5 Fresh Places to Find Great Online Video
    • How To Make Your Music Video Go Viral: 10 Tips From Cee-Lo, OK Go & More
    • Music

      • HOW TO: Create Free Music Playlists Online
      • Why MySpace Can Still Win as a Music Destination
      • Musicians Can Help Each Other Get Famous with New Site
      • How Rdio Makes Your Music Mix Social
      • 7 Superb Podcasts for Summer Listening
      • 8 YouTube Channels for Unique Music Performances
      • 10 Ways Touring Bands Can Leverage Location Apps
      • Exclusive: Trent Reznor on “The Social Network” [INTERVIEW]
      • 4 Ways to Find Legal Music for Your YouTube Videos
      • Twitter

        • Zen and the Art of Twitter: 4 Tips for Productive Tweeting
        • 5 Big Twitter Trends to Follow Right Now
        • 4 Tips for Tapping Into Twitter Conversations
        • HOW TO: Spring Clean Your Twitter Account
        • 5 Free Services for Pre-Scheduling Your Twitter Updates
        • How Twitter’s New Media Blog Aims To Teach By Example
        • HOW TO: Make the Most of Your Twitter Profile Page
        • Why Twitter Needs to Do More to Save Trending Topics
        • 5 Terrific Tools for Keeping Tabs on Twitter Trends
        • HOW TO: Help New Users Stay Engaged on Twitter
        • The Rise of Comedy on Twitter
        • Top 20 Sites to Improve Your Twitter Experience
        • The Origin of Twitter’s “Fail Whale”
        • 5 Free Ways to Never Miss a Twitter @Reply
        • 10 Free and Fun Twitter Bird Icons for your Website
        • 5 Fab Twitter Follower Visualization Tools
        • 5 Useful Tools to Track Twitter Unfollowers
        • 5 Tips for Dealing with Complaints on Twitter
        • 7 Cool Chrome Extensions for Twitter
        • 20 Cool Twitter Accounts for Daily Fun and Inspiration [PICS]
        • TwitPic Founder Talks About the Future of Twitter Photo Sharing [VIDEO]
        • Top 10 Twitter Tips for Bands, By Bands
        • The New Twitter: The Web is Back
        • How NPR Is Leveraging the Twitter Generation [STATS]
        • Why Twitter Influences Cross-Cultural Engagement
        • HOW TO: Gain Twitter Influence
        • HOW TO: Use Twitter’s Advanced Search [VIDEO]
        • Geo-location

          • The History of Location Technology [INFOGRAPHIC]
          • Dear Foursquare: This Is Not the Right Time to Sell
          • Gowalla CEO Talks About the Future of Social Media [INTERVIEW]
          • Why the Fashion Industry Loves Foursquare
          • Why Hasn’t Location Reached the Mainstream Yet?
          • Beyond the Checkin: Where Location-Based Social Networks Should Go Next
          • Top 16 Unusual Foursquare Badges
          • Why Entertainment Will Drive the Next Checkin Craze
          • Why Location-Based Social Media Needs to Get “Passive” Aggressive
          • The State of the GeoSocial Universe [INFOGRAPHIC]
          • Mayor Wars: A Battle For Foursquare Supremacy [VIDEO]
          • Social Media Grammar: The “Checkin” Conundrum
          • HOW TO: Become a Foursquare Power User
          • A Glimpse at the Future of Foursquare

          Education

          • 3 Ways Educators Are Embracing Social Technology
          • How Twitter in the Classroom is Boosting Student Engagement
          • 4 Tips for Integrating Social Media Into the Classroom
          • Why Online Education Needs to Get Social
          • The Case for Social Media in Schools
          • 7 Fantastic Free Social Media Tools for Teachers
          • How Online Classrooms Are Helping Haiti Rebuild Its Education System
          • 10 Free Online Resources for Science Teachers

          Privacy and Safety

          • HOW TO: Erase Your Online Past [HUMOR]
          • Privacy: Managing the New Currency of the Social Web
          • Why Banning Social Media Often Backfires
          • HOW TO: Prevent and Report Online Stalking
          • Social Media Parenting: Raising the Digital Generation
          • HOW TO: Get Notified When Someone Hacks Your Facebook
          • 5 Essential Facebook Privacy Tips
          • HOW TO: Deal with a Cyberstalker
          • 5 Fun and Safe Social Networks for Children
          • 4 Effective Tools for Monitoring Your Child’s Online Safety

          Digg

          • New Digg Is Live: What It Means For Digg and For You
          • A Brief History of Digg
          • What Digg Must Do to Survive

          Crowdsourcing

          • HOW TO: Crowdsource Funds for Causes, Creativity and Startups
          • 5 Creative Uses for Crowdsourcing
          • 10 Cool Crowdsourced Music Video Projects
          • 4 Real Challenges to Crowdsourcing for Social Good
          • 4 People Who Let the Crowd Control Their Destiny

          Social Good, Activism and Government

          • 5 Ways Mega Charity Events Can Harness the Power of Social Media
          • 9 Ways to Do Good With 5 Minutes or $25
          • How Social Media Can Effect Real Social and Governmental Change
          • 4 Ways One Non-Profit Uses Location to Increase Engagement
          • 5 Ways to Support World Malaria Day Online
          • How Non-Profits are Using Social Media for Real Results
          • How Does Twitter’s New Social Good Initiative Stack Up?
          • 5 Ways Government Works Better With Social Media
          • 8 Tips for a Successful Social Media Cause Campaign
          • HOW TO: Turn Slacktivists into Activists with Social Media
          • How the U.S. Engages the World with Social Media
          • How Social Media is Changing Government Agencies
          • 5 Things the Library of Congress is Archiving Online
          • 6 Websites for Remembering and Honoring Veterans
          • How Political Campaigns Are Using Social Media for Real Results
          • How Social Media is Helping Veterans Connect
          • How the Gulf Coast Benefit is Using Social Media to Rally Support
          • How Social Media is Changing the Way Government Does Business
          • How You Can Do Good with Small Actions: Try Bolder
          • How CrisisCommons Is Helping the Tech Community Help Others
          • 5 Social Fundraising Alternatives to Facebook Causes
          • Why Social Media Is a Game-Changer for Causes
          • How the Web Can be Harnessed for Social Good
          • How Social Media Helped 174 Million People Get the Message About Malaria
          • 5 Easy Ways to Support a Cause Through Your Social Network
          • Social Media: The New Battleground for Politics
          • 3 Small Cause Campaigns That Won Big With Social Media
          • How and Why PepsiCo Engages in Social Good [VIDEO]
          • 9 Creative Social Good Campaigns Worth Recognizing [Mashable Awards]
          • 5 YouTube Projects That Are Making a Difference
          • Why Social Media Is Reinventing Activism
          • 3 Creative Social Good Campaigns that Will Make You Smile
          • HOW TO: Help Solve the Global Water Crisis with Social Media
          • The Future of Social Media and Politics
          • 5 Must-Follow Non-Profits Making a Difference With Social Media [Mashable Awards]
          • 10 Inspiring “Buy One Give One” Projects
          • How Social Media Is Making Veteran Service Organizations Better
          • Checkins for Charity: The Rise of Geo-Social Good
          • HOW TO: Help Feed the Hungry With Online Donations
          • Facebook Co-Founder Launches Social Network for Social Good, Jumo [IMAGE]
          • 5 Ways Cities Are Using Social Media to Reverse Economic Downturn
          • The Holiday Survival Guide for Social Media Professionals

          Holidays & Major Events

          • 10 Fabulous Valentine’s Day Gifts for Your Beloved Geek
          • 5 More Ways to Go Green for Earth Day
          • How Social Media Helped Travelers During the Iceland Volcano Eruption
          • 5 Ways to Go Green for Earth Day with Social Media
          • 4 Social Media Efforts to Aid the Gulf Coast
          • 8 Ways to Follow Internet Week New York Online
          • HOW TO: Follow the 2010 World Cup on Twitter
          • The World Cup’s Social Media Evolution
          • World Cup 2010: Mashable’s Complete Coverage
          • HOW TO: Follow the US Open with Social Media
          • HOW TO: Follow New York Fashion Week Online
          • HOW TO: Get the Most from Fashion’s Night Out with Social Media
          • How Social Media Has Changed Fashion Week
          • 17 Web Resources to Help You Decide on Election Day
          • How the “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” Nailed Social Media
          • 5 Free Halloween Music Playlists for Your Monster Bash
          • 4 Ways to Visualize Voter Sentiment for the Midterm Elections
          • HOW TO: Plan the Perfect Thanksgiving With the Help of Social Media
          • HOW TO: Use Social Media to Enhance Your Event

          Managing Your Social Media Time & Presence

          • 4 Essential Traits for Social Media Success in Your Career
          • 4 Steps for Managing Social Media Attention
          • 5 Simple Social Design Tips From the Masters
          • 3 Tips for Managing Your Online Reputation
          • 5 Tips for Creating the Perfect Profile Pic
          • 5 Ways to Reduce Social Media Distractions and Be More Productive
          • Tim Ferriss: 7 Great Principles for Dealing with Haters
          • 21 Rules for Social Media Engagement
          • HOW TO: Send Digital Invites Without Being Obnoxious
          • Are You a Comments Troll?
          • 5 Ways to Clean Up Your Social Media Identity
          • HOW TO: Deal with a Real-Life Breakup Online
          • HOW TO: Enhance Your Online Presence with Video
          • 11 Free Services for Scheduling Social Media Updates
          • HOW TO/NOT TO: Ask Someone Out Online
          • 7 Services to Find and Reserve Your Name Across the Web
          • HOW TO: Gracefully Promote Yourself Online
          • HOW TO: Win the Search Rank Race for Your Name
          • 7 Resources for Handling Digital Life After Death
          • 11 Essential Apps for Managing Your Real Life Social Networks

          Blogging

          • HOW TO: Integrate Google Buzz Into Your WordPress Blog
          • HOW TO: Create a Successful Company Blog
          • 10 Beautiful Free Blogger Templates
          • HOW TO: Maximize Your Content’s Reach on the Social Web
          • HOW TO: Rescue Your Blog From Social Isolation
          • A Look Back at the Last 5 Years in Blogging
          • A Brief History of 9 Popular Blogging Platforms
          • 7 Perfect Posterous Themes for Multimedia Blogs
          • HOW TO: Use Tweet Buttons as a Blogger or Site Owner
          • 21 Creative Blogger Bio Pages
          • HOW TO: Help Your Child Set Up a Blog

          Google

          • HOW TO: Integrate Facebook, Twitter and Buzz into Your Gmail
          • HOW TO: Make a Google Buzz Desktop App
          • 4 Ways Non-Profits Can Use Google Buzz
          • 12 Fresh Web Tools for Getting the Most Out of Google Buzz
          • Google’s Long History of Social Media Attempts [INFOGRAPHIC]
          • Why Google Wave’s Demise Is Good News for Facebook
          • Which Words Does Google Instant Blacklist?

          Industry-Specific Resources

          • How the Fashion Industry is Embracing Social Media
          • How the Resort Industry is Using Social Media
          • How Musicians Are Using Social Media to Connect with Fans
          • 6 Ways Law Enforcement Uses Social Media to Fight Crime
          • The Future Newsroom: Lean, Open and Social Media-Savvy
          • 6 Ways Brands are Using Social Media For Real-World Action
          • How Journalists are Using Social Media for Real Results
          • How Freelancers are Using Social Media for Real Results
          • Social Enterprise: 5 Tips for Getting Execs on Board
          • How Lawyers Are Using Social Media for Real Results
          • Why Social Media is the New Source of Hollywood Talent
          • How Salespeople Are Using Social Media for Real Results
          • Why Food Bloggers Are Here to Stay
          • 6 Crucial Social Media Tips for Traditional Media
          • 5 Tips for Aspiring Social Media Marketers
          • Why WikiLeaks and the Mainstream Media Still Need Each Other
          • How Freelancers Might Use Social Media in the Future
          • The Future of Public Relations and Social Media
          • How Social Data Built a Better Health Care App
          • The Future of Social Media in Journalism
          • The Future of the Hotel Industry and Social Media
          • How Lawyers May Use Social Media in the Future
          • The Future of Human Resources and Social Media
          • How Investigative Journalism Is Prospering in the Age of Social Media
          • How Social Media Is Changing the Way Movies are Promoted
          • Why More Health Experts Are Embracing the Social Web
          • Sports and Social Media: Why the Best Is Yet to Come

          Other

          • The Birth of the Virtual Assistant
          • The Ultimate March Madness Social Media Guide
          • 5 Stellar Ways to Explore Space Using Social Media
          • 6 Easy Ways to Score the Best Deals with Social Media
          • 5 Free Ways to Identify that Song Stuck in Your Head
          • Why Chatroulette Is More Than Just Penises
          • 3 Ways Live Events Improve Online Communities
          • 12 Chatroulette Clones You Should Try
          • Top 10 Online Mascots
          • HOW TO: Rent Anything Online
          • HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Q&A Sites
          • 13 Internet Slangs with Unexpected Alternate Meanings
          • 5 Ways Social Media Helps Promote Good Health
          • For Women, Social Media is More Than “Girl Talk”
          • Inside Street Food’s Social Media Revolution [VIDEO]
          • 10 Great Geek Tees For Kids
          • 7 Days on Craigslist’s Casual Encounters
          • HOW TO: Follow Mashable Staff Online
          • The WikiLeaks Debate: Journalists Weigh In
          • 7 Services That Will Suggest Things You Like
          • 7 Questions With AOL Co-Founder Steve Case
          • 5 Online Community Killers to Avoid at All Costs

          Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, morozena

          For more Social Media coverage:

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          Ok Go Explains There Are Lots Of Ways To Make Money If You Can Get Fans

          from the everything's-possible dept

          Over the last few years, we've covered many of the moves by the band Ok Go -- to build up a fanbase often with the help of amazingly viral videos, ditch their major record label (EMI), and explore new business model opportunities. In the last few days, two different members of Ok Go explained a bit more of the band's thinking in two separate places, and both are worth reading. First up, we have Tim Nordwind, who did an interview with Hypebot, where he explained the band's general view on file sharing:


          Obviously we'd love for anyone who has our music to buy a copy. But again, we're realistic enough to know that most music can be found online for free. And trying to block people's access to it isn't good for bands or music. If music is going to be free, then musicians will simply have to find alternative methods to make a living in the music business. People are spending money on music, but it's on the technology to play it. They spend hundreds of dollars on Ipods, but then fill it with 80 gigs of free music. That's ok, but it's just a different world now, and bands must learn to adjust.

          Elsewhere in the interview, he talks about the importance of making fans happy and how the band realizes that there are lots of different ways to make money, rather than just selling music directly:

          Our videos have opened up many more opportunities for us to make the things we want to make, and to chase our best and wildest ideas. Yes, we need to figure out how to make a living in a world where people don't buy music anymore. But really, we've been doing that for the last ten years. Things like licensing, touring, merch, and also now making videos through corporate sponsorship have all allowed us to keep the lights on and continue making music.

          Separately, last Friday, Damian Kulash wrote a nice writeup in the Wall Street Journal all about how bands can, should and will make money going forward. In many ways the piece reminds me a bit of my future of music business models post from earlier this year -- and Kulash even uses many of the same examples in his article (Corey Smith, Amanda Palmer, Josh Freese, etc.). It's a really worthwhile read as well. He starts by pointing out that for a little over half a century, the record labels had the world convinced that the "music" industry really was just the "recorded music" industry:

          For a decade, analysts have been hyperventilating about the demise of the music industry. But music isn't going away. We're just moving out of the brief period--a flash in history's pan--when an artist could expect to make a living selling records alone. Music is as old as humanity itself, and just as difficult to define. It's an ephemeral, temporal and subjective experience.



          For several decades, though, from about World War II until sometime in the last 10 years, the recording industry managed to successfully and profitably pin it down to a stable, if circular, definition: Music was recordings of music. Records not only made it possible for musicians to connect with listeners anywhere, at any time, but offered a discrete package for commoditization. It was the perfect bottling of lightning: A powerful experience could be packaged in plastic and then bought and sold like any other commercial product.

          But, he notes, that time is now gone, thanks in large part to the internet. But that doesn't mean the music business is in trouble. Just the business of selling recorded music. But there's lots of things musicians can sell. He highlights Corey Smith and Smith's ability to make millions by giving away his music for free, and then touring. But he also points out that touring isn't for everyone. He covers how corporate licensing has become a bigger and bigger opportunity for bands that are getting popular. While he doesn't highlight the specific economics of it, what he's really talking about is that if your band is big, you can sell your fan's attention -- which is something Ok Go has done successfully by getting corporate sponsorship of their videos. As he notes, the sponsors provide more money than the record labels with many fewer strings:

          These days, money coming from a record label often comes with more embedded creative restrictions than the marketing dollars of other industries. A record label typically measures success in number of records sold. Outside sponsors, by contrast, tend to take a broader view of success. The measuring stick could be mentions in the press, traffic to a website, email addresses collected or views of online videos. Artists have meaningful, direct, and emotional access to our fans, and at a time when capturing the public's attention is increasingly difficult for the army of competing marketers, that access is a big asset.



          ...



          Now when we need funding for a large project, we look for a sponsor. A couple weeks ago, my band held an eight-mile musical street parade through Los Angeles, courtesy of Range Rover. They brought no cars, signage or branding; they just asked that we credit them in the documentation of it. A few weeks earlier, we released a music video made in partnership with Samsung, and in February, one was underwritten by State Farm.



          We had complete creative control in the productions. At the end of each clip we thanked the company involved, and genuinely, because we truly are thankful. We got the money we needed to make what we want, our fans enjoyed our videos for free, and our corporate Medicis got what their marketing departments were after: millions of eyes and goodwill from our fans. While most bands struggle to wrestle modest video budgets from labels that see videos as loss leaders, ours wind up making us a profit.

          Of course, that only works if you have a big enough fanbase, but that doesn't mean there aren't things that less well known bands can use to make money as well. He talks about an up-and-coming band in LA that doesn't even have a manager that was able make money:

          The unsigned and unmanaged Los Angeles band Killola toured last summer and offered deluxe USB packages that included full albums, live recordings and access to two future private online concerts for $40 per piece. Killola grossed $18,000 and wound up in the black for their tour. Mr. Donnelly says, "I can't imagine they'll be ordering their yacht anytime soon, but traditionally bands at that point in their careers aren't even breaking even on tour."

          The point, Kulash, notes, is that there's a lot of things a band can sell, focusing on "selling themselves." And, the thing he doesn't mention is that, when you're focusing on selling the overall experience that is "you" as a musician or a band, it's something that can't be freely copied. People can copy the music all they want, but they can't copy you. "You" are a scarce good that can't be "pirated." That's exactly what more and more musicians are figuring out these days, and it's helping to make many more artists profitable. And, no, it doesn't mean that any artist can make money. But it certainly looks like any artist that understands this can do a hell of a lot better than they would have otherwise, if they just relied on the old way of making money in the music business.



          45 Comments | Leave a Comment..



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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

          Verizon and Apple Q&amp;A (video) - CNET <b>News</b>

          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.


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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

          Verizon and Apple Q&amp;A (video) - CNET <b>News</b>

          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.

          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

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          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

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          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.


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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

          Verizon and Apple Q&amp;A (video) - CNET <b>News</b>

          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.


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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

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          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.


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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

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          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.


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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

          Verizon and Apple Q&amp;A (video) - CNET <b>News</b>

          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.


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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

          Verizon and Apple Q&amp;A (video) - CNET <b>News</b>

          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.


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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

          Verizon and Apple Q&amp;A (video) - CNET <b>News</b>

          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.


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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

          Verizon and Apple Q&amp;A (video) - CNET <b>News</b>

          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.


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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

          Verizon and Apple Q&amp;A (video) - CNET <b>News</b>

          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.


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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

          Verizon and Apple Q&amp;A (video) - CNET <b>News</b>

          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.


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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

          Verizon and Apple Q&amp;A (video) - CNET <b>News</b>

          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.


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          Harvard Undergrads Launch Newsle To Find <b>News</b> About Your Friends <b>...</b>

          Social news has many flavors. Twitter and Facebook function as social news feeds with your friends pushing out stories they find interesting. But what about news about your friends or other people you care about?

          Some Good <b>News</b>! | PerezHilton.com

          The economy seems to be finally be rebounding, with stocks climbing to a two year high yesterday!

          Verizon and Apple Q&amp;A (video) - CNET <b>News</b>

          At the iPhone 4 Verizon unveiling, Dan Mead, President of Verizon Wireless, and Tim Cook, COO of Apple, answer questions from the press.

Monday, January 10, 2011

personal finance budgeting

Do you find that when you try to use a budgeting system, the more complicated it is, the more overwhelmed you become; and eventually you stop using it? If that’s the case, Sprouty brings a simplified budgeting system that makes it easy to create a monthly budget, and more importantly, stick to it.

Sometimes keeping it simple is a lot more useful and that’s exactly what Sprouty aims to do. Unlike Mint and other popular money management systems, your personal bank account information does not even come into play; making it a secure option that can be used no matter where in the world you live.

id="more-59875">/> After signing up for a free account, Sprouty will prompt you to enter your monthly income, and will attempt to create a budget for you, based on minimum recommended amounts for each budget item.

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Of course, the budget will most probably not reflect your own personal spending habits, and you can modify it to suit your lifestyle.

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You can add additional budget items by clicking on the ‘Create a Budget’ button, determine the amount allocated to that category, and add tags. Using the same method, you can add additional sources of income, which is particularly useful for a family in which there are several breadwinners.

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Existing budget items can also be edited or deleted by clicking on any given item, adding or removing tags of your choice, and adjusting the amount. This will be one of the very first steps you take when using Sprouty, in order to adjust the budget to suit your personal needs.

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Once you have your budget in place, you can begin to add the actual transactions as they occur. New transactions are accompanied by the date, tags or description, and the amount.

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As you add tags, Sprouty will also suggest tags that are commonly used.

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If you add a transaction by mistake, it can easily be edited or deleted by clicking on any part of the transaction’s information.

Sprouty’s best feature is undoubtedly the overview it provides of your spending. Once you have your budget in place and have added your transactions, you can see a monthly overview of your budget, and see exactly where your money is being spent, and what remains.

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This is especially useful because you are able to visualise the areas in which you spend the most, and this could make for an easier way to understand where you need to cutback on your spending.

Sprouty is as no-frills a budget system as they come, but sometimes that is all that you need. It is extremely user-friendly, with barely any learning curve at all.

The website can be accessed from mobile browsers, making it possible to add transactions on the go. That said, it is not optimised for a mobile browser, and that would be one of the first welcome changes to the site. Adding transactions while you’re out and about is an integral part of the success of any budget system, so that payments don’t fall between the cracks. Whether it is a mobile website, adding transactions by email, or any other method, it will definitely improve Sprouty’s user friendly service.

How do you keep track of your spending habits? Let us know in the comments.

Sean Park is so excited about Betterment that he bought a stake in the company:


Betterment allows anyone to quickly, easily and without mystery manage asset allocation and risk budgeting using a simple, multi-asset class portfolio. No hassle, no time wasted, no blizzard of trade confirmations. The first time I saw it, I immediately wanted to be able to manage all my cash balances using their platform.


Except Sean Park is a sophisticated venture capitalist, and Betterment doesn’t manage cash balances. Instead, it manages investments. Basically, it provides an easy way of sweeping money out of your checking account and into your Betterment account, where it’s then invested across eight different ETFs. Betterment does most of the asset allocation; you just tell the company how much you want invested in Treasuries and how much in stocks, and they will do the rest.


This is a handy little service — but the amount that Betterment charges — 0.9% per year — is way too much, especially since it comes on top of the expense ratios of the underlying ETFs, which net out at 18.2bp for stocks and 17.5bp for bonds. In these days of ultra-low interest rates, buying a bond fund and then paying out 107.5bp per year in expenses is likely to leave you with a negative real return, and quite possibly could leave you with a negative nominal return as well. Or, to put it another way, right now it makes very little sense to have Betterment manage your bond funds and charge you a 90bp fee for the privilege: you might well be better off just keeping your money in a savings account, where there’s no risk of a nominal decline.


The idea behind Betterment — that investing should be very easy and simple at the front end, even if there’s lots of complicated stuff going on at the back end — is a good one. And I look forward to the time when banks offer Betterment-style services to their depositors, making it easy and painless to save money. I’m sure those banks could learn a lot from what Betterment is doing, and even maybe license some of their technology. But it only really becomes attractive when it’s free. And when, at the very least, it gives some kind of an option to invest internationally and in credit — two enormous asset classes that Betterment completely ignores. I’m pretty sure that Sean Park, for one, would never find it genuinely attractive in its current incarnation.


Update: Betterment’s CEO, Jon Stein, responds in the comments, and he sure knows the way to a blogger’s heart — by referencing an old blog entry which even I’d forgotten about:


I agree with you that we should offer our customers exposure to international stocks. Our users are all US-based, and so are naturally overweight US. We plan to add international exposure soon, and perhaps a real-estate component or credit component, as well. All of these asset classes are components of the “market portfolio” – and would be represented in the “everything bagel” that you talked about in a previous post. It’s that everything bagel that we’re working toward – it takes time to make it just right.



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Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

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The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.


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Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may boycott Oscars over Anne Hathaway <b>...</b>

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.


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Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may boycott Oscars over Anne Hathaway <b>...</b>

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.


bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may boycott Oscars over Anne Hathaway <b>...</b>

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.


bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may boycott Oscars over Anne Hathaway <b>...</b>

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.


bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may boycott Oscars over Anne Hathaway <b>...</b>

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.


bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may boycott Oscars over Anne Hathaway <b>...</b>

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.


bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may boycott Oscars over Anne Hathaway <b>...</b>

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.


bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may boycott Oscars over Anne Hathaway <b>...</b>

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.


bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may boycott Oscars over Anne Hathaway <b>...</b>

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.


bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may boycott Oscars over Anne Hathaway <b>...</b>

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.


bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may boycott Oscars over Anne Hathaway <b>...</b>

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.


bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill - Shira Toeplitz <b>...</b>

Joseph and Vlad, the victims in the violent home invasion earlier this week, spoke to the Mercury News on Friday on the condition that their last names not be used. They told publicly for the first time their terrified, ...

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may boycott Oscars over Anne Hathaway <b>...</b>

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is gearing up to be the most star-studded event of the year, but.

&#39;The Daily&#39; iPad <b>News</b> Publication to Debut January 19th - Mac Rumors

Last month, All Things Digital reported that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily, appeared likely to debut sometime the week of January 17th. Forbes has now confirme.