Webby News

The numbers are in. And they look good. It appears that online holiday spending rose slightly this year, by 5 percent, to $27 billion for the shopping season from November 1 through Christmas Eve, according to comScore. For the time period from Black Friday through Christmas Eve, sales showed a slight uptick, rising 3.5 percent. With respect to individual product categories, consumer electronics saw yearly sales growth of slightly over 20 percent, while sales of jewelry and watches also rose.

From reports over the past few months, the numbers indicated that the total online spending would be higher this year than last, when the U.S. spending was blindsided with a crippling recession. The final shopping weekend before Christmas saw a 13 percent growth rate in online spending from the previous year, thanks to the wintry mess that hit the Eastern Seaboard. And the full week posted a 6 percent yearly increase in spending, setting a one-week sales record with more than $4.8 billion in spending. Online sales numbers from Black Friday and Cyber Monday also appeared to be stronger than last year.

Many financial firms are now claiming they have a “new plan”, “new perspective”, “new advice” for investors. That their “green line” or “red zone” of expert advice will now provide investment and retirement guidance that will “take you where you want to go”. What is this new groundbreaking advice? How is it different from the advice they were giving two years ago? On the cover of recently received magazine it has the title “Tools of TRUE Diversification: Skillfully applied asset allocation can reduce a portfolio’s overall risk profile.” Was the prior advice to do a FALSE diversification? Was the financial “advisor” who recommended this UN-skilled?

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Remember Seppukoo, that nifty little service that lets you kill your Facebook identity? Well, Facebook doesn’t appreciate the idea.

In fact, Facebook doesn’t want Seppukoo to exist at all, claiming that it violates the statement of rights and responsibilities. Therefore, Facebook has sent a cease and desist letter to Seppukoo, asking the program to stop breaching terms of service.

Facebook is claiming that Seppukoo is violating the following terms of service:

* Soliciting users’ Facebook login information.

* Accessing a Facebook account that belongs to someone else.

* Collecting users’ content or information using automated means.

* Sending commercial communications.

* Using Facebook’s intellectual property.

If Seppukoo continues doing business as usual, Facebook will likely sue them. From the letter:

“(Facebook will take) whatever measures it believes are necessary to enforce its rights, maintain the quality of its site, and protect its users’ privacy and information.”

In most cases, especially when we’re talking about a non-profit, just-for-fun project such as Seppukoo, the owners would simply shut the site down to avoid trouble. But the folks behind Seppukoo — an imaginary Italian art group Les Liens Invisibles — don’t plan to do that. They’ve replied to Facebook’s lawyers, claiming that they don’t plan to shut down the service, since Seppukoo is solely for artistic purposes. It doesn’t have ads, and the service is completely free.

While it’s understandable that Facebook doesn’t want users “ritually killing” their accounts, I don’t really see how what Seppukoo is doing can be considered illegal. Is this another PR disaster in the making? We’ll keep a close eye on this one.

Reviews: Facebook

Tags: facebook, seppukoo, social networking

Earlier this evening Gizmodo published leaked images that apparently show off the pricing details for Google’s upcoming Nexus One phone. The Nexus One comes in at a hefty $530 for an unlocked device, or $180 with contract on T-Mobile — pricing that’s pretty standard for a smart phone. But even still, it’s a very big deal. It also looks like Gizmodo’s screenshots may have included clues hinting at a previously unannounced feature for Android: automatic backup of your data.

Under the section for Optional Accessories, the Nexus One will apparently have a docking station available (as did the Droid). The description for the dock is as follows: “Charge your phone while streaming music and backing up your data“.

The third (and likely final) batch of 150 tickets to attend the Crunchies Awards are on sale now, courtesy of Eventbrite. Balcony seats are $45 (orchestra is sold out.)

If you’re dead set on an orchestra seat, please contact Jeanne Logozzo for sponsorship options. We have creative packages available in all shapes and sizes, such as champagne cocktails, card-game tables, demo tables, photo booths or walls, product giveaways and more.

Remember that voting is open through midnight PST, Wednesday, January 6. Everyone is eligible and encouraged to vote daily for their favorite people, products and companies of the year.

The Crunchies Awards celebrate the best tech accomplishments of 2009 and will be held at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco on Friday, January 8, 2010 at 7:30 pm PST. Along with our co-hosts, GigaOm and VentureBeat, we will announce the winners from 18 different award categories live on stage from over 125 finalists.

Everyone knows the tale of John and Mary. Let´s consider a more modern version of it. John is the best student in class, but is somewhat introspective. His top grades come from maths and physics. He is apparently shy, but very observant and with a strategic/analytical thinking that would envy anyone. Ele é aprovado numa das melhores faculdades do país na área de Exatas. He was accepted by one of the best colleges in the country in Engineering. Conversely, Mary is the most popular girl in class. She knows everyone and everyone knows her. She has an incredible memory and a sincere interest in people, in general. She decides to go to college in the area of Humanities, more specifically, Communication.

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A press release provides reporters with the basics they need to develop a news story. Press releases can announce a range of news items such as: scheduled events, personal promotions, awards, news products and services, sales and other financial data, accomplishments, etc. Source: Wikipedia. While preparing the press releases and while researching for this article, I have found numerous examples of poorly written press releases that not only create headache but also serve as a barrier between you and your possible audience in your future press release. So choose your steps wisely and think well before sending out your press releases.

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