by Erin DeJesus on Apr 29, 4:28 PM
If Snooki's official Twitter account looked a little more fresh-faced recently, it's because the "Jersey Shore" star changed her image to one of a pre-tanning bed, pre-poufy high-schooler named Nicole Polizzi: "OMG I found my #PROM pic! LMAO!! Check it out and plz send me yours!!! Who R U going w/April 29? #PROMoted."
by Erin DeJesus on Apr 29, 4:28 PM
It once took a village to raise a child. Now, it takes an Internet connection, a Facebook or Twitter account, and maybe a blog or two. According to Stacy DeBroff, CEO and founder of "one-stop" Web resource momcentral.com, 21st-century mothers are looking outside their local neighborhoods for parenting advice. "We no longer grow up with moms and aunts and best friends next door," DeBroff says. "The online space for moms has proved a really core source for socializing with and finding people who identify with particular issues that you wrestle with."
by Christine Champagne on Apr 29, 4:28 PM
Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, who recently returned to the five-year-old company in the role of executive chairman, has made it his mission to make Twitter more social - and he's got his work cut out for him.
by Christine Champagne on Apr 29, 4:28 PM
Gregor, the Russian billionaire who flaunts his ludicrously lavish lifestyle in the DirecTV commercials "Opulence, I Has It" and "I Am Epic Win," is quite a character. But his petite lap giraffe - seen perched next to the oligarch on a couch in one spot and walking on a tiny treadmill in another - is a true scene-stealer.
by Gavin O'Malley on Apr 29, 4:28 PM
Taking the helm at TheStreet during the height of the recession in 2009, CEO Daryl Otte is used to the precariousness of online publishing. Good thing, given the company lost $5.7 million from a revenue of $57 million last year. Hopeful about the future, Otte points to investments made in the business, an improving economy and ad market, along with The New York Times' recent return to subscriptions as validation for TheStreet's mixed monetization model. Otte graciously took some time to elaborate on his optimism and why their model is right for our times.
by Erik Sass on Apr 29, 4:28 PM
By the time this goes to press, Charlie Sheen could be dead, incarcerated, or - heck - back on TV. But at the time of writing, he was just getting the first reviews for his touring one-man show, "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option." Everyone seems to agree that it is horrendously bad: not funny, because he's not a stand-up comedian; not interesting, since all he does is rant; and not revelatory, as he's still at pains to present a cool, "winning" image (on stage at least).
by Laurie Sullivan on Apr 29, 4:28 PM
It's not clear whether Larry Page's return to run Google will breathe new life into the technology company or find it slipping to second place and forced to play catch-up to another Internet giant. One thing is for sure - the cofounder, along with Sergey Brin, will shake things up.
by Eric Butterman on Apr 29, 4:28 PM
Many companies are decent at targeting the new parent demographic yet not necessarily through the years which follow. So how do you not just get them but keep them? Rufus Griscom, CEO of online magazine Babble.com, which has six million visiting moms a month, says it's important to understand the changing role and mindset of the mother. "There's a lot of confusion going on," Griscom says. "Years ago, you had many more stay-at-home mothers. Now you have moms going off to work and maybe feeling guilty. Some who stay home are feeling guilty. If you can help them with this …
by Barry Lowenthal on Apr 29, 4:28 PM
Consumers have come to believe that when a brand ranks high in organic search the brand must be a quality brand. While there are a lot of factors that affect rankings, our own experience has proved Google's algorithm to be valid. When I search for mutual funds, the top three paid results are Vanguard, T. Rowe Price and Fidelity. The top organic results are links from Wikipedia, Morningstar, CNN and Vanguard. The results just make sense, so our ongoing experience supports the quality hypothesis.
by Christine Champagne on Apr 29, 4:28 PM
Men haven't been treated like equals when it comes to buying high-end fashion online. In fact, they've been treated like second-class shoppers. Most of the upscale retail sites, including net-a-porter.com, have been created and designed with women in mind. But men want their Burberry, their Gucci and their Lanvin, too, and after a decade of catering almost exclusively to the ladies, Net-A-Porter has manned up and launched a separate site just for men.