LinkedIn is reportedly scooping up Rapportive -- maker of a browser plugin that overlays Gmail with contextual information about a user’s email contacts. “Sources familiar with the negotiations said LinkedIn offered Rapportive ‘low teens’ of millions of dollars worth of cash,” AllThingsD reports, adding that the deal has yet to officially close. Still only available for Gmail users, Rapportive overlays an email correspondent’s social networking accounts alongside open and draft emails. “So, for instance, you can see a person’s most recent tweet and mention it in your email to them,” AllThingsD writes.“Or you can realize that you’re not connected on …

In the interest of better behavioral data, Google plans to pay consumers to monitor their every online move. Dubbed Screenwise, Google is already filling the program with willing participants. On a signup page, Google explains that it wants to create a panel of people to help it “learn more about how everyday people use the Internet,” adding that panel members have to be at least 13 years old, and have (or agree to sign up for) a Google account. “As a panelist, you’ll add a browser extension that will share with Google the sites you visit and how you …

Picture-posting network Pinterest is apparently modifying “pins” -- or links to products that users share on the site -- to pocket a little affiliate ad revenue. That’s according to LLSocial blogger Josh Davis, who explains that, if pins link to an e-commerce site, Pinterest adjusts the link and adds an affiliate tracking code. Then, if another Pinterest user clicks on the same pinned-picture (and buys whatever product is featuring), Pinterest gets a cut of the transaction. “They [meaning Pinterest] don’t have any disclosure of this link modification on their site, and so far, while it has been written about, no …

Does Yelp overcharge advertisers? VentureBeat -- which reports that the business review site charges upwards of $600 a CPM -- says yes. TechCrunch says no. “Yes, [Yelp] ads are expensive, especially for low-end restaurants,” it writes. “But for lawyers, dentists, jewelers, and mechanics with a high lifetime average revenue per customer, turning someone searching for their services on Yelp into a loyal customer is no rip-off, it can drive big ROI.” VentureBeat also takes issue with Yelp requiring 12-month commitments to lock in lower CPM rates. “For online advertising, I strongly recommend against commitments and impression-based advertising,” VentureBeat’s Rocky Agrawal …

Halliburton plans to transition thousands of employees from BlackBerrys to iPhones and Apple's iOSplatform, AppleInsider reports. While we doubt Apple will publicize the news -- given Halliburton’s poor public image -- it represents a huge win in its continued efforts to win over large corporate clients. "Over the next year, we will begin expanding the use of our mobile technology by transitioning from the BlackBerry (RIM) platform that we currently use to smartphone technology via the iPhone," the Houston, Texas-based firm told employees in an internal newsletter, obtained by AI. The move apparently came after "significant research" into both Apple's mobile platform and Google's Android …

Soon to be a public company, Facebook can look forward to ever increasing levels of scrutiny. The New York Times, in fact, takes issue with the first page of Facebook’s stock prospectus, which claims 845 million “monthly active users.” Even more “astounding,” according to NYT, Facebook claims 483 million “daily active users.” Regarding the “huge” numbers, NYT writes: “If it is hard to believe that so many people are clicking on facebook.com every day, that’s because well, they aren’t, exactly.” As Facebook explains on Page 44 of its prospectus, “active” users are those people who go to its Web …

For the first time ever, the Super Bowl was streamed live, this year -- by both the NFL and NBC. As for the success of the dual effort, TechCrunch seems torn. “The streaming online experience tonight during the Super Bowl was pretty amazing,” it gushed, before adding: “The 2012 Super Bowl streaming experience itself left a lot to be desired.” So, which it? Well, “The actual banner ads, the online ads being served on NBCSports.com, weren’t particularly offensive, or a pain in the ass. But, the problem is that most people watch the Super Bowl in groups, not as individuals, …

Flag on the field! The call: unnecessary spamming. The offending team: Toyota. For Super Bowl XLVI, the game’s title sponsor created an array of Twitter accounts, which it used to essentially spam users about its “Camry Effect a Friend’ Giveaway!” The Next Web's West Coast Editor Drew Olanoff called it “probably the worst Twitter promotion I’ve seen on the platform since the company launched in 2006.” The worst part, he sad, was that they were all verified accounts, so while Twitter wasn’t involved in the promotion, someone at the microblogging service was clearly involved. Toyota, meanwhile, is now well aware …

Thanks to what must have been robust backup servers, Super Bowl XLVI didn’t crash Twitter despite being the most tweeted sporting event in history. According to the microblogging service, the big game averaged more than 10,000 tweets per second. An unimpressed ReadWriteWeb attributed the feat to “continued growth of the social network, not to mention tablet and smartphone technology that make it easier to tweet while watching television.” What RWW did find remarkable, however, was the number of tweets that seemingly had nothing to do with the game. “We have only anecdotal evidence so far, but many of the most …

Embracing the gridiron goings-on, Google has launched several Super Bowl-focused features and services to help fans enjoy the game. Offered through Google’s Inside Search, Game Day with Google is a specially-built site featuring a recipe search list, frequently asked football questions, information on the big game, and related media. “There’s also plenty of action outside of Google’s info hub,” Mashable reports. “Both the New York Giants and New England Patriots will be posting exclusive and behind-the-scenes content on their respective Google+ pages.” The Giants, meanwhile, were also expected to host a pre-game hangout on Google+, this week, where fan could …