Paying close attention to navigation and visual stimulation, the trade media specialists at BizBash debuted a new Web site, this week. "What has been most flattering to us since launching the new site is how users are tweeting that the new BizBash.com is the 'Pinterest for the event world,'" David Adler, founder and CEO of BizBash Media. "The redesigned site is visually more appealing, easier to navigate, and focuses on the ongoing thirst for new ideas by planners who are constantly on the hunt," Adler added. BizBash.com serves professional and non-professional event and meeting planners with news and industry resources. …

So much for smooth international expansion. The Office of Fair Trading -- Britain’s equivalent of the Federal Trade Commission -- says that Groupon has breached consumer regulations on a wide range of occasions, and has been given a three month deadline to fix its wrongdoing, or face legal action. “Over the last year, the U.K. arm of Groupon has been the subject of a record number of complaints about the way it advertises deals to users, makes claims about products on sale and treats users,” according to GigaOm. “In a statement from the OFT on Friday, the watchdog said: “The …

Whatever became of those reports that Google was bypassing the privacy settings of people using Apple's Safari Web browser? Turns out that regulators in the U.S. and EU are taking a close look into the matter. “The investigations -- which span U.S. federal and state agencies, as well as a pan-European effort led by France -- could embroil Google in years of legal battles and result in hefty fines for privacy violations,” The Wall Street Journal reports. In February, WSJ reported that Google was using special computer code to install tiny tracking files, or "cookies," on some people's computers, iPhones …

Still fighting for a share of the browser market, Mozilla Firefox is laying out its plan of attack for 2012. For starters, Firefox plans to make version numbering less of an issue. In other words, it plans to move away from ‘Firefox X.x,’ and instead just think of the browser as ‘Firefox,’ ZDNet reports. As Robert Nyman, technical evangelist for Mozilla explains: “Version numbers will play a lesser and lesser role for users, but they will still matter to Web developers, IT administrators and similar. The reason for having major version number bumps … is that new versions have had …

Ready to make a name for itself in kid-focused social networking, PixyKids has secured $3 million in funding from ATA Ventures, as well as other angel investors. “Social networks aimed at kids aren’t a new concept,” writes BetaBit. “ScuttlePad and Togetherville, for example, have been attempting to provide social sharing environments for the under-12 crowd since 2010.” PixyKids CEO Rajul Kadakia, however, says his team will bring something new to the space, i.e., a space to share kid-created content not only with friends, but with family, too. “There’s a need for kids to actually share their content, because they actually do …

Computer networking giant Cisco is planning to buy digital video technology company NDS Group for about $5 billion, including debt. NDS specializes in software that delivers video and interactive entertainment to TV set-top boxes in a secure fashion. According to Cisco, NDS will accelerate the delivery of its Videoscape entertainment platform, and help it grow in emerging markets such as China and India -- where NDS already does business -- the Associated Press reports. The move is part of a broader effort by Cisco to narrow its focus through strategic acquisitions, and cost cutting. In April 2010, the company bought …

While tame by AOL’s standards, the company is reportedly in the process of axing more than 100 employees. On Friday, AOL told more than 40 staffers from its West Coast offices that their tenures would end before April, The New York Times’ Bits blog reports. “The AOL Instant Messenger group took the deepest cut so far,” according to Bit. In fact, the group was “eviscerated and now only consists of support staff,” a former AOL employee tells Bits. Patch.com, AOL’s hyperlocal news network, now appears to be in the company’s crosshairs. In AOL’s official words, “we are making some strategic but very …

Pinterest is preparing to roll out new, “more beautiful" profile pages, which will more prominently display users' influencers. So said Ben Silbermann, co-founder and CEO of the popular photo-sharing site, at SXSW, this week. An iPad app is also in the works, Silbermann said. The developments, which might have been considered minor a year ago, are now big news in light of Pinterest’s buzzy prominence. As CNN reports, seeing Silbermann was one of the hottest tickets at the Austin conference. What’s the site’s secret to success? "To me, boards are a very human way of seeing the world," Silbermann said during a Q&A with …

Perhaps inevitable in our digital age, Encyclopaedia Britannica is shutting down its 244-year-old book publishing business. Going forward, it will continue to publish a digital version, which can be accessed on its Webs site and through its iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch apps. The digital version costs $70 a year. Britannica has printed a new version of its reference books every two years. The 2010 32-volume set will be the last, and still be had for $1,400. “This is a decision we have been contemplating for a few years,” Jorge Cauz, the president of Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., tells ABC News. “We …

Giving Google+ every advantage possible, Google just debuted a new design for its Google+ mobile site. The new user interface features a visual refresh, as well as some new features that are intended to make it easier to use Google+ with a mobile browser. For sure, “It looks more like the Google+ apps for Android and iOS,” according to GigaOm. “That’s especially good news for Google+ iPad users, who have been waiting for a native app for the social network for some time.” Along with a major marketing push -- including inspired TV spots -- Google is doing everything in …