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Large numbers of Pinterest users hacked, as weight loss spam spills onto Twitter

Jun15
by on June 15, 2014 at 6:13 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, pinterest, pinterest hacked

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Pinterest has been hacked again, after large numbers of user accounts began spewing weight loss-related messages across the social network and onto Twitter. There’s been similar spam on Instagram in the past, but a few of the different types of messages circulating on Pinterest today include: Asian fruit-related messages: And weight loss bragging: (We’re not sure how the spammers defined who lost 12 pounds and who lost 15…) This may not be as amusing as Pinterest’s recent butt pics spam incident, but it is nonetheless a reminder that strong passwords are an absolute necessity today. Likewise, users of Pinterest or any other social network…

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Creating customers for life: 50 resources on loyalty, churn and customer retention

Jun15
by on June 15, 2014 at 5:00 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Entrepreneur, Lists

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Gregory Ciotti is the marketing director at Help Scout. This post originally appeared on the Helpscout blog. Earning customer loyalty is an uphill battle, but it is always worth the effort. You’ve seen the data: the Harvard Business School report that showcased how, on average, increasing customer retention rates by 5 percent increases profits by 25 percent to 95 percent. Much to everyone’s disappointment, traditional business publications often only have top-level coverage on tactics concerning retention and churn. You want deep-dive articles. You’ve heard the amazing feats from places like Disney World, which has a 70+ percent return rate for customers. How can…

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Microsoft executive says Cortana will be available in the UK and China within ‘weeks’

Jun15
by on June 15, 2014 at 4:59 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, cortana

Cortana, the personal assistant for Windows Phone that Microsoft developed to rival Siri and Google Now, is weeks away from being available to users in the UK and China, according to a Microsoft staffer responsible for managing it. Cortana is only available to US-based Windows Phone users right now, but WinBeta spotted a tweet from Marcus Ash, group program manager for Cortana on Windows Phone, which explains that at least two launches are imminent. That comment followed a series of tweets from Ash which explained that Microsoft is fully focused on developing the service for Windows Phone devices before it considers creating versions…

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The DIY guide to launching a successful eBay store

Jun15
by on June 15, 2014 at 2:00 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Entrepreneur, How-To's

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Brian Honigman is a marketing consultant, a professional speaker and freelance writer. This post originally appeared on the SumAll blog. Many entrepreneurs start their businesses on eBay as a long-term solution for reaching their customer base or as a stepping stone towards building their community and then eventually moving their store off the platform onto their own website. With either goal in mind, it’s important to launch your eBay store with a strong idea for how your company will differentiate itself from others in the industry by using the feature sets unique to eBay and by optimizing for conversions by understanding the psychology…

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How to value and nurture your local coworking community

Jun15
by on June 15, 2014 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Entrepreneur

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Ramon Suarez is the founder of Betacowork. His latest work, “The Coworking Handbook,” is a guide for company owners and managers. Below is an excerpt from the chapter about growing your community. We all have a different definition of community. Community is an elastic concept, like so many others in the world of coworking. The community of coworkers (of which you are part of as an operator) is what makes a coworking space sustainable in the long term and what brings more value to the coworkers themselves. A community is not a zero sum game, where one person has to…

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