a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

comScore: Google is once again the most-trafficked US desktop site, ends Yahoo’s seven-month streak

Mar25
by on March 25, 2014 at 8:07 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Google, Insider

comScore today released its top 50 US Web properties for February 2014. While Yahoo has been dominating Google for the last seven months straight, the two have now switched spots again. This time, Google finished first, just ahead of Yahoo, much like it has for the last few years: Yahoo has topped comScore’s list for the last seven months, starting in July 2013. Before that, Yahoo was first way back in May 2011. As we’ve noted before, this was an impressive feat given that Yahoo’s numbers exclude Tumblr, which last month ranked at #37. Image Credit: Kimihiro Hoshino/Getty Images

└ Tags: 
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

How to measure progress toward your personal goals

Mar25
by on March 25, 2014 at 7:56 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, How-To's, LifeHacks

jogging start
This post originally appeared on the Buffer blog and has been republished with permission. Although there are some people who advocate for dropping all your goals or focusing on systems instead of goals, I’ve never managed to fully give up on setting goals for myself. In fact, I just finished my monthly review today, where I looked at how well I did on the goals I set for myself last month and set some new ones for the month ahead. As I was doing this, I started to wonder whether I was doing myself any favors by reviewing my progress monthly. I had a look…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: 
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

The IRS clarifies that it treats Bitcoin as taxable property, not currency

Mar25
by on March 25, 2014 at 7:31 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

The US Internal Revenue Service has clarified its position on convertible virtual currencies, including Bitcoin. The agency noted that Bitcoin will be treated as property, rather than currency, for tax purposes. While the IRS acknowledged that some virtual currencies operate similar to “real” currency, it noted that no country has approved them as legal tender. Convertible virtual currencies are defined as those that have “an equivalent value in real currency.” A FAQ section of the document explains the types of reporting that you’ll need to file if you’re trading in Bitcoins and other convertible virtual currencies. For instance, if you…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: 
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Facebook expands Lookalike Audiences to let advertisers target people who use their sites, apps, or Pages

Mar25
by on March 25, 2014 at 7:19 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Social Media

1115981_11424161
Facebook today expanded its advertising tool Lookalike Audiences to allow advertisers to target new users based on people who visit their websites, use their mobile apps, or are connected to their Facebook Pages. Until now, advertisers could only create “lookalikes” based on existing information like email addresses, phone numbers, and user IDs. Facebook first announced Lookalike Audiences in March 2013. For those who don’t know, the feature is supposed to help businesses reach potential customers who share “similar characteristics with their current ones,” which the company refers to as “lookalikes.” Today’s update means advertisers can: Find more people who “look…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: ,
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Microsoft confirms Windows Azure will become Microsoft Azure on April 3

Mar25
by on March 25, 2014 at 7:05 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Design & Dev, Insider

Microsoft today announced it is renaming its cloud computing platform and infrastructure from “Windows Azure” to “Microsoft Azure.” The rebranding will take effect on April 3, 2014. The company wouldn’t offer much detail on why exactly it made the change and merely touted the breadth of the service: Today we support one of the broadest set of operating systems, languages, and services of any public cloud—from Windows, SQL and .NET to Python, Ruby, Node.js, Java, Hadoop, Linux, and Oracle. In today’s mobile-first, cloud-first, data-powered world, customers want a public cloud platform that supports their needs—whatever they may be—and that public…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: ,