http://www.ecommercetimes.com E-Commerce Times: the E-Business and Technology Super Site en-us Copyright 2009 2012-02-03T21:35:32-08:00 ECT News Network ECT News Network E-Commerce Times: the E-Business and Technology Super Site hourly 1 2012-02-03T21:35:32-08:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/images/rss/ect_100x36.jpg http://www.ecommercetimes.com http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/74341.html Verisign has alarmed the online security industry with its reluctant disclosure of repeated hack attacks on its network in 2010. The infrastructure company supports key servers of the Internet's backbone, serving as Top Level Domain host for .com, .org and .gov. That it was repeatedly penetrated in 2010 was first quietly disclosed in an SEC filing in October 2011. Erika Morphy 2012-02-03T09:09:02-08:00 Security Verisign has alarmed the online security industry with its reluctant disclosure of repeated hack attacks on its network in 2010. The infrastructure company supports key servers of the Internet's backbone, serving as Top Level Domain host for .com, .org and .gov. That it was repeatedly penetrated in 2010 was first quietly disclosed in an SEC filing in October 2011. This week, as furor over the revelation hit critical mass, the company issued a statement acknowledging the attacks. ]]> 2012-02-03T09:09:02-08:00 2012-02-03T09:08:34-08:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/74340.html It can be a little tricky talking about how and why media outlets allow, and indeed encourage, the diffusion of their content throughout the Web. For starters, people tend to be tightlipped about this strategy. No one from CNN, Fox News, MSNBC or Viacom agreed to speak on the record for this article. They are, apparently, much less eager to discuss sharing content than they are to actually share it. David Vranicar 2012-02-03T05:00:00-08:00 Publishing It can be a little tricky talking about how and why media outlets allow, and indeed encourage, the diffusion of their content throughout the Web. For starters, people tend to be tightlipped about this strategy. No one from CNN, Fox News, MSNBC or Viacom agreed to speak on the record for this article. They are, apparently, much less eager to discuss sharing content than they are to actually share it. But a public relations manager from CNN, Erica Puntel, did reply to our email. And she helped, perhaps unwittingly, shed light on a vocab technicality. ]]> 2012-02-03T05:00:00-08:00 2012-02-02T17:48:08-08:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/74321.html Salesforce.com unveiled a new customer service help desk tool this week. Desk.com works with customer requests delivered over a social network. It is the byproduct of Salesforce.com's acquisition of Assistly last year. However, it is no mere product integration, said Alex Bard, former Assistly CEO and now vice president and general manager of Desk.com. Erika Morphy 2012-02-03T05:00:00-08:00 Products Salesforce.com unveiled a new customer service help desk tool this week. Desk.com works with customer requests delivered over a social network. It is the byproduct of Salesforce.com's acquisition of Assistly last year. However, it is no mere product integration, said Alex Bard, former Assistly CEO and now vice president and general manager of Desk.com. "Desk.com has been built from the ground up to work with Salesforce.com, although it can also be a standalone product. We've been working on it around the clock since the acquisition." ]]> 2012-02-03T05:00:00-08:00 2012-02-02T18:29:09-08:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/74337.html Facebook has finally filed for its IPO. The social networking giant submitted an application to the SEC on Wednesday. It plans to raise up to $5 billion. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who cofounded the company in February 2004, currently holds a 28.4 percent stake. Details in the SEC document illuminated the extent of Zuckerberg's control over Facebook. Rob Spiegel 2012-02-02T14:36:02-08:00 Trailblazers Facebook has finally filed for its IPO. The social networking giant submitted an application to the SEC on Wednesday. It plans to raise up to $5 billion. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who cofounded the company in February 2004, currently holds a 28.4 percent stake. Details in the SEC document illuminated the extent of Zuckerberg's control over Facebook. He has the ability to control management and affairs at the company as well as the election of directors. Zuckerberg also has the ability to choose a successor in the event of his death. ]]> 2012-02-02T14:36:02-08:00 2012-02-02T14:36:20-08:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/74332.html Apple has suffered a setback in its multicountry, extremely complex, and seemingly everlasting patent fight with Samsung. In the latest episode, its request to ban Samsung from selling two devices in Germany -- its Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet and its Galaxy Nexus smartphone -- was rejected by the Munich Regional Court. Erika Morphy 2012-02-02T09:18:16-08:00 Tech Law Apple has suffered a setback in its multicountry, extremely complex, and seemingly everlasting patent fight with Samsung. In the latest episode, its request to ban Samsung from selling two devices in Germany -- its Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet and its Galaxy Nexus smartphone -- was rejected by the Munich Regional Court. This particular dispute began last April when Apple filed suit against Samsung for infringing its mobile device patents in these products, citing how similar they looked to Apple's iPad and iPhone. ]]> 2012-02-02T09:18:16-08:00 2012-02-02T09:18:10-08:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/74334.html Facebook filed it's long-awaited S-1 form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, announcing its intent to raise $5 billion and begin public trading. The highly anticipated move caused enough of a stir to clog traffic on the SEC's website and provided some insight into the social network's financial situation. Rachelle Dragani 2012-02-02T10:52:26-08:00 Wall Street Facebook filed it's long-awaited S-1 form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, announcing its intent to raise $5 billion and begin public trading. The highly anticipated move caused enough of a stir to clog traffic on the SEC's website and provided some insight into the social network's financial situation. According to the filing, last year's revenue almost doubled to $3.7 billion, and profit came in at $1 billion, a 65 percent growth on the year. The filing also offered a glimpse of Facebook users' daily usage habits. ]]> 2012-02-02T10:52:26-08:00 2012-02-02T14:37:29-08:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/74331.html Every day we hear about how AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless are running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to grab as much wireless spectrum as they can. We all remember the quality problems AT&T smartphone customers suffered. That same future is in store for every carrier and every customer unless we come up with a solution. Jeff Kagan 2012-02-02T05:00:00-08:00 Wireless Every day we hear about how AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless are running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to grab as much wireless spectrum as they can. We all remember the quality problems AT&T smartphone customers suffered. That same future is in store for every carrier and every customer unless we come up with a solution. Houston, we have a problem. The wireless industry faces a real and growing concern over wireless data bandwidth. In fact, there is both a short-term and a long-term problem. ]]> 2012-02-02T05:00:00-08:00 2012-02-02T15:21:58-08:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/74330.html As a long-time Mac and iPhone user, I always enjoy seeing new people I work with embrace the Apple way. At the same time, while out and about at work conferences and trips, I consistently see more and more iPads and iPhones. I'm sure some of this is my ability to recognize an Apple product while my ability to spot two different Android-based phones is a little less refined. Chris Maxcer 2012-02-02T05:00:00-08:00 Business As a long-time Mac and iPhone user, I always enjoy seeing new people I work with embrace the Apple way. At the same time, while out and about at work conferences and trips, I consistently see more and more iPads and iPhones. I'm sure some of this is my ability to recognize an Apple product while my ability to spot two different Android-based phones is a little less refined. As for tablets, though, it's easy enough: Most of what I see are iPads in the hands of business people. Occasionally I see something else. ]]> 2012-02-02T05:00:00-08:00 2012-02-02T08:06:10-08:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/74323.html Every tool has a purpose. That's never more clear than when you see a neophyte do-it-yourselfer trying to use a tool for a purpose other than what it was designed for. For instance, anyone wielding a hammer while trying to fix a car's engine is probably not going to succeed. Christopher J. Bucholtz 2012-02-02T05:00:00-08:00 CRM Every tool has a purpose. That's never more clear than when you see a neophyte do-it-yourselfer trying to use a tool for a purpose other than what it was designed for. For instance, anyone wielding a hammer while trying to fix a car's engine is probably not going to succeed. I've also seen people trying to drive nails with the rubberized handle end of a screwdriver. This was equally unsuccessful. CRM applications are a little like this. ]]> 2012-02-02T05:00:00-08:00 2012-02-01T09:54:16-08:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/74324.html Superbowl Sunday, the biggest, flashiest U.S. sports event of the year, is also the country's biggest advertising event of the year, carrying some of the cleverest ads on TV. This year, Superbowl Sunday may also mark a watershed in advertising, with advertisers reaching out beyond TV to go into digital media in a big way. Richard Adhikari 2012-02-01T15:12:52-08:00 Online Advertising Superbowl Sunday, the biggest, flashiest U.S. sports event of the year, is also the country's biggest advertising event of the year, carrying some of the cleverest ads on TV. This year, Superbowl Sunday may also mark a watershed in advertising, with advertisers reaching out beyond TV to go into digital media in a big way. Adding digital ads to the advertising mix is a trend, Karsten Weide, a program vice president at IDC, told the E-Commerce Times. ]]> 2012-02-01T15:12:52-08:00 2012-02-02T00:19:51-08:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/74328.html AOL delivered a little bit of something for everyone with its Q4 earnings report -- good news, bad news, and hope that its many different initiatives are on track to pay off for the company. First the bad news: AOL reported a profit of US$22.8 million, or 23 cents a share, that was down from the $66.2 million, or 61 cents a share, it earned in the same period a year earlier. Erika Morphy 2012-02-01T14:52:20-08:00 Wall Street AOL delivered a little bit of something for everyone with its Q4 earnings report -- good news, bad news, and hope that its many different initiatives are on track to pay off for the company. First the bad news: AOL reported a profit of US$22.8 million, or 23 cents a share, that was down from the $66.2 million, or 61 cents a share, it earned in the same period a year earlier. Revenue for the company dropped 3 percent to $576.8 million for the quarter, which ended Dec. 31. Revenue also declined for the year, falling to $2.2 billion in 2011 -- a 9 percent drop from 2010. ]]> 2012-02-01T14:52:20-08:00 2012-02-01T15:06:11-08:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/74327.html Sony announced on Wednesday that Kazui Hirai is being appointed as its president and CEO, effective April 1. Current Chairman, CEO and President Howard Stringer will become the chairman of the board of directors in June. Sony has had a turbulent year, so a switch in leadership might help the company find a smoother road. Rob Spiegel 2012-02-01T13:30:43-08:00 Boardroom Sony announced on Wednesday that Kazui Hirai is being appointed as its president and CEO, effective April 1. Current Chairman, CEO and President Howard Stringer will become the chairman of the board of directors in June. Sony has had a turbulent year, including several incidents in which it had to defend its systems from hackers, so a switch in leadership might help the company find a smoother road. Stringer recommended that Hirai -- currently executive deputy president -- succeed him as president and CEO. ]]> 2012-02-01T13:30:43-08:00 2012-02-01T14:03:22-08:00