New York Times: When Is a Star Not Always a Star? When It’s an Online Review. “An increase of just one star in a rating on Amazon correlates with a 26 percent increase in sales, according to a recent analysis by the e-commerce consulting firm Pattern. But while online reviews have become powerful sales tools, the ecosystem is relatively crude. Reviews can be easy to manipulate, and the operators of sites with the most reviews are not always motivated to crack down on fake ones planted to promote products. That leaves many consumers wondering what to believe.”
consumers
Congo student: ‘I skip meals to buy online data’ (BBC)
BBC: Congo student: ‘I skip meals to buy online data’. “Bonheur Malenga, a Congolese university student, found himself facing a dilemma one day last month about whether to purchase online data. ‘As I was hungry, I didn’t know if I should buy food or get a 24-hour internet bundle,’ he told the BBC.”
CNET: Where to get your flu shot for cheap and for free in 2019
CNET: Where to get your flu shot for cheap and for free in 2019
. “You can certainly make other efforts to ward of the virus, such as keeping your hands and home clean, but the fact of the matter is that the flu shot does work. And everyone is susceptible: There are only two groups of people who should not get the flu vaccine. In this article, earn about where you can find flu shots for cheap and for free, plus more on why you really need one.” This article did not mention where I got my flu shot: Costco, for $19.99. Thank goodness for friends with Costco memberships…
Moms: The Pressure For Perfection On Instagram Is Putting People Into Debt
Moms: The Pressure For Perfection On Instagram Is Putting People Into Debt. “It can be easy to look at your Instagram feed and suddenly feel like your life is lacking in some way. Staring at the perfectly curated and filtered feeds of the young and gorgeous enjoying amazing trips while wearing gorgeous clothes and dining at incredibly hip restaurants can leave some feeling like they’re missing out in some way, and that is resulting in many people going into debt.”
TechHive: This free tool helps cord cutters escape from bloated TV bundles
TechHive: This free tool helps cord cutters escape from bloated TV bundles. “One of the points I often try to make in this column is that cutting the cord doesn’t have to involve spending upwards of $50 per month on a bundle of streaming cable channels. You can make choices and trade-offs, instead. If you’re willing to go without regional sports or specific cable channels, you can still get plenty of entertainment from cheaper services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+.” Interesting tool. Recommended a service I’d never even heard of.
EurekAlert: Cybershoppers make better buying decisions on PCs than phones — Ben-Gurion U. researchers
EurekAlert: Cybershoppers make better buying decisions on PCs than phones — Ben-Gurion U. researchers. “This holiday shopping season, consumers may make better shopping decisions using their PCs rather than smart phones or other mobile devices, according to new research from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.”
International Business Times: DoNotPay’s ‘Robot Lawyer’ Offers Advice On License Agreements Before You Accept The Terms
International Business Times: DoNotPay’s ‘Robot Lawyer’ Offers Advice On License Agreements Before You Accept The Terms. “DoNotPay, the popular robot lawyer that helps users contest parking tickets and sue people is now launching a new tool called Do Not Sign. This latest tool aims to help users better understand license agreements. DoNotPay’s monthly subscription fee of $3 already includes the nifty new tool. Do Not Sign allows users to upload, scan, copy, and paste the URLs of any kind of license agreement that they would like to check. It utilizes machine learning to identify clauses it thinks users must know about. This includes options to choose not to allow data collection.”
