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Facebook Backs Same-Sex Marriage in Supreme Court Filings (AllFacebook)
Facebook joined the growing list of companies expressing their support for same-sex marriage, announcing in a post on its LGBTQ@Facebook page that it will submit briefs on the topic to the U.S. Supreme Court. The social network said it would post links to its filings on the LGBTQ@Facebook page when they become available. Wired In all, 278 companies joined to support the friend-of-the-court filing, among them some of the country’s biggest and most visible, including Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft. Other tech companies listed as backers of the brief include Adobe, Cisco, eBay, Electronic Arts, Intel, Intuit, Oracle, Twitter and Zynga. The Daily Dot The court is scheduled to hear arguments on California’s gay marriage ban next month. In their 95-page document, the tech companies claimed that the laws make it hard for them to recruit in California. Current regulations alienate talent from pursuing a job in the state, since prospective employees could receive better treatment, benefits, and perks in other states or countries. Reuters
Separately, lawyers representing another group of employers, including some of the same companies, said they planned to file a brief on Thursday in a related case that questions a California law, known as Proposition 8, banning gay marriage. The two cases are to be argued before the Supreme Court on March 26 and 27. A decision is expected by the end of June. TechCrunch This is not the first time that tech giants have come out in support of marriage equality. Google, for instance, setup an online campaign, with a heartwarming video, to support same-sex marriage laws in the 2012 election. “The Four” achieved complete victory, stopping bans or expanding rights in Washington, Maryland, Maine and Minnesota.
Groupon Q4 2012 Earnings Release: Daily Deals Still Can’t Make Money, Shares Dive 28 Percent (VentureBeat)
Groupon reported its fourth-quarter 2012 earnings Wednesday almost exactly where analysts had expected: With $638 million in revenue, up 30 percent over last year. The problem was that analysts wanted a profit. Forbes In its core daily deals business, revenue was $413.1 million, down from $478.5 million a year ago. Groupon’s direct revenue business (mostly Groupon Goods) saw growth, with $225.2 million in the quarter, up from $145 million in the third quarter at $13.7 million a year ago. However, cost of direct revenue was $218.6 million, meaning direct revenue profit was $6.6 million. Business Insider There’s been a lot of speculation about whether Andrew Mason will keep his job. It’s pretty obvious what Groupon needs to do: Milk the declining daily-deals business for cash flow by continuing to cut marketing costs; invest in Groupon Goods; and fix or dump its European business.
Which CEO Has the Most Social Media Influence? [Infographic] (SocialTimes)
A new infographic from TopManagementDegrees has ranked the top 40 CEOs on the social web, according to Klout Score and Twitter followers. Topping the list is Oprah Winfrey, with 15 million Twitter followers and a Klout score of 92. Rupert Murdoch, Richard Branson, Mark Cuban, Jack Dorsey, Kevin Rose, Steve Case, Steve Forbes, Tim O’Reilly and Dennis Crowley also make the Top 10.
Expanded Gmail Field Trial Brings Calendar Results to Search (CNET)
Here’s a nice new feature for anyone in Gmail’s field trial, which brings personalized results directly into Google search. The trial, which is available only after you opt in, brings information like Gmail results, receipts, reservations and Google Drive documents onto the search engine results page. Wednesday’s update brings Google Calendar items into the trial.
Nearly One Out of Four Big Companies are Still Ignoring Twitter [Study] (AllTwitter)
At the end of 2012, the University of Massachusetts presented its annual survey of the digital presence of the Fortune 500. Among their findings were the following: 28 percent of the Fortune 500 companies had blogs, 62 percent had a YouTube account, and (here’s the shocker) an incredible 23 percent of Fortune 500 firms had neither a Twitter nor a Facebook account at the end of 2012.
Pandora to Introduce 40-Hour Monthly Limit on Free Mobile Listening (AllThingsD)
Pandora said it will introduce a 40-hours-per-month limit on free mobile listening, as the Internet radio company looks to manage rising royalty costs. In a blog post on the company’s website, Pandora said the new limit will affect less than 4 percent of its total monthly active users.
Tiny Space Violin Needed for Saddest Quora Question Ever (BetaBeat)
Astronauts may be the closest thing we’ll ever get to super heroes, but even they get a little down sometimes. One curious Quora user decided to take to the platform to ask a terribly depressing question: Can you cry in space?
Sergey Brin on the Touch-Screen: ‘It’s Kind of Emasculating’ (The Verge)
Google’s Sergey Brin made a surprise appearance at the TED conference for 10 minutes this morning, showing off Google Glass before a live audience of attendees and many others watching via livestream. He confirmed that Glass would ship later this year, but also offered insight into why Google is so committed to the project.
Updated Yelp App Shows Users Where Friends are Checked in (SocialTimes)
Yelp released an update to its iOS app Wednesday that shows users which friends are checked in to businesses in the local search results page. The change echoes one recently made by Foursquare, with both apps moving becoming better able to physically connect users with their friends.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
With the all-digital currency bitcoin rising in value, hackers have redoubled their efforts to get at the money. Earlier this week, they hacked into a bitcoin bank. Today, Kaspersky Security reports that a malware scheme on Skype is taking over users’ machines to help them hunt for the currency online.
Quora will allow its users to share content with unregistered users when they share through Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, the company said today.
