MySpace dethrones 'Spam King' with $234M ruling
It may not pay to be a spammer anymore. In fact, it could cost you big time. A federal judge has awarded social networking giant MySpace some $230 million in damages in what is believed to be the biggest anti-spam judgment in history. The culprits? Sanford Wallace, who is known as the "Spam King" and "Spamford,” and partner Walter Rines. The judge ruled in MySpace’s favor after the pair didn’t show up in court yesterday. After creating their own MySpace accounts, Wallace and Rines were accused of taking over others through phishing scams and sending more than 730,000 unwanted messages to MySpace members. MySpace’s chief security officer told The Associated Press that he hopes other potential spammers think twice before hitting the send button as a result of the judgment. MySpace, which is owned by News Corp., said in a statement that the web site has zero tolerance for anyone who attempts to act illegally on the site. Wallace also has a $4 million federal judgment against him in a 2006 spyware case.
Study: Mobiles are workers' most indispensable item
American Express used to have the slogan “Don’t leave home without it.” A new survey finds that slogan now applies to cell phones rather than their credit cards or wallets. The worldwide survey, conducted by market research firm IDC and sponsored by Nortel Networks Corp., found that more than 38 percent of 2,367 workers polled would choose their mobile phone over their wallet, digital music player, laptop and even keys if they could only take one item upon leaving their home for 24 hours. Fewer than 30 percent picked their wallet first. The survey also found that 16 percent of workers worldwide can be considered “hyperconnected,” a number that’s expected to go up 40 percent in five years. A hyperconnected person is someone who uses at least seven devices for work and at least nine personal applications such as text messaging or instant messaging. Among the 17 countries surveyed, China has the highest percent of hyperconnected residents while Canada and the United Arab Emirates had the least.
Scarborough: Folks in Austin are most digitally savvy
If you live in Austin, Texas, you are likely to be more digitally savvy than the rest of us. And if you’re digitally savvy, you are also likely to be more luxury-oriented and have high-end online spending habits. That’s according to a new study by consumer and media research firm Scarborough Research. Nationally, only 6 percent of consumers are considered digitally savvy, but 12 percent of adults in Austin have a higher level of technological orientation and adoption. It might be a Western thing, because Las Vegas, Sacramento and San Diego fill out the top of the digital savvy city list, tying at 10 percent each. The study found that digitally savvy consumers are 56 percent more likely to own or lease a luxury vehicle and 175 percent more likely to have spent $500 or more on business clothing in the past year. And 54 percent spent more than $500 online in the past year, while 35 percent spent upwards of $1,000 on travel, books and clothing.
BusinessWeek.com turns to readers for story input
Newspapers started the trend by letting readers vote online for what stories should be on the front page. Now BusinessWeek.com is asking readers to choose what workplace issues they would like to see the magazine focus on for its mid-August issue. For the remainder of the month, readers can vote at Business@Work (http://www.businessweek.com/business_at_work/) on topics and concerns they would like to see addressed in a multimedia package of stories and videos at BusinessWeek.com and segments on BusinessWeek TV. As part of its expanded reader engagement effort, the magazine will allow readers to submit essays, comments and videos to BusinessWeek.com in June about the biggest challenges they face on topics the magazine’s editors choose. Readers will have the chance to comment on the best submissions when they are put up on the site at the end of June.
