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Social media platforms allow anyone and everyone to communicate and exchange ideas, opinions, and news with a broad audience -- the entire world. We are now able to communicate in ways and at speeds we never though possible. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube have helped many people launch their careers and become overnight sensations. In addition, they allow professionals to easily self-promote, network, and research professional contacts. However, not all professions are created equal. Maintaining a strong online presence and engaging in social media is a marketing must-have for many businesses. On the other hand, lawyers and legal professionals who engage in social media face several ethical challenges. Earlier this year, the American Bar Associat...

A new study of auto maintenance shops by Bay Area Consumers’ Checkbook reveals that while auto repair prices may vary widely for a variety of reasons, price doesn't correlate to quality in any measurable way. “Checkbook found no relationship between the prices shops charge and the quality of their work. There are many top-quality, low-price shops,” reads the Oct. 31 report published on SFGate (part of The San Francisco Chronicle). The organization used secret shoppers to obtain more than 2,000 quotes for specific repairs from auto shops in the San Francisco area. Quotes varied quite widely from shop to shop. Replacing a water pump on a 2007 Camry XLE was priced between $410 and $1,809; replacing an alternator on a 2007 Dodge Caliber SXT ranged between $500 and $900. Non-dealer sho...

In spite of some recent security setbacks, the market for point-of-sale terminals is set to keep growing, as new payment technology becomes more integrated. This data comes from a new report released by Grand View Research, a business consulting firm. According to the report titled “Global Point-of-Sale (POS) Terminals Market Analysis Size And Segment Forecasts To 2020,” the adoption of near-field communication (NFC) and cloud technology for payments will boost the market for POS terminals. NFC is the technology that allows users with chip-enabled cards or digital wallets to pay wirelessly just by waving their phone or card near a payment terminal. According to a recent story aired on Good Morning America, 70% of card users will be upgraded to cards with chips by 2015. Both chip-embedde...

The owner of the New York Knicks is embroiled in a legal battle this month, after the National Labor Relations Board charged him with breaking federal labor laws. When he's not working with the Knicks, owner James Dolan serves as the CEO of Cablevision, a New York-based telecommunications company which is currently under scrutiny. He replaced his father as CEO in 1995 and also owns Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers Hockey Team and the MSG Network, which airs games from both teams. The NLRB claims that Dolan threatened the company's Brooklyn technicians with withheld pay increases if they didn't vote themselves out of their union, the Communications Workers of America. Dolan is also accused of sponsoring a poll to determine whether the technicians wanted to leave the union, whic...

Anthony Manfre, an Army veteran, was able to cover most of the cost for his associate's and bachelor degrees using benefits from his GI Bill, though he still took out $4,000 worth of student loans to cover additional expenses. “At the time, I thought that was a lot,” he says. “And now I look back and wish I only owed that much.” However, Manfre decided to pursue both a master's and doctorate degree in marriage and family therapy, and needed to take out additional loans to cover his living expenses. Now, he's riddled with $200,000 of student loan debt. Like many other college graduates, Manfre viewed taking out student loans as a wise investment -- one that would allow him to further his career and create a better future. He assumed he would be able to afford to pay off his loan payme...

The street light industry has a surprising new player as of Nov. 7: German automaker BMW. The company announced it has created two prototypes for a street light that can also serve as a charging station for electric cars. These “Light and Charge” lamps use ultra-efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) along with the charger, in order to provide a two-for-one energy benefit without expensive modifications to underground power lines. "Seamless charging infrastructure is essential if we want to see more electric vehicles on the road in our cities in the future," said Peter Schwarzenbauer, a BMW board member, on why BMW had taken on the development project. A pilot program will be implemented in Munich next year using existing street lights, and BMW says it hopes they will have them complete...

The prevalence of teeth whitening procedures has increased by over 300% in the past five years alone, but it seems it's still hard pressed to meet demand. People are now turning to alternative ways to get teeth whitening done, including theft and...charcoal? According to CBS Pittsburgh, authorities in Hempfield Township, PA are still on the search for a couple who allegedly stole at least $1,200 worth of teeth whitening supplies from a local Target Store. In an interview with the local CBS Affiliate, Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steve Limani said that loss prevention at Target caught the female suspect on surveillance video placing teeth whitening products in her purse. According to Limani, the kits stolen were high-end products that are most likely in the $50 range. The male suspe...

The demand for storage facilities is growing by the day, but businesses are often running into roadblocks when they try to open a new facility or expand an existing one. Cities are notoriously not big fans of storage facilities, for a number of reasons. They're lacking in curb appeal, as they are mostly just bland, garage-like buildings. These facilities also do little to boost tax rolls or generate jobs. City governments are much more likely to welcome businesses that will boost revenue or provide jobs for the community. However, in spite of city disapproval, the storage business is booming across the country. Over the years, storage units have gone from temporary to long-term storage solutions for many people. According to a survey by the Self Storage Association, 30% of storage re...

Electronic health records could protect the United States against the next Ebola-like crisis, Department of Health and Human Services CTO Bryan Sivak told VentureBeat on Oct 28. “Wouldn’t it be great if the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] could be immediately alerted if a patient showed up at a clinic somewhere with a temperature of 104 degrees, and who had recently traveled to West Africa?” he asked, commenting after his appearance at the HealthBeat Conference in San Francisco. Many healthcare providers have already begun EHR adoption under the HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) Act of 2009, and clinics and hospital are required to report serious infectious disease cases to state health authorities, who in turn can make a report to the C...

When it comes to finding child care options, many working parents turn to in-home day care providers to ensure their children will be properly supervised. But while these residential centers are a safe choice, some present serious danger to the families who use them. Such was the case in a recent fire in Midlothian, Virginia, where a fire in an unlicensed day care facility resulted in the death of a 13-month-old boy. Virginia State regulations state that any residential day care center, or "family day home," must be licensed by the Virginia Department of Social Services if the center plans to take care of more than five children not related to the provider. According to Chesterfield County fire officials, the day care operator, Laurie Underwood, told firefighters at the scene that she w...