Seven states are currently taxing out-of-state online retailers. The practice, called the “Affiliate Taxes” or “Amazon Taxes”, are spreading rapidly as the catalog loophole that has protected them for years is being re-evaluated. What does this mean from one state to the next? Which states are doing it, which states are considering it, and which states are safe. Perhaps most importantly, what does all of this mean for the future of online retailers? These and other questions are discussed in this infographic by our tax-talented friends at Intuit. Click to enlarge. …

That didn’t take long. After testing the waters that Groupon and LivingSocial dominate, Facebook has pulled the plug on Deals. “We think there is a lot of power in a social approach to driving people into local businesses,” Facebook said in the statement. “We’ve learned a lot from our test and we’ll continue to evaluate how to best serve local businesses.” In April, Facebook put everyone on notice that they were “testing the waters” of the daily deals phenomenon. Groupon and LivingSocial have had tremendous success offering social-media-only bargains that require a certain threshold of buyers…

When it comes to renewable energy, solar is often considered the easiest to acquire. The sun is a source of so much energy and the potential to collect it is almost limitless. There are both financial and logistical challenges surrounding solar, but in tough economic times any industry that has been proven to create jobs should be incentivized over others. Yet, 37 states do not offer incentives to bring in solar jobs. This infographic breaks down the statistics about the states the do and do not have incentives, the states that are most “ripe” for a solar job boom, and ways that people can act. Click…

Many companies are going virtual. It’s a natural cost-saving trend that reduces the need for physical space and allows workers to telecommute through the various technologies for collaboration and project management that are conducive for allowing people to work from home. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages. A “less personal” office experience where many or all employees are virtual can hurt employee camaraderie. It can hurt productivity by not allowing for the over-the-shoulder management approach. Some say it helps productivity, eliminating drive times and keeping…

With a growing number of people buying tablets every day, the clear progression is for the devices to start taking over the business world. On the enterprise level, tablets are not only starting to make a splash – they’re taking over. They are often viewed as something brand new, starting with the iPad, but Microsoft has been selling them in business for over a decade. The recent influx isn’t as much about internal technology as much as an improvement in internet infrastructure (3G and 4G are covering most of America now) as well as popular demand. Apple put the devices on the map and everyone else…

The thing that most people fear when they have mobile employees is the productivity level. As humans, the common belief is that we’re more productive when people are standing over our shoulders. In this world of mobile connectivity with devices that can do almost anything we need them to do from outside the office, atmospheres have changed and many consider themselves more productive when away from the cubicle. Is it true? Is it wishful thinking to believe that working from home or while traveling avails us to more efficient working? Some would argue that there are more distractions away from…

As it does with most trends in marketing, the automotive industry has gone from way behind just a year and a half ago to shaping the venues and carving the path today. There have been some missteps to say the least, many in the business from car dealers to manufacturers are fully embracing social media as a venue to get their brand and message out to the masses. Earlier this year we wrote about how the industry is embracing new media. Now, we’ve compiled a breakdown of the major manufacturers and how their current social media presence ranks in this competitive world. By the numbers There’s an old saying:…

With all of the buzz surrounding Google+, people tend to forget that Twitter is nearly 10X bigger than the new kid on the block while Facebook is over 30X bigger. Between the two, they have a billion users (granted most Twitter users have a Facebook account, but who’s counting?). When it comes to business, branding has become one of the primary focuses when it comes to using social media. Marketing directly has proven to be less effective than it once was, so getting advocates and fans has been the primary goal of social media managers at businesses large and small for a while now. This infographic…

Verizon customers who have land line phones, internet, and FiOS television services will be affected by the strike of 45,000 phone technicians, customer service representatives, and cable installation representatives. Verizon Wireless customers will not be affected. The strike, which began this morning, centers around failed contract negotiations between the tech firm and the two unions representing the strikers: Communication Workers of America (CWA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). Both unions are rallying on the streets as well online with their…

A very large majority of people on the internet are using social media in one way or another. It’s surrounding us and we’re rallying around it. Businesses have been tapping into this growing industry for years and it has reached a tipping point to where social is encompassing business and becoming the primary tool used by many. This infographic by our friends at GetSatisfaction breaks down the current and gives us a view to the future of the segment. Will we be using Google+ and Facebook to pump out most of our marketing and customer interaction in the near future? Some already are. Click to enlarge….