If you haven’t heard, social media is big. For many businesses, they get onto it because they hear how awesome it is and it’s free. Then, they get into the real “cost” of social media and suddenly it’s not so beautiful anymore. This infographic by our friends at Focus gives a strong overview of what’s really happening on the cost aspect of social media for business. Click to enlarge. …

The location-based social network Foursquare announced today that they had broken the 8-digit user mark. To commemorate, they created the infographic below that visualizes the growth over the months. They wrote on their blog, “One of the most amazing things about building Foursquare has been seeing a tool we designed for our friends turn into something now used by over 10,000,000 people.” …

Have you ever asked a question out to the world in hopes of getting a crowdsourced response? Millions of people do this every day. They use social networks like Facebook and Twitter to get answers of various importance to them. Is it really working? “We answer more questions on Twitter every day than we do anywhere else,” said Gail Umbridge at Honda Naperville. “It’s an imperative tool for connecting with our customers.” For others, Twitter is more of a personal question tool. There are sites like Quora that are specifically designed for questions and answers, but Twitter is still the tool of choice…

Safety has been a concern online since kids started showing their parents how to surf. Now, as adults are realizing that there are real-world dangers online, the concern has grown into a threat that must be addressed. This graphic by our friends at ZoneAlarm breaks down the potential for exposure to the negative elements that fill the internet. Sometimes, even things that seem harmless on the surface can be bad. Here are 10 tips to keep your family safe. Click to enlarge. …

Few vehicles, real or fictional, have had as much of an effect on pop culture and geek dreams as the Batmobile. It represents the gadgetized car that every geek had envisioned at one point or another. It stands for the innovations of mankind in ways that allow good to triumph over evil. It’s secretive, unique, and puts instant power into the hands of the person wielding it. In short, it’s pretty darn cool. This infographic referred to us by our friends at Troy Motor Mall gives an exhausting breakdown of the car and its many variations over the decades. Click to enlarge. Via: CarInsurance.org…

Michael Arrington and Techcrunch have been called many things by many people over the years. They have a tendency to push towards the controversial side of tech reporting. They are fearless, sometimes obnoxious, and generally loved or hated, depending on which side of the fence you’re on. They’ve also been called disruptive, and thus their tech-startup extravaganza every years goes by the name “Disrupt”. Can they pick winners? As this graphic by our friends at Namesake shows, it can be argued that they have a sense for what’s going to work and what will fail. While predicting the success of startups…

Each year, college students drop out of universities, men and women leave their jobs, and people of all ages begin setting up shop in their basement or garage with one purpose in mind: to pioneer the company of their dreams. Getting a new business started sometimes means investing large sums of money, and when entrepreneurs don’t have the cash to make their visions a reality, many turn to venture capitalists. …

With alarmists sounding the alarms and naysayers saying, “nay,” it’s certainly looking very similar to the way things were over a decade ago right before the dotcom bubble burst. Did we learn our lesson back then or are we in the process of repeating our mistakes? Few can argue against the concept that we’re in another tech bubble. The only real debate is whether or not the bubble will burst. With Facebook leading the way with valuations far exceeding prospects of revenue and slowdown in growth, it’s the poster child for both high-value investors as well as those warning of a more catastrophic collapse…

Mobile devices have become an integral part of every day life for millions of people. Small businesses are following this trend and adopting the use of smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices in ways that help manage, monitor, and promote themselves. As the digital world gets larger by making the devices smaller, it’s not wonder that the reliance on these devices increases. This graphic by our friends at Intuit puts it all into perspective, noting that an astounding 96% of small businesses use wireless devices and technology in their operations. Click to enlarge. …

App watchdog group ViaForensics has been running popular Android and iPhone apps through their system to see who is encrypting sensitive data such as passwords, user names, and application data, as well as over 20 other pieces of details normally stored through apps. The results have been expected, albeit depressing. Many major apps, including FourSquare, LinkedIn, and Gmail, failed the test for one reason or another. Below is a list of those who failed. AIM Android AIM iPhone Android Mail (Exchange) Android Android Mail (Hotmail) Android Bump iPhone Foursquare Android Gmail Android Groupon…