This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here . The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Name: Trada Quick Pitch: Trada’s online marketplace boosts Google and Yahoo …

David A. Yovanno is the CEO of Gigya, Inc. , a leading social optimization platform for online business. He can be found on Twitter at @daveyovanno or e-mail dave(at)gigya(dot)com. Now that most social networks are supporting functionality on third party sites — via Facebook Connect , Sign in with Twitter , Yahoo! Open Strategy…

There’s no doubt Google has a sense of humor — its excellent April Fools jokes are a testament to that. But there’s a wealth of funnies that can found any time of the year too. Here we pull together a handy list of Google “Easter eggs” that you can…

This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here . The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Name: Giiv Quick Pitch: Giiv is a mobile gifting service that delivers…

Hunch , a New York City-based startup founded by Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake and SiteAdvisor founder/angel investor Chris Dixon, has raised $10 million in funding for its questions and recommendations site. Nearly a year ago, Ms. Fake revealed her new startup to the world. Her goal: to create a service …

Amid class-action lawsuits over privacy and subsequent FTC inquiries, Netflix announced today that it will not be pursuing the next Netflix Prize . For more than three years, individuals competed to win the $1 million Netflix Prize , in the process improving the company’s algorithm for recommending movies to its users. When the…

It’s a lousy time to be a record label. Profits are tanking, bands are angry— OK Go just ditched EMI —and YouTube and BitTorrent changed the game. Still, some labels are transforming themselves to help musicians in the digital age. “Change or Die” may sound like hyperbole, or an idle threat, but for the…

When it comes to competition, CNN president Jon Klein fears Facebook. The man at the top of the news network believes that the social network is more of a threat to his business than other broadcast media organizations. In a recent question-and-answer session with BusinessWeek, Klein specifically states , “We want to be…

Daytrotter is celebrating its fourth anniversary promoting music discovery of emerging bands with a new business model. Now bands who sign on for one of Daytrotter’s unique daily live sessions have an opportunity to sell high-quality digital recordings for a revenue split using a new in-house payment system that additionally gives artists…

In November, Phonebooth.com released the beta version of Phonebooth OnDemand, which is a full-featured phone service that lives in the cloud, but can communicate with both cellular phones and IP desk and conference phones. Today, that service — which costs $20 a month per user — is becoming generally available. Phonebooth.com …