LIFE

Everyday heroes: family admins

Sven Krumrey

What did junior do now?

There are unsung heroes out there, especially those who accomplish ungrateful tasks out of a sense of duty or charity for others. While there's International Volunteer Day and much appreciation for social commitment, one species of helpers mostly stays in the background: family administrators. It took a while for their field of activity to take form but it's seen rapid growth in the wake of mass Internet use ever since! I'd like to honor these ladies and gentlemen by describing their typical daily routine. And believe me, it's not as fictional as you might think.

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LIFE

Pinterest – a self-experiment

Sven Krumrey

A Pinterest self-experiment

Though I'm already quite involved in social media (through my job), there has always been a white spot on my map until now: Pinterest. "Something with images" was all I could say about it. I like text over images and anyway: who needs another portal? As I look around my circle of friends: obviously quite a few. Described to me as "a cross between a photo site, a constructive community and a virtual pin board with a high percentage of female members" by a friend, I seek to find out mainly one thing in my self-experiment: is Pinterest really the better Facebook as some say? Time to register!

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LIFE

PayPal – an overview

Sven Krumrey

PayPal - the digital coin purse

I'm always open to reader suggestions so this week's article is about PayPal, one of the world's biggest online payment services. What is PayPal, what are the advantages and how do you use it? How much does it cost and what do you need to make payments through PayPal? What about security? Why does the payment behavior of family members matter? And of course: what disadvantages and criticism apply?

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LIFE

A battle for rock-bottom prices: the state against Booking.com

Sven Krumrey

Booking a hotel room takes just seconds now

Hotel portals are usually a delightful convenience. You enter the location where you'd like to stay plus how many, add the date and, just like that, you're presented with a broad selection of overnight accommodations. If, however, a handful of portals process 75% of all direct bookings, this can quickly lead to monopoly positions with the potential for abuse. It can even prompt the courts to take action over best price guarantees.

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LIFE

Influencers - attack on the young

Sven Krumrey

Unfortunately, influencers don't show their true colors this easily

One of my earliest memories concerns advertisements on TV. A famous soccer player had just finished shaving and was about to apply his after shave when, would you believe it, the flask was empty! His merry whistling stopped, he hesitated for a moment and then took out another flask to continue with his morning routine. The clip itself was boring but the star appeal affected me and I got my dad the same after shave for Christmas. Recommendations by friends or personal role models are even more effective, especially with young people, and the advertising industry blatantly exploits that.

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