look_at_me_

Morally bound? Ha. I once had debt collectors come after me while I was unemployed and living off savings and unemployment checks -- counting down the days until I would be homeless. The company in question attempting to collect the debt made over a billion in profits that year alone, while I owed them not even $200.

If anything, they were morally bound to forgive the debt in it's entirety. They could easily absorb the loss without even blinking, while the money owed meant the difference between being able to afford a few more weeks of food or begging for it.

No need to ask, your local super market or big box store probably already has a freemium model -- samples (http://imgs.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/parenting/2010/08...)

I do, however, whole hardheartedly agree with you sentiment about relying upon free services or saas.

I've done both technical and non technical interviewing and screening and here's what I've picked up. You probably already know all this, but these are the biggest mistakes I've witnessed...

Try to hit the key words, keep it simple but professional, and keep it crawlable -- don't stray too far from the traditional resume unless it's part of a strategy. this means don't send me a markdown file, or anything in a plain text document, don't make it look like a Google search (it really happened, looked awful and conveyed no useful info) and if the reader cannot immediately pick up on your history in under 10 seconds you've already been screened out..

Send a pdf, so you have better control on presentation, or at worst a .doc file.

This all sounds superficial, but getting hired is a game that has to be played.

BBB is well known for pay to play rules, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Business_Bureau#Critici.... They attempt to keep the image of the organization pristine by tamping down on the pay to play when it's aired out in public, but the fact that it's a ongoing problem at multiple offices for many years before anything is done shows just how much they care.

It's only speculation about Angie's List, which is why I said "probably." If you look at their business model, they get money from all sides -- consumers and businesses -- which leads to inherit conflicts of interest.

This is pretty much what the BBB does and probably what Angie's List does as well. It's an old business model for the review industry.

This is exactly it.

I'm old enough to remember some of the expansions they tried in the 90's (a battery store, seriously?), but not old enough to remember the cb days.

To me, going to the local RadioShack was almost always a means of last resort or a lack of patience. The store was dirty, staff was consistently rude, and the merchandise was wildly overpriced.

Slowly, the phones and other even more overpriced consumer electronics started taking over the stores and the DIY sections became nearly non-existent. Now, I shop at actual hobby DIY stores which have much better selections, pricing and customer service than RadioShack ever had and probably ever will.

RadioShack itself is dead -- management is trying to force a big box concept into a small store and just doesn't get it.