Twitter is reportedly planning to charge businesses $1,000 per month to keep gold verified checks

Twitter is reportedly planning to charge businesses $1,000 per month to keep gold verified checks

Twitter is reportedly planning to charge businesses $1,000 to keep gold checks. Social media consultant Matt Navarra first reported that Twitter is reaching out to businesses about the plan. There is reportedly no timeline for when non-paying accounts will lose their checks. Elon Musk also tweeted about other changes this week, such as removing "legacy" blue checks. Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox. Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In the latest revenue generating effort for Elon Musk’s Twitter, the social media giant is reportedly set to make businesses pay $1,000 per month to keep their gold verification check. Social media consultant Matt Navarra first reported the new charge, along with screenshots allegedly showing Twitter employees offering the price to businesses looking to sign up as a "Verified Organization." The Information confirmed the report Friday, adding that it is currently unclear when the […]

Scientists are modifying catfish with alligator DNA to create hybrids for human consumption

Scientists are modifying catfish with alligator DNA to create hybrids for human consumption

Scientists at Auburn University injected alligator DNA into farm-raised catfish. The scientists found that the fish were more resistant to disease and less likely to reproduce. They hope the new and less disease-prone catfish will one day be sold for human consumption. Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Life finds a way: Geneticists have created disease-resistant catfish using alligator DNA — and they may one day become a part of our diet. A group of scientists at Auburn University published a paper in January detailing their efforts to genetically modify catfish with the cathelicidin gene of an alligator. Cathelicidin, found in the intestines, is an antimicrobial peptide responsible for helping organisms fight diseases. The gene, which was added using CRISPR, heightened disease resistance among the catfish in comparison to wild catfish. Researchers noted that the survival rates of the […]

New business developments in Ocean Springs bring strong start to 2023

New business developments in Ocean Springs bring strong start to 2023

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) – An uprising trend of economic activity began last year as the nation came off the heels of the pandemic. One of those cities which have benefitted is Ocean Springs. Earlier this past week, we took a look at the new Bacchus on the Bayou restaurant, which opens this month. However, there are many more businesses that are preparing to open their doors this year in the City of Discovery. “2022 was a busy year,” said Daryll Stringfellow, an Ocean Springs building official. “It was surprising with the way the interest way was going. It was a very active year. We have several new businesses come into town and several new developments. One across from CVS will be a restaurant, and we’ll have four other businesses in there, one being a spa.” A quick dive around the city and you’ll see construction sites that will soon house new businesses. From Zaxby’s Chicken to the much anticipated return of Chef Scott’s, the city is more than happy to see this strong economic outlook. “In 2022, we actually brought in $378k in business permits,” said Stringfellow. “It show the growth of residential and business. It’s a big […]

Dubai: Israel business's gateway to the Middle East and beyond - comment

Dubai: Israel business’s gateway to the Middle East and beyond – comment

The Museum of the Future in Dubai The time is ripe for forward-looking Israeli start-ups to seek new markets for vertical growth, exports and expansion Since signing the historic Abraham Accords in 2020, we have seen a dramatic increase in bilateral trade between Israel and the UAE. We expect this new era of cooperation to see trade soaring to US$10 billion by 2027. The Middle East has long been renowned for trade, for innovation and as a center for global deals. Intra-nation trade reached $2.56 billion in 2022 – despite the pandemic – up from $1.19b. in 2021. That year also saw Dubai imports from Israel almost double, and Dubai re-exports to Israel grow significantly. Israel is known across the world as “ The start-up nation ”, a well-deserved title considering it now has around 100 ‘unicorn’ start-ups , with 42 new unicorns in 2021 and 23 in 2022. While innovation is firmly local, we know the vision of Israeli start-ups is global, with new market growth built into their business plans from the outset. How can Israeli start-ups achieve their global vision? While venture capital funding in Israel increased gradually toward 2021 – reaching a record of some […]

How businesses should — and shouldn't — use ChatGPT

How businesses should — and shouldn’t — use ChatGPT

For Mike Larsen , owner of Grand Blanc, Michigan-based Larsen Roofing, staying competitive online is important. He has a new weapon to assist with that effort: ChatGPT. The artificial intelligence chatbot has been rapidly adopted since being launched by OpenAI in November 2022. It’s been met with a mix of both fandom and fear in the business world as executives and entrepreneurs ponder its potential applications, risks and rewards. Larsen is using it to assist with blog posts, but he doesn’t simply take what ChatGPT. “It is important that the use is solely for research, as the content can come across as unoriginal if you simply copy and paste it,” Larsen told The Playbook . “But by researching the topic through Chat GPT rather than doing a search and combing through the results on Google, you can more quickly create content." Stories of the ChatGPT passing business degree exam questions and writing code — and more disturbingly, malware — are also contrasted with the same platform getting key details wrong , accusations of potential bias and a style of writing that critics have called bland and only surface level . You can access the platform yourself here. How businesses […]

Is the US ready for a four-day work week?

Is the US ready for a four-day work week?

Is the U.S. ready for a four-day work week? 00:00 00:0001:47GO LIVE Facebook Twitter Email Embed SpeedNormal Autoplay CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Some companies are figuring out whether a four-day workweek is realistic in the US , as new research shows it could benefit both employees and employers alike. The nation is still seeing low unemployment numbers, and many businesses say it remains difficult to find people to hire. Therefore, they’re being forced to develop new ways to attract and retain people. "It’s nice to actually feel like we do have off time, and that we are protective of that time," said Nate Jones, an experienced analyst and head of research at CX Pilots, a business consulting company that’s trying out a four-day, ten-hour schedule. Jones says his weekends now feel a little more like a weekend because he tries to make the most of that extra free day. Steven Keith is the founder of CX Pilots. "I’m meal prepping, I’m doing laundry, catching up with family ," he said. "The pandemic made me think more about what I care about," said CX Pilots founder Steven Keith. He says the new schedule is working well, and the company has not […]

Small businesses see homelessness and crime as obstacles

Small businesses see homelessness and crime as obstacles

This is part of a series of stories about the challenges small businesses face. The No. 1 challenge facing the retail industry in recent years has been crime, according to Rachel Michelin , CEO of the California Retailers Association. The most common issue has revolved around theft, which she said has been heightened since the 2014 passage of Proposition 47 in California, which reclassified certain theft and drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. “Prior to that, retail theft was an intervention point where you’d see someone struggling who could then get into diversion programs. We saw drug courts and shoplifting diversion programs that were there to help try and stop the behaviors,” Michelin said. “We don’t see that happening anymore because there’s no intervention point." FBI crime statistics don’t appear to show the trend that business leaders describe. In 2014, the year Proposition 47 was approved by voters, the rate of property crimes in California was 2,441.7 per 100,000 population. In 2020, the most recent year available, that rate had declined to 2,138.9 per 100,000. FBI statistics during that period showed similar downtrends for other reported property crimes that could be associated with businesses, including larceny and burglaries. […]

I started my company with $40 and grew it to $4 million in revenue. Here are the best business investments I made and what entrepreneurs should avoid.

I started my company with $40 and grew it to $4 million in revenue. Here are the best business investments I made and what entrepreneurs should avoid.

Tori Dunlap shares her best financial advice for growing a business. Tori Dunlap started her financial-advice blog with $40 and grew it to $4 million in revenue last year. Today she teaches customers how to invest, save money, and build startups of their own. She shares the most important investments for any business owner and what founders should avoid. Sign up for our weekday newsletter, packed with original analysis, news, and trends — delivered right to your inbox. Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Tori Dunlap started her business as side hustle in 2016 with just $40 . Last year, her business booked $4 million in revenue. Dunlap has scaled the multimedia platform Her First $100K to also include a podcast, book, and more than 2 million social-media followers. Through her financial-advice platform, Dunlap shares her guidance for investing, saving money, and building a business. In a conversation with Insider, Dunlap shared the most important […]

Lost beloved necklace leads to successful jewelry design business for Newton, Massachusetts, woman

Lost beloved necklace leads to successful jewelry design business for Newton, Massachusetts, woman

NEWTON, Mass. — How does a former dental technician in the Israeli Air Force-turned-high-tech professional become a successful Massachusetts jewelry designer and entrepreneur? “Everybody knows, I’m not ashamed to say, I’m not a jewelry person,” Talia Don said. “A lot of my designs have something that are a little different than a regular design.” Inside her studio and workshop in Newton , Don creates handmade necklaces, bracelets, earrings and, most recently, rings. She describes her jewelry style as having an elegant, romantic edge. “I always say to my clients, ‘You don’t need to dress for my jewelry. The simpler you dress, the more beautiful it will look.’ Because that’s who I am,” Don said. But being a successful jewelry designer and maker is not always who Don has been. Nineteen years ago, while working in the high-tech industry, she lost a beloved necklace from her native Israel. Recommended Loyal Companion, pet store with several locations in Massachusetts, going out of business Unable to replace it, Don decided to find materials to recreate it, and in the process, the future blingy entrepreneur discovered something about herself. “I really enjoy the process of putting things together. The color, the different materials, […]

Talking Business: Jon Atkinson is helping to reimagine the Idea Village as it turns 20

Talking Business: Jon Atkinson is helping to reimagine the Idea Village as it turns 20

Idea Village CEO Jon Atkinson has been at the helm of the organization since 2018. Jon Atkinson had big shoes to fill when he took over at the Idea Village in 2018. His predecessor, Tim Williamson, had been the high-profile and very public face of the nonprofit business accelerator since founding it in 2003. But nearly five years later, Atkinson, who came to the position from Loyola University’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development, has quietly made his mark. He’s focused on scaling more companies like Lucid Technology and Levelset — Idea Village startups that both sold in 2021 for a combined $1.5 billion. Atkinson also is focused on building an ecosystem that will continue to attract more outside venture capital to New Orleans and is experimenting with new ways of generating revenue to keep the organization sustainable. That includes adding a three-day paid music festival called NOEW Fest to the otherwise free New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, which will be held March 27-April 1. In this week’s Talking Business, Atkinson discusses the health of the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and what’s behind the planned expansion of NOEW. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You’ve been at the […]