Carolyn Y. Johnson writes for the Boston Globe about social networking sites and how they're beginning to offer financial advice. Johnson notes that "the tools that people use to connect with their peers and share information on websites like Facebook, Del.icio.us, or Wikipedia can help people save money or make smarter purchases." She quotes Wesabe's Jason Knight: "Social finance is a way for consumers to find out if there's real value where they're spending money. . . . It's absolutely critical in rebalancing the power between consumers and marketers."

Comparing PayPal with Google Checkout one year after Checkout's launch, AP writer Anick Jesdanun finds Google Checkout much easier to use. The simpler approach of Google Checkout's wallet-based approach versus PayPal's more complex bank account-like functionality explain much of the difference between the two. Jesdanun concludes by saying that "unfortunately, until Checkout is more widely adopted by merchants and begins to let regular accountholders receive money, I must accept PayPal's complexities to fully engage in e-commerce."