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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) The markets for personal ads and small -business reviews are taking a hit as tech-savvy Internet users find alternative means of scouting out recommendations for everything from restaurants to handyman services.

Yelp Inc. YELP, -18.60% and Angies List Inc. ANGI, +2.10% on Wednesday both forecast weaker-than-expected revenue growth for the current quarter due in part to stalling growth among their paying members.

While macroeconomic factors have had some effect, social media have raised the stakes for the legacy review sites. Consumers are increasingly opting for free reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations from their trusted friends and relatives on social networks like Facebook Inc. FB, +2.13% and Foursquare over more traditional review sites.

Consumers especially tech-savvier ones raised in the Facebook era want an experience that is fun and personalized. Something they can share or even brag about.

The simultaneous growth of social media and online review sites has caused a shift among consumers were no longer apt to believe everything at first glance and [instead] demand validation, said Valerie Davis, vice president of search media at PM Digital. We no longer blindly trust Yelp reviews.

A recent study from Lithium Technologies found that more than two-thirds of consumers in Western markets were more receptive to recommendations about what to buy from family and friends online over digital ads. This was especially true of the younger adults the so-called millennials surveyed.

Foursquare, which recently turned 5, saw its user base rise to 55 million users, up from 50 million before it unveiled a website redesign in May and a new app called Swarm, meant to further distance its business model from Yelps and those of other local review and search apps. The new version of Foursquare was released in early August.

Foursquare has never disclosed active-user figures, a subcategory that is coveted by advertisers. However, it does boast 6 billion total check-ins a number that it says grows in the millions every day. That loosely compares with Yelps 5.3 million daily reviews last quarter.

Foursquare takes a more customized approach considering users likes, interests and location before offering suggestions, Davis said. Personalization may be the new key to review success.

This is true of Facebooks local awareness ads, which use location-based data and mobile couponing to help businesses target and push ads to people currently within, say, walking distance.

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The Ratings Game: Millennials are leaving Yelp and Angies List

Clean Gutters
Gutter cleaning on Brown Ave in Oakland.

By: A-1 The Clear Choice

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Clean Gutters - Video

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) When the weather is crisp, leaves are falling, and football is on TV, it can be easy to ignore fall chores.

But, if you want to stay cozy and avoid costly problems this winter, you better get to work.

Angies List said there are three projects every homeowner should cross off their checklist before winter arrives.

Gutter cleaning isnt glamorous, but its one of the most important jobs on any fall to-do list.

Your gutters should not be ignored because leaves will gather there, which will lead to mold as well as bugs, even ice damming in the winter. And if youre like some people, you might actually get a garden growing in your gutters, which can be pretty embarrassing. So, taking care of them can lead to better health of your home, especially your roof, Angie Hicks with Angies List said.

Whether you do it yourself or hire a pro, dont neglect the downspouts when cleaning.

You also want to make sure that all of your gutters are actually nailed in properly and look at your gutter boards and make sure that they are sealed, Elden Foltz, a handyman, said.

Once your gutters are clear, turn your attention to sealing drafts around windows and doors. Walk through your home with a lit candle or stick of incense to see where cold air is seeping in.

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Angies List: 3 Fall Chores Not To Ignore

By Orlan Love, The Gazette

KALONA Acknowledging the slow growth of trees, most foresters will tell you the best time to plant one is 20 years ago.

But Jerry Rediger, who broadcast more than 325 bushels of nuts on 44 acres of worn out farm ground in November 1997, will tell you that 17 years ago is also a fairly auspicious planting time.

Im excited about what weve got to show you today, Rediger said Wednesday at the start of a forestry field day showcasing the dense hardwood forest, red and gold leaves aglitter, towering in some spots 35 feet above the once badly eroded slopes on which they were planted.

Rediger said he bought the farm in 1993, one of the wettest years on record in Iowa, when heavy rains washed 8-inch-deep gullies between all the rows of his corn.

That sickening experience, he said, got him thinking about planting trees, and he took action in 1997 after he met forestry consultant Steve Hamilton of Cedar Rapids.

Hamilton recommended the then experimental technique of direct seeding, rather than planting rooted saplings.

They roto-tilled 5-foot strips, with 8-foot spacing between the strips, and tossed acorns and walnuts onto the tilled soil from the back of a pickup, Hamilton said.

The following May they were delighted to find slender saplings poking through the soil, he said.

With Rediger mowing and applying herbicide to control competition from sod grass, the trees grew rapidly, establishing after five years a canopy that eliminated the need for further mowing or spraying, Rediger said.

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Forestry field day at the Jerry Rediger farm

EDWARDS Never has a Battle Mountain boys soccer team been so happy to receive a No. 20 seed in the playoffs.

As it turned out, Seeding Sunday wasnt a suspenseful matter. The Huskies were in easily.

Pleasant surprise, said Huskies coach David Cope, whose team has had its share of misfortune when the bracket has been issued.

Battle Mountain is at No. 13 Fort Lupton today at 5 p.m.

MEET THE BLUE DEVILS

OK, where is Fort Lupton? is probably the first question. Its northeast of Denver, north of Brighton and south of Platteville. OK, its in Weld County between Interstate 25 and I-76, just north of Boulder if Boulder were on the east side of I-25.

Arent the playoffs fun? They help one learn the geography of the great Centennial State.

Fort Lupton (11-2-2) is the champion of the Colorado 7 League, which actually has eight teams. Cope jokingly said that he thought the league was named for John Elway.

Attempting to bring some seriousness to this, No. 9 Victor Sanchez is the focal point. He has 21 goals, exactly half of the Blue Devils 42 on the year. Genaro Arellano is second on the team with eight.

The result of Fort Luptons slate, which grabs attention, is a 4-2 victory over Niwot. Thats No. 5 Niwots only loss of the season.

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Huskies draw No. 20, headed to Fort Lupton

Bhavishyavani -Leo| October 22, 2014
Watch BHAVISHYAVANI with Acharya Indu Prakash, who tells your daily horoscope, numerological fortune, alphabetical fortune and gives tips on vaastu shastra and feng-shui along with astrological...

By: IndiaTV

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Bhavishyavani- Libra| October 22, 2014
Watch BHAVISHYAVANI with Acharya Indu Prakash, who tells your daily horoscope, numerological fortune, alphabetical fortune and gives tips on vaastu shastra and feng-shui along with astrological...

By: IndiaTV

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Bhavishyavani- Libra| October 22, 2014 - Video

Bhavishyavani- Scorpio|October 22, 2014
Watch BHAVISHYAVANI with Acharya Indu Prakash, who tells your daily horoscope, numerological fortune, alphabetical fortune and gives tips on vaastu shastra and feng-shui along with astrological...

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Bhavishyavani- Scorpio|October 22, 2014 - Video

Bhavishyavani- Aquarius|October 22, 2014
Watch BHAVISHYAVANI with Acharya Indu Prakash, who tells your daily horoscope, numerological fortune, alphabetical fortune and gives tips on vaastu shastra and feng-shui along with astrological...

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Bhavishyavani- Aquarius|October 22, 2014 - Video

Shez Too Impressive (Heidi) Schooling Over 2 #39; and 2 #39;6" Fences
See http://equinenow.com/941476 Heidi jumps 2 #39; bounce, then 2 #39; and 2 #39;6" 2 stride, the bounce again.

By: Nina Kinser

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Shez Too Impressive (Heidi) Schooling Over 2' and 2'6" Fences - Video