Services like Color raise questions about how people might use them and deal with privacy.

WSJ: Money Rushes Into Social Start-Ups

Making that look good today takes the services of a color specialist and a lot of time.

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The rest is pulled from social media services like Instagram, Path, Color, Yelp, Foodspotting and the like, as well as Twitter posts that have been analyzed using natural-language processing to discern what companies and businesses people are chatting about.

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It was in 1988 that the company started offering more contemporary designs, and in the early 1990s began providing its clients with interior design services including assistance with choosing everything from color and lighting, to art and accessories.

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Color's business model, like many free mobile social services, remains a work in progress.

WSJ: Money Rushes Into Social Start-Ups