By VERNE KOPYTOFF, San Francisco Chronicle

Looking to save money in a bleak economy, shoppers are increasingly using an old technique that has been updated for the digital age -- coupons.

Traffic to Web sites that compile coupons from a variety of stores has increased sharply over the past year, as consumers try to pinch pennies on everything from groceries to laptop computers to rugs.

Rather than wasting their time, children who gab on Facebook or play online games are gaining valuable social skills and learning some technology basics, according to a study released Thursday.

As one of the Web's most popular sites, Yahoo should be in its prime. It enjoys huge traffic and makes money -- no small feat in this economy.

Despite those facts, the Web portal is financially bruised, and its slumping stock reflects that.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The shout of "lunch is ready" jolted nearly the entire staff of Zynga from their desks and into the Internet startup's kitchen, where they piled ahi, marinated flank steak and stir-fried soba noodles onto their plates.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Gossiping about work is a full-time job for many employees. Now they can swap stories about their bosses and compare paychecks online.

Playing poker was a regular escape for Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang, before family life intervened.

Now he's playing for survival in a much higher-stakes version of the game, in the wake of Microsoft Corp.'s unsolicited $44.6 billion takeover bid for his beloved Sunnyvale, Calif., Web portal.

Tired of the flashy decor and adolescent social scene on MySpace, Melissa Andrews recently joined LinkedIn, a Web site that offers a professional-oriented alternative.