Rabu, 24 November 2010

Mashable: Latest 28 News Updates - including “The Beatles Sell 2,000,000 Songs in Their First Week on iTunes”

Mashable: Latest 28 News Updates - including “The Beatles Sell 2,000,000 Songs in Their First Week on iTunes”

The Beatles Sell 2,000,000 Songs in Their First Week on iTunes

Posted: 24 Nov 2010 01:37 AM PST


One week ago, the entire Beatles catalogue was made available on Apple’s online music store iTunes. Now, the numbers are in: according to Billboard, the Beatles sold more than 450,000 albums and over two million individual songs in the first week on iTunes.

The best selling album in the U.S. was Abbey Road while the best-selling song was Here Comes the Sun.

The impressive numbers come as no surprise as the Beatles took over the iTunes charts in the first day of availability, with eleven of their albums surging to the iTunes top 25 albums list.

Getting there was no easy task, however. Back in 1978, the Beatles’ corporation Apple Corps sued Apple Inc. (then Apple Computer) for trademark infringement. The suit was settled in 1981, but it dragged on for decades, reaching pinnacle in 2003, with Apple’s launch of iTunes, when Apple Corps once again sued Apple Computer, claiming it has violated the agreement not to distribute music. Finally, on February 2007 the two companies settled their trademark dispute, but it took three more years for the Beatles’ catalog to reach iTunes. Judging by the impressive sales, the long wait paid off for both companies in the end.

More About: apple, Beatles, itunes

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Turn Your Social Feeds Into a Digital Yardsale

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 08:36 PM PST


The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: Yardsellr

Quick Pitch: Yardsellr is a person-to-person marketplace that connects buyers and sellers using Facebook and Twitter.

Genius Idea: There are a ton of shopping and classified sites out there clambering for your attention, a fact that Yardsellr CEO and Founder Daniel Leffel — an eBay alum who launched the service in 2009 with a cadre of other eBay-ers — is well aware of. So, instead of creating yet another online marketplace, Leffel took a less direct route, looking to the social realm.

As people spend more and more time engaging with social sites like Facebook and Twitter, it only seems natural to take advantage of all those eyes and hours — which is exactly what Yardsellr does.

Yardsellr is a social marketplace that was built not to exist as a separate entity, but as a way to utilize your networks to both buy and sell goods from other like-minded folks, which is why Leffel doesn’t agree with a lot of the comparisons to eBay that have been cropping up of late (a natural go-to correlation, considering he used to work at the bidding behemoth).

“eBay is a web destination where users go buy and sell things — and the key there is that it’s a web destination,” he says. “Yardsellr is more of a service that users experience as an extension to the Facebook experience that they interact with in their feed. Users comment on and Like feed stories about the products they love and those products are for sale. Yardsellr is providing a layer of communication and transactional tools on top of the social plumbing in addition to aggregating the communities of users who love these products.”

Yardsellr works, in essence, like a Facebook plugin. Simply visit the site and log in, allowing the service to connect to your Facebook account. From the homepage, you browse a variety of categories of goods, which are organized into what Yardsellr calls “Blocks.”

“The Yardsellr shopping experience is organized around ‘Blocks’ (think yard sale/neighborhood metaphor) instead of categories because categories organize products while Blocks organize people,” Leffel says. “Yardsellr Blocks are really hundreds of micro-communities totalling more than 1.3 million people who are passionate about particular types of products.”

“Liking” a Block on the Yardsellr homepage is the same as Liking a Page on Facebook — that Block is thereby added to your Facebook Newsfeed, allowing you to browse goods on Facebook as you would updates from your favorite bands, celebrities and news outlets.

The service also feeds into Twitter, but it doesn’t look as though you can choose to follow certain Blocks via the website itself — still, if you visit a Block on Facebook, you can find the appropriate Twitter feed in the left-hand column of the Page. (This is kind of annoying — we wish you could directly follow Blocks via the Yardsellr homepage.)

In addition to shopping, you can also sell goods via Yardsellr. Simply click the “Sell” tab at the top of the page, enter a description of your product, and promote via Facebook and Twitter posts to the appropriate Blocks. You can also create a Facebook event and invite all your friends to your digital yardsale.

It’s free to list and sell on Yardsellr, and you can specify your own price and shipping cost. Yardsellr adds a 10% fee to the buyer’s final cost (the fee varies by product). “Sellers can also opt-in to invest in buying extra traffic/exposure for their listings,” Leffel says.

The social aspect of the site reminds us of other services, like Neighborgoods, which allow you to share listings via Facebook and Twitter. Still, this site has a much more dedicated integration to social services than others we have seen.

“There are tons of buy/sell sites on the web and a number of them have built Facebook Applications,” Leffel says. “However, I’m not aware of any that look at themselves fundamentally as living in the feed and that’s our big differentiator. 99% of the activity happens in the feed and if you aren’t there in a big way, you aren’t truly integrated into the social experience.”

This week, Leffel announced that Yardsellr had raised $5 million in a Series A round of funding led by Accel Partners and Harrison Metal, the latter of which furnished seed financing last year for Yardsellr. As for where that money will go, Leffel tells us: “Developing out Yardsellr to its fullest potential is fundamentally an engineering challenge. There are machine learning problems, scale problems, usability problems and much more. The bulk of the money will be used to hire some of the best engineering talent we can find.”

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, AnthonyRosenberg

Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

Microsoft BizSpark

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, iStockphoto

More About: facebook, MARKETING, money, social media, spark-of-genius, start-ups, twitter

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Acer Unveils 7-inch and 10.1-inch Android Tablets and a 4.8-inch Smartphone [PICS]

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 07:32 PM PST


Acer is placing its bets behind Android with the announcement of a 7-inch tablet, a 10.1-inch tablet and a 4.8-inch smartphone based off of Google’s mobile OS.

The unnamed tablets sport 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, an eye-popping 1280×800 screen resolution and 1080p HDMI capacity. The 10.1″ tablet is 13.3mm thick, making it just slightly wider than Apple’s 12.7mm iPad tablet. The larger tablet also boast a 5MP rear camera and a front-facing one. Both devices will go on sale in April 2011.

Acer also took the opportunity today to announce a 4.8″ hybrid smartphone/tablet device. Also yet to be named, the smartphone is similar to the Dell Streak, but is definitely more powerful. It sports a 1024×480 screen resolution (a ridiculous resolution for a phone), a 21:9 aspect ratio, an 8MP camera with an LED Flash, a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and a Gyroscope/accelerometer combo that makes it ideal as a portable gaming device. It also launches in April 2011.

Beyond ridiculously awesome screen resolutions, all three devices run on Android. Acer did not reveal in its press releases which version each will run, but we’re hoping at least one of these devices will run the Gingerbread OS (Android 2.3) or even Honeycomb (Android 3.0?).

During its media blitz today, Acer also revealed the ICONIA, a hybrid laptop/tablet with a dual-screen running Microsoft’s Windows 7 OS. Instead of using a keyboard, the ICONIA uses a touch-based keyboard and gesture controls. It has 4 GB of RAM, two 14-inch multitouch displays, and an Intel Core i5 CPU.

Here are some photos to whet your appetite:


Acer's Tablet




Say hello to Acer's new Android tablet. There are two models of the device: a 10.1" flagship model and a smaller 7" version.


Acer's Tablet




This is the back of Acer's new Android tablet. It has a 5MP rear camera.


Acer's Tablet




A shot of the side of the Acer tablet.


Acer's Smartphone




This is Acer's new 4.8" smartphone/tablet hybrid. It sports a jaw-dropping 1280x480 screen resolution.


Acer's Smartphone




This is the back of Acer's new 4.8" smartphone. It has an 8MP camera with LED Flash.


Acer ICONIA




This is the Acer ICONIA, the company's windows 7 dual-screen laptop/tablet device. Instead of a physical keyboard, it sports a second screen and a virtual keyboard.

Images courtesy of Engadget

Reviews: Android

More About: Acer, android, android tablets, Google, Tablet

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iOS 4.3 and Murdoch’s “The Daily” to Launch in December [REPORT]

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 06:20 PM PST


With the release of iOS 4.2.1 now complete, Apple is reportedly focusing on launching iOS 4.3 by mid-December. It will bring not only bug fixes, but could be the update that brings app subscriptions and Rupert Murdoch’s iPad-only publication to millions of iOS devices.

Apple is set to reveal iOS 4.3 next month, according to Macstories. According to its sources, Apple has been planning a mid-December release of the new version of iOS for a while now, but because iOS 4.2 came out late (due to various bugs), iOS 4.3 could be late as well.

Still, the release of iOS 4.3 is pegged for December 13. Not only that, but according to John Gruber at Daring Fireball, Apple will be holding a December 9 press event to announce the update.

Apple doesn’t hold press events for simple iOS updates though, so if the rumors are true, then Apple is cooking up something big for iOS 4.3. It almost certainly looks like that will be app subscriptions. That would give app developers and especially publishers the ability to charge for daily, weekly, monthly or yearly updates or editions for their apps.

That leaves us with the rumors surrounding The Daily, News Corp’s “newspaper” built for (and only for) tablets. As we reported previously, Apple and News Corp are working on an iPad-only publication that will cost $0.99 per new edition. It reportedly already has 100 journalists on the project, led by former New York Post managing editor Jesse Angelo.

Since that report, Murdoch has confirmed the existence of The Daily in an interview with Fox Business, but didn’t reveal any other details. That’s okay though, because it looks like Murdoch is saving the real story for the December 9 event, where he will most likely reveal The Daily on stage with Steve Jobs.

Because iOS 4.2 was released several weeks late, it’s possible that iOS 4.3 and The Daily will launch a little later than expected. Still, given the high profile nature of the partnership, Apple may be working overtime to make sure it hits its December 9 mark.

Are you interested in app subscriptions or Murdoch’s new tablet publication? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

More About: apple, iOS, ipad, iphone, rupert murdoch, steve jobs, The Daily

For more Mobile coverage:

Aviary Debuts HTML5 Photo Editor

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 05:15 PM PST


Creative web app powerhouse Aviary has just announced its latest product, an HTML5-powered photo editor.

Like Aviary’s other apps, the HTML5 photo editor — code named Feather — is easy to use and surprisingly powerful. Beyond its use of HTML5 (as opposed to Flash, Silverlight or other RIA frameworks), what sets this app apart is that it’s designed to be portable and embeddable.

Aviary already has a very solid Flash-based image editor, Phoenix. It’s been around for over two years and has a wealth of features. So what makes Feather different and special?

On its blog, Aviary discusses the the rationale for building Feather. First, Aviary says that it knew it wanted to be able to reach out to the world of creativity happening outside of Aviary.com. Because Feather is portable and embeddable, developers can directly integrate it into their sites and apps. That means that users don’t have to leave one page or experience in order to complete a task and then shift back.

Furthermore, as powerful as Phoenix and some of Aviary’s other image tools are, many third parties who use Aviary’s products were requesting a simpler tool. You don’t always need to have a full-fledged photo suite. If a website just wants to make it easy for a user to upload a product photo and maybe add a caption, they probably don’t need to the ability to create multiple layers, make magic wand selections and add different type of brush effects.

So with Feather, Aviary decided to take the most popular functions of Phoenix and put it in one portable package. Plus, third-party developers can customize what features they want to include or exclude. The great thing about being in HTML5 is that the tool is easier to integrate and embed into third-party solutions. Aviary also says it has plans to open source the editor and create a mobile version too.

Already Everloop, Fashism, Shopify and other companies have signed up to integrate Feather into their apps.

How it Works

If you want to get a feel for Feather and see how it might be useful in your project, head to http://www.aviary.com/html5 and click on the “See it in Action” tab. Then upload an image and get started!

While simple in nature, the app is really powerful. I uploaded a photo from my online collection and then applied one of the pre-formulated “effects” — in this case, “Instant.” The results were a photo with cooler tones and already framed in a Polaroid. I was then able to add text, save the image and download the file.

Super simple, super effective. The fact that developers can take advantage of this portable toolset on their own sites is super cool. Even better, the functionality of this product is totally top-notch.

Aviary deserves kudos for showing off what HTML5 can do. Do you use any web-based image editors? What do you use and why?

Reviews: Aviary

More About: Aviary, feather, HTML5, html5 image editor, web apps

For more Dev & Design coverage:

10 Social Media Deals to Check In to on Black Friday

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 03:36 PM PST

Shopper

Black Friday is upon us and that means that retailers are scrambling to offer up the best door-busting (or mouse-busting) specials and promotions to entice eager holiday shoppers.

Thanks to the success of Cyber Monday, retailers and online shops have long embraced the web as a place to promote and showcase deals and specials. What’s unique this Black Friday, however, is the large number of specials and promotions offered by retailers to customers who use location-based apps and services.

Users of social networks like Foursquare and Facebook Places can get discounts or get entered into special contests just by checking in to their Black Friday shopping destinations. Other services like Yelp, SCVNGR and Gowalla are also offering up special promotions.

Some retailers, like Sears, are even running deal-voting specials on their Facebook fan pages. Plus, many retailers are using Facebook and Twitter to promote their early-bird specials in advance of the big shopping day.

We’ve scoured the web and rounded up 10 specials and promotions offered exclusively through social media. Know of a promo or special we missed? Let us know in the comments.





RadioShack has teamed up with Foursquare to create the "Holiday Hero" badge. Unlock this badge and you can get 20% off your purchase. If you don't have time to unlock the full badge, just checking in at RadioShack will let you save 10%. This deal is valid through 12/31/2010. Also check out RadioShack's Facebook page for more deals and specials.





Check in to any American Eagle store and unlock a coupon for 15% off your purchase. This coupon expires on 12/31/2010.





Sears is running specials on its Facebook page. To get in on the specials, just "like" the latest offering. If enough people like a deal, it will go live at Sears.com.





On Friday, Gowalla will be hiding $50 Amazon.com gift codes at various retail spots across the United States. The company hasn't revealed where the codes are hidden, but says to check the usual suspects like the mall, big box retailers, etc. Be sure to check in at all your favorite haunts if you want a better chance at getting $50 at Amazon.com.





Hit up your local Hollister before Thursday and check in on Foursquare to score 20% off your purchase.





Check in to JC Penny on Foursquare and you can save $10 off your purchase of $50 or more.





Coca Cola is partnering with SCVNGR and Simon Malls on Black Friday. Complete all the challenges and you can earn points to get instant rewards like gift certificates and Coke-branded merchandise. Coke will be giving away $100,000 in gift cards.





Sports Authority is giving away 20 $500 gift cards on Black Friday. Check in using Foursquare and you have a chance at being randomly selected to win.





Starting at 9:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving, the first 3,000 people to check in to Toys "R" Us using Facebook Places, Foursquare or Yelp will earn a 15% off coupon for purchases of $150 or more.





Check in to any Zales store using Foursquare and you can save $50 off a purchase of $300 or more. This deal expires 12/31/2010.

Image courtesy of Flickr, turtlemom4bacon

Reviews: Facebook, Flickr, Foursquare, Gowalla, Twitter, Yelp

More About: black friday, deals, facebook, Facebook Places, foursquare, gowalla, location based social networks, scvngr, shopping, yelp

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Introducing Mashable’s Business & Marketing Editor: Todd Wasserman

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 02:35 PM PST


Mashable’s Business section has grown substantially since we launched it earlier this year. We’re now very excited to announce that Brandweek’s Todd Wasserman will be joining Mashable as Business & Marketing Editor to lead the vertical and oversee its continued growth.

Wasserman was most recently the editor-in-chief of Brandweek, a post he had held since 2007. During his time at Brandweek, Wasserman started BrandFreak, a Brandweek blog focusing on the evolving online marketing space.

Prior to that, Wasserman worked for various daily newspapers in New Jersey and Connecticut and was a senior editor at Computer Retail Week. In addition, Wasserman has freelanced for a range of publications including The New York Times, Business 2.0, The Hollywood Reporter, Inc and The Industry Standard.

Wasserman will start his new role with Mashable in mid-December. Until then, we encourage you to follow him on Twitter at @ToddWasserman, and in the coming weeks at @MashBusiness and Facebook.com/Mashable.Business.

Mashable has grown significantly as a company in the past year. With more than 10 million monthly unique visitors and offices in New York and San Francisco, we’re delighted to welcome Wasserman to our team and continue to grow in 2011.

Reviews: Mashable, Twitter

More About: business, hiring, media

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Girl Talk’s New Album Gets an Impressive Visual Breakdown

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 02:13 PM PST


If you’ve already listened Girl Talk’s newest album, All Day, to death, here’s a new way to experience the disc: a tool titled “Mashup Breakdown” that illustrates all the components of each mashup.

Mashup artist Gregg Gillis (a.k.a. Girl Talk) released his fifth album online for free last week. Featuring close to 400 samples, the 71-minute disc is a serious opus to be sure, and we doubt that we would be able to name every song sampled in that hour-plus of glory.

Which is why we’re glad Benjamin Rahn (founder of ActBlue and MixApp) did it for us.

Note, Rahn’s visual breakdown is not entirely accurate. Rahn says in the “About” section: “I’ve gathered the information about the timing of the samples from Wikipedia and from AllDaySamples. They disagree quite a bit, and you can switch between the two. As of this writing, Wikipedia only has start times, not end times, so I’ve treated all samples as if they are 30 seconds long.”

Still, it is a fun way to experience the album, especially for hardcore fans and aspiring mashup artists looking to take a closer look at Gillis’s artistry.

Reviews: Wikipedia

More About: all-day, girl-talk, gregg-gillis, mashup-breakdown, mashups, music, web apps

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Why Your TV Deserves a Roku XDS This Holiday Season

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 01:40 PM PST

Mashable 10 Logo

This post is part of the Mashable 10, Mashable’s gift guide of the 10 hottest gadgets that will be on everyone’s wish list this holiday season. We’ll be publishing one new post each weekday until November 26.

Roku Gift ImageThe connected device market is white hot right now. With the Boxee Box, the new Apple TV, Google TV, plus game consoles and Internet-connected television sets and Blu-ray players, there are a lot of options for consumers who want to easily get online or networked content on their HDTV.

Although we own — and are fans of — many of the various connected devices on the market, for the Mashable 10, we have to give it to the Roku XDS. Combining a small profile, a growing content library and support for both Netflix and Hulu Plus, the Roku XDS is an affordable, versatile way to sate your IPTV needs.

The Roku player started its life as the Netflix Player — a box designed at Netflix to allow users to stream content directly on their television sets. A few weeks before release, Netflix decided to adjust its streaming device strategy, spinning off the Netflix Player to a company called Roku. The device was introduced to the market in 2008 with support for Netflix and Amazon Video-on-Demand.

Since then, the Roku team has added support for more and more services — including Vimeo, Major League Baseball, Pandora, UFC, the NHL and most recently, Hulu Plus.

Lots of Features, Low Price

Roku has three models, the $59.99 Roku HD, the $79.99 Roku XD and the $99.99 Roku XDS. Every Roku player can support HD video and includes built-in Wi-Fi. The Roku XD and XDS also support 1080p HD video and Wireless-N Wi-Fi. The XDS, our Roku of choice, also supports dual-band wireless and can play music, videos and photos from an included USB port.

While not as small as the Apple TV, the Roku still has a very small footprint and can easily be tucked out of sight.

In the past year, Roku has really raised its game when it comes to supporting more types of content and services. Because it’s a streaming-only player (unless you use the USB port on the XDS), content is all sourced from the net. This means that new channels are added via free software updates.

What we like about Roku, however, is that unlike some other set-top box solutions, the interface and video are made for use with a remote control, offering easy access from the couch or the bedroom.

The new Apple TV is a nice device — but it only supports iTunes, YouTube and Netflix. Google TV has potential, but it’s expensive and it’s blocked by virtually every major online producer. The Boxee Box shows great promise, but it’s still working out some of its kinks and costs $100 more than the Roku.

If you want to watch Netflix, peruse Hulu Plus, rent a movie or TV show from Amazon, tune in to live sports content and listen to streaming music services, Roku has you covered.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Liliboas

Reviews: Blu, Internet, Mashable, Pandora, Vimeo, YouTube, iStockphoto

More About: Apple TV, boxee box, connected devices, connected tv, hulu plus, iptv, mashable 10, netflix, roku, roku xds, tech

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Original Apple Computer Sells for $210,000 at Auction

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 01:24 PM PST


One of the 200 original Apple-1 computers hand-built by Steve Wozniak and sold from Steve Jobs’s garage in 1976 has sold for £133,250 (about $210,000) at auction at Christie’s in London.

It was purchased by Italian businessman and private collector Marco Boglione, who phoned in his bid.

Besides the Apple-1 motherboard, Boglione received 8K bytes of RAM, a handful of capacitors, connectors and interfaces, the original shipping box and manual, an invoice from the salesman (named “Steven”) and a signed letter from Jobs to the original owner. Wozniak was in attendance at the auction and added an autographed letter to the lot.

The computer, which originally sold for $666.66, was expected to fetch between $161,6000 and $242,400.

[via AP]

More About: apple, apple I, auction, Christies, steve jobs, steve wozniak

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3 Incredible Social Good Champions [Mashable Awards]

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:26 PM PST

Mashable Awards Image

As part of the ongoing Mashable Awards, we’re taking a closer look at each of the nomination categories. This is “Most Influential Social Good Champion” supported by Yahoo!. Be sure to nominate your favorites and join us for the Gala in Las Vegas!

social good championSocial Good is a brand new form of online giving that draws both from small non-profits and large brand cause-marketing campaigns. But like any burgeoning movement, social good requires champions to bring it to the public and promote its growth.

While “social good” and “influence” may not have absolutely concrete definitions (is influence based on Twitter followers? Raising the most money?), it is easy to see when an individual has taken on the cause of social good to create some real change.

Even though the exact parameters are a subjective call, we scoured the web for three social good activists who are using their skills to create change. We’ve highlighted three individuals who are utilizing social media and online campaigns to shape the way that we think about activism.

1. The Free Agent

Beth Kanter and Allison Fine defined the concept of the “free agent” this year in their book, The Networked Nonprofit. A “free agent,” as they defined it, is a “person who is passionate about a social cause, but is working outside of a nonprofit organization to organize, mobilize, raise money, and engage with others.” Using social media tools, free agents are able to make an impact that was once only capable within the infrastructure of an organization.

We’ve covered a number of free agents who had influence this year. Individuals like Shawn Ahmed, who posts YouTube videos about poverty in Bangladesh; Mark Horvath, who gives homelessness a voice through his We Are Visible and Invisible People projects; and even Dan Savage, who launched the It Gets Better Project in September to support gay teens who face adversity.

Kanter, a free agent herself, has played an influential role in helping non-profit organizations accept and cooperate with these social media-powered activists. Among her efforts, she facilitated a conversation at the State Department’s Tech@State Civil Society 2.0 event about how non-profits and free agents can work together.

2. Ben Rattray, Founder and CEO of Change.org

change.org

There are two hurdles that almost every cause campaign struggles with. The first is making the complexities and realities of its cause understood. The second is mobilizing people effectively. Change.org, which was founded by Ben Rattray in 2006, helps solve both.

The site has more than 100 writers who contribute in-depth reporting on 15 different causes. When people come to the site to read about a cause they’re passionate about, they also have the opportunity to take action toward that cause by signing petitions. While these cumulative actions lack the drama of a protest, mobilizing a large network toward one specific action has proved a lot more effective than a hodgepodge of independent actions.

Change.org has partnered with thousands of non-profits, and together the community has accomplished more than 100 “victories,” in which they’ve changed an unjust practice, law or policy. The organization connects activists with similar passions, and by doing so it gives them power as a cohort that they would never have as individuals.

3. Scott Harrison, Founder of Charity: Water

charity: water

Charity: water uses 100% of public donations to fund water projects and is transparent about how donations are used. Both of these qualities make it somewhat of an oddball in the non-profit world — which might be exactly what the non-profit world needs.

When people donate money to most organizations, they’re not sure what happens to their donation or how efficiently it was used. When they give to charity: water, they can look up a picture and GPS coordinates of the project they contributed to. Since the organization relies on private donors for the money that makes it run, there’s no doubt about whether your donation ended up paying for somebody’s flight instead of funding a water project. The organization even covers its PayPal fees on donations.

This model of transparency and accountability has created trust and helped raise more than $20 million for 3,196 projects in the past four years. We hope that its success will influence other non-profits to do the same.

What's Your Pick?

Who were your social good champions this year? Let us know in the comments or nominate them for a Mashable Awards.

The Mashable Awards Gala at Cirque du Soleil Zumanity (Vegas)

In partnership with Cirque du Soleil, The Mashable Awards Gala event will bring together the winners and nominees, the Mashable community, partners, media, the marketing community, consumer electronics and technology brands and attendees from the 2011 International CES Convention to Las Vegas on Thursday, January 6, 2011. Together, we will celebrate the winners and the community of the Mashable Awards at the Cirque du Soleil Zumanity stage in the beautiful New York New York Hotel. The event will include acts and performances from our partner Cirque du Soleil Zumanity. In addition, there will be special guest presenters and appearances.

Date: Thursday, January 6th, 2011 (during International CES Convention week)
Time: 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. PT
Location: Cirque du Soleil Zumanity, New York New York Hotel, Las Vegas
Agenda: Networking, Open Bars, Acts, Surprises and the Mashable Awards Gala presentations
Socialize: Facebook, Foursquare, Meetup, Plancast, Twitter (Hashtag: #MashableAwards)

Register for Mashable Awards Gala at Cirque du Soleil Zumanity stage (Las Vegas - 2011 International CES convention) [Ticketed Event] in Las Vegas, NV on Eventbrite

Mashable Awards Category Sponsor:

Yahoo! is an innovative technology company that operates the largest digital media, content, and communications business in the world. Yahoo! keeps more than half a billion consumers worldwide connected to what matters to them most, and delivers powerful audience solutions to advertisers through its unique combination of Science + Art + Scale. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit the company's blog, Yodel Anecdotal.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, RichVintage

Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Mashable, Twitter, YouTube, iStockphoto

More About: Ben Rattray, Beth Kanter, change.org, charity: water, Invisible People, it gets better, List, Lists, Mark Horvath, mashable awards, mashable awards 2010, Scott Harrison, Shawn Ahmed, social good, uncultured, we are visible

For more Social Good coverage:

All Kids Want for Christmas Is an iPad [STATS]

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:15 PM PST

iPad Gift Image

Like many of our readers (we suspect), the device American kids want most this holiday is an iPad.

According to a recent survey from Nielsen, 31% of U.S. children ages 6 to 12 want an iPad over any other electronic device in the next six months, followed by a computer (29%) and iPod touch (29%).

The study, which was conducted in October, includes 17 different kinds of popular electronic devices currently on the market, including TVs, game consoles and various kinds of mobile phones.

Only 11% said they most wanted an e-reader, which renders this recent commercial from Amazon a little less compelling.

Those over the age of 18 express the most interest in buying a computer (20%) over the next six months, followed by a TV (19%), smartphone (19%) and iPad (18%). E-readers prove slightly more popular (15%) among an older crowd, while gaming devices are significantly less.

Although it’s got a hefty price tag, the good news for parents of hopeful iPad owners is that the device should be widely available, unlike many of the “it” gifts of yesteryear; according to Digitimes, China-based manufacturer Foxconn has ramped up production in order to meet holiday demand.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, pagadesign

Reviews: iStockphoto

More About: apple, holiday shopping, Holidays, ipad, Kids, study

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Skype Hits New Usage Record

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:08 PM PST


With an IPO looming, Skype is touting a major new milestone: 25 million concurrent users. The number was reached on Monday for the first time, and the company says it represents a new all-time high.

To put that in some perspective, Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile carrier in the U.S., serves a little more than 100 million customers.

Skype breaks out a couple of other stats in its announcement, including that through the first six months of 2010, 40% of Skype-to-Skype minutes utilized video, not too surprising given the innovations the company has been working on in that area.

Overall, Skype has been adding a variety of major new features at an impressive clip, including deep integration with Facebook and continued expansion to new mobile handsets (there was even a rollout on a number of Verizon phones earlier this morning).

Reviews: Skype

More About: Skype

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Foursquare Takes on the TSA With “Baggage Handler” Badge

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:05 PM PST


First Loopt, now Foursquare — starting today, the location-sharing service will award a badge to anyone who checks in at an airport with words along the lines of “TSA,” “touch,” or “Don’t touch my junk!”

Last week, Loopt announced its intentions to celebrate National Opt-Out Day by rewarding 10 travelers who opt out of body scans in favor of full-body pat-downs (and then check in via Loopt, of course) with a free iPod touch.

National Opt-Out Day is a protest planned by those who are against the TSA's new security measures, which include full-body scanners (which show passengers fully naked) and invasive pat-downs administered to those who opt out of the scans. It’s scheduled to go down tomorrow — a.k.a. the day before Thanksgiving — when airports are sure to be bustling.

Now it seems Foursquare wants its piece of the parody pie. According to About Foursquare, the unlock text reads: “Looks like you've had your baggage handled. Happy Holidays and have a safe flight!”

Despite how adorable (yet kind of sexist — why is it a dude?) this badge is, I can’t help being relieved that I’ll be taking the bus.

Reviews: foursquare

More About: baggage-handler, foursquare, national-opt-out-day, trending, tsa

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Facebook Alternative Diaspora Releasing Private Alpha Invites

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 11:49 AM PST


About six months ago, four New York University students rose up in the midst of one of many Facebook privacy crises to launch an idea for their own Facebook alternative, Diaspora. Today, they’re releasing the first set of invites for the alpha version of the site.

Back in May, Facebook users got all hot and bothered when the social networking site launched its Open Graph API and brought instant personalization to the web. A “Quit Facebook Day” was planned — and subsequently failed — because like every other innovation the social network has introduced, people got used to it.

Regardless of the success (or lack thereof) of the exodus, college kids Daniel Grippi, Maxwell Salzberg, Ilya Zhitomirskiy and Raphael Sofaer were able to capitalize on the buzz and discontent, collecting ample funds from fundraising platform Kickstarter to launch their own social network, Diaspora.

They hoped to raise $10,000 by June 1 so that they could spend the summer making their vision a reality, and reached that goal in just 12 days. Even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg donated to the project. As of today, the guys have raised $200,641.

Back then, the guys described the site as "an open source personal web service that will put individuals in control of their data.” Users would be able to be in charge of their privacy and online information via a network that would allow people to install their own “seed,” or personal web server, replete with photos, videos, etc., within a larger network. Users would be in full control of that seed.

Since the initial flurry of interest, we’ve been waiting to see how the project would pan out — and if the guys would give us a clearer picture of what it would look like. Back in September, the Diaspora team released their source code to developers, receiving less than enthusiastic reviews. According to the guys, however, dev feedback has been extremely helpful when it comes to fixing bugs and security holes.

So, how does the service function? According to the blog post announcing the invites:

“Diaspora lets you create ‘aspects,’ which are personal lists that let you group people according to the roles they play in your life. We think that aspects are a simple, straightforward, lightweight way to make it really clear who is receiving your posts and who you are receiving posts from. It isn't perfect, but the best way to improve is to get it into your hands and listen closely to your response.”

We’ve signed up for invites over here at Mashable and will let you know when we’re granted access, so as to better assess the merits of the site.

In the meantime, however, we have to wonder if it will succeed. Facebook — despite the previous security crisis — is still going strong, and the alternative social network market is becoming more competitive (see: CollegeOnly, The Fridge, Path, etc.).

What do you think? Will you join the diaspora?

Reviews: Facebook, Mashable

More About: design, development, diaspora, facebook, social media

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Cookie Monster Wants to Host “Saturday Night Live” [VIDEO]

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 11:27 AM PST

The Cookie Monster from Sesame Street thinks he should follow Betty White’s footsteps and host Saturday Night Live. We totally agree.

Let it never be said that the folks at Sesame Workshop don’t get social media. In fact, they get it in spades. From spoofing the Old Spice guy, creating Google Search Stories to penning its own “There’s an App for That” song, this is a brand that knows how to connect with kids and adults using the Internet and social media.

The latest example, a plea from Cookie Monster to host SNL by way of a YouTube video is a pretty impressive feat. The sketch topics and musical guests are truly inspired (“Macarooner” was funnier in 20 seconds than the entire MacGruber movie).

Sesame Street doesn’t appear to be stopping at just the YouTube video. There’s a Facebook fan page dedicated to getting everyone’s favorite cookie addict — or as he likes to say, “cookie enthusiast” to a different part of New York City.

During the first season of Saturday Night Live, Sesame Street creator Jim Henson developed some sketches and characters for the program. Having Cookie Monster on would be like a homecoming.

Reviews: Internet, YouTube

More About: cookie monster, facebook, humor, saturday night live, sesame street, snl

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Alternative Search Startup Blekko Announces First Partnership

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 10:52 AM PST


Newly launched alternative search engine Blekko is announcing its first partnership, and it’s with search upstart DuckDuckGo. The mutually beneficial relationship brings Blekko’s auto-firing slashtags to DuckDuckGo and DuckDuckGo’s “zero-click info” to Blekko users.

Beginning today, Blekko will power the DuckDuckGo search experience for all queries determined to be in any of Blekko’s seven auto-slashtag categories: health, colleges, autos, personal finance, lyrics, recipes and hotels. If you recall, Blekko automatically applies slashtags to these searches — to limit queries to curated sets of web sites for topics — for spam-free results.

DuckDuckGo differentiates itself with anonymous searches, keyboard navigation and its “zero-click info.” The latter feature displays relevant informational text on search terms and links above the results for added context. On Blekko, this additional DuckDuckGo data will now be made available in the “info” portion for each search result.

Search is a highly competitive space currently dominated by Google and Bing. While the partnership will do little in the way of moving market share, it should help both sites combine forces and appeal to power searchers tired of surfacing spam results. Plus, it provides additional distribution and exposure for both companies’ unique technologies. Blekko plans to announce additional partnerships in the weeks ahead.

Blekko has raised a total of $24 million over the past three years to eliminate spam from search. The search startup reports that more than 30,000 slashtags were created during the first week post public launch.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, sodafish.

Reviews: Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google, iStockphoto

More About: blekko, DuckDuckGo, Search

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Kids Reenact Kanye West’s Tweets [VIDEO]

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 10:29 AM PST


Is there anything more amusing than Kanye West’s Twitter feed? If you answered “No,” obviously you have not seen Landline TV’s newest series, Kids Reenact Kanye’s Tweets.

Rapper Kanye West became a Twitterverse star almost instantly when he joined the microblogging service back in July (despite having serious misgivings about the service in the past) — he even visited Twitter HQ for some freestyling.

Still, it’s not just Kanye’s talent (a solid 10 on Pitchfork isn’t anything to sneeze at) that has catapulted him to social networking fame — it’s the ridiculous things he says via the service, such as: “No seriously… I said my teeth are real diamonds… these are not fronts… I replaced my bottom row of teeth with diamonds.”

Sentiments such as these were even matched hilariously with New Yorker cartoons in one of my favorite memes of the summer back in August.

Now, Landline TV and Babelgum, famous for its series of “Kids Reenact” shorts (a Mashable favorite) have given the juvenile treatment to a series of West’s 140-character musings.

Check out one of our favorites below:

Reviews: Mashable

More About: Babelgum, kanye west, landline tv, music, twitter, web video

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3 Examples of Stellar Social Media Customer Service [Mashable Awards]

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 10:08 AM PST

Mashable Awards Image

As part of the ongoing Mashable Awards, we’re taking a closer look at each of the nomination categories. This is “Best Social Media Customer Service,” supported by BlackBerry. Be sure to nominate your favorites and join us for the Gala in Las Vegas!

Customer Service ImageWith the connectivity social networks provide, companies are engaging their communities with new tools, methods and attitudes. They're able to gain a greater understanding of their customers while reacting to inquiries and feedback more quickly and efficiently. It's a win for both sides.

Social media customer service has become a combination of troubleshooting, engagement and building community. Like traditional methods of customer service, some companies are better at it than others. Here are a few companies that have nailed their social media customer service:

Zappos

Online retailer Zappos.com has set the bar for social media customer service. Its approach focuses on making authentic connections via social networks rather than selling or promoting products.

Since meeting customer needs is the goal, Zappos staff will spend time to help a person find an item they don't carry — even though they're making no money off the sale. Still, it's valuable in building customer appreciation and trust. CEO Tony Hsieh recognizes that the web gives everyone a voice — including Zappos customers — and what customers say on blogs and social networks can reach millions. That's why Zappos treats every interaction as an opportunity not to make a sale, but to shed positive light on the brand.

Staff are encouraged to be transparent in their tweets, which helps make customers feel like they know them and can be comfortable reaching out. The interaction is authentic, leaving the customer satisfied and likely to tell others about the experience.

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn is an interesting example of social media customer service because it shows that exceptional customer service online doesn't always translate offline.

One customer, Jennifer Hellum, sought customer service after the glass top on her Pottery Barn table shattered in the extreme Arizona heat last summer. Calling the customer service line and the store where she bought the table didn't get her anywhere. A few weeks later, she posted photos of the tabletop explosion on Pottery Barn's Facebook fan page. Within 30 minutes she had a call from a customer relations representative who worked with her to find a new tabletop and reimbursed her for it.

Though the company engages customers best via Facebook, its YouTube channel does a good job of building community online. Video topics include how-tos for party planners, designer profiles and featured products. By giving advice about and telling the story behind products, Pottery Barn’s YouTube channel brings customers beyond the purchase — a proactive form of customer service.

Boingo


  1. Justin Dehn
    jdehn Why do boingo hotspots never work? 22 Nov 2010 from Twitterrific
  2. boingo
    boingo @jdehn Never say never. Let’s make it happen. Which hotspot are you at and on which device? Do you have the software installed? 22 Nov 2010 from web in reply to jdehn

— this quote was brought to you by quoteurl

Boingo understands the essence of all that social media customer service entails: technical support, customer engagement and community building. The Wi-Fi service connects with customers in all these ways on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and LinkedIn.

On Twitter, representatives scan the web for mentions of the brand and reach out to customers with both positive and negative feedback. They're quick to find people reporting technical issues and often offer to connect by e-mail. Kind words about the brand will often see a retweet or note of thanks in a sincere, non-corporate tone. Each of the three social media customer service representatives have their name and headshot on the @boingo profile page, adding to the transparency of their tweets.

Boingo's Facebook Page is also a hub for responding to troubleshooting inquiries, but just like their Flickr and LinkedIn profiles, it helps to build community. While some posts are company or product updates from Boingo's blog, representatives more often post relevant links, videos and discussion questions. Anything related to the Internet, technology or travel seems to be fair game for the Facebook wall, showing Boingo understands the interests of its community members and is using the space for more than drawing attention to its own brand.

What's Your Pick?

What social media customer service made your year? Let us know in the comments or nominate them for a Mashable Award.

The Mashable Awards Gala at Cirque du Soleil Zumanity (Vegas)

In partnership with Cirque du Soleil, The Mashable Awards Gala event will bring together the winners and nominees, the Mashable community, partners, media, the marketing community, consumer electronics and technology brands and attendees from the 2011 International CES Convention to Las Vegas on Thursday, January 6, 2011. Together, we will celebrate the winners and the community of the Mashable Awards at the Cirque du Soleil Zumanity stage in the beautiful New York New York Hotel. The event will include acts and performances from our partner Cirque du Soleil Zumanity. In addition, there will be special guest presenters and appearances.

Date: Thursday, January 6th, 2011 (during International CES Convention week)
Time: 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. PT
Location: Cirque du Soleil Zumanity, New York New York Hotel, Las Vegas
Agenda: Networking, Open Bars, Acts, Surprises and the Mashable Awards Gala presentations
Socialize: Facebook, Foursquare, Meetup, Plancast, Twitter (Hashtag: #MashableAwards)

Sponsorships are available. Please contact sponsorships@mashable.com for more information.

Register for Mashable Awards Gala at Cirque du Soleil Zumanity stage (Las Vegas - 2011 International CES convention) [Ticketed Event] in Las Vegas, NV on Eventbrite

Mashable Awards Category Sponsor:

Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications, including the BlackBerry® wireless platform and the new BlackBerry PlayBook. For the latest on the BlackBerry PlayBook visit the Inside BlackBerry Blog.

Images courtesy of iStockphoto, lightkeeper; ManoelNetto, Laughing Squid; and Jennifer Hellum.

Reviews: Facebook, Flickr, Foursquare, Internet, LinkedIn, Mashable, Twitter, Twitterrific, YouTube, iStockphoto, video

More About: boingo, customer service, List, Lists, mashable awards, mashable awards 2010, pottery barn, social media, social media customer service, Tony Hsieh, Zappos

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Google Celebrates Thanksgiving With Food-Themed Doodle and Recipes

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 09:54 AM PST


U.S. citizens: If you don’t have a Great Aunt Ida from which to glean family recipes, never you worry — today’s Google Doodle features a sumptuous feast and a bevy of recipes from the Barefoot Contessa’s Ina Garten.

Simply surf on over to the Google homepage today and click on the Doodle — which depicts a tasty-looking meal — to reveal six recipes from The Food Network star, including roast turkey with herb and apple stuffing, popovers and smashed sweet potatoes.

Google has its hands in pretty much every other sector of our lives, it might as well dig into dinner as well — just not literally, because that would be gross.

Reviews: Google

More About: Doodle, Food, food-network, Google, ina-garten, thanksgiving

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Skyfire Launches Android Browser With Deep Facebook Integration

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 09:47 AM PST


Skyfire has launched version 3.0 of its popular mobile web browser for Android. The release includes deep integration of the Facebook Social Graph across the entire mobile browsing experience.

The new Facebook Connect features are integrated directly into Skyfire’s SkyBar, a cloud-powered toolbar that enables quick content consumption while on the go. It also includes several additions to the browser:

  • Popular Content – A feature that generates a list of popular web content and prioritizes it based on recommendations from friends.
  • Fireplace Feed Reader – A filtered Facebook news feed that includes only links to browsable web pages, images and videos posted by friends.
  • Facebook Like Button – A Like button is placed on every page of the Internet. It’s a small convenience, that will minimize the need to scroll around sites searching for their own embedded Like buttons.
  • Skyfire OneTouch Search – A multi-headed search bar that allows users to enter a search string and then select whether the search should run through Google, Facebook, Twitter, VideoSurf, Digg or Amazon.

Additionally, Facebook is constantly accessible on the SkyBar through Facebook Portal Integration, which pulls up Facebook with one touch at any time during the browsing experience.

Skyfire 3.0 with Facebook Connect is now available through the Android Market. Here’s a video of the browser in action:

Reviews: Android Market, Digg, Facebook, Google, Internet, Twitter

More About: android, Android Market, facebook connect, mobile web, skybar, Skyfire

For more Mobile coverage:

Instapaper Gets AirPrint Support and More

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 09:40 AM PST


Following Monday’s release of iOS 4.2, cross-device bookmarking tool Instapaper has updated its app for the iPhone and iPad. Users can now print saved pages from their devices and Macs to Airprint-enabled printers (all 11 of them, anyway) directly from the app.

In addition, Instapaper announced support for 20 more apps, including: Shareables, Pastebot, GoodReader, iCab Mobile, 360 Web Browser, Atomic Web Browser, Full Screen Browser, Sopods Full Screen, Offline Pages, Firetask, Ideawell, Appigo ToDo, Notebooks, Notitas, Print Magic, Seesmic, SimplyTweet, Yummy, Delibar, and Terminology, bringing the total count up to 28.

For the full list of updates, check out the screenshot below.

Reviews: Seesmic, instapaper

More About: AirPrint, Instapaper, ios 4.2, ipad app, iphone app

For more Mobile coverage:

Bishop Suspended Over Facebook Comments About Royal Wedding

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 08:36 AM PST


A Church of England bishop has been suspended indefinitely after posting a series of negative comments on Facebook about Prince William and Kate Middleton’s engagement.

Pete Broadbent, the bishop of Willesden, wrote that their marriage would last a mere seven years and that their wedding day would be full of “nauseating tosh,” according to The Guardian.

“We need a party in Calais for all good republicans who can’t stand the nauseating tosh that surrounds this event,” he wrote.

The comments have since gone public, inciting the dismay of politicians and fellow members of the Church. Broadbent has since issued an apology, but it was not enough to save him from suspension.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Broadbent’s superior, the Bishop of London Richard Chartres, said, “I have now had an opportunity to discuss with Bishop Peter how his comments came to be made and I have noted his unreserved apology. Nevertheless, I have asked him to withdraw from public ministry until further notice.”

This is not the first employee termination to occur in response to comments posted on social networking sites. A 2009 study found that 8% of U.S. companies (including Domino’s and California Pizza Kitchen) have sacked an employee for conduct on social networking sites. This year, a CNN editor was forced to resign after posting a controversial message to Twitter. That said, in a U.S. lawsuit earlier this month, the National Labor Relations Board argued that a recent Facebook-related termination was unlawful, and that Facebook posts are legally protected speech.

Do you agree with the bishop’s termination? How comfortable do you feel about posting your opinions on social networks, given that your employer may come across them?

Reviews: Facebook, Twitter

More About: british monarchy, business, church of england, facebook, kate middleton, prince william, social media

For more Social Media coverage:

The State of Small Business Online Marketing Budgets [REPORT]

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 08:02 AM PST


This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

Small businesses are predicted to maintain steady marketing budgets next year, including spending on websites, direct mail, e-mail marketing, social media and print advertising, according to a recent survey by Zoomerang and GrowBiz Media.

Small business marketing budgets leaned toward websites this year, with 39% of SMBs with fewer than 1,000 employees spending greater than 20% of their budgets in that area. Online spending is expected to continue in favor of websites, as 17% of respondents plan to increase budgets for their sites in 2011 — the highest percentage increase in planning for any marketing item included in the survey. In comparison, 15% of respondents reported that they plan to spend more on e-mail marketing next year, while 13% of respondents plan to up their social media marketing budgets.

According to the survey, 54% of respondents indicated that their businesses currently have websites. Regarding website features, the vast majority (80%) of websites include general business information, while customer service (45%), lead generation (35%) and e-commerce (30%) features trail in at a distant second, third and fourth places. A mere 13% of businesses reported having a blog.

The survey indicates that there is large room for improvement among small business websites, including the addition of more value-added features, such as online shops, reservation systems and relevant content via corporate blogs. We see this as an opportunity for small businesses with brochure-like websites to progress into the 21st century with more useful and better designed websites.

Social media is predicted to be the third most increased area for online marketing spending next year. Among the more than 750 businesses surveyed, 34% indicated that they currently engage in social media marketing. Of those using social media, Facebook (80%), LinkedIn (37%) and Twitter (27%) were the most commonly used platforms.

As use of basic social media tools increases, we believe greater adoption of other technologies, such as location-based services, group buying platforms, 2-D scanning technologies — such as QR codes — and mobile and web apps will take place, as well. In the end, it all depends on business owners’ willingness to test and adopt new technologies.

The beauty is that all of these advancements are materializing, even on low budgets. The majority of respondents (55%) reported having marketing budgets of less than $1,000, while an additional 20% of respondents reported budgets of between $1,000 and $9,000. With low budgets, small businesses seem to be making the most of the web and its low-cost marketing opportunities.

How is your small business utilizing the online space to market your products and services?

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- Why SMS Marketing Still Makes Sense for Small Business
- 4 Job Search Tips for Aspiring SEO/SEM Specialists
- HOW TO: Define the Role of Your Social Media Team
- Why Your Business Must Embrace the Foreign Language Internet
- The Biggest Brands on Facebook [INFOGRAPHIC]

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, kemalbas

Reviews: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, iStockphoto

More About: advertising, digital marketing, direct mail, e-mail marketing, MARKETING, marketing budgets, online marketing, print ads, print advertising, small business, smb, SMBs, social media, websites

For more Business coverage:

7 Essential Podcasts You Should Add to Your Playlist

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 07:28 AM PST

The Digital Entertainment Series is supported by the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10, the seriously entertaining smartphone that knows how to have fun. Check it out here.

podcast globe image

There are more podcasts out there than any person could ever listen to. Just as media organizations and celebrities have shuffled over to social networks, blogs and podcasts have also grown in popularity and mainstream acceptance.

Now, however, there are a zillion of them, and it’s difficult to know which ones are a worthwhile source of quality content. We’ve gathered a list of seven podcasts to get you started across a range of different genres. Need new music? Social commentary? Some poetry? Ever wanted to know how something works? These seven podcasts can help you get something new in your digital library, no matter what you’re into.

Check out our finds and let us know in the comments what podcasts you use to discover awesome content.

1. Stuff You Should Know

sysk image

Stuff You Should Know, or SYSK, is a podcast from the people over at HowStuffWorks.com. True to its name, it’s a great source for learning all sorts of stuff you may not know, but probably should.

The normally 30-minute shows cover everything from how sleep walking works, to pirates, food cravings, Christmas, and corporate personhood. It’s an eclectic mix delivered with just enough levity by hosts Josh Clark and Charles Bryant.

2. Build & Analyze

build analyze image

For the more tech-minded, Build & Analyze is a great choice from podcast giant 5by5. Dan Benjamin and Marco Arment host the show, and the podcast definitely skews more to mobile Apple products like the iPad, iPhone, iOS and mobile web development.

With the amount of buzz (and the insane lines) at every Apple release, the introductions of Apple’s mobile devices are certainly becoming cultural moments for the tech crowd. Although this podcast is just one-show-old, it can help give context to what everyone’s getting so excited about while providing some sharp insights on what’s going on under the hood. Anyone looking to branch out should check out 5by5’s other podcasts, including Briefly Awesome, featuring Mashable’s very own Christina Warren.

3. IndieFeed

indiefeed

When someone says “discover new content through podcasts,” he or she usually means a new band or some hidden musical gems. While Bob Dylan’s podcast might be perfect for discovering deep cuts, there are also a slew of shows dedicated to the indie music crowd.

IndieFeed boasts the “Best new tracks, free, from humans who love music.” The IndieFeed DJs regularly throw together stellar soundtracks highlighting new musical talent. Unlike other podcasts, IndieFeed is not hipster-centric, and showcases a range of styles and band stories that draw you in via different podcast channels. Anyone interested in indie music north of the border should check out the CBC’s Radio 3 podcast for some (admittedly more hipster-centric) Canadian bands.

4. The Sound of Young America

young america

The Sound of Young America is housed at MaximumFun.org, a site that claims to be “Your home on the Internet for things that are awesome.” Fair enough.

The Sound of Young America is a public radio show featuring interviews with celebrities and entertainment stars, as hosted by Jesse Thorn. Quite unlike the Actor’s Studio, The Sound of Young America skews to a younger set and seems to, accordingly, have much more fun and humor to share.

5. Lunch Poems

lunch poems

Poetry can be a little hit or miss, and frankly, it’s usually “miss” if you’re new to the genre. Lunch Poems, a podcast run out of UC Berkeley and directed by professor Robert Hass, makes the leap a little easier with noontime poetry readings from both established and rising stars of the poetry world.

It’s tough to decide when poetry is “good,” and even harder to make sense of the many names that are out there. Lunch Poems is a great way to get some lunch-time sophistication straight from the horse’s mouth.

6. TEDTalks

TED image

TED is an unsurprising but absolutely wonderful addition to this list. The TEDTalks podcast regularly brings in a mix of top celebrities, entrepreneurs and more obscure leaders of social thought to give short lectures. It is, essentially, a G20 summit but for thought leaders across every imaginable genre.

Malcolm Gladwell talking about pasta sauce? The LXD talking about dance? Bill Gates? Irrational thought in the medical world? Every talk is quick enough to burn through on the subway, and nearly all of them provide a new way of looking at things.

7. Invisible Walls

invisible walls image

If you like video games, don’t mind some swear words, and want a comical insider look at how the gaming industry functions, Invisible Walls might just be your thing. Run from GameTrailers.com, helmed by Shane Satterfield and featuring most of the major editors and commentators, Invisible Walls looks at major game releases, news pieces and game conferences with some really nice insights and more than a touch of humor.

Although the podcasts run a little long (usually 30 to 60 minutes), they have the feel of chatting about games with a group of your sometimes-too-honest friends.

Other Great Finds

If that still wasn’t enough to keep you busy for weeks, you can check out these other great picks for discovering new content. At this point, these podcasts have been featured so many times they are more of a “hall of fame” than a proper “honorable mention.” Still, it’s hard to argue with great hosts, great topics, and a laugh or two along the way.

  • Planet Money: This podcast runs twice a week and features “high rollers, brainy economists and regular folks — all trying to make sense of our rapidly changing global economy.”
  • StoryCorps: This weekly podcast showcases the stories of everyday Americans recorded in StoryCorps booths across the country.
  • This American Life: A free, weekly podcast, This American Life is one of the most popular podcasts in the United States and is based on the weekly public radio show hosted by Ira Glass.
  • Slate’s “Cultural Gabfests”: A weekly debate over culture with Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner.
  • WNYC’s Radiolab: Hosted by Jad Abumrad, Radiolab is a bi-weekly podcast where “a patchwork of people, sounds, stories and experiences [center] around One Big Idea.”
  • The New Yorker’s “Fiction Podcast”: A monthly reading and conversation with The New Yorker's fiction editor, Deborah Treisman.

What Are You Listening To?

Did any of the above podcasts make you smile, or better yet, teach you something new? Are there podcasts that you listen to and want to show some love? Let us know in the comments below.

Series Supported by Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10

The Digital Entertainment Series is supported by the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10, the seriously entertaining smartphone that knows how to have fun. Check it out here.

More Tech Resources from Mashable:

- 15 Essential Back to School Podcasts
- 5 Marvelous Mobile Apps for Music Discovery
- Mobile Music: Top 4 Streaming Services Compared
- 5 Great Ways to Find Music That Suits Your Mood
- 5 Free Ways to Identify that Song Stuck in Your Head

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Norebbo

Reviews: Internet, Mashable, iPhone, iStockphoto

More About: build & analyze, Digital Entertainment Series, gametrailers, indiefeed, invisible walls, List, Lists, lunch poems, podcast, podcasts, stuff you should know, tech, TED, TED Talks, the sound of young america

For more Tech coverage:

Christmas Tree Virus Hoax Spreads on Facebook [WARNING]

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 06:58 AM PST


There’s a new message spreading quickly on Facebook users’ walls, warning people about an application called “Christmas Tree.” The message is fake to our knowledge. No Internet security firm has issued a threat warning about such an application.

The message comes in several different forms, claiming the Christmas Tree Facebook app will either crash your computer or steal your personal data.

A typical message looks like this: WARNING!!!!!!…..DONOT USE THE Christmas Tree application on Facebook.Please be advised it will crash your computer. Geek squad says it’s oneof the WORST trojan-viruses there is and it is spreading quickly. Re-post and let your friends know ( from a friend )

Besides the fact that Geek Squad, a company that does IT service and computer repairs, is not a reliable source for info on new malware, Sophos claims it’s not aware of any malicious Facebook app using the Christmas Tree name.

Of course, with the message spreading as quickly as it is, it wouldn’t surprise us if someone actually created a malicious app bearing that or a similar name. That’s the problem with fake warnings: They create confusion and after a while it gets hard to distinguish the fake threats from the real ones.

Please, don’t repost the Christmas Tree virus warning, or any similar threat, unless you’re sure it comes from a credible source.

Reviews: Facebook

More About: facebook, trending

For more Social Media coverage:

Opera 11 Beta Introduces Tab Stacking

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 06:34 AM PST


Opera 11 beta is out with a new way to organize tabs, called tab stacking.

The feature lets users organize their tabs into groups as they see fit. Simply drag and drop a tab onto another and a “stack” of tabs is created, which users can expand by clicking on an adjacent arrow.

The feature will come in handy for those who tend to have a lot of tabs opened at the same time. With tab stacking, users can save tabs for later perusal or organize them into categories, saving space on the tab bar.

Opera already has the most versatile tab management features among desktop browsers. Users can expand the tab bar to see tabs as thumbnails, open a private tab that leaves no browsing information behind and manage closed tabs.

Other features of note in Opera 11 include further support for extensions, HTML5 and visual mouse gestures, as well as an improved auto-update system, a new e-mail panel and the usual array of bug squashes and optimizations.

You can download Opera 11 beta here.

Reviews: Opera

More About: browser, opera, tab, tab stacking, web browser

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This Morning’s Top Stories in Social Media and Business

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 06:20 AM PST

Social Media News

Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. We're keeping our eyes on three particular stories of interest today.

Yelp Introduces Checkin Offers

Business owners can now offer discounts and other incentives for checkins at their venues via Yelp.

Twitter, Foursquare Announce Expansions

Twitter and Foursquare have announced that they are expanding their teams, both in terms of numbers and geographic locations.

Twitter plans to “have a small number of people on the ground in Europe in 2011,” according to a spokesperson. Foursquare has opened a West Coast office and is on the lookout for engineering talent.

Phrases Unseats Farmville As Number 1 Facebook App

FarmVille has lost its number one position on Facebook to an application called Phrases, ending its long domination of Facebook's top application charts — at least in terms of monthly active users.

Further News

  • Apple has announced a special one-day shopping event on the day after Thanksgiving.
  • The FCC may soon allow U.S. residents to text 911 in an emergency.
  • Comedy Central, VH1, MTV, and Nickelodeon have joined the growing list of TV properties blocking Google TV from accessing full episode streams from their websites.
  • According to Dutch scientists, Wi-Fi may be killing trees in urban areas.
  • Director Tim Burton has taken to Twitter to create a crowd-sourced tale to promote an upcoming museum showing of his work.
  • Pocket God, one of the iPhone's best-selling game franchises, is making the leap into social gaming with its debut on Facebook.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DNY59

Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, foursquare, iStockphoto

More About: facebook, farmville, foursquare, phrases, twitter, yelp

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Checking Work E-Mail During the Holidays? You’re Not Alone [STATS]

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 05:12 AM PST

BlackBerry

A new survey from Xobni and Harris Interactive says 59% of employed American adults check their e-mail during holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Of the 59%, more than half (55%) check their work e-mails at least once a day, while about 28% check their e-mails multiple times throughout the day.

The survey was conducted online among 2,179 adults, 18 and older, earlier this month.

The survey also delved into how these workers feel about receiving these e-mails while on a holiday. Forty-one percent of those who receive work-related e-mails during time off say that they’re typically annoyed or frustrated to see the messages in their inbox. It looks like younger adults — specifically, 56% in the 18 to 34 demographic — are most likely to express these sentiments. Meanwhile, only 39% of those between 35 and 44, and 30% of those in the 45-54 age range, admit to being annoyed by work-related e-mails during the holidays. At least 12% of respondents admit to feeling dread.

But despite negative feelings, 42% of those who check their work e-mail also say they feel it’s important to stay up-to-date. Some believe it helps ease workloads — and a small number (19%) admit that the e-mails occasionally serve as a welcome distraction. Men are most likely to check their work e-mails during breaks. And as far as regions are concerned, those in the southern U.S. — 63%, in fact — are more likely to check their inboxes.

These new findings seem to be in line with a previous Xobni and Harris Interactive survey, which we reported on in September. The earlier survey looked into the habits of 2,200 workers in the U.S. and the UK. In that one, at least 50% of Americans admitted to checking e-mail during vacation days.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Daniel Go

Reviews: Flickr, Xobni

More About: e-mail, survey, trending

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