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Mashable: Latest 12 News Updates - including “Google Brings Two-step Authentication to Google Apps”


 Latest 12 News Updates - including “Google Brings Two-step Authentication to Google Apps”

 


  • Posted: 20 Sep 2010 03:31 AM PDT
        

    Google has announced a new, more secure account verification for its online services at its Google Atmosphere event in Paris.
    Initially launched for Google Apps Premier, Education and Government Edition, the new two-step authentication enables administrators to add an extra layer of security to user logins by requiring a combination of a password and a verification code provided through the users’ mobile phones.
    The system works in the following way: the user types in their login name and password, and then he/she has to type in an additional code generated by a mobile application, similar to generating code with a token, often seen in internet banking applications.
    According to Google, the feature will be added to Google Apps Standard Edition as well as individual Google users in the coming months. Also, Google promised to launch mobile editing in Google Docs for Android and the iPad “soon”.
    Google also mentioned that 3 million businesses (and 30 million users within those businesses) are now using their messaging and collaboration tools.

    Reviews: Android, Google, Google Docs
    Posted: 20 Sep 2010 02:41 AM PDT


      


    Flickr has hit a big milestone: users have uploaded five billion photos to the photo sharing service.
    The photo (above) of the Woodward’s building in Vancouver has been uploaded by a user called yeoaaron, and it’s officially the five billionth photo on Flickr. For a bit of history, check out the three billionth and the four billionth photos here and here.
    According to Flickr, users upload more than 3,000 images to the site every minute. Although Flickr is the biggest social site that focuses on photo sharing, Facebook is still much larger with this regard; a year ago, it boasted 15 billion photos overall with 220 million new pictures posted each week.
    Image courtesy of yeoaaron on Flickr

    Reviews: Facebook, Flickr
    More About: flickr, image, photo, photo sharing, social media, social networking
    Posted: 20 Sep 2010 01:22 AM PDT




        


    Napster, the service that once revolutionized the way we share music (and then went through a painful transformation from a free, copyright-be-damned music sharing app into a legal subscription service), is now available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
    The service offers 10 million full-length songs for a subscription of $10 a month, and you can even listen to those songs offline – as long as you keep paying the monthly fee.
    Features include the ability to create playlists, save songs, albums and playlists to play even when your offline, save the last 100 songs you’ve played, and check out new releases, recommendations, and Billboard charts dating back to 1955.
    Interestingly enough, a year ago the folks from Napster said they’re not planning to release an app for iPhone or other mobile platforms very soon, due to “high licensing fees for streaming to a mobile phone.” The competitors, such as Rhapsody and Spotify, have overcome that obstacle, and it seems that Napster has found it necessary to do so, too.
    The iOS Napster app is available on iTunes.
    [via Engadget]

    Reviews: Rhapsody, Spotify, iTunes
    Posted: 19 Sep 2010 10:51 PM PDT
    The rumors were true.
        

    Apple issued a press release today announcing that the iPhone 4 will be released in China on September 25 through China Unicom stores and through two new Apple stores — one in Beijing and one in Shanghai.
    The Chinese iPhone 4 won’t differ significantly from the devices sold in other countries. FaceTime, Retina display, LED flash and HD video are all there. That said, the iPhone 4 won’t be cheap there. According to the press release, the 16 GB model will sell for 5,999 yuan and the 16 GB for 4,999. That’s roughly $890 and $740, respectively.
    Before going up in arms, you should know that those prices are without a contract! The contract deals apparently won’t be available at the Apple stores, but they will through China Unicom stores. We haven’t seen anything about pricing from China Unicom yet.
    Apple has had difficulties getting the iPhone into the Chinese market in the past. This swift deployment for the iPhone 4 is probably a welcome change for the residents of the country who can afford the thing.
    More About: apple, china, iOS, iphone, iphone 4, release date
    Posted: 19 Sep 2010 08:11 PM PDT


    The mobile voice over IP (VoIP) service Fring now allows its users to make phone calls to land line and cell phone numbers anywhere in the world with prices starting at one cent per minute. Not all calls will be that cheap. Calls to Canada start at 0.4 cents per minute, and calls to India start at 1.1 cents, for example. But it’s more competition in a very small space currently dominated by Skype and to a lesser extent Google Voice.
    You used to be able to make Skype calls using the Fring applications for mobile phones like the iPhone and Android devices, but following the launch of the iPhone 4, Skype and Fring got in a bit of a scuffle and Fring users were left in the cold — no Skype access.
    Rather than bridge the gap between the two services, Fring has opted to launch its own service to connect its users with outside phone lines. That service is called fringOut, and it’s hard to miss that it sounds a lot like Skype’s own service for that purpose, SkypeOut.
    FringOut works on Nokia phones right now and iPhone and Android support are coming in the near future, according to Fring’s press release. The release doesn’t give a detailed breakdown of costs, but there’s a rate calculator at the Fring website.
    If you have a Nokia phone, give it a shot and let us know how it works. If not, hey, at least Fring provided a dorky, silent film-inspired video to keep you distracted while you wait for fringOut to show up on your platform of choice! Watch below.





    Reviews: Android, Fring, Skype, iPhone 
    Posted: 19 Sep 2010 06:52 PM PD


     If you’re a business owner and you’ve heard the recent news about Facebook’s attention-grabbing new feature for location-sharing and checkins, you’re probably itching to find out what Facebook Places can do for your business and how it can help you reach out to would-be customers and loyal regulars in your community.
    While Facebook isn’t ready to announce any special brand-platform relationships or tie-ins just yet, one Facebook ad exec told us that the company does have plans to integrate Places with its larger marketing offerings for SMBs. The best thing a business owner can do to prepare for those offerings is get familiar with the ins and outs of Facebook and location marketing now.
    Here are a few pointers for how SMBs can use Facebook Places and other marketing tools starting today.

    1. Start a Facebook Page


    In our conversation, this executive mentioned that many businesses have left out the most vital part of using Facebook Places or other features as marketing tools: They haven’t yet set up a Facebook Page for their company.
    It might seem a bit obvious to a seasoned social media marketing pro, but establishing and maintaining a lively, informative presence on Facebook as a business is an art and a science. The first step is creating a Page. You can follow Facebook’s step-by-step instructions for making your business’s Page. Once you’ve got that ball rolling, be sure to check out these articles on how to make the most of your Page and apps you can use in conjunction with your Page.

    2. Connect Your Facebook Page to a Facebook Place


    The first step in getting your Places marketing campaign rolling is connecting your business’s Page to a Place. Click here for an example of what a Facebook Place Page looks like. To get started, you’ll first need to locate your desired Place Page on Facebook.
    Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way to find a Places Page within Facebook’s website. Facebook told us: “We're currently not surfacing Place Pages within search unless you have checked in there previously or one of your friends has and you click through to the Place Page on the web.” If you haven’t done either, the best place to start is by checking in to your Place.
    To check in, use the Places features within the Facebook iPhone app. If you don't have an iPhone, use the Facebook touch mobile site on a browser that supports both HTML5 and geolocation. Click “Check In” on either platform, and choose your location. If you can’t find your location, click “+” in the mobile app or “Add” via the touch mobile site to enter the name and description of your business. Finally, check in.
    On Facebook.com (not the mobile site or the app), go to your Facebook Wall, where your checkin is logged, and click on the link to the Facebook Place. After locating the Place, click “Is this your business?” at the bottom of the Places page. Lastly, you’ll need to submit copies of paperwork proving that your place of business is legally connected to the physical address of the Facebook Place you want to claim. Or, you might be able to verify your business address over the phone. You may have to wait a short period of time after verifying your location, but eventually, your Page and Place will be linked by Facebook.
    Your business’s Place page will show Facebook users a map of where your business is located, a list of any of their friends who are currently checked in at the Place and an activity stream of others who have checked in at your business in the past. Users can “Like” and “Share” Places on their Facebook profiles, as well.
    By claiming your Place you can manage your Place's address, contact information, business hours, profile picture, admins and other settings.

    3. Build Your Facebook Community






    Once you have a Page and a Place and the two are linked, make sure that your social media marketing efforts are targeted and effective, and be sure to build out your Facebook community. Doing outreach and marketing to this group requires a little research and some attention to detail, but many small business owners have seen huge success on a marketing budget of zero just by promoting events and reaching out to their true fans on Facebook.
    The best social media marketing is cheaper than traditional online advertising, builds relationships with customers and engages your local community. Social media can get your business real results; check out some of these success stories for inspiration, and then get started with your own Facebook strategy.
    To track and measure your successes, take a look at this beginner’s guide to Facebook Insights, Facebook’s free built-in analytics tool.

    4. Get into Facebook Ads


    Because Facebook’s self-service advertising can be hyper-targeted on a number of levels, including psychological, social and geographic factors, many SMBs swear on the ability of this platform to perform. One case study showed incredibly low cost per conversion stats, and other studies show how you can tweak your own Facebook ad campaign for maximum performance.
    Once you get your head around how Facebook Ads work, you can use your Page and Place to start a quasi-Place-based campaign. To advertise your Place, go to Facebook’s ad creation workflow and click “I want to advertise something I have on Facebook.” Then, simply choose your Place from the drop-down menu.
    You can’t currently target ads to users who check in at your Place. However, you can target people who “Like” your Place page if you’ve linked your business’s Place and Page. From there, you should be able to use your imagination to create special promotions around checking in and sharing your business’s Page and Place on Facebook.

    5. Test the Location Marketing Waters with Another LBS


    If you’re familiar with Facebook’s ad campaigns and have played with Places marketing a bit, you might also want to do a smaller-scale case study using other location-based services (LBS). These campaigns might not have the saturation to show you huge ROI at first, but they’ll definitely help you get your feet wet with location-based marketing and rule out or vote up some of your early ideas without heavy promotion or spending.
    We can recommend these five apps, all of which have great partnership, advertising and marketing opportunities for SMBs. Some of them might be more prominent in your local area — as mentioned in item three, learn what social media users are playing with in your community, and use those apps to engage them.
    We’re curious to see how SMBs are testing out Facebook Places. Let us know how you are using the feature in the comments below.
     
    Posted: 19 Sep 2010 05:47 PM PDT

    Arrr! Ye Mashable readers know today be Talk Like a Pirate Day 2010, but were ye landlubbers aware that there be more ways t’ celebrate online than there are bottles o’ rum in ol’ Jack Sparrow’s locker?
    Thar be danger in the social media seas — sour enemies tellin’ tales that aren’t ‘tall funny. Ye scurvy dogs want only the best when ye enjoy ye Internet memes!
    These five selections be just a few o’ th’ ways ye and ye hearties can set sail together this evenin’, so be sure and parlay in th’ comments if ye be havin’ any other clever ideas.

    1. Make Facebook Speak Pirate






    Facebook supports countless languages, but one of them is pirate speak — did you know that? Just go to “Account Settings” (in the top-right corner of your Facebook home page), click the “Language” tab and pick “English (Pirate).”
    The result can only be described as hilarity. Be sure and look around all over Facebook because virtually everything is affected. Events are now “Grog Fests,” all your friends’ names begin with “Cap’n,” the act of deleting comments is achieved by clicking “T’ Davy Jones wit’ it!” and the Like button simply says “Arr!”
    Other companies have piggybacked their own gags on this. Visit Mint.com’s Facebook page in your native language, then return in English (Pirate) and you’ll see what we’re talking about.

    2. Use Google Maps to Find Pirate Parrrties Tonight






    Pirate Parrrties are being held across the globe in celebration of Talk Like a Pirate Day 2010. Some people dress up, drink rum, bring parrots and actually talk like pirates, so if you’re into that more power to ya, but some folks just show up for good conversation and a beer or two. And there’s no arguing with the appeal of that.
    There’s a Google Map that shows the locations of numerous parrrties around the world. Just click one one of the blue markers for more information and set sail for a night of plundering, grog and adventure.

    3. Watch Funny Pirate YouTube Videos






    This one’s pretty obvious. Just search YouTube for “Talk Like a Pirate Day” (or just “pirates”) and you’ll uncover a treasure trove of hilarity from the past few years of celebrations. We don’t have much to add to this — just try it!

    4. Read the Funny Pirate Tweets






    This is really the heart of Talk Like a Pirate Day, and it’s where it all began — with people talking like pirates on Facebook and Twitter. Search Twitter for “Talk Like a Pirate Day” and you’re bound to see some retweets of some very funny messages.
    Our favorite so far is the one we’ve included above from NPR News. “N-P-Aaarrrrrrrrr!!!” Get it? Yeah, you get it. Now go get some more funny tweets.

    5. Play Most of the Monkey Island Saga For Mere Pennies






    Ron Gilbert’s The Secret of Monkey Island, produced by LucasArts, is one of the greatest computer adventure games of all time. It’s chock full of gorgeous artwork, hilarious characters, hysterical dialogue and ridiculous puzzles. The series was recently rebooted with remastered, high definition versions of the first two games (so far) on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
    Additionally, a well-respected adventure games studio called Telltale Games produced episodic new adventures called Tales of Monkey Island. The only two Monkey Island games you can’t play recent versions of are Curse of Monkey Island and Escape From Monkey Island, though if you’re crafty you should be able to get those to work on your PC.
    However, both of the Remastered re-releases and the entire Tales series are on sale for practically nothing this weekend in celebration of Talk Like a Pirate Day. These deals are simply incredible, especially the iPhone ones and the Tales bundle. Here are the links:
    The Secret of Monkey Island (iPhone) — $0.99
    The Secret of Monkey Island (iPad) — $4.99
    Monkey Island II: LeChuck’s Revenge (iPhone) — $0.99
    Monkey Island II: LeChuck’s Revenge (iPad) — $4.99
    The Secret of Monkey Island & Monkey Island II: LeChuck’s Revenge (PC) – $7.49 for the set
    Tales of Monkey Island Episodes 1-5 (PC, Mac) — $4.95 for the set
    Image courtesy of iStockphoto, JerryPDX

    Reviews: Facebook, Internet, Twitter, YouTube, iPhone, iStockphoto
    More About: adventure, Events, facebook, Google, Google Maps, international talk like a pirate day, international talk like a pirate day 2010, iOS, ipad, iphone, iPod Touch, language, lucasarts, mac, memes, mint, mint.com, monkey island, monkey island 2, monkey island 2 lechuck's revenge, parties, pc, pirates, ron gilbert, social media, social networking, steam, tales of monkey island, talk like a pirate day, talk like a pirate day 2010, telltale games, The Secret of Monkey Island, twitter, video games, videos, youtube
    Posted: 19 Sep 2010 03:36 PM PDT


    As Facebook enters into the location market with Facebook Places, the world’s largest social network will help to make the edgy concept of checkins and location-sharing a mainstream practice.
    Facebook is just one company attempting to add location for context; there are countless others going above and beyond checkins to push the space forward. There’s also a noticeable uptick in consumer interest around applications and services that feature location for sharing or utility.
    The geolocation space is the one to watch right now — celebrities are flocking to Foursquare, location is finding a unique purpose in many mobile apps, background location is becoming a commonplace feature on smartphones, geofencing is evolving in purpose and function, and location-based social networks are proving to be the perfect platforms for cause marketing. What follows is a more detailed look at these five huge trends in location and how they will influence consumer adoption and inspire developer creativity.

    1. Hollywood Has Come Calling






    Much of Twitter’s meteoric rise to the top of the social media food chain can be attributed to celebrity adoption. Sure, we geeks got Twitter almost instantaneously, but the rest of the world — mainstream media and big brands especially — needed a nudge in the right direction. Once athletes, teen heartthrobs and movie stars discovered Twitter, they helped to solidify the service as an important medium for real-time conversations.
    Now, celebrities are slowly but surely turning their attention to location-sharing services. Foursquare is having its Hollywood moment as newbies like Ellen Degeneres and 50 Cent find a purpose for checking in while out and about.
    Foursquare’s celebrity roster also includes Arnold Schwarznegger, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Ryan Seacrest, Pee Wee Herman and Don Lemon. Even Martha Stewart appears to have taken a liking to the service.
    As influential celebrities unlock the value of Foursquare, the startup’s street cred is gaining momentum and attracting the attention of even more A-listers. We may soon find rapper Snoop Dogg checking in to Foursquare, and it sounds as if Questo of The Roots is on the inevitable path to becoming a Foursquare user as well.
    Celebrity interest in location-sharing is bound to accelerate, and will only help to further propel the trendy behavior to a more mainstream audience.

    2. Location as a Feature






    Your location is an important frame of reference for pretty much everything you do. Whether you’re sharing photos, scouting out a place to eat, searching for a movie, or simply lounging at home looking for something to do, where you are in the world matters.
    Location already factors in to most mobile search experiences, and it’s becoming an even more prevalent feature inside apps with other core purposes. Yelp and Flixster are obvious examples of how location can provide meaningful context to mobile services that exist for much different purposes.
    Mobile app Qrank takes the age-old fun of trivia and incorporates location into the mix for live, location-based trivia contests. PadMapper for iPhone and Android makes apartment hunting a little less painful by using your location as a filter for nearby results. Yoink’s iPhone app includes location functionality to make offloading junk and finding free treasures more useful than Freecycle or Craigslist.
    Foodspotting uses location to display nearby restaurant photos and create a window-shopping-like experience. Mopho’s mobile photo sharing application distinguishes itself with location — users can share their location with a photo and discover nearby people and photos. Picksie predicts activities for you via iPad, using location to zero in on the best recommendations. And the list goes on.
    The trend is also trickling over to websites with the help of geo-aware browsers. Web and mobile applications are now, more than ever, incorporating location as an experience-enhancing feature for differentiation in increasingly crowded markets.

    3. Automatic Background Behaviors






    With most smartphones capable of supporting applications that continue to run in the background, a new host of mobile applications are cropping up that log your location as a background process while you trek about.
    The basic idea — real-time location tracking — isn’t a new one. Both Loopt and Google Latitude have been experimenting with this for years. But the rise of background location and increased user interest in location-sharing together serve as a catalyst for developer interest.
    Several app makers, for instance, are attempting to make the checkin experience a more passive and implicit one. While Foursquare and Gowalla continue to operate an explicit checkin model, Checkmate and Future Checkin exist to make checkins automatic on the iPhone. Now you can check in from the car, no manual entry or phone-fiddling required.
    Loopt also leverages background location on iPhone and Android to determine the proximity between you and your Loopt friends, sending automatic alerts should a friend happen to be in the vicinity.
    For now, you’ll risk draining your battery for the convenience of running location apps in the background, but we suspect that application developers will work to better optimize the experience in their respective apps. As applications become better optimized for geolocation purposes, look for these automatic behaviors to become more sophisticated in function.

    4. Personal and Peer-to-Peer Location-Sharing






    Advancements in mobile phone location technology not only allow for automatic background location behaviors, but also facilitate real-time, private location sharing for more practical purposes of a personal variety.
    Geofencing technology powers most of these features — a geofence is nothing more than a virtual perimeter for a geographic area. Simply put, newer location-based applications enable users to build virtual fences around areas of interest. Those fences can be static or dynamic in nature, and possess properties that trigger behaviors such as notifications and automatic location updates upon zone entry or exit.
    In Neer, geofencing is used behind-the-scenes to update a user’s whereabouts and trigger follow-up behaviors. When a Neer user enters or leaves a pre-defined, geofenced region, the application will update accordingly. Friends and family will receive automatic notifications, should the user so specify.
    Geoloqi offers another approach to private location-sharing. The full-featured mobile and web platform also taps into to geofencing technology so users can leave themselves geo-located notes and perform time-saving automatic location-specific activities — think sending and receiving SMS messages when you enter or leave designated areas.
    These private location-sharing activities could come in handy if you want to automatically notify a friend that you’re on your way to their house, or auto-email your boss that you’re running late. The service is currently limited to beta testers, but it certainly highlights the practical potential of background location for personal and peer-to-peer use.

    5. Location as a Platform to Make a Statement






    MTV recently worked with Foursquare to create the Get Yourself Tested badge. The proactive initiative is designed to encourage sexually active young adults to check in when they visit a clinic, and help to remove the stigma around the experience. The campaign is working — in just a few weeks time, Foursquare has doled out more than 3,000 Get Yourself Tested badges.
    Whether or not you agree with the mission behind the Get Yourself Tested campaign, MTV is successfully using Foursquare as a platform to promote a cause they believe to be important.
    Last year, Foursquare teamed up with Pepsi to launch a check in for charity initiative in the New York area. Foursquare user activity over the course of one weekend helped raise $9,200 for CampInteractive. The campaign also caught the attention of an anonymous donor who stepped in to donate $50,000, putting the funds raised for the non-profit during the weekend promo just shy of $60,000.
    Location-based cause marketing has also found a home on Gowalla. The location-sharing challenger, which takes a stamp-based approach to city exploration, recently partnered with TOMS Shoes on their One for One movement — TOMS matches every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes for a child in need. The partnership was designed to raise awareness around TOMS Shoes’ one-millionth shoe drop and promote the cause through checkins. Gowalla estimates that it helped to expose the campaign to more than 522,000 people.
    Gowalla is also linked with LIVESTRONG. During the Tour de France, Gowalla users could check in to share their messages of hope and inspiration for those affected by cancer. Those messages were painted on the streets thanks to the help of a Nike/LIVESTRONG Chalkbot.
     
    Posted: 19 Sep 2010 02:18 PM PDT


    Today Facebook denied rumors that it’s building a phone, and though that probably means there technically won’t be a Facebook-branded phone any time soon, some of what the company is doing in the mobile space could still be worthy of enthusiasm.
    In its denial Facebook hinted at the projects that it is working on: “everything from an HTML5 version of the site to apps on major platforms to full Connect support with SDKs to deeper integrations with some manufacturers.”
    One of those (the HTML5 version of the site) is a no-brainer but welcome information; some mobile devices’ browsers don’t support Flash, which is utilized in some Facebook apps including the video player. The second item (Connect support) is an odd choice because Facebook has said that it will phase out Facebook Connect in favor of its Open Graph system. The deeper integration tidbit is the real meat in this statement.
    Facebook went on to say: “Our view is that almost all experiences would be better if they were social, so integrating deeply into existing platforms and operating systems is a good way to enable this.”
    The developers working on Facebook’s mobile projects are of high pedigree. As we said earlier, one is the creator of the astoundingly popular Facebook iPhone app and the other worked on Google’s Chrome OS. These guys are probably not just working on bonus features for iPhone users and the like.

    Let’s Not Get Carried Away


    Our guess is that Facebook is working on something bigger, but we’re wary of declaring that it’s working on its own mobile operating system. That space is highly saturated, and unless Facebook has a revolutionary plan to deliver mobile ads more effectively than Apple or Google’s frameworks, the risk is too high for rewards so elusive.
    The Facebook response that we broke is PR damage control over a leak — we’ll buy that. But “deeper integration” is not that vague a concept. Facebook plans to work more closely with existing platforms, not create its own.
    Picture a mobile initiative that integrates social contacts and ads based on user data, with Open Graph-like scale. This platform could operate inside Android and iPhone apps. That sort of thing is appropriate to the experience level of the people on the project, it’s in keeping with Facebook’s existing strategies and trends, and it doesn’t fly in the face of Facebook’s public statement on the matter.
    We’ve seen others in the media say the Facebook phone is likely still real despite Facebook’s denial because Google released similar statements when asked about a Google phone before Android was unveiled, but there’s a logical fallacy there. Both companies made statements of denial using similar language, but the incidents are unrelated.
    The online tech media is apt to jump on each new leak or piece of information with incredible fervor, and sometimes that serves us well. But let’s not put this development out of context. Take what you know of Facebook’s trajectory and its existing business model and use that to inform your interpretation of any leaks, and you’ll come up with something much more conservative than the punchy tweet about “the Facebook phone.”

    Reviews: Android, Facebook, Google, iPhone, picture
    Posted: 19 Sep 2010 12:36 PM PDT


    In 2007, Chris Hughes left Facebook, the social network he co-founded with Harvard roommates Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz, to work for the man who would become America’s 44th President. As the Director of Online Organizing for then-Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, Hughes was tasked with building online, social tools to engage and empower supporters in ways that had never been done before.
    Hughes oversaw the development of the on-site my.barackobama.com network, as well as the campaign’s unprecedented use of social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. The work Hughes did for the Obama campaign has helped to shape the current generation of online organizing tools and practices.
    This year, Hughes launched Jumo, a “social network to connect people who want to change the world.” We had a chance to connect with Hughes and pick his brain about the social good space, online organization, and Jumo.
    Chris Hughes will be speaking Monday at the Mashable & 92Y Social Good Summit in New York City.

    The Interview


    Q: What lessons did you learn from Facebook and the Obama campaign?
    As we've seen with the rise of Facebook, people of all ages and backgrounds use technology to connect to the people and things they care about. But social networks like Facebook aren't optimized exclusively for enabling social change. It takes building a structure on top of platforms like Facebook to make it easy for people to do something meaningful.
    We saw on the Obama campaign you've got to combine content and technology to facilitate action. The most important factor in spurring someone to action is timely, personally and relevant content delivered carefully and consistently over an extended period of time. The more that a person internalizes the contours and dynamics of an issue or challenge, the more likely they are to invest in an emotional and personal way. The technology is there to make it easy for them to act.
    Q: Why did you decide to move into the social sector?
    After the campaign, I spent a lot of time talking to people in the social sector who wanted to know how they could use social media to have greater impact on the world. They were frustrated, often understandably, that they had little to show for their investment in the social web.
    From a personal perspective, the Internet wasn't helping me – or anyone I knew – stay consistently informed on the issues I care about.
    We're missing a fundamentally important technology that connects passionate people to the right organizations working for global change in a sustainable, long-term, and results-oriented way. That's the gap that I want to fill.
    Q: What is Jumo building?
    Jumo is building a social network to connect people who want to change the world. We make it easy for people to find, follow, and support those who work day in and day out on the challenges our world faces. We don't make normative judgments about what people should care about – we're just the infrastructure that helps the individual pursue her passions in a more meaningful way.
    Q: What are the ingredients that make online organizing successful?
    Online organizing starts with the message. It's got to resonate with people and help them understand why that particular issue or candidate or cause is important. You then have to provide opportunities that are meaningful. People have come to see through petitions or pledges and are searching to key into a cause at a deeper level.
    Q: Where are the real opportunities for social media to truly change the world?
    In my view, "social media" is shorthand for any personal expression made on the Internet that reaches people who are likely to care about it. In a lot of ways, what is labeled "social media" is just an online extension of the conversations that used to happen at the dinner table or over the phone. Now when a person expresses an opinion or talks about what they like or are interested in, that information is recorded and moves much broader, much faster.
    I think the challenge in using social media to change the world is two-fold: developing messaging and content that drives people to care, and constantly reimagining ways for technology to foster meaningful action.
    Q: How do you motivate people to go beyond talk on social networks to taking real-world action?
    Let's not forget that there is immense value in "talking." This sharp differentiation between "talking" and "action" is a false dichotomy and suggests that there isn't value in talking and learning about the issues in front of us. If anything, I think we need to be talking more about the challenges our world faces to deepen our understanding and commitment to solving them.
    At the same time, we should be constantly thinking about how to use networks to help take action. For a lot of the challenges the world faces, I don't think we need to use social networks to reinvent the wheel. There are millions of people who work inside programs and organizations across the world. They are experts; they are fighters. I'm interested in using social networks to help supplement and extend their work.
    Posted: 19 Sep 2010 11:03 AM PD


    Rumors surfaced earlier today that Facebook was building a mobile device based on Google’s Android OS. According to an official representative however, the company is not, in fact, developing a device.
    Spokesperson Jaime Schopflin revealed the following in a statement to Mashable:
    “The story, which originated in Techcrunch, is not accurate. Facebook is not building a phone. Our approach has always been to make phones and apps more social. Current projects include include everything from an HTML5 version of the site to apps on major platforms to full Connect support with SDKs to deeper integrations with some manufacturers.  Our view is that almost all experiences would be better if they were social, so integrating deeply into existing platforms and operating systems is a good way to enable this. For an example, check out Connect for iPhone and the integration we have with contact syncing through our iPhone app.  Another example is the INQ1 phone with Facebook integration (the first so-called ‘Facebook Phone’). The people mentioned in the story are working on these projects. The bottom line is that whenever we work on a deep integration, people want to call it a ‘Facebook Phone’ because that’s such an attractive soundbite, but building phones is just not what we do.”
    The rumors began with a report from TechCrunch earlier this morning, which claimed that Facebook’s Joe Hewitt and Matthew Papakipos were secretly working on a Facebook-branded phone, and that the company was “working with a third party to actually build the hardware.” Joe Hewitt is the creator of Facebook’s iPhone app and one of the creators of the Firefox web browser; Matthew Papakipos was the former engineering director of Google’s Chrome OS.
    The rumors gained greater traction after an anonymous source told Silicon Alley Insider that Facebook was using Google’s Android OS for the device “for sure.”
    So although a Facebook-branded mobile device will not appear on the market anytime soon, we can look forward to what Schopflin describes as “deeper integrations with some manufacturers” including, perhaps, those who produce devices based on Google’s Android OS.
    Thanks to Mashable’s Ben Parr for his help on this report.

    Reviews: Facebook, Firefox, Google, Mashable
    Posted: 19 Sep 2010 10:05 AM PD


    This fall, brands, marketers and media turned to social media to generate real-time coverage and buzz among followers of New York Fashion Week — and nowhere was the impact of those efforts more apparent than on Twitter.
    According to social media measurement platform Trendrr, which produced the infographs below, more than 165,000 tweets pertaining to Fashion Week were posted between Thursday, September 9 and Thursday, September 16.
    Friday, September 10 was the biggest day at 34,000 tweets; hashtag #nyfw also became a trending topic on Twitter that day. Of the tweets delivered during that period, 70% came from female users, 50% were positive and 17% were negative in sentiment.
    The conversation generated a number of benefits for brands who were active during the week, most of which received a healthy increase in followers. Diane von Furstenberg led the way with an increase of 3,000 followers, whose show garnered positive reviews both in print and online. Betsey Johnson and Michael Kors both netted around 2,000 additional followers, the latter of whom received positive feedback in 65% of the tweets posted during and after the show.
    One of the more surprising beneficiaries of Twitter buzz was South Korean designer Bumsuk Choi, who managed to boost his Twitter following by 1,200 followers — a 40% increase from his previous following — despite not having delivered a single tweet in English throughout the week.
    "What's fascinating is that I can remember three years ago watching Fashion Week first show up in the public timeline on Twitter, and now the entire industry is unlocking the value of social/digital media in a diverse and impressive variety of methods,” Trendrr Founder and CEO Mark Ghuneim observed. “From the beautiful American Express/Twitter destination site, to Marc Jacobs's live streams, to QR codes, to Facebook and Foursquare promos, and more, there seemed to be no social network or channel that went un-leveraged this year,” he said.
    Did you follow New York Fashion Week on Twitter? What interesting trends did you observe?

    Infographs






    Tweets related to Fashion Week between August 1 and September 16. Friday, September 10 was the biggest day at 34,000 tweets, followed by Tuesday, September 14 at 21,000 tweets.




    Between September 9 and 16, 70% of tweets related to Fashion Week came from female users, 50% of which were positive and 17% of which were negative in sentiment.




    Twitter conversations pertaining to the event were, perhaps unsurprisingly, heavily concentrated in New York.




    Both Michael Kors and Betsey Johnson received a boost in followers and mentions throughout the week.




    Foursquare checkins at major Manhattan department stores during Fashion’s Night Out.
    Image courtesy of GoRunway.com, Monica Feudi.

    Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter
      
    Posted: 19 Sep 2010 07:55 AM PDT

         
    social media icons

    We’re back with a cause-themed weekend roundup in anticipation of the Mashable Social Good Summit this Monday, September 20.
    Below you’ll find a section dedicated to our recent slew of Social Good resources including apps, trends, and several surveys of modern fundraising. We’ve also got all the classics in our Social Media section with resources on how Digg can survive, details on fashion week, and the future of social media journalism. Tech & Mobile has iPad apps for Twitter power users, and some guides on Internet Explorer 9. Finally, Business reveals details on popular startups, how to pick a great office location, and how to hire a designer.
    Looking for even more social media resources? This guide appears every weekend, and you can check out all the lists-gone-by here any time.

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