Home � � Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including ““Fruit Ninja” Reveals New Arcade Mode”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including ““Fruit Ninja” Reveals New Arcade Mode”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including ““Fruit Ninja” Reveals New Arcade Mode”


“Fruit Ninja” Reveals New Arcade Mode

Posted: 02 Nov 2010 03:26 AM PDT

Halfbrick has just announced a major addition to Fruit Ninja. The secret behind the mysterious ‘coming soon’ banana has been revealed to be an all new arcade mode.

Calling it, “the most intense and exciting addition to Fruit Ninja yet,” Halfbrick will release the revision as a free update in early November. Halfbrick will first release Arcade Mode for iOS devices, like iPhone and iPad, and then later complete the circle with Android.

The Fruit Ninja arcade mode spans 60 seconds and revolves around bonus colored bananas that unleash:

  • “Double Points – This banana will award you double points for a short period of time. Criticals and combos count too, so rack up those fruit for some massive scores!”
  • “Frenzy – If you're not content with the amount of fruit on screen, the Frenzy banana will take care of that. A mammoth amount of fruit will begin flying in, but you have to stay focused to slice it all!”
  • “Freeze – The entire screen will slow down, allowing for maximum accuracy and combo potential!”

If that didn’t get you excited, Halfbrick also sent along this epic Michael Bay-esque teaser:


Reviews: Android, iPhone

More About: android, fruit ninja, halfbrick, iOS, mobile gaming, video games

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iOS 4.2 Goes Gold, Brings New Multitasking Bar

Posted: 02 Nov 2010 02:31 AM PDT


The next version of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 4.2, has gone gold and was released to developers, meaning the official version should reach the consumers’ devices in a matter of weeks or even days.

One of the biggest changes in iOS 4.2 is the new multitasking bar for the iPad, which now has both volume and brightness controls, as well as a dedicated AirPlay button.

Apple also seems to have enabled users to log into MobileMe settings using an Apple ID, but the option is not fully functional yet.

Image courtesy of deanostetto, Macrumors


Reviews: MobileMe

More About: apple, developers, ios 4.2, ipad, iphone, ipod, Mobile 2.0

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SCVNGR Uses Google’s Places Database for Aggressive International Expansion

Posted: 02 Nov 2010 01:39 AM PDT


SCVNGR CEO Seth Priebatsch projects that the young location-based startup will hit one million members by year’s end. That aggressive prediction is based in part around today’s news: SCVNGR has gone international and just went live in more than 70 countries.

SCVNGR is leveraging the Google Places database to power the international expansion of its newly improved iPhone and Android apps. The startup is the first to publicly launch with the Google Places API, which is currently limited to select parties as a developer preview.

The default SCVNGR interface for international users will be in English, but application users can add content and create custom challenges in their native languages.

The decision to piggyback on Google’s comprehensive place database was a necessary one, especially considering the startup does not have its own proprietary database for places — like Foursquare, for instance. It has, instead, been using Twitter-owned GeoAPI for U.S. place data. SCVNGR will solely use the Google Places API moving forward.

SCVNGR’s success stateside can be attributed to a number of developments like deep Facebook Places integration, but enterprise partnerships and retailer rewards have also been key factors contributing to growth. Internationally, SCVNGR may be a bit of a underdog in the location space. Priebatsch admits that the company has yet to forge relationships with international retailers around rewards, but does say that one partnership with a London brand is in the works.

Prior to today, SCVNGR was available in the U.S. only. Despite this obvious limitation, the startup has still managed to attract more than 500,000 members in just a few months time.


Reviews: Android, Foursquare, Google

More About: geolocation, google places, international, location based social networks, scvngr

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After Giants’ World Series Win, San Francisco Erupts in Riots

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 11:58 PM PDT


San Francisco is spotted with fires, vandalism and violence tonight; and the social web is showing us every gruesome detail.

Thanks to a few live streams and some citizen journalism, we’re finding out a lot more about the current state of San Francisco than traditional media would usually afford us.

The city’s baseball team, the Giants, won the World Series earlier this evening; it’s taken almost no time for the city’s ordinarily peaceful citizens to erupt in wild, rowdy and ultimately dangerous celebration.

While some people on the web are joking about hashtags and Foursquare “SFRiot” checkins, others are listening to a live stream of the city’s police scanner. If you’d like to tune in, click this link, which will allow you to download a playlist containing the stream.

So far, we’ve heard unbelievable but nonetheless true stories: There aren’t (yet) enough police to control the crowds, and available officers are improvising as best they can while calling other agencies in for support.

Still, crowds are surrounding and attacking police (at least one one officer may be down), store windows are being broken, citizens are found unconscious, cars and at least one bus have been set on fire. From the scanner alone, we are being shown a picture of utter mayhem.

UPDATE: A squad car containing assault rifles was just broken into, according to the police scanner.

UPDATE 2: Six shots were just fired in the Bayview at Third and Hollister. Simultaneously, officers from San Mateo are being sent back home and the scanner activity is becoming less frenetic; it seems San Francisco police are beginning to get things more under control at around one in the morning.

But a more literal picture is appearing as people on the scene send in snapshots to Twitter:

Twitter users are also sending in mobile videos such as this one shot at AT&T Park and this one from an unknown location.
You can see tweets reporting various acts of vandalism, police actions and more in this interactive map. Or you can simply follow the hashtags #SFRiots and #SFRiot on Twitter.com.

Here’s some video recently captured from 22nd and Mission, one of the hardest-hit areas:

Images courtesy of YFrog users alecdet and fredsharples, and instagr.am user Andrew Mager.


Reviews: Twitter, foursquare

More About: giants, sfriot, sfriots, trending, world series

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Why Google Is Suing the U.S. Government

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 11:32 PM PDT


Google has filed suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior for anti-competitive behavior. The company says the department did not seriously consider Google Apps as its client for handling messaging needs.

The central issue surrounds a requirement by the DOI stating that any messaging solution had to include integration with Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite. In a 37-page document, Google goes step-by-step through how it believes the DOI engaged in anti-competitive behavior.

It basically says this:

  • The DOI issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ), a document which asks companies to quote the department a price for creating and implementing a solution to a specific problem. According to the lawsuit, the DOI wanted to, “acquire a single, hosted e-mail and collaboration services solution to support its approximately 88,000 users throughout the agency.”
  • The RFQ had a restriction though: Only solutions based on Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite-Federal (BPOS-Federal) could be proposed. Google called foul, saying it was “unduly restrictive of competition.”
  • Google then outlined a series of conversations it had with the DOI prior to the RFQ. In them, Google tried unsuccessfully to make the case that Google Apps is a viable alternative and that it would fulfill the government’s security requirements.
  • Eventually, Google’s e-mails fell on deaf ears, and the company was informed that the DOI had issued an RFQ including the Microsoft requirement.
  • The document then covers the DOI’s justification for Microsoft’s product because of “Limited Source Justification.” Essentially, two features of Microsoft’s BPOS-Federal suite are considered “critical” to the DOI’s implementation of a secure communication system focused around unified e-mail and security.

What Google is requesting from the courts is an injunction prohibiting the Department of the Interior from proceeding with the RFQ until it removes the Microsoft BPOS-Federal requirement.

This is about precedent just as much as it is about money; if Google doesn’t challenge the DOI on this issue, future RFQs from other departments might have similar requirements. With 88,000+ potential new customers from the DOI alone, Google can’t afford to cede these markets because somebody else’s products are entrenched in the establishment.

Whether Google Apps really do meet the DOI’s security requirements though is another issue entirely.

[via TechDirt]


Reviews: Google

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Code for America Chooses 20 Developers as Fellows

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 10:56 PM PDT


Code for America, the refreshingly ambitious app project that brings city-changing technology to a handful of lucky communities, has just named 20 top developers to be fellows in the program this year.

Throughout 2011, these developers will convene in San Francisco to build apps for communities in need.

During February 2011, the fellows will be sent to their assigned cities to work with city officials. The five cities chosen to receive custom applications this year were Boston, Boulder, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Seattle.

During their year of service, developers will receive a stipend, healthcare, travel expenses, training and guaranteed interviews at major tech companies and startups once the program is complete.

In this cycle, one of the applications that will be built is an Open311-type project. Another app, which is slated to be built for and used in Philadelphia, will allow citizens to monitor and give feedback on city hall proposals.

Of course, all Code for America apps will be made open source upon completion. The apps will all be showcased at a launch conference in September 2011 in San Francisco.

More than 360 developers applied for the fellowships. The applicants were asked to participate in interviews, submit essays, complete case problems and undergo the scrutiny of a committee, which was made up of industry leaders such as Irene Au of Google, Paul Buchheit of Facebook, Anil Dash of Expert Labs and many more.

The full list of fellows can be found on Code for America’s site.


Reviews: Facebook, Google

More About: code for america, developers, social good

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Who Cared About the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear? [STATS]

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 09:41 PM PDT

R2D2. A giant, paper mache Stephen Colbert. The Roots. All three, as well as many other guests and musical performers, graced the stage of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s humongous, government-satirizing, sanity-restoring mock rally held this past Saturday in Washington, DC.

There was a huge push from both Stewart and Colbert to include their fans and reach out through social media. I previously proclaimed that the rally, a joint event held on the National Mall, “nailed social media.” Well, did it?

We got a chance to look at some of the stats from the rally and the results are pretty impressive:

  • Livestream: There were 570,000 live video streams of the event through ComedyCentral.com or via phones. It was one of the biggest livestreaming events ever for MTV Networks. Most fans watched for an average of 37 minutes.
  • Sites: There were more than 800,000 visitors to Rally-related sites on Saturday alone across Comedy Central Digital.
  • Twitter: There were over 120,000 tweets on Saturday. Those tweets made up half of the total Twitter mentions for the rally.
  • Foursquare: An “Epic Swarm” event registered more than 50,000 checkins and 25,000 badge unlocks.
  • Apps: Within 48 hours, fans downloaded the rallies’ mobile apps 117,000 times in total (iPhone and Android).
  • Photos: More than 35,000 photos from the rally were uploaded within the mobile apps or tagged on Flickr.

For a one day event, it’s safe to say that the rally did pretty darn well. There was, however, some mild frustration at Stewart’s supposed dismissal of social aggregator Reddit for its role in the rally at a press conference following the rally. On the contrary, both Colbert and Stewart thank their online community for getting behind the rally (in the works since the summer, according to Stewart) and for the incredible push the online community made towards helping Colbert’s chosen charity, Donorschoose.org.

Some criticized the rally for being too extravagant or self-congratulatory, that the attempted humor of the day would overshadow or make irrelevant the real message of the rally. A fake debate between Colbert and Stewart played on the absurdities of modern politics much the same way they do on live television, but Stewart then broke away to deliver a (relatively) straight address for sanity, a “clarion call,” as he put it. Even if it didn’t work, at least people tuned in.

With all the hilarity and hub-bub happening onstage, what do you make of the final social media results from the day? Less than expected? More than expected? What does this say about how (and who) engages online, and what lessons can we learn from the fact that two fake pundits were willing to make a quasi-real stand against a critical divide in American politics? Join the conversation in the comments below.

jon stewart image


stephen colbert image

More About: john stewart, march to keep fear alive, rally to restore sanity, rally to restore sanity and or fear, social media, stats, stephen colbert, summary

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New Startup Seeks to Turn Your Mobile Phone into a Wallet Replacement

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 08:34 PM PDT


This post is part of Mashable's Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: Cimbal

Quick Pitch: Cimbal is an electronic payment network using software-based contact-free communication technology to turn a smartphone into a payment tool in-store, online and person-to-person.

Genius Idea: Thanks to a slew of startups pushing the mobile payment space forward, mobile phones are fast-becoming an acceptable form of payment tender and are serving as convenient replacements for credit card terminals.

Square helps merchants and consumers accept credit card payments via mobile devices, PayPal’s Mobile Checkout Express powers Starbucks’ QR code mobile payment pilot program and Venmo enables friends to exchange funds via iPhone or SMS.

Newly launched startup Cimbal seeks to be the best of a bunch by satisfying all the aforementioned purposes with a consumer- and merchant-friendly software-only approach to mobile payments.

Cimbal produces a unique 2-dimensional barcode (otherwise known as a QR code) for each transaction. The payee can initiate payment from their mobile device by scanning the QR code via the Cimbal app. Codes are scannable on the web, in stores, on print materials (like invoices) and on other mobile devices.

Merchants can integrate these codes into their point-of-sale software to accept mobile payments via iPhone or Android — no hardware required. There’s also no license fee for merchants, but they do pay per transaction at rates that vary based on the volume of transactions.

Consumers can use the mobile apps to pay for retail goods, or exchange funds with friends instantaneously. Cimbal users will, for the time being, find the most value in the person-to-person payment options. Should you wish to collect on an IOU (and your Cimbal account has been authenticated), you can use the mobile app to request payment. Cimbal will generate an invoice with the code to send via e-mail.

There’s also a proximity payment option for users wishing to exchange funds with friends in the same place at the same time. The seller will request payment and Cimbal will generate the code as usual, but the payee can simply scan the code from the seller’s mobile phone to initiate payment.

One way Cimbal stands out is in its ability to speedily authorize payments and settle transactions in real time. What this means is that merchants or consumers who accept a mobile payment via Cimbal will find those funds deposited into their accounts instantly.

CEO Christopher Boone tells Mashable that the startup is currently working with department stores and grocery retailers and could make Cimbal’s mobile payment solution available at these merchants as soon as Q4 of 2010.

Cimbal is operating on an undisclosed amount of angel funding and is currently pursuing a substantial Series A round with interested investors, says Boone. Because Cimbal only works if both parties in the payment exchange use the service, it faces the same challenges as Venmo around user adoption.


Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark


BizSpark is 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: Android, Mashable

More About: bizspark, cimbal, mobile payments, small business, spark-of-genius, startup

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eBay + Paypal + Facebook Connect = Group Gift-Buying

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 07:00 PM PDT


In an attempt to capitalize on the rise of social commerce, online auction behemoth eBay launched its Group Gifts service today, enabling users to source the power of their social networks to collectively purchase gifts.

In the case of giving big gifts on a small budget, Group Gifts enables users to “share the love (and the expense) by buying a group gift with your friends.” Getting started is really simple — I completed the process of picking out a gift, inviting my friends to help and purchasing the gift in about 20 minutes. Granted, the gift I chose was quite inexpensive, and I was able to recruit friends from various networks quickly.

We spoke with Andy Palmer, manager of buyer experience for Group Gifts, to learn a bit more about the service.


The Inspiration Behind Group Gifts


With the growing importance of the social graph, and the booming group buying industry, it’s not a surprise that social commerce is one of the next steps towards integrating one’s social networking and buying experiences. We asked Palmer about eBay’s intentions for its newest service, and he indulged us by explaining eBay’s inspiration for and approach to developing Group Gifts:

“The inspiration came from a couple of places. First, eBay saw that people were using social websites to buy virtual gifts for their friends at a very high frequency. We thought that it made sense to take that to the next level and help people come together to buy actual gifts. Perhaps more importantly, eBay recognized that the process of group gifting as it exists in the world today can be difficult and frustrating at times, which is a shame because giving as a group is a wonderful way to give people bigger, better gifts without spending too much during these tougher economic times.

“eBay worked to create a product that would eliminate the major pain points of group gifting while leveraging unbeatable online assets to make the process even easier. By integrating eBay, PayPal and Facebook into this application, we give users an experience that employs the largest online marketplace, the safest online payment mechanism, and two of the largest social communities in the world. In doing so, eBay has created an experience that makes giving as a group easy, intuitive and fun — as it should be.”


Creating and Choosing a Group Gift


Creating a gift is as easy as inputting the gift recipient’s name and the occasion; but note that in order to set up a group gift, you will need to have a PayPal account so gift contributions can be collected.

If you’re hoping to get a more personalized list of gift suggestions, though, you should consider using Facebook Connect. Palmer explains, “To make more relevant gift suggestions, eBay uses information from the gift recipient's Facebook profile to help you find their perfect gift. We match that with event information and popular gift ideas to deliver an inspirational collection of gift recommendations.”

After inputting information about the recipient, you’ll be served a list of suggestions. If you click “Get social search suggestions,” eBay pulls in the recipient’s interests from Facebook. In this case, for Meghan Peters’s Festivus gift, eBay pulled in Peters’s favorite books and music as listed on her Facebook profile. Palmer elaborated on the social search suggestions:

“Social search suggestions are gift suggestions eBay makes for your friend based on information we've pulled from their Facebook profile. These suggestions are what eBay considers ‘targeted inspiration.’ You'll see a results set after clicking on one of the suggestions that will be relevant to your friend's interest while delivering a broad spectrum of related items.

“In some cases, friends may have selected privacy settings that don't allow outside access to their profile information. For those instances, we cannot share suggestions based on Facebook information.”

It’s interesting to note that Amazon did precisely the same thing over the summer, but their Facebook integration only shows suggested items; it doesn’t add the extra benefit of being able to make group purchases.

Besides the social search suggestions, you can also choose from categories (such as Fashionista, Nester or Lady Gadget, in this case) that “change based on both the person you've selected and the occasion you've chosen,” according to Palmer. And if you’re still not sure what gift to choose, you can check out some of the “Top Products” on eBay to see what’s popular amongst the masses. You can also access eBay Lists from the gift selection page, in case you’ve saved items that the recipient may enjoy.

Note that you can only purchase “Buy It Now” items for group giving, as the total purchase amount is known — auction items are off limits. And if your gift sells out or expires before your group raises enough money, you can replace it with a similar item or issue a refund to contributors.


Inviting Friends to Pitch In


Now we get to the fun part — getting friends on board to help buy an awesome gift! After choosing the gift, you’re prompted to decide how much you’ll be contributing, enter your PayPal account information and sign the virtual greeting card that is generated once the gift purchase is complete.

You can then send email invites or Facebook invites privately; spread the word publicly by posting on Facebook or Twitter; or share the unique group gift URL, which directs users to the group gift page (pictured below).

From there, the only thing left to do is fulfill the goal and you’re on your way to purchasing a group gift.

We’ve covered the bulk of what you need to know to get started, but you can learn more at the official site.

What do you think of eBay’s Group Gifts service? Will you be testing it out? Let us know in the comments below.


Reviews: Facebook, Twitter

More About: e-commerce, ebay, eBay Group Gifts, ecommerce, facebook, facebook connect, social commerce, trending

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Google Introduces API Console

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 05:15 PM PDT


If you use Google APIs much, you might be interesting in checking out Google’s latest product for developers.

Coming straight from the fine people at Google Code, the API console is the fruit of a yearlong effort to better organize Google’s APIs.

The new console will help developers manage their API usage for all their applications and websites.

For the console, you can log in with your Google credentials to see data for all your API projects. If you’re working with a team, you can create and manage project teams from the console.

The console will also help you track exactly how you use each API, and you can get stats on API usage for your app or site, such as specific rate limits, which pages are making the most API calls and graphs of API usage over time.

Right now, the API console supports a handful of Google APIs (including APIs for Buzz, Translate, Custom Search and five others) with support for more expected soon.


In other Google APIs news, the Google Developer Team is also happy to announce new, improved APIs for Translate and Custom Search. The new Custom Search API will return search results in Atom or JSON syndication formats in addition to XML and the Custom Search element.

These refreshed APIs and the new console are the first built on the company’s new API architecture, which is discussed in the hour-long Google I/O video below. What do you think of the console so far? Is it useful for you, either personally or professionally?


Reviews: Google, coming

More About: api, api console, api management, Google, google code

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Facebook Testing “Popular Places” Module

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 04:17 PM PDT


Some folks are seeing a new, Places-based, checkin-focused module on Facebook.

“Popular Places” shows locations at which friends in your network frequently check in. It appears for some users on the right column of the web interface, where you might normally see events, advertisements or the increasingly irrelevant “poke” list.

Ideally, this new feature could help you find interesting, personally relevant destinations in your area. It will also be one of the first ways Facebook is singling out and surfacing checkins aside from having them appear in the news feed.

The module was first spotted in the wild by Inside Facebook, which publication reported in September that a “Recent Checkins” module had also been spotted on the site.

Facebook launched Places, its location-based checkin service, in August. A developer API was launched the same day. The API was read-only; The functionality of a “recent checkins” or “popular places” app is the kind of thing that would be enabled by a read-only API.

Facebook released write and search APIs to a limited number of private beta partners, including such companies as Foursquare and Yelp, back in August.

However, from the point of view of the businesses operating at those locations, Popular Places also acts as a bit of free advertising — all the more reason for SMBs (that’s small and medium-sized businesses) to start using Places, in conjunction with Facebook Pages, now.

While there are rumors about Facebook Places-based advertising deals in the works, nothing has yet been confirmed by Facebook. Businesses’ best bet for the time being is organic marketing — encouraging visitors to check in and hoping those checkins pop up frequently in the stream and in Places-focused modules.

Have you seen Popular Places or other Places-based modules randomly popping up on Facebook.com? Let us know in the comments!

Image courtesy of Inside Facebook.


Reviews: Facebook, Yelp, foursquare

More About: facebook, Facebook Places

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Microsoft Wants You to Manage Your Gmail from Your Hotmail

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 03:17 PM PDT


Hotmail has released a cool new feature today: the ability to receive and send e-mails from other addresses, including ones from Gmail or Yahoo Mail.

The new feature, announced by Microsoft earlier today, is pretty straightforward. Users just have to register and validate their outside e-mail addresses, which then allows them to manage their outside e-mail accounts from inside Hotmail via POP.

Hotmail users already have the ability to send e-mails from another address through the “Send As” feature, but today’s update provides a more complete e-mail management experience.

Gmail and Yahoo Mail both have similar features for managing multiple e-mail accounts. Microsoft is hoping to keep users familiar with the Hotmail interface on their servers by making it easy to manage their other e-mail accounts via the service. Some people have work accounts they’d rather manage via Hotmail; others might not want to send messages from the Hotmail domain but still like the interface. These are the types of users Microsoft is targeting.

With nearly 350 million users, Hotmail is still by far the most popular webmail service around, but Microsoft is feeling the pressure from its competition. The tech giant recently revamped its webmail client with a slew of new features to keep it competitive with its Google and Yahoo counterparts.


Reviews: Google, gmail

More About: e-mail, gmail, Google, hotmail, microsoft

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100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 02:58 PM PDT

social_media_events_guide1

Every week, Mashable puts together a calendar of upcoming social media and web events, parties and conferences. Would you like to have your conference or event listed here? If so, please contact us at least one month before your event to establish a media partnership. For more upcoming listings, check out Mashable’s Events section.

In the meantime, here are some tips on how to network, share your information and/or promote your event(s) using social media:

Mashable’s Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace.


November 1-2, 2010, New York, NY: Are you a health marketing and communications professional? Please join us at unNiched 2010, a unique collaborative boot camp where you will actively learn and use collaboration, strategic marketing and communications skills. Using our unNiched Innovation Model, gain the tools to create and drive marketing communications success within (and without) your organization. In addition, you’ll have access to a private online group and learn from a range of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AIDS.gov, Edelman, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and the Stanford University Persuasive Technology Lab. Use the discount code Mashable and get 10% off.


November 1-2, 2010, Dubai, UAE: Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Summit at Total Marketing Discuss and debate the opportunities and challenges faced by marketers in leveraging social media as a marketing tool. Hear from leading organizations on how they managed to turn Twitter and LinkedIn amongst others into powerful communication channels! Getting in at the top of any search remains a key focus for many organizations today. Hear from leading practitioners on how best practice strategies and innovative methods to get the most out of the internet. Register and save 15% when using code MASHABLE-TM. For more information, visit www.totalmarketing2010.com.


November 2-3, 2010, Ft. Lauderdale, FL: BlueGlass FL is an online marketing conference featuring today's leaders in the Social Media, Search Marketing & Venture Capital industries. BlueGlass combines cutting edge educational seminars where high profile industry experts discuss the latest trends and strategies along with impactful networking events where attendees will build contacts, gain resources and leave with a wealth of knowledge. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino provides the perfect setting for this next generation conference where attendees will be treated to innovative seminars, networking events and forums optimal for building business relationships and exchanging new ideas and technologies that enable longevity in the marketplace. For more information, click here. Registration information can be found here.


November 3-5, 2010, San Francisco, CA: DevLearn|10 is the super-charged conference and expo for those involved in the design, development, or management of e-Learning. DevLearn|10 offers the industry's largest expo, over a hundred sessions covering the latest e-Learning tools, technologies, and strategies, plus exciting content stages like the Social Learning Camp, Mobile Learning Jam, Serious Games Zone, and Learning Media Studio . If you want to know what’s coming next in the world of e-Learning and what the top people in the field are thinking, this popular, cutting-edge conference is the place to be.


November 3-4, 2010, Scottsdale, AZ: If you’re a leading executive at your organization with questions about how social media can better optimize your customer response efforts and thus generate a higher ROI, then this year’s Social Media Customer Response Summit is a must attend. During this two-day seminar, attendees will be able to listen, learn and collaborate with prominent industry leaders such as John Belanger of Yahoo!, Steve Kaay of US Auto Parts, John Hernandez of Cisco, Craig Palmer of Cable & Wireless (UK), and Robert Lamb of AT&T,on the challenges/benefits with using a “social media customer response strategy,” and what Key Performance Indicators are being used to review effective social media customer response, plus much more. Senior VPs interested in attending can find more information about the summit’s agenda & registration at www.customerresponsesummit.com.


November 3, 2010, New York, NY: Corporate Counsel magazine’s Social Media: Risks & Rewards, being held at The Harvard Club in NYC, is a comprehensive one-day program that focuses on the cutting edge issues and challenges organizations are faced with as their clients and employees tweet, post and chat their way across the internet. We have gathered the leading Social Media champions to guide you and your organization through the murky waters and dangers you are exposed to today. Register with promo code MASH100 and save $100! Visit www.corpcounsel.com/socialmedia for more information!


November 3, 2010, Frankfurt, Germany: The viscom tec.10 conference focuses upon how to create a customer focused experience with technology. Thanks to modern technologies, consumers are now more networked and better informed than ever before. Used to finding the ideal product by making comparisons and consulting with others on a wide range of webservices. In the future the challenge for marketing and technology providers will be to reach this “always on” generation in real life. The conference will highlight the perspectives and visions of the different sectors: from traditional advertising and out-of-home possibilities to web and mobile-based communication and digital signage. Use the early bird pricing and save 200 EUR.


November 4-6, 2010, New York, NY: IMM is the leading residential training course for the brightest executives working with international brands or within the international departments of agencies, media owners and client companies. Created in the UK in 1990, the course has now trained over 2,000 executives – many now working at senior levels within US-based organizations and across the world. The two and a half day course combines presentations from leading thinkers with practical group work and mentoring. Send your most promising people to the first IMM New York, designed to help train the next generation of American advertising talent.


November 4-6, 2010, Savannah, GA: Geekend is the interactive conference phenomenon you have been waiting your whole life for. Geekend is your chance to interact with people taking the tech and creative industries by storm. Join us this November as the brightest geeks, designers, developers, artists, and social media mavericks flock to Savannah for a weekend filled with cutting edge speakers, fun-filled after parties, and amazing networking opportunities. Speakers include Noah Everett of Twitpic, Scott Stratten of Unmarketing, Margaret Francis of Lithium, and many more.


November 4-5, 2010, New York, NY: Influence People is hosting a one-day social media monitoring conference in New York on November 4, followed by a half-day training bootcamp on November 5. Monitoring Social Media (New York) will bring together leading brands, PR and marketing experts to discuss the latest ideas, trends and techniques in social media monitoring and measurement. Though a series of presentations, panels and expert-led discussions, we will explore the critical issues that marketers and PR professionals are facing in their efforts to monitor their social media interactions. Register with code mashable to get a 10% discount. Limited tickets still available at www.socialmediamarketing.co.uk.


November 5-6, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The NNew Media Film Festival brings you the Best of New Media: What’s New & What’s Next…and honors stories worth telling. Join the Producers Guild of America-Northwest (PGA-NW), NATPE, Content First, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, WGA New Media, SAG New Media, International Academy of Web TV, Motorola, IndieGoGo and more as we bring together thought leaders and content creators from across film, TV, games, publishing, web, mobile & technology for forums, screenings and networking. Register and use the promo code GOLDENGATE30 to save 30%. More information can be found at www.newmediafilmfestival.com.


November 5, 2010, New York, NY: L2 is a think tank for digital innovation. On November 5th, L2 will host its second-annual Innovation Forum at The Morgan Library. The full-day event will address innovation in digital marketing and implications for prestige brands. Described as "TED for brand marketing," the Forum is the largest gathering of prestige executives in North America. The Forum is meant to inspire, educate and entertain. Speakers this year include CEOs of Bonobos, Polyvore, MINI, Rent the Runway, Foodspotting and the Business of Fashion. Register and use the promo code Mashable_friends for 25% off.


November 5, 2010, St. Petersburg, FL: During Poynter’s Social Media Day: Finding the Future of Journalism, we will tap into the broader creativity of influential thought leaders in social media and explore its future possibilities within journalism. Scheduled speakers include Lisa Stone, co-founder and CEO, BlogHer; Charlene Li, partner, Altimeter Group; Vadim Lavrusik, community manager, Mashable; Matt Thompson, editorial product manager, Project Argo/National Public Radio; Betsy Morgan, former CEO, Huffington Post, and many more. Purchase tickets to attend the in-person event, or RSVP to our Facebook event and watch a video stream of the event on Poynter.org.


November 6, 2010, New York, NY: Join Keynote Speaker Mara Schiavocampo and more than 50 leading communications professionals for a full day of career advice, professional insights, and networking. The 2010 Student Communications Career Conference covers panel topics including Broadcast Journalism, Digital Marketing, and Magazine Writing and is a fantastic networking opportunity for students, graduates, young professionals and more! Take part in the conversation as these experts address innovation, ever-expanding opportunities, and the evolving world of communications.


November 6, 2010, Topeka, KS: PodCamp Topeka is Topeka’s annual low-cost “unconference” focused on social media, podcasting & videoblogging, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, photography, and web design, for starters. Our keynote speaker is Patrick O’Keefe, author of Managing Online Forums. Register now!


November 7-12, 2010, San Jose, CA: LISA ‘10 will uncover the secrets of system administration during our 6-day program, which includes: top-notch training by experts such as Mark Burgess, David N. Blank-Edelman, and Tom Limoncelli; an innovative technical program, including a keynote address by Tony Cass, CERN; invited talks, including “Operations at Twitter: Scaling Beyond 100 Million Users,” by John Adams, Twitter; paper presentations and poster sessions showcasing the latest research; experts to answer your toughest questions; and workshops for sharing experiences with colleagues. Don’t miss the chance to be a part of this unique career-building adventure. Learn more at www.usenix.org/lisa10/mash. Register and use the promo code LISA10MASH to save $100 off the registration price.


November 8-12, 2010, New York, NY: New York Entrepreneur Week (NYEW) is a semi-annual event built for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs, providing an exclusive educational experience for innovation-minded start-ups to multi-million dollar revenue generators. With over 100 speakers from 40 cities, 15 states and 3 continents, NYEW unites the state’s diverse entrepreneurial community; giving you the opportunity to connect with and learn from New York’s best and brightest entrepreneurs who are relentless, driven and dedicated to improving your business and the economy. Register with the promo code Mashable345 to receive 75% off.


November 8-11, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: PubCon, the premier search and social media conference, features the industry’s biggest names and key players shaping the future of the Web. PubCon holds cutting edge panel sessions exploring tracks dedicated to search, social media and affiliate marketing, an intensive professional search and social media training program and some of the world's top keynote speakers. PubCon Las Vegas will also hold a one day two-track slate of intensive educational training programs led by some of the industry’s most respected search professionals. PubCon makes all of this available at some of the most affordable registration rates in the industry. Please use the code ma-8201210 for 10% off the registration price.


November 8-11, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: See the latest collaboration tools and technologies at Enterprise 2.0 Santa Clara’s comprehensive conference and expo. Gain thought leadership — from strategy to execution and performance monitoring — to bring the power of collaboration to your organization, accelerate information flow, drive revenue and increase productivity. Register with the promo code CNUJES04 to save $100 off the onsite price for passes or for a free expo pass.


November 8-10, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The Open Mobile Summit & Appcelerate — The most anticipated mobile conference of the year. Meet the CEOs of Sprint, LightSquared, HTC USA, Loopt, Smule, Booyah, Shopkick and more. Explore the key mobile battlegrounds – OS wars, PC vs Phone, video, advertising, cloud – and see who is set to lead in the next phase of the open mobile revolution. Register now with VIP code MASHABLE and save $100


November 8-9, Boston, MA: The eCommunications & Online Marketing Summit is a two day conference for the pharmaceutical industry. We will be showing how to revamp your eCommunications strategy to know, reach and interact with your customer. The event will feature 20+ pharmaceutical speakers and a key note from Citi Bank . The event’s agenda will feature 14 case studies that will give you knowledge on only the most critical business issues. For our event brochure, click here. Register and use the promo code MSH200 to save £200.


November 9-10, 2010, Toronto, Canada: Take back practical strategies for integrating social media tools and measure their ROI at your company – all in just 2 days! The Canadian Institute's 4th Annual Conference on Social Media will provide you with the right tools to integrate and measure the impact of social media in your organization. Learn how to increase the number of your followers, handle negative publicity and attacks in social media, strategically leverage social media as a key tool in crisis communications and much more. Enter Mashable discount code 207AX03 to get 15% off the conference.


November 9, 2010, Atlanta, GA: Small Biz Tech Tour – Want to learn how to leverage technology as a tool to GROW your business? Want to attend the Small Business Technology Tour? target=”_blank”>http://www.smallbiztechtour.com The tour is for business owners, entrepreneurs and business professionals who want to have fun, network and learn. Whether you know nothing about technology or know a lot, the Small Business Technology Tour is for you. Bring a friend! The first 10 attendees who register with the discount code MASHABLE will receive a complimentary ticket. Use the promo code MASHABLEDISCOUNT to get 50% off!


November 9, 2010, Philadelphia, PA: BlogWell: How Big Brands Use Social Media features 8 great case studies on the best social media programs at large corporations. SAP, American Express, Johnson & Johnson, Scholastic, SunGard, The Hershey Company, Pfizer, and BlackRock share case studies in corporate social media. You’ll learn how to get started, get past roadblocks, and make your social media program phenomenal. From GasPedal and the Social Media Business Council. Save $39 off registration by using the promo code ILoveMashable.


November 9, 2010, New York, NY: Linked Minds is an Entrepreneurial Social Networking Event to link the minds of Entrepreneurs and the Social Networking-savvy of New York City and Westchester counties. Social Media Networking Events are connecting people in the business field in ways never expected and we would like to embark on this trend with Linked Minds Events. We invite you to "link-minds", exchange ideas, and cultivate successful business relationships with NYC's most business social-savvy. Register with promo code LMEMASH1109 and receive $5 off.


November 9, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Agencies and advertising brands are invited to The Bees Awards – 1st international social media competition for marketing professionals. 20 judges from 13 different countries will gather at the Legion of Honor to grant recognition to the best industry practices. Honor will be granted in 16 different categories including: best use of social media platform, best conversation with consumers, best campaign, agency of the year, client of the year, and others. You are invited to submit your work before October 1st and join the celebrations on November 9 at www.beesawards.com.


November 11, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Social Media Prom, presented by @FunnyOrDie, is for anyone and everyone who didn’t have a chance to go to prom. Or maybe you did, but you were the wallflower, someone poured punch down your dress, or gave you a wedgy and hung you from a locker. This is your chance to shine, and relive what you may not have been able to experience from the backseat of the car or behind the bleachers. Visit www.socialmediaprom.com to get your tickets! Don’t have a date? No big deal, go stag! Tickets are $20 for couples and $15 for singles.


November 11, 2010, London, UK: The first London Social Gaming Summit is a one day event focused on the intersection of games and the social web. The event focuses on helping social games developers build, monetize, and grow their social games. We’re bringing together the leaders in free-to-play games, social networking, and payments infrastructure for a full day of panels and talks.


November 11, 2010, Buenos Aires, Argentina: ElggCamp is an event that gathers people from the developing environment with social media entrepreneurs, marketing specialists, designers and anyone who is interested on knowing how developing a social network can help them achieving their goals. The main objective of this event is to discover new possibilities and solutions this platform has to bring to everyone, and to create an environment where ideas are able to became real. This is the second time this event take place in Buenos Aires, and it promises to be a success! Register now here, or visit ElggCampBA.com.


We're proud to announce the Partners for Growth and Innovation
"Innovation Summit 2010 – Creating an Innovative Ecosystem" – taking
place in beautiful Healdsburg, located in Wine Country, November 12 -
14, 2010. We're stepping away from Silicon Valley, away from the
hustle bustle that is a part of our everyday lives and retreating to
solitude, clearing our minds, and opening them to an incredible and
truly innovative weekend. With speakers including Jeremiah Owyang, Gary Chevsky, Jim Chu, Rich Reader, Victor Tsaran and many others – this is an event you will not want to miss!


November 12, 2010, Mountain View, CA: The Under the Radar Conference is a one-day showcase of carefully selected innovative startups presenting to an audience of early-adopter customers. Key audience members are responsible for leveraging innovation to help their company compete in the fast-evolving digital landscape. Join 350 decision-makers from global carriers, brands, agencies, technology companies, startups, and investors to hear from the next wave of innovators. This year’s Under the Radar conference will hear from brands, agencies retailers and media companies who are looking to improve customer engagement. Key challenges are improving their decision process, making it easier for them to get what they want, at the best price, in real-time and closest to them. The Under the Radar conference will showcase the latest startups that are addressing these challenges and influencing this behavior. Areas of focus will be on Social Commerce, Loyalty/Rewards, Social Scanning and Payment. To register, go to www.undertheradarblog.com/register.


November 12, 2010, London, UK: The first London Virtual Goods Summit is a one day event focused on the emerging market opportunity for virtual goods and economies. Once restricted to the world of online gaming, virtual goods and currencies are beginning to influence the development of social networks, community sites, and many other new and exciting markets. The market for virtual goods continues to grow – join us for engaging talks and panels designed to highlight important trends in this fast growing market. This is a must-attend event for those in the games, social media, and entertainment markets. Register now with the promo code MASHABLE010 for 15% off!


November 12, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Gamification is the most powerful way to engage and grow your consumer base. Leverage the lessons of Foursquare, Farmville and Frequent Flyer Programs in this breakthrough full-day, hands-on workshop on Gamification in SF on November 12th taught by experts Amy Jo Kim and Gabe Zichermann. Bring your product/design concerns and emerge with actionable strategies, tactics and resources at the end of the day tailored to your business needs. Space is strictly limited – register today with this discount code to save 15% off admission: MASH15. For more information, please visit http://sf.gsummit.com.


November 13, 2010, Hutchinson, KS: Twitter users everywhere are invited to help make history this November at what will be known as the first-ever UNDERGROUND tweetup. Usually cell phone service is not available underground but temporary arrangements have been made to facilitate this event. Participants in "Tweet at 650 Feet" will have the opportunity to take the Gallery Tour and Dark Ride before gathering at the underground event center for food, beverages, and social networking. A monitor will be set up so guests can see their updates, and the updates of others, in real time. Reserve your spot before November 1st and receive a free "Tweet at 650 Feet" t-shirt! Check out www.tweetat650feet.com for more information.


November 15–18, 2010, London, UK: Europe's definitive customer strategy experience. Focusing on the strategy behind the concept of loyalty, Loyalty World will provide you with the insight and tools to develop the ultimate loyalty initiative to support your business goals and add measurable value to your bottom line. Loyalty World will examine the relationship between your brand and your customers, look at what drives consumer behaviour, and help you understand how you can identify and harness new trends and tools to really drive engagement. Loyalty World attracts participants from some of the world's most reputable brands. With speakers from retail, financial services, travel, leisure, utilities and telecoms, you will gain cross-transferable loyalty insights and experiences that will help rejuvenate your loyalty strategy, attract, engage and retain customers, and strengthen your market. Register here and SAVE 10%.


November 15-17, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Web 2.0 Summit brings the intelligence, innovation, and leadership of the Internet industry together in one place at one time. Through incisive plenary sessions, cut-through-the-hype onstage conversations, rapid-fire high order bits and show me presentations, visionaries and executives across key industries present their unique perspective on the Web's future-in-flux and how the tools and principles of Web 2.0 are impacting global businesses. Connect with the business leaders and technologists redefining the potential of the Web. Don't miss the Points of Control webcast on October 27th.


November 15, 2010, New York, NY: Gamification is the most powerful way to engage and grow your consumer base. Leverage the lessons of Foursquare, Farmville and Frequent Flyer Programs in this breakthrough full-day, hands-on workshop on Gamification in NYC on November 15th taught by experts Amy Jo Kim and Gabe Zichermann. Bring your product/design concerns and emerge with actionable strategies, tactics and resources at the end of the day tailored to your business needs. Space is strictly limited – register today with this discount code to save 15% off admission: MASH15. For more information, please visit http://nyc.gsummit.com


November 15, 2010, London, UK: The Social Technology Not for Profit Summit '10 caters specifically for those that work in or on behalf of charities and not-for-profit organizations. We're bringing you answers to the big questions across the industry, discussing how to make the most of little or no budget, and how to utilize social media to turn supporters into advocates. This event will bring you practical advice with a human perspective and tangible takeaways that you can implement seamlessly into your not for profit organization. Register and use the promo code mash80 for an additional 20% off the ticket price.


November 15, 2010, London, UK: The virtual goods model is the revenue-generating sensation that is taking the world by storm, from games publishers to media companies, from social-networking sites to consumer brands. The Virtual Goods World Europe 2010 promises to be the next step for your business! Major brands will come together to discuss the opportunities presented by the rise of virtual goods. Social networking sites will participate, to learn more from the brands and create business models for the future. Games publishers and developers will learn best practice customer acquisition strategies. All participants will learn new opportunities presented by advances in alternative payment systems. Register now with the promo code VGWMASH and save 10%!


November 17-19, 2010, Loudoun County, VA: Social Media Tourism Symposium. The symposium will be a combination of destination marketing organizations, hotels, resorts, attractions and any other tourism related entities sharing ideas and learning more about how social media is effecting promotion within the travel industry. What makes this conference unique is the involvement of attendees throughout the entire process. Attendees will have a voice in everything from the location to the session topics and presenters. Register now and become a Facebook fan.


November 17-19, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: The WOMMA Summit 2010 is the pinnacle of all we’ve learned this year as well as trends to watch in 2011 and beyond. WOMMA Summit 2010 showcases the NEXT and BEST practices from some of the innovative and forward thinking brands in word of mouth and social media marketing today. Register before October 1 and save $200 off the full ticket price. Use code WOMMASummitMASH.


November 17-18, Houston, TX: Are you a CEO, owner or marketing executive wondering how you should be using social media to promote your business? Come to our Free 90-minute Social Media Boot Camp for CEOs where you will learn proven techniques and valuable tips to drive customers to your website and generate new leads. Our expert speaker, Paul Slack, will offer abundant detailed strategies you can immediately put into action.


November 17-18, 2010, Raleigh, NC: The Internet Summit 2010 will feature over 100 speakers and an audience of over 1,500 internet execs, entrepreneurs and senior marketers. Join dozens of industry leaders and innovators in the conversation on topics such as Social Media, Mobile, Cloud Computing, Geolocation, Online Advertising, Analytics, Video, Ecommerce and more. This years, keynotes are Go Daddy’s CEO Bob Parsons and Ancestry.com’s CEO Tim Sullivan, and then hear thought leaders from Foursquare, Google, Salesforce.com, Yelp, eBay, StumbleUpon, Playboy, Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, Autotrader.com, Playdom, Travelocity and many more! Register and use the promotion code MASH for 20% off.


November 17-18, 2010, London, UK: The Corporate Social Media Summit is a two-day conference focused exclusively on how big businesses can use social media to enhance their marketing/comms strategy. The conference is tailored exclusively to a corporate – not a social media – audience. It features 20+ senior executives from European corporations speaking – including Vodafone, Honda, Nokia, Cadbury, PepsiCo and more. 14 in-depth, interactive workshops deliver best practice examples and practical next steps from companies that have already experienced marketing/comms success using social media. For our brochure, click here. Register and use the promo code MSH200 to save £200 off the ticket price .


November 17, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: Girls in Tech Presents What’s Next: Tech Trends To Watch in 2011 – With 2010 drawing to a close, Girls in Tech LA is proud to be hosting a diverse range of tech industry experts who will be sharing their predictions, plans and perspectives about what’s next for tech in 2011. The panel discussion will be held at the Border Stylo offices in Hollywood on November 17th, and will be followed by light refreshments and networking. It will also be streamed on Ustream, and details of that stream will be available via the Girls in Tech Twitter and Facebook pages before the event. Panelists participating in the discussion include Amanda Coolong (TechZulu), Heather Meeker (Whrrl), Tony Adam (MySpace), Erin Kotecki Vest (BlogHer), Laura Weidman (Border Stylo) and Lynn Langit (Microsoft). Tickets are just $10, and space is very limited, so buy yours early to guarantee admission.


November 17, 2010, Phoenix, AZ: Fifth Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference – In the current environment, some companies will still come out stronger than before. Has your business suffered? Have you been laid off? Are you trying to grow in difficult circumstances? Here at AZEC10, we’ve got your back. Local investors, local entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley veterans will spend the day discussing the realities of business today. You MUST meet these people and learn from them during the Great Re-Set of 2010. This is the premier entrepreneurship conference in Arizona, benefitting the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation.


November 18-19, 2010, New York, NY: Get your tickets now to attend NextGen:Charity, a conference on non-profit innovation being held in New York City. Learn and network with 500+ executive-level professionals of non-profits and foundations. Featured speakers include Seth Godin, Scott Harrison, Arianna Huffington, Nancy Lublin, Randi Zuckerberg. Visit our website for more information, to learn about all our presenters and get your tickets. Click here to register now!


November 18, 2010, New York, NY Financial Services Social Communications: Case Studies and Roundtables — Our Keynote Presenter will be Craig Pfeiffer, Chief Marketing Officer, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Case studies by MasterCard Worldwide, AllianceBernstein, and others will showcase how leading financial institutions are embracing social media and marketing to achieve business goals despite the regulated environment. The case studies will be followed by moderated interactive roundtables. Register and use promo code MASH for a discounted rate of $155.


November 18, 2010, Madrid, Spain: Stepping out of the comfort zone: Innovation & Social Media in Healthcare. Advertising in the new markets of conversations is the big challenge, and realizing that you no longer have the control of the brand is difficult to assume and scary. But wanted or not, the conversation is out there. HCPs are right now storytelling their opinions, experiences, unmet needs, therapeutic strategies and ideas via the Social Web. They are looking for connectivity and knowledge in these new ecosystems which are "common and global grounds". The word of mouth surpasses, in credibility, the traditional communication tools.


November 18, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Real-time tools are transforming business, government and non-profits. At TWTRCON SF 2010, you'll see case studies and learn best practices from leading organizations that are using the real-time web to deliver bottom-line results. Speakers from Ford, H&R Block, Wells Fargo, SAP, Southwest, Twitter, Google, stickybits, Roxy Theatre, StatusNet, OneRiot and more. New at TWTRCON SF: Hands-on workshops designed to let you learn the how-tos of real-time applications, tools and platforms. Register at http://twtrcon.com/sf10 use the promo code MASHABLE for 20% off.


November 18, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Calling all women in technology! Vator, a leading platform for innovators and entrepreneurs to connect and learn from one another, and Girls in Tech, a social network for women in technology, are holding their first event, Amplify, to recognize women-led startups. Silicon Valley legend Esther Dyson will be the keynote speaker, sharing advice on what it takes to build a company. Amplify is a day-long event and will be held on November 18 in San Francisco. To be among the 15 women-led startup presenters, be sure to enter the competition here. Register and use the promo code MashableAmplify for a 20% discount.


November 18, 2010, Kiev, Ukraine: Digital Communications of Ukraine International Conference is one of the main Ukrainian events that will feature the top professionals in the industry of Internet marketing. The main goal of the DCU is to exchange ideas and learn how to handle changes in media and marketing in day-to-day business using the latest knowledge, new technologies, best practice, and trends. Our speakers will share their experience and cases in digital communications. Companies represented by our speakers: Ukrainian Association of Internet Advertising, Yandex, Gemius, Digitas, Oxygen, Ukr.net, Brainberry and many more. Register with the promo code DCUMAS to save 15%!


November 18, 2010, San Francisco, CA: A hands-on social media and communications workshop produced by Richard Colback at BizSoMe and Robert Dickman at First Voice. This two-part workshop focuses on how to develop stories using the five elements of narrative and then guides attendees through how to adapt these stories to effectively leverage a variety of different social media platforms. The workshops have been developed for businesses and individuals who wish to move from experimenting with social media, into the development and implementation of highly effective social media communication. Register and use the discount code MASHABLE for 30% off.


November 19-21, 2010, Mexico City, Mexico: iWeekend is an intensive and innovative experience that brings together talented entrepreneurs and professionals of different profiles to select 3 ideas and bring these ideas to reality by collaboratively developing a business plan and a prototype, all in one weekend. The final outputs of the event are a prototype, a basic business plan, a product demo and a possible team. The event is ideal for entrepreneurs looking to get started and for professionals and freelancers looking to broaden their horizons while taking on a challenge and collaborating in a project they like. Register and use the code #VIVAMASHABLE on the signup form to receive a 10% discount.


November 19, 2010, New York, NY: On November 19th, 2010 THE JONATHANS (Jonathan Levy and Joanthan Rossman) will launch a fundraising campaign to benefit the New York City School System, with the goal of Beating Zuckerberg's $100 Million donation. THE JONATHANS will kick off the campaign with their joint birthday party at Good Units, a brand new event space in Manhattan's Hudson Hotel. All proceeds from the event will go to benefit New York City Schools. The event will raise funds to BEAT ZUCKERBERG! via patron and sponsor donations, the silent auction, and a portion of the bar proceeds.


November 20, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: At the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart) Social Media Training Seminars, we will clear the confusion surrounding social media marketing and give you all the information, coaching and hands-on tutoring you need to carry out an effective marketing campaign on social media – we cover Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Myspace, Blogging, scheduling and time-management, effective postings, linking, photo uploads, marketing and branding, growing your following and more! Register here: http://e-2productions.com/eventsseminar.html.


November 20, 2010, Córdoba, Argentina: Drupal Camp is a free event organized to expand, unite and improve the Drupal community in Argentina. The conference will be held the Saturday 20th of November of 2010, and it will take place in Córdoba; it promises to be a success! For more information and registration, please visit www.drupalcamp2010.com.ar.


November 24-25, 2010, Sydney, Australia: Are you looking to quantify your social media efforts? Do you want to have constant customer engagement? If the answer is yes, join us in Sydney at the Sheraton on the Park for iStrategy 2010 to learn, network, share ideas and understand how to build your online marketing strategy to its fullest potential. iStrategy 2010 Sydney brings together the cream of the Oceanic leaders in social media marketing. iStrategy Sydney will give delegates the valuable insight they need to: Harness New Technologies, Drive Revenue Growth, Create Value from Digital Assets, Develop Innovative and Creative Online Strategies and achieve a Market Leading Online Position. Register now with the promo code MashableSYD to receive a 10% discount.


November 24, 2010, London, UK: The New Brand Rules: Capitalising On The Online & Social Media Space – Following the success of our inaugural social media event in July, we will explore the issues of control, measurement and understanding of your brand's reputation online that will drive ROI and business success. This event offers marketers an unrivalled opportunity to come face-to-face with experts from a variety of brands at various points of their social media and online strategies to thrash out these and other pressing questions. Please click here for more information.


November 25, 2010, London, UK: BrightLemon Drupal Training – Introducing Drupal (London): This Drupal course quickly gets you up to speed with building dynamic database-driven websites with Drupal. It begins with a basic introduction into the main concepts behind Content Management Systems (CMS) and the types of websites they are meant to help create. We then map these concepts onto Drupal as a CMS and take you through installation to creations of a series of websites – each one adding an additional layer of functionality. Buy tickets here.


November 25, 2010, London, UK: The media and marketing industry's Global GREEN Awards 2010 recognise and reward creative work that communicates the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainable development and ethical best practice in any sector and across any marketing discipline. Now in its fifth year the GREEN AWARDS™ are going Global, this year for the first time, all the categories are opened for entry from all over the world. The Awards illustrate the crucial role that needs to be played by green marketing and sustainability communications in informing people about green issues, products and lifestyle choices, and showcase examples of excellence and best practice in communicating sustainability and green issues. The Awards are now open for entry. For more information about the 16 categories and entry process, please visit http://www.greenawards.co.uk.


November 25, 2010, London, UK: The Digital Brand Strategy Summit is designed to create a unique showcase from leading brands and industry experts on how to create, launch and implement an effective Digital Marketing Strategy for your brand. During this one day event delegates will be presented with strategic information, case studies and hot tips enabling delegates to walk away with a clear understanding of the digital concept and the knowledge and tools necessary to deliver an effective strategy.


November 30 – December 2, 2010, Boston, MA: In Todays Business Climate, Companies are under great pressure to attract and keep more customers. Corporate websites are now the most important public face of an organization and the best way to communicate with a broader customer base. Successful sales and marketing now requires Web sites with supporting content management systems that can reach a global audience, a mobile audience, and an audience familiar with social media and used to richer media. Use the promo code MASHABLE to save $200. Visit www.gilbaneboston.com for conference details.


November 30, 2010 – Dec. 2, 2010, London, UK: Online Information is the largest UK event dedicated to the information industry. Taking place in the Grand Hall at London's Olympia, the exhibition attracts more than 9,000 visitors each year from around the world. This unique, free to attend event consists of an exhibition with more than 200 international exhibitors alongside an extensive seminar programme. Online Information covers 6 core segments: Content Resources, ePublishing Solutions, Library Management, Content Management, Search Solutions and Social Media, providing an annual meeting place for this global industry. Mashable readers may register to attend here.


November 30-December 1, 2010, London, UK: Apps World aims to address the entire app ecosystem and the challenge of delivery, development and design of apps across multiple platforms. The event will bring together leading operators and app stores worldwide, and draw in parallels between the mobile & TV app platforms. Register now to receive the early-bird discount.


November 30, 2010, Paris, France: Social networks are leading us towards a new era of global interconnectedness. This exclusive one-day conference will examine why they have become so popular in the first place and how businesses are using them to enhance their marketing strategies, to leverage their HR policies and to boost their internal communications tactics. The business model of networking sites is based on the idea that people will share information. Even though most social networks already offer ways for members to restrict the information shared, they can constitute a major risk pool in terms of privacy, reputation and brand control. This exclusive event will provide invaluable strategic insights on how social networking is changing the way companies do business, a top-level speaker line-up, and an opportunity to network with peers. For more information and to register, please click here.


November 30, 2010, London, UK: Social Recruiting Conference will gather together leading employers and recruitment industry professionals, to passionately discuss and practically demonstrate the power of Social Recruiting. The conference will be unlike any other Social Media Recruiting conferences you have attended. Our aim is to take the talk from theory to practice; and shift conversations from hype and hope to reality and results. #SRCONF will focus on Social Recruiting case studies, with measurable ROIs. Save 10% when you register with the code MASH10 at http://www.srconf.com.


November 30, 2010, London, UK: Hear how 21 heavyweight brands, including Facebook, Sainsbury’s, Google-YouTube, COI, King of Shaves, Motorola, JustGiving, BBC, Volvo, M&S, FT, Jaguar, Eurostar and Santander are demonstrating real results from social media at the Social Media Results For PR & Comms Conference. Tried and tested strategies to genuinely engage audiences, fully embed and integrate social media practices and clearly demonstrate real results. Mashable readers receive a £150 discount with the promo code MASHABLE if you book before August 19. Click here to download the conference brochure.


December 1-2, 2010, Berlin, Germany: Lead generation, lead nurturing, inbound marketing, B2B social media marketing, SEO, storytelling, mobile marketing and blogging, B2B marketers are facing new challenges in building profitable marketing strategies. The first BB2B Marketing Europe event features a keynote presentation by Chris Brogan and will bring together European B2B marketers to share knowledge through real-world case studies, best practices, lessons learned and offer networking opportunities with some of the biggest brands and businesses today – Forrester Research, Google, Philips, Dassault Systemes, Accenture, HP, Honeywell, Canon, Kodak, Symantec, HubSpot, iTive and more. Register now.


December 1-2, 2010, Singapore: Are you looking to quantify your social media efforts? Do you want to have constant customer engagement? If the answer is yes, join us in Singapore at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel for iStrategy 2010 to learn, network, share ideas, and understand how to build your online marketing strategy to its fullest potential. iiStrategy 2010 Singapore brings together Southeast Asia's leaders in social media marketing. iStrategy will give delegates the valuable insight they need to: Analyze the current market growth, and examine which are the latest platforms to emerge and their impact and potential to be used in brand building. This coupled with driving revenue growth, creating value from digital assets, developing innovative and creative online strategies and achieve a market leading online position makes this an unmissable event in the Asian marketing calendar. Register now with the promo code MashableSING to receive a 10% discount.


December 1, 2010, London, UK: The Mobile Cloud Computing Forum will provide a full perspective of mobile cloud computing and SaaS from business value through integration and implementation and to the emergent trends in the industry. Meet some of the best known mobile cloud computing and SaaS professionals in person and exchange your experiences. Register with promo code MCMASH20 and save 20%!


December 1, 2010, Toronto, Canada: The Canadian New Media Awards recognize the highest standards of excellence in all areas of Canadian digital media and seek to honour individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements over the past year. The CNMA gala will take place during nextMEDIA Toronto at the Design Exchange. Visit www.nextmediaevents.com/cnma for more information.


December 1, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The 3rd Annual Silicon Valley Rocks will take place on Weds., December 1, 2010 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. A fundraiser for Music in Schools Today, SVRocks will feature performances from the Valley's top tech talent from VCs and entrepreneurs to bloggers and software developers.


December 2-6, 2010, Departing from New Orleans, LA: When you attend Social Media Conferences do you get the most value out of the conversation in-between sessions? Check out the 2nd Annual Social Fresh Cruise, the best parts of a social media conference at sea. Cruise the Caribbean for four days with 90 other social media leaders and influencers. For about the same price as just the ticket to many conferences, the Social Fresh Cruise includes all meals, private cocktail parties, eight hours of high-level interactive social media sessions, unbeatable networking, and entertainment.


December 2-4, 2010, San Francisco, CA: unGeeked is a unique three-day Social Media, Marketing and Branding Retreat. During the retreat, attendees will engage in discussions involving every aspect of your internal and external branding efforts. The goal is to learn how to align the personal and corporate brands by involving, Sales, Marketing, PR, Advertising, Customer Relations, Human Resource and Legal into your SoMe integration efforts. unGeeked San Francisco includes Social Media authors, mavens and practitioners such as Brian Solis, Scott Stratten, Jason Falls, Amanda Hite Jeff Power and more. Keynotes and presenters are here to get you involved in the discussions by asking you to bring your challenges, obstacles or questions to this intimate (we limit attendance to 150 people) learning environment. Register with the promo code unGeekedMashable to save 10% off three-day ticket cost.


December 2-3, 2010, Berlin, Germany: Gone are the days of paper surveys or email questionnaires where you often get poor response rates. With the advancement of mobile technology, surveys can be seamlessly integrated into mobile apps, making it more fun for consumers to respond than traditional methods. The international conference on Market Research in the Mobile World: The Next Frontier will be held on the 2 & 3 December 2010 in Berlin. The aim of this conference is to bring together top researchers and practitioners to discuss the key challenges and opportunities of using mobile research applications for generating actionable insights. Mashable subscribers will enjoy a 20% discount off the full registration fee when they use the promo code mashable20 before November 15th.


December 6-9, 2010, Las Vegas, NV. Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 22nd Updated Forum on Social Media for Government: How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results, to learn how to incorporate social media into your communications and marketing plans, and leverage the latest interactive Web 2.0 tools and techniques to advance your organizational goals. Hear practical advice from: Department of State; City of Las Vegas; Army Public Affairs; Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; San Francisco Public Utilities Commission; Deloitte and more. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200!


December 6-8, 2010, New York, NY. Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 2nd Updated Forum on Social Media for Pharma: How To Develop, Execute, And Evaluate Web 2.0 Strategies To Engage Your Audiences And Drive Business Results, to learn how to incorporate social media into your communications and marketing plans, and leverage the latest interactive Web 2.0 tools and techniques to advance your organizational goals. Hear practical advice, firsthand, from leading organizations such as: Novo Nordisk; FDA; Johnson & Johnson; Kaiser Permanente; Astellas Pharma; UCB; Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals; Sanofi-Aventis; Millennium Pharmaceuticals; and more. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200!


December 6, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The SF MusicTech Summit brings together 700+ visionaries in the music and technology space, along with the brightest developers, entrepreneurs, investors, musicians, service providers, and journalists who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce. We meet to discuss the evolving music/business/technology ecosystem in a proactive environment. Register and use the promo code Mashable to receive a 10% discount off the ticket price. For more information, please visit www.sfmusictech.com.


December 6, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: The Mobile Excellence Awards offers invaluable exposure, PR, branding and networking with the who’s who in mobile entertainment, media, & technology. The event has become one of the most influential and prestigious in the industry, honoring the best in mobile entertainment, technology, marketing & media. Attendees represent the entire mobile ecosystem, including execs from all major studios, entertainment companies, brands, content providers, industry influencers & press. Deadline for submissions is September 20th!


December 7-9, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: Taking place in the heart of Silicon Valley, BIA/Kelsey's Interactive Local Media 2010 (ILM:10) is a unique, three-day mega-conference featuring the true innovators of local media, local directories, local search, local mobile, local social and local direct marketing. One highlight is a special Mobile Local SuperForum offering the deepest and most strategic dive ever presented in the mobile local space. Head's up: Local is hot, and this year's conference should be BIA/Kelsey's largest ever. Register with promo code ILMMASH and save $200!


December 7-8, 2010, Universal City, CA: The LA Mobile Entertainment Summit is brought to you by the producers of the widely acclaimed 3D Entertainment Summit, this high level strategy and networking event will explore all facets of the mobile entertainment industry. This event will be presented in association with Variety and in partnership with the Mobile Excellence Awards, the industry's most prestigious awards program for the mobile industry. Located in the heart of the entertainment industry, the summit will attract the brightest minds in the mobile ecosystem. Delivering two days of packed in-depth discussions, the summit will deliver strategies to capitalize on this rapidly changing landscape, attracting senior level decision makers, leading press and market analysts.


December 8-10, Reno, NV: Join professionals from marketing, tourism, gaming, service industries and nonprofits in Reno-Tahoe's amazing ski country for Social Media at Reno Tahoe (SM@RT), one of the best values of any similar national conference in 2010. Speakers, along with specialized breakout session presenters, include top authors, practitioners and strategist from media giant, Gannett, winter travel destinations, Vail Resorts, and many other experts in building business for professional service firms. Anchored by the University of Nevada, and its business and journalism schools, attendees get specialized instruction to return home with ways to immediately improve their social media marketing. Register now and save and an additional $100 online for the main conference with the discount code MASH.


December 9-10, 2010, Sydney, Australia: Crime and Legal Issues in Social Media II will advise and assist professionals on the utilisation of social networking without fear of the risks. Some organisations are still hesitant to maximise their use of online networking. Risks such as breach of privacy, fear of legal action, developing a negative reputation and lack of control have given way to avoidance of this important medium. The event will explore the legal implications of using social media and the policies that manage the risks. Register and use the promo code CrimeSocialMash to save 15%!


December 9, 2010, Washington, DC: L2 is a think tank for digital innovation. On December 9, L2 will host the Social Graph Clinic, an all-day intensive clinic addressing the opportunities, challenges and underpinnings of social media. Held at the George Washington School of Business, the event will feature speakers from academia, public sector, and private industry to lead discussions on social media strategies, rules of engagement, and metrics for marketing and digital professionals. Register here for the Social Graph Clinic. The first 10 Mashable readers to register will receive a 25% discount on tickets (Please use the following discount code when registering: MASHABLE)


December 9, 2010, Springfield MO: Social Marketing Boot Camp with Sarah Evans: Limited tickets will be available for this unique boot camp style event with nationally renowned expert Sarah Evans. You’ll spend a full six hours of session time with Sarah, taking an in-depth look at the role of social media in marketing your business or organization. You wont just learn effective social media marketing techniques, but will look at how social media works in conjunction with traditional marketing and public relations and why that’s important, practical ways of engaging customers and prospects, case studies, help with creating a social media based marketing plan, hints and tips, ways to make your brand stand out online, effective engagement, latest trends, tools and resources, and plenty of opportunities for discussion and Q & A. This will be a very hands-on event designed to give you lots of practical experience and learning, and for you to leave with new ideas and tools you can implement in a very real way. Register and use the discount code MASHABLE to save $25 on each standard registration.


December 11, 2010, Amman, Jordan: For the past few years, the field of social media has evolved to become one of the most exciting areas of technology and business marketing. How is it different for MENA? The first Arab Social Media Forum will be the first event in the region to discuss exclusively social media topics customized to MENA. ASMF2010 will bring both clients and agencies together to share their experience in dealing with social media platforms, different social engagement approaches and case studies. Register with the promo code ASMF10MASH and save 20%.


December 13, 2010, Portland, OR: Portland State University’s Digital Marketing Conference 2010 showcases success stories in digital marketing, addressing the needs of individuals and companies as they use new technologies to engage their audiences, clients, and customers. With three tracks, a digital marketing bootcamp, speakers addressing hyperlocal to international business, two keynotes, Ignite DMC, and a post conference wrap event, attendees receive high-quality, hands on, and interactive experiences to enhance their digital marketing knowledge. Please click here to both learn more and register today using code DMCMASH10 to get the early bird price (ends November 7).


December 15-16, 2010, Austin, TX: Are you a CEO, Owner, or Marketing Executive wondering how you should be using social media to promote your business? Come to our Free 90-minute Social Media Boot Camp for CEOs where you will learn proven techniques and valuable tips to drive customers to your website and generate new leads. Our expert speaker, Paul Slack, will offer abundant detailed strategies you can immediately put into action. We are in a different city each week, so please check our listings to see when we will be in your area!


January 6-9, 2011, Lake Tahoe, NV: The worlds of digital storytelling, snowsports and technology will converge on Heavenly Mountain Resort January 6 – 9, 2011 for the Tahoe Snowcial, a winter festival celebrating the global community of enthusiasts who live their passion in the snow and tell their stories online. Snowcial ties these worlds together in a participative, collaborative intermingling of industry leaders that sparks new ideas for the future, linking networks, passions and turns. Speakers include CEOs of Gowalla, Path and Vail Resorts with performances by OK Go and MC Hammer. Register with the promo code founderfriend and get 10% off!


January 12-14, 2011, Washington, DC: Social Media Legal Risk & Strategy – Social media has proven to be a critical medium for companies who are looking to have their services and brands penetrate the public sphere. The use of social media, however, has not come with an absence of legal risk. Join 16 lead counsels from Coca-Cola North America, IBM Corporation, Wal-Mart, Chevron, T-Mobile, Capital One, Dell, Aon Corporation, CSC, Nationwide and other fortune 500 companies as they discuss strategies to address and overcome the legal risks posed by engaging in social media. Mashable subscribers will enjoy a 10% discount when they mention MASHABLE in their follow-up email to ddrey@marcusevansch.com.


January 20-22, 2011, Mumbai, India: Click Asia Summit 2011 is designed to be Asia's largest digital & mobile marketing conference and expo where industry thought leaders congregate to discuss online marketing, challenges faced by agencies, and the changing face of social media. Click Asia Summit 2011 is going to change the way you look at Digital and Mobile marketing. Please register by clicking here.


January 20-21, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The First Annual Gamification Summit brings together top thought leaders in game mechanics and engagement science for the first time. Hear what works and what doesn’t in this dynamic and fast-moving field through case studies, workshops, keynotes and panels delivered by experts such as Gabe Zichermann (author, Game-Based Marketing), Amy Jo Kim (gamification guru) and Jane McGonigal (TED fellow, debuting her new book) and network with other leaders in the space. Attend the Gamification Summit 2011 and learn how game mechanics and the new science of engagement are rewriting the rules of brand marketing, product design and customer acquisition. Know the score: Register now with the Mashable promo code GSMASH11 and save 10%.


February 7-10, 2011, Orlando, FL: ARC's 2011 World Industry Forum: Driving Innovation, Sustainability and Performance will take place at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld! This forum will focus on challenges that will help you develop winning strategies. It provides an ideal environment for industry executives to collaborate, share ideas, and find new ways to attack their most pressing problems. The event includes sessions on the major issues facing our industry, with multiple tracks that enable executives to explore these topics from different perspectives. Owner/operators, solution providers, & technical experts will all benefit while contributing to the community's body of knowledge.


February 7-9, 2011, New York, NY: Now in its 10th year, the ePharma Summit is going to be bigger than ever. We are looking ahead to new trends and opportunities in digital marketing with unparalleled insight from leading industry innovators. Join us for more novel mobile strategies, more regulatory insights, more customer perspectives, and more examples of what is really working now from the organizations you admire most. Join us February 7-9 in New York City at the most respected digital marketing event for the life sciences industry as we explore innovative e-strategies and proven techniques to drive business. Register with promo code XP1606MASH and save 10%.


February 14, 2011, Barcelona, Spain: MobilePremierAwards in Innovation – The best grassroots startup innovation chosen by their peers in partnership with MobileMonday, the event takes place during the Mobile World Congress, so the whole mobile scene will be at hand for this event. The MobileMonday chapters will vote for their local most innovative startup. An international jury of the most recognized mobile industry experts will select the 20 finalists from all the local chapter nominees to pitch at the event in Barcelona in front of investors, operators, media companies, peer entrepreneurs, and press and influential bloggers. Make sure that you do not miss the chance to see global innovation in the mobile space, where you will get a chance to get a first hand view of all the cool companies and the people behind them from all the corners of the world. There will be no place to get together and make contact with the innovators and the companies that are pushing the mobile boundaries. Register and use the promo code #BCNMASHABLE to receive a 10% discount.


February 25-27, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: The 9th Annual Southern California Linux Expo, the premier community-run Linux / Open Source conference, will feature tutorial sessions designed to show users of all skill levels what Open Source can do and how to do it. Whatever your interest is in Open Source, SCALE 9X will have something for you. Register and use the discount code MASH9 for 35% off.


February 28-March 1, 2011, Sydney, Australia: Social media marketing has rapidly evolved to the extent that it is no longer enough to just get on board the “social media marketing train.” Marketers are bombarded with tools and technologies without a real understanding of integrating social media effectively. Social Media Marketing – The Way Forward enables marketers develop and manage a sound strategy for your ongoing and future social media marketing projects, with practical and valuable insights shared by some of the most successful brands and campaign creators in both B2C & B2B social media marketing. Register with the promo code MPMASH and save 10%!


March 1-5, 2011, Hannover, Germany: CeBIT is the world’s largest trade fair showcasing digital IT and telecommunications solutions for home and work environments. The key target groups are users from industry, the wholesale/retail sector, skilled trades, banks, the services sector, government agencies, science and all users passionate about technology. CeBIT offers an international platform for comparing notes on current industry trends, networking, and product presentations. For more information, please visit: http://www.cebit.de and to receive your complimentary visitor registration to this elite event, please email lguiang@hfusa.com.


March 2-3, 2010, San Francisco, CA: EyeforTravel's Social Media Strategies for Travel Conference is North America's number one social media event for travel professionals. Now in its fourth successful year, the event brings together top travel brands to share key insights on how to maximize the impact of your social media initiatives. The two days are packed with case studies, presentations and networking opportunities. Please use the promo code MASHABLE for a $100 discount on the admission price.


March 8-9, 2011, Brussels, Belgium: Are you looking to unleash the power of social media for CRM? As new channels and strategies emerge it is increasingly important to meet face-to-face to share knowledge, challenges and experiences. Enterprise Social 2.0: CRM will bring social media marketers and CRM experts together to share knowledge through real-world case studies, best practices, lessons learned and offering networking opportunities with some of the biggest brands and businesses today. Past speakers include: Google, Kodak, L'Oreal, Philips, Nokia, Lego, Siemens, Vodafone, SWIFT, SAP, Roger Smith Hotel, Dominos Pizza, Airbus and more. To receive a special discount, register now!


March 9, 2011, Dubai, India: The Cloud Computing World Forum Middle East and Africa will feature all of the key players within the Cloud Computing and SaaS market providing an introduction, discussion and look into the future for the ICT industry. Register today and get inspiration on how to address your latest issues with advice from real-life end-user case studies and practical examples. Register with the promo code MEAmash20 and save 20%!


March 15, 2011, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Want to know successful stories on how big brands build their brand and reputation online? Everyone can go online, but can you STAY online? Our conference, Digitalize Your Marketing Strategy, is going to be most anticipated event of the year! WE are bringing you the Malaysian's most valuable brands, review their successful stories and provide you hands on tips to manage your online marketing strategy. Our privileged speakers from Digi, Dell, Unilever, Intel and Microsoft will share case studies using social media, digital and search engine. Register with the promo code DYMSMASH and save 20%!


March 23-24, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: Hear groundbreaking social media ROI case studies at Social Pulse 2011: The Corporate Social Media Marketing Event! This conference provides corporate marketing leaders from across industries the newest insights and case studies on how to drive measurable results and marketing ROI through smart social media strategy. Moving beyond theory and assumptions, it is the only conference that focuses on social media initiatives that have generated measurable results for America’s leading corporations. Register online or call 1-800-647-7600, and use the promo code MJK233 to save $200!


March 28-29, 2011, Paris, France: The Marketing 2.0 Conference features leading social media experts who will discuss and learn about the social media initiatives from brands, advertisers, researchers and analysts. Hear from leading people in social media about their strategies, revenue models and how they are approaching upcoming trends in the field. The event will also examine the current market conditions, future forecasts and predictions from leading researchers. Use the promo code mash2011 to receive a discount off the registration price.


April 13-15, 2011, Singapore: The Internet Show Asia 2011 is a series of seminars and a large end-to-end showcase of the latest internet technologies and solutions. More than 10,000 attendees will be at the exhibition and conference to find new ways of doing internet business and enhancing product offerings through the internet – through case study presentations and speaking directly with solution partners. The show will aim to increase your ROI, it's all about business, not a technology show. For more details and registrations, please visit www.theinternetshows.com/2010/Singapore.


April 18-20, 2011, Dubai, UAE: Planet of the Apps Arabia 2011 is a three-day conference dedicated to the opportunities and challenges of mobile applications in the Arab world. The event is for app developers, content providers, device manufacturers, network operators and brands to meet and discuss the current challenges and opportunities presented in this growing market. Key issues addressed will include the sustainability of the current business models, consumer engagement, developer recruitment, app discoverability, platform choice and the importance of social media networks. Register with promo code Mashable and save 20%!


May 4-8, 2011, London, UK: Digital Shoreditch is the voice of everything happening in Shoreditch. The festival explores and celebrates digital technologies; unites the digital community; and provides a platform for sharing knowledge. The activity culminates in a series of exhibitions, parties, presentations, open studios and games.


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Eventbrite is an online events marketplace where tens of thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations of all sizes manage, promote and sell tickets to their events. Make your event a success on Eventbrite.


Reviews: Amplify, Australia, Drupal, Facebook, Forum, Google, Gowalla, Internet, LinkedIn, Linux, Mashable, MySpace, StumbleUpon, Twitpic, Twitter, Yelp, YouTube, foursquare, social media, ustream, video

More About: Social Media Event Guide

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iPhone Coming to Target Retail Stores

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 02:52 PM PDT


Target is set to become the latest big chain retailer to offer Apple's iPhone, with both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS arriving at the company's stores on November 7.

The company will handle activations in-store. In a statement, a Target spokesperson said, "With expert support from Target Mobile specialists and in-store activation, our guests will be able to leave the store with a new, working iPhone3GS or iPhone4 in-hand.”

Target already offers the iPad at its stores, so the addition of iPhone does not come as a huge surprise. However, the news does come on a day where at least one survey has Apple passing RIM as the top smartphone maker in the U.S.

Adding another major retailer partner for iPhone (in addition to Walmart and Best Buy) will only further the competition between Apple, RIM and all of the manufacturers that have embraced Android in the past year and made it the top-selling mobile OS.

Image courtesy of Flickr, J. Stephen Conn


Reviews: Android, Flickr

More About: apple, iphone, retail, smartphones, Target

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The Social Future of Xbox Live and “Halo” [INTERVIEW]

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 02:48 PM PDT


Esteemed game development studio Bungie concluded its direct involvement in the franchise this year with Halo: Reach, but the era ended with a bang — $200 million in sales in just one day, and 2,000 man years played in the first week. Want to know the secret behind one of the most popular video game franchises of all time?

Nearly half of those hours were spent online playing with or against other players, an area in which Bungie and Microsoft is leading the industry.

According to Halo Franchise Development Director Frank O’Connor, strong social features that foster a vibrant community and extraordinary user-generated content are important parts of the path to success. We spoke with him to learn more about Bungie and Microsoft’s strategy for promoting social gaming with Halo: Reach.

For Reach, Bungie overhauled its matchmaking system — the tools used to put players in games with strangers they’d most enjoy playing with based on play style and skill level. It also dramatically improved “Forge,” a set of easy-to-use tools that allow any player to create new levels and game rules.

Forge creations can be shared with friends, and it’s this community of creating and sharing that Microsoft and Bungie hope will make the online component of Halo: Reach an ongoing success.


Halo’s Social Arsenal


Halo utilizes four primary social tools to connect players — online matchmaking, Xbox Live, Waypoint and Forge. For the most part, these tools are deeply integrated. You can join matches with your Xbox Live friends, for example.

Whenever you set out to join a game, you're given the chance to set your "Psych Profile." Do you want to talk a lot or stay silent? Play to win or just have fun? Are you a team player or a lone wolf? You can also pick your tone, and choose to be "polite" or "rowdy." This ensures that you’ll be playing with gamers who share your sensibilities — a welcome thing in an online world populated by families, crude teenage boys and strong-but-silent professional gamers alike.

Xbox Live is Microsoft’s online network for multiplayer gaming and game downloads. Currently unmatched in the industry in terms of features, Xbox Live connects gamers with voice, text and video chat, facilitates matchmaking, and serves up new, playable content for Halo players. While you can use Halo: Reach’s built-in matchmaking features, you can also invite your Xbox Live friends to join you.

Waypoint is an online portal that hosts news, videos and other content that’s of interest to hardcore Halo fans. It even tracks your Halo career by showing the Xbox Live “Achievements” you’ve accumulated across all supported Halo titles. On the web, it’s home to forums for discussing the game.

Finally, there’s Forge, the world and game-mode creating toolset that was introduced with Halo 3 and overhauled significantly in Halo: Reach. Forge is the future of Halo gaming, so we spent a lot of time talking with franchise bigwig Frank O’Connor about it.


Forge: A Whole New World


No, Halo: Reach doesn’t feature an exact replica of the Death Star from Star Wars — at least not out of the box. But one player created one using Forge World, a collection of 3D spaces that can be customized and built on to produce whole new levels for players to trade and compete in. Forge World also allows players to create their own game modes, one of which has already become a viral competitive sport.

Called Grifball, the digital sport has been played in the Major League Gaming competitive circuit. Players have already updated it for Halo: Reach with improved rules and new arenas. Here’s a video of the game in action.

In case you’re interested in a sport more recognizable but no less fantastical, Halo: Reach players have exactly replicated the Harry Potter wizards’ sport Quidditch using Forge’s tools for customizing maps and game rules. Here’s an explanation and some footage.

Map making tools are common for PC games, but they’re relatively rare for consoles. O’Connor mentioned Far Cry Instincts Predator as one of the few Xbox 360 games to offer something like that, but it was much more limited than Forge World. Truth is, this feature is quite rare today, but there’s a good reason.

“That kind of mapmaking functionality would be on the top of [game developers'] chopping blocks,” he says. “The simple reason is that they know that ultimately if you’ve got a hundred people using it, only a few of those people are going to be building maps, and only a few of those maps are going to be good.”

O’Connor says Bungie is able to pull this off where most other studios can’t because of “big teams and big budgets.” It’s easier to push the envelope when you have a well-equipped army of talented people to do the pushing.

Each creation you make in Forge can be instantly accessed by anyone who sees you in a game lobby. All the other player has to do is flick the control stick to the right when he or she has your name selected. Popular creations can be distributed among the community quickly this way, and through an online directory.

Bungie invested the significant resources required to make Forge World because it’s a way of keeping the community going during the long development cycles between new Halo games. The traditional model for console game developers is to keep producing new content and offering it for download on the Xbox Live marketplace, but thanks to Forge World, a greater volume and variety of content can emerge from the community and keep passionate Halo players happy while Microsoft works on the next evolution of the series.


The Future of Halo


Microsoft and Bungie both say the future of Halo is its community. But what makes Halo so special? Aren’t other games and game consoles just as social? Well, much of what Forge offers is “part of the Xbox Live infrastructure,” and it’s currently unrivaled in the market.

“You can talk about PlayStation Network being free all day,” O’Connor says, “But when you’re in Xbox Live, everything feels connected to the extent that if you’re in a lobby waiting for a game, you can go grab a map from somebody’s fileshare.”

Whether that’s only possible within the Xbox Live framework or not, he’s right; no other console game on the market offers that depth and ease of social integration together.

Further enhancements to Xbox Live are coming, but we weren’t given details. We did learn some new things about Microsoft’s plans for Halo on mobile platforms, though. No dedicated mobile games are planned, and the first priority is making your accomplishments and creations visible and browsable on the go, but 343 Industries is looking into ways to “tinker with game rule designs in a mobile space.” That means players will be able to tweak their creations remotely — possibly on the web, or on Windows Phone 7 devices.

Though Bungie has moved on to other things as an independent studio, Microsoft Game Studios and the Halo-focused subdivision 343 Industries will carry the franchise’s torch forward, propelled by Forge World, Waypoint and Xbox Live. Leading that charge is O’Connor’s as franchise development director. He and the other Halo franchise team members are already far ahead of the competition in most respects, but we’re hoping more games will follow — and overtake — their model.


More Gaming Resources from Mashable:


5 Hotly Anticipated Social Gaming Experiences
5 Experiences that Redefined Online Gaming in 2010
Minecraft: How Social Media Spawned a Gaming Sensation
5 Groundbreaking Mobile Games That Debuted This Year
3 Innovative iPad Games That Use the iPhone as a Controller


Reviews: Windows Phone 7, harry potter

More About: 360, bungie, forge, forge world, halo, halo 3, halo reach, interview, level editor, map editor, microsoft, microsoft game studios, multiplayer, social gaming, ugc, user-generated content, video games, xbox, Xbox 360, XBox live

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Stop Cyberbullying and “Find Help” on Facebook

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 01:57 PM PDT

facebook report image

In response to increasing concerns about teenagers’ safety on Facebook, SafetyWeb.com, a web-based monitoring site, has introduced a new “Find Help” application on Facebook.

The app allows users to report any violation or cyberbullying to Facebook officials while also connecting to safety and support organizations related to cyberbullying, child exploitation, suicide, depression, substance abuse and LGBT issues.

Clicking on the app brings up links for reporting incidents and useful numbers from organizations like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline and Facebook Abuse Reporting.

Bully victims can find it difficult to self-report incidents; this app will hopefully make it easier for them to not only report abusive behaviour but seek help and guidance at the same time. Cyberbullying is a real problem that has only recently gained mainstream attention due to a rash of teen suicides.

Social networks, despite their friend lists and updates, have also shown the dangers of cyberbullying. While social media tools like “Find Help” won’t eradicate the problem, they help paint Facebook not just as the site of bullying but also as a solution to it.

Are there any privacy concerns to downloading an app like this? Is there any danger of falsely reporting abuse? Is Find Help a revolutionary app leading the charge to end cyberbullying? Let us know what you think — and if you’d recommend the app — in the comments below.


Reviews: Facebook

More About: bullying, cyberbullying, facebook, find help, safetyweb.com, social networks, suicide

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LinkedIn Gives Brands a Platform to Promote Themselves

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 01:26 PM PDT


LinkedIn is looking to get brands more involved with the site’s users through the launch of a suite of features designed to give them a stronger presence on the business social network.

The new features add product and service recommendations to company pages, along with product listings, product multimedia and a recommender module.

“Company pages now allow you to showcase recommendations from your customers, and help build your brand virally and credibly on LinkedIn,” said Director of Product Management Ryan Roslansky on the company’s blog. “Each time a LinkedIn member endorses your products or services, their recommendation becomes visible to all of their connections and could spread virally.”

Company pages now essentially have three tabs: overview, careers and products. The products tab is where all of this new information is displayed. Brands have a great deal of control over what is displayed on their pages. Just check out the pages for HP and Dell to see what I mean.

The new products tab is definitely an attempt by the company to get brands invested in LinkedIn. One of the reasons Facebook and Twitter have soared in popularity is that brands have inserted tons of resources into their presences on both social media platforms; it’s resulted in brands promoting their presences on both, creating more users and more ad dollars.

Today’s update is a good start, but LinkedIn will have to do more in order to really engage brands and users in the same way that they engage on Facebook and Twitter.


Reviews: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

More About: Company Pages, linkedin, products

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“Michael Jackson The Experience” For Wii Includes a Sequined Glove

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 01:14 PM PDT


Are you excited about the upcoming video game, Michael Jackson The Experience? If you said no, you obviously haven’t heard the latest news: Users who pre-order the Wii version of the game will get a free white sequined glove.

The game will be available for the Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP on November 23. It will be available for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in early 2011.

Alright, so maybe we’re more into the King of Pop and kitschy fun than most, but we still think this is a pretty badass product tie-in.

Michael Jackson The Experience is a typical dance/motion game, but it adds in the magic of MJ’s discography and dance moves. The sequined glove is only available as a pack-in for the Wii version and there is no news about whether it will be included in pre-orders of the Playstation Move and Xbox Kinect.

The game is $29.99 for portable systems and $49.99 for the Wii. If the sequined glove hasn’t won you over, check out this game trailer:


Seriously, who is getting me this for my birthday?

[via Joystiq]

More About: michael jackson, michael jackson the experience, nintendo wii, pop culture, video games, Wii

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WordPress.com Launches Food Blog Aggregator

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 01:05 PM PDT


Leveraging the continuing popularity of food blogging and its own vast content collection, WordPress.com has just launched FoodPress, the service’s first swipe at niche content aggregation.

FoodPress is a hand-curated collection of food-related posts from across the WordPress.com network. Using the tagline, “serving up the hottest dishes on WordPress.com,” FoodPress will be updated each weekday to offer excerpts and links to the latest food-related posts, photos and recipes on WordPress.com.

Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has partnered with Federated Media to handle the publishing, and, we assume, advertising opportunities for FoodPress.

While additions to the FoodPress blog are hand-picked, most content is aggregated and discovered by going through food-related tags across WordPress.com. There is a post on the FoodPress site that details how to get featured on FoodPress, but there is no way to submit a site or post for inclusion directly.

FoodPress’s blog also says that it has plans to find and incorporate WordPress.org blogs into the mix in the future, but for now the target is just WordPress.com.

As a potential vertical and monetization strategy, FoodPress is pretty interesting. WordPress.com is able to leverage content in its networks, sell ads on that content (well, ads on those excerpts) and drive more pageviews to WordPress.com as a whole.

The big question will be how the community embraces the idea. The platitudes about “helping drive visitors to your content” is nice and all, but this is still a business.

Assuming FoodPress is a success and an overall traffic driver, we expect that other niche content aggregators or “presses” will be launched, too.

As it stands, it’s a nice way to find lots of food-related content and an example of how Automattic can leverage the content it hosts.

What do you think of FoodPress?

Disclosure: Federated Media is one of Mashable’s advertising partners.


Reviews: Mashable, WordPress

More About: automatic, food blogging, food blogs, foodpress, Wordpress, wordpress.com

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Facebook Helps You Find Your Polling Place

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 12:11 PM PDT


Facebook has once again teamed up with app developer Involver to release the Facebook Polling Place Locator on the U.S. Politics Facebook Page as part of the Voting Information Project.

Application users can input their registered home address to find their polling place for election day on November 2. The map-based results are pulled from Google’s polling place locator.

There’s nothing all that impressive about the application and it currently seems to be experiencing a few bugs, but we appreciate Facebook’s attempt to eliminate friction from the voting experience and encourage members to get out and vote.

In addition, mobile users can also try the Pew Center’s HTML5-optimized mobile site to locate their polling place while on the go. It also hails from the Voting Information Project and provides users with official data from each state.

[via All Facebook]

Image courtesy of Flickr, mandemonium


Reviews: Facebook, Flickr, Google

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Twitter Ads Come to the Stream

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 12:05 PM PDT


Twitter will begin today expanding its ad platform, Promoted Tweets, to the individual streams of its users.

The new ads, like their Twitter Search counterparts, will be targeted based primarily on keywords; it’s designed to only serve ads that are relevant to its users. Don’t expect Twitter.com to be filled with ads anytime soon, though; the company is beginning its tests with the third-party HootSuite.

The microblogging service launched its ad platform last April in order to begin monetizing its more than 100 million users. Twitter first included ads in search result pages, but then launched ads in trending topics. Last month, Twitter unveiled Promoted Accounts, which advertises a brand’s Twitter account in the website’s “Suggestions for You” feature.

Today’s announcement is a much bigger deal, though. While most of the company’s users utilize search and trending topics sparingly, every active user is exposed to the stream of tweets from their friends and preferred brands. It has the potential to generate millions in revenue for Twitter, but it also has the potential to upset, alienate and confuse its users.

According to Ad Age, Twitter’s initial partners for in-stream advertising include Virgin, Starbucks and Red Bull, all of which have been part of previous tests of Twitter’s ad network. Twitter announced last month that it would be testing Promoted Tweets in apps and mentioned HootSuite as one of its initial partners.

We’re expecting an announcement from Twitter momentarily.


Reviews: HootSuite, Twitter

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India Decides Not to Ban RIM

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 12:04 PM PDT


BlackBerry users in India, you’re in the clear. India’s Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed in an announcement that discussions with BlackBerry maker RIM have led to an interim agreement.

Under this agreement, BlackBerry Messenger services can continue. India threatened to shut off BlackBerry services back in August because of RIM’s refusal to allow law enforcement agencies access to encrypted data.

The ban was initially threatened to take place on August 31, however Indian authorities extended its evaluation process another 60 days.

The details of the agreement between India and RIM weren’t revealed, but we imagine they’re similar to the deal worked out between RIM and the United Arab Emirates last month.

The good news for BlackBerry users is that you can continue to use BBIM unabated.

More About: blackberry, blackberry messenger, india, RIM, UAE

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Drupal Founder on Why Open Source is Good for Business [INTERVIEW]

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 11:54 AM PDT

Dries_Buytaert

Fresh off of an $8.5 million round of funding that was announced earlier today, Acquia co-founder Dries Buytaert is feeling pretty good about the open source business model. The company that he co-founded in 2007 sells software and products that leverage Drupal, the open source project he started in 2000.

Drupal has grown from Buytaert’s experiment with new technologies into a worldwide group project that includes thousands of programmers. The White House, Harvard and MTV all use Drupal to run their sites. Acquia is just one of many companies profiting from the volunteer project.

Buytaert recently spoke with Mashable about the value of open source projects and the role that commercial interests play in their success.

  • 1. What do you think makes an open project successful?

    In the case of Drupal, it's really the community of people who are contributing to the project. We have a large community; we have thousands of developers, and each of those developers helps design modules. Just to give you an idea, we have 7,000 modules on the website. And it's the fact that all of these people contribute these modules that allows us to get both scale and reach.

  • 2. How did you build such a strong community?

    I've been working on Drupal for 10 years. There's no quick-rich formula. It definitely takes a lot of time to build a community. I spent 10 years working on Drupal and getting Drupal where it is today. For us, a big part of building the community was offline events. We started doing meetups for example, and we also started organizing Drupal conferences.

  • 3. When you started Drupal, why did you decide to make it an open source project?

    To be honest, it was sort of by accident in a way. I started working on Drupal really for two reasons. One, around the time 10 years ago, I wanted to learn more about PHP and MySQL…And secondly, I had kind of an itch to scratch, which was that I needed a message board. And so I figured I'll write it with MySQL and PHP so I can learn more about it. And then I started adding to it, restructuring it, changing it to a modular framework. I added a lot of experimental features like blogging. And this was the time when blogging wasn't really called blogging yet. And so the feature was called public diaries at the time, and RSS feeds were just being defined at the time. In a way, for me Drupal in the early days was an experimental platform to dabble around in different kinds of technologies.

    I built a website with that that was called Drop.org, which was kind of the public-facing site of those experiments. And that attracted an audience of people interested in the future of the web who were excited about the latest and greatest things… At the time, Drop.org worked exactly like Digg works; everybody could submit stories and we could vote on the stories and the best stories would go to the main page. And people started to leave suggestions like, “If you change the algorithm like this and this the voting will work better.” At some point, I basically said, “Thank you for all of the suggestions, but I have my own agenda –- I want to work on the things I want to work on –- but it would be great if you would work on the things that you're passionate about.” So we decided to make the source code behind my website available as open source.

  • 4. If the concept of open source were to disappear tomorrow, how would it affect the Internet?

    I think that would be terrible. Obviously, so much of the Internet is powered by open source. One of the things that we did at Acquia was we built a crawler to crawl all of the websites that exist and do some kind of fingerprinting to see how many of those sites are using Drupal versus WordPress versus Joomla versus a whole bunch of other CMSs. More than 10% of all the websites in the world are run by Drupal, WordPress and Joomla — just these three. And all three are open source CMSs, so if you just count those three CMSs, you would lose 10% of the websites.

    And its not just the CMSs; I mean, most websites run Apache or MySQL. Even in the large companies like Google, even though they may not make available the code behind their search algorithms and stuff, a lot of those things have code that uses open source components. Some of the largest companies in the world are really taking advantage of open source.

  • 5. You mentioned some of the other self-publishing websites that are similar to yours. What do you see as Drupal's niche in CMS?

    I think what sets Drupal apart from the others is that it's truly a platform. If you look at WordPress, it's really good at blogging. If you look at Joomla, it's really good at building smaller, corporate websites. That's what those technologies excel at. It doesn't mean they can't be used in other ways… but I think that Drupal is unique in that it scales from really small to really large on one dimension. There are a lot of people who use Drupal on sort of the $10-per-month hosted accounts, and they use it for blogging, they use it for all sorts of different kinds of things. But also it scales up to some of the largest websites in the world — like the White House website runs on Drupal, which I think would be a stretch on some of these other systems.

    What all of these vendors have in common is that they're changing the way people run websites. All of these open source CMS systems are really disturbing commercial CMS vendors. We used to win on price, because open source is cheaper, but I think recently we started to win on features as well… And the reason is that the open source development model allows us to keep up with the rapid pace of innovation online. It's really hard for a commercial organization that has 30 developers or even 50 developers to keep up with the developments on the web. There are new services launching every day. And having a developer community of thousands and thousands of people allows us to keep up with that pace of innovation.

  • 6. You're the leader of Drupal, which is a volunteer open source project, and you're also the founder of Acquia, which is a company that sells products and services related to Drupal. How do you balance those interests?

    At the end of the day, it's very easy. What is best for Drupal is going to be best for Acquia. I mean, Acquia will never be a successful company unless Drupal is successful. So our interests are very much aligned.

  • 7. You recently wrote a blog post about the role of commercialization in open source projects. What do those interests add or detract from the project?

    One of the things I've learned from Drupal is that commercial interests are a really good thing. But they have to be managed properly. For example, I think that the reason Drupal is successful is the community. I think the reason we have such a large community is because so many people make money with Drupal. They use Drupal to build websites for their customers. So it's a tool that allows people to make money, and because they're making money with Drupal, they're invested in the project and they contribute to the project because their business depends on it.

    What that means is that development is often driven by commercial interest. That's a very good thing because that gives us the velocity that we have. What's important is that decision making and leadership is not influenced by commercial interests…we need to make decisions based on technical merits, because they're important for the long-term success of Drupal, not because it's commercially interesting. And that's something we've always been aware of and I think I've always balanced that very well. Every decision with Drupal is discussed in a democratic manner.

What do you make of Buytaert’s comments? Open source in general? His approach to Drupal? Let us know in the comments below.


More Business Resources from Mashable:


- WordPress Founder on the Key to Open Source Success [INTERVIEW]
- 7 Questions With AOL Co-Founder Steve Case
- Yelp Co-Founder on Recovering From Legal Controversy [INTERVIEW]
- 5 Tips for Startup Success From a Co-Founder of HootSuite
- 6 Tips on Starting a Digital Business from the Founder of Pandora


Reviews: Digg, Drupal, Google, Internet, Joomla, Mashable, PHP, WordPress

More About: Acquia, blogging, BLOGS, CMS, content management system, Dries Buytaert, drupal, funding, interview, Joopla, open source, startup, web design, Web Development, Wordpress

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T-Mobile Debuts Cheap Android Phones and Cheaper Data Plans

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 11:26 AM PDT


If you’re on a budget but still want to give a loved one the gift of Android this holiday season, T-Mobile has you covered.

The wireless provider is offering a variety of Android-powered smartphones priced at less than $100, plus some new data and tethering plans that promise not to break the bank.

The phones aren’t going to be as advanced as the T-Mobile G2 or the Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant, but the devices look perfect for a pre-teen, teen or someone who wants a smartphone but doesn’t need tons of power.

Starting November 3, T-Mobile will be offering the following devices for less than $100 with a qualifying rate plan and a two-year agreement:

  • T-Mobile Comet – Compact phone with 528 MHz processor, 2.8-inch touch screen and 3.2-megapixel camera. This is also available for pre-paid customers for less than $200 and is T-Mobile’s least expensive 3G Android phone.
  • LG Optimus T – 3.2-inch touch screen, 600 MHz processor and 3.2-megapixel camera.
  • Motorola DEFY – Scratch and water resistant, 3.7-inch touch screen, 5-megapixel camera with video.
  • Motorola CHARM – Features a QWERTY keyboard, 2.8-inch touch screen and a 3-megapixel camera.

New Data Plans


The phones are your run-of-the-mill pseudo smartphones, but the new data plan options are a bit more interesting.

T-Mobile will be offering low-cost data service plans for individuals and families. Here are the details:

  • Web 200MB Plan – For $10 per month with a new two-year service agreement or contract extension, subscribers can add 200MB of web and data to their devices. For $15 per month, users can add 200MB to their plan without having to extend their contract.
  • Web Unlimited – For $30 per month, users can add unlimited web and data to their accounts.
  • Tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing Plan — T-Mobile will also be offering a new tethering and Wi-Fi sharing plan. This will let compatible smartphones act as mobile hot spots. This is $14.99 per month, in addition to the Web Unlimited $30 per month plan.

All data plans require a new or existing voice and text message plan.

While a $30 monthly rate for unlimited data is pretty standard, the $15 tethering add-on is pretty sweet.

This also underscores T-Mobile’s greater strategy shift, which focuses on value, especially for families. Earlier this fall T-Mobile partnered with Walmart to provide the backend for Walmart’s new Family Mobile offerings.

With AT&T and Verizon vying for high-end device supremacy (and customers), going after the value market isn’t a bad idea.

Are you planning on gifting a lower-cost smartphone to anyone this holiday season?


Reviews: Android

More About: android, motorola charm, smartphones, T-Mobile, tmobile

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Xbox 360 Dashboard Update Now Available

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 10:57 AM PDT


The annual Xbox Live fall update is rolling out now. It includes ESPN, Netflix Search and Zune Music.

The release comes just before the Microsoft Kinect motion capture gaming controller hits stores on November 10. In addition to the above features, Kinect support is integrated directly into the new Xbox dashboard.

Xbox spokesperson Major Nelson wrote about the update on his blog:

  • “You'll be prompted to accept the update when you sign into Xbox Live sometime in the next few hours.”
  • “Regardless of what you have heard, it’s not geographically based. No one area of the world will get it before another.”
  • “If you keep signing out and then back in again, this will NOT force the update…it will only anger people on your friends list who will keep getting a notification. every. time. you sign. in.”
  • “Be patient, everyone will eventually receive the update”

So be patient and the update will be available to everyone shortly. It should be noted that ESPN3 will only be available through ISPs that allow the service, so don’t get too excited about it until you’ve confirmed it works on your end.

More About: kinect, microsoft, netflix, video games, xbox, Xbox 360, XBox live, zune

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Android and Apple Battle for Smartphone Dominance [STATS]

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 10:53 AM PDT


As the worldwide smartphone market continues to expand, the battle between the two primary players, iOS and Android, continues to sizzle.

Market research firm Canalys has thrown some fuel on that fire by noting that Apple is now the leading smartphone maker in the U.S., but Android as an OS has greater marketshare.

This study, which covers Q3 2010, notes that the smartphone market has grown 95% on a global level, when compared to the quarter a year ago. While Nokia remains the leading global smartphone maker, its dominance is shrinking at an ever-increasing rate.

Additionally, as Steve Jobs noted during Apple’s recent quarterly earnings call, the iPhone maker has topped RIM both worldwide (17% versus 15%) and unseated the BlackBerry maker as the top smartphone manufacturer in the U.S.

According to Canalys, Apple pushed past RIM to gain 26.2% of the U.S. smartphone market in this period. In terms of shipments, this puts Apple at 5.5 million for the quarter.


Android Still Dominating


While Apple is the leading smartphone maker in the U.S. — and one of the leading vendors in the world — Android still took the lead when it comes to sheer number of devices.

According to Canalys, 9.1 million Android units were shipped by various Open Handset Alliance partners in the third quarter of 2010. The equates to 43.6% of devices sold.

Google and Android may continue to argue over what OS is moving more mobile units per day — Apple counts all iOS devices including the iPod touch and iPad, and presumably Google does the same for Android. But as far as phone versus phone is concerned, Android’s vast array of devices is outpacing the iPhone by a large margin.


Still Room in This Game


There’s no denying that Android is quickly becoming Symbian’s heir apparent in terms of manufacturer support, device variety and market share. Still, this doesn’t preclude other phone manufacturers or OS makers from getting some skin on the game.

Microsoft may have only managed to pull off 3% of smartphone sales worldwide for the quarter, but this was with a dying, legacy platform. Windows Phone 7 has already launched in many parts of the world and is coming to the U.S. next week.

RIM still has a growing market in the Middle East and Asia. And whether in flux, Nokia is still kicking. This is a market that is going to only get bigger and as that happens, the opportunities for segmentations and niche focus can provide opportunities for vendors of all stripes.

For now, however, Android remains the rising star and the “once and future king” of the smartphone OS market.


Reviews: Android, BlackBerry Rocks!, Google, Windows Phone 7

More About: android, iphone, smartphone usage, stats

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The Future of Social Media and Politics

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 10:43 AM PDT


The Future of Social Media Series is supported by Gist. Gist provides a full view of the contacts in your professional network by creating a rich business profile for each one that includes the most news, status updates, and work details. See how it works here.

Social Media Politics ImagePoliticians are brands. Like their counterparts in the private sector, we’ve seen some pretty interesting things when it comes to using social media on the campaign trail.

Representative democracy seems the perfect place for social media — a direct communications channel between the governed and the government. But are we headed toward a more interconnected body politic, or a new sea of unmanageable political noise?

With the U.S. midterm elections in their final throes, we spoke to some key players for their views on what the rise of mainstream social media has in store for the next generation of political campaigns.


The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, But Perhaps Tweeted


The medium is the message, and like television before it, the social web will radically alter who is electable, according to Matt Lira, the director of new media for Republican Whip Eric Cantor. “Before television, there was a dramatically different set of candidates who could win that didn’t have a chance once television emerged,” Lira said. “Social media’s effect will be no less dramatic.”

Lira notes that at first, campaigning on TV was viewed as a gimmick and was given to young staffers to experiment with. “Over time, television asserted itself as the dominant form of political communication — remaking our nation's politics in the process.” If that progression sounds familiar, it’s because we’re reliving it today.

It’s about how the social web is rapidly becoming the default place where people spend their time and discuss issues that matter to them. “It will be about how much society has integrated itself into it,” said Gerrit Lansing, the new media director for Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL 6th). “Citizens will be far more accustomed to being a fan of their congressman on Facebook, because it will soon become one of the main ways in which they communicate with him.”

“What we're seeing across the political spectrum right now is a rejection of traditional media,” said A.J. Bhadelia, the online communications coordinator for Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA 15th), who represents the Silicon Valley district in California. He notes that among Rep. Honda’s constituents, a quarter of the people who get their news online get it from social media. “[I]f given the opportunity, it will take up any space that traditional media has conceded.”


The New Grassroots


Like many publishers and businesses, political media relations are still entrenched in a “one-way announcement or press release communication” style, as Bhadelia puts it. But today’s forward-thinking campaigns offer a glimpse into what political activism might look like a few years on.

“Future candidates who ‘get it’ will be conducting increasingly supporter-centric campaigns that put the needs of the candidates’ most enthusiastic and ardent supporters at the center of the campaign,” said Brian Komar, the director of strategic outreach for the Center for American Progress. As social media trust continues to shift away from organizations and toward individuals, a highly social political campaign can decentralize its message and create what successful marketers have been tapping on the web for some time — brand ambassadors.

Komar told us that since experts are generally more trusted than institutions, a key component of their outreach has been to train staffers to be individuals with a message, rather than representatives of a large organization. “We've had considerable success with this decentralized approach, ranging from tweets being picked up directly by major press outlets to tweets being forwarded by influencers to high-ranking White House officials, to enhancing various policy experts' reputations.”

Essentially, we may be looking at political outreach coming full circle over the course of a few generations. Focus was initially on personal grassroots activism, then on mass media, and is now returning to a one-on-one trust model for the digital age.


Socially Connected Legislation


The ancient Greeks probably would have dug social media for its potential to realize direct democracy. But can millions of people updating, tweeting and texting really generate a vox populi worth a senator’s attention?

“I believe that social media must be fully incorporated into the daily operation of the United States Congress,” said Lira. “Not simply as an outbound communication tool, but to actually include the American public in substantive legislative decision making.”

Lira cites one digital democracy experiment led by House Republicans called YouCut, a social media hub where participants can suggest and vote on which government spending programs should be cut from the federal budget.

“For the first time, the public is able to have direct impact on what their representatives vote upon on the House floor,” said Lira about the YouCut initiative. “The public's response to this program validates that they will engage with Congress when given the opportunity to do so.”

Lira said that more than 2 million votes have been cast on the YouCut website so far, and every week that the House is in session, the item that receives the most social media votes is brought to the floor for debate (typically 45 minutes) and an actual legislative vote. “To date, no cuts have passed the House, but all we can do in the minority is force the debate and the vote,” said Lira. “The full voting records are available online, so people can know where their representative stood.”

Komar cites another success for connected legislation in a recent campaign by the Enough Project. The organization pushed for regulation on the U.S. import of conflict minerals (tin, tungsten and tantalum, which are commonly used in electronics) from eastern Congo, where mining operations for these valuable materials are often used to fund violent and genocidal military groups. Ten members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee were targeted by the Enough Project and their supporters.

“Within 48 hours, about 500 people posted on the Facebook walls of these members. Soon after, two of the 10 members agreed to co-sponsor the bill and another three members of the committee who were not targeted also agreed to co-sponsor,” said Komar. “The committee’s chairman, Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), then took the unanticipated step to not just put the conflict minerals bill up for a vote, but also put a second bill that the Enough Project was pushing, up for a vote, too.” Both bills passed unanimously out of committee.

Both YouCut and the conflict minerals bill serve to illustrate that legislators can cut through the social media noise the same way many businesses do — by listening to and tackling the issues raised by small, focused online communities.

“By focusing public engagement on a specific challenge or issue, I believe that elected officials can attract the involvement of the experts and activists most interested in solving any particular issue,” said Lira. “The audiences that congregate around each specific challenge will also be motivated to keep the discussion qualitative.”

But social media isn’t yet the proverbial “town square” democracy that some might hope for. “The current platforms … still have far to go before there is direct governance,” Bhadelia conceded, citing concerns about verifying the locations and motivations of the most active politically minded social media participants. “Is this person a constituent? Are the views held by a broad slice of the district or the vocal few?”


Hands-On Candidates


Politician Mobile Image

To win at social media, you’ve got to keep it personal. In the future, can a political candidate still be in the game if he or she is delegating social outreach to staff, as many do today?

“A good new media guy who can write well can still do it,” said Lansing. “Five years from now, it will need to be at least 50/50.”

“I don't believe that an elected official can be removed from the process,” Lira added. “The staff can, as they do in other areas, support that communication. The essence of that communication, however, begins with the elected official.”

Komar sees social media as yet another component of the larger communications picture, and handing off responsibility might just be a matter of course in terms of time management.

“[P]oliticians and candidates delegate drafting of press releases to staff. They delegate drafting of speeches to staff. They delegate drafting policy positions and fundraising asks to their staff. So yes, serious politicians can still delegate some social media outreach to staff as well.” He noted, however, that candidates who pass all of their social media engagement on to staffers will be missing big opportunities for authentic engagement of supporters.


The Takeaway


As in many sectors, it’s likely the political landscape will be radically different in just a few years thanks to social media’s pervasive influence on our ideas about culture, business, celebrity and public discourse. The ways in which we think about candidates and elected officials will change based on how connected we feel to them. And that will influence how we vote.

“The day is fast approaching when you can win your election on the basis of a really good social media campaign,” said Lira. “Build genuine connections with your constituency, authentically engage with them, and you can earn their support.”

Lansing’s advice to would-be candidates of the digital age is to “be very aggressive. What social media allows you to do is build an empire, and the timid do not build empires.”

What do you think? Does your local congressperson have a place in your Facebook newsfeed? Do you engage your government directly via Twitter? Do you feel your online voice matters to legislators? Share your thoughts on the future of social media and politics in the comments.


Series supported by Gist

The Future of Social Media Series is supported by Gist. Gist keeps you better informed with less effort by giving you a full view of your professional network in one place bringing together information from across the web for all your contacts giving you the right information at the right moment to get a meeting, deliver an amazing pitch, or just find a better way to make a connection.


More Political Resources from Mashable:


- 4 Ways to Visualize Voter Sentiment for the Midterm Elections
- How the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" Nailed Social Media
- 17 Web Resources to Help You Decide on Election Day
- Social Media: The New Battleground for Politics
- How Brazil is Blazing a Trail for Electronic Democracy

Images courtesy of iStockphoto, bns124, chriskocek


Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, iStockphoto

More About: elections, facebook, future of social media series, government, legislation, Political, politics, social media, trending, twitter, YouCut, youtube

For more Social Media coverage:


StumbleUpon Stumbles Past 12 Million Members

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 10:17 AM PDT


StumbleUpon has just signed up its 12 millionth member according to a tweet from CEO Garrett Camp. Camp also indicated that the service is now seeing 500,000 new members join the site each month.

The milestone metric and the accelerating signup rate are especially telling given StumbleUpon’s roller coaster history — once an eBay-owned company, StumbleUpon returned to startup status in April 2009.

Since the dissolution of the eBay-StumbleUpon marriage, the company has worked to rebuild its stature with product enhancements, including a recent upgrade to its video product. These upgrades seem to be contributing to a renewed interest in the service.

At this rate, the serendipitous web discovery engine appears to be successfully transitioning from relic service to trendy startup — an impressive feat considering it launched in 2001.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Laughing Squid


Reviews: Flickr, StumbleUpon

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5 Tips for Marketing Online to an International Audience

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 09:30 AM PDT

The International Business Series is brought to you by UPS. Discover the new logistics. It levels playing fields and lets you act locally or globally. It’s for the individual entrepreneur, the small business, or the large company. Put the new logistics to work for you.


Expanding your marketing efforts to an international audience can be a great opportunity to grow your company and reach potential customers that may not otherwise discover your brand, products or services. Reaching an international audience, though, entails understanding regional cultures, laws and online behaviors.

Before kicking off your international digital marketing strategy, consider the following five tips on how to successfully market to an international audience.

If your business has already begun to optimize your online presence for a global community, add your own tips for online international marketing in the comments below.


1. Start with Cross-Cultural Competency


Having your site translated into other languages is a huge advantage to marketing to an international audience, but having a deep understanding of your own and other’s cultures is also important.

The first step to improving cross-cultural competency is understanding the cultural barriers within which you and others in your business operate. Having a grasp of the cultural assumptions and biases that you hold will help you identify cultural differences that may jeopardize business abroad.

Only after you understand your own culture can you begin to learn about other cultures and make note of differences. Reading books and essays on a particular culture can only take you so far. These readings often generalize or stereotype a given culture. Once you “learn” these generalizations, take them with a grain of salt and adapt accordingly.

While studying abroad in China, for example, a schoolmate taught me some Chinese Internet lingo for chatting on QQ and MSN Messenger, the instant messaging platforms of choice among young Chinese at the time. Instead of saying “再见” for goodbye, I tested out “88,” which sounds like the English “bye bye” when spoken in Chinese. Among my Chinese classmates, it wasn’t universally used, which makes perfect sense — even in America, only certain age groups and types of people use cutesy emoticons and shorthands to communicate online. My shortsightedness and excitement to fit in abroad had led me to overlook the fact that not everyone in China communicates online in the same way.

Think about how your country or region’s cultural norms differ among age groups, genders, geographical areas and so on, and then consider these differences among consumers in other cultures. Learning about and respecting other cultures will help you localize your brand’s message.

When possible, talk with, learn from and spend time with people who represent the audience you’re hoping to reach.


2. Understand Regional Laws


When marketing to a global audience, your business should be aware of regional regulations on products, advertising and sales tactics.

Advertising Regulations: In some regions of the world, advertising related to certain types of products are subject to approval by various governing bodies. For example, in many countries, advertisements for pharmaceuticals must be approved by local health ministries.

Furthermore, comparative advertising is treated with varying degrees of hostility across the world. While America may be relatively relaxed about using phrases like “best” and “better” to describe products in relation to other brands, Germany, France and Belgium are all known for having very strict principles when it comes to competitive messaging.

Verizon’s commercials that compared 3G coverage across America between Verizon’s and AT&T’s networks, for example, made it to fruition in the States, but this type of comparative, and possibly misleading, sales tactic may not be permissible in other countries.

Regulation of Sales Tactics: Various sales promotion tactics — such as contests, sweepstakes, deals and premium offers (i.e., buy one, get one free) — are usually regulated differently across borders. Make sure your desired promotion tactics don’t conflict with local laws before running them.

Product Laws: If you sell your product online to an international audience, it is subject to product development laws regarding chemical makeup, safety, performance and packaging designs, including languages, sizes and materials used.


3. Customize Search Engine Marketing Based on Local Usage


International search engine marketing is a mixture of choosing the right search engines, localizing content and understanding keywords.

Choose the Right Search Engines: Figure out which search engines are used by the particular markets you are targeting. While you can reach many English-speaking customers via search by advertising on the top three search engines in the U.S. — Google, Yahoo and Bing — international use of search engines varies. Often, local markets are best served via local search engines, because the English-language search engines don’t always suffice for niche, local content.

Localize Your Content: It isn’t enough to simply translate your website into target languages if quality is your goal — don’t serve second-rate content to your international clients. When possible, localize your product, services and messaging for each market you serve. This can be costly, so weigh the options carefully.

Choose Native Keywords: With international SEM, you shouldn’t focus on translating keywords into foreign languages. Instead, work with native speakers trained in search marketing to figure out native keywords that would be best associated with your website and its content. Remember that keywords aren’t words, but instead shortened thoughts used by Internet browsers to find particular types of content. Therefore, keywords are often influenced by culture, which is best navigated by locals.


4. Optimize Site Design


In many cases, the first portal for your online communication with potential customers will be your website. Optimize your site design to allow for ultimate flexibility for global visitors.

There are a lot of considerations when developing a global-friendly website, a few of which are:

Colors and Symbols: Colors and symbols are deeply ingrained in cultures; research perceptions of colors and symbols among your target audience and adapt accordingly. In most of Europe and the Americas, for example, white is associated with purity and marriage. In Japan, China and parts of Africa, though, white is traditionally the color of mourning. But don’t be fooled — in Westernized Asian cities, white weddings are becoming more common. Beyond colors, make sure any icons, logos or graphics you are using are acceptable and looked upon in good light in areas you wish to reach. Check out some resources for working with color on the web.

Currency Conversion: If you are in the e-commerce business and offer international shipping, make sure you also enable users to convert their purchase amount into their own currency. Conversion can be confusing to the average consumer. Giving users the option can only make it easier. There are quite a few currency conversion API tools to choose from, but they can be difficult to sort through — check out Exchange Rate API for starters.

Use of Text: There’s more to worry about than whether your site is easily translated. First off, minimize the use of text in graphics, as these cannot be translated. While it may be impossible to eliminate all graphics with text, read up on other design options made possible by the rise of web fonts. Furthermore, make sure your web design flows to accommodate machine translation. Some elements may be fine, but others may not display properly. Test your site using a machine translation service and make adjustments as needed.

Loading Speed: Check out the Yahoo Developer Network for some best practices on speeding up your website. It’s particularly important, when it comes to reaching a global audience, to use a Content Delivery Network (CDN), which is a collection of web servers around the world. Instead of serving your site from one location, you can improve load times by offering it from the server nearest to your site visitor.


5. Adapt Social Media for Various Languages


If your company already serves multiple markets and your site sees a lot of international visitors, you should consider looking into ways to reach your global audience via social media. Here are a few ideas for some popular social platforms:

Facebook: On the world’s largest social network, there are two key strategies for reaching global audiences — creating one Page or many.

By creating one brand Page, you can target updates by location, demographics and language. This is a good option if you are looking to have one hub for content creation. On the positive side, users will be receiving targeted updates in their news feeds, and they will still be gathered in one place. The downside is the possibility of confusing users who visit your Page and find updates in multiple languages. This could limit interaction on your Page.

Creating multiple regional Pages increases the localization of each Page, but this method requires more time to customize, as various logos and text should be created for each one. You’ll have to figure out the right option for your brand, but considering your strategy before launching is a good start.


  1. Direct2Dell_JP
    Direct2Dell_JP 「信じる道をいこう―Take Your Own Path」ブランド・キャンペーン第二弾開始! http://bit.ly/d6dYUl
  2. DellenDirecto.com
    DellenDirecto Nuevo Concurso para Colombia: La Familia Inteligente http://bit.ly/cG2j9i
  3. 戴尔直通车
    Direct2Dell_CN 在世博探讨业务及IT趋势 http://bit.ly/bdPoCc
  4. Direct2Dell
    Direct2Dell @obsoletecritic This is @LionelatDell. Please reach out to @DellCares. They can help you with your #dellstreak voicemail.
  5. DellDirekte
    DellDirekte Dell på miljøtoppen i USA: Her i Norge ser vi kanskje ikke på USA som et foregangsland når det gjelder miljøvern, … http://bit.ly/akiUZe


Twitter: If you expect to tweet in multiple languages, you should create multiple Twitter accounts. This minimizes confusion with readers who don’t speak all of the languages you tweet in. Dell’s Direct2Dell corporate blog, for example, has Twitter feeds in English, Norwegian, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish.

YouTube: While creating video content in various languages is a huge task that may not be possible, adding subtitles to your YouTube videos is a great way to reach a larger audience on the world’s largest video site.

In the end, the goal is to widen your audience by making it easier for them to access your content. These five tips will set you on your way to marketing with greater care abroad. Add your own tips for marketing online to an international audience in the comments below.


Series supported by UPS


The International Business Series is brought to you by UPS. Discover the new logistics. It levels playing fields and lets you act locally or globally. It’s for the individual entrepreneur, the small business, or the large company. Put the new logistics to work for you.


More Business Resources from Mashable:


- HOW TO: Build Your International Business Network Online
- 5 Tips for Developing a Global-Friendly Website
- HOW TO: Optimize Your Mobile Site Across Multiple Platforms
- 15 Mobile Translation Apps for the International Businessperson
- 6 Free Web Tools for Managing Time Differences

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Lighthousebay & Kain Kalju


Reviews: Bing, Facebook, Google, Internet, MSN Messenger, Seesmic Desktop, Twitter, Yahoo!, YouTube, iStockphoto, pages, test, twitterfeed

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Make Your iPhone Your Personal Shopping Assistant

Posted: 01 Nov 2010 09:12 AM PDT


The holiday season is officially underway. And now, one of our favorite apps for grabbing price comparisons, Big in Japan’s ShopSavvy, has just been updated for the iPhone.

The free ShopSavvy 4 for iPhone [iTunes link] is a pretty big overhaul of the app. In addition to a newly cleaned-up interface, the app now sports features for tracking and crowd sourcing deals, finding out price-matching policies at various stores and finding out what store near you has a product in stock.

The creators of ShopSavvy say that ShopSavvy 4 is every bit as good as the Android version — probably better. That’s a pretty bold claim — especially when you consider that ShopSavvy was one of the original winners of Google’s Android Developer Challenge back in 2008.

The first thing you’ll notice about the new app is that the interface is a lot more clean and crisp. Additionally, the app is faster, with the barcode scanning process and technology reportedly five times faster than previous versions. In our tests, barcode scanning and product recognition was very snappy. We scanned the assorted DVD and Blu-ray discs we had laying around our workspace and some other assorted items and the app recognized them all quickly and accurately.


New Features


ShopSavvy has a slew of new features including:

  • Add Photos and Prices — If you’re at a store that isn’t listed for having an item in stock, or if an item doesn’t have a photograph associated with it, you can now add your own photo, as well as the store and pricing information directly from the app.
  • ShopSavvy User Reviews — Previous versions of the app let you call up reviews from third-party sites and services. ShopSavvy 4 lets you add your own ratings and reviews from the ShopSavvy universe.
  • Enhanced Sharing Options — ShopSavvy 4 lets you share an item via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, SMS and other options like Instapaper.
  • Deals — ShopSavvy now shows you streaming deals aggregated from the web and other ShopSavvy users.
  • Retailer Stock and Price Matching Policies — You can now find out if a retailer has an item in stock and also check its price matching policy from the app.


Price Matching Made Easy


The great thing about ShopSavvy — and other barcode scanning apps like RedLaser — is that it really does make your phone more useful. Rather than having to do price comparisons before you leave, you can actually do those comparisons while you shop.

This video offers a longer overview of what’s new in ShopSavvy 4:

How do you find deals and compare prices during the holiday season?


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