Home � � Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “The 3 Biggest Stories in Tech & Business This Tuesday”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “The 3 Biggest Stories in Tech & Business This Tuesday”

Posted by Ashim Adhikari on 5:45 AM // 0 comments

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “The 3 Biggest Stories in Tech & Business This Tuesday”

The 3 Biggest Stories in Tech & Business This Tuesday

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 05:30 AM PST

Social Media News

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

Google to Acquire Groupon for More Than $5 Billion [REPORT]

Forget the rumor that Google acquired Groupon for $2.5 billion; the search giant is about to close a deal for the group-buying service for $5.3 to $6 billion, according to multiple reports.

Google's Secret Social Initiative Delayed Until Spring 2011

The launch of Google's big social initiative, once thought to be a full-fledged social network named "Google Me," has been delayed until spring 2011.

Virgin's iPad-Only Magazine Has Arrived

Virgin Group's iPad-only magazine, Project, has arrived in the App Store [iTunes link].

Further News

  • Microsoft has now sold 2.5 million units of the Xbox Kinect in less than a month.
  • Facebook Co-founder Chris Hughes has launched his much-buzzed-about social network for social good, Jumo.
  • China has blocked access to WikiLeaks.
  • Hootsuite announced that it now has more than 1 million users.
  • The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) staged an anti-fur protest on clothing brand DKNY's Facebook Page Monday.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DNY59

More About: first to know series, Google, Google Me, groupon, project magazine

For more Tech coverage:

HootSuite Reaches 1 Million Users [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 05:01 AM PST


Social media dashboard HootSuite has reached an important milestone: one million registered users.

To celebrate the event, HootSuite shared with us some stats from its two-year history. HootSuite users send over one million messages per day, mostly on Twitter, but also on Facebook, Ping.fm and LinkedIn. It took one year and two months to reach the first 250,000 registered users, but then, in only ten months, that number has quadrupled.

In 2010, HootSuite was really busy, adding HTML5 support to its web interface, launching iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry apps, and recently switching to a freemium business model.

In the future, HootSuite plans to launch a social sharing tool for publishing platforms and release an API which will allow third-party developers to create apps and tools for the dashboard.

Check out some other stats from HootSuite in the infographic below.

More About: client, facebook, hootsuite, social media, twitter

For more Social Media coverage:

Google May Acquire Groupon for $6 Billion, and It Would Be Worth Every Penny

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 11:46 PM PST


Forget the rumor that Google acquired Groupon for $2.5 billion; the search giant is about to close a deal for the group-buying service for a whopping $5.3 to $6 billion, according to multiple reports.

It would be worth every overpriced penny.

The deal is worth $5.3 billion with an additional $700 million earnout based on performance, according to All Things D. The New York Times reports that a deal could be completed as soon as this week. With a price tag almost double that of DoubleClick, Google’s biggest acquisition to date, there are still plenty of ways for this deal to fall apart.

Earlier this year, Yahoo tried to snag the group-buying company, but failed. Google, with its $30+ billion cash reserve, reportedly then offered Groupon $3 billion to $4 billion. However, it was rebuffed, so the tech giant upped its offer.

Groupon pioneered the group-buying model through its deal-of-the-day business model. Launched in November 2008, the company has grown from an offshoot of ThePoint to a multi-billion dollar empire with thousands of employees worldwide. In April 2010, Groupon raised $135 million from Digital Sky Technologies, setting its value at over $1 billion.

If the Google deal does go through at a $6 billion valuation, that would mean that Groupon’s value has grown by more than $625 million per month or over $20.8 million per day. That skyrocketing value is simply mindboggling.

Acquiring Groupon: Overpriced or a Genius Move?

There are many reasons to think that Google would be overpaying to get its hands on Groupon. Any company whose value rises by $20 million per day risks a flameout at the level of Pets.com. $6 billion is a stretch almost any way you slice it.

Still, Groupon has an asset that Google covets so highly that it’s willing to pay billions: local advertisers. Through its massive sales team, Groupon has built an impressive array of relationships with thousands of restaurants, spas and local businesses in hundreds of metropolitan areas. It’s a market that Foursquare, Facebook and Yelp all target, but none of them has figured out the formula like Groupon.

The group-buying website’s value isn’t in its technology — the flood of Groupon clones proves that — but in its unparalleled distribution. No other company in the world has the attention of local businesses that Groupon commands. And no other company has the expertise to turn that attention into a steady and consistent firehose of cash.

It’s that attention and expertise Google wants. This is about taking Google’s ad platform to the next level. It also doesn’t hurt that Groupon is set to exceed $500 million in revenue this year. It’s a multi-billion dollar business in the making.

If Google goes through with the biggest purchase in the company’s history, it will have the upper hand in local business advertising. That advantage could be so great that the courts stop this acquisition from ever happening. That’s why Google wants Groupon so badly that it’s willing to overpay by billions; if all goes according to plan, the search giant will be flooded with so much local advertising revenue that it will be able to buy a dozen Groupons.

More About: -local, acquisition, Google, groupon, trending, yelp

For more Business coverage:

Facebook Co-Founder Launches Social Network for Social Good, Jumo [IMAGE]

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 10:56 PM PST


Today, users can start connecting with all their favorite social causes in one online sphere, as Facebook Co-founder Chris Hughes has launched his much-buzzed-about social network, Jumo.

Hughes, who left Facebook in 2007 to become the Obama campaign’s director of online organizing, soft-launched Jumo last March. At that time the site existed merely as a homepage featuring a rather intriguing survey box that asked the site visitor an array of questions from, "If you had a daughter tomorrow, which would you name her?" to "Would you say the world is getting better or worse?" Upon answering these queries, you could also submit your e-mail address to get more information as it came.

Since the site first came on our radar, we here at Mashable have waited with interest to see what Hughes would reveal. Would the site have its desired effect: Bringing together those interested in social change to expedite global do-gooding? And, more simply, what would it look like? Would it be easy to use?

A couple of months ago, we got a little more insight into the project when Hughes spoke at the Mashable & 92Y Social Good Summit in New York City about the inspiration behind Jumo — how, after the January 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake, he saw people reaching out those in need and the incredible response of the online community.

He also saw that reactions like this are not enough. Instead of having the doing-good-at-Thanksgiving-time mentality (i.e. being galvanized by big events and holidays), people need to be involved with their causes of choice year-round. And that’s where Jumo comes in.

Jumo was designed to let users find, follow and support the causes important to them, and with 3,500 organizations on board at launch, would-be philanthropists should be able to find and follow something of interest upon joining. (For comparison’s sake — Apple’s Ping had 2,000 artists two months out of the gate.)

We have yet to actually get our mitts on the site, but Hughes gave us a walkthrough that revealed how easy-to-use and intuitive the layout is. In fact, it’s very similar to Facebook. Upon signing up via Facebook Connect, which lets you easily find friends on the site, you can begin to shape your Jumo experience by figuring out “What You’re Interested In” by way of selecting “Issues.”

“This is to get a sense of who someone is, what they’re passionate about, what’s meaningful to them,” Hughes says. “It’s the first way to figure out what a person might want to see more of.”

Every Issue also has a page that you can follow, allowing you to discover more organizations over time.

After choosing your Issues, you can either drill down to find more specific Issues (think education reforms, schools, at-risk youth, etc), or sort through “Projects” affiliated with that space and select which ones you would like to follow. You can also sort through Projects by location, finding those close to you, if you are so inclined.

Once you choose your Projects and click “Done,” you’re transferred to your homepage, which, again, is very similar to Facebook’s. It even has a newsfeed of sorts with updates from all the projects, people and issues you’re following. It also has a “Talk” section showing social updates from Projects and people you follow.

“Our real mission is to make it as easy as possible for people to be able to find these organizations and then connect with them in a substantive way,” Hughes says. The site even features its own “Like” buttons, which allow you to “Like” a news story or video posted by a Project you follow and share that story on your own profile page, which is basically a feed of your activity on the site. That way, you can see what your friends are interested in and check out Issues and Projects they might be involved with. You can also “Like” organization pages via Facebook “Like” buttons, thereby sharing that info with your Facebook friends.

“It’s all geared to answer the question: What does [insert name] care about?” Hughes says.

In addition to joining as an individual, you can also add Projects to the site — so long as they pertain to social or environmental issues. “We’re an open platform where anyone can create a profile or an organization page. You have to be vetted by the IRS to be able to receive any money from anyone on the Jumo platform [via a donation button], but anyone can create a page,” Hughes says.

By joining Jumo, a Project can pull all its social streams into one place — Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, blogs, etc. That way, followers can check out a wealth of information on a single organization all in one framework.

Again, Project pages are a lot like Fan Pages on Facebook, however the key difference here is that the focus seems to be less on the individual than on the organization. On Facebook, it’s more about the connections you make with friends than those you do with brands/bands/etc. Jumo focuses much more on creating a space where you can learn more about organizations, and thereby take action.

At this juncture, you’re probably thinking: “So what does this site actually do? Isn’t this just another form of the infamous slacktivism?”

“I think that when people click a ‘Like’ button of follow something on Twitter or sign up for an e-mail list, it’s the first statement of support for any interest,” Hughes says. “It doesn’t mean that they don’t then go out and do things like knock on doors and go to protests or go to rallies or go volunteer or donate. They do do these things.”

“We can make it easier for people to connect with the professionals working in a lot of fields in order to make change happen. There are a million different groups out there working day in, day out to provide healthcare or education services, or do good government work and I think that our challenge is not to use social media to reinvent the engagement paradigm, but instead to support the work of the people who are out there getting the job done, day in, day out.”

Reviews: Facebook, Flickr, Mashable, Twitter

More About: chris hughes, facebook, jumo, social good, social media, startup

For more Startups coverage:

Is It Time to Call the Xbox Kinect a Smash Hit?

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 10:14 PM PST


Microsoft has now sold 2.5 million units of the Xbox Kinect in less than a month. With sales staying consistent, is it safe to say that the Kinect is a big hit for Microsoft’s gaming division?

The technology giant is boasting that “strong demand over the Black Friday weekend” helped the company get the Kinect gaming devices into millions of homes in just 25 days. In fact, the company is forecasting that it will sell 5 million units before the end of the holiday season. That’s a safe assumption, given that the company has been able to sell 100,000 Kinects per day since it launched last month.

Microsoft even got Nik Nayar, Target’s VP for merchandising, to lavish abundant praise on the device in its press release. “Kinect on Xbox 360 was a top performer at Target this weekend,” Nayer said. “We expect Kinect will be a must-have gift this holiday season, so Target will continue to receive consistent shipments of Kinect throughout December.”

The device is shaping up to be one of the top gifts of the 2010 holiday season. There’s a reason why we recently recommended the Xbox 360 with Kinect as one of our top holiday gifts. While it’s not perfect, it definitely can get a room hopping and buzzing. My non-gamer friends have had a fantastic time with my recently-acquired Kinect.

Does that mean the Kinect is a smash hit? A good place to start is the 2006 launch of the Nintendo Wii, which has gone from underdog to undisputed champion of the seventh generation console wars. In the first eight days of its U.S. launch, the Wii sold 600,000 units.

While not exactly an apples to apples comparison (the Wii had a $250 price tag vs. the Kinect’s $150), it’s still beating the pace set by the Wii during its debut. More importantly, the Kinect is driving the sale of new motion-based games and has given the Xbox 360 fresh blood that should keep it competitive with the Wii and the PlayStation Move for the next few years.

It’s still a bit early to make a definitive call on the Kinect (we want to see how it fares in Q1 and Q2 2011), but so far it looks like Microsoft has a real winner on its hands.

More About: gaming, kinect, microsoft, xbox, Xbox Kinect

For more Entertainment coverage:

Flock Social Browser Declares War on RockMelt with Version 3.5

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 09:04 PM PST


Flock, the self-described “social web browser,” is responding to the launch of RockMelt with the release of Flock 3.5, which boasts greater speed and added functionality.

The browser touts social integration, primarily through a sidebar that lets users update their Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn statuses. It also has a multitude of link-sharing features, the ability to group friends across multiple services and a “Social Search” feature that displays what a user’s friends are saying about a specific query.

The major change from version 3.0 to 3.5 though is that Flock is now based off of Chromium 7, an upgrade from Flock 3.0’s Chromium 5 roots. Flock’s Mac version is also now based on Chromium; the previous version ran off of Gecko.

In addition to the version 3.5 release, Flock also announced that it now has 9.5 million users based on installs.

Flock vs. RockMelt

Flock, first released in 2005, has been known for its social networking elements. For years, the browser was based off of the Gecko rendering engine, the same one used in Firefox. In June though, the company abandoned Gecko in favor of Google’s open source Chromium engine in an attempt to completely reinvent itself.

The social browser space gained renewed attention when RockMelt made its debut earlier this month. Based on the premise that current browsers are designed for an antiquated web and that the modern browser needs to live in the cloud, the Chromium-based browser was able gain a lot of traction for its limited beta launch. It also doesn’t hurt that one of its financial backers is Marc Andreessen, the founder of Netscape.

Flock is clearly aware of the threat that RockMelt poses to its browser and to its business. In fact, it’s so acutely aware of RockMelt that it created a 24 point comparison chart where it slams its upstart competitor for being cumbersome and new to the social browser game.

Here are just a few of Flock’s counterpoints to RockMelt:

- “We think RockMelt will be difficult for average users to use, given the configuration and clicking required. Three years of user testing and input has told us that they don't want to go to all this work in their social browser and they don't want to open up multiple windows to see what's going on. They want to see what’s important to them in a glance.”

- “RockMelt's search experience is cumbersome and it doesn't give you all the goodness of Google. RockMelt has added a Firefox era-like features of two search boxes — you put something in search box, a panel pops up that just gives you Google results in a panel without taking you to Google. This introduces a pop up window on top of Google and duplicates functionality already available from Google.”

- “Sharing is multi-click and cumbersome. You have to click the Share button — pick what you want from a drop down box. Several clicks are involved — up to three clicks.”

Today’s release makes it clear that Flock isn’t about to roll over and play dead to the competition presented by RockMelt. This is just the opening salvo of the social browser wars.

Reviews: Chromium, Facebook, Firefox, Flock, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter

More About: Browsers, chrome, Chromium, Firefox, flock, RockMelt, Social Browsers

For more Tech coverage:

The “Facebook Killer” Won’t Look Like Facebook [CNN]

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 08:56 PM PST

cnnopinion

In the spring of this year, the so-called “Facebook alternative” Diaspora achieved extensive media coverage — including an article in the New York Times — and raised tens of thousands of dollars in funding from online donors.

The pitch was an appealing one: In the midst of a privacy backlash at Facebook, Diaspora proposed a more private alternative to the leading social network.

But Diaspora is no Facebook rival, and history tells us it won’t make a dent in Facebook’s success.

That’s the topic of my latest CNN column.


Check out the column at CNN.com >>

Reviews: Facebook

For more Social Media coverage:

OpenTable Now Shows You Where You Can Dine Tonight

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 06:59 PM PST


The OpenTable website has long remained a sparse entity for booking restaurant reservations, but now it’s experimenting with a completely overhauled metro home page for each city it serves.

Apart from the much improved new look, the site revamp introduces “Tables for Two Tonight” to all metros, a previously tested concept that highlights available tables for two — with one-click booking options — at popular and top-rated restaurants. The addition offers site visitors a quick way to find and book timely reservations.

Other improvements include an upgraded restaurant search experience, featured deals and events and suggestions for restaurants you might like based on previous reservations booked through OpenTable.

The new metro home pages are already visible to some users and will go live in all metro areas starting Tuesday morning.

OpenTable continues to seat millions of diners and sign on new restuarants every quarter. Most recently, the company reported 15.4 million seated dinners for Q3 2010. While its mobile apps play an ever-growing role in the booking process, the website overhaul should help the company convert even more potential diners into seated guests.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Robert Scoble

Reviews: Flickr

More About: opentable, redesign

For more Dev & Design coverage:

Google’s Secret Social Initiative Delayed Until Spring 2011 [EXCLUSIVE]

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 06:02 PM PST


Google’s big social initiative, once thought to be a full-fledged social network named “Google Me,” is experiencing delays that have pushed back the launch until spring 2011.

Mashable has learned that Google’s big social play could debut in March or April, a far cry from earlier rumors that pegged a 2010 launch date.

The project is a top-secret affair, even within the company. It is being led by Vic Gundotra, one of the company’s public faces and a VP of engineering.

“We're always experimenting with new ways to improve our products, and we have already confirmed that we are focused on incorporating social elements across Google,” a Google spokesperson told us when reached for comment. “But we have nothing new to announce at this time.”

The rumors were running wild earlier this year about Google Me. According to chatter, at the time, it was going to be a “full, first-class social network” designed as a direct competitor to Facebook. A few months later though, Google CEO Eric Schmidt stated that the company is actually building social components into Google’s core products.

"If you think about it, it's obvious. With your permission, knowing more about who your friends are, we can provide more tailored recommendations. Search quality can get better," Schmidt said at the time.

So what is causing the delay? The likely culprit is disagreement on the design, purpose and execution of the project. One of our sources told us that he/she has heard “tales of disorganization and too many different teams working parallel or in conflict.”

Google’s social initiative was sparked by the threat Facebook presented to its domination of the web. Facebook’s growth has spooked Google’s leadership. When Facebook learned of the search giant’s plans, it responded by entering “lockdown” for 60 days, where the company focused on completing new features like Facebook Messages, Facebook Places and Facebook Groups.

Beyond YouTube, Google has a poor track record in social, part of the reason why it acquired Slide and Ångströ. The delay of Google’s big social initiative is yet another black eye for the company and another win for a certain social network based out of Palo Alto.

Reviews: Facebook, Google, Mashable, YouTube

More About: EXCLUSIVE, facebook, Google, Google Me, trending

For more Social Media coverage:

George W. Bush Talks “the Facebook” and the iPad [VIDEO]

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 05:16 PM PST

Former U.S. President George W. Bush stopped by the Facebook headquarters earlier this evening to promote his new memoir, Decision Points.

The 43rd president joined Facebook in June and uses the site to promote his various projects and speaking engagements. True to form, Bush was quick with the quips and the self-deprecating humor.

Mr. Bush revealed that he used to be a BlackBerry person but is now an iPad person. He also uses “the Facebook.” To be fair to Mr. Bush, President Obama has previously referred to Twitter as “the Twitter.” Being the leader of the free world apparently means you can apply definite articles to anything you want.

When Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg asked the former president “why Facebook,” Bush responded “because you have a lot of people on here and I’m trying to sell books.” Touche Mr. Bush, touche.

Reviews: Facebook, Twitter

More About: decision points, facebook, george w. bush, ipad, mark zuckerberg

For more Web Video coverage:

Dell Inspiron Duo Tablet/Netbook Hybrid Has Arrived

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 04:27 PM PST


We first learned about the Dell Inspiron Duo a few weeks ago and were rather intrigued by the convertible ultra-portable device. It has the distinction of being half netbook and half tablet, making it a compelling choice for those not yet ready to go all touch.

The device is made possible by a unique mechanism that flips the screen, transforming the device from a netbook into a tablet. The 10-inch touchscreen makes it one of the bigger tablets on the market, while its dual-core 1.5GHz Intel Atom processor is a first among tablets, although netbooks have had them for some time.

In addition to what we already knew, today we learned that the device includes a 320GB 7200RPM hard drive. It’s a bit strange that Dell has opted for a physical drive over a solid state one, but we can be thankful that it’s 7200RPM instead of 5400RPM.

The Dell Inspiron Duo is available now directly from Dell for $550. If you pick one up, please let us know your thoughts on the device.

More About: dell, Dell Inspiron Duo, netbook, Tablet, touchscreen, ultra portable

For more Tech coverage:

How Entrepreneurs Are Using Kickstarter to Fund Their Dreams

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 03:51 PM PST


Thanks to the success of projects like Diaspora, Designing Obama and The Glif, more and more creatives are looking towards Kickstarter as a way to fund their projects.

The site makes it possible for individuals or groups to fund an album, finance a documentary film or publish a quarterly magazine by soliciting backers online. The brilliance of Kickstarter is in its all-or-nothing approach. This creates a huge incentive for project creators to really put a lot of thought into their project and to offer appropriate rewards for pledges.

We wanted to find out why so many entrepreneurs are turning to Kickstarter to fund their projects. Kickstarter projects come in all sizes and we spoke with three project creators about the how’s and why’s of crowdfunding.

The Still Funding

Christopher Salmon fell in love with Neil Gaiman’s short story, The Price. As a filmmaker, Salmon immediately saw the potential of bringing the story to life, using computer animation. He contacted Gaiman — and thanks to an incredibly detailed animatic — received permission to create the film. Gaiman even agreed to provide the voice narration for the project.

Things were starting to come together, until Salmon ran into a familiar problem for indie filmmakers: Money.

Getting funding for a short film — even for something like The Price that has a built-in fan base — isn’t easy. For Salmon, it was important to not only find a way to raise money, but to do so in a way that would let him retain control of his project. That’s when he turned to Kickstarter.

Salmon decided to use the service to raise the $150,000 he needs to turn his animatic into a fully-fledged 3D animated short. As of publishing, the filmmaker is less than 32 hours away from his deadline and he needs roughly $20,000 to meet his goal.

When we spoke to Salmon last week and asked him about the project, he told us that it was the all-or-nothing approach of Kickstarter that really interested him. Ambition and belief in the story is what led Salmon to create the intricate animatic that won over Gaiman; that same ambition is what led him to trust that he will reach his goal.

Salmon spoke to us about the overwhelming feedback he has received from supporters. Interestingly, the film has generated a lot of support and interest from the overreaching film community since the funding push kicked off at the beginning of the month. Pledges have come from all parts of the world and that support — and trust — will guide him into making an even better film, according to Salmon. “I want to make it as good as it can be to show my thanks,” Salmon said.

The plan is for the film to hit the festival circuit as soon as it is complete.

Pledges of $25 or more will receive a digital download of the finished film. Those that choose to donate $50 or more will get a special edition DVD that includes an exclusive interview with Neil Gaiman. Additional pledge levels include other incentives like posters, a Blu-ray edition and signed copies of the film.

The Just Funded

Tom Durham is another filmmaker who saw Kickstarter as a way to fund his project. Less than two weeks ago, Durham successfully reached the funding goal for his project, 95ers: ECHOES. Durham’s goal was to raise $12,000; he ended up raising just over $17,000 for his project.

Kickstarter turned out to be a crucial part of making 95ers: ECHOES a reality. An ultra-indie sci-fi film about an FBI agent with the power to rewind time, Durham describes the project as “The Time Machine meets X-Files meets Heroes meets… A Christmas Carol.”

Durham has literally put his life into the film. The project has taken over four years — though the idea goes back more than a decade — and most of the funding came from mortgaging his house. He does not recommend that approach.

After almost reaching the finish line, Durham hit a wall. Completely out of money, he was faced with having to wait another year to save up the funds to finish the project properly. Fortunately, a relative told Durham about Kickstarter and he decided to give it a shot.

Durham tells us, “Kickstarter understands the artist and understands today’s patron, and connects them.” After the initial round of backers trickled to a stop, the 95ers was featured on the Kickstarter home page. At this point, the project really started to take off. “Something about our own story, and something about the movie’s story, was connecting with people,” says Durham.

With his funding goal complete, the next step is to finish the film. The plan is to have it completed by the end of January so that it can go off to festivals and then TV and DVD. Durham hopes to have the film on SyFy in 2011.

Incidentally, this is only the first of five planned 95ers films. We imagine that Durham will skip the mortgage next time and go straight to Kickstarter.

The Big Success Story

About a week and a half ago, we covered a Kickstarter project called the TikTok+LunaTik. TikTok and LunaTik are high quality kits for turning the iPad nano into a multitouch wrist watch. When we first wrote about the project, it had raised nearly $200,000 — far more than its initial funding goal of $15,000.

Since then, the project has gone on to raise more than $450,000, making it the most successful project in Kickstarter’s history. Oh, and there are still more than two weeks to go before the project ends.

For Scott Wilson, the founder of MINIMAL, the Chicago-based design studio where TikTok and LunaTik were engineered, the success has been pretty overwhelming.

Wilson came into Kickstarter with more experience under his belt than the average project creator: his past client list includes a stint at Nike and he has an extensive client list.

So why choose Kickstarter? Well, as we mentioned in our earlier piece, Kickstarter is one of the more pure ways that an entrepreneur can fund his or her idea. Wilson didn’t want to deal with VCs. He didn’t want to compromise his design. He wanted to make his project on his own terms. That echoes what Salmon told us about his project.

Scott Thomas, who used Kickstarter to fund the Designing Obama book last year, is a friend of Wilson’s and encouraged him to give the service a shot. The results, needless to say, have been pretty spectacular.

It wasn’t until about 6:00 PM on the first day that the project started to gain attention. After seeing little activity for most of the day, Wilson was shocked to look at his phone and see the funding notices fly in. When we spoke to Wilson last week, the project had just crossed the $300,000 mark.

Aside from the ability to control his own project, Wilson acknowledges that the potential publicity was also an attractive element. Wilson believes that the story behind the project could be as compelling as the product itself.

At this point, Wilson’s priority is to just make sure he can get his kits manufactured. Within the first week, he already contacted his manufacturer and doubled-down on his tooling so that the process can get started as soon as possible. Kickstarter backers will be the first priority — with orders for retailers and others coming after those are fulfilled.

Wilson, like other Kickstarter project creators, updates the project on a regular basis. He has been using his project’s exposure level to help educate other would-be creators and to even promote some other Kickstarter projects. In the waning hours of the funding push for The Price, profiled above, Wilson sent out a plea via Kickstarter’s messaging system to those who back or watch TikTok+LunaTik and recommended that they also pledge to Salmon’s project.

The Future of Funding

Kickstarter is impressive because it can work on multiple scales. From smaller projects like 95ers: ECHOES to mid-sized projects like The Price to half-million dollar juggernauts like TikTok+LunaTik, the model for creator-centric funding has tons of potential.

Of course, not every idea will meet its funding goals. As with anything else, luck — as well as effort and overall idea quality — will ultimately play a part in what makes it big and what doesn’t. Still, we think Kickstarter represents a new era for funding.

What do you think of Kickstarter? Would you consider using it or a similar service to fund your next endeavor? Let us know!

More Social Media Resources from Mashable:

- 10 Unique iPhone Photography Accessories
- How Social Media Is Changing the Way Movies are Promoted
- 6 Ways to Score a Job Through Twitter
- 4 Social Web Apps for Making and Sharing Your Travel Plans
- HOW TO: Use Social Media to Enhance Your Event

Reviews: Blu

More About: 95ers: ECHOES, crowdfunding, Film, indie filmmaking, kickstarter, lunatik, the price, tiktok

For more Social Media coverage:

100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 03:33 PM PST

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.

Upcoming Mashable Events:

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

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 South East Asia's leaders in social media marketing. iStrategy will give delegates the valuable insight they need to: Analyze the current market growth, 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 Asia 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 1, 2010, New York NY: Produced by Mediabistro, Charles Hudson, and Social Times, Social Gaming Summit East focuses on strategies for building, monetizing, and growing social games. Social Gaming Summit unites leaders in free-to-play games, social networking, and payments infrastructure for a full day of panels and talks. Speakers include Electronic Arts and Digital Chocolate founder Trip Hawkins, MyYearbook CEO Geoff Cook, PopCap’s Dennis Ryan, and Viximo founder Brian Balfour. Experts will share lessons learned from growing social games, transitioning from traditional to social gaming, building a successful social games distribution strategy, social networking on mobile, integrating social games on social networks, and much more. Register with the promo code MASH and save 15%!

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 2, 2010, New York, NY: @BrandsConf is a new event taking place at the 92Y that will explore the "Humanization of Brands" and the underlying effects this is having on business. For brands, agencies, and their clients, you will hear from creative, out-of-the-box thinkers in the tradition of Jeff Pulver's #140Conf events. The conference will explore a range of topics from best practices to the legal issues to the natural conflict of personal and corporate branding. View the current schedule here. Register with the promo code Mashable to receive a 30% discount.

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 6-9, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Join us at Dreamforce 2010, the cloud computing event of the year. This December, more than 20,000 fans will gather in San Francisco for our 8th annual user and developer conference. In four action-packed days, we'll give you all the education, inspiration and innovation you need to succeed. There's no better way to get up to speed on the latest advances in Salesforce apps, the Force.com platform and cloud computing. And this year we'll connect you with your peers and heroes in ways you've never thought possible. It's time to dream again.

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 7-8, 2010, New York, NY: In the spirit of "ideas worth spreading," we are excited to announce TEDxTribecaWomen: a live webcast and series of events built around the TEDWomen conference in DC. Our event is one of over 70 local, self-organized events that will take place across the globe to spark discussion and connection in a small group around TedWomen. We’ll be streaming all 5 sessions of the conference – 25+ live speakers, performers, tech demos and more, over the span of 2 days.

December 7, 2010, New York, NY: The New York State Department of Health's AIDS Institute, in partnership with AIDS.gov, is hosting a free, one-day forum on the use of social media for HIV and STI prevention and care at New York University's Kimmel Center. Social Media: Going Viral Against HIV and STIs is principally targeting the executive leadership, administrators and communications specialists in community-based organizations, health care facilities and public health organizations in New York State. Only registrants may attend the forum. For more information, please click here.

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 9-10, 2010, Chicago, IL: Rocked the Recession: Startup the Nation is coming to Chicago to bring together entrepreneurs, professionals, and organizations that are not only thriving; they're Rocking! Join us in a two-day conference with some of Chicago's best entrepreneurs and thought leaders. Panels and workshops include: Fighting Recession with Social Media, Video & Your Business: Going Viral, Always Be Social, etc. We have planned two days of discussions to explore innovative companies that balk at the idea of bailouts. We are ready to Rock 2011! Register with the promo code MASHABLE for a $10 discount off your ticket price.

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 10-12, 2010, Cambridge, MA: Startup Weekend Cambridge is the place to come for anyone with a new idea that they want to see brought to life. Over the weekend, teams will work together to take the ideas and create new ventures. Register and use the promo code Mashable to save 15%.

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!

December 17, 2010, New Delhi, India: The India Social Summit 2010 aims to bring together names in consumer and b2b marketing, social networking, and mobile on a vibrant platform for a day of insights and stimulating discussions. The conference features 5 Keynote addresses, and panel discussions featuring industry leaders. Delegates, consisting senior industry professionals, includes CXOs, media owners, media buyers, marketers, HR and communication professionals and social media practitioners. If you would like to register for the event, please click here.

December 15, 2010, New York, NY: Vator is bringing its popular Splash event to New York City. The Splash event, hosted by Vator, is a celebration of entrepreneurship. The evening gathering brings together high-profile, successful tech entrepreneurs sharing their lessons and advice alongside promising startups showcasing their innovative ideas. Register and use the promo code Mashable for a 20% discount off both ticket and table packages.

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 12, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: Influence People is hosting a one-day social media marketing conference in Las Vegas and it will bring together leading brands and marketing experts to explore the viral power of social networks. During this one-day event, a team of renowned marketing experts will provide guidance on how to effectively engage with customers via social media, give tips on how to maximize the impact of your campaigns and offer insights into new services to try and trends to watch out for. This is the ultimate event for anyone involved in social media or digital marketing. Register with the promo code mashable and receive a 10% discount.

January 12, 2011, Stanford, CA: The NextGen Conference brings together young, aspiring entrepreneurs and young, rock star entrepreneurs with more experienced entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Join us for a full day at Stanford University and learn from the very best! Speakers include: Peter Thiel (Founder of PayPal, Clarium Capital, and the Founders Fund), Keith Rabois (COO of Square), Mark Suster (2x entrepreneur turned VC), Travis Kalanick (serial entrepreneur and angel investor), and more! Register and use the promo code NGCMASH!

January 13-14, 2011, Washington, DC: marcus evans invites you to attend the Social Media for Pharma Conference. Hear from your peers firsthand on how the new FDA guidance will mandate your social media strategies. By attending this conference you will learn how to boost product exposure, generate market research, build relationships and increase sales and overall business in the long term. For an exclusive discount as a Mashable member, please mention “Mashable” to Michele Westergaard at michelew@marcusevansch.com.

January 17-18 and 20-21, 2011, Singapore & Hong Kong: Join us at this interactive conference on Social Media Marketing to acquire effective techniques for boosting your brand performance and ROI. Find out how Intel, Nokia, Watsons, McDonald's, Volkswagen, HP, Canon, Johnson & Johnson, Wall Street Journal, SMRT and more incorporated social media activities to get ahead of conversations. Through in-depth case studies and workable solutions, learn how to develop coherent platform integration strategies, handle a social media backlash and identify KPIs for the effectiveness of social media campaigns. Register today and save 10% when you enter Mashable under Additional Info.

January 19, 2011, New York, NY: Mobile Healthcare Communications: Case Studies and Roundtables – Representatives from GlaxoSmithKline, Within3, Pfizer Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Roche Diabetes Care, and others will demonstrate the best case studies of how major healthcare brands are connecting with consumers and professionals through mobile communications. Register

and use the promo code MASH for a discounted rate of $155.

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%.

January 20, 2011, Washington, DC: L2 is a think tank for digital innovation. 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“)

January 24-27, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The Emerging Media Conference is one of the largest and unique of its kind, welcoming the New Year with an opportunity to view and experience the latest in technology advances and upcoming product roll outs. For three full days there will be demonstrations, presentations, and discussions led by some of the most connected and recognized experts in the industry including Keynote Jesse Schell from Carnegie Mellon University. Whether you are immersed in the world of emerging media or just have a casual interest, this conference allows you to preview the future of the tech world like a seasoned insider. Register and use the promo code EmMeConMash to save 10%.

January 24-26, 2011, London, UK: The Digital Content Monetisation (DCM) Europe 2011 is a forum for media and entertainment specialists to find out how to deliver sustainable strategies to monetise their digital content. You will meet over 200 of your peers across TV, Film, gaming, music, publishing and sports. Mashable readers receive a 10% discount when they register and use the promo code MASH.

January 25, 2011, London, UK: If you don't have a plan to offer your mobile services, you could be left behind as consumers increasingly consume entertainment, social media, games and gambling via mobile access devices.
Mobile Gaming will present a detailed and exciting roadmap for how gaming companies can take advantage of this new channel that has finally ‘come of age’ and multiply their revenues in the near future. Register and use the promo code MASHMOBILE.

January 26, 2011, London, UK: Monetising Social Games will show you how to integrate the phenomenal success of monetised social games into your product mix so you can catch the next wave of explosive customer acquisition and revenue growth via a channel that is legal in the USA, China and other markets inaccessible to traditional online gambling companies. Register and use the promo code MASHMSG.

February 1-3, 2011, San Diego, CA: The Green Data Center Conference will analyze new technology that will not only benefit our environment, but also save organizations money and increase efficiency. Industry experts and executives will gather to discuss the growing importance of green technology and the associated benefits. Corporate case studies will be presented to demonstrate how existing data centers have been retrofitted and new facilities built from the ground up. This conference will share valuable information that can be taken back and used immediately to gain measurable ROI. Register and use the promo code GDCSD10 to save 10%!

February 1-3, 2011, Santa Clara, CA: O'Reilly Strata Conference: Making Data Work – Turn data into decisions at Strata, the new conference from O’Reilly Media, focusing on the business and practice of data.Unprecedented computing power and connectivity are bringing new layers of experience to our lives in how we manage and present data sets of all sizes. Throughout three days of training, breakout sessions, and plenary discussions, O’Reilly Strata connects the decision-makers, practitioners, and leading vendors from enterprise and the web who are at the leading edge of this space. Topics include data science, acquisition, organization, machine learning, visualization, and more. Mashable readers can save 15% on registration with the promo code str11msh.

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 8-10, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Social Media Strategies Summit – We have researched the social media buzz to develop and present to you a top of the line marketing conference that you can't afford to miss. With in-depth case studies from the nuts and bolts to micro-blogging and sustaining online communities, you leave with a refreshed vision to take your marketing plan to the next level for 2010 and beyond. Register and use the promo code MASH to receive a discount.

February 14, 2011, Barcelona, Spain: The Mobile Premier Awards are among the most influential events in the mobile industry and the point of reference in early-stage innovation during the Mobile World Congress. An international jury of the most recognized mobile industry experts will select the 20 finalists from all the local AppCircuses held during 2010 to showcase their app in a 3-minute pitch at the event in Barcelona in front of investors, operators, media companies, peer entrepreneurs, and press and influential bloggers. Register and use the promo code #BCNMASHABLE to receive a 10% discount.

February 23, 2011, Portland, OR: Join hundreds of your online marketing peers for the Fifth Annual SearchFest Internet Marketing Conference in Portland on February 23, 2011. Thought leaders and industry experts from around the country–including major brands like Intel, REI, and the New York Times–will deliver in-depth presentations on topics including Advanced Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Universal Search, Analytics, Paid Search Marketing and many more. Register with the promo code MASHABLEPDX to save 10% on your General Admission ticket!

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 2, 2011, Berlin, Germany: FEI is Europe's first and only event to solve your industry challenge in real-time. Explore best in class presentations by top multi-nationals, collaborate with world renowned experts, Listen to real-world visionaries choreographing "next" best practices, and participate in a real-time case study where you will tackle industry challenges and work to propel the industry forward. FEI is no ordinary conference — this is truly a catalyst for change. Register and use the promo code FEI2011MASH to save 20% off the standard rate.

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 6-8, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: Hispanicize 2011, the 2nd Annual Hispanic PR & Social Media Conference, is the first and largest conference devoted to Latino social media, bloggers and public relations professionals. The three-day conference will feature top industry keynote speakers and more than 24 professional development sessions. It’s also the first event to gather all the Latino and multicultural bloggers together for first time. For more information, please click here.

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%!

April 18-19, 2011, London, UK: The Mobile Research Conference is the must-attend annual event for brands, agencies and academics interested in engaging consumers and capturing real-time feedback through mobile phones. Mobile, along with social media and online networks, represents the latest frontier for market research. Attend MRC 2011 and discover how to engage respondents, extract insights for product innovation and optimize marketing activities. This 2-day event is designed for consumer insights professionals; corporate, agency and academic survey researchers; mobile operators and tech companies. Register and use the promo code FF-MASHABLE to receive 20% off the main registration price!

April 28, 2011, London, UK: The Augmented Reality Summit is designed to explore this new dynamic reality and provide delegates with the perfect opportunity to uncover Augmented Reality in full and explore the opportunity's AR brings any brand or company. The AR Summit is positioned at the forefront of this exciting continually developing new industry. Whether you are a Brand, Advertiser or Agency, Technology provider or Developer looking to meet key industry figures, keep up with the latest developments, technology's & tools or simply to network with other from the world of AR – Register and use the promo code ARMASH to save 25%!

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.

May 17-19, 2011, London, UK: The World E-Reading Congress brings together digital and print publishers with e-reading platforms and device manufacturers to discuss the business models and opportunities provided by the growth of the e-reading industry. Publishers must be prepared for this dramatic industry upheaval. They must learn how to embrace this disruptive technology and the World E-Reading Congress will enable them to discover how they can profit from the E-Reading revolution. Visit our website for more information and register before January to save 10%!

September 26-29, 2011, Kaua’i, HI: The Search and Social Woot! is an elite conference unlike any other that will provide you with the strategies and complete know how to thrive in this ever changing environment. Each day begins with morning sessions around the hottest topics. With Keynote Bruce Clay of Bruce Clay, Inc. and speakers from corporations such as Real Networks, Network Solutions, AT&T, Microsoft Bing and Logitech. Afternoons are spent in a relaxed environment including planned activities in which individual attendees can get to know speakers and each other on a more personal level continuing the discussion and building long lasting relationships. Register and use the promo code SSWootMash to save 10%.

eventbrite logo

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

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.

More About: Social Media Event Guide

For more Social Media coverage:

Anti-Fur Protesters Take Over DKNY’s Facebook Page

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 02:58 PM PST


The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) staged an anti-fur protest on clothing brand DKNY’s Facebook Page Monday morning.

Thirteen different users changed their Facebook profiles photos to block letters and posted in quick succession on the DKNY’s Page to spell out the words “DK Bunny Butcher” in protest of the brand’s use of rabbit fur (screenshot below). Dozens of supporters have since taken to the Page to voice their disdain for the LVMH-owned company’s practices, reaching many of the Page’s 200,000+ fans in the process.

In addition to the Facebook protest, PETA has also held demonstrations outside of Donna Karan’s New York offices and events she has hosted, as well as retail outlets carrying her design, Senior Campaigner Ashley Byrne told us. When asked why PETA turned to Facebook specifically, she said the organization “hope[d] to reach new audiences who may not yet know about the cruelty that goes into every piece of fur used in her line.”

Surprisingly, the posts are still up. We’ve reached out to DKNY to discover why this is so, and will update the post with any additional information.

In the meantime, we’d love to hear your thoughts on PETA’s use of Facebook to draw awareness to animal cruelty issues. What do you find more effective: protests staged on the street or on social networks?

Reviews: Facebook

More About: dkny, facebook, fashion, peta, social good, trending

For more Social Media coverage:

HOW TO: Follow Mashable on Social Networks, E-mail & RSS

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 02:26 PM PST


As Mashable continues to grow, so do the number of topics we cover and the ways readers access our content. Many visit the website directly, or subscribe to our RSS feed, daily e-mails or Twitter and Facebook pages. Now that we’re even more connected across social spaces, we thought we’d let you know how to find us however works best for you.

The growth of our site also means we’re publishing more and more posts. If you’re overwhelmed by all the content we create every day, you can follow just your favorite Mashable topics on Twitter and Facebook: Social Media, Mobile, Web Video, Entertainment, Business, Tech, Dev and Design, Apple, Social Good, Startups and the Mashable Jobs board.

Follow Mashable

The full Mashable feed — all the social media news you need.

✩ Follow on Facebook
✩ Follow on Twitter
✩ Get tips on Foursquare
✩ Connect on LinkedIn
✩ Follow on Google Buzz
✩ Follow on Digg
✩ Discover on StumbleUpon
✩ Follow via RSS
✩ Get Daily E-mails
✩ Ask questions on Get Satisfaction

Events

✩ Attend a Mashable Meetup
✩ Follow on Facebook Events
✩ Follow on Plancast
✩ Follow on Eventbrite

Video and Photo

✩ Subscribe to YouTube Channel
✩ Subscribe to Vimeo Channel
✩ Follow on Flickr
✩ Follow on DailyBooth

Mobile

✩ Download Mashable’s iPhone App [iTunes link]
✩ Download Mashable’s Android App
✩ Download Mashable’s iPad App [iTunes link]
✩ Add to Amazon Kindle
✩ Mashable.com Mobile Version

Staff

✩ Follow on Tumblr
✩ Follow NYC Staff on Twitter
✩ Follow SF Staff on Twitter
✩ Follow Individual Staff Members on Twitter

Social Media Channel

The latest happenings in social media, plus tips on using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Foursquare and more.

» Follow via RSS
» Follow via E-mail
» Follow on Twitter
» Follow on Facebook
» Follow on Digg

Tech Channel

Gadgets, software, web design, web development, video games and geek culture.

» Follow via RSS
» Follow via E-mail
» Follow on Twitter
» Follow on Facebook
» Follow on Digg

Business Channel

Small business, advertising & marketing, money & finance, plus careers and business apps.

» Follow via RSS
» Follow via E-mail
» Follow on Twitter
» Follow on Facebook
» Follow on Digg

Mobile Channel

Mobile news about Android, Apple, Blackberry, Palm, Windows Phone and more.

» Follow via RSS
» Follow via E-mail
» Follow on Twitter
» Follow on Facebook
» Follow on Digg

Dev & Design Channel

Web design and development news, trends and resources.

» Follow via RSS
» Follow via E-mail
» Follow on Twitter
» Follow on Facebook
» Follow on Digg

Web Video Channel

Viral videos, live streams and the latest from the web video industry.

» Follow via RSS
» Follow via E-mail
» Follow on Twitter
» Follow on Facebook
» Follow on Digg

Entertainment Channel

Music, film, TV and the intersection of social media.

» Follow via RSS
» Follow via E-mail
» Follow on Twitter
» Follow on Facebook
» Follow on Digg

Apple Channel

Apple news, iPhone apps, the iPad and the Mac.

» Follow via RSS
» Follow via E-mail
» Follow on Twitter
» Follow on Facebook
» Follow on Digg

Social Good Channel

Social good news, non-profits, events, and latest social good innovations.

» Follow via RSS
» Follow via E-mail
» Follow on Twitter
» Follow on Facebook

Mashable Startups Channel

Startup news, entrepreneurs, investors and the latest startup innovations and resources.

» Follow via RSS
» Follow via E-mail
» Follow on Twitter
» Follow on Facebook

Mashable Jobs

Follow for the latest social media jobs.

» Follow via RSS
» Follow via E-mail
» Follow on Twitter
» Follow on Facebook

Reviews: Android, Facebook, Mashable, Twitter, YouTube, foursquare, social media

More About: Channels, e-mail, Events, follow mashable, how to, mashable, Mobile 2.0, photo, rss, social media, staff, video

For more Social Media coverage:

Virgin’s iPad-Only Magazine to Launch Tonight

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 02:23 PM PST

Virgin Group’s iPad-only Project magazine is set to hit the App Store at midnight (technically 12:01 a.m. ET on Tuesday), a little more than 10 hours ahead of the official launch event being held tomorrow in New York City.

When I last wrote about the magazine, I speculated that Virgin might be launching nothing more than an in-flight magazine designed for the iPad. I was wrong. A newly released clip of the cover, featuring Tron’s Jeff Bridges (above), names design, entertainment, technology and entrepreneurs as its four main subject areas.

A profile of a French record label and Jaguar’s 205mph electric-powered supercar, the C-X75, as well as a 3D tour of “secret” Tokyo, are among the other features promised in the issue.

If Project looks and sounds to you a lot like Wired, you’re right. It appears that Project has indeed modeled itself after the bestselling magazine on the iPad — and smartly so.

As part of the launch (and, no doubt, to build awareness in the design community), Project is holding a competition to redesign the magazine’s cover. Those who are interested in participating will need to locate one of four pasteboard cover replicas touring New York, San Francisco and London this week (their locations will be announced on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Gowalla), each of which will hold the coordinates of five USB stick pickup locations. Briefs are contained on the USB sticks. If the magazine somehow gets talented designers to run around those three cities and create dazzling new covers (no monetary reward has yet been disclosed), the winner will then design the front cover of a crowdsourced issue slated for next year.
 
While I’m not personally wild about the contest (the work should go into the design, in my opinion), I’ll be up tonight waiting for the release of Project and will have a full review for you in the morning.

Let us know what you think of the concept in the meantime. Do you plan to check out Project on the iPad?

Reviews: App Store, Facebook, Gowalla, Twitter, foursquare

More About: ipad, media, project magazine, virgin group

For more Entertainment coverage:

Introducing Mashable’s Director of Communications: Stacy Green

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 02:13 PM PST


We are pleased to announce that Stacy Green, formerly of The New York Times, will be joining Mashable as director of communications.

Green will oversee public relations and marketing at Mashable, working with the business development, events, sales and advertising teams on improving outreach efforts, strategic marketing and internal and external communications.

She was most recently the manager of digital partnerships and social media marketing at The New York Times/NYTimes.com, where she worked to implement online engagement and social marketing strategies. She also managed marketing for The Times's Open platform and APIs, and the TimesOpen series.

Prior to that role, Green was the public relations manager for NYTimes.com, where she was responsible for communications and served as the spokesperson for NYTimes.com and related products such as mobile and e-reader apps. She also helped launch the blogger outreach program and social media presence for the Corporate Communications Department.

She is on the leadership team and planning committee for the Community Managers Meetup, the Social Media Week Advisory Board, and is a member of 85 Broads and Advertising Women of New York. She was part of the inaugural New York City Twestival planning team in February 2009.

Green will start her new role with Mashable next Monday. We encourage you to follow her on Twitter at @StacyGreen and/or reach out to her on LinkedIn.

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

Reviews: LinkedIn, Mashable, Twitter

More About: communications director, MARKETING, mashable, pr, stacy green, staff

For more Social Media coverage:

Google Earth 6: Here’s What’s New

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 01:46 PM PST


Google has announced the release of Google Earth 6. The latest version is available today for Windows, OS X and Linux.

The update includes:

  • Integrated Street View - The Google Maps Street View experience is now fully integrated into Google Earth. Pegman (the little guy that represents your Street View position) is now docked alongside the Google Earth navigation controls, where he launches Street View just like he does in Google Maps. The difference here is that you can go from orbiting the earth to standing in front of your childhood home. It may be a little disorienting.
  • 3D Trees - While Google Earth has supported 3D buildings for some time, trees were only recently added to liven up the environments. The addition allows those using walking navigations to take direct paths and — as the video illustrates — not walk into trees. It also keeps the landscape from looking like a desolate wasteland.
  • Better Historical Imagery - Historical imagery allows users to look at map views of times like Warsaw in 1935, London in 1945 and Port-au-Prince Haiti before and after the January earthquake. The feature was first added in Google Earth 5, but it wasn’t always clear when and where it was available. In Google Earth 6, the date of the oldest imagery will appear in the status bar at the bottom of the screen.

    • All in all, Google Earth 6 is more of a refinement than an outright overhaul, but if you’re a fan of Google Earth, you’re going to want to grab the new version stat. If you’ve never used the service, maybe this video demonstration will change your mind:

    Reviews: Google Earth, Google Maps

    More About: geolocation, google earth, Google Maps, navigation, streetview

    For more Tech coverage:

The 20 Gift Cards Consumers Want Most [STUDY]

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 01:30 PM PST


Holiday shoppers will no doubt be picking up gift cards as convenient gifts for friends and loved ones. Should you count yourself among that bunch, new research from online gift card marketplace GiftCardRescue.com might help you decide which cards to stuff in stockings this year.

The site polled 6,000 users from January to October 31 on their most wanted gift cards, in order to come up with its top 20 gift card list for 2010. For the second year in a row, respondents voted Walmart, Amazon and Target gift cards as the most wanted.

Also notable is that prepaid cards from Visa, American Express and MasterCard are on the rise, according to user preference. These varieties sacrifice retailer brand name in favor of universal purchase appeal.

Of course, not everyone will appreciate a gift card from one of these retailers. Noticeably absent is Apple’s iTunes gift cards — likely a side effect of the fact that GiftCardRescue does not buy these cards back from users and possibly a signal that its list is a bit flawed. Still, if you want to err on the side of caution, the top 20 list should be a helpful guide for figuring out the gift cards consumers want most this year.

Will you be wrapping up gift cards as presents this year? Let us know in the comments what cards you’ll be buying.

Image courtesy of Flickr, silkolive

Reviews: Flickr

More About: gift cards, giftcardrescue.com, retail, shopping

For more Business coverage:

How Social Media Is Changing the Way Movies are Promoted

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 01:11 PM PST


The Movie and Tech Series is supported by DVDVideoSoft. Discover Free Studio, a full collection of free software to process video, images and audio at DVDVideoSoft.com. Clean, free and user-friendly.

From self-funded independent projects to big-name Hollywood blockbusters, the movie industry has embraced social media. Big time.

Historically, of course, this makes a lot of sense. Classical Hollywood had the star system and fan magazines. Modern Hollywood has Facebook, Twitter and mobile phones.

From creating viral alternate reality campaigns to using social networks to build awareness, the movie industry is busy leveraging social media to connect with fans and promote its products.

Let’s look at some of the ways that social media is having an impact on movie marketing and promotion.

Crowdsourced Screening Locations

In the world of the multiplex and billion dollar plus box office receipts, it’s easy to forget that not every film comes to every theater. Even films that ultimately go on to make a lot of money at the box office — like 2009’s Precious — often start out in only a few cities.

The traditional marketing strategy for these films has been to expand to more and more markets as word of mouth, press and publicity propel the films forward. In the age of social media, however, studios can use the Internet to figure out where an interest in the film exists.

One of the best examples of this strategy was for Paramount’s Paranormal Activity. The film, which was made for less than $15,000 went on to gross more than $150 million at the box office.

Paramount extensively used Facebook to promote the film, partnering with Eventful to get would-be fans to request a screening of the film in their area. The goal was to get 1 million fan requests for the film to enter wide release. That goal was met pretty quickly, but the real proof came via the box office receipts.

MGM also used Eventful to have fans request screenings of its comedy, Hot Tub Time Machine.

The cool thing about this strategy is that it lets fans have a sense of ownership of the film. It also creates a level of awareness and connection that you might not get just with running radio or TV spots.

Going Viral

One of my favorite marketing trends of the past decade has been the rise of viral alternate reality campaigns, especially at the movies.

Thanks to social media, elements of these campaigns can get really intricate and really involved. For Inception, Warner Bros. did a lot of viral marketing — including working with the location-based service SCVNGR to promote the film.

For Toy Story 3, Disney and Pixar went all out, creating vintage toy commercials for Lots-o’Huggin’ Bear, one of the new characters in the film.

Perhaps the most impressive — and expansive — campaign has been that of TRON: Legacy. Disney’s alternate reality campaign started in earnest in July 2009, just in time for Comic-Con. The film hits theaters on December 17, 2010.

Trailers & Poster Promotions

It used to be that you had to go to the theater to see the trailers for the next batch of upcoming films. Then TV shows dedicated to showcasing previews hit the scene. While watching movie previews online has been old-hat for more than a decade, the rise of social media has changed how information gets exposed to fans.

Sure, movie studios still send out press releases and have special websites that news sites and blogs can access to get the latest scoop, but more and more studios are taking to Facebook and Twitter to debut their latest trailers.

Again, Disney gets props in this department. The studio used Facebook to debut its first character posters from Alice in Wonderland and has also used Facebook to show off movie trailers.

The irony that Sony couldn’t use Facebook to directly promote The Social Network didn’t mean the studio had to abstain from social media. On the contrary, the studio was able to use Twitter, MySpace and its own social-themed site to promote the film.

The Age of the Facebook App

Facebook is a great avenue for marketers and brands to connect with consumers and would-be customers. For movie studios, Facebook also offers a way to engage audiences and even directly sell tickets.

Disney created a Facebook app for TRON: Legacy called the TRONiVerse. The app is still active; it pulls in posts, videos and photos from various social networks, displaying them in an interactive grid. This is just one example of a studio building an app specifically for a film.

Fox had a pretty in-depth Facebook campaign for Avatar, including apps and promotional tie-ins. Disney even offered movie tickets for Toy Story 3 via its Facebook Page, as pictured above.

Likewise, Sony has created its own in-house ticketing app for many of its films. The great thing about buying movie tickets via Facebook is that you can invite friends along with you.

The Future

We expect to see the movie industry embrace social media even more in the future. A look at some of the biggest hits at the box office this year proves that many of the most successful films also had strong social media campaigns.

What do you think of the way movies are promoted using social media? Let us know!

Series Supported by DVDVideoSoft

The Movies and Tech Series is supported by DVDVideoSoft, which offers a collection of safe and reliable video, audio and image freeware programs. DVDVideoSoft Free Studio is a collection of more than thirty different utilities designed to go beyond the limitations of the standard Windows operating system and provide you with new ways to enjoy music and videos the way you choose. Learn more here.

More Movie Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Mobile Apps for Finding Great Movies
- 10 Mobile Apps for Movie Addicts
- Using Film to Change the World
- Top 10 LEGO Movie Tributes on YouTube
- 10 Best Geek Movies for a Cozy Night In

Image courtesy of Flickr, brtsergio

Reviews: Alice, Eventful, Facebook, Flickr, Internet, MySpace, Twitter, Windows

More About: avatar, disney, Film, film industry, MARKETING, Movies, Movies and Tech Series, paranormal activity, the social network, toy story 3, TRON

For more Social Media coverage:

Microsoft Takes Word Patents All the Way to the Supreme Court

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 12:59 PM PST


Microsoft isn’t letting go of a patent case that challenges the company’s right to sell Microsoft Word in the United States.

Last year, a judge ruled that then-available (and even future) versions of Microsoft Word infringed on patents held by little-known software company i4i — the patents dealt with the separation of content and XML code. The judge ordered an injunction that would have prevented the larger company from selling Word in the U.S.

The court also awarded i4i $300 million in damages.

Microsoft appealed the ruling and made a minor tweak to Word to skirt the injunction. The software giant didn’t pay any of those damages, either.

Instead, the appeals process has gone all the way to the top. Microsoft will argue to the Supreme Court that traditional patent laws are too demanding when it comes to software cases.

It’s easy to downplay Microsoft’s appeal as the money-grubbing antics of a Goliath; however, when considering the phenomenon of patent trolling and frivolous patent suits in the world of software, doesn’t Microsoft’s point make a bit of sense, too?

Right now, a judge in a patent case will start with the presumption that the patent is valid. The person or entity allegedly infringing on the patent must provide clear and convincing evidence to the contrary.

However, Microsoft argues that perhaps patent validity and enforceability should be more malleable in the world of software, where every “innovation” is built on the work of many unrelated others, and total strangers are often struck with the same idea at the same time. Perhaps the burden of proof shouldn’t be so disproportionately distributed.

Meanwhile, Apple and Google are siding with Microsoft on this point. All three big companies see patent suits with just about every major product or feature release — and many times, the companies settle quietly out of court. Microsoft’s Word troubles would likely be over in a hurry if the company chose to sit down at a table with i4i and a checkbook, but the company is apparently more interested in making a point.

What do you think about this particular case? Is Microsoft the bad guy here, or is the issue more complicated? Time — and the opinions of the Supreme Court justices — will tell. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Image courtesy of Flickr, kenmccown.

Reviews: Flickr, Google

More About: i4i, i4i lp, microsoft, microsoft office, patents, scotus, Supreme Court

For more Tech coverage:

Why Your Business Should Consider Reverse Mentorship

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 11:36 AM PST


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

The word “mentorship” usually evokes imagery of an older, more experienced individual imparting knowledge and know-how upon a younger, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed individual — that’s the traditional use of the word that we’ve all come to know and accept.

Alexa Scordato, however, is turning that word on its head with a concept she calls reverse mentorship. Scordato currently serves as the community manager at 2tor, an education technology startup. Fresh out of college, though, she first started her career as an executive assistant at Mzinga, a social software company, where she and Chairman and CEO Barry Libert took part in a reverse mentorship.

Pairing senior executives with digital natives seems like an obvious win for the digitally challenged; you put in a few hours a week, and the youngster teaches you how to use Twitter and Facebook. The term "reverse mentorship" can be a bit misleading in that way. What it really is, though, is a two-way conversation — digitally savvy newcomers to the business world have the opportunity to impart their tips and tricks for mastering the Internet, and senior business leaders act as role models and career coaches for budding professionals.

Over the past few years, Scordato has become a very vocal advocate for reverse mentorship, speaking on the subject at various events, including TEDxBoston and Pivot Conference.

While reverse mentorship may be a concept that’s been in practice for a while, we really like Scordato’s take on the subject. Inspired by her thoughts, here are just a few reasons why your business should consider setting up a reverse mentorship program.

There Are Knowledge Gaps on Both Sides

The beauty of reverse mentorship is that it takes both sides into account, realizing that we all come with our flaws, whether we’re 22 years old and fresh out of college or 60 years old, steering a business.

“There’s a big crisis that I think we’re experiencing right now in the marketing industry, which is a severe knowledge gap,” said Scordato at PivotCon. “There are a lot of very seasoned marketers out there who are struggling to basically understand the new rules of marketing.”

That’s just one side of the story. Scordato also explained that, like many other Millennials straight out of college, she had a lot to work on professionally: “I lacked business acumen. I was fascinated with Barry’s lingo — things like EBITDA and cash flow. I didn’t understand any of it. But it was interesting, because I realized that he was equally fascinated by this thing called Twitter.”

Scordato and Libert paired up each day for 30 minutes before the work day began. Their morning routine consisted of blogging and engaging via social media. Scordato explained the end result, “[I] got him on Facebook; put his speaking gigs on YouTube; he’s on LinkedIn; we wrote 53 blog posts together over the course of a year, and you can tweet him.”

Each employee has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. Learn about your employees — what they excel in and where they need improvement — and pair them with others who complement those qualities.

The Future of Business Is Social

Communication models are evolving within organization and outside of them. Communication with colleagues or customers is becoming more direct, making it faster and easier to collaborate with others. Dying are the days where the only means of communication with customers was via a toll-free number or a suggestion box. Many areas within business are embracing social and digital media — CEOs, public relations pros, salespeople and recruiters to name a few.

“The future of business is social,” Scordato stated. “We have to stop thinking about our companies as a corporate ladder. It doesn’t resonate with me, it doesn’t resonate with my peers. If we want to be an organization that really embraces change and adopts and is innovative, we need to think faster, smarter, social.”

The digital age is upon us — it’s time to embrace technology and see what your organization can accomplish.

The Generation Gap Argument is Old

“That which seems the height of absurdity in one generation often becomes the height of wisdom in the next.”
— John Stuart Mill, British philosopher (1806-1873)

When discussing the evolution of technology, it’s almost inevitable that someone will bring up the argument that there’s an inexplicable knowledge gap between youngsters who grew up with computers, cellphones and other gadgets and old fogies who remember the days when TVs and radios didn’t exist. Sure, there have been many technological advances in the past 50 years, but that doesn’t excuse anyone from learning.

Furthermore, we must remember that each new generation is not a new subset of humans — we are all people, and we all share commonalities. And most importantly, we can all learn from one another.

Let’s get over the excuse that there are too many differences between generations, because frankly, it’s lazy and outdated. Scordato sums it up nicely:

“We need to think about reverse mentorship and pairing young people with seasoned executives. We need to stop thinking about it as an ‘us versus them’ conversation. It’s a two-way street. I’m not going to stand here and say, ‘Oh my gosh, these people over here don’t get it. They’re slow. They’re old. They don’t know what they’re talking about.’ And I would expect that people I want to learn from, my mentors, wouldn’t look at me and say, ‘Alexa doesn’t know anything. She’s just one of those Millennials.’ ”

The sooner we acknowledge our similarities along with our differences, the sooner we can begin to learn from each other and bridge the so-called generational gap.

Conclusion

Adopting a reverse mentorship program isn’t a matter of reworking business processes or changing staff. It can be as simple as matching up compatible employees and enabling them to meet during lunch to discuss topics that they’re interested in. The important thing is to facilitate a two-way dialogue between newcomers and veterans at your business to encourage sharing of useful skills and knowledge.

Has your organization tried out reverse mentorship? If so, let us know about the experience in the comments below.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- 6 Ways to Score a Job Through Twitter
- Small Biz Checklist: 5 Important Tasks for the End of the Year
- HOW TO: Boost Holiday Sales With Commonly Overlooked Marketing Strategies
- Social Point of Sale: The Holy Grail for Location-Based Marketers
- 4 Job Search Tips for Aspiring SEO/SEM Specialists

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, mikdam

Reviews: Facebook, Internet, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, iStockphoto

More About: Alexa Scordato, business, facebook, mentorship, reverse mentorship, small business, social media, twitter, youtube

For more Business coverage:

Famed Internet and Mobile Analyst Mary Meeker Joins Kleiner Perkins

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 10:48 AM PST


Renowned Morgan Stanley Internet analyst Mary Meeker has left her post of nearly 20 years to become a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), the famed venture capital firm that has backed everyone from Amazon and Google to Zynga.

“We're at the beginning of another great wave of tech innovation and I am incredibly excited by the opportunity to help the next generation of Internet technologies and leaders,” said Meeker on the news.

Meeker’s addition to the Kleiner Perkins team is quite significant. The rise of “super angels” has led to stiff competition among investors, but Meeker’s expertise should help the firm stay ahead of industry trends and make even more informed investments, especially in the social arena.

Kleiner Perkins has been criticized in the past for being slow to embrace social startups — the firm passed on investing in Twitter early on. And KPCB Partner John Doerr recently admitted that, “I submit with all honest humility, we got that one wrong.” The firm’s newly launched $250 million sFund marks a dedicated initiative to back social innovation moving forward.

“Mary was an early supporter of some of the biggest technology investment winners of the past 20 years," said Doerr. "Her advice and support are already highly sought after by entrepreneurs and in this new role, she will be able to spend even more time providing more direct assistance."

Recently, Meeker gave a fascinating presentation at the Web 2.0 Summit — an annual tradition — on Internet and mobile trends.

Image courtesy of Flickr, niallkennedy

Reviews: Flickr, Internet, Twitter

More About: investing, Kleiner Perkins, kpcb, Mary Meeker, venture capital

For more Business coverage:

Will Your Next Cable Box Be an Xbox?

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 10:43 AM PST


Microsoft is reportedly in talks to get into the TV subscription business. No, this isn’t the return of WebTV; instead, it appears that Microsoft is looking to turn the Xbox 360 into an Internet-connected set-top box.

According to Reuters Microsoft is considering licensing TV networks for online delivery via the Xbox console. These discussions, which are reportedly still in early stages, would allow Microsoft to offer subscriptions to various channels — a la traditional cable companies — or to offer a la carte programming or station options.

In essence, this would be like cable or premium TV, only delivered over the Internet via the Xbox, rather than over cable and through a set-top box.

As increasing amounts of television content becomes available online, thanks to official network websites and services like Hulu, Hulu Plus and Netflix, more consumers are either dropping to lower-tiered cable plans or cutting out cable entirely. In fact, a bevy of devices — from the Roku XDS to the Apple TV to the Boxee Box — offer consumers the ability to watch broadcast content on their television sets, delivered over the Internet.

Even live sports packages — once one of the marquee moneymakers for satellite companies like DirecTV — are now being offered to users online or via a compatible set-top box.

Cable operators are trying to counter some of these services with online initiatives like Comcast’s Xfinity TV. Acknowledging that the television is no longer the sole consumption device, companies like Comcast and Verizon are looking at delivering live or on-demand content to devices like the iPad.

The Microsoft plan seems aimed to take a middle ground approach. Rather than emulating Google’s (so far shaky) strategy with Google TV, Microsoft would work with networks and media companies to offer content.

This could be a boon for big conglomerates like Disney, who have a long history of sparring with cable operators over carriage fees. A digital, Internet-delivered alternative would offer competition, which could presumably result in better carriage deals. Media companies could also leverage new platforms to increase their online advertising rates.

Of course, for consumers, the potential advantage of choosing to receive content via an Xbox 360 versus a cable box is less clear.

A la carte pricing can mean that consumers don’t pay $150 per month for digital cable, but it also means they don’t get as many channels. It also means, in the case of the Xbox, that they’ll need to spend $200 on their set-top boxes.

That isn’t to say the strategy doesn’t have potential. In the UK, SkyTV has offered its Sky Player via the Xbox since 2008, allowing subscribers and non-subscribers with a broadband connection to access SkyTV content.

It took 15 years, but broadband, the switch to digital broadcasting and advances in streaming technologies have finally shown the Internet is and will continue to be a disruptive force in television delivery.

Reviews: Google, Hulu, Internet

More About: connected devices, connected tv, google tv, iptv, microsoft, Xbox 360

For more Entertainment coverage:

This Delorean Hard Drive Goes “Back to the Future”

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 10:21 AM PST


This Delorean model isn’t a Transformer, but it is more than meets the eye. Packed inside its chassis is a 500GB Seagate hard drive, so when friends and co-workers make fun of the toy on your desk, you can take solace in the fact that it serves a utility — a utility aside from being awesome, of course.

The model is a 1:18 replica of the iconic Delorean time machine from Back to the Future. It took four years of engineering by Flash Rods and, like the real life Delorean, the shell is made from stainless steel.

As you can see in the image above, the doors and hood swing open for realism. Unfortunately, Mr. Fusion and the flux capacitor are not functional, most likely for safety purposes.

The Flash Rods Delorean Time Machine Hard Drive is on sale now for $250. Whether it’s worth the going rate is debatable, but at least one thing is certain: You’re not likely to find an external hard drive more appropriate for use with the OS X Time Machine.

[via Uncrate]

More About: back to the future, delorean, external hard drive, models, os x, replica, seagate, storage, time machine

For more Tech coverage:

6 Free iPad Apps for Planning Your Next Vacation

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 10:20 AM PST


The Business Travel Series is supported by Philips ChargeOn, a wire-free mobile phone charging system that gives you up to 4 hours of additional talk time when you’re on the go. To learn more about Philips ChargeOn, visit its website here.

Over the past decade, booking travel plans has become exponentially easier. Gone are the days when we relied on travel agents to book flights, hotels and car rentals. Why call an agent when you can do your own research quicker and more thoroughly online? And now, mobile devices, including the iPad, are making travel planning even easier, giving vacationers the option to book on the fly.

The iPad is on its way to becoming the digital travel companion of choice — with games, books, music, news, magazines, social networking, e-mail, shopping and more, it has just about anything you could ask for to make your travels more entertaining. With increasing app options, it’s also making vacation planning much smoother.

While there are a ton of paid travel apps for the iPad, we decided to keep it simple and test only free apps. Your vacation will probably cost a hefty amount — why nickel and dime yourself with iPad apps to plan it?

We tested a slew of free iPad apps for travel planning, including apps for getting inspired, booking flights, hotels, car rentals and cruises, checking the weather and doing currency conversions. Check out our top six picks below and add your own recommendations in the comments.

1. & 2. Inspiration: “Travel + Leisure” & “National Geographic Traveler”

If you’re not sure where you’d like to go on vacation, there are a number of apps out there to get you inspired. We recommend Travel + Leisure’s iPad app, which just debuted earlier this month with its free holiday issue, the first issue formatted for the device.

Beyond the free holiday issue, subsequent issues will be made available for $3.99 each, but full digital subscriptions are not yet available. The app is only loaded with one issue so far, but it’s a promising look into the future with interactive features, including videos, slideshows and maps. While interactivity is limited, the current features beat out other travel-focused magazine apps for the iPad.

For narrowing down destination types, check out the “Destinations” feature, which enables you to plan your trip by type — including arts and culture, beaches and islands, food and wine, and more — and then choose a city to read more about it. Each city description includes a guide of Travel + Leisure’s top picks for what to see, do, eat and drink and where to stay. The only downside is that getting back to the “Destinations” feature requires navigating via the app menu — a simple “back” button would be extremely helpful in this case.

While the National Geographic Traveler iPad app isn’t focused on vacation planning per se, we also recommend taking a look at it, as it includes full issues of the paper magazine, enhanced by video, photo galleries and detailed maps. The interactive features are limited, with only a few additions per issue, but they function well and add to the content. As the world’s most widely read travel magazine, National Geographic Traveler features top-notch content about locations, cultures and experiences. You can’t help but be lured after reading about the destinations it covers.

The app is free and upon downloading, you receive a complimentary download of the previous month’s issue. Each subsequent issue costs $3.99, or a subscription for eight digital issues can be purchased for $10.

3. Booking Flights, Hotels & Cars: KAYAK HD

The easiest app to use for booking flights, hotels and car rentals is Kayak HD, hands down. We agree with KAYAK HD’s self description: “KAYAK HD brings you the best travel shopping experience for iPad.”

Booking flights is a breeze. After choosing your destination, dates and other preferences, the best flights appear by price. Tapping on a flight pulls up more flight details and information on which sites you can book the flight for the price listed.

Booking hotels and cars is just as easy. After inputting your preferences, options are displayed by price. Hotels can be narrowed down by stars, brands, name, and price, and cars can be sorted by price, agency or car/class. If you’re worried about location, hotels can also be viewed via an in-app Google Maps experience.

4. Finding Cruises: Conde Nast Traveler: Cruise Finder HD

Sometimes you just want to float out on the sea for a few days (or weeks), and that’s when cruises come in handy. Conde Nast Traveler provides a great app for finding the best cruise ships for your needs. Cruise Finder HD enables you to narrow down ships, cruise destinations, and your preferred features. Each result appears with an overall rating, ship size, ship features and a brief description. For example, I chose to search Caribbean cruises with shore excursions, spas and Wi-Fi. You can view search results on a map or in a list. My results are pictured above in the map view.

Choosing the “Read More” button on a listing takes you to a more descriptive page, where details such as price, cabin size, and number of restaurants, swimming pools and balconied cabins can be found. From there, you can also save a ship to your favorites, share it via Facebook, e-mail the listing, visit the cruise line’s website, find travel agents, or book the trip by phone.

One of the features we’d really like to see is the option to book a cruise from within the app. It currently offers a great way to find ships that fit particular lifestyles, but booking is limited to clicking through to the cruise line’s website or calling. And who uses phones these days, anyway?

Get this app while it’s hot. It is currently being sponsored by Bing for a limited time, making it free to download, but beginning December 1, it will cost $3.99.

5. Weather: The Weather Channel Max

One of the most important factors for a fun vacation is having the right type of weather. You can’t ski without snow, and a beach without sunshine isn’t ideal. Before you plan that early-January trip, make sure you already know a bit about the climate patterns of your destination, so you can pack accordingly.

As your departure date arrives, though, turn to The Weather Channel iPad app to keep tabs on the weather at your destination. Bookmark it and see the three-day forecast ahead. For U.S. or European destinations, video forecasts are oftentimes available as well.

6. Currency Conversion: XE Currency

With international travel, you’ll probably need to convert your country’s currency to the destination country’s currency. Being aware of current exchange rates will help you spot good deals and save money.

XE.com, one of the most reliable currency conversion sites out there, offers the XE Currency iPad app, supporting more than 180 currencies with up-to-the-minute rates. Choose up to 10 currencies, listing them in any order. To choose a base currency, simply click on the currency and enter the amount you’d like to convert; the base currency is always highlighted for easy recognition. For example, I chose to convert U.S. $100 to nine other currencies (as pictured above).

Your Picks

These six iPad apps will make planning any vacation a bit easier. Which apps would you add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.

Series Supported by Philips ChargeOn

The Business Travel Series is supported by Philips ChargeOn, a wire-free mobile phone charging system that gives you up to 4 hours of additional talk time when you’re on the go. To learn more about Philips ChargeOn, visit its website here.

More Travel Resources from Mashable:

- 7 Ways Mobile Apps are Enriching Historical Tourism
- 10 Social Media Travel Resources You May Have Missed
- How the Resort Industry is Using Social Media
- 5 Ways Airlines and Hotels Can Drive Revenue with Social Media
- HOW TO: Plan a Vacation Using Social Media

Image courtesy of Flickr, Boudewijn Berends

Reviews: Bing, Facebook, Flickr, Google Maps

More About: Apple iPad, apps, Business Travel Series, conde nast, conde nast traveler, Cruise Finder HD, currency, ipad, ipad app, ipad apps, Kayak, Kayak HD, the weather channel, travel, travel + leisure, travel planner, travel planning, vacation, vacation planning, vacationer, weather channel, XE currency

For more Apple coverage:

Verizon Buys #CyberMonday to Promote Daily Deals

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 10:01 AM PST


Verizon has bought the Twitter hashtag #CyberMonday to promote a 24-day series of daily deals.

Each deal can be “unwrapped” by tweeting or posting a Facebook message of Verizon’s choosing. Like Target’s recent #BlackFriday promoted trend, the promotion is thus self-perpetuating; it’s the promo that keeps on promoting, in other words.

Verizon’s promotion also includes an “Ultimate Digital Giveaway” of gift cards and prizes.

Today’s deal is an additional 15% off the regular price of BlackBerry devices. Strangely, Verizon’s actual Cyber Monday promotion has nothing to do with this daily deal; the real Cyber Monday sales are on the Samsung Intensity II (free with a two-year contract) and the LG Ally ($30 with a two-year contract).

Cyber Monday is traditionally a huge day of sales for online retailers and web-based shopping for the consumers they serve. Although the quaint appropriation of “cyber” is a throwback to the days of dial-up and AOL, and although the online holiday shopping season has been expanded to include massive Black Friday sales as well, online bargains abound today. Neither retailers nor consumers show any signs of letting Cyber Monday traditions fade any time soon.

We’re waiting to see how much online shoppers will ring up today. On Black Friday, web retailers saw a notable 15.9% increase in sales compared to last year, and Cyber Monday 2009 produced a 43% traffic spike from 2008’s numbers. A good turnout of online bargain hunters could spell good things for retailers and for the economy, as well.

Do you think Verizon’s daily deals promo makes the most sense for a Cyber Monday promotion? Can this mobile retailer keep the ball rolling with this tactic throughout the holiday shopping season? Give us your opinions in the comments.


Reviews: Facebook

More About: advertising, cyber monday, Holiday, MARKETING, retail, shopping, twitter, verizon

For more Social Media coverage:

Which Retailers Got the Most Checkins on Black Friday? [STATS]

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 09:18 AM PST


We’re still breaking down the metrics for Black Friday 2010, but if Foursquare checkins are any barometer, Target probably had a pretty good day.

A tiny percentage of the population uses location-based checkin tools like Foursquare; and in all likelihood, these digital citizens are more likely to be shopping online than in stores during the holiday season. So numbers gathered by Trendrr and AdAge represent a tiny sliver of what in-store numbers might have actually been.

The number-one store by Foursquare checkins was Target, which captured almost one quarter of all Black Friday checkins — no small feat considering the substantial Foursquare marketing efforts of other brands.

Target had been doing some social media marketing of its own leading up to the day, even purchasing the hashtag #BlackFriday on Twitter.


Others in the top-10 list include Walmart, Best Buy and Apple. Checkins per brand ranged from around 2,000 at the low end to more than 10,000 for some of the bigger brands.


If you were out shopping on Black Friday, did you have time to check in anywhere? Do any of the numbers above surprise you? Let us know in the comments.

Reviews: AdAge, Foursquare, Twitter, foursquare

More About: black friday, checkins, foursquare, location, retail, shopping, Target, WalMart

For more Business coverage:

“Angry Birds” Get the Christmas Spirit

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 08:34 AM PST


Prepare for “A Very Angry Birds Christmas” this holiday season.

Rovio, the company behind the insanely popular Angry Birds franchise, has confirmed via Twitter that Angry Birds Halloween will be receiving a special yuletide-themed update.

The update, which will be free for owners of Angry Birds Halloween for iOS, is expected sometime in early December. Android Angry Birds fans will be happy to know that the Christmas edition will also be available to them — for free.

The ad-supported Android version of the app has been downloaded more than 7 million times since its release in October. On the iOS side, the game continues to be one of the best-selling iOS apps of all time, with more than 10 million paid downloads.

Leaks of the Christmas edition appeared on a Finnish website last week, and Rovio confirmed that the update is indeed imminent on Twitter.

Angry Birds may rule the mobile gaming sphere, but Rovio has its sights far beyond mobile and tablet screens. The company announced last week that it plans to release versions of its game on the Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3. The company has also used Twitter to indicate that it plans to release a Nintendo DS version of the game as well.

What’s next for Angry Birds? Well, beyond the Christmas and assorted console releases, Angry Birds Day meetups are being scheduled around the world for December 11. These flash mob events are being set up all over the world, with more than 100 people in London already showing interest.

Do you plan on fighting pigs this holiday season?

[via Download Squad]

Reviews: Android, Angry Birds, Twitter

More About: Android apps, angry birds, angry birds christmas, games, iphone apps, mobile games, rovio, trending

For more Mobile coverage:

Kim Kardashian Tops Bing’s Most Popular Searches of 2010

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 08:23 AM PST


Bing is getting an early start on the "best of 2010" lists, releasing its compilation of the year's most popular search terms a little more than a month before the New Year.

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian tops the list, which is dominated by celebrities; in fact, seven of the top 10 terms are people, as you can see in the list:

  • Kim Kardashian
  • Sandra Bullock
  • Tiger Woods
  • Lady Gaga
  • Barack Obama
  • Hairstyles
  • Kate Gosselin
  • Walmart
  • Justin Bieber
  • free

Kardashian's online dominance extends beyond searches, however. You may recall that a recent study pegged her as the celeb that gets the most traffic to their website via Twitter (despite not having the largest audience).

Many of the other celebs on the list were involved in major news stories over the past year (Tiger Woods, Sandra Bullock) or exploded onto the scene out of relative obscurity (Bieber, Gaga). Kate Gosselin was the only person on the list for the second straight year.

We'll soon see if Kardashian also tops Google and Yahoo's search rankings, which are typically released around this time.

Reviews: Google, Twitter, justin bieber

More About: bing, kim kardashian, Search

For more Entertainment coverage:

Tags:

0 comments to "Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “The 3 Biggest Stories in Tech & Business This Tuesday”"

Post a Comment
Newer Post
Older Post