Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “HTML5 Gets an Official Logo from W3C”

The World-Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has unveiled a new logo for HTML5 — and along with it, a new way of framing the conversation about newer web development technologies.

The topic of HTML5 has been one of great debate and no small amount of confusion over the past year or so. With the ardent support of companies such as Google and a great deal of enthusiasm from developers in all areas of work, HTML5 has taken its place in popular conversation as the magic-bullet antidote for everything that’s wrong with web development (we’re looking at you, Flash).

On the logo’s new site, we read, “It stands strong and true, resilient and universal as the markup you write. It shines as bright and as bold as the forward-thinking, dedicated web developers you are. It’s the standard’s standard, a pennant for progress. And it certainly doesn’t use tables for layout.”

The logo was designed by boutique agency Ocupop, a firm that focuses on branding, identity and web design, among other facets of marketing and design work.

Ocupop logo designer Michael Nieling said in a statement, “The term HTML5 has taken on a life of its own; there has been significant confusion and debate both within the developer community and in the public at large as to what exactly HTML5 is when the term is used outside of simply referring to the spec itself… The standard needs a standard. That is, HTML5 needs a consistent, standardized visual vocabulary to serve as a framework for conversations, presentations, and explanations.”

The HTML5 badge comes in a keystone shape that symbolizes “how HTML5 stands at the center of this current technology movement,” as Neiling put it. The shape is also reminiscent of a coat of arms, a sort of “badge of honor we felt captured the spirit and substance of the open web platform and the community surrounding it.”

The logo is meant to be taken and used by all members of the web developer/designer community; in fact, on the logo’s site, you can customize your own badge according to the types of technology you use with eight classes that range from semantics to styling.

The site also offers free stickers (just send in a self-addressed, stamped envelope) and $22.50 T-shirts with the new HTML logo. And of course it’s got a full gallery of sites that truly showcase what devs and designers can do with HTML5.

Neiling concludes, “Paul Rand was quoted at some point saying that great logos have ‘the pleasure of recognition and the promise of meaning.’ At first glance, people immediately see the number five, the badge, the power, and the excitement of this logo and the movement as a whole — they get that ‘pleasure of recognition,’ they get it immediately. Then the shape, the shading and very real latent meanings… also come through.

“That promise of meaning, that potential that the open web platform and the ‘new’ HTML5-driven web offers, that’s there too.”

What do you think of the new HTML5 logo? Let us know in the comments.

More About: developers, HTML5, logo, W3C, web design, Web Development

Personalized photo publishing service Mixbook has announced it has acquired scrapbooking service Scrapblog for an undisclosed amount.

Scrapblog has gone far since its beginnings as a scrapbooking service back in 2006, integrating with Photobucket, adding a virtual goods marketplace, and generally establishing itself as one of the leaders in the online digital scrapbooking market.

Mixbook on the other hand offers collaborative photo book, card and calendar building and sharing, with plenty of free designs for its users to choose from. The two services are a natural match, and combined they have more than five million customers, Mixbook claims.

"Digital scrapbooking has surged in popularity over the past few years, with the scrapbook industry reaching billions of dollars in annual sales. Scrapblog's users will now have access to an improved user experience via Mixbook's thousands of free designs, state-of-the-art software and industry-leading customer service," said Andrew Laffoon, CEO of Mixbook.

More About: acquisition, Mixbook, photo book, scrapblog, scrapbooking

Facebook’s recent decision to allow application developers to request access to a user's address and mobile phone number has ruffled a lot of feathers over the weekend. Now, Facebook has temporarily disabled this feature until it implements changes that will help users make better informed decisions on whether they want to share this data or not.

The problem with the new feature is quite obvious: yes, it is opt-in, but users need to allow address and phone number sharing during the app installation process, which means they cannot know what the app is really about until they’ve agreed to share their contact information.

“On Friday, we expanded the information you are able to share with external websites and applications to include your address and mobile number (…) Over the weekend, we got some useful feedback that we could make people more clearly aware of when they are granting access to this data. We agree, and we are making changes to help ensure you only share this information when you intend to do so. We'll be working to launch these updates as soon as possible, and will be temporarily disabling this feature until those changes are ready,” wrote Facebook’s Douglas Purdy in a blog post today.

We reckon that the changes will mean a user will first have a chance to try out an application and then make a choice whether he/she wants to share contact information with it. If so, it’ll be a welcome step from Facebook which definitely doesn’t need another privacy incident on its hands.

[via RWW]

More About: contact information, developers, facebook, privacy, sharing, social networking

In a recent poll, the majority of Mashable readers were not optimistic about the state of the startup market.

The poll was a pulse-check to see how web users feel about current startup valuations and investments vis-à-vis the dot-com era bubble and crash of the late 1990s and early 2000s. We asked our readers if they thought the web startup ecosystem was headed for trouble in the near future.

We opined that, although valuations for companies like Zynga, Facebook and Groupon seem high, actual revenues might be more realistic than were revenues (or claims thereof) from dot-com companies of the ’90s.

Many of our readers felt that our current startup situation is radically different from the dot-com era bubble for many reasons.

As commenter not_fry put it, “The technology, the acumen and the demographics actively involved make the two scenarios incomparable. Last time it was, ‘Build it, and they might come.’ Now it’s, ‘They’re over there, let’s go there and build them something.’”

However, as it turns out, most our readers don’t quite feel as cautiously optimistic.

Commenter Dave Richardson wrote, “Surely the insanity of the dot com era can’t be repeated? For the investor, the most expensive words in the English language are, ‘It’s different this time.’”

Overall, most of the skeptical respondents in our poll thought the startup market was likely to crash because of overly high startup valuations. Among the optimistic respondents, the most popular response was that the market wouldn’t fail again because startup revenues were on track.

Here’s the breakdown by response:

A little skepticism and a bit of caution can be a good thing, particularly where financial markets and investment decisions are concerned. In fact, this “Crash 2.0″ majority might be one of the better reasons we fear a crash less these days. A more guarded approach to startups is the very thing that could spare us from another devastating bubble-burst cycle like the one that wreaked its havoc in the late 1990s.

As always, we welcome more speculation and insight in the comments: Where do you think the startup market is headed in the next year or so?

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Reviews: Facebook

More About: economy, poll, startups, web 2.0 bubble

We’ve just discovered a new Android app that makes ordering takeout or delivery food as easy as a few touchscreen taps — no matter what time of day or where you are.

The name of the app is SeamlessWeb; it’s live now in the Android Market; and it’s absolutely free.

Once SeamlessWeb is installed, it will use your phone’s GPS to find nearby restaurants that are open and that can handle requests for takeout and delivery. It’ll let you know star ratings for the restaurants in your area, the minimum order amounts for delivery and approximate wait times for each restaurant.

You can peruse the menu, adding items to your bag as you go. You can even add special instructions for each item, if you need to. If you’re a creature of habit, you can re-order meals you’ve ordered in the past with a few taps. At checkout, you can enter a tip from a drop-down menu, use a promo code, and enter and save your credit card information for later use.

Whether you’re an agoraphobe with an aversion to talking on the telephone or a technophile with an aversion to anything that doesn’t have a glowing touchscreen, you’re going to get a kick out of this app. It’s simple and convenient, and you don’t get the exquisite torture of repeating your order 15 times over a bad cell phone connection.

Being equal parts hungry and curious, we gave the app a try from the comfort of our couch. Using the app itself was simple and — dare we say it? — actually quite fun. Within minutes, we had an estimated delivery time and confirmation email. The app even gave us a “panic button” to call the restaurant once our order was complete, just in case we missed an item, changed our mind or wanted to get vocal confirmation of the order.

The result of the experiment was delicious and punctual Pad See Ew and spring rolls, delivered right to our door without a single word uttered. Truly, it was the most convenient delivery experience we’ve ever had. If it had been any easier, it would’ve been the replicator from Star Trek (“Tea! Earl Grey! Hot!”).

The app is currently available in 14 cities with more coming soon.

SeamlessWeb also comes in iPhone [iTunes link] and BlackBerry flavors for those of you who aren’t Android users.

If you’re in one of SeamlessWeb’s current markets, give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments.

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Reviews: Android, Android Market, BlackBerry Rocks!, iPhone

More About: android, Food, mobile app, seamlessweb

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

Name: Crowdbands

Quick Pitch: Crowdbands is a crowd sourcing platform that lets fans vote on a variety of band decisions — from album titles to tour dates to collaborations.

Genius Idea: Hot tip: Yelling “Your new guitarist is a talentless hack — you should have stuck with Marco!” in the middle of the set isn’t going to convince your favorite band to drop Johnny Six-Strings. If you persist in shouting, however, it will probably impel them to have you removed from the venue.

Music fans are an opinionated set — just check out the comments section of any music blog — but until recently, there haven’t been many forums in which fans can vent those opinions in a constructive way. Enter Crowdbands.

Remember how Devo crowd sourced their album, Something For Everybody, allowing fans to choose which tracks would appear on the disc? Well, Crowdbands is like that, but turned up to 11.

Fans can sign up for Crowdbands — it costs $25 per year — and thereby become involved in the decision-making processes of a variety of bands. In a sense, they become the band’s de facto record execs, while the site itself is the label.

Currently in Beta, Crowdbands kicking off with The Donnas, an all-female rock band that has been in the business for 17 years.

“We’ve exhausted pretty much every avenue when it comes to getting your record out there,” says Allison Robertson, the band’s guitarist. “Crowdbands falls under the newest category of forward-thinking multimedia organizations who are tossing out the old, tired ways of selling music and are interested in paving a new path for and with artists like us.”

“The ‘system’ as we know it, has collapsed,” adds vocalist Brett Anderson. “This sounds like a bad thing, but it’s actually great, because the playing field has been leveled, and less established companies and artists have a chance to play with the suits.”

Crowdbands, for its part, will only feature unsigned bands, according to Tom Sarig, co-founder of Crowdbands and current president of Esther Creative Group and a former senior A&R Executive at MCA Records, TVT Records, Arista, and A&M. Those bands don’t have to pay a fee to be included on the site (and they are remunerated for their time), but they do have to fit within a rather specific niche.

“We are most excited about working with artists that are the important cultural leading lights of the music world, established acts still in their creative prime and making incredible music, but somehow find themselves without a label,” Sarig says.

This decision could be a failing when it comes to building out a business, in our opinion, as bands of the nature that Sarig describes aren’t exactly tumbling out of trees.

It could benefit the service in the long run to include more lesser-known (though talented acts) that fans could then propel to stardom through their involvement on the site. That model has worked splendidly with Kickstarter, and we could see it flourishing on a dedicated site like Crowdbands as well.

So what does shelling out $25 to join Crowdbands get you, the fan? Well, in addition to interacting with bands and building out their careers by weighing in on issues both creative and business-oriented, users will also receive the band’s album, as well as exclusives like private performances and priority ticketing opportunities. When you add all that together, that’s a pretty good deal for 25 bucks.

And for those music purists out there, before you start wringing your hands over the disruption of the artistic process via fans meddling where they don’t belong — it’s not as if Joe Blow in Ontario is going to be producing guitar riffs for The Donnas (although that might actually be cool).

“We’ve already been writing for this album over the past year, and hopefully, the Crowdbands community will be signing on to help us put the last few nails in the coffin,” Robertson says.

“Once we’re done with the songs, we’ll be checking in with the fans on decisions like how many songs should be on the album, what type of producer would you like to see us work with, or other questions of that nature.”

“I don’t see this as a relinquishment of control, but as an invitation for input,” Anderson adds. “We’re letting people in on the process, to both see how decisions are made, and offer feedback. Our opinions are factored in as well, as we are the only people who really know what we can project with authentically, so it’s more of an opportunity than a risk.”

Since Crowdbands has only just launched, there aren’t a lot of decisions to vote on yet, but we think that it could really take off with music fans — with Donnas fans, at the very least. Music is an extremely personal thing, and the opportunity to engage with and contribute to an album is every music nerd’s dream.

Moreover, we think that this kind of engagement could really give a boost to artists when it comes to maintaining and growing their following (which, ahem, is why we would suggest widening the platform to lesser-known bands as well). “Members essentially also are a natural focus group, as well as a decentralized marketing team,” says Sarig.

What do you think of services like Crowdbands? Could more transparent platforms like this function as a replacement for the label system is the future?

Image courtesy of Flickr, susieq3c

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Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark

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

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Reviews: Flickr

More About: business, crowd sourcing, MARKETING, music

So this is nothing to LOL at: The Cheezburger Network, an Internet publisher known for popular memes like LOLcats and FAILS, has just scored a $30 million Series A led by Foundry Group, with participation from Madrona Venture Group, Avalon Ventures, and SoftBank Capital as well.

What’s truly staggering about this news is not merely the sum, but the fact that this is the company’s first institutional round of funding — in the past, journalist-turned-entrepreneur Ben Huh and company bootstrapped and relied on a $2 million angel round and revenue to survive. (Huh reports that it has been profitable since its birth, raising money via advertising, old media (books, etc) and merchandising.)

“We’re a bit of an oddball, and we’re okay with that,” Huh says with regard to the unprecedented influx of cash.

The Cheezburger Network, founded in September 2007, will use the hefty chunk of change to hire more employees and fund marketing and growth initiatives.

According to Huh, the aim is “to do what we do faster and bigger.” The site’s traffic and fan base is staggeringly big — the network has a readership of 16.5 million people who share more than 500,000 pictures and videos a month, and those same folks view 375 million pages and 110 million videos a month as well.

Huh was planning on hiring 20-30 new staffers by the end 2011, but now he’s looking to take bigger risks and push up the hiring schedule. On January 18, new jobs will be posted to the site, many of which will be engineering jobs. Those engineers will be responsible for making sure the site runs smoothly as it grows.

“With more money in the bank we can start spending ahead of the revenue,” Huh says. “We don’t have to stock away money anymore.”

Brad Feld of the Foundry Group, Greg Gottesman of Madrona Venture Group and Rich Levandov of Avalon Ventures will also be joining the company’s board.

It may seem odd that a company that produces and proliferates memes would be able to attract such attention from investors, but, as Ben Huh said at the Web 2.0 Summit the creators of meme are “the rockstars of tomorrow.” When something goes viral, it — obviously — gets a lot of eyeballs (see Ted Williams’s video scoring more than 13 million views and attracting the attention of scads of advertisers), which is an attractive prospect for investors.

In addition, the Foundry Group has also invested in startups such as Zynga and Topspin, so its denizens are obviously savvy about the importance of web culture.

"Cheezburger has an amazing ability to always be at the intersection of Internet, society, and culture — which is highly attractive not just to consumers, but increasingly important as brands look to engage consumers with content and advertising," says Rich Levandov, managing director of Avalon Ventures. "They've cracked the online media nut and the new financing will further accelerate the company's aggressive growth strategy,” he adds.

When it comes to content, Huh wants to continue to go bigger and better. “We want to make more celebrities,” he says. “We want to make more people more famous for what they love to do.”

And, hopefully soon, that content will also be available on more mobile platforms — including Android and iPhone, according to Huh (it’s already on Windows Phone 7). “We want to be where [people] are,” he says. “You shouldn’t be in front of laptop to enjoy five minutes of happiness.”

That five minutes of happiness seems to be what Huh and the network are focusing on at present. When asked if the company would eventually go public, Huh said, “That’s crazy talk. I don’t even schedule things two months out.”

“There’s no real endgame for the site,” Huh says. “We never thought about world domination, we just thought about serving the needs of our users, making them more happy every day.”

Well, considering that a website that once centered around pictures of cats is now swimming in VC cash, the idea of an IPO doesn’t seem that far-fetched.

This recent influx of money calls to mind a similar investment in blogging platform, Tumblr, who also recently raised $30 million in funding. Tumblr, which had previously acted as a mere platform, has been stepping up its content curation strategy of late, leading web-savvy folks to speculate about its profitability (which could get a kick in the you-know-what with the introduction of ads).

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Reviews: Android, Internet, Tumblr

More About: avalon, blog, business, cheezburger network, foundry Group, funding, investment, madrona, softbank, venture capital

In excess of 5,000 New Yorkers took to the underground sans pants in 2011′s No Pants Subway Ride, the latest event in a ten-year tradition that never fails to leave us bemused and slightly grateful we weren’t on the subway that day.

The annual No Pants Subway Ride is a production of Improv Everywhere, the pranksters behind such events as the guerilla handbell strikeforce, spontaneous musicals and the surprise wedding reception.

Footage of the pants-free sojourn tends to leak online and go viral well in advance of any official video release; this year, however, we’ve got the official No Pants Subway Ride video first.

Have a look at the video, and in the comments, give your answer to the age-old question of which is worse: pants on the ground or no pants whatsoever?

More About: flash mob, flashmob, improv, no pants, subway, youtube

UK artist Banksy, he of the guerilla techniques and ever-increasing popularity, is about to be unceremoniously identified to the highest bidder in an eBay auction, which ends about 36 hours from now.

At press time, the winning bidder is offering one slim dollar shy of a million. Bidding started at $3,000; the auction has had 38 bids.

In the listing, the seller states, “I have uncovered [Banksy's] identity by matching up the prices of his sold pieces to corresponding tax records. I will reveal no more details… I give you 100% assurance that it is most certainly the full name of the street artist known as ‘Banksy.’”

The seller also says that eBay had previously terminated his auction because he was selling an intangible good; the seller is now technically offering for auction a piece of paper containing Banksy’s legal name.

The party offering Banksy‘s identity is hardly a power seller, having a fairly sparse but mostly positive record that dates back to 2001. At this time, we have no way of determining whether the winning bidder is being taken to the cleaners to the tune of $1 million or whether the seller is legitimately peddling an exclusive glimpse into the identity of a public figure who clearly wants to be anything but public.

However, we read on the artist’s website that not all Banksy work that is sold necessarily corresponds to the artist himself. “Banksy neither produces or profits from the sale of greeting cards, mugs or photo canvases of his work,” the site reads. “He is not represented by any of the commercial galleries that sell his paintings secondhand.”

Banksy gained a bit of stateside exposure in October 2010 when he directed an opening sequence for The Simpsons.

What do you think of this auction? Would you want to know Banksy’s identity, or do you think he deserves to live privately and relatively anonymously? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

More About: auction, Banksy, ebay, identity, trending

According to recently released figures from eMarketer, Facebook‘s revenue for advertising alone — which excludes revenue for virtual currencies and other sources — came to an astonishing $1.86 billion for all of last year. Not bad for a web startup that’s yet to see its seventh birthday.

As we reported last month, Facebook was on track to reach the $2 billion mark for revenue in 2010. When other revenue streams are counted along with ad revenue, it’s easy to imagine that the $2 billion revenue was achieved and possibly exceeded in the past year.

As users spend more and more on Facebook Credits, which got an extensive roll-out through online and brick-and-mortar retailers throughout 2010, the virtual currency is likely accounting for an increasing amount on Facebook’s balance sheets. After all, Facebook collects around 33 cents on the dollar for Credits spent within the Facebook ecosystem of apps and games — games that grow more popular with each iteration.

As for the ads, Facebook’s serving more than 50 billion display ads per month and was on track to serve 1 trillion display ads for the year.

And the company isn’t satisfied with tried-and-true display ads served on the basis of user behavior and data, either; it’s experimenting with local deals, crossing the line in the sand that lies between it and companies like Google, Groupon, Foursquare and other companies with an interest in location-based advertising.

In an interview with AdAge, eMarketer analyst Debra Williamson said that around 60% of Facebook’s 2010 ad revenue came from SMBs and that 60% of Facebook’s ad dollars came through its self-serve ad platform. Around $740 million of Facebook’s revenue in 2010 came from major brands such as Procter & Gamble or Coca-Cola.

All told, Williamson said Facebook alone accounted for 5% of all online ad spend in 2010; she expects that number to rise to 8% in 2011.

As Facebook continues its rather meteoric ascent as an ad medium, ever more urgency is put into the question, “But does that make Facebook a $50 billion company?”

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Reviews: AdAge, Facebook, Google, foursquare

More About: ad, ad spend, ads, advertising, facebook, facebook ads, MARKETING, online ads, online advertising, Revenue

HP is bringing a new kind of comedy show to YouTube. Actors from the Upright Citizens Bridgade Theater will take skit ideas from viewers and perform them live on Google’s video-sharing site.

The two-hour show, dubbed HP ePrint Live, will be hosted by comedian Rob Riggle and simultaneously broadcast on the HP for Home Facebook Page. Viewers can send in ideas for skits by e-mailing their submission to one of HP’s Internet-connected ePrint printers on the stage (yes, ladies and gentleman, this is branded entertainment). Ideas that are selected will be performed live.

HP will stage a YouTube home page “takeover” the day of the show’s premiere on January 21. The live event will begin at 3:00 p.m. ET and will be followed by five days (January 22 through 26) of comedy shorts based on new ePrint submissions. Viewers are invited to submit their skit ideas in the form of photos, poems, single words and drawings to ideas@hpeprintlive.com throughout the week; if chosen, a link to a video of the participant’s skit will be e-mailed to him or her.

Because the skits will be performed quickly and released as short videos later, viewers can easily tune in at any time and share clips of their favorite performances afterward.

It’s a clever form of branded entertainment, but its success depends on the talent of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and whether the actors are able to draw attention to the printer without promoting it to the point of annoyance.

But will it sell printers? Stay tuned.

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Reviews: YouTube

More About: eprint, HP, MARKETING, media, upright citizens brigade theater, youtube

When we covered ThreeWords.me just two weeks ago, little did we imagine the viral vanity app would be on the auction block mere days later.

ThreeWords created something of a perfect storm of anonymity, simplicity and self-reference; its premise (get social media users to broadcast “enter three words about me!” and a custom URL to all their friends) appealed perfectly to the average, somewhat narcissistic social media user. Yet, like most shiny social media toys (coughcoughChatroulette), it seemed to be more of a fun flash in the pan than a sustainable app with monetization potential.

However, ThreeWords creator and current college freshman Mark Bao is attempting to cash out of the side project anyhow.

On the auction site, Bao says, “I’m working on a lot of startup work at the moment and don’t have the time to continue working on the site, so I’m trying to find someone that’s interested in continuing it.”

But on Twitter, Bao admits that attrition is an issue, saying, “[The] biggest thing is getting users to come back,” a shortcoming which is immediately apparent in an Alexa graph of the site’s approximate traffic over the past month:

Still, with a userbase of a quarter million and a decent amount of coverage in the tech press, ThreeWords might be worth the purchase price for a hacker with a good idea for a social or vanity app.

In its lifetime, Bao claims ThreeWords has had around 5 million visitors, 17 million pageviews and 4.3 million words entered.

Bao is accepting offers via email. The auction will end on Friday, January 21.

Main image courtesy of Flickr, .

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Reviews: Flickr, Twitter

More About: mark bao, social media, threewords, threewords-me, viral, web app

A new version of Instagram has just hit the iOS App Store. This latest iteration brings the addition of two new filters and the return of an old one, Poprocket.

Instagram version 1.0.7 comes with several bug fixes and “localization improvements,” but the focus will be on the addition of two new filters, Walden and Hefe. The screenshot above shows off the @MashableSF office logo with the new Hefe filter.

The biggest change may not be what’s new but what’s returned. Instagram has brought back the Poprocket filter. The company retired the filter in its last update and replaced it with the Sutro and Toaster filters. Users complained, though, and it looks like the photo-sharing service has caved to pressure and reinstated the filter.

What do you think of the new filters? Did Instagram make the right decision bringing Poprocket back? Let us know in the comments.

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Reviews: instagram

More About: instagram, iOS, iphone

In mere days, Matthew Lessner’s utopian, tongue-in-cheek film The Woods will be heading to Sundance — a noteworthy occurrence to be sure. But add to that the fact that The Woods is the first Sundance-bound film to be partially funded by Kickstarter, and you’ve got yourself a historical event.

Yes, “historical” sounds bit grandiose in this context, but take into account what the film represents — a filmmaker calling upon his fans and viewers to raise capital, and that capital leading to a finished product worthy of Sundance — and you have a bona fide game-changer.

Artists are becoming less reliant on the benevolence of big investors — and their own meager funds — transferring that role to a network of consumers who are more than happy to pay for the music, films and products that those artists are creating.

Back in 2008, Lessner had just wrapped the one-month shoot of his film — the tale of a group of 20-somethings who set out into the less-developed climes of the Pacific Northwest to create their own utopian society — when the economy collapsed.

“The initial way that we funded the film was we went and put the film [expenditures] on credit cards,” Lessner says. “I wanted to make a film, but I didn’t want to deal with all the things that go along with fundraising in the traditional ways. Usually when you’re taking money from people, you’re working in a more structured system; you have to play by their rules; and you have to answer to people. I want to make films in the way that I want to make films.”

As a result of the economic downturn — and his reluctance to raise money from backers — the film lay dormant for a year, unedited and unfinished.

Around a year later, Lessner heard about a new service called Kickstarter from a friend who had used the platform to finance an around-the-world sailing trip. (Kickstarter launched in 2009.)

“I’m not a super web-savvy person — I had never heard of crowd sourcing before,” Lessner says. “I don’t do a lot of tweeting, I don’t have a Facebook Page. [But] I liked the idea of reaching out to a number of individuals for small amounts of money, as opposed to going to a rich uncle or something and asking for money. I liked the idea of getting people involved.”

As one of the first people to get involved with Kickstarter (and a relative Luddite), Lessner wasn’t really sure how to drum up attention for the campaign.

“I tried to be pretty straightforward about what it is that we were trying to do. Our film definitely marches to the beat of its own drummer to a certain extent, and I tried to make that pretty clear in our campaign. It seemed like a lot of people responded to that fact — that we were just doing our own thing with the film and not necessarily trying to target anyone in particular.

“There wasn’t really crazy strategy involved, it was just trying to let the uniqueness of the film show through and communicate.”

Taking a look back at Lessner’s campaign page, “unique” certainly does spring to mind. The description of the film — “Equal parts Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Disney’s Camp Nowhere” — is certainly evocative, as are embedded teasers, which somewhat resemble the music video for MGMT’s “Electric Feel.”

Lessner also offered users an array of interesting prizes for pledging money: DVDs, a black and white reproduction of Che Guevara shaking hands with Ralph Waldo Emerson, signed (or not) by writer/director Matthew Lessner, customized boxes of Cheez-Its and bottles of Mountain Dew, an executive producer credit — you name it.

“So it spanned the gambit from snack food to executive producer,” says Lessner with a laugh.

With Kickstarter, Lessner managed to raise $11,584 (the goal was $8,000) with the help of 95 backers and finish his film.

“We’re really excited for The Woods and the thousands of other projects that have raised money using Kickstarter. To be recognized by an organization as respected as Sundance is a real accomplishment, and The Woods is absolutely deserving of it,” says Yancey Strickler, co-founder of Kickstarter.

Although he’s still the opposite of tech-savvy, Lessner says that he would definitely use Kickstarter again to fund a film.

“The only thing I’m wary about is that I don’t want to overextend myself on [Kickstarter]. It will be interesting to see, as Kickstarter pans out, how many times you can come back to the same group of people.”

Lessner’s concern is legitimate. Although his was one of the first films to be funded by Kickstarter, the venue is increasingly becoming a popular way to raise cash — filmmaker Christopher Salmon raised $161,774 to make a computer-animated version of Neil Gaiman's short story The Price, and Tom Durham raised more than $17,000 for his project 95ers: ECHOES.

As more and more filmmakers and artists flock to Kickstarter, the question will soon become: How does one distinguish oneself from the masses?

The Woods will premiere at Sundance on January 21.

More About: crowd-funding, kickstarter, sundance, the-woods

On Friday, Facebook announced that it will allow application developers to request access to a user’s address and mobile phone number. Although the company is making strides to point out that the request is optional and must be explicitly granted by the user, the feature is already drawing criticism from privacy advocates and security experts.

Historically, Facebook applications have been able to request certain bits of information about a user. This information can include basic tidbits, like a person’s name, gender, list of friends and other publicly viewable information. More recently, Facebook has also allowed applications to request access to a user’s e-mail address. An application may then use this data to better serve the user.

On its developer blog, Facebook stresses that access to this data is governed by Facebook’s Platform Policies. These policies are supposed to ensure that user data is only used for legitimate purposes. Of course, that’s easier said than done.

As Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos points out, some of the hysteria surrounding this new feature is perhaps being blown out of proportion. “This change isn’t as drastic as it might first appear, because users will need to give permission for third-party Facebook applications to access this data,” he says.

That doesn’t mean that the feature is without its foibles. Cluely continues, “It still sounds like a recipe for disaster, given the prevalence of rogue scam applications already on Facebook — all of which benefit from apparently being blessed by the Facebook name and brand.”

In fact, our real problem with the new feature is that it can be used by developers regardless of their intentions. Rogue Facebook apps continue to spread like wildfire and now those apps will potentially have access to even more user information.

Clueley makes the suggestion that only approved developers should have access to information like phone numbers and addresses. We agree. While we’re sure there are legitimate use cases for giving an application access to such information (though we can’t think of that many offhand), if Facebook is really concerned about its users privacy, it should impose stricter standards on app developers before giving them keys to the kingdom.

Furthermore, the notion that the feature is opt-in seems disingenuous. This might be accurate, but in most scenarios, requests for this kind of information are going to be made during the initial sign-up/install process. In other words, users are forced (and usually programmed) to allow the permissions request if an app is to be used. At the very least, for apps that don’t absolutely rely on needing a telephone number or address, there should be an option to allow partial access to public information, while still keeping phone numbers and addresses private.

The comments on the Facebook Developers blog entry are overwhelmingly negative — and many of those negative responses are from developers. Many are advocating that users remove their phone number and address data from Facebook.

That’s not a bad idea — although it seems to be an extreme response to a problem that realistically shouldn’t exist in the first place. If Facebook would take a harder stance on rogue applications, allow more granular permission types and do more to ensure that developers actually respect their platform policies, maybe users would feel less squeamish about offering up their personal information to the service.

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Reviews: Facebook

More About: app permissions, facebook, facebook apps, privacy, security, sophos

Piers Morgan is stepping into Larry King’s old 9 p.m. time slot on CNN Monday evening, welcoming Oprah Winfrey as the first guest on Piers Morgan Tonight.

CNN is hoping that Morgan, who was fired from the Daily Mirror after it published fake photos of Iraqi prisoner abuse and has since gone on to serve as a judge on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, will draw enough big names and controversy to reverse the downward ratings King’s show suffered in its last years.

At minimum, he’ll need to pull in 650,000 viewers, which is what King averaged in his last months on the show, according to The New York Post. “If I don’t, I’m a half-wit. There is no middle ground,” he said.

From heavy media campaigning to a lavish launch party, CNN has gone all-out to make sure Americans tune in for the premiere — and social media is playing a significant role in building buzz. Morgan has taken heavily to Twitter as of late, even starting a trending topic with the help of his 180,000+ followers during the Golden Globes Sunday night.

Since the interview with Winfrey has already been shot and edited, Morgan will be live-tweeting and responding to viewers during the U.S. premiere tonight, and again during the U.K. prime time airing, at 8 p.m. GMT tomorrow. He plans to drive further awareness among the microblogging service’s 120 million-odd users by hosting “a Twitter show” with founder Jack Dorsey and Perez Hilton in the near future, he told the Post.

CNN has also set up a fan page on Facebook and partnered with entertainment checkin app GetGlue to reward those who check in to the show this week with limited-edition stickers.

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Reviews: Facebook, Twitter

More About: cnn, getglue, piers morgan, piers morgan tonight, social media, twitter

Pac-Man, one of the most popular video games of all time, is being turned into a reality TV show. Yes, this means Pac-Man could be joining the ranks of Survivor and Jersey Shore.

Namco Bandai Games, the creators and owners of Pac-Man, have teamed up with Merv Griffin Entertainment to produce the new unscripted TV show, reports Deadine.com. It will apparently be similar to Wipeout, a reality show where contestants must complete various obstacle courses (like its famous “Big Balls” challenge) or get knocked into the muddy water.

“The idea we have is to take what Pac-Man is and bring it to life, to bring what is essentially the world’s biggest game of tag to television,” said Roy Banks, Merv Griffin Entertainment’s president of television.

The show is still in the planning stages and is currently being shopped to the major networks. But if ABC was willing to pick up I Survived a Japanese Game Show, then surely some network will pick up Pac-Man. Our hope is that the show will consist of contestants in red, cyan, pink and orange suits chasing a guy in a giant yellow ball. Or perhaps the game will consist of four obstacles called Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde. The possibilities are endless.

If picked up by a network, it will be the second time Pac-Man has graced the TV screen. Hanna-Barbera Productions produced a short-lived cartoon of the same name in the 1980s. Merv Griffin’s previous company, Merv Griffin Enterprises, produced hits like Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune and Dance Fever.

What do you think of a Pac-Man reality TV show? Would you tune in for the premiere? Let us know in the comments.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Smileham

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Reviews: Flickr, abc

More About: gaming, Namco Bandai, pac-man, Treality TV

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 for the Mashable Media Partnership Guidelines document. If your event meets our requirements, contact us at least one month before your event to establish a media partnership with us. 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:

• The Future of Event Planning and Social Media
• HOW TO: Plan and Promote Events with Social Media
• 35+ Ways to Find and Plan Events Online
• 8 Ways to Create Paperless Business Cards
• 5 Useful iPhone Apps for Business Networking

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

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January 17-18, 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.

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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.

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January 19, 2011, Wichita KS: Explore & Engage with Brian Solis and Jason Falls – Explore & Engage is a unique opportunity to learn from two of the social web's leading experts in a rare and intimate workshop setting. Registration is limited to just 150 people. The program will open with a powerful message from Brian Solis, "Engage or Die". Jason Falls will respond with two hands-on workshops covering social media tools, tactics, content, planning, strategy and measurement. Between workshops participants will have the opportunity to visit with Jason and Brian and to have Brian sign copies of his book, “Engage”. The workshops are intended for those already active in the social web who want to take their business or organization to the next level of engagement. Register and use the discount code MASHABLE to save $25 on each standard registration.

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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.

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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%.

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January 20, 2011, London, UK: SMART Social Media for Business – What are the threats surrounding social media and are they offset by the realistic potential for business growth? With speakers from Twitter, Adidas, Nokia, The Times, Yahoo! & Lauren Rubin from Mashable, this is your chance to hear from the global leaders in social media strategy to find out how to mitigate risks whilst capitalizing on the vast opportunities. To learn more about SMART and to download the event’s agenda, please visit SMART2011.com.

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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“)

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January 21, 2011, Boulder, CO: Mongo Boulder is a one day conference focused on MongoDB, the leading open source, non-relational database. The conference will feature sessions on schema design, indexing, administration, replication, sharding, and more. In addition to several of the MongoDB developers from 10gen, confirmed speakers include Michael Dwan of SnapJoy and Justin Smestad of Mongo Machine. The event is sponsored by 10gen, the company that develops and supports the database. Until January 5, 2011, attendees can purchase tickets at the early-bird rate (50% off the general admission price). Mashable readers may register and use the promo code mashable to receive a discount.

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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%.

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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.

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January 24, 2011, Washington, DC: There are no sales commercials masquerading as presentations here, or sleepy Q & A sessions where only 1 of 8 questions apply to your business. What’s Next DC is about brainstorming, case studies, energy, networking, strategy and – best of all – personalized solutions to your company’s most important challenges. We’ll have floating experts in a variety of fields available, so if you hear something you like and want to bounce ideas around right there on the spot, you can! We’ve scheduled group brainstorming/strategy sessions and niche learning sessions where you can discuss your areas of interest and expertise. There will also be an area dedicated solely to networking all day long. This is not just a conference, it is an experience. Come prepared and energized to learn and share with other Marketing, Public Relations, Advertising, and Communication Professionals! Register with promo code Mashable and save 25%!

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January 25-26, 2011, New York, NY: Information Industry Summit – Save $100 with the promo code PRMMASH to attend this 10th annual Summit, the digital information industry's flagship conference. (Note: discount valid off the individual non-member rate only and does apply to current attendees.) With a theme on "Moving from Wired to Wireless," the Summit will address the sea-change shaping the industry: mobile business models and content delivery, as well as the top mobile technology trends. For complete details, including registration information, visit InformationIndustrySummit.net.

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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.

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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.

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January 27, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Macworld 2011 is your once-a-year opportunity to see and buy all of the newest, coolest stuff-hardware, software and accessories-for your Apple products. You will also find expert advice, demonstrations and instruction by the very people that develop these products. Macworld conference programs feature industry leading minds, presenting cutting edge product training on the topics – see our featured artists and presenters. Mashable readers who register today get 15% off conference packages and $10 expo only passes by clicking here.

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January 29, 2011, Milwaukee, WI: Companies in the Midwest like Groupon are proof that innovation happens everywhere and Flyover Geeks: Bootstrapper’s Ball is coming to Milwaukee in January with a one day conference exploring the entrepreneurial condition. Experienced entrepreneurs with successful startups will walk you through how they did it and what what they are doing to keep their success on an upwards trajectory. You’ll hear about topics as diverse as funding your own retirement as an entrepreneur, legal advice, building lean and how to get past the word “No”. Come the the University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee campus) on January 29th and use the code FGBALL to get 20% of the admission price!

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January 31 – February 3, 2011, Toronto, Canada: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 23rd updated forum on Social Media for Government: How To Engage Your Employees & Citizens By Using The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results, to learn how to incorporate social media into your communications & marketing plans & leverage the latest interactive Web 2.0 tools & techniques to advance your organizational goals. Hear practical advice from: ON Ministry of Labour; Toronto Police Service; Northern Lights Canada; Royal Bank of Canada; Genome Alberta; ON Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care; Public Service Commission of Canada; City of Ottawa; Halton Region, ON & more. Register and mention Mashable to save $200!

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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%!

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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.

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February 1, 2011, Mountain View, CA: See George Zachary, General Partner of Charles River Ventures and early investor in Twitter, speak at The Founder Showcase – Silicon Valley’s premier startup pitch and networking event. This quarterly event brings together over 300 investors, founders, and members of the press to hear talks from leading CEOs, and pitches from 10 hot technology start-ups. Over $1.5mm has been raised by presenting companies at previous Founder Showcase events. Tickets start at just $40 – to register or enter the free Pitch Competition, go to FounderShowcase.com. Mashable readers get 15% off by using the discount code mashable_15.

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February 2-4, 2011, Austin, TX: Turn up the heat on your digital campaigns at Digital Marketing Forum 2011. From social media to email marketing to online advertising and beyond — DMF will cover everything you need to know to ignite your digital strategy in 2011. Best of all, each session will include examples from B2B and B2C campaigns—ensuring a highly relevant conference, no matter your level or target audience. So add some kick to your campaigns and join us in Austin February 2-4 and save $100 with code MASH100. It’s going to be spicy! For more information, please click here.

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February 2-3, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Marketing and customer service are on a collision course. Social media now shine a bright light on customer service interactions, which increasingly have brand implications. Customer care can also offer valuable insights for marketing and product development. How many companies are adapting and turning this to their advantage? Still too few as old modes of thinking remain entrenched in organizations. Opus Research's Conversational Commerce Conference (C3) brings together a diverse array of interested groups and stakeholders to discuss the new social media landscape and its joint impact on marketing and customer care.

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February 2, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: CBS RADIO presents SOCIAL: THE NEW MEDIA, an all-day exploration of the social media landscape for small business owners and entrepreneurs. High-profile trendsetters will break down the basics, present case studies and provide the tools needed to help business owners energize, strategize and monetize. We'll look into streamlining operations, building growth strategies and developing customer loyalty through social media. The event will take place at the historic Avalon Hollywood. For more info and tickets visit http://cbssocialmedia.com. Register and use the promo code CBSMASH when purchasing tickets and save $10.

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February 2, 2011, Austin, TX: Toyota, REI, Texas Instruments, Kellogg Company, and more will share case studies in corporate social media at BlogWell Austin: How Big Brands Use Social Media. You’ll learn how to get started, get past roadblocks, and make your social media program phenomenal — in one afternoon, for just $250. Get practical, how-to advice on creating great content, getting management buy-in, educating employees, keeping lawyers and regulators happy, simple and ethical disclosure, and engaging fans. Presented by GasPedal and SocialMedia.org. Register with the promo code THANKSMASHABLE and save 10%!

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February 3, 2011, New York, NY: Did you ever want to meet, shake hands and give your summary to OVER 30 of the hottest VC Funds & Angel Investor Groups in the the NYC area? FundingPost is hosting its VC Showcase in midtown, NYC! At this VC Conference, OVER 30 VC Funds & Angel Groups will be exhibiting their firms during a great cocktail party setting. Each Fund will have their own table setup for the sole purpose of meeting great new companies. The first 29 Funds have already been announced! Register and use the discount code nyvcs.

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February 3, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Calling all early-stage startups! Vator, one of the largest business networks dedicated to entrepreneurship, is holding its first Splash event for the new year. The event will take place on the evening of Feb. 3 at Cafe du Nord in San Francisco. Ten startups can win a chance to present onstage in front of venture capitalists from AngelPad, August Capital, Greylock, Google Ventures, Javelin Venture Partners, SV Angels, Shasta Ventures, Mayfield, Norwest and more. Keynote speakers include Pandora founder Tim Westergren and ngmoco founder Neil Young. And, the afterparty entertainment stars Cover Flow. To be among the 10 finalists onstage, enter the competition here. Register and use the promo code Mashable25 for a discount!

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February 4-5, 2010 Atlanta, GA: SoCon11, the South's premier social media networking event celebrates five years on February 4 – 5th at Kennesaw State University, just outside Atlanta. The two day SoCon11 event kicks off Friday night at the historic Carter Center complete with music, gourmet dinner buffet, and cash bar. Following is a day of networking and break-out sessions with some of the biggest names in digital media. This year it's all about mobile and as always, social media. Register and use the promo code MASH for 20% off.

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February 7-11, 2011, New York, San Francisco, London, Hong Kong, Toronto, Sao Paulo, Rome, Istanbul and Paris: Coming this Februar to a city near you is the first 2011 edition of Social Media Week, to be held simultaneously in New York, San Francisco, London, Hong Kong, Toronto, Sao Paulo, Rome, Istanbul and Paris. Social Media Week is a co-curated, distributed conference featuring hundreds of free events taking place over the course of the week in interesting venues across each of the nine cities. Topically framed around social media, events include panels, parties, product demos, meetups and more, put on by media, communication and technology companies around the globe. Social Media Week was held for the first time in February 2009 in New York City. 2010 followed with an event in February that expanded to NYC plus five more cities, adding London, Berlin, San Francisco, Toronto and São Paolo to the fold, plus an event in September in Los Angeles, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Milan. Social Media Week 2010 attracted more than 17,000 attendees across 450 events, nearly all of which were made available for free to attendees thanks to sponsorship from a number of global brands, including Meebo and PepsiCo. Learn more about the February 7-11, 2011 event at http://socialmediaweek.org.

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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.

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February 7-10, San Diego, CA: Online Marketing Summit, the premier educational event for marketing professionals, is coming to San Diego this February. Learn from the online marketing experts of Dell, Cisco, Intel, McDonalds, Google Disney and YouTube sensation Justin Bieber. Join your marketing peers to share ideas, hear from expert practitioners, and learn best practices in the areas of: Social Media, Search, Email, Analytics, and more! Register with the discount code SMART20 for 20% off.

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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%.

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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.

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February 8, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: Federated Media presents Signal LA: The Content Marketing Conversation. Signal, a series of 1-day events is produced for senior decision makers in the media and marketing business. If you’re involved in the digital media ecosystem, you belong at Signal. The speaker line-up is stellar, and we're really excited for what we're sure will be an interesting, informative and impactful day. Please join us! More information and registration details at www.federatedmedia.net/events. Register with the promo code SIGMASH1 to save 10%!

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February 8, 2011, Atlanta, GA: Mongo Atlanta is a one day conference focused on MongoDB, the leading open source, non-relational database. The conference will feature sessions on schema design, indexing, administration, replication, sharing, and more. In addition to several of the MongoDB developers from 10gen, confirmed speakers include Hugh Watkins of Ericsson and Jeremy McAnally of Intridea. The event is sponsored by 10gen, the company that develops and supports the database. Until January 18th, you can register at the early bird rate, which is half off the general admission price. Mashable readers may register and use the promo code mashable to receive a discount.

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February 8, 2011, Springfield, MO: Social Marketing Boot Camp with Sarah Evans – Limited tickets are 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. Register and use the discount code MASHABLE to save $25 on each standard registration.

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February 14-17, 2011, Washington, DC: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 23rd updated forum on Social Media for Government: How To Engage Your Employees & Citizens By Using The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results, to learn how to incorporate social media into your communications & marketing plans & leverage the latest interactive Web 2.0 tools & techniques to advance your organizational goals. Hear practical advice from: ON Ministry of Labour; Toronto Police Service; Northern Lights Canada; Royal Bank of Canada; Genome Alberta; ON Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care; Public Service Commission of Canada; City of Ottawa; Halton Region, ON & more. Register and mention Mashable to save $200!

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February 14-16, 2011, New York, NY: O’Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing Conference (TOC) – Explore the new world of “Publishing Without Boundaries” at the 5th annual O’Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing Conference (TOC). This premiere event provides an unparalleled opportunity for stakeholders from across the book publishing and tech industries to network, share ideas, engage in lively debate, and come away with the knowledge and inspiration to lead change within their own organizations. Not only does TOC cover what's working now, but we also look ahead to what will work as publishing transitions to the next phase. The people who attend TOC are the people who are shaping publishing's future. Mashable readers can save 15% on registration with the promo code toc11mash. http://www.toccon.com/toc2011?cmp=mp-conf-tc11-mashable-banner-ad

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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.

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February 15-17, 2011, San Jose, CA: FAST ’11 explores new directions in the design, implementation, evaluation, and deployment of storage systems. Learn from leaders in the storage industry with ground-breaking tutorials by experts such as Brent Welch, Mostafa Khalil, Benjamin Reed, and more. This year’s innovative 2-day technical program includes 20 technical papers, Work-in-Progress Reports (WiPs), and two poster sessions. FAST’ 11 promises to be an exciting conference presenting leading examples of current research and a strong vision of the future of file and storage technologies. Learn more by clicking here. Receive a $75 discount by entering FAST11MASH upon registration.

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February 15, 2011, New York, NY: iKids is a new one-day event designed to help you connect your app business with leading kids entertainment brands. Featuring case studies, expert panels, networking sessions, a global research presentation and an Apps Showdown format, our program will challenge and inspire you to approach your mobile business in new ways. For more information and to register, please click here.

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February 16-17, 2011, Berkeley, CA: Content Marketing is a key digital trend for 2011. Come to the first conference dedicated to leveraging content to attract more customers: Contentmarketing2011.com. The conference will bring together leading brands, ad agencies, publishers, PR professionals and service providers to focus solely on the latest strategies, solutions and technologies in digital content marketing. The conference will reveal through real-world case studies how to use content marketing to increase business and explore the future of this extremely powerful marketing tool. Mashable readers can register with the promo code mashable and save $100 off the early bird rate.

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February 16, 2011, San Francisco, CA: VigLink is hosting a one-day Forum and Communities Conference in San Francisco and will bring together leading brands, forum owners and community managers to explore strategies in forum and community development.
During this one-day event, a team of renowned experts will provide guidance on how to effectively engage with community, give tips on how to maximize the value of your communities and offer insights into new services to try and trends to watch out for. This is the ultimate event for anyone involved in creating communities. Register with the promo code mashable to get a 10% discount.

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February 16, 2011 London, UK: What can gaming do for your brand? Is now the time for that games app and what's so special about social gaming? How can brands be part of the gameplay and is gaming right for your brand? Our speakers will make the case for brand-games collaborations and showcase their gaming successes at IAB HQ in central London. There’ll be short lively presentations, a panel/audience discussion, plus a networking and drinks session where the conversations can flow. Register today for 20% off the full price of £125 at www.brand-e.biz/games.html using the discount code MASHABLE.

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February 17, 2011, Miami, FL: Interested in meeting early-stage Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists in Florida? Then register for the FundingPost event on Thursday, Feb 17, 2011, at The University of Miami. FundingPost has hosted 175+ sold-out venture events in 20 cities over the past 9 years. At our next event, the panel of investors will focus on Early-Stage Venture Investing: How to meet investors, pitch them, and what it really takes to get them to write you a check! Guest Moderator, Daymond John, star of the ABC show Shark Tank will be moderating the panel. Register and use the promo code miami11.

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February 17, 2011, New York, NY: unNiched(micro) is a breakfast event designed to provide attendees with the latest information on a range of subjects important to the health marketing communications field, including mobile, digital marketing and social media. Join us for an information packed session, “Mobile Health: Hype or Hope.” During this event, noted noted health economist, futurist and management consultant Jane Sarasohn-Kahn will: separate hype from reality in current and future mobile trends; discuss how old and new mobile tech will power the Web of the future; outline how health organizations are leveraging mobile technologies to communicate with consumers and health providers while sparking behavior change today (and in the future).

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February 20, 2011, Kfar Maccabiah/Ramat Gan, Israel: Join us for the MEGAComm Conference for marketing professionals and technical communicators. This 5-track, full-day event will feature sessions for marketing managers, sales directors, technical writers, documentation managers and many others. MEGAComm is our FIFTH annual conference, and offers a unique opportunity to hear from the experts in both these important English-based industries, network with hi-tech professionals from all over the country, and expand your knowledge. Keynote speakers include Jeff Pulver (well known entrepreneur and Producer of #140conf) and Danny Ayalon (Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel). Features session will include SEO, WordPress, Agile Documentation, Single-Sourcing, MediaWikis, Managing Content and much more. For more information, please click here.

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February 21-23, 2011, New Delhi, India: The RadioAsia conference is a yearly event designed to address on-going developments in radio broadcasting content and services while highlighting the near future opportunities and challenges. This annual conference is organized by the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) , Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU) and Singapore Exhibition Services Pte Ltd for leading radio media practitioners, communication specialists, policy makers, academicians and students from across the Asia Pacific region and beyond. The theme for this year’s conference is “Radio on Air Everywhere – Adopting Multiplatform Strategies” keeping in tune with the changes in the medium due to globalization, convergence and technological advances. Register for the conference to learn more about the radio industry in Asia.

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February 21-22, 2011, Tampa, FL: Facebook Masters Training & the social media conference for marketers, Social Fresh is not about concept, but focused on drilled down learning and case studies from the front lines. Learn what social media can really do for business bottom lines.Two days, 16 industry leading speakers, and Facebook Masters Training. As well as keynote Paula Berg of Linhart PR and Southwest Airlines social media veteran. Register now and use coupon code mashable for 25% off.

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February 21, 2011, Tel Aviv, Israel: The upcoming Israel Dealmakers Summit 2011 hosted by Landmark Ventures will bring together a high-profile audience of 350+ Chairmen, CEOs, Investors and Technology Professionals across the Digital Media, Internet, Mobile, Cloud, Enterprise Software and Hardware sectors to discuss the future of Israel's economy, from large enterprises to the thriving start up culture, and ongoing role as an integral part of the global marketplace. The summit will additionally feature a VIP Delegation of 20 to 25 leading U.S. and European corporations and investment funds who will all be speaking at the conference bringing a unique global perspective.

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February 22, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: 3rd Annual Gravity Summit at UCLA – The Power of Real-Time; Social Media Marketing for Executives. Learn how to master the tactics and strategies of real-time social media to build brands, get customers and increase the bottom line. Speakers from Fast Company, DIRECTV, Mashable, WeberShandwick, Orci, Lexus, and more. Legendary music artist and Twitter star MC Hammer receives “Social Media Marketer of the Year” award in person. Join 200+ business leaders on campus at UCLA to learn from top brands and thought leaders in the field as they talk about understanding and harnessing the new real-time social media platforms and tools. Register with the promo code GRAVSUM1 and save $60!

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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!

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February 23, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: DIGIDAY:ON MEDIA: Where THE digital media moguls caucus on the business of buying and planning and advertising across digital platforms. There is an enormous media market that media agencies have to master: Online Media, Social, Video, Mobile, Search, Apps, Ad Networks, Email, Targeting, Measurement, Emerging Platforms, and much more and media execs are constantly seeking the highest performance and most innovative platforms to help them run, create, engage and deliver their digital advertising creative and messages to their target audiences. ON MEDIA will be an event that brings together the leading media executives, buyers and planners for the ONLY a high level one-day summit to help them discuss and debate the current state of buying digital and how they can thrive in today’s fragmented media economy. Join us for this one of a kind meeting of the digital media moguls in Los Angeles. Register and use the promo code ONMASH to save $100 (Mashable reader discount).

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February 24, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: DIGIDAY: MOBILE APPS: The event will bring together the leading executives from top mobile agencies, blue-chip brands, mobile app developers, mobile advertising networks, and content owners to discuss the explosive Mobile “app-vertising” market. The “app-vertising” business is igniting the imaginations of brand marketers worldwide and serving up a land grab for an increasingly valuable piece of real estate on the omnipresent mobile device in our pockets. The industry pioneers, visionaries, and leaders will converge to take a deep dive into the emerging mix of branded mobile applications and in-application advertising that is finally poised to deliver on the promise of mobile marketing. Attendees will learn and gain key insights on the innovative brands, the killer mobile apps, dynamic integrated content and offers, video, storytelling, and the rich functionality of apps. And a whole lot more! So what does the future hold for app-vertising? Find out at DIGIDAY: MOBILE APPS! Register and use the promo code APPMASH to save $100 (Mashable reader discount!).

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February 24, 2011, New York City: The 11th Annual Digital Music Forum! We are the only event in the United States that brings together the top music, technology and policy leaders for high-level discussions and debate, intimate meetings and unrivaled networking about the future of digital music. Digital Music Forum is known worldwide for the news that is made in our auditorium, the deals that get done in our hallways, and the friendships and partnerships that are forged year after year. Why wait by the sidelines, when you can join the event that is helping to drive the industry’s future! Pre-registration Rate of $399 (a $300 saving) available till January 28, plus receive 15% off with the promo code MASH15! Don’t miss the opportunity – Book NOW to reserve your seat!

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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.

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February 27 – March 1, 2011, Palm Desert, CA: Be part of the exclusive unveiling of the most promising new products and prototypes of 2011. DEMO Spring 2011 provides a window into technology’s future and introduces you to the people and companies who are paving the way. Attend DEMO Spring 2011 and you'll have access to this exceptional group of global innovators, be the first to see 70 new product demonstrations and 30 AlphaPitch presenters, test drive products, and network with leading venture capitalists and angel investors, CEOs, dealmakers, entrepreneurs and demonstrators. Register with promo code MSH1 and save 25%!

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Feb 28-March 1 & March 3-4, 2011, Singapore & Hong Kong: Join us at this interactive two-day conference on Social Media & PR to acquire effective PR techniques for boosting your brand image and reputation. Find out how companies like Boeing, BASF, BT Asia Pacific, SAP, Microsoft, HP, Kia, Dow Jones and more have successfully grasped the intricacies of social media to make it work for them. By the end of the conference, you’ll be able to successfully integrate both new and traditional media into your PR strategies! Register today and save 10% when you enter Mashable under Additional Info.

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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%!

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February 28, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The Future of Money & Technology Summit will bring together over 500 of the best and brightest thinkers around money, including entrepreneurs, developers, visionaries, press, investors, authors, solution providers, and organizations who work with them at the convergence of cash and commerce. We meet to discuss the evolving converging industries of finance & technology, and to do business in a proactive, conducive-to-dealmaking environment. Come learn & share how innovations in technology are changing the way we do business on a global and local scale. For more information, please visit www.futureofmoney.com. Register and save 10% by clicking here!

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February 28, 2011, Israel: The Future of Nonprofit Summit: Israel (#FONSI) brings together some of the best professionals, innovators, lay leaders, organizations, brands, and other passionate people to explore tools and ideas to move the vital third sector forward. Join us for a day of innovation, collaboration and excellence where you will learn best practices, innovative ideas and valued case studies. Visit http://www.fonsi.co for complete details.

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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.

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March 1-2, 2011, London, UK: TFM&A is the UK’s largest and longest running multi-channel marketing, media and advertising event. TFM&A will be delivering the latest industry insights, trends and developments as well as leading suppliers of digital, direct, data and CRM solutions. With free seminars and keynotes from big names like Microsoft Advertising and Experian, over 200 exciting exhibitors, a dedicated networking bar and cafe and many more show features, take advantage of your FREE entry to create a campaign that becomes a classic. Register at t-f-m.co.uk/mashable.

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March 2-4, 2011, New York, NY: Borrell Associates' Local Online Advertising Conference is designed for executives responsible for developing, managing, marketing, and selling local online advertising. Clay Christensen is part of an all-star lineup of more than 50 speakers who will explore the transformation of local media brought on by the Internet and mobile media. Borrell will explore who’s making money in local online, mobile and social advertising, and offer attendees the tactical intelligence to help them “hit the ground running” when they return home. Register to attend at the Grand Hyatt in NYC or Attend@ Your Desk with a streaming pass. Save $100 with code BA100.

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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.

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March 2-3, 2011, Barcelona, Spain: Innovative e-Marketin is our exciting cross-industry event in which we offer you the opportunity to uncover the secrets to success from the most experienced e-Marketers in the world and learn how to put ideas into practice in the form of social networking activities, brainstorming sessions, talking circles, keynote case studies and insightful presentations. Why not treat yourself to one of our exclusive VIP passes? Let us pick you up from the airport and drive you directly to the venue. Register with the promo code EMK11/004 to save 10%.

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March 2, 2011, Orange County, CA: Invisible or Remarkable? Seth Godin is back for one night only live and in person in SoCal. Join us for an unprecedented night of networking and evening with best-selling author, A-List lecture circuit speaker and marketing expert Seth Godin. This event is expected to sell out early. Reserve your spot now by clicking here.

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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.

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March 3-5, 2011, Orlando, FL: unGeeked Elite Retreats brings together 24 speakers over the course of three days. The format is styled as an “open discussion” with topics centered around enhancing, positioning and leveraging both the internal and external brand. PPTs and Prezi’s are strongly discouraged and instead, on-going and intimate discussions among keynotes, regional speakers and attendees are encouraged. Speakers include: Amanda Hite, Dan Schawbel, Jeff Power, Amber Osborne and more. Register with the promo code unGeekedFlorida and save 5% off regular ticket price.

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March 4-5, 2011, Louisville, KY: Code PaLOUsa is a two-day, eight-track software development conference in Louisville, KY that’s designed to cover all aspects of software development regardless of technology stack. We will have sessions revolving around Microsoft, Java, Ruby, PHP, and Clojure; along with sessions on higher, platform-agnostic levels. There will be 60 technical presentations and panel discussions from well-known professionals in the software development community and a keynote talk from Douglas Crockford of Yahoo! and JavaScript/JSON fame. For more information and to register, please visit codepalousa.com.

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March 5, 2011: Telecommuting, the holy grail for many developers. Not work from home but work from where you are. Because after all, "Work is what you do, not where you go" Day Camp 4 Developer #2:Telecommuting will help developers understand the benefits and risks involved in telecommuting along with offering practical advice on what tools you and your team need to master in order to successfully distribute your team geographically. In one day we cover five important topics that every developer needs to understand before starting to telecommute. Register with the promo code MASHABLEROCKS and save $5.

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March 7-9, 2011, San Mateo, CA: The Android Developers Conference, March 7-9 in San Mateo, CA, is the world’s premier independent event dedicated to building, marketing and managing apps for the Android platform. The format includes dozens of top technical classes, workshops and breakout classes. Mashable readers can receive a $100 discount off the Full Event Passport and/or gain free admission to the exhibits (first time registrants only – cannot be combined with other offers) by inserting the code MEDIASPONSOR on the registration page.

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March 8-10, 2011, San Jose, CA: At Search Marketing Expo – SMX West, you'll learn to maximize ROI from paid search advertising, optimize your website content for superior organic search results, expand your skills with local and mobile advertising expertise, master social media marketing on Twitter, Facebook and other SMM networks, boost conversions, and increase sales. Use the promo code smx100mashable and save $100 off your registration. For more information, please visit http://smxwest.com.

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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!

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March 8-9, 2011, Amsterdam, NL: We’ve brought back some of your favorite speakers, as well as a number of new ones, and we’ve also added a few surprises to keep everyone on their toes. With some of the most interesting and engaging presenters from around the globe, FITC Amsterdam 2011 will be 2 days and 2 nights that will leave you inspired, energized and awed. Join us for an event that you will never forget! Register with the promo code Mashable10 and save 10%!

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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%!

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March 11, 2011, San Jose, CA: The International Search Summit is partnering with SMX to run its global search and social media program at SMX West. Focusing specifically on international and multilingual topics, the summit will run on 11th March and give delegates the opportunity to attend both events. Topics at the Summit will include international link building, managing global content, international SEO case studies and multilingual video optimisation. The agenda can be found here, and will be regularly updated with confirmed speakers. Combo or Summit only tickets are available. Early Bird rates apply and Mashable readers can get $100 off the booking price with the discount code ISS@SMXmashable. For more information and to register, please click here.

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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%!

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March 16, 2011, Washington, DC: The Innovative Giving Foundation presents the 2011 Innogive Conference – "Mobile Giving Applied". This will be a one-day event focuses on applying the best practices in mobile giving and communications for social good, and will address integrating SMS appeals, mobile apps and other emerging innovative giving technologies. The Innogive format combines a great mix of respected keynotes, riveting innovation speakers and super informative panels and hands-on classes. Organizations of all sizes should attend! Register and use the promo code IGF for $50 off.

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March 17-19, 2011, Washington, DC: The annual Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) is the Nonprofit Technology Network’s signature event, a three-day gathering bringing together nearly 2,000 nonprofit professionals from around the world to collaborate, innovate, and maximize effectiveness. Our members share the common goal of helping nonprofits use all aspects of technology more effectively; the NTC brings them face-to-face to connect, learn — and return to their organizations brimming with the energy, strategies, and networks they need to change the world. For more information and to register, please click here.

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March 19, 2011, Cape Cod, MA: Geek Girl Tech Boot Camp (Cape Cod 2011): Geek Girl Boot Camps are full-day technology “unconferences” for women, taught by women, of all ages and knowledge levels where you can find workshops on everything to do with computers and the Internet! Workshops include PC and Mac, Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), Location (foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp) Photoshop, QuickBooks, Blogging, Podcasting, WordPress, Google Tools, Dreamweaver, Video, Inbound Marketing, digital photography, and more. The workshops are designed for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. There are Discussion Groups and an all day Help Desk. The Mission of Geek Girl Camp is to educate and empower every girl and woman at every age level, on every skill level, at every income level on computer technology with fun and provide a legacy by giving back and paying it forward. Mashable readers get an exclusive $30 discount off the standard pricing of $139 with special code mashable2011 when registering!

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March 21-23, 2011, Boston, MA: BIA/Kelsey's Interactive Local Media is the definitive conference on local digital advertising and marketing. Join the interactive local media community in Boston for ILM East where the focus will be on new local marketplaces, keying in on the latest developments in search, mobile, geolocation, reviews, group buying and deals. Register with the promo code ILMEMASH and save $200!

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March 21, 2011, Orlando, FL: The Mobile Web and Apps World Forum is the official Mobile Web and App event of International CTIA. Now in our 4th great year, we will once again bring together top minds from around the world to discuss how to develop, market, deploy and monetize mobile web and applications. This year's theme is "rise of mobile application commerce" and includes Facebook commerce, location based and viral marketing issues.

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March 22-24, 2011, Washington, DC: The Publishing Xchange is a two-plus day interactive conference with discussions revolving around the latest market dynamics as they relate to real-world publishing and marketing processes. You'll learn about the latest technologies and how to achieve the greatest return on your efforts and investments while utilizing the new media channels. Choose from 6 tracks produced by Outsell, The Seybold Report, InfoTrends, Thad McIlroy The Future of Publishing, What They Think and IDEAlliance. Discover the future of publishing, how to implement a cross-media campaign, how a printer can make the leap into this new world & so much more!

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March 22-24, 2011, Washington, DC: Ready or not, the way workers create, manage, share and consume information is changing in profound and unprecedented ways. Join us as thousands of technologists and business users from the world’s top companies gather to explore the technologies that are changing the way the world works. Choose from 19 conference tracks and programs, including the SharePoint Summit @ info360, EMC's Information Intelligence Summit @ info360 and Oracle @ info360. Visit www.info360show.com for details.

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March 22, 2011, Orlando, FL: After the overwhelming response to our first tablets event in San Francisco (formerly iPad and Tablets: Entertainment and Publishing Apps) we are proud to once again present the next Future of Tablets event at International CTIA in Orlando. We will be covering issues that are important to the publishing, media and entertainment industries. Topics include market research and trends, deployment on multiple platforms, digital newsstands, ad-funded, sponsored and premium apps, business and revenue models, incorporating multimedia communities and much more

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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!

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March 23, 2011, New York, NY: GigaOM presents "Structure Big Data" That “fire hose” of information pouring through your company’s databases and systems? That data, whether real-time or historic, presents an enormous opportunity to gain business insights to maximize profits and improve products. Structure Big Data, GigaOM’s newest conference, is focused on helping technology executives develop a big data strategy. Turn your company’s information into your next big revenue opportunity. Register with the promo code BDMASH and save $100!

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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.

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March 29-30, 2011 London, UK: Social Media World Forum Europe is now in its 3rd year, the event this year will be providing a format for networking, engagement, and lots of social media debate around the latest tools, technologies, platforms, and emerging trends within social media marketing. With over 4000 attendees last year, the show has grown significantly to become one of the leading shows in its field, hosting a variety of free to attend workshops & conferences for marketers, pr professionals, developers, and the like. Mashable readers receive a 20% discount when they register and use the promo code MASH2011.

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March 31 – April 1, 2011, New York, NY: Produced by Mediabistro, AllFacebook and SocialTimes, Socialize: Monetizing Social Media unites business leaders in gaming, virtual goods, social mobile, marketing, and media for two days of learning, connecting, and sharing about all things social. Attendees come to Socialize for the real-world insight that our unique blend of industry heavyweights, business visionaries and results-oriented practitioners bring to the table. Expert speakers include Mitch Joel (President, Twist Image), Ian Schafer (Founder and CEO, Deep Focus), Geoff Cook (CEO, myYearbook), and more. For full details and registration, visit the site. Register with the promo code SOCMASH and save 15%!

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April 4-6, 2011, Boston, MA: SOCIAL MEDIA & COMMUNITY 2.0 STRATEGIES is a unique event that focuses on the business value of social media for established brands, as well as entrepreneurial companies. It brings together community experts with lines of business leaders who are using social media strategically to drive their business. From setting the strategy, to operationalizing it, to measuring the results – this event is a high-level think tank for and by those particularly focused on understanding and improving efforts and investments in the Social Media & Community space. Join the evolution and register today (Save 20% with the promo code SOCIAL11MASH).

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April 4, 2011, Munich, Germany: The International Search Summit is partnering with SMX to run its global search and social media program at SMX München. Focusing specifically on international and multilingual topics, the summit will run on 4th of April and give delegates the opportunity to attend both events. Topics at the Summit will include international link building, the impact of display on global search, international SEO case studies and multilingual video optimisation. All sessions will be in English. The agenda can be found here, and will be regularly updated with confirmed speakers. Combo or Summit only tickets are available. Early Bird rates apply and Mashable readers can get 15% off the booking price with the discount code MASHABLE011. For more information and to register, please click here.

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April 6-8, 2011, Phoenix, AZ: K-12 educators from across the country are invited to the Mobile Learning Experience 2011. Over the course of three days dozens of breakout sessions are offered. Leaders and visionaries like Travis Allen, Graham Brown-Martin, Scott Meech, Tony Vincent, and Susan Wells give inspirational, informative, and practical presentations. In addition to breakouts, there are keynote presentations, panel discussions, app sharing opportunities, and scavenger hunts. Topics include classroom management, assistive technology, higher-order thinking, movie-making, research, and personalized learning. Register at http://mobile2011.org.

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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.

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April 6, 2011, New York, NY: The annual We Media Conference features the people and ideas shaping media, technology and society. This year's conference is a lightning strike for fast-movers: a one-day event filled with must-have intelligence, inspired ideas and brilliant people looking ahead to what’s next and what to do about it. Dozens of new projects, hundreds of new relationships and scores of solutions, partnerships and investments have emerged from the activities and key connections forged at We Media conferences around the world. The conference also features the finals of the $50k We Media PitchIt Challenge, a contest to help turn two startup ideas into something real. Register with the promo code WEMASH and save 10%!

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April 12-14, 2001, New York, NY: Market Research and Insights In Action is a connecting platform where global leaders meet to discuss strategic and key topics, exchange most recent experiences, and brainstorm on future developments. The event will include keynote presentations, case studies, interactive sessions, workshops, talking circles, panel discussions, business meetings and formal and informal networking activities designed to link and connect senior executives within the field of Market Research and Consumer / Customer Insights. Why not treat yourself to one of our exclusive VIP passes? Let us pick you up from the airport and drive you directly to the venue. Register with a promo code MRIUS11/003 to save 10%.

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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.

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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%!

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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!

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April 26-28, 2011, San Francisco, CA: GSMI presents Mobile Marketing Strategies Summit. GSMI has diligently worked to find the best, brightest and most distinct speakers in the Mobile Marketing industry. Our 2011 Mobile Marketing Summit will provide valuable information, through case studies, presentations and hands on workshops. Attendees will leave the conference with the tools and knowledge needed to keep their brands competitive in the Mobile Marketing industry. Register and use the promo code MikeSM.

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April 26, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: LA Games Conference – Over 300 of the most influential decision-makers in the games industry gather for the LA Games Conference to network, do deals, and share ideas about the future of console, PC, online and mobile games. LA Games Conference – now in its 4th year – features a lively and fun debate on timely cutting-edge business topics, demos as well unrivaled access to some of the most progressive companies in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and beyond. We invite you to join us at the event and take part in the discussion with executives, creators, investors, analysts, press and gamers who will be instrumental in shaping the future of this booming business. For a limited time we are offering a special Early Bird Rate of $299 – a $400 saving, plus plus receive 15% off with the promo code MASH15! Don’t miss the opportunity – Book NOW to reserve your seat!

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April 27-28, 2011, Beijing, China: The Global Mobile Internet Conference is Asia’s largest and most elite mobile Internet conference. GMIC will feature over 70 speakers from companies like Tencent, Google, GREE, Motorola, Opera, Softbank, China Mobile, Alibaba, Paypal, Nokia, SK Telecom, and is specifically for mobile Internet leaders to connect with each other, learn from top industry influencers, and promote their initiatives. The agenda includes keynotes and panels on the New Challenges, New Opportunities and New Leaders in the global mobile Internet market. Register with the promo code GMIC-MASH and save 15%!

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May 2-4, 2011, Toronto, Canada: Now in its 10th year, FITC Toronto is one of the largest and longest running events of its kind in the world. With some of the most unique and engaging presenters from around the globe, FITC Toronto is a blitz of presentations, demonstrations, and panel discussions, sandwiched between the legendary FITC parties and abundant networking opportunities. Register with the promo code Mashable10 and save 10%!

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

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May 9-11, 2001, Chicago, IL: School of WOM is the Word of Mouth Marketing Association’s annual spring conference. School of WOM will provide marketers with in-depth practical knowledge on the arts and sciences of Word of Mouth and Social Media marketing. School of WOM attendees learn the techniques, methods, and processes that are being implemented into your business practices today that they can bring back and implement tomorrow. At School of WOM, you’ll learn to stay ahead of the competition and ensure your company remains talkable for all the right reasons. Go to www.womma.org for more information. Register and use code the promo code WOMMASOWMASH when registering for the event.

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May 12-14, 2011, Chicago, IL: unGeeked Elite Retreats will be held at the SYNCUBATOR and brings together 24 speakers over the course of three days. The format is styled as an “open discussion” with topics centered around enhancing, positioning and leveraging boththe internal and external brand. PPTs and Prezi’s are strongly discouraged and instead, on-going and intimate discussions among keynotes, regional speakers and attendees are encouraged. Speakers include Julian Smith, Jason Falls, Spike Jones, Amanda Hite and more. Register with promo code unGeekedChi and save 5% off regular ticket price.

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May 16-19, 2011, Prague, Czech Republic: The TERENA Networking Conference (TNC) is the largest and most prestigious European research networking conference – over 500 participants, including decision makers, networking specialists and managers from all major European networking and research organisations, universities, worldwide sister institutions and industry representatives attend. Through keynote speeches by renowned specialists and many parallel sessions, TNC presents an overview of the latest developments in research networking, both in the technical field and in the areas of application and management. For more information, click here.

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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%!

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May 24-26, 2011, San Francisco, CA: All About the Cloud. Save $100 with the promo code PRMMASH to attend the software industry's leading ISV conference on Cloud Computing. (Note: discount valid off the individual non-member rate only and does apply to current attendees.) You'll join an anticipated audience of more than 500 senior executives from ISVs, resellers, and platform / technology providers, as well as the industry's leading analysts, bankers, venture capitalists and the media. Key networking events include: a Golf Tournament, a Speed Networking Event, a Mardi Gras-themed Welcome Reception and an offsite Networking Reception featuring the Microsoft Rock Band Challenge. For details, including registration information, please visit AllAbouttheCloud.net.

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May 24-26 2011, Gateshead, UK: Thinking Digital is an annual conference where the world’s greatest thinkers and innovators discuss the latest ideas, innovations and technologies. The conference provides an experience like no other, stimulating new thinking and new ideas. It's about what you'll learn, and who you'll meet. Our eclectic schedule means you'll listen to world-class authorities, meet amazing people, be entertained and outrageously inspired! When you leave Thinking Digital you'll know about things that you previously didn't even realise existed and have become part of our unique community. Register with the promo code TDCMASH and save 10%.

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June 8, 2011, Singapore: With the phenomenal growth of apps worldwide, Asia is the next big market to watch out for. Planet of the Apps Asia is the leading event dedicated to mobile applications in Asia. The two day conference plus a dedicated masterclass day brings together the mobile application ecosystem in one location. The event will shine on a light on the latest innovations and showcase the latest solutions in the world of mobile applications. Be part of this definitive event and network with professionals from all around the globe.

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June 16, 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%!

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September 6-8, 2011, Cleveland, OH: At Content Marketing World, you'll learn how to transform your marketing department into a storytelling factory, engaging your prospects and customers in all the right channels with the right messages– including social, mobile, email, online and even print and in-person strategies. Through 24+ breakout sessions and amazing keynotes led by worldwide experts, you'll get the tools you need to be a successful content marketer. Plus, you'll experience the best of what Cleveland has to offer, starting with our opening night reception at the infamous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Register and use the promo code mash to receive $100 off the current price of a ticket.

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September 12-13, 2011, Renaissance Glendale, Phoenix, AZ: The third Social Media Optimization Summit event, presented by Multifamilypro, brings together small to mid-sized business owners with an interest in putting social media to work successfully within their organizations in ways that are proven to generate results. The event offers two full days of intensive, hands-on workshops from the intermediate to advanced level, led by top social media experts. The unique "See it. Hear it. Do it." approach allows attendees to learn by doing, and begin immediately applying newly-acquired skills and knowledge while the event is underway. See what others are saying about the event and register now at optimizationsummits.com and use discount code Mashable to save $100!

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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%.

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September 29-October 1, 2011, Atlanta, GA: As pet owners, bloggers, consumer brands and those connected to the industry – including veterinarians – continue to build upon social media & marketing, pet social media education & networking is an extremely important aspect to mobilizing efforts and to address the challenges faced by pet owners. Whether you use YouTube, Twitter, Dog/Catbook or online forums to gather & share information about pets, it's increasingly important for this community to have a face-to-face forum. Established in 2009, the BarkWorld Conference & Expo is the only pet social media conference covering ALL facets of social media & pet education. Our 2011 annual conference will focus on many topics, including: how to take great photos your pet & use it online, how to build/design a blog & monetize, mobile applications, metrics/SEO, pet food demonstrations, promoting your pet/business via social media and using online forums. Join us for this 2 ½ day conference. You'll be amazed with the information you'll walk away with and the new connections you'll make; your well-trained, leashed, pet is welcome. Register with the promo code MASH2011 to receive a 25% discount.

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November 16-18, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: The WOMMA Summit is the only word of mouth marketing conference where research and measurement integrate with online social media and offline conversations. The Summit is a year-end review of BEST and NEXT practices in word or mouth and social media marketing in addition to future trends. WOMMA Summit showcases through leadership from some of the innovative and forward thinking. Go to www.womma.org to learn more about the event and use code WOMMASummitMASH when registering for the event.

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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.

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Reviews: Android, Apps, Australia, Facebook, Google, Gowalla, Internet, LinkedIn, Linux, Mashable, Opera, PHP, Pandora, Prezi, Twitter, WordPress, Yelp, YouTube, abc, coming, justin bieber, list, social media, video

More About: Social Media Event Guide

Lara Fawzy is co-author of Emerging Business Online: Global Markets and the Power of B2B Internet Marketing, and currently a marketing manager for Cisco's African region. Lara is also Director and founder of her own firm, ebocube Consultancy, and conducts online marketing training.

The term “emerging markets” refers to countries experiencing relatively recent industrial and technological change, resulting in rapid economic growth. These markets were hit by the recession, but many remain in a robust growth position. Trading with businesses in these economies can offer a high return, but the endeavor involves a lot of uncertainty and risk.

However, Internet penetration in emerging markets is growing at a dramatic pace, and businesses are particularly enthusiastic early adopters. Commerce and lead generation in these markets are now just a click away, and one way to pique interest is through video webcasting.

Webcasting is relatively new in emerging markets, and has proven to be extremely popular. While the media in developed economies often outshines the humble webcast, business leaders in emerging economies have taken to it with enthusiasm.

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How Webcasts Work

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Webcast content can be in the form of video, audio, PowerPoint, other presentation software, or any combination of the above.

A good webcasting platform will be streamlined, reliable, and enable “attendees” of your online event to access your live content with ease from any Internet connection.

Additionally, many platforms enable you to make your event viewable after you broadcast through a video-on-demand feature. That way, your valuable content doesn’t disappear after the show’s over, but can continue to engage an international audience for as long as there is interest.

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Webcasting for Marketers

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Webcasting is a flexible and enduring marketing technique that has a variety of uses:

1. Raising brand awareness
2. Acquiring and retaining loyal customers
3. Generating sales leads
4. Communicating product/service launches
5. Training
6. Seminars

Benefits include:

1. Cost-effectiveness: While marketing budgets are being cut or scrutinized, webcasting is an extremely inexpensive way to drive engagement and supplant costly physical events. There’s no space to rent, travel expenses to incur, or staff to pay.
2. Interactivity: Because webcasts occur in real time, they are ripe for interactivity. Ask your audience to participate in Q&As, through polls, or by communicating with them one-on-one.

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Measuring Success in New Markets

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The success of webcasts can be measured in ways similar to live events with the added advantage of tracking attendees in real time. Metrics include:

Registrations: Determine how many attendees you can expect prior to the event.

Attendees: Once the webcast is over, determine your full audience.

No shows: Once the webcast has begun, you can determine how many registered attendees never log in.

Drop-off rate: While the webcast is in progress, most tools will tell you when attendees drop off. Connect this with the content in motion at the time of the drop-off to improve the retention rate of future webcasts.

Cost per attendee: Divide the production cost of the webcast by the number of attendees to better determine your return.

Number of questions asked or submitted and by whom: Take a look at reports on how many questions you received and who asked them. You can also advise attendees to e-mail you or the speaker if you are unable to answer all questions during the webcast.

The exact time a question was asked: Questions may have increased during a specific section of the broadcast. This may highlight specific areas of interest in the local market

Voting/polling in real time: Measure the participation of attendees in opinion polls. The results can be insightful.

Attendee evaluation: Use a questionnaire at the end of the event. Feedback is likely to be more honest because the attendees are not face to face with the presenter, and their opinions are not biased by a free lunch.

Leads and lead conversions: These are registrants who have answered lead qualification questions while registering or have requested contact by sales in your evaluation questionnaire. These leads or potential leads should be added to your sales management tool.

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Thinking Globally, Acting Locally

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While reaching out to emerging markets is a global endeavor, you must think about the local business community you are targeting. Webcasting is a great way to tailor your local marketing strategy. Before jumping in, think about language, business culture, and timing.

While there’s certainly a lot to consider, the potential ROI is can be significant.

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More Business Resources from Mashable:

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- Making Data Relevant: The New Metrics for Social Marketing
- Case Study: How Google Sells Its Free Products
- 5 New Paradigms for a Socially Engaged Company
- HOW TO: Create a World-Class Online Community for Your Business
- How Social Data & Mobile Tech Can Improve the Retail Experience

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, blyjak

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Reviews: Internet, iStockphoto

More About: business, List, Lists, MARKETING, video, web video, webcast

This year’s NFL playoff season has seen a big winner in Wiz Khalifa, the rapper whose Steelers anthem “Black & Yellow” has now hit 24 million views on YouTube and has inspired knockoffs for the Jets, the Bears and the Packers.

Khalifa, a Pittsburgh resident and Steelers fan, released “Black & Yellow” on YouTube in October. The video shows him in Pittsburgh at one point, waving the Terrible Towel. Even though the lyrics [uncensored lyrics NSFW] don’t appear to make an overt reference to the Steelers (aside from mentioning the team colors), Khalifa told MTV that he wanted the song to be the team’s anthem.

As the Steelers have ascended in the NFL playoffs, so has the song. According to YouTube Trends, the video has been getting steadily more views throughout the past two months and is now getting about 375,000 a day.

The anthem has also inspired inevitable knockoffs, including the Jets’ “Green & White” (45,000 views), the Bears’ “Blue & Orange” (16,000) and two Green & Yellow tributes for the Packers (45,000 each). The song has also spawned “White & Purple,” in which none other than Tom Hanks’s son, going by the name “Chet Haze,” raps on behalf of Northwestern University.

Other hot videos this NFL season include “Rex’s Gang Green” by The Fox Experience (ft. Sean Henry) for the Jets, which has received 102,000 views and “Bearin Down Da Song” for the Bears (15,000 views.)

As Robert Stecklow, director of advertising and media for the NFL noted earlier this month in an interview with Mashable, fans are increasingly filming themselves watching NFL games. It seems that a YouTube rap is becoming another fan tradition this year.

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Reviews: YouTube

More About: nfl, steelers, youtube

Kickstarter is one of the most visible companies in the burgeoning crowd funding space — if not the only player in the game — thanks to projects like the iPod nano watch kit.

And now, the teams at ZippyCart and Killer Infographics have put together an excellent diagram showing off the science of crowd funding.

The infographic serves not only as a guide of sorts to the Kickstarter process, but also as a history of crowd funding as we know it.

Click to enlarge

What do you think of crowd funding? Have you supported any projects on Kickstarter or other services? Would you consider using Kickstarter for your own creative endeavors?

[Via: ZippyCart]

More About: crowdfunding, infographic, kickstarter

The Social Media Strategist Series is supported by StrongMail, which helps marketers forge meaningful, profitable and long-lasting connections with customers through e-mail marketing and social media. Learn more here.

As social media takes on an increasingly important role in business, many events and groups are popping up to meet the growing demand for shared knowledge and best practices around the subject.

There are a ton of events out there that cater to digital professionals — in fact, we share a guide to the top 100+ upcoming social media and tech events each week.

Here, though, you’ll find a list of conferences, meetups and organizations perfect for social media marketers and strategists. Add your own favorites in the comments.

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Conferences

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There are many digital and social media conferences for those hoping to meet and learn from others in their industry. This list of conferences should keep any digital maven busy for quite some time.

1. Social Media Week: Taking place in multiple cities around the world, Social Media Week is a biannual conference held in February and September. Hosted by local social media and digital gurus in each city, the conferences are distributed, with events taking place all over each city. It features top notch speakers and attendees and offers events of all types that revolve around emerging media, mobile and digital culture.
2. Internet Week: Internet Week takes place annually in June in New York City. Web-focused events are crowdsourced, so anyone can organize an event and register to have it placed on the official schedule.
3. Le Web: Known as the number one European Internet event, Le Web takes place each December in Paris. Bringing together 2,500 entrepreneurs, investors and bloggers, the conference focuses on key opportunities and issues in the web marketplace.
4. SXSW Interactive: Every March, SXSW attendees swarm Austin for the best in music, film and interactive media. The interactive arm of the conference is marked by presentations, networking events and a trade show all centered around emerging technology. The all stars of social media are always in attendance, so grab your lanyard and get your planning on! If you’re headed to Austin this year, check out the Mashable SXSWi House 2011.
5. Web 2.0 Summit: Set in San Francisco and featuring a program star-studded with industry leaders and global executives, Web 2.0 Summit offers up debate and conversation on the latest trends on the web.
6. BlogWell: BlogWell is a conference that presents “eight great case studies on the best social media programs at large corporations.” In the past, events have taken place in Philadelphia, Chicago and Seattle among others. Upcoming events will be held in Austin, New York and Washington, D.C.
7. BlogWorld: The BlogWorld & New Media Expo is attended by those in the blogging, podcasting, broadcasting and Internet TV and radio industries. Throughout the conference, participants are educated on “the strategies, tools and technologies they need to stake their claim in the blogosphere.”
8. BlogHer: BlogHer currently features three conferences for women bloggers, including one broad conference, covering many topics, and two focused conferences — one on food blogging and another on business, entrepreneurism and technology.
9. Social Media World Forum: Featuring three branches in Asia, Europe and North America, the Social Media World Forum covers all things social, including branding, location-based technologies, social shopping, B2B, social CRM, social gaming and more.
10. iStrategy Conference: This digital media conference takes place in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America and spans all areas of digital marketing, including social media, SEO/SEM, mobile, WOM, affiliate, e-mail and display. Ideal for those from the marketing and advertising world, this conference features presentations from global CEOs, CMOs and “digital legends.”
11. Startup Weekend: Startup Weekend is described as a “54-hour event where developers, coders, designers, marketers, product managers and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products, and create startups.” Startup Weekend events happen all over the world; this year, the organization plans to organize 150 events.
12. ad:tech: This event attracts advertising and marketing managers and executives at all levels. Topics span all things digital, but with a focus on marketing and advertising.
13. Pivot Conference: Each year, Pivot Conference caters to brand marketers and focuses on uncovering the attitudes and motives of a certain demographic of consumers. In 2010, it focused on 18-34-year-old consumers, and this year it sets its agenda based on social consumers, “the emerging dominant force in branding and buying.”

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Meetups

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While you can learn a lot from attending conferences, the low frequency of these annual or biannual events can only take you so far as a practicing social media strategist. That’s where monthly or weekly meetups come in handy. The following meetups are suited to digital entrepreneurs of many types, but all bring value to the social media expert.

1. Community Managers Meetup: Bringing together New York’s finest social media and community managers, the #CMMeetup is a highly engaged and interesting bunch. This meetup is perfect for those hoping to glean insight from some of the best social media experts around.
2. NY Tech Meetup: On the first Tuesday each month, a group of entrepreneurs, hackers, investors and Internet peeps meet to take a look at the newest and coolest technologies. Famous for its five-minute startup demos, the meetup is a great place for burgeoning startups to introduce their latest projects and for industry insiders to get a glance at the future of the web and mobile.
3. SF New Tech Meetup: Set in tech- and entrepreneur-focused San Francisco, SF New Tech holds the title of being “the Bay Area’s largest and longest running monthly tech event.” Much like NY Tech Meetup, this monthly get-together focuses on the latest in tech and is a great place to meet entrepreneurs.
4. GitHub Meetups: Keep an eye on GitHub’s blog for its monthly San Francisco meetups that bring together developers and entrepreneurs. The community has appropriately deemed them “drinkups,” though, given that they usually take place at bars. These meetups are a great place for social media strategists looking to learn more about the latest technologies.
5. Hackers and Founders: Based in the Silicon Valley/San Francisco Bay Area, Hackers and Founders brings together entrepreneurs and developers to learn from each other’s experiences and even join forces to solve problems. Hackers and Founders also has a New York chapter that meets monthly.
6. Startup2Startup: This monthly dinner brings together “Silicon Valley geeks, entrepreneurs, & investors dedicated to educating and helping the next generation of internet startup” to discuss the latest in technology and entrepreneurship.
7. SF Beta: As San Francisco’s largest monthly startup mixer, SF Beta is a place to meet and be social with today’s brightest minds in technology, but it’s also a place to do business, if you so please.
8. Austin Tech Happy Hour: The emerging technology community in Austin chills out at this monthly happy hour. Ten bucks at the door gets you two drinks and a night’s worth of geeky discussion.
9. Mashable Meetups: Mashable Meetups are community-organized events that focus on social, digital and technology topics. Attending a Mashable Meetup is a great way to network with locals in your field, and organizing a Mashable Meetup is a great way to foster a community within your industry. Learn more on how to organize a Mashable Meetup in your community.

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Organizations

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If you’re looking to make a bigger commitment to your social media training and networking and conferences and meetups don’t seem like enough to keep you busy, joining an organization focused on ongoing development may be a great choice. Social Media Club and WOMMA are two well-respected associations worth considering.

1. Social Media Club: With 200+ chapters spanning six of the seven continents (What? No social media enthusiasts in Antarctica?), Social Media Club’s mission is “to promote media literacy, promote standard technologies, encourage ethical behavior and share best practices.” While the organization tends to focus on social media as it applies to journalism, publishing and communications, it is open to all social media professionals. With a tagline of “If you get it, share it,” the club exists as a result of its members’ dedication to sharing their knowledge and understanding of social media.
2. WOMMA: The Word of Mouth Marketing Association is open to businesses hoping to learn more about best practices, regulations and opportunities within digital media. WOMMA members join as brands or industry partners (not individuals), and membership fees range from $1,000 to $10,000, depending on the benefits included.

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Your Picks

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This list covers some of the top conferences, meetups and organizations for those in the social media industry. Let us know in the comments below which ones you recommend.

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Series Supported by StrongMail

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The Social Media Strategist Series is supported by StrongMail, which helps marketers forge meaningful, profitable and long-lasting connections with customers through e-mail marketing and social media. Its unique combination of technology and services offer distinct advantages, including easy access to customer data, low cost of ownership and groundbreaking strategic and creative services.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, francisblack

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More Business Resources from Mashable:

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- The Future of the Social Media Strategist
- 7 Tips for Succeeding as a Social Media Strategist
- HOW TO: Define the Role of Your Social Media Team
- 5 Proven Strategies for B2B Social Media Marketing
- Social Media Marketing: 5 Lessons From Business Leaders Who Get It

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Reviews: Australia, Internet, Mashable, iStockphoto

More About: business, conferences, meetup everywhere, meetups, social media, Social Media Strategist Series

Goldman Sachs’s U.S. clients will not be able to buy shares of Facebook via the company’s private placement deal, the financial services firm announced Monday.

The exclusive deal, which was part of the agreement struck between Facebook and Goldman Sachs in the former’s recent $500 million cash infusion, created a “special purpose vehicle” that allows Goldman’s clients to invest in Facebook indirectly, thus bypassing a S.E.C. regulation that requires companies with more than 499 investors to disclose their financial results to the public.

Now, only non-U.S. clients will be able to invest in Facebook through Goldman, the financial services giant said in an e-mailed statement, citing “intense media coverage” as the motivating factor in the decision.

“Goldman Sachs concluded the level of media attention might not be consistent with the proper completion of a U.S. private placement under U.S. law. [We] regret the consequences of this decision, but we believe this is the most prudent path to take,” the statement reads.

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Reviews: Facebook

More About: facebook, goldman sachs

Apple was granted 563 patents in 2010, some of which will show up in future products and might well change the consumer technology landscape just like the iPod, iPhone, App Store and now the iPad have.

Apple patent expert Jack Purcher of Patently Apple has been monitoring the company’s patents since 2006. We asked him why he thought Apple is such an innovative company.

"Many have asked me why I think that Apple is more innovative than others. I usually answer that question the same way each time,” says Purcher. “I’m not sure that they are on a technical level. The difference is that Apple has an inspired leader and CEO who, for decades, has had a real vision of where technology should go.”

We’ve taken a look at some of Apple’s recent patent applications to see what exciting developments might be in store for the future — as any one of these patents could be the next step in Steve Jobs’s master plan or vision. As Purcher puts it:

“Jobs’s vision for the digital lifestyle a decade ago is still on a roll. It’s innovation at its finest. But it began with a vision — and that’s the difference.”

What do you think of these Apple patents? Any you’d like to see realized? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

1. iBike

Apple's smart bike concept is like the Nike+ running system, but for those on two wheels. In addition to seeing pertinent data from you (heart rate, etc.) and the bike (speed, distance, etc.) on your iPod or iPhone, the system could be used as a tool for group communication when biking with others.

2. Wand Remote

Is gesture control the next big thing to follow touch? It seems Apple might think so with this patent for the Apple TV that sees the home entertainment gadget shipped with a Wiimote-like motion controller. Besides managing the on-screen cursor via movement, the "remote wand" could be used to browse through and control media.

3. Solar-Powered iPhone

Apple has come up with a way -- in theory anyway -- of adding solar tech to its portable devices without spoiling the all-important aesthetics. By integrating the photocells into the touchscreen, future iPods, iPads and iPhones could soak up the power of the sun via their displays, making for greener gadgetry.

4. Touchscreen iMac

This clever concept gives the desktop PC iPad-esque functionality. While the monitor is upright, it's a common iMac running Apple's full operating system controlled with a mouse, but flip it horizontally and it switches to the iOS and the touch controls take over.

5. iKey

Chances are your iPhone has already replaced your compact camera, MP3 player and handheld gaming console, but Apple could take the convergence a step further and replace your keys. The Cupertino company has patented the idea that your iPhone could unlock your car and home with a proximity-based PIN code system.

6. iHeadset

This is one patent we could definitely see coming to market. Apple has designed a Bluetooth headset with standalone media playback functionality. This could well be a future version of the iPod Shuffle -- small, wearable and, thanks to the Bluetooth features, multi-tasking.

7. Shareable Apps

How would you like to be able to beam your latest App Store download to a buddy? Apple has come up with the idea of an "application seed" system whereby developers could choose to make their apps shareable via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. It's a fantastic concept for content providers who are looking to spread the word as far and wide as possible. Additionally, trial version options could be a great word-of-mouth money maker.

8. Video Game Comic Books

If you want to relive that last level of Mass Effect that you aced, Apple might offer a way to do so in the future. This unusual patent allows you to describe your progress through a video game, record it, and then turn it into a book or e-book in comic style.

9. Magnetic Lenses

iPhotography is hot, and its potential is limited only by hardware restrictions. Although Apple has steadily improved the iPhone's camera, it's still just a point-and-shooter. This patent describes a way of enhancing a portable device's camera functionality with a magnetic zoom or macro lens attachments.

10. MacBooks With Built-In Projectors

This exciting idea could see future Apple laptops coming with built-in projectors. Just think how handy it would be to be able to share what's on your laptop screen -- whether that's a movie or a presentation -- with a group of others at the click of a mouse.

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More Apple Resources from Mashable

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- 5 Vintage Apple Products That Time Forgot [PICS]
- 10 Fascinating Facts You Didn't Know About Apple
- The Evolution of the Apple Mouse [PICS]
- 10 Vintage Apple Ads That Time Forgot [VIDEOS]
- Steve Jobs Remixed: 5 Creative Takes on the Iconic Apple Keynote [VIDEOS]

Images courtesy of Patently Apple

More About: apple, gadgets, List, Lists, patents, tech, trending

Because it wouldn’t be a national holiday without something completely useless, yet oddly fascinating: Here are some pictures of Angry Birds entirely composed of Legos.

The game Angry Birds has really taken off lately (pun intended) — it’s one of the best-selling iOS apps of all time, and Mattel will be adapting the immensely popular mobile game into a board game soon.

Lego-inspired reenactments and representations, for their part, have become popular among the denizens of the web as well (the art of Lego is sure to ramp up even more once Intel’s virtual play spaces come to fruition).

The union between Angry Birds and Lego is one made in Internet pop culture heaven, or so it seems. To feed your addiction to both, you can check out Tsang Yiu Keung’s Facebook Page — he’s the one responsible for the buzzy beasts.

[via Buzzfeed]

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Reviews: Angry Birds, Internet

More About: angry birds, humor, Lego, mobile games, pop culture, trending

Sony Pictures has launched an old school media campaign for the upcoming film The Roommate, featuring a fairly archaic vehicle for interactivity: A phone number.

The studio is posting an ad in various cities stating “Roommate Wanted. Must be willing to share…everything. Killer personality a plus” along with an invitation to call Rebecca at (866) 666-6001. The call leads to a recording featuring star Leighton Meester as Rebecca stating that she’s looking for the perfect roommate and “We can share everything…” and concludes with Meester yelling “I just want to be your friend” after whipping herself up into a frenzy.

Sony’s campaign for The Roommate, a thriller premiering February 4, also contains the usual social media hooks, like pages on Facebook, YouTube and MySpace, as well as a Twitter feed.

The use of a phone number leading to an in-character conversation is an old device by movie marketers that has been used sparingly. One of the most memorable recent uses was by Warner Bros. for the 2008 movie The Dark Knight, which the studio promoted with an online game that awarded winners with a cake (picked up at a local bakery) bearing a phone number that led to a recording from the villain in that movie, the Joker

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Reviews: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube

More About: advertising, MARKETING, Sony Pictures, The Roommate

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is generally ignored by marketers — perhaps partially because of the risk of appearing racially insensitive. But Chevrolet has found an entry into the holiday that combines tribute and social media.

Chevrolet has put together the MLK Reading Project, a digital platform designed to let Americans honor King’s influence and achievements. Chevy encourages fans to go to to the site to leave videos of themselves recording his quotes and share them with others.

The push includes a 30-second video featuring testimonials from “Regular Joes” applying the MLK quote, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” For instance, a doorman at an unnamed city tells the camera, “Moving here alone was scary, but I’ve known my whole life that this is the place for me.” The video also promotes The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, which is set to open on August 28 in Washington, D.C.

The effort was created by SS+K and Spike DDB with input from Big Fuel, whose first campaign for General Motors was a location-based scavenger hunt promoting Buick’s new line. Big Fuel, which recently opened a Detroit office to service GM, also announced it was hiring Jon Bond, co-founder of traditional agency Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners, as CEO, a move seen as part of Madison Avenue’s continued recognition of social media as a new force in the advertising industry.

Meanwhile, Kmart appears to be one of the few marketers to offer an MLK Day sale, online at least.

More About: advertising, Big Fuel, chevrolet, MARKETING, MLK Day

According to a new study from the NPD Group, the marketshare for standalone movie rental kiosks surpassed that of traditional retail store rentals in the U.S. last year.

In other words, we weren’t the only ones spending more time with the Redbox next to the 7-11 rather than the local Blockbuster.

Subscription rental services like Netflix still represent the lion’s share of video rentals — 41% in the third quarter of 2010 — but NPD notes that kiosk rentals are now in second place at 31%, just ahead of in-store rentals at 27%.

Kiosk rentals gained 10 percentage points year-over-year — and this was despite the 28-day rental windows imposed by some major studios. Meanwhile, the percentage of traditional video store rentals declined by 13 percentage points, with subscription rental marketshare staying relatively flat, increasing by two points.

Categorically, this represents a significant shift in consumer behavior in the past year. Just last year, subscription rent-by-mail services like Netflix were in a dead-heat with retail rental chains in terms of marketshare.

In the past 12 months, momentum has continued to build behind Redbox (that tiff with the big studios probably only raised the company’s profile), while at the same time former-behemoth Blockbuster has filed for bankruptcy protection.

Redbox is a disruptor to be sure, having effectively finished off what was left of Blockbuster’s rental business (to wit, Blockbuster’s newest strategy is not to copy Netflix, but to copy Redbox).

The NPD study only focuses on actual physical disc rentals — not rentals using subscription streaming services (which is an area Netflix is actively increasing its focus), video on-demand from cable providers or digital rentals from places like iTunes, Amazon, Vudu and others. We would be interested in seeing a breakdown or comparison between digital rentals and physical disc rentals.

How do you rent movies? Have you found yourself making more trips to Redbox than Blockbuster in the past 12 months?

More About: blockbuster, movie rentals, netflix, npd, redbox

The Facebook Marketing Series is supported by Buddy Media, Power Tools for Facebook. Unsure how to respond on Facebook? Download Buddy Media's free whitepaper, "The Definitive Guide to Social Media Moderation and Publishing." With more than 700 status updates posted on Facebook per second, you need a game plan.

Using Facebook as a tool for non-profit fundraising seems like a great idea, but, as many non-profits have found out, it’s not as easy as it might look. Clicks generally don’t translate into large amounts of cash for charities. For example, only a small portion — about 13% — of the funds the American Cancer Society collected in 2009 were raised online, according to The Chronicle of Online Philanthropy. The same was true for the Red Cross (about 3.6%), Children International (less than 1%) and Save the Children (less than 1%).

Most non-profits who successfully use social media see it as a tool to engage donors rather than make transactions. These five successful fundraising campaigns from brands and charities, however, found a way to do both at the same time.

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1. Free the Children We Day Campaign

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Free the Children, an organization that helps empower children in North America to improve the lives of children elsewhere, hosts an annual event called We Day. The event brings together youth in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal for a day of motivational speeches and performances. This year, sponsors like The Keg Spirit Foundation, CTV, and Me to We agreed to donate $1 for every “Like” that the We Day Facebook Page received.

The Jonas Brothers, Al Gore, Jason Mraz and Ellen DeGeneres were just a handful of people who helped spread the campaign through their Twitter and Facebook accounts. After about three months, Free the Children is halfway to the $1 million goal that the sponsors agreed to.

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2. Tyson Hunger Relief and the Monterey County Food Bank

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Tyson Hunger Relief, which regularly makes donations to food banks around the country, added a Facebook twist to its food donation to the Monterey County Food Bank this September. For every new “Like” that the food bank’s Facebook Page received, Tyson donated 100 pounds of food.

Monterey County Food Bank earned not only a truckload of food, but added about 900 new members to its online community who will potentially become further engaged in the organization’s activities.

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3. Stand Up to Cancer Telethon Facebook Credits

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The Entertainment Industry Foundation’s second national Stand Up To Cancer telethon accepted Facebook credits as donations this year. Facebook users simply visited the SU2C Facebook Page, which hosted a live stream of the pre-show and broadcast event, in order to place their donations. They could then share their donations through wall posts, spreading the word about the charity.

Facebook helped promote the cause on its Facebook Page and the Facebook credits page, and although SU2C doesn’t reveal how much it collected on the page, it did receive 150,000 new “Likes” during the campaign.

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4. Timberland Earthkeepers Virtual Forest App

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Creating virtual forests with Timberland’s Earthkeeper app helps plant real trees. The original version, which launched in 2008, helped plant 1 million total trees in China, Haiti and Nepal. A new version that launched in October teams up with Trees for the Future and the Yéle Haiti Foundation to focus on planting trees in Haiti.

For each set amount of virtual trees planted, Timberland commits to planting a certain amount of real trees. For every five virtual trees planted, for example, Timberland commits to planting one real tree. After a user has planted 25 total virtual trees, another two real trees are planted. Users can plant trees in either their own forests or in their friends’ forests. In the new app’s first month, users’ tree planting has committed Timberland to planting about 3,000 new trees in Haiti.

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5. Kohl’s Cares for Kids Facebook Contest

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In order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its philanthropic program Kohl’s Cares, Kohl’s department stores decided to let Facebook users decide where to spend a donation to education. The company gave away $500,000 to each of the 20 schools that solicited the most votes on the company’s Facebook Page.

Facebook fans could vote up to 20 times, but no more than five times for one school. Voters were also encouraged to leave ideas for what the schools could do with the money, and every school needed at least one idea contribution in order to be eligible for the contest.

The campaign ended on September 3. More than 2 million people submitted more than 12 million votes. Although Kohl’s had committed to the same donation amount regardless of participation, the Facebook component successfully spread the word and earned the company 1.6 million new Facebook fans in six weeks.

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Series supported by the Buddy Media Platform

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The Facebook Marketing Series is supported by Buddy Media, Power Tools for Facebook. Unsure how to respond on Facebook? Download Buddy Media's free whitepaper, "The Definitive Guide to Social Media Moderation and Publishing." With more than 700 status updates posted on Facebook per second, you need a game plan.

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More Social Good Resources from Mashable:

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- 4 Innovative Social Good Campaigns for Education
- 3 Ways to Empower Social Media Giving This Holiday Season
- 5 Creative Social Good Campaigns for the Holiday Season
- How Social Media Is Making Veteran Service Organizations Better
- 10 Inspiring "Buy One Give One" Projects

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, alexsl

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Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, iStockphoto, timberland

More About: facebook, facebook marketing, Facebook Marketing Series, Free the Children, Kohl's Cares for Kids, List, Lists, social good, stand up to cancer, Timberland Virtual Forest, Tyson Hunger Relief

In what is becoming an all-out tradition, today’s Google’s doodle honors the birth of yet another prominent figure. It features a group of children playing hopscotch — an homage to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Today marks the celebration of activist Martin Luther King Jr’s birth (although his real birthday was January 15), and Google has chosen to create an image of unity to honor the civil rights pioneer.

As Time points out, the above picture quite aptly matches sentiments expressed in King’s “I Have a Dream” speech: “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Google has honored civil rights activists before — dedicating a doodle to Rosa Parks back in December.

Past doodles have also featured prominent figures in the arts, including John Lennon (the first video-based doodle) and Agatha Christie.

Although this particular doodle lacks the bells and whistles associated with previous iterations (see the ever-popular Pac-Man doodle), its simplicity fits the occasion quite well.

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Reviews: Google

More About: Doodle, Google, martin-luther-king-jr