Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “How Much Does Identity Theft Cost? [INFOGRAPHIC]” |
- How Much Does Identity Theft Cost? [INFOGRAPHIC]
- iPhone App Lets Users Order Prints of Mobile Photos
- Futuristic VW To Hit the Streets, Gets 260 MPG [PICS]
- Google to Hold Android Honeycomb Event Next Wednesday
- Watch Out TextMate: Sublime Text 2 Alpha Hits Mac OS X & Linux
- The Emerging Skills of Tomorrow’s Journalist
- The Twitterverse Responds to Protests in Egypt [STATS]
- Our Favorite YouTube Videos This Week: The Music Video Edition
- Motorola Atrix 4G Shows Off for the Camera [VIDEO]
- Music Subscription Service Rdio Gets an Influx of Cash
- Visualizing Egypt’s Internet Blackout [GRAPHIC]
- Paul Frank iPod Dock Adds Some Monkey to Your Music [GALLERY]
- Taco Bell Uses Social Media To Ward Off PR Crisis
- Thanks to Mashable’s Socially Savvy Supporters
- Google Changes Algorithm To Penalize Site Scrapers
- How WWE Conquered the Social Media Arena
- Ad Turns “New York Times” Homepage Into Game [VIDEO]
- What Is Data Privacy Day? [INFOGRAPHIC]
- Great Moments in Text Messaging [COMIC]
- Google Wins Access To “Super Wi-Fi” Broadband Spectrum
- Leaders React to Communication Blackout at World Economic Forum in Davos [VIDEO]
- Watch for Zuckerberg on “SNL” Tomorrow
- HOW TO: Optimize Your Company’s LinkedIn Profile
- Twitter Launches Visa-Sponsored Super Bowl Microsite
- Robots Gone Wild: The Most Elaborate Action Sequence Ever Filmed [VIDEO]
- Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg Interviews Bill Gates at Davos [LIVE VIDEO]
- Nook Color Gets Pinch & Zoom via Firmware Update
- Internet Reportedly Down in Syria
- Strong Smartphone & Galaxy Tab Sales Round Up Samsung’s Record Year
- 2-D Codes: The 10 Commandments for Marketers
| How Much Does Identity Theft Cost? [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 28 Jan 2011 10:33 PM PST      " class="alignright size-full wp-image-514753" />Online fraud and related crime is on the rise, affecting more lives and costing individuals and businesses more money year after year. Not to long ago, we showed you what identity theft and online fraud costs from the criminals’ point of view. For example, a cybercriminal could set up a fake online store, designed to steal e-mail addresses, passwords, names and credit card numbers, for between $30 and $300. But what do these kinds of theft cost consumers? In this infographic, created by Sam Franada of Lines & Moodswings for KGBPeople and based on data from Wikipedia, the I.D. Theft Center and other sources, we learn that 10% of Americans have had their identities stolen, and on average, each of those individuals lost around $5,000. The cost to businesses worldwide adds up to a staggering $221 billion each year. Check out more facts about identity theft — including the best ways to protect your own identity — below, and in the comments, let us know about your opinions and experiences. Click to view larger size. More About: fraud, identity theft, online fraud, security For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
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| iPhone App Lets Users Order Prints of Mobile Photos Posted: 28 Jan 2011 08:31 PM PST   The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Quick Pitch: PostalPix is an iPhone app that lets you order prints of your iPhone photos in a variety of formats. Genius Idea: After Isaac and Christina Lay had a baby boy, the couple started snapping photos of their new bundle of joy with their iPhones. They soon realized there was no simple way to get those photos off their phones and into the hands of friends and family. Shortly thereafter, Isaac Lay co-founded PostalPix, a service for ordering prints of mobile photos. PostalPix is as straightforward as it sounds. iPhone owners can use the app to order 4 x 6 and 8 x 10 prints and mouse pads of photos pulled from their phone’s library. It’s as simple as selecting print size, picking photos, specifying quantity and paying for the prints. Prices appear to be reasonable — a pack of three 4″ x 6″ prints is $0.99, and a single 8″ x 10″ print is $3.47. App users can purchase their prints in-app via PayPal or credit card. Mashable readers can get 25% of their first purchase using the code “mashable” at checkout. One reason mobile photo sharing services have become so popular is that they present the user with an instantaneous way to publish photos to the web, eliminating the hassle of having to transfer photos to a computer. PostalPix applies the same logic to prints, offering iPhone users a frictionless way to develop their digital photos. The overall application experience could be improved, and the photo loading and upload process for users with larger image libraries needs work. We’d also like to see a few more supported formats as well as integration with photo apps. But when all is said and done, PostalPix works as advertised. Having only had a live product for just over month, PostalPix is still very much an early stage venture. The bootstrapped startup caters to a very specific mobile audience and has managed to carve out space in between photo printing services on the web and photo applications for mobile. It’s a tiny space with lucrative potential, which means competition is inevitable. Founded in August 2010, PostalPix turned out to be more difficult to build than originally anticipated. “It was a pain in the butt to integrate our custom technology with shipping processes,” says co-founder Michael Sarlitt. Sarlitt and Lay brought Joel Vanderhoof on board, and he helped with the tricky supply and print center details — details PostalPix believes gives them an advantage over potential copycats. PostalPix users can expect new features, formats and products in the months ahead. The team also hopes to build for Android and other mobile operating systems once they perfect the iPhone app. Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark  The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today. More About: bizspark, iphone, mobile photos, postalpix, spark-of-genius For more Startups coverage:
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| Futuristic VW To Hit the Streets, Gets 260 MPG [PICS] Posted: 28 Jan 2011 05:38 PM PST   It looks like something from a science fiction movie, but this Volkswagen Formula XL1 plug-in hybrid vehicle will actually be available for sale to real drivers like you and me. Concept cars such as this are usually built one at a time, gracing trade shows and the pages of flashy auto publications. But according to German site Automobilwoche, this bulbous futuremobile is destined to be a regular production car, albeit part of a small batch of just 100 to start out. The first VW Formula XL1 will be available in Germany, and after that, they’ll roll out in the United States and China. The XL1 could become more conventional before it hits the production line; we can’t be sure if it’ll look the same or have the same power plant as its futuristic showpiece ancestor. That car was introduced at the Qatar Motor Show, and it had an unusual combo under the hood, including a lithium-ion battery-powered electric motor that’ll propel the car for about 22 miles on a charge, after which a tiny 0.8-liter two-cylinder turbodiesel engine kicks in to assist. That sounds vaguely similar to the upcoming Chevy Volt. Keeping the car hyper-efficient is its super-lightweight carbon fiber body panels. Sounds expensive, but Volkswagen says even though the car has the second-highest number of carbon fiber parts (the million-dollar Bugatti Veyron has the most carbon fiber on board), its body will cost a mere $6,800. No one’s talking price of the overall vehicle just yet, nor are they saying exactly when the first XL1 will be available. Look in the gallery for a variety of views of this dolphin-shaped conveyance, and don’t miss its unusual seating arrangement, in which the passenger sits slightly behind the driver, said to increase fuel efficiency even more. Fuel-efficient or not, we are all filled with want. This looks like the cars they showed at the World’s Fair in the ’60s when they were talking about “The Future.” Volkswagen XL1 Look at that Utopian fantasy world in the background. Is that Dubai? Volkswagen XL1 Gull-wing doors, a feature that graces many concept cars but often doesn't make it into the real world. Volkswagen XL1 Side view of the gull-wing doors Volkswagen XL1 From this angle, it looks like it could be a three-wheeled car. But no, there are four. Volkswagen XL1 That is one sexy back, VW. Volkswagen XL1 The passenger seat is farther back than the driver's seat. Volkswagen XL1 Is that another screen above the armrest? Eyes on the road, driver. Volkswagen XL1 The car looks a bit more conventional from the front. Volkswagen XL1 It almost looks like a mini-sub. Volkswagen XL1 We can only hope the production model looks anywhere near as cool as this. [via The Truth About Cars] Images courtesy Volkswagen via Autoblog Green More About: Future Cars, gallery, Hybrid vehicles, trending, Volkswagen Formula XL1, volkswagon, VW For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
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| Google to Hold Android Honeycomb Event Next Wednesday Posted: 28 Jan 2011 03:35 PM PST   Google will be holding a press event next Wednesday, February 2, at its Mountain View headquarters to show off Android Honeycomb, the company’s tablet-optimized OS. The invitation, which just landed in our inboxes, asks us to join the search giant “for an in-depth look at Honeycomb, Android ecosystem news and hands-on demos.” The stage presentations will begin at 10:00 a.m. PT. Google is calling it the event “A Taste of What’s New from Android.” Google is also sharing the Android love with the rest of world; the event will be live streamed at YouTube.com/Android. Honeycomb, Android 3.0, is the first Google OS built specifically for the tablet form factor. It features a revamped interface, faster plane switching, deeper multimedia integration and a slew of redesigned Android applications. We’ve had the chance to play with Android Honeycomb during our Motorola Xoom demo, even sneaking in some time to play with some of its yet-to-be-announced features. We’ll be at Google’s event next Wednesday to bring you all the Android news live. In the meantime, check out the demo video, and in the comments, let us know what you think this Android press event might reveal. More About: android, android 3.0, Android Honeycomb, Google, honeycomb, youtube For more Mobile coverage:
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| Watch Out TextMate: Sublime Text 2 Alpha Hits Mac OS X & Linux Posted: 28 Jan 2011 03:27 PM PST
Sublime Text is a modern text editor, previously only available for Windows, but the latest version also includes support for Linux and Mac OS X. The Sublime Text team has been working hard on Sublime Text 2 for the last few months, initially only offering preview releases to registered users. By releasing the alpha to the public, the developers hope to help get some user feedback and bug reports. While certainly still a “late stage alpha,” Sublime Text 2 is already showing a lot of promise. As a die-hard TextMate user, I immediately took to the program like an old friend. The user interface is clean and well thought out. A sidebar for projects or files can be turned on or off and files can also be accessed through Chrome-style tabs. One of the best things about Sublime Text — from a TextMate user’s perspective — is its support for multi-pane editing. This include horizontal and vertical split-views and even a quad pane mode. Fun FeaturesOne of the standout features in Sublime Text 2 is called “Goto Anything.” Goto Anything makes navigating and switching between files super easy. Simply press CMD+P (CTRL+P for Windows/Linux users) and start typing. Typing part of a file name or part of a line of code within a file will search across not only current files in your project or open files, but also recently closed files. Goto Anything is super fast, and thus very effective. As a TextMate user, I’ve grown accustomed to AckMate for my project searching needs, but Goto Anything is much more seamless. Users can even browse by symbol or go directly to certain line numbers all from this command.  Sublime Text 2 also features instant project switching. This is useful because it will load modified and unsaved files in a workspace on the fly. Switching projects is fast — just like using Goto Anything — and switching back to a project opens it just as it was before. Some of the best features from Sublime Text 1, including multiple line selections and a great minimap preview window, are carried over into Sublime Text 2. A Customizer’s DreamThe beauty of Sublime Text is that everything is very customizable. This is important because a text editor becomes a very personal part of a user’s workflow. As a writer, I have my text editor customized in such a way that helps speed up my writing. The same is true for developers. The reason that classic text editors like Vim and Emacs continue to have such followings is in part, because of how customizable those editors are. Likewise, the extensibility of TextMate is something that has kept that project alive and in use, despite its dormant development cycle. Sublime Text 2 has the making of a great text editor for customization nerds. Sublime Text can be extended using plugins written in Python (a full Sublime Text 2 API is slated for release in the coming months). Key bindings are fully customizable, as are themes (many TextMate themes are compatible). Per-file and per-project settings can also be customized. For coders or writers looking for a new text editor, Sublime Text 2 is definitely worth checking out. The fact that it runs on Mac OS X, Linux and Windows makes it a rarity in the modern editor space. What text editor do you use? Let us know in the comments. Series supported by Rackspace  The Web Development Series is supported by Rackspace, the better way to do hosting. No more worrying about web hosting uptime. No more spending your time, energy and resources trying to stay on top of things like patching, updating, monitoring, backing up data and the like. Learn why. More Dev & Design Resources from Mashable:
More About: mac apps, software, sublime text, sublime text 2, text editors, textmate, web development series, windows apps For more Dev & Design coverage:
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| The Emerging Skills of Tomorrow’s Journalist Posted: 28 Jan 2011 02:35 PM PST
Many of those skills are still on the table and more relevant than ever, but a greater emphasis on new distribution platforms, like mobile and the iPad, and the increasing prominence of social media storytelling within media companies require new skills from today’s journalist. Mashable's fifth NextUp NYC will focus on the skills that news organizations will demand and the tools journalists will need to be successful as they redefine the way they report, produce and distribute their content. The night will consist of networking and a conversation led by Vadim Lavrusik, community manager and social media strategist at Mashable, with:
 There will be an audience Q&A following the discussion. Details Location: 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013 This Mashable NextUp NYC event is part of Social Media Week New York. For more information or to view the Social Media Week schedule, go to Socialmediaweek.org. More About: event, journalism, social media For more Social Media coverage:
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| The Twitterverse Responds to Protests in Egypt [STATS] Posted: 28 Jan 2011 02:19 PM PST   The 662 people I follow on Twitter have been talking about little else besides the protests in Cairo Friday, which continue to escalate in intensity and violence. They are not alone. According to data pulled from real-time analytics tool Trendrr, 245,000 tweets containing “Egypt” were sent between midnight and 1:30 p.m. today, January 28. Thirty percent came from the U.S., 7% from the UK, 6% from Saudia Arabia and UAE respectively, and, notably, 8% came from Egypt, proving that users are indeed bypassing blocks placed on the service by government authorities:  Twitterers are using the service to share news and footage of the protests. Among the most shared links: a video that captured the shooting of an Egyptian protestor, Al Jazeera’s live stream coverage, and EA Worldview‘s news liveblog. Users are frequently including the hashtags #egypt, #cairo, #mubarak, #jan28 and #censorship when discussing the protests. In addition to tweets, 10 million new blog posts and 22,350 news results citing Egypt have been indexed by Google in the past 48 hours.  Image courtesy of Flickr, Al Jazeera More About: cairo, Egypt, Trendrr, twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| Our Favorite YouTube Videos This Week: The Music Video Edition Posted: 28 Jan 2011 02:11 PM PST   Ever had one of those weeks that necessitated a truly epic musical sendoff into the loving arms of that most seductive of dance partners: the weekend? This, my friends, has been one of those weeks. That’s why this Friday’s YouTube roundup theme is: “Music Videos.” From rock ‘n’ roll ephemera to MTV classics to modern-day mini movies, we’ve concocted one rad multimedia melange for your viewing pleasure. So plug in your headphones, kick back in your sagging desk chair and lace up your dancing shoes. Or, you know, just zone out and listen for a while. Either/or. KMFDM, "A Drug Against War"Brett Petersel: I knew someone else at Mashable HQ would choose a-Ha's "Take on Me", so I went for the second best video (maybe third after Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer"). KMFDM's "A Drug Against War" video features incredible animation by their longtime art/design collaborator BRUTE!, who pieced together the band's album cover discography for this video. The Chemical Brothers, "Star Guitar"Zachary Sniderman: Gondry's making of video gives a glimpse behind the madness. Pearl Jam, "Do The Evolution"Josh Catone: This is just one of the best music videos ever. Don't even bother to dispute it. Auto-Tune (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)Jay Irani: Jam to that! Madonna, "Borderline"Lauren Rubin: A smarmy but wealthy photographer comes between a saucy dancer and her macho boyfriend. Indecent Proposal? No... MADONNA. Blind Melon, "No Rain"Christina Warren: I used to pretend to be a bee when friends would play this song on guitar. Praise You, "Fatboy Slim"Amy-Mae Elliott: This tops my list for being the antithesis of big budget, ridiculously overblown music videos. Also, this is how I dance. Foo Fighters, "Everlong"Radhika Marya: I thought this video was so cool when I was 12 and just starting to watch MTV. And I still haven't forgotten about it. Blur, "Coffee And TV"Radhika Marya: The story of the most adorable milk carton that ever did live. Rolling Stones Lip SyncTodd Wasserman: For those who just know the Stones in their current incarnation, here's a video from back in the days when they were really, really cool and funny, too. This video makes me want to go back in a time machine to 1965. Michael Jackson, "Bad"Ada Ospina: MJ was onto something with his choreography! I loved this video as a kid. A-Ha, "Take On Me"Jay Irani: I rescind my previous selection. No "Best Of" music video collection is complete without this one! Lady Gaga at NYUJennifer Van Grove: In a more simpler time, Lady Gaga was just Stefani Germanotta competing at an NYU talent show. Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Otherside"Erica Swallow: "Otherside" by the the Red Hot Chili Peppers made the biggest impression on me as a teen. The Gothic sets are beautiful and remind me of a mix of the castle in the 1986 movie Labyrinth and the look and feel of the 1927 German expressionist film Metropolis. The telephone wire bass guitar is my favorite surrealist instrument in the music video. It's been more than a decade, and this video is still so vivid in my mind. Sleigh Bells, "Rill Rill"Brenna Ehrlich: This video is just bad-ass. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, dubassy More About: favorite-youtube-videos, music, video, youtube For more Video coverage:
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| Motorola Atrix 4G Shows Off for the Camera [VIDEO] Posted: 28 Jan 2011 01:46 PM PST Motorola has just released a new promo video for its upcoming Atrix 4G smartphone. We were really impressed by the Motorola Atrix 4G when we saw it at CES. Packed with a powerful dual-core 1GHz processor, this Android phone is fast. It’s also versatile. Motorola will be selling two different docks for the Atrix 4G. The first dock will transform the phone into a netbook (for surfing the web in Firefox or chatting with friends), while the second is a multimedia dock for connecting the device to your TV. With early reports indicating that this phone will be $150 when it hits AT&T later this spring, this handset is definitely on our radar. What do you think of the Atrix 4G? Do you like the idea of turning your smartphone into a laptop? Let us know. [via Pocketnow] More About: android, Atrix 4G, Motorola Atrix 4G, smartphones For more Mobile coverage:
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| Music Subscription Service Rdio Gets an Influx of Cash Posted: 28 Jan 2011 01:33 PM PST   Rdio, a uniquely social music subscription service, reportedly just garnered financial support from Mangrove Capital Partners. According to Paid Content, the news first surfaced via a tweet from Mangrove partner Mark Tluszcz to MC Hammer (awesome), reading: “@MCHammer check out the company I just financed….www.rdio.com. Hope to see you at our Jamboree this year in Florence.” Paid Content confirmed the news with Mangrove, but there’s no word yet as to how much money Rdio received, or how it will use the cash. We’ve reached out to Rdio for comment. Rdio — which launched this past summer — is a super social music subscription service that lets you follow friends and listen to their musical collections, as well as listen to music on-demand. Lately, the service — which is currently only available in the U.S. and Canada — has been on the up-and-up, partnering with Merlin, a licensing agency for indie acts — a move that helped make its library much more diverse. Rdio was also integrated into the MusicMapper, a mobile app launched as part of the Grammy Awards’ Music Is Life Is Music campaign. Wireless music system Sonos also recently introduced Rdio into its musical offerings, marking Rdio’s first foray into consumer electronics (before it was only available on the desktop and on mobile devices). More and more, music subscription services are gaining popularity — what with MOG’s Fusion Program facilitating its integration into electronics and cars, and rising anticipation over Spotify launching in the U.S. This recent funding news just further indicates that the music subscription space is one to watch. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, shulz More About: rdio For more Media coverage:
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| Visualizing Egypt’s Internet Blackout [GRAPHIC] Posted: 28 Jan 2011 01:17 PM PST   A scientist at the network security company Arbor Networks has used data from 80 Internet service providers around the world to create an image of the Internet block in Egypt. The graphic, which was compiled using anonymous traffic engineering statistics, shows traffic to and from Egypt dropping sharply around 5:20 p.m. ET. As of about three hours ago, traffic has not picked back up. Craig Labovitz, the creator of the graphic and chief scientist at Arbor Networks, says that he found no evidence of Internet disruption in Syria, debunking a report from Al Arabiya earlier Friday that suggested all service in Syria had been cut off.  More About: censorship, Egypt, infographic, Internet Out, trending For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
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| Paul Frank iPod Dock Adds Some Monkey to Your Music [GALLERY] Posted: 28 Jan 2011 01:11 PM PST   Everything is more fun when there’s a monkey involved. That’s just basically a fact. That’s why Paul Frank’s Julius Dance Machine is a must for your next wild party. Paul Frank — oh! maker of colorful, neon things — partnered with audio manufacturer SpeakerCraft to create this little Zenned-out creature, which works with all iPod devices. We had a chance to play around with the Dance Machine here at Mashable, and, honestly, the sound quality isn’t all that different than that of your average iPod dock (so if you’re an audiophile, this isn’t really for you). No, aesthetics seem to be the bigger aim with this dock; designed so that Julius cradles the iPod in his lap and his ears function as the volume controls, this item is all about whimsy. Julius features a rechargeable NiMH battery, which means you don’t have to tie the monkey down in order to listen to your jams, and it can play for up to six hours without needing another charge. If you do decide to pick up this $99.95 creature, I suggest powering him up and unplugging him so he can join the dance party, which, naturally, should kick off with “Mickey’s Monkey” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. Photos by Jehangir Irani Front
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More About: gadgets, ipod, music, paul frank, pop culture, tech For more Media coverage:
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| Taco Bell Uses Social Media To Ward Off PR Crisis Posted: 28 Jan 2011 01:04 PM PST   A few consumers’ beef with Taco Bell this week offered some red meat to the blogosphere. The conversation about the restaurant’s beef, spurred by a class-action lawsuit, seemed ready-made for viral media. The suit claims that Taco Bell misrepresents the contents of its beef; The restaurant calls it “seasoned ground beef” or “seasoned beef,” although the product contains 88% beef. A list of the “Top Five Reasons Taco Bell Might Actually Be More Dangerous Than MTV’s Skins” got good play on Digg. A photo of a label from Taco Bell describing “Taco Meat Filling” also lit up the Twittersphere. Faced with a social media crisis, Taco Bell is now fighting back via its Facebook Page, Twitter account and YouTube channel. So far, though, the company hasn’t gotten a lot of traction. Yesterday, the fast food chain uploaded a video on YouTube of company president and chief concept officer Greg Creed explaining that the chain’s beef is “100% USDA inspected” and that the beef is seasoned with various spices and water “to provide Taco Bell’s signature taste and texture.” Creed then tackles the somewhat ominous-sounding statistic that Taco Bell’s beef is actually composed of 88% beef. “So what’s the other 12%?” Creed asks puckishly. “It’s our secret. And I’m gonna give it to ya.” The rundown: 3% is water, 4% is Mexican spices and the remaining 5% is oats, caramelized sugar, yeast and other ingredients that he lists in the video. Unfortunately for Taco Bell, only about 1,000 people have seen that video on YouTube. On Facebook, the video got more than 900 “likes,” but the reviews were a bit mixed. “Don’t B.S. us,” says one commenter. “We know that there is real beef in the taco, but you use some filler.” Says another: “Like y’all would come out and say, ‘We’ve just been caught.’” Meanwhile, Taco Bell’s Twitter feed, which has 45,000 followers, is more of a lovefest. If this whole incident sounds a bit familiar, it may be because Domino’s faced a similar, albeit more damaging crisis in 2009 and pioneered the use of the company president mea culpa via YouTube. Marsha Horowitz, the senior executive vice president and head of crisis communications for public relations firm Rubenstein Associates, says that Taco Bell had no choice but to respond via social media. “By coming out aggressively, it makes them appear that they feel very confident,” Horowitz says. On the other hand, there’s no escaping the truth that what the USDA calls beef and what the average person considers beef are two different things. “We’re learning this, but Taco Bell’s not the only one doing it,” Horowitz says. The use of social media to address a public relations crisis is fairly new, but brands like Taco Bell are learning. Last year, Toyota’s adept use of social media helped counter potentially devastating news reports about recalls. In fact, it may have even helped the brand. Will Taco Bell fare similarly? Horowitz says despite the low pickup rate in social media to Taco Bell’s response, the brand is already over the hump. “They took the lemons they were handed and made lemonade,” says Horowitz. “Or maybe they took bland beef and turned it into a spicy burrito.” More About: facebook, PUBLIC RELATIONS, taco bell, twitter, youtube For more Business & Marketing coverage:
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| Thanks to Mashable’s Socially Savvy Supporters Posted: 28 Jan 2011 01:03 PM PST
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| Google Changes Algorithm To Penalize Site Scrapers Posted: 28 Jan 2011 12:46 PM PST   Google updated its search algorithm this week to help reduce webspam in its search results. These changes were made in response to increased criticism of Google and its search engine results. The criticism has been partly inspired by the emergence of newer forms of webspam alongside traditional webspam (pages that consist of lots of keywords and phrases without context or meaning that “cheat” their way up to higher search ranks). The latest webspam outbreaks commonly come from content farms and sites that syndicate content. Earlier this month, Stack Overflow‘s Jeff Atwood pointed out that in the last year, some content syndicators have routinely began outranking Stack Overflow on Google. In other words, the syndicates are outranking the originals. In Stack Overflow‘s case, the problem was bad enough that a community member built a Google Chrome extension designed to redirect to Stack Overflow from spammier syndicates. Matt Cutts, principle engineer at Google and head of the webspam team, responded to some of the criticism in a blog post and said Google would be “evaluating multiple changes that should help drive spam levels even lower, including one change that primarily affects sites that copy others’ content and sites with low levels of original content.” On his personal blog, Cutts confirmed that those changes have indeed gone into effect. Cutts writes that this was a “pretty targeted launch” and that the “net effect is that searchers are more likely to see the sites that wrote the original content rather than a site that scraped or copied the original site’s content.” More About: Google, matt cutts, Search Spam, spam, stack overflow, webspam For more Social Media coverage:
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| How WWE Conquered the Social Media Arena Posted: 28 Jan 2011 12:21 PM PST   World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is known for its burly performers, lewd females, outrageous story lines and epic drama, but behind the scenes there’s a serious fight to engage its audience. At WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT, a group of innovative marketers and strategists are working hard to pump out the content that gets its viewers excited. Social media is a growing part of that process. The team’s social media efforts have even caught the attention of Mashable readers, who voted to award them two Mashable Awards. We spoke with three key digital leaders at WWE to discuss its social media strategy — Brian Kalinowski (EVP, digital media), Mark Keys (VP, web production) and Corey Clayton (online community leader) weighed in on how the company is using social to engage and learn from its community. 1. Learning From the Evolution of Web Usage |
| Ad Turns “New York Times” Homepage Into Game [VIDEO] Posted: 28 Jan 2011 11:50 AM PST In an attempt to improve upon the paltry click-through rates on most banner ads, USA Network recently rolled out a banner promoting the show White Collar, asking users to play a game on The New York Times‘s home page (iPad only). The ad, created by Glow Interactive, features a small “scanner” screen, which, when dragged over Times‘ homepage, revealed hidden ciphers and keywords. When all were found, the user was treated to a “bonus video” hyping the show’s second season premiere earlier this month. This isn’t the first time that The New York Times has allowed its home page to be overrun with interactive banners. In 2009, the “Mac” and “PC” from Apple’s long-running campaign conversed with an actor in a fake ad across the page. Like the USA banner, it’s cute, but may be a bit off contextually. In the demo above, for instance, the game interacts with a story about suspected mass murderer Jared Loughner — hardly the sort of topic any brand wants to be seen making light of. More About: advertising, banner ads, ipad, the new york times For more Business & Marketing coverage:
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| What Is Data Privacy Day? [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 28 Jan 2011 11:44 AM PST   Just when we thought the holiday season was over, we came across another reason to celebrate: Data Privacy Day 2011 is today. The international event is the fourth annual “celebration of the dignity of the individual expressed through personal information” put on by the non-profit organization The Privacy Projects. Perhaps in an attempt to remove itself from the list of privacy advocates’ favorite targets, Google is one of the organization’s sponsors. With online tracking increasingly creeping out consumers and Facebook adding to an ever-growing history of privacy glitches, Internet users have indicated that increased privacy is indeed worth celebrating. Respondents to a recent survey by Opera Software indicated that consumers in the U.S., Japan and Russia are more worried about Internet privacy than they are about terrorist attacks, being attacked in their homes or going bankrupt. Yet despite these fears, many people still don’t delete their browser settings or use safe passwords, according to the same survey. "It is interesting to note the gap between what people say concerns them online and what they do in practice to protect themselves," says Christen Krogh, the chief development officer of Opera Software. "We often see that it is human nature to fear traffic accidents but not wear a seatbelt or helmet, or dread bankruptcy but continue spending, and it very much seems like it is the same for online safety behavior." One of the easiest ways to avoid signing up to share more information than you’re comfortable with is to read sites’ privacy policies. Just in case you haven’t exactly made this a habit (we, of course, scour every one), designer Calvin Pappas has waded through the top 1,000 sites’ policies in order to tell you what you’re missing.  Image courtesy of iStockphoto, alengo More About: behavioral advertising, data privacy day, facebook, Google, Online Tracking, privacy For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
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| Great Moments in Text Messaging [COMIC] Posted: 28 Jan 2011 11:30 AM PST Speech is such a hassle, what with the mouth movements, facial expressions and eye contact. History is just littered with opportunities where texting would have come in handy.   This comic was illustrated by Kiersten Essenpreis, a New York-based artist who draws and blogs at YouFail.com. For more laughs, check out our previous Mashable Comics. More Mashable Comics:
More About: comics, funny, history, humor, iphone, mashable comics, Mobile 2.0, SMS, text messaging, texting For more Mobile coverage:
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| Google Wins Access To “Super Wi-Fi” Broadband Spectrum Posted: 28 Jan 2011 11:09 AM PST   The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken new steps to open up the “white space” wireless spectrum, a move that could lead to the development of next-generation Wi-Fi. The FCC has given nine companies permission to manage and administrate the white space wireless spectrum, an unused spectrum used previously as a buffer between TV channels. With the transition to digital TV, buffer space has become unnecessary. “While the operation of multiple database administrators may present some coordination challenges, we find it is in the public interest to have multiple parties developing business models for this new mechanism,” the FCC said in its order. “The value of this exercise extends beyond databases for the TV bands, as the Commission is also considering employing similar database approaches in other spectrum bands.” Companies like Google hope to turn the white space spectrum into a form of “super Wi-Fi.” White space spectrum has a longer wavelength, further reach and better penetration than traditional Wi-Fi signals. In its order, the FCC gave permission to Google, Comsearch, Frequency Finder, KB Enterprises, LS Telecom, Key Bridge, Neustar, Spectrum Bridge, Telcordia Technology and WSdb to access, build and manage databases of white spectrum. It’s the first step towards offering the spectrum publicly. “Just last fall the Commission adopted final technical rules on white spaces – the unused, public airwaves that we believe will lead to the next generation of wireless technologies,” Google said in a response to the FCC’s announcement. “Before inventors can start to introduce new products and services on these airwaves, the FCC must certify the white spaces databases, which will ensure that different wireless signals don't interfere with each other.” However, Google’s appointment as a caretaker of the white space databases did not occur without protest. Key Bridge Global, the Coalition of Wireless Microphone Users, the National Association of Broadcasters and others filed critical comments, doubting Google’s ability to be impartial. The possibilities of white space Wi-Fi have yet to be fully realized, but many, including Google, believe that it could be turned into a nationwide Wi-Fi network. Devices could be built to be compatible with the unused spectrum to send and receive Internet data. More About: FFC, Google, Neustar, super wi-fi, White Space, wi-fi For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
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| Leaders React to Communication Blackout at World Economic Forum in Davos [VIDEO] Posted: 28 Jan 2011 11:00 AM PST   As protests in Egypt continued to intensify and get more violent, leaders gathered in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum addressed the protests and communication shutdown in the country. Speaking to reporters at the Forum, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Egypt’s authorities for the Internet takedown, warning that “freedom of expression should be fully respected.” He said the decision to cut Internet access off prior to planned protests was against democratic principles of expression and association. However, what is clearly absent from the forum are members of the official Egyptian delegation, who pulled out from participating just before it started. Participants of the exclusive gathering generally avoided discussing the Egypt protests in panels, but concerns around the unrest were still a topic of discussion for attendees. Vittorio Colao, CEO of Vodafone Group PLC, a telecommunications company, said in a session on mobile devices that Egyptian authorities asked his company to “turn down the network totally,” which the company had to comply with because of Egyptian law, according to The Wall Street Journal. Delegates also discussed, in interviews with CNN, whether the “social media-led” unrest in Egypt was a growing trend in Africa and the Middle East: Interestingly, a panel on “Leading in a Hyper-Connected World” addressed how a connected world is enabling people who share common values to be more engaged. It also asked how governments and businesses should operate in a hyper-connected world. And that’s a question we’d love for our readers to discuss in the comments below. More About: davos, Egypt, internet, protests, video, world economic forum For more Video coverage:
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| Watch for Zuckerberg on “SNL” Tomorrow Posted: 28 Jan 2011 10:27 AM PST   Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg hosts Saturday Night Live tomorrow night, but the big question is: Will the real Mark Zuckerberg appear alongside him? The Facebook CEO and his handlers remain quiet about the possibility of him stepping before the bright lights on NBC’s live comedy show, but sources are whispering to the New York Post about how this could be Zuckerberg’s attempt to show everyone that he indeed has a sense of humor. Perhaps Zuckerberg wants to appear on SNL as a rebuttal to the satirical drubbing he took on the program last month, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ended up looking like a hero. Our guess? Zuckerberg will do a cameo walk-on similar to those done by President Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. [via All Facebook] More About: Cameo Appearance, jesse eisenberg, mark zuckerberg, snl, trending For more Media coverage:
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| HOW TO: Optimize Your Company’s LinkedIn Profile Posted: 28 Jan 2011 10:05 AM PST   Adam Kleinberg is co-founder and CEO at Traction, an interactive agency that aligns psychology with technology to create ideas that work. Look for Traction’s LinkedIn page and free toolkit. Catch him tweeting at @adamkleinberg and blogging at tractionco.com/blog. Boasting 90 million users, LinkedIn is one of the social media titans. For business professionals, it has become an essential tool for staying connected to their business network. But for companies, there's been little reason to pay attention to their presence there. LinkedIn has been about individuals, not organizations. LinkedIn Companies existed, but offered little in the way of functionality. That has now changed. In November, LinkedIn quietly introduced an upgrade to LinkedIn Companies that makes it both a critical and powerful tool for managing your company's digital presence (especially if you market B2B). Here's a primer to help you plan and make the most of some of the powerful new features on LinkedIn Companies. The Basics |
| Twitter Launches Visa-Sponsored Super Bowl Microsite Posted: 28 Jan 2011 09:56 AM PST   In a novel use of Twitter by an advertiser, the micro-blogging site is aggregating all the chatter about the Super Bowl into one Visa-sponsored webpage. The page went live Wednesday and is billed as a “one-stop shop” where fans can experience Super Bowl XLV in real time, before and during the game, which takes place February 6. Visitors to the site will be able to see tweets from players, media and NFL personnel, as well as fans. Twitter recognized that the number of tweets surged during big plays in last year’s Super Bowl. In fact, at those times, about 40% of all tweets were related to the game, according to a Twitter blog post. Similarly, during last Sunday’s AFC and NFC championship games, football-related trends dominated the site. Twitter launched a similar microsite around Fashion Week last year that was sponsored by Visa rival American Express. Since the Super Bowl will attract significantly more conversation than Fashion Week, this could turn out to be a big win for Visa. And, although it wasn’t sponsored, Twitter set up a similar tracking page for the World Cup 2010, which undoubtedly will still be able to hold onto its status as the most-tweeted-about sporting event in history even after the Super Bowl. But the success of this year’s Super Bowl promotion depends on how many people Twitter can lure to the Visa site. Right now, Twitter is hyping the site with a Promoted Trend beckoning users to “Go Inside SBXLV,” but clicking on that ad sends you to another Twitter page. From there, you have to hunt down the microsite URL via @VisaNFL, a new account that, at present, has only 75 followers. Twitter has been working on advertising models for some time. The company last year introduced Promoted Tweets, which drew revenues from advertisers like Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Virgin America, among others. Twitter is projected to post ad revenues as high as $150 million this year. More About: nfl, Super Bowl, twitter, Visa For more Business & Marketing coverage:
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| Robots Gone Wild: The Most Elaborate Action Sequence Ever Filmed [VIDEO] Posted: 28 Jan 2011 09:51 AM PST Get ready for the most incredible action sequence in history: the mind-boggling climax of blockbuster Indian sci-fi movie Enthiran. Released three months ago, you can clearly see why this is the most expensive motion picture ever created in India. This would have been a worthy addition to our Robot Uprising feature from three weeks ago. I’m not surprised to see this outstanding demonstration of animation skills from India’s motion picture industry. I visited some of the main production centers in and around Mumbai a couple of years ago, and noticed that they’re using the same hardware and software used by animators in Hollywood. Most importantly, the key personnel creating the animations are just as talented and knowledgeable as their Hollywood counterparts. The only difference? Many of the Indian animators of movies like this are paid only $200 per month. [via Boing Boing] More About: Enthiran, gadgets, robots, Sci-Fi, Spectacular, video For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
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| Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg Interviews Bill Gates at Davos [LIVE VIDEO] Posted: 28 Jan 2011 09:35 AM PST Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg is currently speaking live at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland with founder and former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates. The conference brings together top businesspeople, politicians, influencers and media to discuss the world's biggest problems and how to solve them. Attendees include Bill Clinton, George Soros, Arianna Huffington and our own Pete Cashmore, among others. More About: davos, world economic forum For more Video coverage:
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| Nook Color Gets Pinch & Zoom via Firmware Update Posted: 28 Jan 2011 09:18 AM PST   Barnes & Noble has released a new software update for its Nook Color device. The update, version 1.1.0, is deemed by B&N as “minor” but adds better Wi-Fi connectivity, improved performance, and the ability to pinch and zoom in the web browser. The new firmware will be available over the next few days as an automatic over-the-air download. For users that don’t want to wait, Barnes & Noble has a manual update installation process documented on its website.
Barnes & Noble will be releasing its own app store soon. For the adventurous Nook Color owner, various hacks exist that “root” the device and offer alternative firmware software, which can transform the Nook Color from an e-book reader into a full-fledged Android tablet. [via CNET] More About: android, e-books, e-readers, nook, nook color For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
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| Internet Reportedly Down in Syria Posted: 28 Jan 2011 08:52 AM PST   On the same day that Egypt has allegedly blocked the Internet, Syria may have made a similar move to silence dissenting voices. According to Arabic-language website Al Arabiya, the country has suspended all of its Internet services. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Syria had imposed bans on two programs that allow access to Facebook, which had previously been banned in 2007. The country has a history of restricting media coverage of poverty and corruption, but it’s not clear that it has gone as far as disrupting Internet service altogether. Shorty after Al Arabiya reported that the Internet was down in Syria, a government representative denied the claim. Many who said they were tweeting from Syria also commented that they weren’t having any problems accessing the Internet. Reports from Egypt, on the other hand, confirm that the government blocked Twitter and then Internet access altogether in response to escalating protests against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak. Hillary Clinton addressed the rise of Internet censorship in a speech last week, calling it the “new information curtain.” But Egypt and — if the report is true, Syria — are the first countries to push censorship to the point of completely shutting down the Internet. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, selensergen More About: censorship, Egypt, facebook, Internet Down, Syria, trending, twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| Strong Smartphone & Galaxy Tab Sales Round Up Samsung’s Record Year Posted: 28 Jan 2011 07:34 AM PST   Samsung posted positive fourth quarter results Friday morning. The company attributed its success partly to “outstanding sales” of smartphones and its Android-based tablet, the Galaxy Tab. A report from Korean site Yonhap News claims that Samsung actually sold more than 2 million Galaxy Tabs in its first three months on the market, although we were unable to independently confirm the fact. In December, Samsung announced it had sold 1 million Galaxy Tabs. If the sales indeed picked up during December and the 2-million-sold figure is true, it’s a surprisingly positive result, although it’s still nowhere near the 7.3 million iPads Apple sold last quarter. The Galaxy Tab runs on Android 2.2, which is not entirely appropriate for tablets even by Google’s standards. It’s probably best described as a product for early adopters, a forerunner for more advanced Android 2.4-based tablets that are coming this year. When viewed in that light, Samsung’s results paint a bright picture for the future of Android tablets. Overall, Samsung’s quarterly results were solid, with revenue of $37.6 billion, net income of $3.1 billion, and 80.7 mobile devices sold. Samsung’s revenue in 2010 was a record-high at $139 billion, up 13% from 2009, and the company’s net income ($14.5 billion) and operating profit ($15.5 billion) also marked all-time highs for the company. Check out Samsung’s quarterly report here [PDF]. [Yonhap News via Electronista] More About: android, galaxy tab, samsung, Tablet, trending For more Business & Marketing coverage:
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| 2-D Codes: The 10 Commandments for Marketers Posted: 28 Jan 2011 07:28 AM PST   Jamie Turner is the chief content officer of the 60 Second Marketer, the online magazine for BKV Digital and Direct Response. He is also the co-author of How to Make Money with Social Media, now available at fine bookstores (and a few not-so-fine bookstores) everywhere. It seems as though every time you scan the web, there are posts and articles about companies that are using 2-D codes such as QR codes, EZcodes and Microsoft Tags to promote their products or services. The problem is that many of these companies are using 2-D codes as novelty items instead of using them to drive real, tangible revenue to their businesses. I've spent the past few months analyzing several hundred different uses of 2-D codes across the globe. Some of them have been quite brilliant (as is the case with the Smithsonian Institution's Neanderthal exhibit, which we'll talk about in a second). Others have been … well, not so brilliant. Brilliant Uses of 2-D Codes |
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