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Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “AOL Shuts Down Software Blog Download Squad”

Posted by Ashim Adhikari on 5:32 AM // 0 comments

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “AOL Shuts Down Software Blog Download Squad”

AOL Shuts Down Software Blog Download Squad

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 02:36 AM PDT


In a somewhat surprising move, AOL/Huffington Post has shut down popular software blog Download Squad, according to its editor, Sebastian Anthony, who shared the news on Twitter.

The site itself is still available, with the last post being dated yesterday, April 11. But Anthony is certain that the decision to shut down Download Squad is final, and believes it will be officially announced today. “It’s hard to believe, but, yes, @DownloadSquad is shutting down,” tweeted Anthony last night.

Download Squad was a highly prolific blog covering all types of software: desktop, mobile, and software residing in the cloud; it was one of the best destinations to go if you wanted news about new versions of popular software. As part of popular blog network Weblogs, Inc. – together with Engadget, TechCrunch, TUAW and Joystiq, to name a few – it was purchased by AOL in October 2005. In 2008, ComputerWorld named Download Squad one of the “top ten best-written blogs.”

In the age of the cloud, everyone is perhaps less concerned with desktop software – which was arguably one of the most important topics on Download Squad – than before, but it’s hard to believe that the interest is so low that one of the most well-known blogs in this area couldn’t attract enough audience or advertisers.

What do you think, why did AOL shut down Download Squad? Was it the right move? Please, share your opinions in the comments.

[via Sebastian Anthony]

More About: aol, blog, Download Squad, Huffington Post

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Virgin Galactic Wants You To Be the First Private Astronaut

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 01:07 AM PDT


In what is probably the first such move from a private company, Virgin has posted a job listing for a pilot-astronaut.

The company is hiring three pilot-astronauts, and promises to draft additional ones as its commercial space flight program progresses. The duties of the pilot-astronauts involve reporting to the Chief Pilot and operating the spaceflight system.

“Virgin Galactic has launched its search for Pilot-Astronauts. This unique opportunity initially involves working as part of the WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo spaceflight system test and development team in Mojave, CA, then taking the experience gained from that program to the spaceline's commercial operations at its operating base, Spaceport America in New Mexico. These will be the very first commercial Pilots-Astronauts (…) Successful candidates will have to be very special: both a full course graduate of a recognised test pilot school and highly and broadly experienced,” says the ad on the Virgin Galactic website.

The job listing was posted over the weekend, with the closing date being 30/04/2011. According to Virgin Galactic, more than 50 people have already applied for the job.

[Virgin Galactic]

More About: astronaut, spaceflight, Virgin Galactic

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The Winners & Losers of Social Networking [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 11:59 PM PDT


The course of social media never did run smooth — not for long, anyhow. And for some Web 2.0 companies, it’s running less smoothly than ever.

It goes without saying that Facebook is the network du jour, but even though the reigning champion’s user stats keep soaring, social networking as a whole might be leveling off. Nevertheless, there are still scores of other highly competitive social sites that are waxing and waning; and different networks and apps are more popular in specific geographic areas, with certain genders or age groups, and even among various social classes.

For example, Plaxo is the network with the most users over the age of 65. Facebook is more popular with women, but Digg and Reddit tend to be more popular with men. LinkedIn is the “richest” social network, but Plurk outranks it when it comes to well-educated users who have graduate degrees.

Check out this infographic from social media agency Ignite, and let us know what you think in the comments. Do these findings line up with your own perceptions and usage habits?

Click image for full-size version.

Lead image courtesy of iStockphoto, BeholdingEye.

More About: infographic, social media, social networking, stats

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Google Invests in World’s Largest Solar Power Tower Plant

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 10:15 PM PDT


Google has just sealed a deal to invest $168 million in a Mojave Desert solar energy plant.

The investment is going to BrightSource Energy, a company that developes and operates large-scale solar power plants, specifically to fund its Ivanpah project.

Ivanpah is a solar electric generating system that uses solar thermal technology and “an environmentally responsible design,” according to the project’s website, to deliver reliable, clean and low-cost power to Californians.

The plant will generate energy with a technology called power towers. Mirrors, called heliostats, are arranged in an array and aim the sun's rays at a receiver atop a tower. The receiver generates steam; the steam causes a turbine to rotate; the rotation causes a generator to generate electricity. Because such large quantities of solar energy are being directed to such a small area, the power towers are very efficient.

The power tower at Ivanpah will be around 450 feet tall. The plant will use 173,000 heliostats, and each heliostat will have two mirrors, making Ivanpah the largest project of its kind.

Construction at Ivanpah should be completed in 2013. Here’s a video from the plant’s groundbreaking ceremony:

Google’s been on something of a clean energy investment kick over the past year or so. The company was granted the ability to buy and sell energy as a public utility last February, ostensibly to find better ways to power its own massive data centers.

A short time later, Google began making significant investments in green energy technologies. The company sealed a $38 million wind farm investment in May, bought 20 years’ worth of wind farm energy in July, and provided a substantial investment for a huge offshore wind farm in October.

Rick Needham is Google’s Director of Green Business Operations. On the company blog, writes, “We hope that investing in Ivanpah spurs continued development and deployment of this promising technology while encouraging other companies to make similar investments in renewable energy.”

More About: cleantech, energy, Google, google energy, greentech, ivanpah, power tower, solar, solar power

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Startup Helps Small Restaurants Get Online

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 08:48 PM PDT


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: BistroSquare

Quick Pitch: BistroSquare is a website builder specifically for restaurants.

Genius Idea: Making it easy for restaurants to create websites that are as simple or as fully featured as they need them to be.

Richie Ward’s family has been in the restaurant business for three generations. Ward prefered to start a tech company, but didn’t want to abandon his deep understanding of independent restaurants. So last month Ward and his co-founder Andrew Kurz launched a website builder targeted specifically at the 311,548 businesses in the United States that fit into that category.

“I’m sure that there are some out there who have a background in web development and just kind of landed in the restaurant industry that could build a website themselves and never need our service,” Ward says. “But by and large there seem to be restaurateurs out there who are excellent at running restaurants but don’t really know where to start when it comes to building a website. That’s who our product is geared toward.”

BistroSquare is designed for restaurants and other small food businesses, like bakeries and caterers, and has features that easily create online menus, coupons and reservations. Instead of paying hundreds to thousands of dollars for a functional website, restaurant owners with minimum technology skills create and maintain their own sites.

Other startups like Culini and LetsEat.at are also targeting independent restaurants with web builders that integrate social media and help create a sleek website. Ward says his bootstrapped startup is different in that its web builder goes beyond putting up a “build it and forget it” website.

“We’re not really just a web builder,” Ward says. “We’re kind of the complete package for managing a website.”

BistroSquare’s site offers the basics, but it also has advanced features like a reservation system, email accounts, multiple user management tools and a shopping cart. LetsEat.at integrates with OpenTable, but doesn’t have its own system.

An ad-supported free version of BistroSquare has limited features and doesn’t include the $19.99 annual domain name fee. Other plans run from $29.99 to $49.99 per month, which is considerably more expensive than LetsEat.at but on par with Culini, which has more complicated features.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, nikada

Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

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: BistroSquare, Culini, LetsEat.at, restaurants, web builder

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What Impact Has The New York Times Paywall Had on Traffic? [STATS]

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 07:34 PM PDT


The New York Times‘ paywall has now been up for two weeks. What impact has it had on the popular website’s traffic? More importantly, is the paywall working as intended, or is it taking a bite out of The New York Times‘ revenues?

Experian Hitwise thinks it has the answer to the first question. The research and intelligence firm analyzed traffic data for NYTimes.com from before and after the paywall was erected. According to its data, traffic has declined overall by 5% to 15%.

Hitwise measured the change in total unique visitors between February 22 and March 5 as well as the number of visitors between March 29 and April 9. Overall, it was no contest: unique traffic has dropped since the paywall, with most declines in the 5% to 10% range.

The effects of the NYTimes.com paywall are far more pronounced on the website’s total pageviews, though. Using the same time period, Hitwise found that pageviews dropped between 11% and 30% after the paywall was erected. Pageviews typically exceeded 5.8 million before the paywall; after it went into effect, the site’s overall traffic has dropped under this number.

There are a couple of caveats to remember about the paywall before making any conclusions. First, The New York Times is currently running a promotion: $0.99 for the first four weeks of access. There could be a lot of people accessing NYTimes.com that won’t pay the normal $15 to $35 subscription fee. It’s also important to remember that the paywall doesn’t kick in until someone reads 20 articles a month (plus free visits from search and social media), which could explain why pageviews have dropped so much more than total visits.

So here’s the big question: Is NYT‘s paywall a success or a failure? When it comes to this big-picture question, we still don’t have enough information to make a conclusion. The paywall simply hasn’t been around long enough and we don’t have the financial data to see whether the paywall has made up for the loss in advertising revenue.

What do you think of the paywall? Is it the future of the news, or will sites that use a paywall destined for a slow death?

More About: media, paywall, the new york times, The New York Times paywall

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Mobile Coupon-Clipping Startup Gets Snapped Up

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 06:23 PM PDT


Peekaboo Mobile, makers of an iPhone and Android app for finding nearby mobile coupons, has been acquired by local advertising provider nSphere for an undisclosed, seven-figure sum.

The startup, founded in 2010, gives business owners the ability to create coupon deals, which are then accessible via the company’s mobile applications and partner network.

Peekaboo Mobile’s partner network includes location-based discovery app Where and membership card management service CardStar, which added a digital coupon clipping feature to its iPad app last year. “Through these relationships we can reach over 50 million consumers,” Peekaboo Mobile founder Ben Dolgoff says.

As part of the deal, Peekaboo Mobile’s team is joining nSphere but will continue to work on the mobile couponing business. Peekaboo Mobile is also now letting businesses use its service for free.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, trekandshoot

More About: cardstar, mobile coupons, peekaboo mobile, where

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Could Bing Overtake Google in 2012? [CHART]

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 05:34 PM PDT


Google might still be the leading search engine in the U.S. by a large margin, but over the last six months, searches powered by Microsoft Bing are increasing at an impressive rate. So impressive, in fact, that if the trend line continues, there will be a real contest between Bing and Google next year — and Bing may just come out on top.

According to the latest data from Experian Hitwise, Google was responsible for 64.42% of searches in the U.S. in March, 2011. Bing-powered search — which includes both search.yahoo.com and bing.com — accounted for 30% of U.S. searches.

The fact that Bing has crossed the 30% mark in the U.S. is significant in and of itself. Looking back through Experian Hitwise’s archives underscores the tremendous amount of growth for Bing-powered search. The rate of growth appears to be increasing.

Last October, Experian Hitwise reported that Google controlled 72.15% of the U.S. search market for September, 2010. Bing powered search accounted for 23.64%. In the last six months, Bing’s market share in the U.S. is up to 30%. Moreover, Bing.com, which represented just 10% of searches in September 2010, represented 14.32% of searches in March, 2011.

Google still clearly leads Bing more than 2 to 1. But when you consider that that ratio was 3 to 1 last fall, the gap appears to be closing. Bing is growing by five or six percent each month, whereas Google is losing two to three percent.

So what would happen if that trend continued?

We decided to graph out the answer to that question. In this scenario, Google drops 3% of its market share each month, while Bing gains 5% each month. Of course, this assumes sustained growth and sustained losses on the parts of both search engines. In a volatile market, it is extremely unlikely that we’ll see these exact numbers over the next year.

But if you do assume a constant trajectory, Bing will overtake Google in less than a year — January 2012, to be precise.

What isn’t hypothetical is that Bing has real momentum. After years of referring to Google as “the search giant”, it looks as if there is a serious contender for that title — and we could be heading towards an era dominated by two search superpowers.

What do you think of Bing’s growth over the last six months? Do you still use Google for everything? Let us know in the comments.

More About: bing, charts, data, Experian Hitwise, Google, microsoft, search engines, stats

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Bloom Readies iOS “Instruments” for Playful Visual Search

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 04:44 PM PDT


Bloom Studio, which was founded by three stewards of data science and visualization, is working on a suite of iOS applications that present social media and streaming data in playful visualizations with personal context.

Bloom, which refers to its applications as “instruments,” is now pushing its first iOS release, Planetary, through the Apple App Store approval process, just as co-founders Ben Cerveny, Tom Carden and Jesper Andersen are closing the company’s seed round of funding.

Planetary turns music data into a solar system-inspired visualization experience. In the app, music is sourced is from the user’s iPod library and reconstructed so artists are seen as stars, albums as planets and tracks as moons. The user can fly between entities to build playlists.

“It’s about seeing your collection in a new way,” says Cerveny, who shares that the application will understand the relationships between songs, genres and artists. Future versions of Planetary will incorporate streaming music services — think Rdio or Spotify — and work the user’s social graph into the galaxy to allow for new music discovery.

Planetary is just one of many little instruments that Bloom is working on. The startup aims to present the user with new ways of understanding, interacting with and acting on data visualizations for many social data streams. They’re all playful and game-like visual search applications, says Cerveny. He hints that a visualization around Netflix is in the works and that the startup will eventually bring these instruments of discovery to the living room.

To finance its endeavors, Bloom has closed a seed round of funding led by Betaworks with participation from Ron Conway’s SV Angel and individual investors. Cerveny says the financing will provide the four-person, San Francisco-based team with enough funds to operate through the year. Bloom is actively considering a follow-on addition to the seed round.

Those anxious for a sneak peek at Bloom’s idea of fluid playful discovery can take a look at demo applications Fizz and Cartagram, which offer up visualizations for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, scorpion26

More About: betaworks, Bloom, data visualizations, iOS, Seed funding, sv angel

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Microsoft Bing Controls 30% Of Search Market, Google Slowly Sinking [STATS]

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 03:31 PM PDT


Microsoft has secured 30% of the search market, largely at Google’s expense, according to data from Experian Hitwise.

The new March numbers claim that Microsoft achieved 30.01% of the U.S. search market share in March — 14.32% from Bing.com and 15.69% from Yahoo Search, which Bing now powers. The growth was pretty evenly distributed as well: Bing.com’s search market share grew by 6% from February while Yahoo search grew by 5%.

Google, on the other hand, now controls 64.42% of the U.S. search market, a decrease of 3% from its 66.69% share in February. What’s worse, Google’s market share is down 10% from August 2010, when it owned 71.59% of the search market. August was the first month Yahoo Search was powered by Bing, and since then both search engines have grown. This is especially true for Bing.com, which only had 9.87% of the market in August.

One of the reasons why Yahoo and Bing may be gaining on Google is that users are apparently achieving more success out of Bing-powered search: 81.14% of Yahoo Search users and 80.32% of Bing.com users clicked on a search result and visited a website. Google, on the other hand, only achieves a 65.91% success rate, according to Experian Hitwise’s numbers.

While these are only the stats from one analysis firm, they match up with trends in comScore’s data as well. Google’s growth has flatlined while Bing has been on the rise. It’s a much different story than it was early last year, when Google was trouncing Yahoo and Bing.

Google still controls two-thirds of the market, of course. The search giant has been working on a lot of new features for its flagship product, including +1, social search, Google Instant and the ability to block unwanted website.

More About: bing, Experian Hitwise, Google, google search, microsoft, Search, Yahoo

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Amazon Announces Cheaper, $114 Kindle With Ads

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 03:14 PM PDT


Amazon has announced a third, cheaper version of its Wi-Fi-only Kindle 3 device called Kindle With Special Offers.

At $114, the 6-inch device costs $25 less than the current Wi-Fi-only model and sports all of the same specs. The catch? Users will have to bypass the occasional special offer and look on sponsored screensavers from the likes of Buick, Olay and Visa when their devices are idle.

Amazon assures us that the screensavers are “attractive,” and is even trying to give consumers some agency by letting them vote on the screensavers they would like to appear on their devices.

The Kindle With Special Offers is now available for pre-order in the U.S. and will ship on May 3.

Are you interested in the new Kindle, or would you rather pony up an extra $25 for the ad-free version?

More About: amazon, Kindle, kindle 3

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Mitt Romney Joins 2012 Race With YouTube Video

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 02:27 PM PDT

Mitt Romney has thrown his hat in the ring with a YouTube video announcing the formation of an exploratory committee for a 2012 presidential bid.

In the 150-second video, Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, contrasts his business experience — he once served as the CEO of Bain & Co. — with Barack Obama's. "President Obama's policies have failed," says Romney. "He and the people around him have never worked in the real economy. They just don't know how jobs are created in the private sector."

Romney posted the video on YouTube and on his website, Monday, a week after Obama's campaign launched with a YouTube video. After Obama’s announcement, Romney also issued a retort via his Twitter account: "@barackobama I look forward to hearing details on your jobs plan, as are 14m unemployed Americans."

Meanwhile, Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor and a likely GOP candidate, responded to Obama's announcement with his own YouTube video.

Though it's very early in the race, it's clear that there will be more back and forth via social media this time around than in 2008, when Obama's campaign pioneered the use of Facebook and Twitter to reach voters while John McCain's campaign followed a more conventional path. Romney has more than 33,000 followers on Twitter and 840,000 fans on Facebook compared with 7.3 million and 19 million, respectively, for Obama.

More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney, president obama, Tim Pawlenty

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Dunkin’ Donuts Goes Local With New Site Design

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 02:10 PM PDT


Dunkin’ Donuts has finished rolling out a site redesign that helps users access the brand on a more local, store-specific level.

“The old dunkindonuts.com was really a one-size-fits-all destination, where we talked about a lot of national initiatives, but it never got down to the local market level, which was not in the best interest of our guests or our franchisees,” says Dave Tryder, Dunkin’ Donuts’s director of interactive and relationship marketing. “Our primary goal [in the redesign] was to enable guests to find out what was going on at their local Dunkin’ … and to make it more social.”

The new version, which was inspired by feedback from the company’s Facebook fanbase, is designed to help customers find out what is going on at their local Dunkin’ Donuts stop on both their desktops and on their mobile devices.

Consumers can enter their zip codes or use the GPS functionality on their smartphones to access information about store openings, hours, promotions (we have yet to see this integrated), Wi-Fi availability and other relevant information in their area. They can also use the new Trip Planner tool to identify a path of Dunkin’ Donuts locations further afield, lest they be forced to turn to a local shop for coffee or doughnuts in their travels.

The retail chain has also launched its first blog, “Behind the Beans,” and has started streaming content from its feeds on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube right on the homepage, underscoring the increasing importance of self-distributed media to the company. Dunkin’ Donuts is investing more resources in producing its own content, having released a three-part series on its new “eating smart” menu in the first quarter with the company’s executive chef, as well as some iced coffee promotions around the holidays.

“Web video allows us to do some things we may not do on TV, to tell the brand story in a different way, to do something more fun,” Tryder says. “It’s a very cost-effective way to get the message across from a production/cost standpoint. The audience size is there now.”

The company will continue to build out its content offerings on social networks and on its blog in the coming months.

More About: dunkin donuts, Mobile 2.0, web design

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Japanese .ORG Websites Get Renewal Fees Waived After Disaster

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 01:26 PM PDT

japan flag image

The Public Interest Registry (PIR) has announced it will waive renewal fees for .org websites based in Japan that are unable to renew registrations for their domain names.

Users must re-register their domains on a regular basis or risk losing them. The Japanese earthquake, tsunami, aftershocks and continuing nuclear crisis have made Internet access less reliable. Limited access could mean that some .org sites unintentionally expire.

To help, the Registry has offered to automatically renew .org registrations at no cost for sites located in Japan. “We didn’t think it would be right for the Japanese registrant to lose their domain names because they were unable to renew or because they simply had more important things to deal with,” says Brian Cute, CEO of PIR.

The .org domain is the third-largest non-country specific domain with more than 9 million registrations. While it is usually associated with non-commercial or non-profit organizations, .org actually has no restrictions on what kind of company can register.

“If those core .org domains had gone down, it would have been bad news for everyone involved,” Cute says. "The recent earthquake in Japan and the destruction that followed has shocked and saddened everyone, including the Internet community. Survivors have been left without the basic necessities, let alone Internet capabilities. By waiving the renewal fees and working with our Registrars, we are protecting .ORG registrants in Japan from losing their domain names during a time when they and their country need to focus on sustaining and rebuilding."

Japan-based .org domains will eventually be charged to renew their registrations. But Cute says there is no plan to recapture or retro-actively charge for the waived fee. Instead, the plan will ensure that .org sites, including Japan-based non-profits, won’t go dark during the aftermath.

org image

The Registry cannot implement the plan without help. While PIR oversees the .org domain, it doesn’t deal directly with the sites. Registrars like GoDaddy.com or Japan Registry Services CO., LTD. act as middle-men to organizations or individuals trying to set up sites. Those registrar companies will also need to agree to the waiver for it to go into effect. So far, more than 15 registrar companies (including the two above) have agreed to the plan. You can find an updated list here. The automatic renewal is effective from March 11 to June 11.

What are some other creative or important campaigns you’ve seen in the Japanese relief effort? Let us know in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Flickr, www.webulb.net

More About: charity, japan, non-profit, org, public interest registry, social good, social media, web

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5 Tips for Recruiting College Students via Social Media

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 01:00 PM PDT


Dan Klamm is the outreach and marketing coordinator at Syracuse University Career Services. Connect with him on Twitter @DanKlamm.

More and more companies are recognizing the value of social media in building their employer brand in the minds of college students.  From the Department of State (@DOScareers) to Google (@GoogleStudents) to MTV (@MTVNetworksJobs), organizations across many industries are taking to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and blogs to enhance their image and build a pipeline of talent from college campuses.

Some companies instinctively “get it.” They know how to use social media to connect with college students and drive interest in career opportunities.  Others struggle with these relatively new methods of communication. Like cramming square pegs into round holes, they try forcing their old strategies for communicating with young talent into new media platforms — without much success. 

Here are some tips on how companies can optimize their social media presence to attract college students for internship and job opportunities.

1. Make It Personal

Nobody likes talking to a logo. Show that there are real people behind your corporate HR accounts.  This can be accomplished quite simply. Just include a line in your bio with the names of the people who update your account or feature their photos somewhere on the page.  As an example, @StarbucksJobs has “Tweets from Jeremy at Starbucks in Seattle, WA” in its Twitter bio.  CitiBank takes it a step further, with many recruiters having their own Twitter accounts (@AmyAtCiti, @JulieAtCiti, @LaDonnaAtCiti, to name a few).

Give the people behind your accounts some freedom to inject their own personality, quirks and observations into their updates. By humanizing your organization’s social media presence, students will be more likely to interact with you. 

2. Keep It Real

Skip the corporate press releases and sleek marketing videos. For social media, your happy and successful employees are your best asset. Let them show off why they enjoy working at your organization in real, authentic ways.

At Ernst & Young, a first-year staff member tweets about her day-to-day work activities and learning opportunities on the @EYstaff account.  At General Electric, recent grads in the Information Management Leadership Program update the IMLP Blog with firsthand accounts of exciting projects and travel adventures.  Through vehicles like this, students can get a feel for what it’s actually like to work for these companies.

Students don’t like feeling “marketed to.”  Instead of fancy recruitment videos, try walking around your company with a Flipcam, asking employees, “What’s your favorite part of working here?” Off-the-cuff content like this will probably resonate with college students more than a scripted recruitment piece. Plus, it will yield much more interesting nuggets of information. 

3. Deliver Exclusivity

Job postings are great, but they’re already listed on your company website. Give your followers and friends something that’s not readily available to outsiders: a behind-the-scenes look at your culture or an opportunity to make meaningful connections with people inside the company. 

Mr. Youth, a social marketing agency, posts Facebook photo albums from its lively holiday parties and special events. Google showcases its teams hard at work through a series of candid YouTube videos, “Working at Google.”  Photos and videos give students a real peek at the action.

To create additional exclusivity for your social media friends, create real-life connections.  Host a Facebook contest and offer the winner a personal lunch with one of your recruiters. Many students would be thrilled with the opportunity to get some insight in a relaxed, non-interview setting such as this.  Headed for a campus visit?  Announce an impromptu Tweetup for students who avidly follow your updates on Twitter.

4. Add Value

Students are flooded with information from companies on a daily basis. To make your organization stand out, provide relevant and useful content through your social media platforms.  When it comes to selecting an employer, students are often interested in knowing about the work environment, mentoring programs, advancement opportunities within the company and whether they’ll be able to jump in and make significant contributions in the workplace right away. Address these areas.

Maybe host a Twitter chat for prospective employees, allowing college students to ask questions and receive real-time responses from current employees. Or live tweet your company’s campus information sessions, giving students from other locations an opportunity to participate in the events remotely and gain important knowledge about your recruiting operations. 

5. Stay Ahead of the Curve

If you’re fumbling with Facebook while your competitor is developing a mobile careers app, students might judge your company in a negative way. When trying to recruit a generation who is ahead of the curve technologically, you need to stay ahead of the curve as well.

Examine your recruiting strategy and see if it would make sense to utilize location-based services like Foursquare and Gowalla in some way.  Consider other emerging technologies, like QR codes, as well.  In general, today’s students want to work for companies that are perceived as technologically advanced.

Now is a time of exciting possibilities in the world of campus recruiting. For companies that put time, energy and strategic thought into connecting with college students through social media, there is huge potential for pay off in the years to come.

Interested in more Business resources? Check out Mashable Explore, a new way to discover information on your favorite Mashable topics.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, danwilton

More About: business, facebook, hr, jobs, List, Lists, Recruiting, small business, social media, tips, twitter

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100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 12:49 PM PDT

social_media_events_guide1

Every week, Mashable puts together a calendar of upcoming social media and web events, parties and conferences.

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

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

Upcoming Mashable Events

Mashable Connect — May 12-14, 2011, Orlando, FL:
Mashable Connect 2011 will be an intimate experience that brings together leaders from the digital world for a weekend away to share and connect offline. Set away from the distractions of traditional conferences, Mashable Connect will recreate the Mashable web experience on the grounds of Disney World, creating an environment where attendees can truly engage and build lasting connections. The invite-only conference will cover new territory, break news and feature special events, with a touch of Disney magic.

April 11-14, 2011, Santa Clara, CA: The O’Reilly MySQL Conference & Expo is an interactive learning community, spreading the latest and best knowledge on MySQL and related technologies to the global open source community. Harness the power of MySQL and celebrate the huge MySQL ecosystem over 4 days of in-depth training, sessions, plenary discussions, case studies, networking with hundreds of your peers, and more. Register and use the discount code mys11msh to save 15%.

April 11-13, 2011, London, UK: The London Book Fair is the global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film and digital channels. With 1600 exhibiting companies from over 50 countries, the fair brings together all corners of the international publishing industry to meet and do business. Celebrating its 40th year, The London Book Fair has grown into an industry hub bringing you three days of education, networking and business opportunities. For more information and to register, please visit www.londonbookfair.co.uk/mashable.

April 11-13, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Mix and mingle with more than 10,000 digital marketers at ad:tech. Discover the latest innovations in social media, mobile, search, e-mail, location-based marketing and much more. Find hundreds of the hottest digital marketing and advertising companies to network with and learn from. For more information and to register, please click here.

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%.

April 12, 2011 New York, NY: The Sentiment Analysis Symposium bridges technology and business in one of the most exciting applications to emerge in recent years: software that discovers business value in opinions and attitudes in social media, news, and enterprise feedback. The Sentiment Analysis Symposium provides an unmatched opportunity to learn about sentiment technologies, how they are applied, return on investment, and how to choose from among the many available solution options. Meet and learn from fellow experts, business executives, and practitioners. Keynotes, presentation tracks covering important business applications, a start-up showcase and peer-networking opportunities are planned.

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

April 13, 2011, Knoxville, TN: Some of the brightest minds in social media in the country are coming to Knoxville for this can't-miss marketing and PR event of the year: Social Slam 2011! Join for us for four expert panels and nationally acclaimed keynote speakers, including: Jay Baer, Christina "CK" Kerley, Trey Pennington and Brian Winter. For more information, please visit socslam.com.

April 14-16, 2011, New Orleans, LA: Whether you're a mom entrepreneur, blogger, a brand trying to connect with moms, or are just passionate about the online world, Mom 2.0 Summit is the conference for you. Talk shop with social media influencers, industry leaders and leading brands as they share best practices. Discuss ways to create smarter web-based marketing, and discover social media tools that engage your audience and build relationships. Register and use the promo code mashable2011 to save $35 off the ticket price.

April 14-15, 2011, Toronto, Canada: Gain cutting edge strategies to manage the risks and uncertainties involved in your organization's use of social media – all in just 2 days! Attend The Canadian Institute's Advanced Forum on Managing Legal and Business Risks in Social Media, and walk away with the tools you need to prepare a thorough plan for your organization to successfully navigate this ever-changing online world. Register and use the Mashable discount code 248CX01 to save 15% off the conference.

April 14, 2011, Boston, MA: Interested in meeting early-stage Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists in Boston? If so, then register for the FundingPost event on April 14th! FundingPost has hosted 175+ sold-out venture events in 20 cities over the past 9 years. At our next Boston 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! For more information and to register, please click here.

April 16, 2011, Everywhere: What started in 2010 as a grass-roots efforts to motivate people to get out and check in is back and now with the support of over 100 local foursquare committees around the world. On April 16th (4 and 4 squared) foursquare users are self-organizing meetups, lectures, swarms, scavenger hunts, and much more. Foursquare users can visit 4sqday.com to find out about about nearby events. Find out how cities such as Cincinnati are getting Foursquare Day officially proclaimed by reading the blog. The official slogan of Foursquare Day 2011, selected by fans in an online vote, is “Foursquare Day: When the World is Your Venue.” Events are not profit-driven and no event is too big or too small.

April 17-21, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: The Mobile Connections Conference is a first of its kind technology event that provides technical cross-platform knowledge for mobile developers. Attendees will gain understanding on how to leverage cloud based services, how to market and sell apps, app security solutions and the latest market predictions. Developers will be able to network with peers, IT professionals, carriers and a wide range of mobile infrastructure, product and service vendors. Register with promo code 100MASH and save $100!

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

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

April 19-21, 2011, Santa Clara, CA: Now in it's 7th year, Where 2.0 is the premier conference for all things location-aware. Join us where the grassroots and leading-edge developers building location-aware technology intersect with the business leaders, marketers, and entrepreneurs seeking out location apps, platforms, and hardware to gain a competitive edge. Register now and save 25% with the discount code whr11mash.

April 25-30, 2011, Philadelphia, PA: Philly Tech Week is a week-long celebration of technology and innovation in Philadelphia. Rock to 8-bit chiptunes, discover the ins and outs of augmented reality, or see the next great Philly startups as Technically Philly hosts over 25 technology-focused events in the city of Brotherly Love. Most events are free.

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.

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!

April 26, 2011, Kansas City, MO: The Social: IRL Social Business Summit with Jeremiah Owyang takes place April 26 in Kansas City MO. The event location is just minutes from Kansas City International Airport for easy nationwide attendance. This event offers a unique opportunity for anyone serious about social business and social strategy to spend a full day learning from industry leader Jeremiah Owyang in a unique interactive format. With a focus on business objectives first, Jeremiah will lead attendees through sessions that present a framework, include hands on workshops, group collaboration, and interactive Q&A. The goal of the Social Business Summit is for attendees to bring an actionable plan to their day job. Register and use discount code MASHABLE to receive a $25 discount on registration(s).

April 28, 2011, New York, NY: Don't miss the Guardian newspaper’s gathering for leaders working across all sectors who are proving that, through the use of technology and the internet, we can make the world a better place. Confirmed speakers include Nicholas Negroponte, Craig Newmark, Arianna Huffington, Nathan Eagle, Jeff Jarvis, Emily Bell, Iqbal Quadir, Bruce Schneier and Benjamin Bratton among others. For more information, please visit www.guardian.co.uk/activate/new-york.

April 28, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: Interested in meeting early-stage Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists in Las Vegas? If so, then register for the FundingPost event on April 28th! 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! For more information and to register, please click here.

May 1-3, 2011, Washington, D.C.: Under the theme 21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers, World Press Freedom Day will affirm fundamental principles of media freedom in the digital age—the ability of citizens to voice their opinions and access diverse, independent information sources—20 years after the original declaration was made. Professional and citizen journalists struggling to promote accountable governments and informed publics will look for support and inspiration, as the panels highlight innovative media platforms that are democratizing how people gain and share information – rights that now more than ever must be protected. For more information and to register, please click here.

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%!

May 2-3, 2011, Chicago, IL: At Technology Driven Market Research, the focus is on presenting ground-breaking tools and technologies that are being used NOW and those on the horizon. These technologies are enabling “in the moment” research to more clearly understand consumer behavior. Through real-world experienced based presentations, this event will look at brand-mind placement, eye tracking research in a virtual retail environment, social gaming as a research device, and social and mobile analysis plus much more. Register with the promo code TDMR11MASH and save 20% off the standard rate.

May 3-7, 2011, London, UK: Digital Shoreditch is the voice of everything happening in Shoreditch. The festival explores and celebrates digital technologies; unites the digital community; and provides a platform for sharing knowledge. The activity culminates in a series of exhibitions, parties, presentations, open studios and games.

May 4, 2011, Washington, D.C.: ConAgra Foods, United Health Group, the IRS, the U.S. Navy, and more will share case studies in corporate social media at BlogWell Washington, D.C.: 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 promo code THANKSMASHABLE and save 10%!

May 4, 2011, New York, NY: Co-created by Jeff Pulver of the 140Conf organization and Fashion Snoops, Fashion140 is a brave collaborative inquiry into how the real time web and social media are reshaping the fashion and style-related industries, now!. With over 50 speakers from Facebook, Twitter, Google Boutiques, Gilt Group, Urban Outfitters, Bonobos, Hautelook, Kmart Fashion, Miss Universe, Time Inc and many others, our goal is to create together a unique global perspective of the fashion industry and its future. For more information and to register, please click here.

May 5, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Social-Loco will convene thought leaders in social web, mobile and location-based commerce at the Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco. Leading pundits, executives and investors will dive into what the convergence of social and mobile web technologies means for SMB, big brands and consumers. Confirmed speakers include Emily White, Sr. Director of Local, Facebook; Clara Shih, CEO of Hearsay and author of The Facebook Era; Robert Scoble, Managing Director at Rackspace; John Battelle, CEO of Federated Media and more. Register with the promo code mashable20 and save 20%!

May 5, 2011, New York, NY: DIGIDAY:TARGET will bring together the leading agency, brands, content and technology companies to examine and explore the innovations and the future of the audience targeting and measurement for media and marketing to consumers. The event will take a deep dive into the issues brands and agencies face as they enter this next frontier of advertising and marketing to improve their bottom line. Attendees will learn about the latest advances in cross platform technology, targeting, strategies, tactics that agencies, publishers, and brands can use to improve their communication and ROI among today’s consumers who spend more of their lives in the digital space.

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.

May 9-11, 2011, Minneapolis, MN: Content strategy is the next big thing. Is it your thing, too? Whether you’re a content strategy veteran or curious about where to start, Confab: The Content Strategy Conference is for you. Real-world case studies from major companies like Disney, eBay, Facebook and Merck. Hands-on workshops. All the experts. Mix and mingle with other content strategists. Share your insights. Hear the insights of others. Plus, there will be some fantastic parties. Get ahead of the curve in your business and career … come to Confab: The Content Strategy Conference. Register with the promo code MASHABLE and save $150.

May 9, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The SF MusicTech Summit brings together 800+ visionaries in the music and technology space, along with the brightest developers, entrepreneurs, investors, musicians, service providers, and journalists who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce. We meet to discuss the evolving music/business/technology ecosystem in a proactive environment. Mashable readers can receive an exclusive 10% discount when they register and use the promo code Mashable. For more information and to register, please visit http://sfmusictech.com.

May 9, 2011, New York, NY: TEDxEast, the largest independently organized TEDx event in NYC is now accepting applications for its next day-long conference themed "Tinker, Noodle, Obsess," to be held at The Times Center in the NY Times building. An inspiring group of influential thoughts leaders and innovators will explore the things that capture our attention and get stuck in our heads or under our skin. The speakers come from diverse backgrounds, each representing the point of view of someone who "tinkers," "noodles" or "obsesses" with a particular topic or idea. Pre-event parties and networking opportunities are part of registration. For more information and to register, please click here.

May 10-12, 2011, London, UK: Internet World 2011 is the industry event for digital marketing and online business. With unrivalled Keynotes, including speakers from Facebook, Google, Nike, eBay and many more, it's the only place to get exclusive insight… all for free! With over 300 solution providers and more than 100 seminars, Internet World attracts over 12,000 visitors, combining five shows in one event for your one-stop-shop covering all things new media. Register now to help formulate the future digital agenda.

May 10-11, 2011, Hollywood, FL: Following an incredible inaugural year in 2010, the annual Social Media Customer Response Summit is back with more excitement and even better sessions addressing the industry's key issues. This year’s theme will focus on ideas surrounding how corporate America is responding to emerging ‘Customer Response’ channels through social media, web 2.0, video streaming and mobile applications. During this two-day seminar, attendees will be able to listen, learn and collaborate with prominent industry leaders such as Bob Simmonds of Disney, David Thornton of Bank of America, Robert Lamb of AT&T, and Jim Moloney of General Motors on the challenges/benefits with using an ‘interactive social media customer response strategy,’ and what technological developments will continue to affect the industry, plus much more. C-Level executives interested in attending can find more information about the Summit’s Agenda & Registration at customerresponsesummit.com.

May 11-12, 2011, Amsterdam: iStrategy is an inspirational, 2-day, digital media conference for senior executives who believe that the success of their business requires a sound digital strategy. iStrategy has recruited keynote speakers, panelists, workshop facilitators and attendees with expertise in the online channels that drive successful outcomes and tools that provide ongoing measurement including: Social Media, Mobile Marketing and Applications, Display Advertising, SEO/SEM, Email Marketing, Database Marketing, Web Analytics, E-commerce and Content Strategy. Register with the promo code MASHEU10 to receive a 10% discount.

May 12-14, 2011, Chicago, IL: unGeeked Elite Retreats brings together 24 speakers over the course of three days. The format is “open discussion”. The topics focus on 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, Jason Falls, Oliver Blanchard, Spike Jones, and Anita Campbell. Register with the promo code unGeekedChicago and save 5% off regular ticket price. Tickets includes the latest book from Olivier Blanchard and entry into the Chris Brogan Roast.

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.

May 12-13, 2011, Seattle, WA: As companies like Netflix, Zynga, AT&T and Disney Gaming start embracing HTML5 for their native and web based games and apps, on platforms as diverse as Playstation, iOS and Google TV, then whether you’re a web, mobile, or casual game developer, it’s time to start taking HTML5 seriously. This is what Unplugged is all about. So, to keep up to date with this increasingly indispensable technology, come to Seattle in May, and learn from world leading experts in mobile and app design and development. Mashable readers can save $100 when registering with the promo code Mashable – just $695 before April 31st!

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.

May 16-18, 2011, London, UK: The Future of Web Design (FOWD) hits London again this May! Following on from the success of last year, we’re bringing you 3 full days of essential web learning: a day of in-depth workshops, followed up by a two day conference, covering all of the hottest topics across two stages. Big names, rising stars, great networking opportunities and some fabulous catering thrown in for good measure. Hope you can join us!

May 16-17, 2011, Atlanta, GA: Digital Summit 2011 will feature over 100 speakers and an audience of over 1,000 internet execs, entrepreneurs and senior marketers. Join dozens of industry leaders and innovators in the conversation on topics such as Social Media, Mobile, Cloud Computing, Online Advertising, Analytics, Search, Video, Ecommerce and more. Top brands and thought leaders converge on one of America’s Most Wired Cities. Register and use the promo code MASH for 20% off.

May 17-19, 2011, Boston, MA: In the ever changing world of social media and mobile marketing organizations are finding it difficult to navigate the complicated legal waters. At the 2011 Social Media Legal Risks and Strategies Summit, attendee's will have the opportunity to learn practical strategies for staying compliant with regulations and safeguarding against legal risks. During this 3 day summit attendee's will learn, first hand, from top legal minds from such brands as, The Walt Disney Company, General Mills, General Electric and The Better Business Bureau. Register and use the promo code MikeSM to receive a discount. http://socialmedialegalrisks.com

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%!

May 17-18, 2011, Sydney, Australia: With an estimated 200,000 loyalty programs currently operating in Australia, it is vital for businesses to understand how to make their brand stand out from the crowd. More than ever, your success hinges on your ability to gain a greater understanding of your customers’ wants and needs.Traditional modes of marketing have evolved and it is necessary to embrace more personalised communications across numerous channels. The Customer Loyalty 2011 Conference is a case-study driven program that will explore different strategies to add the value that your customers want from your loyalty initiative. It will discuss evolving definitions of best practice in loyalty marketing and help you make your mark in this evolving multichannel landscape. Register with the promo code CC*MASHABLE and save 10%!

May 18-19, 2011, Boston, MA: Text analytics has grown from an interesting but little known software application into an invaluable commercial tool being used by businesses worldwide. Forward thinking executives across a myriad of industries are using text analytics solutions to increase efficiency and unlock essential information that they never had access to before. Whether you are a software developer, an experienced analytics user, or new to the text analytics industry, the Text Analytics Summit is the only place to get the information that you need to stay ahead of the competition and profit from text mining. Register and use the promo code mashable to save 10%.

May 18, 2011, London, UK: The International Search Summit is partnering with SMX to run its global search and social media program at SMX Advanced in London. Focusing specifically on international and multilingual topics, the summit will run on 18th May and give delegates the opportunity to attend both events in just one trip and on one pass. Topics at the Summit will include international link building, managing global content, international SEO case studies and emerging markers. The agenda will be regularly updated with confirmed speakers. Combo or Summit only tickets are available. Early Bird rates apply and Mashable readers can get a 15% discount on the booking price with the discount code MASHABLE011. For more information and to register, please click here.

May 19-20, 2011, Miami, FL: Following the success of the 2010 edition, LBS LATAM returns in 2011 to continue the discussions and thought provoking market topics of interest. Responding to industry demands, the conference will be held for two days in Miami, Florida. For more information, please click here.

May 20-22, 2011, Ft. Lauderdale, FL: SheCon’s 2011 New Media Expo is the industry’s first free, three-day social media event that is bringing together some of the industry’s most renowned experts to condense a four-year journalism school experience into three days of new media sessions, with sessions and panels ranging from general to specific, niche market discussions. Combined with the educational sessions, the expo will bring together a diverse group of exhibitors that will be focusing on a brand integration, rather than forced brand interaction, concept for engaging and building relationships with attendees.

May 23-24, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Produced by Mediabistro and SocialTimes, Socialize Media Optimization Conference (SMOC) is a two-day event dedicated to social media optimization and social advertising. Boost search engine visibility, increase linkability, and fuel your readers' desire to share your content. Industry leaders will also show you how to get results whenadvertising on the social web in terms of strategy, targeting, privacy, and metrics. Our experts include Brian Solis (author, Engage), Rohit Bhargava (SVP, Digital, Strategy & Planning Group), Gary Ware (Covario), and many more. Register and use the promo code MASH to save 15%.

May 23, 2011, Charlotte, NC: You're invited to make history at the 1st Annual Global Green Women and Minorities Social Media Conference. socialHUE will open your eyes, ears and streams to opportunities, perspectives and emerging voices in the field of New Media. At this intensive day of learning, the presentations are international in scope and include the latest in social communications and related aspects of new media. These conversations serve as the foundation for the improvement of business growth options worldwide via the sharing of viewpoints, ideas, and information. Register and use the promo code MASHHUE for a discount.

May 23, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Hosted by Our Social Times, Social Media Marketing & Monitoring 2011 will bring together leading marketing and PR experts, brands, agencies and journalists for an intensive one-day conference. Following this sell-out event last year, join us for an update on the latest strategies, tools and techniques in social media marketing. Topics include: community management; blogger outreach; influencer analysis and engagement; Twitter marketing; geo-location marketing; social gaming; social media monitoring and Social CRM. Register and use the promo code Mash1 to save 10%.

May 24-26, 2011, New York, NY: BlogWorld & New Media Expo is the first and only industry-wide conference, tradeshow and media event dedicated to blogging, podcasting, social media, social networking, online video, music, Internet TV and radio. BlogWorld conference attendees enjoy more than 120 cutting-edge educational sessions presented by industry leaders, while New Media Expo provides the only industry-wide new media marketplace for networking, online business and marketing resources. Social Media Business Summit, exclusive to BlogWorld, is the world's largest social media business conference where business owners, marketing executives and global brands learn strategies, tools and technologies to grow their businesses with social media. Register at blogworldexpo.com with the promo code MASH20 to save 20% off the ticket price!

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.

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%.

May 25-27, 2011, Portland, OR: WebVisions explores the future of web design, technology, user experience and business strategy in a punchy, new format! The all-star lineup of speakers includes author Douglas Rushkoff, design strategist David Armano, mobile researcher Rachel Hinman, usability expert Jared Spool, design ethnographer Kelly Goto and many more. Take advantage of package deals for workshops and conference passes, discounts on hotels, and networking events and after hour parties. Register here and save up to 30% off the Standard Admission rates! rates.

May 25, 2011, London, UK: The Guardian Sustainable Business Awards aim to showcase genuine innovation in corporate sustainability and reward those who take sustainability to the very heart of their business. Enter the awards today at guardian.co.uk/gsb-awards to get the recognition you deserve. Winners will be invited to a ceremony held in London in May and will feature in a supplement published on guardian.co.uk. All entries meeting the criteria will be added to the new Guardian Sustainable Business best practice exchange – an online database allowing sustainability professionals to share their learning. Enter before February 7th at guardian.co.uk/gsb-awards.

May 29-30, 2011, Dubai, UAE: Social Media Marketing – The Way Forward – It is undeniable that social media has fundamentally transformed and evolved the architecture of business, communications, and the dissemination of information and influence. In July 2010, Facebook announced it had over 500 million users worldwide,of which at least 15 million were in Middle East.Survey findings also indicated that one out of five Facebook users is from Asia or Middle East. Participants at this two-day conference will be exposed to the intricacies of corporate social media strategies tailored for your industry. Participants would gain insights to maximizing the usage of social and establishing and maintaining a good relationship with consumers, thus effectively introducing their brands online and engaging long-term relationship with the audience. For more information, please click here.

June 3-4, 2011, Victoria, BC, Canada: Last year’s event was the largest social media event in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. This year’s Social Media Camp will feature more time, more sessions, more speakers, more exhibitors and more sunshine! This year’s keynote speakers are the critically acclaimed authors of “The Now Revolution”, Jay Baer and Amber Naslund. Whether you are an avid Facebook user, interested in learning about Twitter, or you're trying to grow your business by leveraging social media tools – there is something for everyone at this event! Register and use the promo code MASHABLE to save $50!

June 5-9, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The 2011 Semantic Technology Conference (SemTech) is the world's largest educational conference for the community of executives, technologists, researchers, investors and customers who are involved with semantic technologies. The SemTech conference draws together more than 1,000 forward-thinking technology and business leaders from around the world, representing the entire marketplace of vendors, developers, researchers, start-ups, investors and customers. SemTech 2011 features five days of presentations, panels, tutorials, announcements, new company/product launches, and conversations. It’s a place for new learning, professional networking, and business development. For details and registration, visit the site. Register and use the promo code MASH to save 15%.!

June 6-8, 2011, Boston, MA: The Art & Science of Integrating Traditional & Social Media Marketing – Measure Up, is the world's most comprehensive cross-dimensional view of marketing measurement best practices. With a focus on return on investment (ROI) as it relates to the integration of traditional, online and mobile activities; specifically, social media, this event explores analytics across the entire marketing mix and incorporates those results into marketing strategies and tactics to drive higher revenue, profit and brand share. Register and use the promo code XU2308MASH and save 10%!

June 6, 2011, New York, NY: At Realtime NY 11 leading brands, government agencies and non profit organizations will present case studies and best practices for using the realtime web to deliver bottom-line results. Learn how to use realtime, social and mobile applications to drive revenue, build your brand, and listen to stakeholders. Discover how to find and engage influencers, and explore the value of social commerce and geolocation-based promotions. Realtime NY 11 will feature speakers who are pioneering and managing social media, mobile and realtime strategies for leading brands, including PepsiCo, IBM, Citibank, Delta Air Lines, McDonald’s, Gatorade and more. Register with the promo code MASHABLE to save 20%.

June 7-8, 2011, Munich, Germany: a4uexpo Europe is the largest pan European Affiliate and Performance Marketing Conference. With over 1000 delegates, a diverse conference programme, a focus on quality, knowledge transfer and unparalleled networking opportunities with delegates and key industry figures from around the world, a4uexpo Europe is a must attend educational and networking event. Whether a new or established affiliate, agency, entrepreneur, search specialist, merchant or network – a4uexpo is the conference for those serious about making an impact in Affiliate and Performance Marketing. Register with the promo code MASHABLE25 and save €25 on a full conference pass for a4uexpo Europe.

June 7-8, 2011, Seattle, WA: Join the most accomplished search marketers in the world – Search Marketing Expo – SMX Advanced Seattle. Check out the full agenda, featuring two days of experts-only sessions, keynotes and the highest-level networking anywhere. Don't wait – SMX Advanced has sold out 4 years running. Register with partner code smx100mashable and you'll save $100 and secure your spot.

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.

June 14, 2011, London, UK: 20 social media experts will be speaking at the Social Media Results Conference – From Engagement To ROI. Procter & Gamble, Barclaycard, Nokia, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd, MTV Networks UK & Ireland, Mothercare, Lonely Planet, American Airlines, Kodak Ltd, Comic Relief, Vue Entertainment, Cisco Europe, Phones 4u Limited and many more will be discussing their real-world, actionable social media insights on how to drive the customer journey with consistently genuine interaction and fully integrated, targeted social media campaigns. Click here to download/view the conference program.

June 15-18, 2011, Nairobi, Kenya: The spotlight in AfriTech Kenya 2011 will be on "Brand building using a digital platform". It’s projected to be the largest gathering of digital media gurus and industry shapers in the African continent. The conference will be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) on June 15-18, 2011. Outstanding business luminaries, philanthropists, government decision-makers and investors will be participating during this four day historic summit. For more information and to register, please visit afri-tech.com.

June 15-16, 2011, New York, NY: “Exploring the State of NOW” – The 140 Characters Conference: New York City (#140conf) will be taking place June 15-16, 2011 at the 92nd Street Y, where we will continue to explore the effects of the real-time web on both business and on people. This event is expected to be the largest worldwide gathering of people interested in the effects of the real-time Internet on both business and "we" the people. #140conf exposes you to the power the Internet has to disrupt businesses, change lives and create serendipity. You will leave with a fresh outlook on how the real time web can be used in your business or personal life to actually do something meaningful. Register TODAY and take advantage of the "Early Bird" prices.

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%!

June 20-21, New York, NY: At the new ALL FOR ONE Marketing Show presented by DM Days, you'll learn how Domino's, FreshDirect, Grey New York and other top companies maximize ROI by leveraging customer insight and data to successfully integrate marketing channels. You'll walk away with concrete examples of successful campaigns from marketing experts and thought leaders. Register with the promo code DM730 and save $200!

June 20, 2011, New York, NY: Games for Change is the leading global advocate for supporting and making games for social impact. The Games for Change Festival is the largest gaming event in New York City and the only international event uniting "games for change" creators, the public, civil society, academia, the gaming industry and media. Register before April 15th and save 30%!

June 21-22, 2011, New York, NY: The Second Annual Corporate Social Media Summit is 'the' event for big business using social media. This year we have speakers from Dell, Best Buy, Kodak, Coca-Cola, Southwest Airlines and many more. They will share best practice to help your company leverage the power of social media for better marketing, customer engagement and enhance profitability. The conference is designed for corporates like you – and our agenda is based on three months of research with your peers. Download a brochure here for all the info you need. Register and use the promo code MASH11 to save 10%.

June 21-22, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: Digital Content Monitization West 2011 is a unique opportunity to find out how to drive revenue and profitability from different content and formats across a wide variety of channels. 60+ senior level speakers from will help you sort out the best short and medium term strategies for delivering revenue through digital content. With its focus on west coast industries, you’ll dig deep into how the film, music and games sectors are driving new sources of revenue. Plus the publishing, sports, TV and news sectors will provide detailed information about how to monetize rich media content. Register online at dcm-west.com and use the promo code DCM MASH for early booking discounts.

June 27-29, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: The Future of Web Apps (FOWA) is coming to Vegas. After successfully running shows in Miami and London, the conference hits Vegas for the first time in June. A conference for web developers and entrepreneurs, there are 3 days of jam packed web fun including a day of workshops and 2 conference days of two tracks. As well as App Clinics and Expo Area, you can learn and network with people who have passion for the web! Register with the code FOWA_MASHABLE and receive 10% off our 2 day conference passes.

July 14-16, 2011, Dallas, TX: The Big Design Conference is an intense day of learning within the scope of Strategy, Social Media, User Experience, Gaming, Mobile, Usability, Design, and Code Development. Experts from across the country will gather to present theories, research, experiences, and best practices to students, professionals, and executives looking to stay on the bleeding edge. Experts include Beverly Robertson (President, National Civil Rights Museum), Russ Unger (Director of UX, Happy Cog), Jeremy Johnson (Director of UX, Game Stop), Brian Sullivan (Usability Principal, Sabre), Joshua Clark (author of Tapworthy), Jared Spool (Founder, User Interface Engineering), and many more. Mashable readers receive 20% off conference registration by using the code MASHABLE during the checkout process.

July 27-29, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Join us at the premiere of ePharma Summit West, the sister event to The ePharma Summit, the largest, longest running and most respected digital marketing event for the Life Sciences Industry. Network and join the conversation with hundreds of fellow thought leaders from top Pharma, Biotech, Device and Health Science companies. Register as a Mashable reader with the promo code XP1656MASH and save 10%.

August 1-3, 2011, San Antonio, TX: The eduWeb Conference is the event for you to meet, share, explore, and learn from your higher education peers on topics including mobile apps, branding, web site analytics, social media strategic planning, and web development. eduWeb offers 4 tracks: Marketing Communications, Design & Development, Social Media and Information Architecture. Register with the promo code 11Mash and save $50!

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.

September 11-14, 2011, Denver, CO: Come join the best and brightest of the iOS development community at 360|iDev, the first iOS developer event to be held by the developer community! Speakers include many leading community members, and app store success stories. With over 40 sessions, including hands-on training the sunday before the conference, 360|iDev offers more content than any other iOS developer event in the world. Register and use the promo code iosmash to save 20% of the ticket price.

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!

Sept 21-22, 2011, London, UK: ad:tech London is the UK’s essential free to attend event for professionals seeking to stay ahead of the latest interactive media, advertising and marketing trends. The event unites advertisers, media owners and agencies to harness the power of digital and deliver real marketing ROI. Alongside the exhibition, there is also a conference featuring 100+ international speakers for serious digital innovators and marketers. Mashable readers can take 20% off their conference ticket price. Register online now with the promo code MASH11 at www.ad-techlondon.co.uk.

September 26-29, 2011, Kaua’i, HI: Search and Social Hawaii 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%.

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.

October 1-6, Boston, MA: At DMA2011, you – and 10,000 marketing peers from around the world – will find everything you need to develop and execute the real-time integrated marketing campaigns that drive measurable bottomline results for your brand. Listen to 300+ marketing experts and gurus talk about social, mobile, mail, search, data, attribution, and more. Plus, you'll find hundreds of technologies in the Exhibit Hall, the only one of its kind in the world! Register now with the promo code AN504 and SAVE $250!

October 5-6, 2011, Seattle, WA: The first annual Seattle Interactive Conference is a two-day event celebrating the convergence of online technology, creativity, and emerging trends in one of the world’s most innovative cities. SIC brings together entrepreneurs, developers and online business professionals from throughout the US and beyond for a powerful combination of in-depth presentations, networking opportunities, and uniquely Seattle social events. Attendees have the rare opportunity to explore disruptive technologies and business models with visionary thinkers and peers in areas ranging from online commerce and social media to gaming, interactive advertising, entertainment, and much more.

October 9-11, 2011, Scottsdale, AZ: Join 200 of your advertising and PR agency friends at BOLO 2011. This event champions the marketing stalwarts, showing you how to leverage today’s digital marketing trends and technologies for economic advantage. Hear from industry thought leaders such as Scott Stratton, President of UnMarketing, and Jay Baer, author of The Now Revolution. From analytics and targeting to social media and agency management, the topics are cutting-edge and chosen to help your agency stay ahead of the curve in digital. Register now with the promo code MASHABLE for 10% off.

October 17-18, 2011, New York, NY: Pivot is the only conference focused purely on how major brands, agencies, marketers and content creators can succeed by understanding, accessing and influencing the emerging Social Consumer. Hosted by Brian Solis, a noted social marketing consultant to major brands worldwide and author of Engage, the self-help handbook for winning the new marketing game, Pivot delivers two full days of unique content and experiences that illuminate the altered marketing landscape, delivered by transformational thinkers, technologists, entrepreneurs and entertainers. Register with the promo code MASH20 and save 20%!

October 26-27, 2011, Sofia, Bulgaria: The only digital industry event for Central and Eastern Europe and one of industry’s premier events in Europe. At the Webit Expo & Conference, more than 6000 people from the CE Europe’ digital ecosystem gather together. Amazing line up of world renowned international and local speakers in the conference programme and some of the top service and technology providers among the exhibitors. Webit Conference programme includes The Main Stage (inspiring keynotes from the leading digital companies in the world), Webit Dev Camp (where platform owners meet the developers of CEE), eGov Summit (regional government officials and world CEOs in discussion on e-gov, e-health, etc), The Creative Lounge (the world’s creative minds gathered together). Register with the promo code WEBMASH and save 10%!

November 3-5, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: BlogWorld & New Media is the first and only industry-wide conference, tradeshow and media event dedicated to blogging, podcasting, social media, social networking, online video, music, Internet TV and radio. BlogWorld conference attendees enjoy more than 120 cutting-edge educational sessions presented by industry leaders, while New Media Expo provides the only industry-wide new media marketplace for networking, online business and marketing resources. Social Media Business Summit, exclusive to BlogWorld, is the world's largest social media business conference where business owners, marketing executives and global brands learn strategies, tools and technologies to grow their businesses with social media. Register at blogworldexpo.com with the promo code MASH20 to save 20% off the ticket price!

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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Cost of Facebook Ads Jumped 40% This Year [REPORT]

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 12:30 PM PDT


Facebook is using its marketing dominance to demand higher prices for ads, prompting a 40% jump in cost-per-click in the first quarter, according to researcher Efficient Frontier.

Efficient Frontier, a digital marketing firm, based its data on its Customer Index, a subset of the company's client roster. The company manages $1 billion in annual marketing spending on behalf of its clients, which include Discover, Baby Center and Crate & Barrel, among others.

In the report, Efficient Frontier attributes the rise in rates to advertisers' realization of Facebook's "tremendous value." If that's the case, it's a turnaround for Facebook, whose inability to monetize its huge user base has been at issue for years.

Part of the problem is that ads on Facebook perform even more poorly than standard banner ads. Even before the jump, though, Facebook posted $1.86 billion in advertising revenues in 2010, according to eMarketer. Facebook serves up more than 50 billion banner ads per month.

Elsewhere in the report, Efficient Frontier stated that search engine marketing grew 17% year-over-year primarily because of increases in the retail and finance categories. Display advertising showed a 300% jump in exchange ad inventory and a 30% cost-per-thousand (CPM) decline, which Efficient Frontier attributes to "greater gains in reach and efficiency within the ad exchanges."

More About: advertising, facebook, trending

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Court to Winklevoss Twins: Facebook Settlement Stands, Time To Move On

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 11:58 AM PDT


Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss must accept their $65 million settlement from Facebook and move on.

A U.S. appeals court ruled Monday that the settlement — which was featured in the movie The Social Network — still stands, despite the Winklevosses’ claim that Facebook did not disclose an accurate valuation.

The suit stems from the Winklevosses’ claim that Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea for the social-networking site. Zuckerberg and Facebook deny the allegations, but agreed to settle in 2008. Since then, the Winklevoss twins have attempted to secure a higher settlement by claiming that Facebook is guilty of securities fraud.

“The Winklevosses are not the first parties bested by a competitor who then seek to gain through litigation what they were unable to achieve in the marketplace,” Chief Judge Alex Kozinski wrote in today’s ruling. “And the courts might have obliged, had the Winklevosses not settled their dispute and signed a release of all claims against Facebook.”

With both the district court and appeals court in agreement, it seems this may be the end of the Winklevosses’ claim to any additional shares of Facebook.

“For whatever reason, they (the Winklevosses) now want to back out. Like the district court, we see no basis for allowing them to do so,” Kozinski wrote. “At some point, litigation must come to an end. That point has now been reached.”

More About: facebook, mark zuckerberg, Winklevoss twins

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10 Ways to Find Blogs You’ll Love

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 11:54 AM PDT


The Content Exploration Series is presented by Mashable Explore, a new way to discover resources and information on your favorite Mashable topics. Mashable Explore is brought to you by the all-new, 100% reinvented 2011 Ford Explorer. Drive One.

Every now and then, we all get stumped when looking for a good online read.

Whether your feeds need a refresh, you’re delving into a new topic, or you’re just new to this whole “blog reading” thing, we’ve got you covered. There are dozens of services on the web dedicated to helping you get the most out of the universe of regularly updated blogs, and many of them are focused on helping you find the most high quality content as well as the content most relevant to you.

As an added bonus for the aesthetes out there, some of them are also an absolute pleasure to consume from a design perspective.

Here are ten tools we like to use to get out of a blog reading rut. In the comments, do share your tips and tricks with us and other Mashable readers.

Blog Directories

First, take a look at these encyclopedic catalogs of blogs. You’ll be able to browse or search by topic, so you’ll find the content and bloggers you’re looking for.

1. Alltop

Alltop is the granddaddy of all blog discovery tools. The site, which was cofounded in 2008 by Silicon Valley person of interest Guy Kawasaki, is known for its tight, topic-based groupings of the creme de la creme of blogs and a handful of other informative sites.

Best of all, you can customize the service with features collectively known as MyAlltop. These features allow you to save blogs (or feeds) you like to a home dashboard, effectively making Alltop a great discovery engine and a functional and well-organized feed reader for low-volume feeds.

2. Technorati

This site is one of the older and larger blog directories on the web. What we like about Technorati’s blog directory is that you can search by keyword for specific posts on a topic or by entire blogs devoted to that topic, which makes the site a great tool for both discovering experts and drilling down on specifics.

3. Blog Catalog

This visually appealing catalog o’ blogs is a modern take on the concept of discovery and curation. The site itself is gorgeous, and it regularly features truly fascinating and esoteric blogs you might never have looked at otherwise. The onsite search leaves something to be desired, but try browsing blogs by topic or plugging into the active BC community instead.

Topic-Based Browsing

If you’d like to get automatically generated feeds from blogs (and the occasional news site) around the web, we’ve got a few recommendations for you. These tools will give you a chance to pick your favorite topics then lean back for a hands-off, enjoyable discovery experience.

4. Guzzle.it

Guzzle.it allows you to create and customize a personal dashboard based on topics you care about. You’ll get some news from mainstream websites, but the service also culls posts from thought-provoking and highly relevant blogs. You can choose to display topics visually, textually, or both — and convenient tooltips allow you to get the gist of a post quickly.

5. YourVersion

YourVersion allows you to see great blog posts (and other content, such as tweets and videos) on your own interests — you can also choose to see blog-only content. The company that makes the web app has also rolled out a nice suite of mobile apps, including offerings for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The app also comes with a nifty browser extension that makes saving (and organizing) bookmarks as simple as a single click.

Social Discovery

Sometimes our friends (some of whom have the same interests and reading habits as we do) will stumble upon a great new blog before we do ourselves. For those cases, it’s good to have a way to stay abreast of the things our friends are reading and sharing online. Twitter and Facebook are great but noisy. Here are a few tools to help you get the best blogs and posts shared by all your friends in a few quick clicks. (If you’re an iPad user, we also highly recommend checking out Flipboard.)

6. Paper.li

Paper.li makes a web-based newspaper from the most popular links shared across your network of Twitter and Facebook friends. If your friends are sharing blog links, they’ll pop up here, allowing you to discover fresh voices and new feeds. Paper.li also breaks down shared blog posts by topic, such as technology and the arts.

7. PostPost

PostPost is a Facebook-specific aggregator that delivers all the interesting blog posts and other content that your friends have liked or that the Pages you like have posted. It’s billed as “what your friends think you should read,” and it has a highly enjoyable interface, to boot. To see links only (as opposed to videos and images), just click the “Links” tab at the top of the page.

8. Utopic

This app connects with Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to get a smattering of content from around the web. It focuses on the most popular topics from your network of friends. In all likelihood, the links will include quite a few blog posts. You can see trending posts by day, week, month or even the most popular posts from the past 12 hours.

Topics are fairly customizable, and the site’s visual design is busy and gives the user a lot to see and explore.

Blog Search

Finally, there’s good, old-fashioned blog search. Using tools like the ones below might yield topic-specific posts rather than feeds centering around your topic of choice. Nevertheless, blog search isn’t a bad place to start (or finish) your quest to find new reading material and new resources.

9. Best of the Web Blog Search

Best of the Web is a fairly old-school outfit (established in 1994), but it delivers a no-nonsense roster of sites and blogs on a wide variety of topics. Blogs that pop up in search results are designated by a green bullseye logo and green text, so you’ll know when you’re looking at a fresh feed versus a static site. Plus, you won’t get individual posts here — just blogs on the topic you’re searching for.

10. Google Blogs Search

There is little doubt that Google holds something of a monopoly in web search. Its blog search is vast and can be quite useful. Posts are also almost guaranteed to be fresh, and you can see when each post was published before clicking through.

However, some mainstream news sites are also being indexed as “blogs” at the moment. For this and other reasons, Google Advanced Blog Search might be best for deeper dives into highly specific and esoteric post topics.

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More Social Media Resources From Mashable:

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Lead image based on an illustration from iStockphoto, ayzek

More About: aggregation, alltop, blog discovery, BLOGS, content curation, Flipboard, List, Lists, myalltop, paperli, postpost, technorati, utopic, yourversion

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Britney Spears Joins Tumblr

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 11:45 AM PDT


Britney Spears has joined Tumblr by way of her blogging intern.

The blog itself is not spectacularly interesting — unless, perhaps, you’re a die-hard Spears fan who follows her every quotation and press release — but it does underline communication professionals’ growing awareness of Tumblr as a media platform.

Although many big-name fashion and media brands have joined the service, few celebrities have done so to date. The addition of internationally recognized names, such as Bill Gates, the Dalai Lama, Kanye West and LeBron James, have been critical to Twitter’s growth in mainstream recognition as well as users. We expect Tumblr will follow a similar path to public awareness.

[via SocialTimes.com]

More About: britney spears, tumblr

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YouTube Video of the Day: Is David Beckham’s Pepsi Clip Real or Fake?

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 10:26 AM PDT

A new video — posted on Pepsi’s YouTube channel — shows soccer star David Beckham kicking three balls into three distant trash bins on a California beach. The video has caught the attention of Beckham’s fans as well as skeptics, who are discrediting the authenticity of the clip in comments on YouTube and on Diet Pepsi‘s Facebook Page.

Titled “Unbelievable David Beckham,” the 69-second video begins with Beckham playing with a soccer ball while holding a Diet Pepsi can. Then, the cameraman asks, “Hey, David, do you think you can hit that trash can over there? … How about all three of them?” Beckham, of course, confidently says yes and accomplishes the task while the cameraman reacts hysterically to each shot in the background.

As of Monday at noon, the clip had been viewed nearly 815,000. Pepsi posted the video on Thursday.

Do you think Beckham is this good or did he get some help from Pepsi’s video editing department? Put in your two cents in the comments below.

More About: advertising, david beckham, MARKETING, Pepsi, soccer, trending, video, youtube

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iOS 4.3.2 Could Fix FaceTime Issues for Verizon iPad Owners

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 10:06 AM PDT


Verizon iPad 2 users who are experiencing some issues with FaceTime may be getting a reprieve as early as next week.

The next version of iOS, iOS 4.3.2, will contain a fix for FaceTime on Verizon iPad units, as well as patch a few WebKit vulnerabilities in Mobile Safari, BGR reports.

The FaceTime fix might be aimed at Verizon iPad users, but the update itself should be available across iOS devices.

As for when the new update will drop, that’s anyone’s guess. The update hasn’t made its way to Apple’s iOS Developer Portal, as a beta or a GM release, which could indicate the release is still a few weeks away.

Have you had any issues with FaceTime on your Verizon iPad 2? Let us know in the comments.

More About: facetime, iOS, ios 4.3.2, iPad 2, verizon ipad

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Bloomberg Businessweek Arrives on the iPad by Subscription

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 09:55 AM PDT


Bloomberg Businessweek released the first two editions of its magazine for the iPad Monday.

The issues are sleek, colorful and designed with the iPad reader in mind. Enhancements are useful rather than flashy; readers can, for instance, clip articles for later reading across multiple devices, adjust the font size, and pull up additional information about cited companies, such as stock quotes and recent news, in a righthand sidebar (Internet connection required). Other additions, such as the ability to read the magazine in both horizontal and vertical formats, and search across multiple issues, merit a truly grade-A experience in the digital magazine category.

And, at $2.99 per four issues (that’s $0.75/issue) via Apple’s iTunes subscription service, or free with a 26-week, $0.77/issue print subscription, it’s also competitively priced. By comparison, a single print copy costs $4.99 on the newsstand.

In an interview with Mashable, Oke Okaro, global head of Bloomberg mobile, appeared unfazed by the inherent difficulties of Apple’s subscription model — difficulties that have brought publishers like the Financial Times into confrontation with Apple. (Not only does Apple take a 30% cut of revenue, it also maintains sole possession of subscriber data, which is valuable to advertisers.)

The magazine has devised a number of clever workarounds to get subscriber information by requiring, for instance, users to register for a Bloomberg Businessweek account in order to access their archive of clipped articles across various devices. Users can also opt to share their personal information with the publisher when they sign up for a subscription in the App Store.

Okaro ensured us that the team at Bloomberg mobile is already hard at work at upgrading the magazine product with additional enhancements, to be released in later months. In the meantime, check out screenshots from the first issue below or download it to your iPad via the App Store [iTunes link].









A behind-the-scenes video with Bloomberg Businessweek's creative director gives readers a look at the thought process behind cover selection.









Additional information can be pulled up in a right-hand tab.





Readers can search across all issues.





Readers can share articles via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail; adjust the font size; and clip articles for viewing across multiple devices.









A table of contents is available via a dropdown menu in horizontal mode.

More About: Bloomberg, bloomberg businessweek, ipad, media

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4 Reasons a Remote Workforce Might Be Right for Your Startup

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 09:42 AM PDT


The Digital Career Series is supported by Elance, where smart businesses go to hire and manage online instead of onsite. Check out Startup Cloud for tips on hiring and managing in the human cloud.

As a recent Skype survey shows, working from home is becoming more common. And this is not just because of the obvious advantages for the employee — employers can also benefit from the situation. In fact, employing a remote workforce makes particularly good sense for startups.

“When starting a business, you want to keep overheads low and customer loyalty high. Achieve this by basing the business at home and work with other self-employed and self-motivated individuals operating out of their own homes, hubs and spaces,” advises Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation, a small business support company and author of several books for startup entrepreneurs, including Spare Room Start Up — How to Start a Business From Home.

“Indeed, it’s exactly how we’re seeing small businesses grow; by outsourcing and subcontracting work as opposed to hiring staff. This way you avoid burdensome regulation and [administrative duties]. There are talented people available on a freelance basis across all sectors, and finding this talent has become a lot easier with marketplace sites.”

We’ve taken a look at the benefits a remote workforce can have for startups and compiled four key perks. Let us know your thoughts on the topic in the comments below.

1. It’s Cheaper and Greener

It goes without saying that you’ll save on the high costs associated with running a physical office — especially if you’re based in a city. Some studies estimate the cost savings for just one remote worker can be up to $20,000 per year.

In addition to the financial savings, the environmental impact of a remote workforce is very positive. In fact, offering employees the option to work from home might soon become a strong corporate responsibility pressure, so it makes sense for startups to begin with a remote workforce business plan.

Information from Undress for Success suggests that if the 40% of U.S. jobs that could be carried out from home were done so, those 50 million teleworkers could save 587 million barrels of oil — said to be equivalent to 74% of U.S. Gulf oil imports. This would also reduce CO² by 101 million metric tons and save around $52 billion in gas costs.

2. You Can Hire the Best Staff Available

Whether you’re hiring freelancers or employees, knocking down the geographical barrier makes a huge difference to your pool of candidates. This is especially relevant for anyone not in a large city — instead of just a handful of suitable applicants, a remote workforce means you can have your pick of thousands to really find the best person for the job.

If time difference is not an issue, those thousands can come from all over the world. And if you would be having people work outside normal office hours in your time zone, you can employ someone from another time zone to be around exactly when you need them to, without facing the difficulty and possible extra expense of recruiting for odd hours.

Hiring someone you’ve never met can be daunting, as we typically place a lot of emphasis on what someone is like in person. If you’re considering hiring someone, be sure to ask for references, previous examples of work and consider doing a background check. If you’re hiring freelancers in particular, you should do all of these, and also consider hiring through a service so that you can make sure he has a history of happy clients.

3. It’s Easier to Scale

If your workplace is a virtual one, then it’s never too big or too small. If your startup takes off and you are based in a brick-and-mortar office, you’ll find yourself needing more space and working in an overcrowded and uncomfortable environment until you find it. And when you do find a bigger space, the company move could be costly and time consuming — two things a growing startup should avoid.

A remote freelance workforce also means you can scale up or down staff-wise as the business requires. This obviously is something traditional workplaces can also do, but it’s a lot less hassle to get temporary staff in when you don’t have to do an orientation, tour of the building, health and safety talk and go over other office protocol.

4. You’ll Have Happier and More Productive Staff

Working from home, or a place of convenience in the case of coworkers, quite simply makes people happier in their work. There are many reasons this might be the case — no commuting, more time with family, flexibility and the fact that you can create your own working environment exactly how you want it.

Research from Opportunity Now highlights the benefits of working from home. It found that 78% of managers thought that agile or flexible working — where staff could choose to work from home — “helped to retain and motivate important members of staff.” Furthermore, 62% of managers thought that flexible working made a team “more responsive” to internal and external customers.

HP discovered similar results when it surveyed 800 people who work in small companies — 46% said they would be happier and more productive if they could work from home when they needed to. Four out of ten workers would be happier if they could dictate their own working hours. And of course, happy workers are productive workers.

Series Supported by Elance

The Digital Career Series is supported by Elance, where businesses tap into the human cloud for immediate access to the talent they need, when they need it. Elance offers the flexibility to staff up or down, and is faster and less expensive than traditional staffing and outsourcing. Check out Startup Cloud to learn how to hire and manage in the human cloud.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Tips for Training Remote Employees
- How Companies Can Create a Brand Identity With Text Alone
- HOW TO: Recruit All-Star Employees on a Startup Budget
- HOW TO: Run Your Business Online with $10 and a Google Account
- HOW TO: Sync Your Online and Offline Marketing Campaigns

Images courtesy of Flickr, Valerie’s Genealogy Photos and Tony Alter

More About: building a startup, business, digital careers series, remote workforce, startup, telecommuting

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Sprint Drops CEO Spokesman Dan Hesse From New Campaign [VIDEO]

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 09:30 AM PDT

Sprint is rolling out a new ad campaign Monday that emphasizes the telecom's unlimited data plan and de-emphasizes the company’s longtime spokesman, CEO Dan Hesse.

The campaign introduces a new tagline, "All. Together. Now," and uses The Beatles song of that name (performed by another artist). The ad features consumers interacting via Facebook, video chat, text messages and email to underscore how such usage can occur with Sprint's Simply Everything data plan, which lets customers use their mobile phones without worrying about data overcharges or throttling.

The effort, from ad agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, comes after ads in the past three years have driven the same point home. The primary difference is that those ads featured Hesse making the case. A rep for Sprint says the old Hesse ads will continue to run for some time. "Hesse won't be featured in the new campaign," the rep says, "but that doesn't mean we will never use him again at some point down the road."

Now that AT&T has bought T-Mobile, Sprint is the odd man out among what could be a field of three major U.S. telecom carriers. Unlike AT&T and Verizon, Sprint doesn’t offer Apple's iPhone.

Despite that, Roger Entner, an analyst at telecom research firm Recon, says Sprint's position in the market isn't so dire. "Not having the iPhone doesn't help, but Sprint really has the opportunity to establish itself as the value leader in the market," he says.

Entner adds that if the AT&T/T-Mobile deal goes through, it will be a great opportunity for Sprint, because "suddenly, neither AT&T nor Verizon will go after the low end." Sprint claims about 49 million subscribers versus 102 million for Verizon and 95 million for AT&T. T-Mobile has about 34 million subscribers.

More About: advertising, att, MARKETING, sprint, verizon

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Music Monday: Young the Giant Premieres Video, Shares Favorite Touring Apps

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 08:41 AM PDT

There’s no question that most bands spend a good portion of the year on the road, crammed in sweaty vans, rolling from city to city in the dark of night. Young the Giant is one of those nomadic bands. Its newest music video (above), for “Cough Syrup,” premieres Monday.

On The Road

Although Young the Giant has been touring almost constantly for two years, the band hasn’t slowed down when it comes to creating content. The band members teamed up with childhood friend and photographer Alexander Shahmiri while on tour last May to undertake a new project, creating simple, lovely acoustic videos for a good portion of their album.

“During one of the drives out of Utah we were passing by the salt flats and I asked if we could stop to do a shoot,” says Shahmiri. “We filmed their song ‘I Got’ out there, and that was the start of In the Open.”

In the Open is a video series featuring bands performing acoustically in outdoor spaces — shot usually in one take. “The idea behind the In the Open videos is to show musicians and bands in a different type of light, and to show a bit of the band’s personality in a more discrete way than interview,” Shahmiri says.

“We’ve been on the road for such a long time, it made sense,” says Francois Comtois, the band’s drummer. “A lot of it ended up being pretty impromptu.”

The videos, like the one above, are stark and full of natural beauty — bereft of all the polish inherent in official music vids, allowing viewers to focus more on the music than the spectacle.

“The videos are a lot more intimate than if you were to go watch the band perform in an arena or even a bigger venue, and I want people to be able to connect and feel like they are actually there when watching the videos,” Shahmiri says.

The video above is for the song “Cough Syrup” off of the band’s self-titled album [iTunes link], and was filmed in San Francisco by the Golden Gate Bridge.

Young the Giant’s 6 Essential Apps for Bands on Tour


Still, the occasional video — or seven — is not enough to occupy one’s mind when one is far from home. (All of the guys, who are 21 years old or almost 21, live at home with their parents — when they are, in fact, home.)

Being Mashable, we asked the band members to tell us what apps they find essential to maintaining on-tour sanity.

1). Instagram [iTunes link]: Frankly, we’re surprised that more bands aren’t actively using this photo-sharing service. The National is probably the most notable band on Instagram, with around 15,000 followers, but few bands actually have a branded presence.

All the members of Young the Giant use Instagram individually, and it functions as a kind of tour diary. “Fans want more and more stuff,” says guitarist Jacob Tilley, with regard to Twitter and the like.

“We’re in a van all day. What do they want us to say?” adds Comtois.

Instagram, however, allows the guys to give their fans image-based content, as well as remember where they’re been.

2). WhatsApp? [iTunes link]: Beloved by Jacob Tilley — who is originally from the UK — this cross-platform messenger uses push notifications to send and receive messages to other users. That way, Tilley can chat with family overseas without any SMS charges. (Available for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones.)

3). Master Tour: Guitarist Eric Cannata suggests that fellow musicians check out tour management tool and mobile app [iTunes link] Master Tour if they want to stay on track while on the road. “It gets you out of pickle,” Tilley interjects.

4). OldBooth [iTunes link]: Lead singer Sameer Gadhia adds some levity to the mix by suggesting OldBooth, an app that lets you manipulate any picture to make it look like it comes from another era. Check out the snap of bass player Payam Doostzadeh that he old-ified below.

5). Sleep Cycle [iTunes link]: Payam Doostzadeh’s app of choice is an alarm clock app that analyzes your sleep cycle and wakes you up when you’re in the “lightest sleep phase.” Doostzadeh says it works…

6). Epicurious [iTunes link]: Comtois says that when the guys are home, they like to have dinners and BBQs together (surprisingly — one would think they would be sick of each other). The Epicurious app provides them with a ton of recipes for communal cooking.

Road image courtesy of Flickr, Daniel D’Auria

More About: epicurious, Master Tour, mobile apps, music, music monday, OldBooth, Sleep Cycle, video, WhatsApp?, young-the-giant

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Gap Between Apple & Android Tablet Market Shares To Decrease by 2015 [REPORT]

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 08:00 AM PDT


After predicting the state of the smartphone market in the next five years, market research firm Gartner has posted its predictions about the tablet market.

Here, Gartner’s job is easier: Since no single device or even a platform has come close to Apple’s iOS on the tablet market, it’s quite safe to say that Apple will continue to dominate in the next couple of years, and Gartner agrees.

According to Gartner’s predictions, Apple’s iOS will drop from its current 83.9% market share to 68.7% in 2011. But it will stay at a healthy 63.5% in 2012, retaining almost half of the market (47.1%) by 2015 with a projected 138.5 million units sold.

By that time, Android is projected to grab 38.6% of the market, RIM’s QNX, which powers BlackBerry PlayBook will have 10%, and everyone else – MeeGo, WebOS and others – will have a minute 4.2% combined.

With recent reports of the Motorola Xoom’s sales being underwhelming, and Samsung hastily redesigning its Galaxy Tab 10.1 to make it more competitive with the iPad 2, Apple doesn’t seem to be facing any immediate threats in the tablet department.

More About: android, apple, blackberry, iOS, Meego, playbook, qnx, RIM, Tablet, trending, webOS

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5 Facebook Apps for Getting More From Your Photos

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 07:47 AM PDT


The Digital Photo and Film Series is supported by Adobe® Photoshop® Elements. To connect with the product team, find creative tutorials, tips and information, join them on Facebook and Twitter.

We’ve got three fascinating Facebook photo facts for you. Of the 500 million people on Facebook, 99% of them have uploaded at least one photo. More than 100 million photos are uploaded every single day. Facebook currently hosts more than 60 billion images.

Facebook is clearly a major player in the online photo sharing space, but are you getting the most photo functionality out of the network? The social networking site recently has improved the image experience greatly, but there are still some handy apps that can help you get even more out of your Facebook photos.

We’ve found five apps that we think bring something to the Facebook photo experience including editing, exploring, creating, managing and sharing. Take a look through the gallery for our choices and let us know any photo apps you use on Facebook in the comments below.


1. EDIT - Picnik




Did you know you can use Google's easy-to-use, capable photo editing software from within Facebook?

This means you can edit your pics -- Picnik-style -- after you have uploaded them. This is handy for quick mobile snaps, as well as older albums you might want to go back and re-edit.


2. MANAGE - Fotolink




Fotolink might not be the best looking Facebook app, but it makes uploading and managing your pics a cinch.

Using Fotolink, you can easily move photos between albums and copy your pics from certain other photo sharing sites.

One really useful function is the ability to copy photos from your friend's Facebook albums into yours using a folder-based drag-and-drop system.


3. CREATE - Animoto




Animoto offers another slideshow option, creating funky little 30-second animations that typically use between 10 and 15 pics.

There's the ability to mix and match and hand-pick photos from among all of your Facebook images - mobile uploads, profile pics, albums and more.

You can then select music from a wide variety (on the whole, they're of decent quality) and publish to your wall when you're done.


4. EXPLORE - Cooliris




As with the desktop and mobile versions, Cooliris for Facebook presents images on a spacey "infinite 3D wall" that lets you browse through your own photos in a super-fast, super-cool and super-fun way.

If any of your friends are using Cooliris, you can also explore their Facebook photo uploads. And if they're not, go ahead and invite them - you can post a link and message about Cooliris on your Facebook wall from within the app.


5. SHARE - TripAdvisor TripWow




A great way to share your travel experiences quickly and easily via Facebook is via TripAdvisor's TripWow app.

It automatically scans your photos for travel-related albums and creates a slideshow within seconds that you can post to your wall. Your friends will appreciate it, since they won't have to click through all your albums pic by pic.

There are customization options, but we've found the default settings make for pretty decent results.

Series Supported by Adobe Photoshop Elements

The Digital Photo and Film Series is supported by the Adobe® Photoshop® Elements product team. Adobe's® photo-editing software delivers powerful options that make it easy to create extraordinary photos, unique print creations, quickly share memories in online albums, and automatically organize and help protect your photos. Download a free trial of Adobe® Photoshop® Elements® 9 to try it out!

More Facebook Resources from Mashable:

- 4 Ways to Set Up a Storefront on Facebook
- HOW TO: Add Social Sharing Buttons to Your Website
- The Future of Social Search
- 5 Creative Facebook Places Marketing Campaigns
- HOW TO: Avoid and Prevent Facebook Spam

Image courtesy of Flickr, Dan Taylor

More About: Digital Photo and Film Series, facebook, facebook apps, features, List, Lists, photo sharing, photo sharing apps, Photos

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Google Partners With The New York Times for Daily Trivia Game

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 07:14 AM PDT


Google is partnering with The New York Times for a new game that adapts trivia to the age of Google.

A Google A Day, announced Monday on Google’s blog, is a puzzle that asks crossword-style questions in a way that defies a simple Google search. For instance, one question asks, "Two future presidents signed me. Two didn't because they were abroad. Despite my importance, modern viewers seem to think I have a glaring spelling error. What is it?" The cryptic nature of the questions addresses the fact that it’s laughably easy to cheat on straight-ahead trivia games thanks to the ubiquity of Google via PCs and mobile devices.

In addition to appearing on A Google A Day, the questions will appear weekdays above the crossword in The New York Times. The next day, the newspaper will run the answers. The puzzle will begin running in The Times Tuesday.

To prevent spoilers, Google is also introducing a special version of Google that excludes real-time updates and other aids to solving the puzzle.

The effort is the latest brand extension for Google, which, through its various Google Doodles and initiatives like its wedding planning site, has sought to become more ingrained with consumers' lifestyles while maintaining a sense of fun.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, JLGutierrez

More About: Google, google doodles, the new york times

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Twilight Game Scam Spreading on Facebook [WARNING]

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 06:45 AM PDT


If you’ve been tagged in a Facebook friend’s photo album or seen a link promoting a Twilight: Breaking Dawn game, be careful. It is likely a scam designed to spread on Facebook and grab your personal data.

If you click on the link, you’ll be invited to start playing the game. If you’re using Facebook HTTPS, you will first be prompted to switch to a regular connection, which should alarm some users. This particular scheme will make you “Like” the game without your permission, and it will show on your Wall, thus allowing it to spread further.

If you continue, you will be asked to give permission to a Facebook App, and finally you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire with some personal data.

As always, you should definitely avoid clicking on suspicious links such as these and verify each app before you give it additional permissions on Facebook. If you’ve fallen prey to this scheme already, you should delete any spam posts you may have inadvertently sent. Then, go through your security settings and revoke any access for apps you don't recall signing up for.

For more info on how to get rid of Facebook scams like this one, check out this guide.

[via Naked Security]

More About: facebook, scam, trending, twilight, Twilight: Breaking Dawn

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