Mashable: Latest 28 News Updates - including “Mobile Q&A Service ChaCha Raises $20 Million” |  |
- Mobile Q&A Service ChaCha Raises $20 Million
- Facebook Working with GLAAD to Stop Anti-Gay Bullying
- Badgeville Gives Publishers Trendy, Plug-and-Play Game Mechanics
- Klout Now Measures Your Influence on Facebook
- Newest Calculator Adds Smartphone-Like Apps and Graphics
- AOL Attempting to Buy Yahoo [REPORT]
- Hootsuite’s Mobile Apps Are Now Free
- iPhone Photo App Instagram Nabs 100K Users in One Week
- One in Five Americans Make Video Calls [STATS]
- Cubicle Spy: Inside Etsy’s Brooklyn Office [PICS]
- 40+ Jobs in Social Media You Can Apply for Today
- Facebook and Bing’s Plan to Make Search Social
- How a Physically Aware Internet Will Change the World
- Facebook “Like” Data and People Search Coming to Bing [LIVE]
- TweetDeck for Android Officially Launched
- New Twitter Now Available for All
- TiVo Makes Managing Season Passes Remotely Easier
- Kindle App to Come Preloaded on Select Android Devices
- 4 Ways Brands and Agencies Can Get Involved in the Mashable Awards
- iPhone 4 Glass Breaking at Alarming Rate, But There’s a Catch
- CEOs at the World’s Biggest Companies Still Social Media Averse [STUDY]
- Next Apple Event Goes “Back to the Mac”
- URL Shortener Bit.ly Now Generates QR Codes, Too
- 5 Big Social Media Questions from Small Business Owners
- Apple Shares Hit $300
- The Digital Newspaper: Hands-On with 4 Top iPad Apps
- This Morning’s Top Stories in Social Media and Tech
- Prep for the SATs with iPad and iPhone Video Game
- LEGO Builds Customizable Wii Remote
| Mobile Q&A Service ChaCha Raises $20 Million Posted: 14 Oct 2010 02:06 AM PDT      ChaCha, a service that lets you ask a question via a call or a text message from your mobile and quickly receive an answer, has nabbed another $20 million in a round of funding, led by Rho Ventures and VantagePoint. ChaCha has been well funded since its launch in 2006; with this new financial injection, the company’s total backing is now near $72 million. Chacha’s new round of financing is another proof of a new interest in Q&A services, such as FormSpring and the increasingly popular Quora. ChaCha claims to have 55,000 active Guides – users who answer questions from other users – throughout the country and over 10 million monthly unique visitors in the U.S. More About: ChaCha, funding, Mobile 2.0, q&a, Search For more Business coverage:
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| Facebook Working with GLAAD to Stop Anti-Gay Bullying Posted: 13 Oct 2010 11:32 PM PDT   The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has teamed up with Facebook to reduce the amount of hate speech and anti-gay bullying that goes on around the Internet. Members of the gay community reached out to GLAAD recently when a Facebook page created to remember the victims of anti-gay bullying who had committed suicide was flooded with hateful, violent and derogatory remarks and images. Fortunately, GLAAD was able to work with Facebook to remove the content, and this organization’s work with Facebook has just begun. Recently, tragic events that included the use of technology to shame and harass a college student, Tyler Clementi, because of his sexual preference led to Clementi’s suicide. And this sad news came just a couple weeks after 15-year-old Billy Lucas committed suicide after being tormented by other young people about his sexuality. Since then, celebrities, organizations and social media users have taken to the web to spread words of encouragement and discourage bullying behavior. Columnist Dan Savage launched a YouTube channel, “It Gets Better,” and many celebrities have spoken out on YouTube about LGBT issues and teen bullying. MTV Networks even rolled out an iPhone app to help combat bullying. Still, the largest online destination for many beleaguered gay teens and young adults is Facebook — ironically, one of the platforms where hate speech, though prohibited, is unfortunately still carried out. Today, Facebook announced that they’re making new efforts to respond quickly when hateful speech violates the terms of service and needs to be removed. And this isn’t just routine TOS policing, either. Facebook Public Policy Communications Manager Andrew Noyes wrote in an email today that Facebook “intends to work closely with GLAAD and other LGBT organizations on future initiatives.” Stay tuned for more information on how exactly the social network plans to support LGBT teens and the larger gay community. Reviews: Facebook, YouTube More About: bullying, civil rights, facebook, gay, glaad, glbt, harassment, LGBT For more Social Media coverage:
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| Badgeville Gives Publishers Trendy, Plug-and-Play Game Mechanics Posted: 13 Oct 2010 10:48 PM PDT   This post is part of Mashable's Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Quick Pitch: Badgeville is a social rewards and analytics platform designed to increase, maintain and influence loyalty for online publishers. Genius Idea: Applications and web services that reward users through activity-based bonuses like badges and reputation tokens are very trendy right now. These game mechanics encourage repeat behavior, inspire user engagement and reward loyalty. Badgeville was built to be a plug-and-play solution for publishers wishing to add these social rewards to their services without the heavy lifting. Badgeville is a just-add-water way to reward your app users or site visitors for their actions. Publishers can define the user behaviors they want to reward and attach points, badges, trophies, levels, status and other forms of reputation to these behaviors. Should a user “unlock” an achievement, those tokens can be shared to Facebook and Twitter, and users can earn more points in the process. Publishers can also highlight user behaviors through real-time activity streams, leaderboards or friends graphs that rank users against their friends. There’s also a Badgeville API for deeper site or app integration. Obviously, the idea is to use Badgeville’s platform to motivate users to take additional actions and spread the word about your product or service as they level up or earn elevated status. As an user, these additional elements may turn an otherwise stale experience into a competitive sport. So users can prove their ultimate fan status for a blog, website or application they love and get digital rewards in the process. Who doesn’t appreciate a little recognition from time to time? Badgeville is fresh on the scene but has $250,000 in seed funding and a client list that includes SlideShare, Comcast Sports and Philly.com. We find the idea to be promising, but we also see the potential for badges, reputation and rewards to lose their luster once they become commonplace. Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
Reviews: Facebook, Twitter More About: badges, badgeville, game mechanics, loyalty, loyalty program, rewards For more Tech coverage:
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| Klout Now Measures Your Influence on Facebook Posted: 13 Oct 2010 10:20 PM PDT   Social media analytics service Klout, well-known for its Twitter influence measurement scores, has finally launched a version of its platform that determines your influence on Facebook. Klout currently uses various data points from Twitter to figure out your “Klout Score,” a representation of your influence and ability to compel action by others online. Its Twitter analytics platform takes into account metrics such as retweets, follower counts, list memberships and unique mentioners to calculate everything from who influences you to your “true reach” on Twitter. Klout’s now trying to do the same thing on Facebook. Once connected to a Facebook account, Klout will pull in data such as likes, comments and your friendship network in order to determine your influence on Facebook. It can take up to 72 hours for the data to be processed and your Klout score to be updated. Instead of representing Facebook and Twitter with different scores, Klout has decided to integrate them into a single Klout Score. If you’re worried that connecting your Facebook account to Klout will drop your score, the company says that “there is no risk that your Klout will go down.” The company claims that most Klout scores will rise due to the inclusion of Facebook in the overall platform. Earlier this year, Klout raised $1.5 million in Series A funding from Mayfield Fund, Lucid Ventures, ff Asset Management, Paige Craig and others. The company has recently been using Klout data to offer online influencers perks, including free Virgin America flights and free tickets to events. Reviews: Facebook, Twitter More About: facebook, influence, klout
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| Newest Calculator Adds Smartphone-Like Apps and Graphics Posted: 13 Oct 2010 08:43 PM PDT   Unless something drastic happens, Texas Instruments might be getting ready to eat Casio’s dust. The latter consumer electronics company has just released a graphing calculator with a gorgeous color screen and a suite of apps, bringing mainstream math gadgets into the twenty-first century at long last. We certainly wish this tool had been available during our graphing-calculator days. The fx-CG10/20 brings a colorful, high-resolution screen to the world of higher maths. It lets users graph in 7 colors, and it displays up to 65,000 colors for some apps. It can even let you create graphs over photographic images using an “add-in” app called Picture Plot. The calculator has data connection capabilities for hooking it up to a PC, and it runs on a rechargable battery, which means no more running to the store for AAAs at the beginning of the semester. Here’s an idea of what the calculator’s home screen looks like:  And here’s what it looks like side-by-side with a popular model from competitor Texas Instruments, which is currently the gold standard for graphing calculators: As impressive as the Casio calculator’s capabilities seem, we wonder whether this company will be able to upset the balance of the graphing calculator industry. As the incumbent, Texas Instruments holds a great deal of brand recognition and brand presige. Who knows; that company might be working on a full-color calculator of its own. We’re getting a review unit of the fx-CG10/20; stay tuned for our hands-on demo. What are your first impressions of this calculator? Do you think it might make intense math problems more interesting for students? Can you see professionals using this tool? We welcome your opinions in the comments. More About: casio, fx-CG10/20, gadgets, graphing calculator, math For more Tech coverage:
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| AOL Attempting to Buy Yahoo [REPORT] Posted: 13 Oct 2010 07:26 PM PDT   The Wall Street Journal is reporting that AOL and several venture capital firms are in talks to buy Yahoo. Silver Lake Partners and Blackstone Group are rumored to be in on the deal. Currently, AOL’s market value is around one tenth of Yahoo’s. Rumors that the two companies were in talks to merge have been swirling around for at least a few days, and still others say it’s Yahoo who is looking to buy AOL; but neither company is willing to make an official statement at this time. Yahoo personnel haven’t yet been involved in these discussions, according to WSJ’s sources. Because of the intricacies involved in such acquisitions, Yahoo may never be formally approached with an offer. Yahoo itself instituted “poison pill” mechanisms back during its apex in 2001 to prevent the threat of a hostile takeover — which became a very real possibility two years ago when Microsoft issued an unsolicited bid to buy the company. Nevertheless, these new rumors are interesting ones. What do you think of AOL’s ambitions, especially in light of that company’s recent acquisition spree involving tech blog TechCrunch, app maker Thing Labs and video network 5min? More importantly, do you think an alliance between these two fading powerhouses from the dotcom era could create a more vital, competitive organization? Let us know what you think in the comments. More About: acquisitions, aol, merger, trending, Yahoo For more Business coverage:
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| Hootsuite’s Mobile Apps Are Now Free Posted: 13 Oct 2010 06:32 PM PDT   As we announced would happen last week, Hootsuite’s mobile applications have now been made 100% free for all users. The company, which gives users a full-featured third-party client for accessing social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, previously offered “Lite” and “Full” (a.k.a. paid) versions of its mobile offerings for iPhone and Android. Those applications are now free, and the coming-soon Hootsuite apps for iPad and BlackBerry will also be free. So, what happens to users who have already paid for the full app version? According to Hootsuite, “You'll get to keep what you paid for. You purchased HootSuite for the ability to add unlimited social networks to your phone, to view ow.ly stats, and to have an ad-free mobile interface. You'll get to keep all of these things… even after we make the app free.” Hootsuite has done some juggling of revenue streams over the past couple months. In August, the company said it would roll out a freemium fee schedule for user accounts. Monthly subscription pricing ranges from $5 per month for your average power-user account to $2,000 per month for heavy-duty enterprise use. Moreover, anyone who pays for a Hootsuite Pro account will get added goodies with their mobile apps, including advanced metrics data. Have you tried a Hootsuite mobile app yet? What do you think of their decision to make all apps free? Disclosure: Mashable editors use Hootsuite for the social-media aspects of our jobs. Reviews: Android, Facebook, HootSuite, Mashable, Twitter More About: free, hootsuite, mobile apps
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| iPhone Photo App Instagram Nabs 100K Users in One Week Posted: 13 Oct 2010 05:26 PM PDT   Launched amid a barrage of buzz just last week, iPhone app Instagram [iTunes link] has garnered more than just attention from tech press. According to Co-Founder Kevin Systrom, the app has already seen 100,000 signups and counting. On Twitter today, Systrom gave a shout-out to the app’s users, saying, “Humbled by the excitement Instagram has created. Thanks to each and every one of you in the 100k out there.” Casual photography apps in general are quite popular, but Instagram adds a twist to the iPhone photography experience, which has already been tweaked to near-perfection by many app makers over the past few years. In an initial write-up, we called Instagram ego-driven and addictive. Ordinarily, those terms are negative, but when you’re talking about social apps, a little catering to natural self-interest can go a long way toward getting your work noticed and adopted. Clearly, Instagram has nailed this aspect; it’s social and popularity mechanisms make the app almost impossible to forget. Earlier this week, Systrom spoke about the app’s rapid rise through the App Store charts, telling us, "I think we're reigniting passion for casual photography… [Instagram] has taken on a life of its own — it's definitely no longer our product anymore. It belongs to the community." We can’t wait for Instagram to launch on more platforms, and we look forward to hearing more success stories from this young company. Have you tried Instagram yet? What are your first impressions. Reviews: App Store, instagram More About: instagram, iphone app, photography app For more Mobile coverage:
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| One in Five Americans Make Video Calls [STATS] Posted: 13 Oct 2010 03:58 PM PDT   Just how common is video calling and video chat? According to a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 19% of Americans have tried video calls or video chat either online or on a mobile phone. This survey is the first from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project has covered both online and mobile video calls, so there is no prior baseline data. Researchers found that 23% of all Internet users and 7% of cell phone owners have made or participated in video calls. The nature of the study was to find out the number of users who have made either online or cellular video calls, so for users that have made both, the data was only counted once. Internet UsersThe Pew Internet Project actually surveyed Internet users in April 2009 about their experience with video calls; at the time, it found 20% of users had experience with the technology. In 2010, the survey results showed a slight increase to 23%. What’s more significant is that the number of video callers online on any given day doubled, going from 2% in 2009 to 4% in the summer of 2010. Check out this table which breaks down online video calling by various demographics:  Here are some of the big takeaways:
Cell Phone UsersWhile online video calls are pretty common (thanks to services like Skype, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and others) mobile phone video calls are still much more of a novelty. While video calling over mobile phones has existed in Europe and Asia a number of years, the trend in the U.S. is a lot more recent. This summer, mobile video calls have been in the spotlight more and more, thanks to Apple’s FaceTime, Fring and other apps for the iPhone 4 and Android devices like the EVO 4G. Because this is a new area for mobile devices, only 7% of cellular phone owners responded that they have experience with video calls via mobile phone. Check out this chart:  Here are some of the takeaways:
It will be interesting to see how these figures change in the future, especially when social networks like Facebook get better video calling integration. How often do you make video calls? Let us know. Reviews: Android, Facebook, Fring, Internet, MSN Messenger, Skype More About: facetime, fring, Pew Internet & American Life Project, Skype, video calling, video calls For more Tech coverage:
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| Cubicle Spy: Inside Etsy’s Brooklyn Office [PICS] Posted: 13 Oct 2010 02:03 PM PDT As part of the ongoing Cubicle Spy series here at Mashable, we're taking a look inside the coolest, quirkiest and most gadget-laden offices of people who work with social media. In the vast world of glossy gadgets and mass-produced tech, the social commerce website Etsy has a fairly unique motto: “Live Handmade.” And as one might expect from such a company, its workplace is nothing short of kaleidoscopic. Etsy has been based in its office in DUMBO, Brooklyn for just over a year. When they moved, the staff — all of whom are craftspeople and artists in their own right — took the redesign into their own hands. In March 2010, Kitty Greenwald — who writes for Etsy’s blog, The Storque — had an idea for making the workday even more palatable. Greenwald started cooking lunch for the staff out of her apartment. Shortly thereafter, Etsy had a kitchen and stove built for her, and they hired some more staff to help, though not before clearing up some other issues, as the building wasn’t initially zoned for cooking. For now, Esty has staff lunches twice a week. As a result of its resounding success, they’re soon planning to make “Eatsy” a thrice-weekly event. Handmade Etsy  Etsy, the social commerce website, has called these Brooklyn offices home for just over a year. In terms of design and decor, the company practices what it preaches: "Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice. Live Handmade." The writing is literally on the wall. Hip Bikes, many fixed In the warmer months, many Etsy staffers bike to work, many on fixed-gear bikes. Glen the cat Emily Bidwell, who works with Etsy's Curation Team, keeps this porcelain cat, Glen, on her desk at all times. "Yeah. It creeps everyone out," she says. Desk Creature Each new member of the Etsy staff gets a $100 credit from the company's website to decorate his or her workspace. Claude When Etsy "Talent Acquisition Specialist" (Human Resources Manager) Jonathan Basker went on vacation last month, he elected this assistant to work in his stead. Stick Etsy public relations manager Adam Brown shows off his prized 4GB woodtec usb stick. Local Kitchen Etsy built its in-house kitchen in the summer of 2010. Before the kitchen, Etsy's Kitty Greenwald cooked lunch for the staff out of her apartment. The Lunch Bell Caroline Glover rings the "Eatsy" lunch bell and the staff come running from all over the office. "Eatsy!" Staff gather around the communal table for vegetarian tacos prepared by Kitty Greenwald, the mastermind of "Eatsy." Greenwald blogs about cooking at The Storque, Etsy's handmade blog. Vegetarian Tacos As much as possible, everything at the "Eatsy" lunches comes from the East Coast and is organic. "We intentionally go to people that are in keeping with the company ethos," Greenwald said. Telephone Box This is the first of Etsy's three artist-designed telephone booths, this one is modeled after a classic U.K. red telephone box. Super-villain phone Booth Etsy's private office and phone booth doubles as a super-villain's lair. It's the perfect place to take a quiet call or plot world domination. Giant Plush Office Etsy's giant plush office, designed by Zooguu. Space Station The "space station conference room," like the giant plush office, was also designed by Zooguu. Etsy Office About 100 people work at the Etsy "labs" in DUMBO, Brooklyn. The staff worked with the architects so they were able to redesign their new office themselves. Desk Decor Alison Feldmann, an editor for the Etsy blog, keeps two salt lamps on her desk. Garth Algar Feldmann commissioned this Garth Algar portrait from Etsy artist "The May of Teck Club," during a program the company holds named Alchemy. Main Etsy Board Etsy employees can monitor the company's metrics on the main analytics boards, which are complemented by a collection of hand-painted murals. Faux Taxidermy Most of the office decor comes from the company's website. This stuffed felt deer's head is hand-sewn and mounted on a wooden plaque. More Business Resources from Mashable:
More About: business, cooking, cubicle spy, Etsy, kitty greenwald, office, offices, social media, tech For more Business coverage:
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| 40+ Jobs in Social Media You Can Apply for Today Posted: 13 Oct 2010 01:26 PM PDT If you’re seeking a job in social media, we’d like to help out. For starters, Mashable’s Job Lists section gathers together all of our resource lists, how-tos and expert guides to help you get hired. In particular, you might want to see our articles on How to Leverage Social Media for Career Success and How to Find a Job on Twitter. But we’d like to help in a more direct way, too. Mashable's job boards are a place for socially savvy companies to find people like you. This week and every week, Mashable features its coveted job board listings for a variety of positions in the web, social media space and beyond. Have a look at what's good and new on our job boards: Mashable Job Board ListingsInternational Management Trainee at Meltwater Group in New York, NY. Front End Drupal/PHP Web Developer at Perfect Escapes/Travel Intelligence in San Francisco, CA. Web Content Editor at CafeFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Owings Mills, MD. Social Media Manager at a confidential leisure travel company in Plano, TX. Marketing Manager, Membership at Sermo in Cambridge, MA. Architect at Synacor in Buffalo, NY. Systems Engineer, Tools Automation at Synacor in Buffalo, NY. Director of Engineering at Synacor in Los Angeles, CA. Director of Engineering at Synacor in Buffalo, NY. Java Developer at Chariot Solutions in Fort Washington, PA. Senior Director, Digital Marketing at MTVN in New York, NY. Manager, Digital Marketing at Constellation Wines US in San Francisco, CA. Social Media Marketing Lead at Network Solutions in Herndon, VA. Director of Design and User Experience at Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group in Knoxville, TN. Community Manager at Ally Marketing in Redmond, WA. Manager, Project Management at Digitas in New York, NY. Product Manager at Zoosk Inc. in San Francisco, CA. Software Engineer at Zoosk Inc. in San Francisco, CA. Social Media Assistant Internship at Liquor.com in San Francisco, CA. Interactive Media Designer at AIS Media, Inc. in Atlanta, GA. Web/Technology Officer at AED in Washington, DC. Executive Assistant at Strategic Advisory + Investment Management Firm in New York, NY. Director of Social Media and PR at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL. Lead Designer at Chug, Inc. in Needham, MA. Web Designer at International Rescue Committee in New York, NY. Media Relations Specialist – Healthcare at Practice Fusion in San Francisco, CA. Web Developer at Blackjet in Toronto, Canada. Director of Technical Operations at Synacor in Buffalo, NY. Senior Director, Client Social Marketing Services at Spring Creek Group in Seattle, WA. New Media Web Specialist at American Youth Soccer Organization in Hawthorne, CA. Director, Search Marketing and Acquisition at StyleCaster in New York, NY. Senior Content Publishing Lead at Microsoft in Redmond, WA. Senior Content Publishing Manager at Microsoft in Redmond, WA. Public Relations Assoicate at The Hoyt Organization, Inc. in Torrance, CA. Director of Engineering at Synacor in Los Angeles, CA. Manager, Strategy and Analysis at Digitas in New York, NY. Director – System of Engagement Strategies at AIIM in Silver Spring, MD. Integrated Project Manager at Isobar in San Francisco, CA. Mobile Developer at a web startup in Paradise Valley, AZ. SEO Specialist at cj Advertising in Nashville, TN. Social Media Manager at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY. Mashable’s Job Board has a variety of web 2.0, application development, business development and social networking job opportunities available. Check them out at here. Got a job posting to share with our readers? Post a job to Mashable today ($99 for a 30 day listing) and get it highlighted every week on Mashable.com (in addition to exposure all day every day in the Mashable marketplace). Image courtesy of iStockphoto, YinYang Reviews: Mashable, iStockphoto For more Social Media coverage:
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| Facebook and Bing’s Plan to Make Search Social Posted: 13 Oct 2010 12:51 PM PDT   Microsoft and Facebook have announced a new partnership that brings "Like" data and profile search to Bing. The deal marks a big leap forward in social search and also represents a new advantage for Bing –- which Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared the "underdog" in search during today’s press conference -– in its quest to take market share from Google. Starting today, Bing users now get an experience that's customized using Facebook Instant Personalization. For now, that means searches (where appropriate) will feature a Facebook module that shows you what your friends have liked as it relates to that search, as well as a smarter people search results. The Bing and Facebook teams offered a few examples of how that might be useful during today's press event: surfacing restaurants that your friends like, pulling in movie likes from IMDB or articles that have been shared about a car you might be eyeing. With the like button now being used by more than two million sites and Facebook passing 500 million members, there's now enough scale to make that type of data surface on a regular basis in search.  Beyond that, Bing is trying to dramatically improve people search, which Bing's Senior VP Online Audience Business Yusuf Mehdi said makes up about 4% of searches. Much like Facebook's site, Bing will recommend new friends based on mutual relationships. Bing now surfaces that data when you search for a name (for example, a "Bob Smith" that five of your friends know will come up higher than a "Bob Smith" that none of them know). From search results, you can add people as friends or send them a message.  The future gets even more interesting though. Bing and Facebook said they're working on including like data from friends alongside each search result. Further out, the companies see an opportunity to surface people who are experts in specific subjects. At face value, Facebook integration certainly seems to make Bing search better in some instances. I know I'd be more inclined to click on a link in search results if one of my friends had liked it. Does that make me more likely to use Bing over Google? Not necessarily, though for the examples offered –- where opinion matters –- Bing's "decision engine" differentiator starts to make a lot more sense. Will Facebook integration make you more likely to use Bing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Reviews: Bing, Facebook, Google, imdb More About: bing, facebook, Google, instant personalization, microsoft, trending For more Social Media coverage:
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| How a Physically Aware Internet Will Change the World Posted: 13 Oct 2010 12:31 PM PDT   Pete Hartwell is a Distinguished Technologist in HP's Quantum Structures Research Laboratories. You can learn more on HP's Data Central Blog as well as on the HP YouTube channel. If you think about it, the first "Internet" looked nothing like it does today. In fact, it was created as a specialized network architecture for the purposes of national defense and security. It goes without saying that, since then, the Internet has had an impact on creativity, global business and economic growth that surpasses even the wildest expectations of the innovators who created it. But if you ask me, we still haven't even scratched the surface. The next revolution of the Internet is not going to be built on manual input of information by 500 million or a billion users. Rather, there is much greater potential in connecting computers to sensors so that valuable new information can be created automatically without human data entry. Much like the early days of the Internet (which was purpose-built to help maintain our collective safety and connectivity), the next generation of sensor networks can monitor our environment and deliver relevant information –- automatically. Most of us have only recently become aware of sensors from swinging Wii tennis rackets, or switching our smartphones from landscape to portrait mode. What you may not realize, however, is that sensors are being created that are a a thousand times more sensitive than this and can be harnessed to have an incredible global impact. I see sensors tackling our world's largest issues: safety, security and sustainability. How Sensors can Measure the WorldA simple way to think about this concept is to compare it to a passive RFID tag, which is used to track objects (everything ranging from a clothing product to the progression of a food chain) and provides real-time information about the status and movement of that object. The problem is that this is relatively static information, as location is only updated when a tag passes near a reader and the system typically requires a significant amount of manual data input to augment location and to set the stage for future worthwhile findings. A wireless sensor network brings much more awareness as the information can be available at any time. The sensor tag is capable of not just telling us where an object is, but information about its environment and how it is behaving. Take, for example, a food production chain. A network of biochemical sensors can understand where and how food is being produced and stored by "smelling" it. Then, the sensors can tell if the food is contaminated and being handled safely and automatically relay that information to a human manager so that the necessary precautions can be taken before a contaminant can spread. The same applies in our personal lives. If interconnected motion and heat sensor devices were spread out around your home, a computer system could understand when you leave a room, and would, for example, know when to turn off the lights automatically and unobtrusively. Just think: A compact fluorescent light bulb may use 75% less energy than a traditional light bulb, but a light bulb that is turned off altogether uses 100% less. The reason this is possible is because of the very Internet that is allowing you to read this post. The Internet provides the backbone to move information and make decisions. It's up to us to harness that network for the greater good. Quite simply, we need the Internet to become better at adjusting and adapting dynamically to serve our needs. We have the tools -– the problem is that our computers are blind, deaf and numb to the world around us. We need to give them senses. How We Get ThereHow are we going to do it? Well, we need a system in place that captures the pulse of our surrounding environment. In an ideal world, we will have incredibly small sensor technology (smaller than a pin) spread out all over the world. We will have sensors attached to suspension bridges to monitor structural flaws, lying alongside highways to measure traffic flow and road conditions, or in our homes and offices to watch how we are using our spaces. With billions, perhaps even trillions of sensors, we can begin to understand not just how the world is behaving, but how we are affecting it. Of course, there are many relevant security and privacy challenges that follow from this vision, but I believe they can and will be solved. In the end, our goal isn’t to know more about individuals, but rather to know more about the actions going on around us. For example, on the highway, we don't need sensors to know who is driving where and when; but, we do want to know when a vehicle in front of you slams on the brakes so that people in danger are alerted and can respond immediately. It is imperative that we solve the privacy and security issues because sensor networks are one of the principal ways we can use technology to address some of our most pressing global challenges like disease, pollution and climate change. Yet, that technology can also have simpler and more immediate applications, like social networks. By understanding how our surroundings are changing in real-time, there is the potential for social networks to adapt to us more quickly. This can take the form of driving directions updating in real time based on traffic conditions. Or, for example, it could mean you receive restaurant recommendations that cross-reference your friends' recommendations with data about where you've eaten recently and which seafood is freshest in your area. Achieving this network of information is no easy task. Many have tried and failed to date. My company is working on a solution called CeNSE, which stands for "Central Nervous System of the Earth," and we’re already deploying these sensors in real-world applications. By giving the Internet a sense of awareness, we can begin to have a broad impact on our planet in areas like global climate change, intelligent infrastructures (buildings, bridges, etc.), and even everyday consumer behavior. And, this is all coming sooner than you may think. I can sense it. More Tech Resources from Mashable:
Reviews: Internet More About: cense, computers, data, HP, internet, real-time, sensors, tech For more Tech coverage:
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| Facebook “Like” Data and People Search Coming to Bing [LIVE] Posted: 13 Oct 2010 11:36 AM PDT   Microsoft and Facebook are set to announce some major new changes to Bing, including some big integrations between the world’s largest social network and Microsoft’s search engine. We are here live at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley headquarters in Mountain View for today’s announcement. The room is filled with press, Bing’s development team and a large contingent of the Facebook PR team. They’ve been cooking something up, and we’re about to find out what. Could today’s Bing announcements be related to the rumor that Bing will integrate Facebook “like” data into search? What about Bing’s major HTML5 makeover that was announced at last month’s IE9 event? What else does Facebook have up its sleeve? Here are my live notes: Bing + Facebook — Live Notes All times are in Pacific Standard Time 11:40 AM: Mark Zuckerberg just arrived. Bing is introducing us to the program for today’s event. 11:41: Discussion about how important the Facebook partnership has been. Bing is laying down the love on Facebook. 11:43: Bing is discussing ways to utilize the social graph to “change the way Bing accomplishes tasks.” 11:44: Qi Lu, Microsoft’s head of digital and search, is on stage. He is discussing how Bing can fundamentally help the user get things done. 11:45: Currently search is about keywords and search results, but does it have to be that way? Are there better ways to help consumers better discover the web? 11:46: The goal is to help users accomplish tasks faster, make decisions better. 11:47: What’s the connective tissue of the web? Now Lu is discussing anchor text and its importance to search algorithms and figuring out what you’re looking for on sites. “But if you go beyond looking for a person or a product, the experience really varies.” The search engine doesn’t have enough predictive powers to figure out user queries. 11:48: The web has evolved from a web of documents to a web of the world. Digital representations of people, places, etc. now exist in the structure of the web. 11:49: Topical graph and social graphs: the “like” button overlays a person and interests and sets the beginning of making the structure richer. This is something that the search engine can tap into. It can complete tasks more efficiently. “We’ll be able to harness and unlock the power of social.” 11:50: This is really the beginning. This is about making people first-class citizens of search. A lot of Qi Lu’s talk is high level about Bing’s overarching goals and the long-term vision, along with history of what’s been done in search already and where it’s weak. 11:51: Bing and Facebook working together will make Bing incredibly better. We will be in a position to tackle that type of problem over time. 11:52: “The experience will be much, much better.” Lu is talking about the integration of social data into Bing. Making the experience substantially better is the key theme of his talk. 11:54: Mark Zuckerberg is on stage. 11:54: Zuck is going back to when Facebook got started. “From studying psychology, I knew that a huge amount of people’s brains is focused entirely on processing information about people.” Emotions, expressions etc. This is the most interesting information that people track around the world — it’s hard wired into us. 11:55: Facebook Photos and Groups were made by just two to three people. They couldn’t build the most feature-rich applications, but early on they only had one advantage — they were deeply, socially integrated. You weren’t just posting photos, but you were tagging people in photos. 11:56: We decided in 2007 that we wanted to focus on building a platform. It’s about giving people with different expertises the ability to build off Facebook. 11:58: Games was one of the first areas that really leveraged the platform. Zynga and Playfish get shout-outs. Games are an early indicator of what’s possible. 11:59: There were 7 million users at the time, when the Microsoft and Facebook partnership was started. Search, ads, maps and more partnerships have occurred since then. “What’s made Microsoft a great partner because they really are the underdogs here.” It compels them to innovate is Zuck’s point. 12:01 PM: We’ve seen good results on ads, Facebook search with Bing and more. Zuck couldn’t think of a better partner to work with for creating the next generation of search. The Announcements 12:02 PM: Here we go. 12:03: First, Microsoft is discussing the Bing integration on Facebook. Web search native to Facebook. It has been good for some subset of users, but most people don’t go to Facebook for web search. 12:03: The next stage was figuring out ways to help people discover what the community at large is discussing, which led to Bing Social. 12:04: “How do we bring the social context into the main Bing search?” “To this point, we haven’t done that.” 12:05: The Facebook Module — it appears in your search results page and shows you which links your friends are “liking.” 12:06: The module is relevancy ranked; it’ll appear in the right-hand area of the search result pages depending on how important this will be for the user. It also differs from user to user based on your social network. 12:07: Search example: “steakhouse San Francisco.” The Facebook Module will show you which restaurants your friends have “liked.” The same thing happens with movie searches, on top of reviews, show times, etc. But this is about the Facebook module: “He or she knows if I’m going to like this movie.” 12:09: If you’re looking for a specific video, Facebook data can help you surface the video you’re looking for. 12:10: Four percent of Bing’s queries are about finding people — people searches. If you’re looking for your friend Brian Lee, rather than the hockey player, Bing can help. It now has a “People on Facebook” module that will show off which Brian Lee is most relevant to you. It uses similar networks and mutual friends to figure out who to display in people searches. 12:13: In the upper-left corner there is a box that lets you learn more about Bing/Facebook integration, or you can say “No thanks.” Bing is taking privacy seriously as a concern with instant personalization. 12:16: Facebook is on stage now to discuss the integrations. 12:18: Facebook is swooning over Bing on stage now and talking about how the four-year partnership has been extraordinary for both sides. Microsoft and Facebook got even closer when the company invested in Facebook. 12:19: More of the same. Outlook, Bing, f8. Yeah, we get it, Microsoft and Bing are in love with each other. Q&A Q: Privacy implications of Bing-Facebook? Q: How does the Facebook popup work? Q: Is Bing sending data back to Facebook? Q: Is Facebook “like” data all public? Q: Financial incentive/does Facebook make money? Q: Will these features be rolled out to other search engines? And Microsoft, how about other integrations of LinkedIn and other social networks. Live VideoReviews: Bing, Facebook, LinkedIn More About: bing, facebook, microsoft, Search, trending For more Social Media coverage:
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| TweetDeck for Android Officially Launched Posted: 13 Oct 2010 11:34 AM PDT   After several months in beta, TweetDeck for Android has just been officially released. TweetDeck 1.0 is now available in the Android Market (Android users can click this link from their device). TweetDeck for Android supports not only Twitter, but also Facebook, Foursquare and Google Buzz. Check out this video to see TweetDeck for Android in action: If you already had a beta version of TweetDeck installed, uninstall it before downloading TweetDeck 1.0. Users who want to stay on the the bleeding edge of Android TweetDeck hotness can follow @deckondroid to get the latest updates and releases. Have you used TweetDeck for Android? What are your thoughts? Reviews: Android, Android Market, Facebook, Foursquare, Google Buzz, TweetDeck, Twitter More About: android, Android apps, tweetdeck, tweetdeck for andorid For more Mobile coverage:
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| New Twitter Now Available for All Posted: 13 Oct 2010 10:43 AM PDT   Twitter has finished rolling out the new version of its web interface (a.k.a. the “New Twitter”) to all users, the company announced Wednesday. In a blog post, company spokesperson Carolyn Penner revealed that the New Twitter is now available to all 160 million of Twitter’s users in six languages. She also said that users will only be able to switch between the old and new versions of Twitter for the next few weeks, after which time only the new version will be accessible. The company told us last week that the majority of users had access to the new interface (which many have viewed as an all-out attack on third-party Twitter clients), but today marks the official completion of a rollout process that began in September. The New Twitter, the design of which is based on the proportions of the Golden Ratio, brings many new features to Twitter’s web interface. Most notably, the new version provides support for multimedia viewing directly on Twitter.com, which prevents users from having to click off-site to view images and video. The new interface also displays a slew of new navigation controls, concentrated in a drop-down menu bar that runs across the top of the screen. Another favorite feature of Mashable readers is the ability to view threaded conversations more easily on the Messages page. Now that everyone has the New Twitter, we’re eager to hear how you like it. Do you prefer it to the old version? Do you now use Twitter.com instead of a third-party client on your desktop? The New Twitter (Screenshot) Reviews: Mashable, Twitter More About: New Twitter, twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| TiVo Makes Managing Season Passes Remotely Easier Posted: 13 Oct 2010 10:19 AM PDT   TiVo has just announced a new feature that will let TiVo owners better manage their Season Passes from the web and across devices. TiVo was really at the forefront of the connected TV movement, but in recent years, has fallen behind a bit as newer players like Apple TV , Roku, the new Google TV and the upcoming Boxee Box get more of the spotlight. TiVo is on a push to increase its connected TV options and to remind users just what the venerable DVR is capable of doing. Last month, TiVo announced that TiVo Premiere users will soon get access to Hulu Plus. What’s cool about today’s announcement is that it actually applies to all broadband-connected TiVo boxes, including the Series 2, Series 3, HD and TiVo Premiere devices. The new online Season Pass Manager will take this longstanding feature to the next level.  Not only will users be able to create recordings and Season Passes, but they can also re-prioritize a Season Pass, delete a Season Pass or transfer a Season Pass from one device to another. So let’s say I find that I usually end up watching 30 Rock before bed but that the show is currently on my living room TiVo. Now I can re-assign what box records the show from the web, instead of having to do it from the device itself. The feature is accessible both from tivo.com and the mobile-optimize m.tivo.com. If we had one wish, it would be that TiVo implement some sort of built-in Slingbox service into TiVo or TiVo Premiere units. Sure you can use TiVo with your existing Slingbox or use software on your local network to transfer shows to your Mac or PC, but a web interface, even if it was local network only, would be really killer. Do you still use TiVo or have you moved on to other devices? More About: connected tv, iptv, tivo, tivo season pass manager For more Tech coverage:
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| Kindle App to Come Preloaded on Select Android Devices Posted: 13 Oct 2010 10:08 AM PDT   Amazon’s Kindle app, which allows users to download and read electronic books on a variety of mobile and desktop devices, will now come preloaded on a few Verizon phones running Google’s Android operating system. The app will come pre-installed on new copies of the recently released Samsung Fascinate, as well as Motorola’s Droid 2 and Droid X smartphones, Amazon and Verizon jointly announced. Amazon VP of Kindle Dave Limp suggests that the Kindle app will come preloaded on “other [Verizon] devices” in the future, as well; however, there was no mention that it would appear on Verizon’s version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Late last month, RIM announced that Kobo’s e-reading app would come preloaded on its forthcoming BlackBerry PlayBook tablet device. More About: android, droid 2, droid x, e-reading, galaxy tab, Kindle, samsung fascinate, Samsung Galaxy Tab, verizon For more Mobile coverage:
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| 4 Ways Brands and Agencies Can Get Involved in the Mashable Awards Posted: 13 Oct 2010 10:05 AM PDT
If you haven’t nominated yet, now’s the time. We've opened 21 of the 25 categories so far, for which you can nominate a person, company, organization, app, device, gadget, video, URL or technology. Also, make sure to follow along in the Mashable Awards series that takes a closer look at nomination categories. Nominations will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, November 29. The top five nominees with the most nominations (subject to editorial policies and official rules) will move forward to the "Final 5 Voting Round" starting Wednesday, Dec. 1.  1. Place Your NominationsWhether you’re nominating yourself or a company you represent, the nomination process is simple and the best part is you can nominate once per category every day (meaning up to 21 total nominations per day). Submit your nomination in four easy steps:
2. Select CategoriesHere are just a few of the categories we thought would be most interesting to you, but you can also see the full list here.
3. Get More NominationsIf you think you or your preferred nominee are right for a category, Mashable would like to provide a few tips to help you start promoting.
4. Attend the Mashable Awards Gala at CES 2011In partnership with Cirque du Soleil, the Mashable Awards Gala event will take place in Las Vegas. It will bring together the winners, nominees, Mashable community, partners, media, the marketing community, consumer electronics brands, technology brands and attendees of the 2011 International CES Convention. Together, we will celebrate the winners and the community of the Mashable Awards at the Cirque du Soleil Zumanity stage in the beautiful New York New York Hotel. The event will include acts and performances from our partner, Cirque du Soleil Zumanity. In addition, there will be special guest presenters and appearances. Date: Thursday, January 6, 2011 (during International CES Convention week) ![Register for Mashable Awards Gala at Cirque du Soleil Zumanity stage (Las Vegas - 2011 International CES convention) [Ticketed Event] in Las Vegas, NV on Eventbrite](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sUOr7O-eV0Bf0ZABwFz0kloyVkay58mDhPBOZ9t741zyk3YB1nzLJjByajXLqRzsExyvixpTcuHXevQaUqycpJZz8Z6U19cdYFyRxzhsG0Vl7gbbIsTZ0rCw=s0-d) Sponsorships are available. Please contact sponsorships@mashable.com for more information. About Past Open Web AwardsThe Open Web Awards began in 2007 and achieved more than 250,000 votes and more than 20 million page views combined between Mashable and our 50 international blog partners. Click here for a list of the Open Web Awards 2007 Winners. The second Open Web Awards, in 2008, included more than 26 categories, more than 100 Blog Partners (from 25 countries and written in 10 different languages), 50,000 total nominations, 80,000 total votes in the first round and 90,000 votes in the final round. Click here for a list of the Open Web Awards 2008 Winners. The third Open Web Awards in 2009 included 50 winners, garnered more than 440,000 total nominations, 70,000 final nominees and 780,000 final votes. Click here for a list of the Open Web Awards 2009 Winners. Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Mashable, Twitter, YouTube More About: agencies, Awards, brands, gadgets, las vegas, MARKETING, mashable, mashable awards, mashable awards 2010, Nominations, open web awards, social media, tech, web For more Business coverage:
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| iPhone 4 Glass Breaking at Alarming Rate, But There’s a Catch Posted: 13 Oct 2010 09:35 AM PDT   Being in the spotlight isn’t always a good thing. Just days after shutting Antennagate, Apple is again in the controversy crosshairs, this time behind claims that iPhone 4 glass is 82% more likely to shatter than the glass on the iPhone 3GS. The report comes from independent warranty provider SquareTrade, which claims:
SquareTrade concludes:
If this sounds like a disaster in the making, we’re in agreement, but consider this: Unlike the iPhone 3GS (or any other iPhone), the back of the iPhone 4 is also composed of glass — meaning it’s twice as likely to suffer a shatter — a variable that wasn’t computed in SquareTrade’s study. SquareTrade states that the iPhone 4 is breaking 82% more than the iPhone 3GS, but this is the sort of sleight of hand statement crafted to grab headlines. Here’s the real world translation: In its sample groups of about 20,000 iPhone owners, SquareTrade actually found that 3.9% of iPhone 4s suffered broken glass in the first four months, in contrast to 2.1% with the iPhone 3GS. Sounds a lot less dramatic doesn’t it? Apple Holic’s Jonny Evans took the math even further to point out that the survey only accounted for 771 broken iPhone 4s (out of 20,000), compared to 427 broken iPhone 3GS screens. Indeed there is an increase, but there is also a doubling of breakable surfaces, so don’t get too alarmed, this is a largely hyperbolic report. That said, you should still avoid dropping your iPhone 4. Hyperbole aside, dropping gadgets tends to, you know, break them. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, aceshot Reviews: iStockphoto More About: Antennagate, glass, glassgate, iphone 3Gs, iphone 4 For more Tech coverage:
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| CEOs at the World’s Biggest Companies Still Social Media Averse [STUDY] Posted: 13 Oct 2010 09:19 AM PDT   While numerous CEOs use social media in a wide variety of ways, those atop the world's biggest corporations remain largely on the sidelines, according to a new study. “Socializing Your CEO: From (Un)Social to Social," prepared by global PR firm Weber Shandwick, found that 64% of CEOs at the world's 50 largest companies aren't engaging with social media. But even for the 36% that do "go social," most of that activity falls into the realm of fairly traditional web activities, like posting a letter to a corporate website, which 28% of the sample had done. YouTube had the most traction among social networking tools with 18% usage –- a trend we've been noticing with some CEOs –- though Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn all had less than 10% penetration within the group. Why such low social media activity? Chris Perry, president of Weber Shandwick Digital Communications said, “It’s not surprising that CEOs are less inclined to participate in social media given the perceived risk and time commitment required to engage in two-way conversations." That risk of course involves having 140 characters of information analyzed and scrutinized by the media and moreso investors –- a complexity that hasn't been lost on politicians and celebrities but is amplified even further when small nuggets of information can move a company's valuation by billions of dollars. Leslie Gaines-Ross, Weber Shandwick’s chief reputation strategist and online reputation expert, does see value in CEOs embracing social media, however. “In this increasingly digital age, CEOs should embrace the value of connectivity with customers, talent and other important stakeholders online. With 1.96 billion Internet users around the world, CEOs should be where people are watching, reading, chatting and listening,” she said. We also think that social media will be used in a multitude of ways by CEOs in the future, both internally and externally, and would expect these numbers to continue to shift over the next few years. Here’s the executive summary of the report: Images courtesy of iStockphoto, style-photographs Reviews: Facebook, Internet, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, iStockphoto More About: CEOs, COMMUNICATIONS, executives, pr, PUBLIC RELATIONS, social media For more Business coverage:
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| Next Apple Event Goes “Back to the Mac” Posted: 13 Oct 2010 09:18 AM PDT   Following recent events focused on iOS, the iPhone and the iPod and iTunes, Apple’s next media event will shift its focus “Back to the Mac.” The event will be held on October 20, 2010 in Cupertino. As you can see from the invitation, not only does it look like new laptops might be announced at the event (hence the aluminum looking facade), but we might just get a preview of the next version of Mac OS X. See that lion peaking out from behind the Apple logo? For the non-Mac users among us, that actually fits with the going-on 10-year motif in Apple’s OS naming structure. Here are the code names for Mac OS X from OS X 10.0 to the present:
Could Mac OS X 10.7 Lion be part of the upcoming announcement? We’ll have to wait until October 20 to find out. What do you hope to see from Apple at a Mac-centric event? Let us know in the comments. Image source Engadget Reviews: iPhone More About: apple, apple events, mac, mac os x For more Apple coverage:
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| URL Shortener Bit.ly Now Generates QR Codes, Too Posted: 13 Oct 2010 09:02 AM PDT   URL shortening service bit.ly announced Tuesday that users can now automatically generate QR codes that, when scanned with a mobile QR code reader, automatically direct users to shortened links. To create a QR code, visit bit.ly, write or paste in a URL address, click “Shorten,” and add .qr to the end of the generated bit.ly link (like so: http://bit.ly/9STstv.qr). Next, copy the modified bit.ly link into a new browser window to view the QR code, which you can then print out, send to your friends via e-mail, post on your blog, etc. I’ve included a QR code that links to my Mashable author page in the right-hand corner of this post. To scan the code, you’ll need an app like QR Scanner [iTunes link] for the iPhone and iPod touch, or ShopSavvy for Android devices. The new QR code feature arrives just 12 days after Google released its public URL shortener goo.gl to the public, which includes the ability to instantly generate QR codes in the same fashion as bit.ly. While the ability to create QR codes via URL shortening services isn’t revolutionary in any sense, it’s a fun feature that should increase interest and familiarity with QR codes, which continue to grow in popularity among marketers in the U.S. [via TheNextWeb] Reviews: Android, Google, Mashable, bit.ly For more Tech coverage:
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| 5 Big Social Media Questions from Small Business Owners Posted: 13 Oct 2010 08:18 AM PDT   This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. There are a lot of buzz words on the social web these days: group buying, location-based services, SEO, just to name a few. Sorting through the information to figure out what’s just hype and what your business can actually work with can be a daunting task — it uses up resources, including time and money, and sometimes leads you and your social media strategy in the wrong direction. With technology adoption rates skyrocketing among small businesses and small business social media success stories popping up all around the web, it’s likely that more SMBs will be joining the social revolution in the near future. But how does your business decide which social venues are right for your company, customer base and goals? It’s a tough call, but it all boils down to doing your research and creating a clear-cut strategy. While serving on a panel at a recent social media training session for small business owners, I received a number of questions on how to grow a business using social media and other free or low-cost tools on the web. Five particular questions stood out as being highly relevant and oh-so fresh, so I would like to share them with the greater community of small business owners looking to promote their companies via social media. Add your own thoughts and questions on these topics in the comments below. 1. Is group buying right for my business? One of the latest trends in social media and online shopping is group buying, in which consumers act en masse to get great deals on products and services. Sites like Groupon, LivingSocial, Tippr and BuyWithMe have all seen big successes, but should small businesses jump in on the action? In order to evaluate the opportunity here, your business must weigh the pros and cons. On the positive side, group buying sites can generate a lump sum of revenue very quickly. Most deals last no longer than a day, and after the deal has ended, your company is cut a quick check. Secondly, because of the nature of group buying sites, you get a mass of new customers signed up to try out your product or service. That can’t be bad if you’re offering something of great value to them. But it’s not all good news for small businesses. Most group buying sites take up to 50% of the revenue that a deal brings in. For example, let’s say you own a gym and an average gym membership is $800 per year. You decide to set up a deal on Groupon for 50% off an annual gym membership, for a total cost of $400 to the customer. Because Groupon takes 50% of the cut, you are left with $200 of revenue from one gym membership. So, in the end, you’ve actually forfeited 75% of the retail membership price. You should also be aware of your brand’s image when dealing with coupon-centric marketing opportunities like group buying. Make sure that a site’s audience matches your own target audience before signing up for a deal. There isn’t a lot of research on who uses group buying sites, but it’s safe to say that people who love great deals are drawn to them. That doesn’t mean that these consumers won’t pay the full price next time, but that’s always a possibility to be aware of. If your goal is to facilitate customer trials or to generate quick cash (without concern for selling highly discounted business), group buying is a great place to start. But if you’re worried about maintaining a luxury brand status or high profit margins on products sold, it may not be a good idea for your brand. 2. Without a location, how can I use location-based marketing?Most location-based services, like Foursquare, Gowalla and SCVNGR, are built to help users find and explore the best spots around them. Businesses with permanent addresses, such as stores and restaurants, take advantage of these services by offering venue-specific deals. When users open a business’s page to check in on their mobile apps, they usually see an alert for a special in that location, such as a discount or freebie. Finding interesting ways to utilize location-based services can be a challenge for businesses without permanent addresses, such as online services and media companies. But there are still opportunities — creativity is key.  If you produce a lot of content online, via a website or blog, you should consider leaving insider tips at other venues related to your content or industry. For example, Mashable leaves tips relevant to the tech community, such as where to find free wi-fi and industry meetups. Another way to utilize location-based marketing is to get involved with other mobile apps or sites that serve ads to users in certain locations. Brightkite, for example, can serve ads based on location, time and behavior. 3. How do I start a blog if I’m not tech savvy? You don’t have to be a computer science whiz to start a blog. Try starting off with a simple platform, and if that doesn’t work, you can always hire a web designer or developer to help you. Start with a simple platform: Building a website or blog can be quite intimidating, and content management systems like WordPress, Drupal and ExpressionEngine can be overkill for many people. If you’re just looking to create a few simple pages, such as an about page and a contact page, and then update with blog posts, try Tumblr. There are quite a few themes for small business needs, and the interface is very easy to use. After you create your page, updating it with content is just a matter of inputting the blog post, choosing a few descriptive tags and publishing. WordPress.com (which shouldn’t be confused with WordPress.org) and Blogger are other entry-level options. They both provide free themes that can be customized, and while the WordPress and Blogger dashboards may look a bit more complicated than the Tumblr dashboard, a quick tutorial should have you up to speed. If you’re looking for a step up, look into a few other lightweight CMS solutions, such as MojoMotor, CushyCMS, GetSimple CMS, Simple CMS and Perch. Hire a web designer or developer: If you are still confused about how to get your blog up and running, considering hiring a web designer or developer. Sometimes, it’s just best to leave these things up to the professionals. Once you get started, check out these corporate blogging tips and learn a few lessons from some of the best corporate blogs out there. 4. Why isn’t my business’s social media following growing?There are a ton of reasons why your current social media strategy may not be serving you well. Here are a few possibilities — take a look and see if anything sounds familiar to your business:
5. How do I optimize my business’s social media pages for search? Search engine optimizations is all about content. For starters, make sure that your social profiles and their URLs are named after your business. If your company is called Moozey Market, for example, you should name your profiles accordingly (not Moozey’s or M. Market, but Moozey Market) and make sure the URLs are also appropriately designated: facebook.com/moozeymarket, twitter.com/moozeymarket, moozeymarket.tumblr.com, and so on. If your desired URL is not available, feel free to modify, but keep it as close to the original name as possible, without including misspellings or strange abbreviations. After you have your names and URLs down, make sure you fill out all of the available information — bio, location, mission, products, and so on. Be sure to add links to all of your other social pages to increase inbound links for each of them. Inbound links, or backlinks, help search engines understand the popularity of your website, blog or social profile. The more backlinks, the higher your page will rank in search results. On your business’s Facebook page, for example, list your Twitter, YouTube and Flickr accounts to ensure that users know you’re on those platforms and to increase your inbound links. The last step is to continuously update your pages with content that is relevant to your industry. Think about the type of information that your target audience is seeking. If you are a baker, for example, you could maintain a steady flow of recipes, baking tips and local restaurant recommendations. It is likely that someone looking for baking recommendations may be interested in learning more about your bakery. All of this information ultimately helps your social profiles rank higher in search results. These five questions are great primers for small businesses that are starting or revamping their social media strategies. Add your thoughts and questions on these topics in the comments below. More Business Resources from Mashable:
Image courtesy of Flickr, Danard Vincente. Reviews: Brightkite, Drupal, Facebook, Flickr, Foursquare, Gowalla, Mashable, Tumblr, Twitter, WordPress, YouTube, blogger More About: blogger, business, buywithme, foursquare, group buying, groupon, List, Lists, LivingSocial, location, location-based, location-based apps, location-based service, small business, social media, social media marketing, Tippr, tumblr, web designers, web developer, web developers, wordpress.com For more Business coverage:
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| Posted: 13 Oct 2010 07:42 AM PDT   Shares of Apple hit a new all-time high on Wednesday morning, eclipsing $300. At that price, Apple is now valued at $274 billion, more than Intel, Hewlett Packard and Google, and within striking distance of the world's largest company, Exxon Mobil, which is valued at $329 billion. Apple passed archnemesis Microsoft in valuation earlier this year. While Apple's stock has been on a tear this year on the strength of iPad and iPhone sales, you only have to go back about a year and a half to when the global economic crisis and concerns about the health of Steve Jobs had the company trading at less than $80 per share. Reviews: Google For more Business coverage:
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| The Digital Newspaper: Hands-On with 4 Top iPad Apps Posted: 13 Oct 2010 07:07 AM PDT   Consumers have more digital options for reading the news than ever before. From pithy, one-line updates on Twitter, to RSS feed readers with customizable content, to dedicated apps from newspapers on mobile devices — choices are endless. But it’s the on-the-go mobile apps we are interested in here, with a hands-on look at four popular apps for the iPad platform, from traditional newspaper companies offering both free content and that which lives behind the paywall. When it launched, the iPad was hyped as the lifeline for a dying industry. But do newspapers work well enough on the iPad to be the savior so many hope it will be? Check out the reviews below for a look at iPad apps from The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Financial Times and The New York Times and let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments. 1. The Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal’s iPad app is a free download, but in order to access all the content you need to subscribe at a cost of $17.29 per month.  The first page you’ll see as you load the app is the start screen, and it’s great, unlike other apps we checked out. Not only does it give you a central place to start exploring from — and return back to — but it gives you the option to quickly access saved stories. Another feature that we really like from the WSJ’s start page is the differentiation from the “Today” edition (the app version of that day’s paper) and the “Now” edition, containing even more up-to-date news. It’s nice to have the option of multiple editions released throughout the day, staying true to its printed roots, but still providing readers with up-to-the-second news.  Stories aren’t that easy to read on WSJ’s page layout, but with time, you’ll likely to get used to it. The font and closeness of the paragraphs, which is quite noticeable on a story with no images, can produce an off-putting solid wall of text.  Overall, it’s not the best example of navigation in a newspaper app, but the drop-down menu does the job. And, as we’ve previously mentioned, the start screen is a great feature. From there, you can also access your portfolio “Watchlist” and view the the past week’s editions.  The saved articles function is fantastic — simply hit the “tools” menu, select “save article” and your stories will be saved as a tidy little list, complete with thumbnail where available, that you can access from your start screen. 2. USA Today for iPad The USA Today for iPad app is a free download, and offers continually updated highlights of the publication in a nicely laid out, easy-to-navigate format that won’t challenge — or for that matter inspire — a reader too much.  News stories are clean and easy to read, and you have the option to share the news via Twitter, Facebook or e-mail.  There are four main sections to the USA Today app: News and headlines, Money, Sports and Life. Navigating between the sections is simple — you just tap the USA Today icon from the main page to bring up the four tap-able icons. Or when in a story, tap the newspaper-shaped icon on the top right that takes you back to that section’s main page. USA Today occupies middle-ground in terms of newspaper design for the iPad. It adds a few (but perhaps not nearly enough) nice touches to take advantage of the platform.  By all accounts, the photo galleries are popular on this app, but our favorite highlight has to be the quality, free crosswords in the Life section. There is a nice selection to choose from, and the app saves your progress. Other highlights include personalized sports scores and weather, the option to view and take part in USA Today’s “Snapshots” polls, and the ability to easily update some or all sections for offline reading. Disclosure: Mashable is a syndication partner of USA TODAY 3. Financial Times iPad Edition The Financial Times iPad app (reassuringly the same salmon hue as the print version) is free to download, but, as with its website, you’ll need to first register and pay a subscription fee to access all the content. The charging structure and what’s included with each option is complicated — more so than need be. Registered users will enjoy free access to 10 articles per month, the standard subscription gives you all-you-can-view access for $22 per month, and the premium option, costing $32 per month, throws in extras like newsletters and other exclusive content.  The stories are laid out as you might expect from a traditional newspaper, with little flourish other than the option to share via e-mail, Twitter or Facebook. As is perhaps fitting for a business title, images are few and far between, but there is a well populated video section if you’re looking for something visual.  This is a well designed app with some excellent navigation. Hit the top of the display and the virtual page you’re on will shuffle down to reveal a menu covering the main areas of the paper. The great thing is that you can re-order these to make the sections you are most interested in appear first, just by grabbing and dragging the tabs around. When inside a story, you have to use an arrow to go back to the main page to navigate again, or follow the “more” suggested links you’ll find at the right of each article.  The search ability that the FT app offers is great and surprisingly rare in the world of newspaper apps. Another nice feature is a “recently viewed” list, and anyone who has set up a portfolio on FT’s website can view a summary of it from within the app.  Although the other apps we’ve looked at allow for offline access, FT’s offline options — the ability to download that day’s edition to your iPad at the press of one virtual button — is very well done indeed. From the navigation menu you simply hit the “Download Edition” button, and minutes later you’ll have the entire day’s paper ready to view in all its salmon glory on your iPad’s glossy display. This is something that we’d imagine has become a daily habit for a lot of commuting business types. 4. The New York Times – Editors’ Choice The free Editors’ Choice iPad app is made up of a small portion of curated content from The New York Times, updated daily, giving readers a kind of “best of” across news, business, technology, opinion, arts, features and video.  Stories are displayed in a simple newspaper column layout, and often, as our example above shows, with no image. The design could be described as sparse or minimalist, depending on which side of the fence you’re on. Sharing options come in with the ability to e-mail, tweet or post the article to Facebook, as well as copy the link.  An icon-based navigation bar across the bottom of the screen offers access to the different sections. When inside a story, you get the option to navigate back to the section’s main page. This app does not take advantage of the digital platform, other than with its video section.  This app’s content is severely limited, reportedly due to a deal done with Amazon for the Kindle, but the App Store description promises “more features and functionality to come later this year.” Because of the limited nature of the app, it’s hard to pin down a highlight, other than the quality of the content, and some great features, opinion and video. As a stand-alone newspaper app, this one is not quite up to snuff, but it’s worth the free download for when you’re bored on the bus. ConclusionIf we could take different elements from all these apps, we could build a great newspaper for the iPad. We’d take the WSJ’s start screen, USA Today’s layout, the FT’s search, download options and navigation, then we’d finish it off with the NYT’s content. In the real world, your choice of newspaper varies depending on your politics, interests and even social standing, mixed in with more complicated aspects that vary from cost to conspicuous consumerism to geographical availability. Will the mobile digitization of newspapers, which brings global reach and confidentiality of choice, change that? Only time will tell if the iPad or tablet format will re-energize the newspaper industry. But from what we’ve seen in these apps, the real bonus with a mobile newspaper app is the instant access, rather than any stunning design or interface improvements over a standard online publication. More iPad Resources from Mashable:
Reviews: App Store, Facebook, Mashable, Twitter, news, sports More About: app store, apple, Apple iPad, Financial Times, galleries, gallery, iOS, ipad, ipad apps, new york times, newspapers, usa today, wall street journal For more Apple coverage:
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| This Morning’s Top Stories in Social Media and Tech Posted: 13 Oct 2010 06:36 AM PDT   Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. We're keeping our eyes on three particular stories of interest today. Sony’s Google TV-Powered Devices Have Arrived Sony has unveiled its newest line of Internet-enabled TVs, complete with the highly anticipated Google TV software. Sony's new Internet HDTVs are available in four sizes: 24-inch, 32-inch, 40-inch and 46-inch. The 24-inch model rings in at $599, while the 46-inch will cost you a hefty $1,399. Each sports 1080p edge-lit LED screens, with the exception of the 24-inch model. They come with four USB ports, four HDMI inputs and Wi-Fi capabilities. Marissa Mayer to Lead Google’s Location and Local Services Division Marissa Mayer, Google's current VP of search product and user experience, is changing roles to better develop location and local services within the company. Since joining Google in 1999, Mayer has become a crucial asset to the search giant. Under her tenure at search products, she oversaw the search interface and helped introduce more than 100 features and products to the site, most recently Google Instant. Mayer's move to location and local services exemplifies the higher priority the company is placing on the space. Online Advertising Revenue Achieves Record Growth Online advertising is thriving in the U.S., according to figures released in the latest IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report. Businesses and individuals spent approximately $12.1 billion on online advertising in the first six months of 2010, up 11.3% from the from the first half of 2009 and 13.9% from the second quarter of 2009. In fact, this was both the highest first-half and second-quarter revenue ever recorded. Further News
Disclosure: Microsoft is a Mashable sponsor. Reviews: Facebook, Google, Internet, Mashable, Ping More About: facebook, first to know series, Google, google tv, marissa mayer, sony For more Tech coverage:
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| Prep for the SATs with iPad and iPhone Video Game Posted: 13 Oct 2010 06:00 AM PDT   Test prep giant Kaplan and game maker Aspyr Media have adapted their SAT test prep video game, FutureU, for iPhone and iPad devices. FutureU is expected to be released next week, but Mashable got an early sneak peak. The free FutureU SAT study game — which includes four $1.99 in-app premium upgrades for additional levels — will soon be available as an iOS application to students looking for a mobile interactive way to prepare for the SATs. The application includes games designed around three key study areas: reading, writing and math. The reading games are designed to improve player vocabulary and refine the app user’s ability to find themes and arguments. When it comes to writing, FutureU games cover a smattering of topics to help users with run-on sentences, misplaced modifiers, tenses, subject-verb agreement and so on. The mathematics games focus on algebra, geometry, statistics and probability. “Students are always on the go and busier than ever. So for us to work with Kaplan to develop a mobile version of futureU for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices that allows students to study — even when they might only have a few extra minutes here and there — just made sense,” Aspyr Media CEO Michael Rogers says. We haven’t had the opportunity to test out the new app for ourselves, but FutureU for iPhone and iPad is modeled after existing SAT prep versions of the game for Nintendo DS, PC and Mac, and sounds like a promising way to get lackadaisical students a little more excited about SAT prep. Still, students looking for an easy way out of studying should be forewarned — FutureU is only meant to complement traditional study methods, not replace them altogether. Apple’s mobile devices have already become handy educational and learning tools, a trend that will likely continue as even more respected educational publishers mold their textbooks and learning tools for iPhone or iPad. FutureU Screenshots  More About: aspyr, educational, ipad, iphone, kaplan For more Mobile coverage:
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| LEGO Builds Customizable Wii Remote Posted: 13 Oct 2010 05:52 AM PDT   Simple fact of reality: Everything is better with LEGOs. Case in point: The LEGO Wii Remote. This fully functional Wii-mote is officially licensed by Nintendo and features not only the iconically bright LEGO colors, but also 37 interchangeable LEGO mini-tiles to accent the controller. What’s more, the battery cover features standard LEGO connectors, so you can connect it to any number of LEGO creations. It’s only a matter of time before some industrious LEGOer combines the LEGO Wii Remote with one of the (rather awesome) LEGO Star Wars sets and uses it to complete LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga game for Wii. The LEGO Play and Build Remote for Nintendo Wii is available now for pre-order for $40. [via Kotaku] More About: Lego, Nintendo, Star Wars, Wii For more Tech coverage:
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