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Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “This Morning’s Biggest Stories in Social Media, Tech and Business”

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Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “This Morning’s Biggest Stories in Social Media, Tech and Business”

This Morning’s Biggest Stories in Social Media, Tech and Business

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 05:09 AM PST

Social Media News

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

Users Can Now Log in to MySpace With Facebook

In a move that has been rumored for nearly a year, MySpace users can now log in and push information to the once-dominant social network using Facebook.

Twitter Helps Users Find More Friends With New "People" Tab

Twitter is testing out a new People tab that suggests friends, and allows users to find others to follow according to interests and relationships on other services such as Gmail, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Hotmail and Messenger.

U.S. Facebook Traffic Has Doubled in Last Year

U.S. traffic to Facebook has risen by a whopping 55% in the last year, according to data sent to us by comScore. In October 2009, Facebook had 97.37 million unique U.S. visitors. In October 2010, the world's largest network pulled in 151.13 million U.S. uniques.

Google on a Hiring Spree

Google currently has more than 2,000 job openings listed on its site, nearly six times more than it had listed in March [via Reuters].

Further News

  • In an attempt to teach the average person about the fundamental of browsers and the web, Google has released an interactive online book that explains concepts like, TCP/IP, HTML, browser extensions and malware.
  • Some Nokia N8 phones have a power fault that makes them power off all by themselves, Nokia Executive Vice President Niklas Savander admitted in a video on Nokia's official blog.
  • Social media management tool HootSuite has released an iPad app that includes support for multiple Twitter, Facebook (profiles and Pages) and Foursquare accounts, message scheduling, Twitter search, geo-location and click-through statistics.
  • FaceMash.com, the domain that was once host to a Facebook prototype Mark Zuckerberg built in his Harvard dorm room one October night in 2003, has sold for $30,201 on auction site Flippa.
  • National Opt-Out Day is coming, and to celebrate, checkin service Loopt is planning to reward those travelers who opt out of body scans in favor of full-body pat-downs. The prize? An "iPod touches." (Nice one, Loopt.)

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DNY59

More About: facebook, first to know series, Google, myspace, twitter

For more Social Media coverage:

Twitter Helps You Find More Friends With New “People” Tab

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 02:21 AM PST


Twitter is testing a new People tab, positioned next to the Home, Profile and Messages tabs on the home page.

The new feature suggests friends for you, lets you browse Twitter users through interests, or find new Twitter buddies through other services such as Gmail, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Hotmail and Messenger.

It also shows the accounts you’ve recently followed and viewed, with the ability to quickly browse accounts that are similar to those you’ve followed.

One of the main problems Twitter users are facing is a meaningful way to find new people to follow. There’s a large number of third-party tools and services out there that let you discover new friends, but until now, Twitter itself wasn’t really helpful with this regard. Now, it has finally consolidated all of its friend-finding features under one tab, which will definitely be helpful, especially to new users.

Interestingly enough, it seems that Twitter is currently testing several slightly different versions of the feature. For example, on my account the new tab is called “Find People” instead of just “People”. See the difference in the screenshots below.

More About: people, social media, twitter

For more Social Media coverage:

Nokia: Some N8 Phones Have Power Problems

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 12:18 AM PST


Some Nokia N8 phones have a power fault that makes them power off all by themselves, Nokia Executive Vice President Niklas Savander said in a video on Nokia’s official blog.

“Through our customer care we have heard that a limited number of Nokia N8 customers are experiencing a power down or not power up of the device,” said Savander. When asked how many users are affected, Savander said it’s a “small number,” adding however that for the consumers that are affected, it’s a “significant issue”.

Savander claims Nokia has found and fixed the source of the problem. If you have a Nokia N8 that’s experiencing the issue, you’ll be happy to know that it’s covered by Nokia’s standard warranty.

More About: Mobile 2.0, N8, Nokia, power, smartphone

For more Tech coverage:

Troubleshooting Those Ill-Advised Texts

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 10:09 PM PST


There’s a lot to love about texting. For the most part, it’s silent and can be done stealthily. (“This blind date is a disaster. He thinks I’m Googling right now to confirm some obscure fact about Star Trek.”)

It avoids all the nasty awkwardness, gaping silences and talking-over-one-another of a phone conversation. If you believe the misguided media reports, it even leads to more sex, booze and rock ‘n’ roll for American teens. (For the record: Scientists found a correlation, which does not remotely suggest that texting causes bad behavior. Makes a lot more sense that the most extroverted kids hook up more, drink more and, oh yeah, text more than the loners do, yes?)

We’re now texting at a rate of more than 1.5 trillion messages per year in the U.S., according to a survey from CTIA. Let’s write that out for maximum kapow: 1,500,000,000,000 texts!

Among them, no doubt, are a helluva lotta problematic ones. Read on for tips on troubleshooting your terrible-TM woes.

And so begins my Netiquette column — which I write with my Stuff Hipsters Hate co-blogger, Andrea Bartz — this week over at CNN.


Check out the column at CNN.com >>

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, A1Stock

Reviews: iStockphoto

More About: cnn, Mobile 2.0, netiquette, social media, Stuff Hipsters Hate

For more Mobile coverage:

The Year of Facebook: U.S. Traffic Has Grown by 55% in the Last Year [STATS]

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 08:52 PM PST


Watch out, Google: U.S. traffic to Facebook has risen by a whopping 55% in the last year, according to data sent to us by comScore.

In October 2009, Facebook had 97.37 million unique U.S. visitors. In October 2010 though, the world’s largest network garnered a whopping 151.13 million U.S. uniques. That’s a growth rate of 55.2% year-over-year.

Let’s think about just how far Facebook has come in the course of a year. October 2009 was the height of the Facebook vs. Twitter war, where the former began to emulate the latter’s features in an effort to grind Twitter into dust (remember Facebook Lite?). And while Facebook’s 300 million users and 97.37 million monthly U.S. visitors were impressive, it still didn’t beat YouTube’s 100.69 million U.S. uniques.

Today Facebook has over 500 million members and is the second most-visited website in the world, trailing only Google and its 173.3 million U.S. uniques. It has annihilated MySpace and outpaced Twitter’s growth (30% year-over-year). Facebook is no longer concerned with Twitter and has instead set its sights on battling Google. And none of these stats account for Facebook’s massively popular mobile apps.

2010 will go down as the year of Facebook, and for very good reason. Open Graph and Instant Personalization has cemented the company’s role as the web’s most important platform, and a series of high profile product releases have turned it into one of the world’s most valuable companies.

Can Facebook keep it up in 2011, though? Or will another company emerge as the new darling of the web? Let us know what you think.

Reviews: Facebook, Google, Twitter, YouTube

More About: ComScore, facebook, Google, stats, twitter

Google Launches Interactive Book to Teach Everyone About the Web

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 07:51 PM PST


In an attempt to teach the average person about the fundamental of browsers and the web, Google has released an interactive online book that explains concepts like, TCP/IP, HTML, browser extensions and malware.

The short book, 20 Things I Learned About Browsers and the Web, is a step-by-step explanation of the web and how it works. It was created by the Google Chrome team using HTML5, but it also features a lot of clever illustrations by award-winning German illustrator and children’s author Christoph Niemann.

The focus of the book is on 19 different topics (plus a recap, making for 20 things). It starts with “What Is the Internet?” and then dives into cloud computing, web apps, web programming languages, browsers, privacy, security and open source.

While regular readers of Mashable may be very familiar with these web concepts (and much more), Google realizes that most people have no clue about the function of a browser or what HTML5 actually is. This was exemplified last year when Google took to the streets and asked people, “what is a browser?” Less than 8% of the people it polled gave a correct answer.

With 20 Things I Learned About Browsers and the Web (available at 20thingsIlearned.com), Google can point these users to a website that will fill them in on the basics. While it’s not a perfect solution (we suspect the book’s too long for many in our attention-deficient society), it’s definitely something I’d show to my mom or my technologically-challenged friends.

What do you think of Google’s new Internet book?

Reviews: Google, Google Chrome, Internet, Mashable

More About: 20 things I learned about the web, chrome, Google, google chrome, internet, trending

For more Social Media coverage:

Dell Inspiron Duo Gets Spec’ed

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 06:23 PM PST


It’s been a couple of weeks since Dell first showed off the Inspiron Duo, and today we’ve gotten some more specifics on the device. The device is notable due to its unique notebook-to-tablet flipping mechanism.

Aside from its flip mechanics, the Duo has the distinction of being powered by a dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor, making it one of the first dual-core devices in its class. It also comes standard with 2GB of RAM and a Broadcom Crystal HD accelerator for graphics — if anyone has experience with this graphics chipset, please sound off in comments. It’s running Windows 7 Home Premium, but given Dell’s penchant for customization, there might be options for other flavors of Windows 7.

The Dell Inspiron Duo will be available in the first week of December for $550 at its stock price. We’re actually rather intrigued by the device, so we’ll keep an eye on it and let you know how it performs when we get our hands on one. In the meantime, here’s a video a video that shows of the Duo’s crazy flip action:

[via Engadget]

Reviews: Windows, Windows 7

More About: dell, Dell Inspiron Duo, Tablet, Windows 7

For more Tech coverage:

“Super Agent” Ari Emanuel on the Web’s Impact on Entertainment [VIDEO]

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 05:27 PM PST


How has the digital revolution affected film, music and the wider entertainment industry? Has iTunes been a good thing or a bad thing for artists? And what should actors, musicians and entertainment professionals do to really utilize the web for their work?

Ariel “Ari” Emanuel addressed those questions and more in a 45 minute interview on stage at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco this week. Emanuel is the CEO of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, one of the world’s largest talent agencies. He’s represented everyone from Conan O’Brien to Martin Scorsese. He’s also the inspiration and archetype for Ari Gold, the blunt and savvy Hollywood agent in HBO’s Entourage.

Emanuel addresses everything from Apple’s dominance of the music market to the nature of content on the web. At one point the conversation gets heated when Tim O’Reilly pushes Emanuel’s buttons over piracy and fair pricing for content.

Check out the video below if you want to learn more:

More About: Ari Gold, Ariel Emanuel, entourage, video, W2S2010, Web 2.0 Summit, YouTubbe, youtube

For more Entertainment coverage:

Mark Zuckerberg’s College Website Sells for $30,000

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 03:56 PM PST


FaceMash.com, the domain that was once host to a Facebook prototype Mark Zuckerberg built in his Harvard dorm room one October night in 2003, has sold for $30,201 on auction site Flippa.

The domain once housed a Harvard version of Hot or Not, which placed photos of various university women next to one another and asked visitors to select which one was more attractive. Facemash reportedly attracted 450 visitors and generated 22,000 page views in its first evening; it was pulled down by Harvard several days later.

The auction was first posted on October 5, just days before the movie The Social Network — which features both the site and its original owner — hit theaters in the U.S.

Flippa General Manager Dave Slutzkin confirmed in a statement that the winner of the auction was neither an employee of Facebook nor of Sony Pictures, which owns facemash.net.

Reviews: Facebook

More About: facebook, facemash, flippa, mark zuckerberg, Sony Pictures

For more Social Media coverage:

Why You Need a Vizio XVT3SV Series TV This Holiday Season

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 02:44 PM PST

Mashable 10 Logo

This post is part of the Mashable 10, Mashable’s gift guide of the 10 hottest gadgets that will be on everyone’s wish list this holiday season. We’ll be publishing one new post each weekday until November 26.

Of all the TVs that we’ve seen in 2010, none have stood out as profoundly as those from the Vizio XVT3SV series. There are a few consumer displays on the market with slightly better picture quality, but the differences have been uniformly negligible when held against the value that Vizio brings to the table.

So if you’re in the market for a new TV this holiday season, here are a few reasons why you need a the Vizio XVT3SV series in your living room:

Display

The XVT3SV series comes in 42-inch (XVT423SV), 47-inch (XVT473SV) and 55-inch (XVT553SV) sizes. The displays all feature TruLED backlighting, which dims and brightens the image independently across the entire display — not just along the edges.

Of course, all of the displays are capable of 1080p full HD video. Unique for the price point, however, is their 240Hz refresh rates, which eliminates motion blur in almost any situation. Finally, the 10,000,000-to-1 dynamic contrast ratios produce particularly accurate black and white levels.

Features

There are a ton of features packed into this series, but the most significant is probably the Vizio Internet Apps. The features allow users to stream popular services like Netflix and Pandora directly to their TV — without an external device.

Also, with built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi, there isn’t even a need to run an ethernet cable to your home theater. Just connect the display to your home network, and you’re good to go.

Since Internet activities typically require the use of more than just a standard remote control, all models include the Vizio VUR10. The remote works via Bluetooth and has a slide out QWERTY keyboard for easy typing.

The Bottom Line

For many, buying a new TV is like buying a car. It’s a major expense and you want to ensure that it will age well and be competitive five years down the line. While there might be displays that, in some ways, inch out the Vizio XVT3SV series, none offer the right combination of features and performance.

So if you’re in the market for a new TV and don’t want to mortgage your house for it, the Vizio XVT3SV series is the way to go.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Liliboas, xxmmxx

Reviews: Bluetooth, Pandora, iStockphoto

More About: HDTV, LCD, led, mashable 10, vizio, XVT3SV

For more Tech coverage:

HootSuite Releases iPad App for Social Media Management

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 01:57 PM PST


HootSuite for iPad has arrived. With the release, the startup, which makes social media dashboards for web and mobile, has ported its business-targeted product for social media management across multiple services to the Apple device.

HootSuite for iPad includes support for multiple Twitter, Facebook (profiles and Pages) and Foursquare accounts, message scheduling, Twitter search, geo-location and click statistics. The application also offers a quick import option for existing HootSuite users looking to sync accounts.

The design of the application mirrors the column approach of other HootSuite products, and includes a stationary left-hand sidebar with a list of all streams being tracked.

HootSuite for iPad looks to be the perfect companion application for existing business users of the service who wish to manage their presence on a larger mobile screen. The multipurpose nature of the application might also help attract new users.

Just like the startup’s other mobile applications, HootSuite for iPad is free with usage limitations governed by the company’s previously introduced freemium business model.

Reviews: Facebook, HootSuite, Twitter, foursquare, pages

More About: facebook, foursquare, hootsuite, ipad, twitter

For more Social Media coverage:

Loopt Will Give You an iPod Touch If You Let the TSA Touch You

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 01:37 PM PST


National Opt-Out Day is coming, and to celebrate, checkin service Loopt is planning to reward those travelers who opt out of body scans in favor of full-body pat-downs. The prize? An “iPod touches.” (Nice one, Loopt.)

According to the Loopt blog, the checkin service has 10 iPod touches up for the taking, which will be awarded on November 24 — a.k.a. The Day Before Thanksgiving, a.k.a. A Super Busy Travel Day, a.k.a. National Opt-Out Day.

All one has to do to snag a touch is check in at an airport via Loopt (on any handset), write a bit about being patted down, and push your checkin to Twitter with the hashtag #touchedbyTSA.

If you’ve not had access to the web for the past few weeks, National Opt-Out Day is a protest planned by those who are against the TSA’s new security measures, which include full-body scanners (which show passengers fully naked) and invasive pat-downs administered to those who opt out of the scans.

California’s John Tyner became the de facto face of this movement after detailing an invasive patdown on his personal blog — Tyner told a TSA agent, “You touch my junk and I’m going to have you arrested.” (See video below.) The move has landed him in some hot water of late.

Now a group has organized National Opt-Out day, asking travelers to refuse scans and submit to pat-downs instead. Translation: Thanksgiving travel just got loads more annoying.

What do you think of Loopt’s promotion? Is it a fun campaign, or will it just add to the mayhem?

Image courtesy of Oleg Volk

Reviews: Twitter

More About: loopt, national-opt-out-day, Political, tsa

For more Mobile coverage:

How Social Media Can Make Online Shopping Less Lonely

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 01:23 PM PST

Online Shopping Image

Lauren Boyer is the CEO of Underscore Marketing, a boutique digital agency that specializes in social media.

Shopping, which was once highly social, is increasingly solo. You can "do errands" from your sofa at home. With mobile and wireless technology, you can shop from anywhere, at any time of day. Food, clothes, furniture and electronics are delivered to your doorstep. You don't even have to speak to anyone while making a purchase.

For younger consumers, shopping online is practically second nature. According to a recent Harris Interactive poll, a quarter of American adults say that, in the past year, they've increased the amount of time they spent shopping online. Adults who use social media, younger Americans, and more highly educated Americans are more likely to have increased their time shopping online.

But how do Americans feel about all this autonomy? Do they enjoy going it alone? The same Harris Interactive poll suggests that this may not be the case. One-third of Americans say they feel lonelier than they used to, and more than half say that they have recently had less face-to-face contact with friends.

Social Shopping: Suggestions, Ratings and Location

"Social shopping" is stepping in to respond to this sense of loss. As consumers spend less time actually going to stores, many are seeking out virtual interactions as a replacement for the face-to-face contact they crave. Through brand sites that create a community of users, or websites that actually bring shoppers together, consumers are finding a way to create their very own store-like experiences.

On one end of the social-shopping spectrum, there are social media sites built around product opinions, reviews, ratings and suggestions. One site, Stylefeeder, explicitly addresses this desire for a sense of community. Its home page says, "Never Shop Alone. Shopping is more fun with friends! No friends? No problem. Meet your Style Twins."

Like Stylefeeder, the site Kaboodle fosters shopper interaction. Users can make shopping lists, join groups, get product suggestions and share their finds with each other. Of course, once you've done your "window shopping," you can click through to another site to make a purchase.

And taking it a step further, location-based shopping sites like Groupon or Bizzy alert you to shopping deals right in your own neighborhood. You'll find opportunities at restaurants, stores, theaters, spas and special events. Social media die-hards can share their purchases via personal blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

On the other end of the social shopping spectrum are consumer product sites that recognize this desire to communicate with someone, to share ideas and get feedback. Take the case of Kotex. Its brand of feminine products are aimed at young women, and the company site reflects this with hip colors, graphics and features. Visitors join discussions, watch videos, create and upload their own videos, sign a petition and get advice from experts and each other.

No matter what the format of the social-shopping experience, consumer reviews are always at the heart. Amazon, for example, offers user reviews for everything from books to pet food. ConsumerSearch even aggregates reviews from other review sites, so shoppers can find extensive input in just one location.

User-generated product reviews are in fact more important than ever. The Harris Interactive poll found that in the past year, one quarter of Americans increased the amount of time they spent reading product reviews online. That number is even higher for younger Americans and those with college degrees. What's more, 53% of Americans say that when they use social media, they prefer to listen to the opinions of others, rather than give their own. And 60% of Americans say they value the opinions other people share on social media.

Social media seems to reduce the loneliness of the virtual shopper. How can brands capitalize on this? No longer do they have to coax shoppers in from the cold. Now they can bring their products, their messages, and, most importantly, a collective of fellow shoppers, straight to our fingertips.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- 14 Sites Changing the Way We Shop
- The Biggest Brands on Facebook [INFOGRAPHIC]
- Why the Best Online Marketing May Be Headed Offline
- 4 Creative Social Marketing Campaigns from Around the World
- HOW TO: Run an Online Daily Deal

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, tomhoryn

Reviews: Amazon.com, ConsumerSearch, Facebook, Twitter, iStockphoto

More About: business, online shopping, shopping, social media

For more Business coverage:

New Mashable Awards Category: “Most Influential Social Good Champion”

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 12:43 PM PST

Mashable Awards Image

As part of the ongoing Mashable Awards, we’re announcing the final four nomination categories. This is “Most Influential Social Good Champion” supported by Yahoo!. Be sure to nominate your favorites and join us for the Gala in Las Vegas! Sponsorships are available. Please contact sponsorships@mashable.com for more information.

social good hero imageThe Mashable Awards is hitting full stride with less than two weeks before the first nomination period ends. In preparation we’ve added the final four nomination categories, including “Most Influential Social Good Champion,” supported by Yahoo!. We’re thrilled to add the “Most Influential Social Good Champion” category to the awards and look forward to your nominations and selections.

Trying to pick a social good champion is a little tricky since social good so relies on the efforts of a committed, online community. This category, however, will highlight those people that were able to make a difference, create change and inspire others to do the same.

For inspiration, check out some must-follow non-profits and our picks for the most creative social good campaigns. Most importantly, let us know your pick for Social Good Champion this year and nominate him or her for the Mashable Awards!

Mashable Awards Category Sponsor:

Yahoo! is an innovative technology company that operates the largest digital media, content, and communications business in the world. Yahoo! keeps more than half a billion consumers worldwide connected to what matters to them most, and delivers powerful audience solutions to advertisers through its unique combination of Science + Art + Scale. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit the company's blog, Yodel Anecdotal.

The Mashable Awards Gala at Cirque du Soleil Zumanity (Vegas)

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

Date: Thursday, January 6th, 2011 (during International CES Convention week)
Time: 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. PT
Location: Cirque du Soleil Zumanity, New York New York Hotel, Las Vegas
Agenda: Networking, Open Bars, Acts, Surprises and the Mashable Awards Gala presentations
Socialize: Facebook, Foursquare, Meetup, Plancast, Twitter (Hashtag: #MashableAwards)

Sponsorships are available. Please contact sponsorships@mashable.com for more information.

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

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, RichVintage

Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Mashable, Twitter, iStockphoto

More About: mashable awards, mashable awards 2010, open web awards, social good, Yahoo

For more Social Good coverage:

You Can Now Log in to MySpace with Facebook

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 12:21 PM PST


In a move that has been rumored for nearly a year, MySpace users can now log in to the once dominant social network using Facebook.

At a press event this afternoon, the two companies announced an expansion of their existing partnership that puts a connect with Facebook button on the MySpace homepage and enables a wide range of personalization and sharing features on MySpace.

Through a product the companies are calling “Mashup with Facebook,” users who log in with Facebook (or connect their existing MySpace account) are able to pull in their likes and interests, which makes it easy for them to do things like follow updates from their favorite entertainers. MySpace also has plans to integrate “Like” buttons across the site, meaning MySpace content like music and videos will start getting shared back to Facebook.

The move is significant for a couple reasons. First and most obvious, it’s official acknowledgment on the part of MySpace that Facebook has indeed become top dog in the social networking space, and it’s better to be with them than against them at this point. Second, and more important as MySpace looks to turn itself around, it creates a huge new audience for MySpace’s content and affirms its focus on entertainment.

Given the role Facebook and its news feed increasingly play as a traffic source for news and entertainment websites, this has potential to boost MySpace’s numbers significantly if it can also get its content strategy correct.

MySpace shows off the new features in the video below:

Reviews: Facebook, MySpace

More About: facebook, myspace, trending

For more Social Media coverage:

The Hottest Stories in Social Media This Week

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 12:05 PM PST

What's Hot in Social Media

Welcome to this week's edition of "What's Hot in Social Media," a series in which we revisit the week’s most popular stories concerning social networks.

We're keeping our eye on three interesting developments this Thursday.

Facebook Unveils New Messaging System

Facebook has launched what it calls the "Modern Messaging System," a product that integrates e-mail, IM and texting in a unified inbox. Users can send e-mails from an @facebook.com address and text their friends from the same interface.

The revamped Facebook Messages will be rolled out to the social network's 500+ million users over the next few months. In the meantime, we've put together a quick screenshot walkthrough here.

Chinese Woman Sentenced to Labor Camp Over Tweet

Cheng Jianping, the fiancee of human rights activist Hua Chunhui, has been sentenced to a year of "re-education" at Shibali River women's labor camp after posting a message to Twitter during anti-Japanese demonstrations last month.

Social Web Responds Positively to Royal Engagement

The UK's Prince William and Kate Middleton officially announced their engagement this week. Although we expected many would-be princesses would take to Twitter and their blogs to mourn their dashed hopes, response was mostly positive on both platforms; 43% of users on Twitter and 32% of bloggers reacted positively to the news. Most conveyed a neutral reaction.

Those who discussed the engagement tended to be female (61%) and live in the UK. Most of the buzz on Twitter was generated by users from London (greater London alone accounted for 10% of all tweets), followed by Manchester, Glasgow (Scotland), Cardiff (Wales) and New York City.

Reviews: Facebook, Twitter

More About: british monarchy, Facebook Messages, social media, twitter

For more Social Media coverage:

PayPal Wants to Turn Your Remote Control into a Digital Wallet

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 12:01 PM PST


PayPal is working on a television commerce (T-commerce) solution that will let consumers buy goods they see on Internet-connected TVs via their remote controls.

The new PayPal project was revealed in a blog post by Osama Bedler, the company’s VP of platform for mobile and new ventures.

“Today, I'm happy to say we're one step closer to equipping every living room in America with T-commerce powered by PayPal,” writes Bedler. “Imagine this: lounging on your couch and channel surfing, then finding that perfect birthday present. A few clicks of your remote, and you've purchased the gift via your PayPal account.”

Essentially, PayPal hopes to transform its payment platform into a digital wallet, accessible anywhere there’s Internet connectivity. To this end, the company has already announced Mobile Express Checkout, a mobile payment solution currently being used by Starbucks.

PayPal has teamed up with Canoe Ventures, Catalina Marketing, Delivery Agent, FouthWall Media and icueTV on its T-commerce initiative. No specific timing has been announced.

Reviews: Internet

More About: digital wallet, mobile payments, paypal, television

For more Entertainment coverage:

Would You Attend a Church Service in 3D?

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 11:38 AM PST

3d glasses image

Struggling to decide between going to church this holiday season or checking out a new flick (say, Tron) in 3D? Well, now you can merge the two experiences, because a church in Florida is hosting 20 3D services this year.

The Church by the Glades in Coral Springs, Florida, is joining the digital age with a campaign that melds both augmented reality and 3D. Pastor David Hughes is asking his 5,000 congregants to invite the whole city (around 130,000 people) to these teched-out services, and is doing so in a rather interesting way — via invite cards with special markers.

People in possession of these cards can visit the church’s website, where they will be instructed to activate their webcams, hold up the card bearing the marker, and thereby unlock a special, augmented reality video in which the pastor invites them to the services. If you don’t have a card, you can also print out a marker from the site. This experience looks very similar to Esquire’s augmented reality issue, which came out a year ago.

Augmented reality and 3D technology have been cropping up in a plethora of realms this past year — from tattoos to ice cream machines to beer. It was only a matter of time before the holy got hip.

What do you think? Would you attend a church service in 3D?

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, bluestocking

Reviews: iStockphoto

More About: 3D, Augmented Reality, church

For more Tech coverage:

Twitter Partnership Aims to Inspire Deeper Analysis of Tweets

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 11:12 AM PST


Social data provider Gnip has formed a partnership with Twitter to resell access to the Twitter firehose to its business customers. The partnership is designed to spur social media analysis around the wealth of Twitter’s data.

The partnership was formally announced yesterday by Gnip, who will now be selling three different types of Twitter feeds: Twitter Halfhose, Twitter Mentionhose and Twitter Decahose. Each feed offers varying degrees of access to Twitter data.

In an interview with John Battelle at the Web 2.0 Summit yesterday, Evan Williams discussed the Gnip partnership and provided some additional background on Twitter’s agenda.

Williams made it clear that this is by no means a monetization effort on par with the company’s Promoted products, or a decision to make the data available to just anyone. Instead, this a conscious move to make Twitter data available to the companies who want to use it to surface trends, determine influencers and analyze engagement metrics.

Williams also explained that following Twitter’s decision to license the firehose to Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, it was then inundated with more demand than the company could handle. Twitter chose to license Gnip as a reseller to manage demand and dole out access to the parties that will be best capable of deriving patterns from tweets, not using the firehose for show, he said.

Based on the stated demand, we anticipate that the partnership with Gnip will prove successful in Twitter’s mission to better distribute data and inspire social media analysis.

Reviews: Google, Twitter, Yahoo!

More About: analysis, gnip, social media, twitter

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Google Apps Adds Voice, Maps, Reader & More

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 10:52 AM PST

Google continued its charge into the enterprise sector on Thursday with the introduction of a massive infrastructure overhaul for Google Apps. Previously, Google Apps was limited to basic services like Gmail, Calendar and Docs. Starting today, Google Apps administrators can enable the complete array of Google services, including Google Voice, Reader, Maps and more.

The addition of Google Voice could be particularly disruptive to VoIP providers that cater to the enterprise. Instead of opting for expensive telephony systems, Google Apps administrators can simply deploy Google Voice accounts to users as cheap and scalable voice solutions. This seems even more attractive given that users can now make phone calls directly through Gtalk, which would largely eliminate the need to even buy a phone.

Another major factor here is the introduction of Google Reader. This will be immensely beneficial to companies as they’ll now be able to create and manage a Reader comprised of "must-read" feeds for their employees.

Administrators are being given advanced control over the new functions. Specific services can be deployed to different groups, so access to things like the company’s Blogger account could be limited to a select few.

Overall, this is a significant announcement that is likely to majorly affect the proliferation of Google Apps. If you’re a Google Apps administrator, let us know what you think of the new features in the comments.

Reviews: Calendar Tweet, Google, Google Reader, Google Voice, Gtalk, blogger

More About: collaboration, enterprise, google apps, google reader, Google Voice

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Build It Yourself: 8 Fun Electronics Kits Under $100

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 10:27 AM PST

Electronics Image

Looking for a great gift for the tinkerer in your life?

If you’ve got a gadget geek, science nerd, engineer or other electronics-obsessed loved one, this list will be a life-saver. We’ve gathered a group of DIY electronics kits, ranging from $16 to $95, all of which are guaranteed to please the left-brained folks on your holiday gift list, regardless of age or skill level.

And these kits are more than just LEDs and circuit boards — we’ve got robotics, casino games, remote-controlled vehicles and so much more.

Peruse our list, and in the comments, let us know what great gift items we missed — or what you, the gadget geek/science nerd yourself, would like to get as a gift.

1. PaperTronics Lunar Landers

Papertronics from Sparkle Labs are paper toys with electronic circuits in them. These simple, bright, fun Lunar Landers come in a pack of three. The Spaceboy and Aliengirl paper templates are pre-designed and pre-cut, and the Tabula Rasa toy is blank and can be designed by you.

When the toys are “docked” in their landers one way, they light up. If you put them in a different way, they turn off. These are easy to assemble and make great desk decorations or party lights when they’re finished.

Cost: $16
Soldering: None needed
Ages: 7+
Skill Level: Beginner

2. Drawdio Kit

Drawdio is an electronic pencil with a simple synthesizer that lets you make “music” while you write or draw. The kit comes with a soft-lead pencil, but it can be used on any pencil. This kit is a good project for soldering beginners and anyone who likes tinkering with toy instruments, electronic instruments or pitch-bending. The finished product runs on a single AAA battery.

Cost: $17.50
Soldering: Some soldering required
Ages: 12+
Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate

3. USB NerdKit

If you’ve got a budding C programmer on your list, check out this kit, which combines hardware and software engineering to great effect. The USB NerdKit is great for learning about microcontrollers and comes with an LCD screen. It’s Windows, Mac and Linux compatible and comes with sample code to learn quickly by playing around with examples of working software.

The finished kit can be used to control LED lights, play music and much more.

Cost: $79.99
Soldering: None needed
Ages: 14+
Skill Level: Intermediate

4. The Solar System

This gift makes a great project now and a fascinating conversation piece later. If you’ve got a youngster (or old-ster) who’s fascinated by space and enjoys creative projects, this miniature, solar-powered kit is a sure win. This would also be a great gift for a science teacher, too.

The recipient gets to build, paint and watch his or her very own model of our solar system come to life. The planets orbit around the solar-paneled sun; solar energy drives a motor so the planets actually move.

Cost: $19.95
Soldering: None needed
Ages: 10+
Skill Level: Beginner

5. Digital Roulette Kit


This is another kit that ends up being two gifts in one. The lucky recipient gets both a cool project and a fun game of chance.

The Digital Roulette Kit, when assembled, works a lot like the real casino game. With the push of a button, the LEDs flash in a circle and stop at a random number. This kit also features “pop out” chips with different values.

Cost: $22.95
Soldering: Some needed
Ages: 14+
Skill Level: Intermediate/Advanced

6. Snap Circuits Radio Control Rover

Everyone loves remote-control cars, but this gift brings the added fun of building the vehicle yourself. You won’t need a soldering iron, though; Snap Circuits’ main selling point is that all its components snap together with Lego-like ease.

When the rover is finished, you can steer it around with the Snap Rover remote controls. The kit includes components for headlights and red and blue side lights as well as sound effects.

Cost: $54.95
Soldering: None needed
Ages: 10+
Skill Level: Beginner

7. SparkFun Inventor’s Kit

If you want to send your would-be electronics engineer into a months-long creative frenzy, this is the kit for you. The SparkFun Inventor’s Kit for Arduino is a big box of sensors, diodes, buttons and buzzers to help even a beginner get started with programmable electronics.

The recipient will be able to build 12 basic circuits, and instructions are included for making lights blink, motors run, music play and a lot more. After using this kit, the recipient will be a certifiable newbie hardware hacker ready to move on to more advanced electronics projects.

Cost: $94.95
Soldering: None needed
Ages: 10+
Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate

8. Moon Walker II

The Moon Walker II is an impressive robot that senses both light and sound. It begins to walk when it detects changes in those environmental factors, and it stops when instructed to do so by an internal timer. The sensors can be adjusted for different sensitivity levels.

All in all, the Moon Walker II is a cool kit that leads to an impressive end product — a perfect gift for the moderately experienced hacker, maker, tinkerer or engineer on your gift list.

Cost: $51.95
Soldering: Some needed
Ages: 12+
Skill Level: Intermediate/Advanced

More Tech Resources from Mashable:

- Why You Need to Upgrade Your Router This Holiday Season
- Why You Need an Android Device This Holiday Season
- 5 Technologies That Are Changing the Way We Drive
- 5 Media Format Flops Destined To Be Forgotten [VIDEOS]
- 5 Beautiful Keyboards to Spice Up Your Boring Desk

Reviews: Linux

More About: diy, electronics gift, engineer gift, geek gift, gift guide, Gifts, Holidays, Kids, Science, science gift, shopping

For more Tech coverage:

Verizon FiOS Signs On for Google TV Ads

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 10:25 AM PST


Google just gained a new partner in its Google TV Ads platform: Verizon FiOS TV.

The new partnership means that advertisers who buy ad space through Google AdWords for TV now have access to more than 50 networks carried by Verizon FiOS TV across 3.3 million homes.

Google made the announcement of the partnership on its Google TV Ads Blog, noting that by early 2011, advertisers will be able to reach 35 million households using Google TV Ads.

Launched two and a half years ago, Google’s TV Ads initiative hasn’t seen the same level of success as many of its other advertising products. Last month, NBC Universal ended its ad partnership with Google, reportedly because the platform just wasn’t effective compared to more traditional media sales models.

“Any marginal benefit that NBC might have seen was not sufficient to outweigh the much larger benefit of maintaining a relationship with their advertisers,” said analyst Greg Sterling, as quoted by the LA Times.

Still, Google continues to try to make inroads into the TV landscape. In August, the company signed a partnership with DirecTV. The company also has deals with Dish Network, Bloomberg, Outdoor, Hallmark and CBS College Sports.

Cable or satellite providers don’t typically sell ad inventory on all of its stations — however, Forbes says that the Verizon deal will cover most, if not all of the networks it carries.

As Slate’s Seth Stevenson demonstrated, placing and running ads using Google TV Ads can be incredibly simple. The barrier to entry is low, which is great for advertisers because they can potentially get prime ad spots on major cable networks (or on targeted local networks via television providers like Verizon) for a very low price.

This is great for advertisers — but it isn’t necessarily that great for broadcasters. It’s clear that the big broadcasters and content distributors are willing to offer some of their inventory through Google TV, but this remains a very small drop in the proverbial ad inventory bucket.

It remains to be seen if partnerships like Verizon FiOS can buoy Google’s position in television ad sales.

Reviews: Google

More About: advertising, Adwords, Google, google tv ads, google tv ads platform, television, verizon fios

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What’s on Your Holiday Gadget Wish List? [OPEN THREAD]

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 09:57 AM PST

Mashable 10 Logo

This post is part of the Mashable 10, Mashable’s gift guide of the 10 hottest gadgets that will be on everyone’s wish list this holiday season. We’ll be publishing one new post each weekday until November 26.

presentsThe holidays bring out the best in people — and technology.

This year, there are hundreds of gift-worthy gadgets and gizmos on the market. We’re telling you about some of 2010’s best in the Mashable 10 gift guide. Each post features a standout product and why we think it would make a great present for you or your loved ones.

Now we want to know: What’s on your wish list this holiday season? Whether it’s a nifty netbook or a marvelous mobile device, we'd like to hear what you’re pining for and why. We’ll feature the 10 best reader responses in a follow-up post.

How to Submit Your Answer:

  • Submit your answer in the comments below, OR
  • Tweet your answer using #mashholiday, OR
  • Submit your answer to our Mashable HQ Tumblr.

Submit your response by Monday, Nov. 29 at 12 p.m. ET. Please use your real identity in the submission so that we may credit you if your response is chosen. We’ll announce the top 10 reader responses shortly after the contest closes.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, acik

Reviews: iStockphoto

More About: community, gadgets, Gifts, Holidays, mashable 10, open thread, tech

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Earn Location-Based Rewards With Shopkick for Android

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 09:48 AM PST


Location-based rewards platform Shopkick is now available for Android users, allowing them to automatically check in at partner retailers to earn points and rewards.

Android users can download the newly released application from the Android Market and join their iPhone-toting pals in the mobile shopping experience at a growing list of national retailers that now includes Target.

In total, Shopkick rewards are now available at nearly 250,000 U.S. stores. If you recall, the mobile application, when open, automatically detects your presence as you walk in to partner stores to check you in and reward you with points in the form of kickbucks. Application users can also scan in-store product barcodes for additional points and rewards.

Shopkick’s mobile rewards program is proving quite popular with big name retailers and shopping malls. With the release of its Android application, the startup can extend its service to a growing mobile phone user base just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Reviews: Android, Android Market

More About: android, location-based service, MARKETING, mobile shopping, shopkick, startup

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Magazine That Plagarized Blogger’s Article to Fold [REPORT]

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 09:19 AM PST


It looks like Cooks Source, the New England magazine that was bullied by the web after plagiarizing a blogger’s article without permission, compensation, nor later, an apology, has been shamed into shutting down.

Yesterday morning, an unsigned apology of sorts, seemingly authored by editor Judith Griggs, was posted to the website along with the news that the public fallout from the plagiarism “is probably the final straw for Cooks Source.”

“We have never been a great money-maker even with all the good we do for businesses,” the note reads. “Having a black mark won’t help…and now, our black mark will become our shroud. Winters are bleak in Western New England, and as such they are bleak for Cooks Source as well. This will end us. In the end if we did keep going, I would (very gladly) hire someone else to serve as editor and just continue my work with the towns.”

The note goes on to thank Cook Source’s readers, advertisers, writers and other affiliates, and address the plagiarized blogger: “To one writer in particular, Monica Gaudio, I wish you had given me a chance,” the note concludes.

The note — and the rest of Cook Source’s website has since been taken down. Cookssource.com now redirects to intuit.com. It’s unclear whether the site has been taken down because of traffic overload or because Cooks Source has, in fact, shuttered — or if the site is down for another reason entirely.

How do you feel about the announcement? Was the web’s public shaming of Cooks Source and its editor justified, given the outcome?

Image courtesy of Flickr, squacco

[via Boston.com]

Reviews: Flickr

More About: bloggers, blogosphere, cook's source, magazine, media

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Dodocase Unveils an Elegant New Case for Kindle

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 09:05 AM PST


DODOcase has announced that it will begin selling cases for the Amazon Kindle 3. The handmade cases first debuted for the iPad earlier this year and have become known for their sleek looks and craftsmanship.

Like its iPad cousin, the DODOcase for Kindle 3 is built with old school bookbinding techniques. Where the iPad case added an almost anachronistic touch of style to the gadget, it seems a bit more appropriate to use bookbinding to secure your Kindle — what with it being an e-reader and all.

The cases are bound in black faux leather and feature the highly useful, but oft forgotten, elastic strap to keep the case closed. Bamboo is used to construct the case’s interior, making it both lightweight and eco-friendly.

The DODOcase for Kindle 3 is available for $50 with a red lining or $55 for green, sky blue, dark blue, pink or charcoal linings. Since the cases are handmade, they take about three weeks to produce and ship, so if you’re looking to get one for the holidays, you might want to hustle.

More About: bookbinding, cases, dodocase, Kindle, kindle 3

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5 Fresh Places to Find Great Online Video

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 08:52 AM PST

The Digital Entertainment Series is supported by the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10, the seriously entertaining smartphone that knows how to have fun. Check it out here.


Here at Mashable, we’re big fans of web video, and we’re not alone. People spend more and more time online watching (and many times, rewatching) video content, both user-generated and commercial.

Even five years ago, during the early days of startups like YouTube and Blip.tv, sifting through content to find the best the web had to offer could be difficult. After all, with 24 hours of video uploaded every minute just to YouTube, there’s a lot of content out there.

In today’s landscape, where we have not only a plethora of user-generated content, but also mounds of new and catalog content from commercial publishers, finding the best in online video can take a lot of time and effort. After all, for every “David After Dentist,” there are a thousand other videos of children that are neither as cute nor as doped up on novocaine.

Fortunately, more and more sites and services are stepping up to help sift through the vast, expansive wasteland of online video. Here are five of our favorite sites for not just finding the goods, but also making it easy to share and exchange videos with friends and family members.

1. ShortForm

When ShortForm soft-launched this June, we liked the human and software aggregated approach to finding video and putting it into auto-play channels. The site has lots of pre-configured channels in categories like “Super Cute” or “Facebook Hits” that pull in content that is popular on a certain service or all feature things of a similar genre.

Last week, ShortForm re-launched with a hot new redesign that makes it easier than ever to create your own curated video channels. You easily link your Facebook and YouTube accounts to ShortForm and pull in your favorite YouTube videos, as well as Facebook videos you or your friends have “liked.” That makes creating custom channels super easy.

What we appreciate about ShortForm — especially with the new UI — is that it’s easy to just sit back and watch video, one right after the other, and to skip through to various channels and videos. While much of ShortForm’s content is sourced from YouTube, the browsing experience is, in many respects, superior to YouTube. Creating your own channels is also easier and more attractive than doing so in YouTube.

Because you can subscribe to channels curated by ShortForm employees and regular users, there’s plenty of content to find and discover.

2. Devour

Created by the same people who brought you Uncrate, Devour is a hand-curated collection of quality web video. Every weekday, Devour team members scour the web and post the most awesome clips.

You can browse via channels — stuff like “Art & Design,” “Animals” and “Movies” — you can search, or you can just click aimlessly on the homepage.

What we love about Devour is that the site is super clean. Most of the video is in HD and you can safely view Devour on your iPhone, iPad or Android device. The sources for Devour come from across the web, but you’ll see a lot of content from Vimeo and other less viral video sites.

3. MovieClips.com

MovieClips.com is pretty rare in the online video world: It’s a place where you can find completely legal, licensed movie clips from thousands of top Hollywood films. Even better, you can watch these clips from anywhere in the world and you can embed them into your own blog.

What makes MovieClips a great place to find online video, however, is that the team of editors has started to create top 10 lists and mashups based on certain topics. This is a great way to get bite-sized chunks of content in a specific area.

Beyond just the mashups and lists, each clip at MovieClips.com is tagged with all kind of data — like the actor, the director, the year, props used in a scene, genre, lines of dialog, etc. When you view a clip or view a collection of clips from a film, you can explore more clips that are related, directly or indirectly, with what you are watching.

This is a great way to discover content and either be reminded of a great movie or get interested in one you might want to watch later.

4. Redux

We once described Redux as a time-wasters dream. This is still pretty true. The site, which turns status updates, RSS feeds and shared links into an ongoing stream of entertaining content, isn’t just for video, but video is where Redux really shines.

Like ShortForm, you can create and curate your own video channels on Redux. You can also join other channels and add content to them. These channels can then be played in TV Mode, where you get an endless stream of video from selected or randomized channels, presented in a very Leanback-esque manner.

The user- and employee-generated channels are pretty great; you can find some really cool and funny stuff this way. What makes Redux special is that it can also scan the links that your friends share on Facebook or Twitter and suck out the videos from those links so that you can view them easily. This is a great time saver because, instead of having to manually click each link to see what content is embedded inside, you can just eyeball content and decide what to watch. For the adventurous, you can even be delivered a stream of videos shared by your friends.

Redux also has its own Boxee app, which makes it possible to view content on your television.

5. StumbleUpon Video

StumbleUpon is a great way to discover new and interesting websites and articles, but did you also know it’s a way to find great web video? Last month, StumbleUpon beefed up its video discovery service, adding in recommendations from your friends, instead of just the most popular or highest-rated content across the site.

Additionally, StumbleUpon now aggregates content from not just video sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo, but also more commercial content like Hulu, CollegeHumor and TED.

Video is presented in a very clean, full-browser presentation. You can thumb-up or thumb-down content, switch to specific types of channels and even leave your own comments or recommendations. Plus, if you use the StumbleUpon add-ons, you can thumb-up your own favorite videos as you discover them across the web.

Your Picks

We’ve listed five of our favorite video aggregation and discovery services; what about you? Where do you consistently find the best in web video? Let us know in the comments.

Series Supported by Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10

The Digital Entertainment Series is supported by the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10, the seriously entertaining smartphone that knows how to have fun. Check it out here.

Reviews: Android, BLIP, Facebook, Hulu, Mashable, StumbleUpon, Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube, iPhone, video

More About: Devour, Digital Entertainment Series, movieclips.com, ONLINE VIDEO, redux, shortform, shortform.tv, social media, stumbleupon, stumblevideo, video, web video, youtube

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Shaq Punks Fans by Offering His Number Up Over Twitter

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 08:31 AM PST


Oh, Shaq, you stinker, you! The basketball star took to Twitter today, where he tweeted what he said was his phone number. However, upon dialing said number, folks were directed to a recorded message from HumorHotlines.com detailing “how to keep an idiot entertained.”

Check out the tweet in question below, as well as Shaq’s gleeful followup.

It’s a little early for April Fools’, don’t you think, Shaq? We didn’t really expect him to share his real number via Twitter — we’ve seen the ill effects of that (Remember when Justin Bieber tweeted the digits of a wayward fan and told his followers that the number was his own? Yeah. That didn’t end well).

Were you one of the many taken in by Shaq’s shenanigans?

By the way, if you want to prank someone else, here’s the message Shaq is sending out.

Reviews: Twitter, justin bieber

More About: humor, pop culture, shaq, sports, twitter

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Stipple Secures $2 Million to Build Photo Tagging Tools for Publishers

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 08:22 AM PST


Three month-old startup Stipple has just closed a $2 million seed round of financing with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Beyers and Floodgate as lead investors. The round signals investor confidence in Stipple’s development of photo-tagging tools; it also points to a growing industry fascination with object discovery in photos.

Stipple makes tools that publishers can install to add information, people or product tags to the photos on their site. The idea is to get content in photos labeled, discoverable and eventually monetizable, says founder Rey Flemings.

It’s not dissimilar to the likes of Pixazza or ThingD, the latter of which is raising the investor community’s eyebrows.

Flemings says Stipple hopes to be the “interactive layer on top of the web’s photos.” The startup will need to inspire site owners to add an extra bit of javascript for photo tagging to accomplish said mission.

To that end, Stipple has already signed on big client names such as Jive and Atlantic Records. Both Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s blogs, for instance, uses Stipple for photo tagging. Stipple has also made a WordPress plugin available and formed an alliance with Six Apart to offer publishers more seamless installation capabilities.

Publishers earn a portion of revenue based on engagement and click rate of the content in photos. Flemings believes publishers should consider visitors’ photo mouse-overs as the equivalent of searches, where Stipple serves up the desired search results.

Flemings says the startup is already earning revenue, but makes no projections about profitability. The funding will be used to build the team and focus on the product’s future roadmap, he says.

Reviews: WordPress

More About: funding, photo tagging, startup, stipple

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Are Groupon Stores and Do-It-Yourself Deals Worth the Risk?

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 07:17 AM PST


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

Groupon is rolling out a self-serve product called Groupon Stores that allows merchants to set up virtual storefronts and manage their own deals through the group buying site.

For Groupon, a self-service product seems like a no-brainer way to offer up more deals and pocket extra funds without the associated overhead of the manual process.

For merchants, the do-it-yourself option sounds like the perfect solution for those who don’t have the budget or patience to be featured as a traditional deal of the day.

Everybody wins, right? There’s something to be said for the do-it-yourself approach, but it’s not that simple. Some skeptics believe this to be a misstep for Groupon that will lower the quality of deals to the point where members stop buying. The stores are also little more than stylized pages listing available deals, so it remains to be seen whether a merchant with a Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter or Yelp presence would glean enough value to justify setting up shop on an additional social platform.

Groupon Stores: Risk or Reward?

Groupon’s name has become synonymous with the daily deal phenomena — a widely profitable industry for deal providers offering cheap steals to consumers, but a mixed-bag experience for featured merchants.

The pomp and circumstance around the site’s success makes it easy to ignore the Posies Cafes of the world. Posies Cafe owner Jessie Burke describes offering a featured Groupon deal as, “the single worst decision I have ever made as a business owner thus far.” Burke’s primary problem was that after deeply discounting her goods — $6 for $13 — and handing over 50% of sales to Groupon, she was unable to cover her store’s operating costs, including employee payroll.

Burke is not alone. In a study conducted by Rice University, 32% of surveyed businesses reported that their Groupon deals were unprofitable and 40% indicated they would not run a repeat promotion through Groupon.

The newly released Groupon Stores allows businesses to manage and run their own deals via virtual storefronts that site members can follow. The product is potentially a less risky way for small businesses and merchants to tap into Groupon’s network and offer deals that won’t do them in.

Interested merchants sign up at the Merchant Center and, once approved, can start offering self-managed deals on their pages either singularly or with an additional promotional push from Groupon. Groupon takes a 30% cut of deals it helps to promote to e-mail subscribers or users on homepages, though there’s also said to be additional fees for this privilege. Businesses that go it alone will only have to sacrifice 10% of sales to Groupon. Both options are less costly than the current 50% cut that Groupon takes from most traditional deals.

One important thing to note is that businesses are only paid when customers redeem deals, and not at the time of sale. Say you sell 20 deals that offer $10 for $15 worth of goods, but only 15 of those Groupons are redeemed, then you’ll be pocketing roughly $135 if Groupon does not promote, and $105 if they do. Obviously, those figures don’t account for the losses associated with discounting goods.

For merchants, Groupon Stores eliminate some of the risk factor around featured deals. In this newly released model, business owners can cap redemption limits on their own deals, eliminating the fear of uncapped deals. The self-serve model does away with the “tipping point” formula, however, which means there’s no minimum sales guarantee.

Groupon members may not make the most ideal customers, if respondents to the Rice University study are to be believed. Groupon users were said to be poor tippers, are often already existing customers (which means deals aren’t bringing in new business) and typically don’t spend more than the face value of the Groupon or return for repeat purchases.

The question, then, becomes a matter of whether you want to reach Groupon members and whether you want to exchange additional profit-sharing costs for additional exposure.

Deals offered through Groupon Stores will be much less trafficked and will likely offer less attractive discounts than featured deals, which means should members actually locate the virtual storefronts, they might not have much incentive to purchase.

The bottom line is that there’s little risk (if businesses budget accordingly and cap deal redemptions), and likely little reward.

Alternatives to Do-It-Yourself Deals

Small business owners can use tools from application makers such as Wildfire or eWinWin to offer group deals via their Facebook Pages. Facebook also recently launched Facebook Deals, enabling businesses to run local deals associated with their Places Pages.

Similarly, merchants and retailers can also experiment with the rewards strategy proffered by location-based services for an alternative approach that focuses on customer retention and location-sharing to expose their businesses to larger audiences. In this domain, small business can consider offering Foursquare specials, SCNVGR rewards and Gowalla stamps.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- Social Media Marketing: 5 Lessons From Business Leaders Who Get It
- HOW TO: Define the Role of Your Social Media Team
- HOW TO: Activate Your Brand's Super Influencers
- Why Your Business Must Embrace the Foreign Language Internet
- HOW TO: Turn Your Expertise Into Dollars Online

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, RTimages.

Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, foursquare, iStockphoto

More About: business, deals, group buying, groupon, groupon stores, MARKETING, retail, small business

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