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Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “MTV Announces Nominees For O Music Awards: PS22, Arcade Fire, The Hype Machine & More”

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Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “MTV Announces Nominees For O Music Awards: PS22, Arcade Fire, The Hype Machine & More”

MTV Announces Nominees For O Music Awards: PS22, Arcade Fire, The Hype Machine & More

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 03:41 AM PDT


We’ve been hearing buzz about MTV’s new awards show focused on digital music since January, and now the event is beginning to take shape with a list of nominees and a plan for the future.

The O Music Awards (the “O” is open to interpretation) is set to take place on April 28 across multiple platforms and screens, including MTV.com, VH1.com and LogoTV.com.

The event will be largely fan-driven from here on out, with voting opening to the public Tuesday on the O Music Awards website, which is packed with nominees that fans can vote for. (Fans can also write in nominees.)

So what kinds of categories — and nominees — are we talking about here? Well, according to MTV, the awards are focused on how tech and music intersect.

“[Music and tech are] coming together and driving consumption and interest in the space like we’ve never seen before,” says Shannon Connolly, VP of digital music strategy. “This idea was born out of wanting to acknowledge the things that are coming out of this.”

In fact, a lot of nominees and categories should be familiar to Mashable readers: the PS22 Chorus‘s rendition of Phoenix’s “Lisztomania” was nominated for Best Fan Cover. Andy Grammer, Arcade Fire and The Johnny Cash Project scored nods for Innovative Music Video. Antoine Dodson and the Gregory Brothers were nominated for Funniest Music Short. The Flaming Lips, Kanye West, Radiohead and Lady Gaga for Innovative Artist. And a ton of familiar, and awesome, music discovery services are also being recognized (Bandcamp, The Hype Machine, Pandora, RCRD LBL, Shazam, Shuffler.fm, Soundcloud, WeAreHunted).

Lady Gaga and buzz band Odd Future's Tyler the Creator lead the pack of digital music innovators with three nominations each.

The awards also feature quirkier categories, like Favorite Animated GIF, Best Music Hack (Tim Soo’s Invisible Instruments got a nom), Best Animal Performance (as did the cats in Holy F*ck's "Red Lights"), Favorite F**k Yeah Tumblr and Fan Army FTW.

Once the awards are handed out — more on how that will happen later — the O Awards will not simply languish and die. “This is to celebrate digital music,” Connolly says. “This is not something we can once a year. It has to be ongoing. We’re launching a new franchise that will function all year round. It’s an ongoing celebration of digital music.”

Therefore, after the awards draw to a close, the website will live on, reporting on and rewarding innovations within the digital music space as they transpire.

This new site joins MTV’s growing roster of more music-centric material, including its Music Meter and new hub for music news, Hive.

Will you vote for your favorite video/artist/hashtag, etc.? What categories do you wish MTV had included? Let us know in the comments below.

More About: arcade-fire, bandcamp, flaming-lips, gregory-brothers, Hype Machine, kanye west, Lady Gaga, mtv, Odd Future, OMAs, pandora, Phoenix, ps22, radiohead, shuffler.fm, soundcloud, The-Johnny-cash-project

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Google Maps for Android Gets Home Checkins and Location History Dashboard

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 02:04 AM PDT


New version of Google Maps for Android – 5.3 – adds several new features, including location history dashboard and the ability to check in at home.

These two features are tied to Google Latitude. With the location history dashboard, you can view stats and trends related to your location history; for example, you can see how much time you’re spending at home or at work.

You can now also tap Home to let your friends know that you’re, well, not out. Once you’ve checked in at home, that location will appear at the top of the location list when you’re checking in near there.

Another new feature is related to Google’s reviews engine Hotpot, letting you add your own “aspects” of a business – for example, if you’ve found a restaurant with great live music, you can add that aspect to that place.

Google Maps 5.3 is available in the Android Market for devices running Android 1.6 or later.

More About: android, checkin, Google, Google Maps, Mobile 2.0, smartphone

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Swedish Online Store Features Live, Interactive Salespeople [VIDEO]

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 11:44 PM PDT

Swedish telecom company 3 Sweden has bridged the gap between Internet commerce and brick and mortar with 3LiveShop.

The new site features employees interacting with customers, live, over videoscreens. As the video above shows, the Chatroulette-like site was made possible with custom-built touchscreens that look like they're right out of The Minority Report. Using the screens, the online salespeople are able to bring up images of phones the company sells and field questions about them.

The site is the latest effort to bring a human element to web-based transactions, something businesses have been moving towards in recent years, thanks to social media.

What do you think? Is this a good idea? Could it work in the U.S.?

More About: 3 Sweden, 3LiveShop, e-commerce

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Is Working From Home Becoming the Norm? [SURVEY]

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 10:45 PM PDT


According to a survey conducted by Skype, one of the bastions of telecommuting technology, working from home is becoming more common, more accepted by managers, and more sought-after by employees than ever before.

As someone who regularly works from home, I find this trend hardly surprising. But it’s not just bloggers, startup types and technophiles who are making pajamas the new “business casual.” Even seasoned executive types (like my own father, for example) are logging in remotely these days.

The proliferation of online collaboration tools is one indicator that “WFH” (that’s short for “working from home,” my dad tells me) culture is blossoming. In fact, Skype and tools like it have pretty much made the necessity of a 9-to-5 physical presence behind a cubicle-bound desk obsolete.

And video capabilities are a large part of those tools. Video conferencing and desktop video are two communication technologies Skype expects to see increase in usage most over a two-year period, followed by VoIP, room-based video, mobile phones and IM.

Given the widening availability, affordability and understanding of technologies such as VoIP and video, the time is right for remote working and working from home. According to Skype’s survey, which included responses from 1,000 professionals at around 500 businesses of all sizes, flexibility on in-office presence is, indeed, becoming the norm.

Around 62% of the companies surveyed already have remote workers. Of these companies, 34% of their workforce occasionally works remotely, and of that 34%, WFH-enabled employees say they spend around 40% of their work hours at home.

Naturally, employees at WFH-friendly companies listed this area of flexibility high in their criteria for job satisfaction. But employers seemed to be fans of the WFH lifestyle, too. Of the respondents who were decision-makers and managers, 75% said working from home was becoming more acceptable, and 56% said workers-from-home were more productive.

Take a look at Skype’s full report, and in the comments, let us know what your WFH options are like. Are you a couch-bound working warrior? Or are you fairly chained to your desk at the office?

image courtesy of iStockphoto, Mari

More About: Skype, survey, WFH, work from home

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Need a Party Mix? Dubset’s Cloud Radio Plays Mixes From DJs

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 09:59 PM PDT


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

mixed_tape_imageName: Dubset

Quick Pitch: Dubset is Internet radio for DJ mixes.

Genius Idea: A technology that automatically reports tracks that make up mixes to licensing organizations.

Cloud-based radio services like Pandora are proficient at automatically matching music to moods or genres that their users request. But one particular group of human beings — DJs — has been practicing the same basic function as an art form since music started being recorded. And they would argue that they complete the task with a much higher rate of quality.

Sharing professional DJ mixes on the Internet is risky, however, because there’s no good way to ensure that royalties for each song within the mix will reach the artists that legally deserve them.

Dubset founder Dave Stein set out to solve this issue for the DJs that he often worked with in his former life as a club promoter. After running into prohibitively expensive roadblocks exploring deals with record labels, his team eventually developed a technology that he calls “MixScan.” The technology automatically identifies songs within mixes and then reports them to licensing organizations that collect royalties and distribute them to the artists. It’s like Shazam for DJ mixes.

This technology is the main factor separating Dubset from its most similar competitor, Play.fm. The latter company is based in Australia, and it asks its users to identify tracks within mixes so that it can report them. Stein says that unlike this crowdsourcing approach, MixScan is about 95% accurate. This accuracy takes liability away from brands who might want to advertise on the platform.

But a dubious royalty payment system hasn’t stopped Play.fm from raking in advertising dollars. Heineken sponsors an entire channel on the beta site.

Another distinction that might prove valuable to Dubset is its focus on high-caliber DJs and clubs. The platform works as a marketing tool for DJs and the venues that they play at. About 500 DJs have set up profiles on the site that include not only their mixes, but the venues where they will be playing next. Those venues are able to promote themselves by posting recorded-live DJ mixes and future lineups on Dubset profile pages. Users can “follow” the DJs and venues they like.

Exactly how all of this will monetize is a question the self-funded startup is still poking at. That said, it has already formed a handy site and iPhone app [iTunes link] for pulling up free, professional DJ mixes without feeling like a pirate.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Canned Muffins

Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

Microsoft BizSpark

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

More About: cloud radio, DJ, dubset, play.fm, playlists

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Massive Email Breach Exposes Data From 50+ Major Retailers, Including Target

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 08:54 PM PDT


A huge security breach has exposed the names and email addresses of customers of major brands, including Target, Best Buy, Walgreen’s, Capital One, and more.

UPDATE: Apparently, a slew of hotel chain rewards programs have also been hit by the Epsilon breach; affected chains include Hilton, Red Roof Inn, Ritz-Carlton and Marriott.

While most of these companies are understandably mum on how many customers might be at risk, it’s not inconceivable that millions of users’ information may have been accessed by an unauthorized party.

Epsilon, a digital marketing firm that does a fair amount of email marketing, notified its clients Friday that “an unauthorized entry into Epsilon’s email system” had occurred. The firm stated at the time that the compromised data “was limited to email addresses and/or customer names only. A rigorous assessment determined that no other personal identifiable information associated with those names was at risk.”

By yesterday, we knew the names of a handful of affected clients. However, we are learning today that the data breach applies to some of the largest names in retail, including Target and Best Buy. Anyone who has signed up for or opted into email or other digital marketing campaigns from these companies may have had their name and email address or addresses accessed by an unknown party.

According to an email from Target, “Epsilon took immediate action to close the vulnerability and notified law enforcement.”

However, Target is now notifying customers whose information was compromised that their email addresses and names may now be in unsafe hands and is asking customers to exercise care when opening and responding to email.

The entire list of companies whose customers’ data has been accessed is unknown, but we’ll list the ones we know about below. We’ll add more names as they become available. If you received an email that your information may have been compromised due to the Epsilon breach, please do let us know in the comments section.

  • Target
  • Best Buy
  • Walgreen’s
  • Capital One
  • TiVo
  • JP Morgan Chase & Co.
  • Kroger
  • US Bank
  • Citi
  • McKinsey & Company
  • Ritz-Carlton Rewards
  • Marriott Rewards
  • New York & Company
  • Brookstone
  • The College Board
  • Home Shopping Network (HSN)
  • LL Bean
  • Disney Destinations
  • Barclays Bank of Delaware

The items below have been provided by Mashable readers who said they’ve been notified by the companies about Epsilon email breaches:

  • Air Miles
  • Red Roof Inn
  • AbeBooks
  • Hilton Honors
  • Beachbody
  • 1-800-Flowers
  • The Home Depot
  • TigerDirect
  • New York & Company
  • Bebe

For marketing companies that handle customer data for multiple large corporations, security ought to be a top priority — especially since these third parties are often a more attractive and “easy” target for black-hat hackers.

For now customers are advised to use common sense: Don’t provide sensitive information over email, and don’t respond to emails from senders you don’t know. At the best, you might see slightly more spam than usual in your inbox. At worst, you might have you email account brute-forced and mined for other sensitive data. In either case, an extra dose of caution and an extra secure password are in order.

image courtesy of iStockphoto, mikkelwilliam

More About: best buy, email, Epsilon, security, Target

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Formspring Gets a Twitter-Inspired Makeover

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 08:20 PM PDT


Popular social Q&A app Formspring unveiled a brand new version of its site on Monday afternoon.

Calling the new site “one of the most significant design evolutions in Formspring’s history,” the company is introducing new features and enhanced UI and UX considerations along with the new coat of paint.

Formspring discusses the new design on its blog, highlighting some of the major new features and changes to the layout.

The biggest new feature is the addition of a persistent top navigation bar. As with last year’s Twitter.com redesign, the top navigation bar remains at the top of the page even when a user scrolls through multiple screens of recent responses. This makes navigating to other parts of the site easy.

The layout of the site has also expanded from 760 pixels to 960 pixels. This is a size that will work well on desktops and laptops, as well as tablets like the iPad. Again, like the Twitter.com redesign, the change in width will effect users who have created custom backgrounds.

What do you think of the new design? Let us know.

More About: formspring, web design

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Video-on-Demand Startup Gets Slammed by MPAA

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 06:40 PM PDT


Zediva, a startup that specializes in streaming video or renting DVDs, depending on your perspective, is facing a very serious — and possibly game-ending — lawsuit brought by the MPAA.

Zediva thought it had found a copyright loophole that would allow it to “rent” digital copies of movies to its users without paying any royalties or fees to studios. A user would pay $2 to play a “DVD” for two weeks; and while the movie was thus rented, the company, which held a certain number of physical copies of that DVD, would put one copy out of circulation.

Through this convoluted scheme, the company thought it could avoid negotiating contracts and paying any money whatsoever to the film studios, since physical DVD rental stores don’t need studio agreements to run their businesses. The MPAA thinks otherwise.

“Zediva claims it is like a brick-and-mortar DVD rental store and therefore not obligated to pay licensing fees to copyright holders. But the DVD ‘rental’ label is a sham,” said the MPAA in a release today.

“In reality, Zediva is a video-on-demand service that transmits movies over the Internet using streaming technologies in violation of the studios' copyrights.”

Regardless of our thoughts on the quality and nature of Zediva’s services, basing a startup on a tenuous understanding of a legal loophole hardly seems like a sound business plan. And there may not be much of a business left when the dust from this lawsuit settles.

Dan Robbins is a sernior vice president for the MPAA and serves as the organization’s associate general counsel. He stated, “Zediva's mischaracterization of itself is a gimmick it hopes will enable it to evade the law and stream movies in violation of the studios' exclusive rights. Courts have repeatedly seen through the façade of this type of copyright-avoidance scheme, and we are confident they will in this case too.”

The MPAA is asking the court for $150,000 per statutory award and an injunction that would effectively shut down Zediva’s business as it currently runs.

Check out the full complaint below, and in the comments, let us know what you think of the matter.

Zediva Complaint

Image courtesy of Flickr, vox.

More About: Movies, mpaa, startup, video, zediva

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‘Angry Birds Rio’ a Big Hit: 10 Million Downloads in 10 Days

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 05:20 PM PDT


Angry Birds fans can’t get enough of the bird-hurling application and game franchise from mobile developer Rovio.

Angry Birds Rio, the latest iOS and Android edition of the game, features a theme based on the upcoming FOX animated motion picture Rio. The app saw ten million downloads in its first ten days after release.

The milestone metric spans all free and paid versions available in the App Store [iTunes link], Android Marketplace and Amazon Appstore. The stat was first announced on Rovio’s Twitter account.

The news is a flashy tidbit of information that demonstrates Rovio’s stronghold in the mobile gaming genre. Everything the company releases in the Angry Birds franchise is an instant hit, plush toys included. The impressive figure also demonstrates why investors were keen on forking over $42 million and could help lay the groundwork for a profitable IPO.

More About: Android apps, angry birds, Angry Birds Rio, iphone app, rovio

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Quora: The Stats Behind the Buzz [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 04:10 PM PDT


Quora‘s beautifully designed, elegantly executed Q&A might be burning up the blogs, but how is the site performing in the real world?

Web analytics firm KISSmetrics has just published an infographic about “The Wonderful World of Quora.” The charts show some interesting details, such as the growth of Quora’s userbase as well as the upward trend of monthly uniques. KISSmetrics also points out the myriad ways to use Quora beyond just asking and answering questions.

The infographic was created with help from Semil Shah, an active Quora user and fan.

What do you think of Quora’s chances of long-term success? Do you use the platform, yourself? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

More About: infographic, kissmetrics, quora

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Foursquare Makes Discovering Brands Easier

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 02:49 PM PDT


Foursquare has launched a new web page to showcase top brands on its network in an effort to make it easier for users to find and follow them.

You may not know it, but there are hundreds of brands using Foursquare (1,323 brands to be exact), but most people don’t follow them, mostly because they aren’t easy to discover. Foursquare is trying to address that issue with Pages Gallery.

Pages Gallery, as the name suggests, is a gallery filled with the different company Pages on Foursquare. Through it, you can follow everyone from MTV to Zagat (or even Mashable) to get tips and other content.

The feature also includes a simple tool for searching through pages and browsing by popularity, whether they’re trending or whether they’re new. Pages Gallery also suggests pages that are popular with your friends.

Lots of brands are hopping onto Foursquare in a big way, but the additional exposure should help boost brands’ follower counts, which could be vital to Foursquare as it tries to monetize its millions of users. While it still desperately needs a way to discover brands within its mobile applications, Pages Gallery is a good start.

More About: brands, foursquare, Pages Gallery

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Now You Can Check In to Events on Facebook’s iPhone App

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 02:27 PM PDT


As promised, Facebook has released a new version of its iPhone application that gives users the ability to check in to events. Version 3.4, released Monday, also now includes a map view for Places and the ability to unfriend Facebook friends in-app.

The new features, along with subtle news feed improvements and a user interface refresh for notifications, have been worked into the existing Facebook iPhone experience. Only the “Unfriend” button, a new, extended option when viewing a friend’s profile in the app, is explicitly called out with a noticeable red button.

The new event check-in functionality is housed within the events portion of the app. The app user can check in to nearby, upcoming events and tag their friends should they so choose.

Likewise, the map view for Places has been added to the Places section. Here users can toggle between “Activity” and “Map” options to view checkins in the standard list view or switch to see them on a map.

The updates make for a slightly enhanced overall application experience that pushes the user to check in to Facebook events and gives them the ability to unfriend their no-longer-wanted social network buddies.

Mobile continues to be an important priority for the company. Facebook revealed last week that 250 million people are actively using Facebook via mobile devices on a monthly basis. It released a new mobile website for all phones to better accommodate those users. Event checkins, for now, are isolated to the iPhone app.

More About: facebook, iphone app, Mobile 2.0, unfriend

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Financial Times Refuses To Give Up Subscriber Data to Apple

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 02:26 PM PDT


While some publications, such as Bonnier’s Popular Science, have been quick to embrace Apple’s new digital subscription model, others are refusing to do so.

As of February, Apple says that all publishers who want to offer subscriptions for content-based apps in the App Store must allow consumers to subscribe within the app for the same price or less. Apple takes a 30% cut of all subscribers who sign up this way. Publishers can also continue to sell digital subscriptions via other channels, such as their websites, without being subject to Apple’s fee, the company says.

While the 30% cut strikes many publishers as steep, the main problem is that Apple will not share subscriber data with publishers, long one of publishers’ most valuable assets, particularly to advertisers.

As a result, the Financial Times is now negotiating to sell subscriptions for digital access solely through its own channels, citing the need for subscriber data. “We don’t want to lose our direct relationship with our subscribers. It’s at the core of our business model,” Rob Grimshaw, managing director of the Financial Times‘s flagship website, ft.com, told Reuters.

The FT has approximately 210,000 subscribers who pay £250 or more for annual access to the publication’s website and apps — a hefty number, given that its print circulation hovers at about 400,000. Digital revenues, which grew by 56% last year, now make up 40% of the FT Group’s sales. Mobile is playing an increasingly important role, Grimshaw says. In a recent survey of 2,500 registered users, 45% said they regularly accessed FT content via smartphone and tablet devices.

Although optimistic about the negotiations, Grimshaw noted, “If it turns out that one or another channel doesn’t mix with the way we want to do business, there’s a large number of other channels available to us.”

Image courtesy of Flickr, TheNickster

More About: apple, Financial Times, ipad, media, newspapers

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HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Facebook and Twitter Promotions

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 02:08 PM PDT


Alanna Francis is an SEO Strategist at Blue Fountain Media, the website design and marketing company. Her focus is ecommerce websites, including the men’s skin care brand Anthony For Men. You can follow her on Twitter @alannafrancis.

Once upon a time, you had to use a phone book to find a business's contact details. Mercifully, those days are behind us. As social media has worked its way into every aspect of our lives, we as a culture have come to expect that our favorite brands — from "Big Gay Ice Cream" trucks to national airlines and fashion houses — are easily accessible on the most popular social networks.

However, it's no longer enough to simply interact. Consumers are increasingly hungry for promotions, exclusive discounts and giveaways. In fact, recent data suggests that most people who follow brands on Facebook and Twitter both expect and want to receive coupons from these brands.

According to an Ad Age/Ipsos Observer survey of 1,000 participants regarding digital consumption habits, 65% of consumers want the brands they follow to offer coupons. Compare this figure to the percentage of respondents who said they wanted enhanced customer service (42%) and you begin to get a clearer picture of the landscape.  

Certainly the Ad Age numbers indicate that the demand for promotions exists, but how effective are Twitter and Facebook promotions in practice? Do they really increase engagement or sales? While no conclusive studies have been done on this exact topic, substantial anecdotal evidence suggests that they do.

Examples to Learn From

A recent Facebook case study highlighting a campaign by Healthy Choice, shows positive results.

Targeting healthy eating-related keywords on Facebook's ad platform, Healthy Choice created a promotion that exploited the viral nature of social sharing. The frozen food brand offered a coupon that increased in value as more people "Liked" its page and signed up to receive the deal.

As a result of the promotional campaign, Healthy Choice saw their connections explode from 6,800 to approximately 60,000 at the time of the study. A quick check of their fan page shows that they have gained over 8,000 additional connections since that time. Healthy Choice witnessed 3 times more user engagement after the promotion than prior, and by offering a newsletter capture on the coupon signup form, they were able to register approximately 60% of connections for their mailing list. Pretty impressive for a product as mundane as frozen dinners.

What remains to be seen is the staying power of Healthy Choice's newfound audience. It seems likely that engagement will taper at least slightly now that the campaign is over, as users who connected solely to receive coupons start to tune out. It will be up to Healthy Choice to continue interacting with their broadened fan base in new and creative ways.

Renowned designer Diane Von Furstenberg has also been famously successful in social media. With over 100,000 Facebook fans and 182,000 Twitter followers, the brand certainly has a solid audience to draw on. At this very moment, DVF is offering free shipping and an unspecified gift (a pony?!) to users who refer a friend to the brand's page. What makes this campaign smart is that, similar to Healthy Choice, it offers rewards for spreading awareness of the brand to others.

In 2010, Diane Von Furstenberg reported a 13% gain in web traffic after having been active in social media.

All these numbers are exciting, but the key to seeing a positive return on your efforts is to execute your promotion in such a way as to encourage maximum engagement. Here's how to dive in.

Define Your Goals

"Defining goals" sounds almost too obvious to be worth mentioning, you’d be surprised at how often businesses fail to pinpoint goals for their social media efforts. The allure of Twitter and Facebook promotions is strong. It's tempting to look around at the competitive landscape and imitate the actions of others without fully understanding what’s at stake. By defining exactly what you hope to gain from your promotion, you can better design the promotion itself to achieve these goals.

Do you want to gain followers or “Likes?” Design your promotion to provide incentives for doing so. Reward your 1,000th follower with a lavish gift bag, free consultation, or complimentary meal. Encourage retweets and shares to further spread the word.

Do you want to drive sales on your ecommerce site? Offer small, one-time discounts or free shipping offers to anyone who follows or "Likes" your brand and shares your campaign.

Do you want to garner more newsletter subscribers? Give users the chance to sign up to your mailing list when you give them their coupon or promo code.

Exploit the Medium

Facebook and Twitter both have enormous potential to spread promotions at viral rates. It's up to you to craft your campaign to take full advantage of this fact. Learn from the strategies of Healthy Choice and DVF, who incentivized sharing with rewards, thus expanding their campaigns' reach exponentially.

Set Metrics

Once you've defined your goals, you must also set metrics for measuring your achievements. Make sure you have a solid grasp on all your "before" figures before the campaign launches and be sure you know how to isolate social media traffic from your data.

Evaluate and Adjust

Finally, as our grade school teachers always told us, learn from your mistakes. If your first attempt was more of a belly flop than an olympic dive, don't develop a fear of the water. Just be sure to assess the strengths and weakness of your first campaign before suiting up again.

In the end, unless you are cranking out extremely high quality content at a breakneck pace or are a naturally dazzling public face of the brand (and let's face it, we can't all be Tony Hsieh), your brand might not be able to engage people the way you really want to. Social media promotions are a great way to obtain a larger audience base on which to build your brand and maybe pocket some extra cash while you're at it.

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

More About: branding, brands, business, ecommerce, facebook, List, Lists, promotions, social media, social media marketing, twitter

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USA Beefs Up WWE Tough Enough Reality Series With iOS & Android Apps

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 02:00 PM PDT


USA Network is resurrecting the WWE Tough Enough reality franchise Monday evening. In celebration, the network has repurposed the technology behind its Psych Vision applications to create WWE Tough Enough mobile applications for a second screen experience.

USA is releasing versions of the WWE Tough Enough application for iPhone, iPad [iTunes link] and Android mobile phones and tablets. The applications are meant to enhance the show watching experience and encourage viewers to tune in live.

“We want to push the boundaries of social television as much as possible,” says Jesse Redniss, USA’s vice president of digital. “We want to change the way people are watching television.”

USA will be seeding three to four keywords per episode during the broadcast through Facebook and Twitter, via its own Chatter social stream and on air. Should app users locate these keywords, they can enter them to earn show rewards such as access to deleted scenes, blooper reels and other exclusive WWE Tough Enough app content.

USA has also introduced app-specific game mechanics to its show affinity program “Tough Club.” Members can log in to earn additional points, compete against fans for leader board status and exchange points for show merchandise.

“We want to provide fans with another touch point so that they can engage, in real-time, from whatever device is easiest to access at that time,” says Redniss.

This time around USA has stripped out GetGlue integration in favor of a more frictionless user on-boarding experience. The network will be charting real-time engagement as opposed to encouraging fans to explicitly “check in” to episodes.

The initiative marks USA’s second attempt at engineering an engaging second screen experience. Psych Vision, released late into the past season of the Psych television series, saw more than 25,000 iOS installs. Fans were using the app while watching the show live and taking to the Chatter social stream to post to Facebook and Twitter, Redniss asserts.

The same underlying framework has been re-skinned to accommodate WWE Tough Enough fans. “A lot of our fan bases are loyal to specific show brands,” says Redniss of the decision to release distinct apps for individual series. “We have a platform that we can reuse and enhance for each show offering.”

The WWE Tough Enough series represents USA Network’s foray back into reality television programming, a genre it hasn’t visited in four years since the end of Nashville Star. WWE is already known for its highly engaged online fan base.

The iOS apps are already out, while the Android versions will be out later today.

More About: Android apps, iOS, MARKETING, USA, wwe, WWE Tough Enough

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“The Governator” Gets Animated [VIDEO]

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 01:46 PM PDT


Arnold Schwarzenegger is back. The former governor of California and action movie star will star in an animated TV show, comic book series and movie called, get this: The Governator.

Schwarzenegger officially announced his return to entertainment at a press conference at MipTV in Cannes. The plan is to release the cartoon TV series and comic books first and then to round things out with a feature-length animated production.

The Governator features a fictionalized Schwarzenegger who steps down from his role as governor of California in order to fight crime. Stan Lee (X-Men, Spider-man, The Fantastic Four) is developing the project alongside Andy and Amy Heyward of A Squared Entertainment.

The series is expected to debut sometime in 2012 and German-based Your Family Entertainment is handling the world sales rights. Looking at the trailer, it seems like a throw-back to the late-eighties, early-nineties Saturday morning cartoons. Whether or not that style will resonate with younger fans remains to be seen.

The Hollywood Reporter noted that Schwarzenegger also said he would be returning to live-action films, though no specific projects were named. Could a Junior 2 be in the works?

Check out the trailer for The Governator cartoon and let us know how epic or awful you think this looks in the comments. (We’re voting “epic” ourselves for the camp value alone.)

More About: animated television, arnold schwarzenegger, epic, Film, humor, television, the governator, tv

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Upgraded Twitter Search Helps You Find New People to Follow

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 12:58 PM PDT


Twitter has rolled out an update to its search tool that makes it easier to find new people to follow.

Now, when you search for a given topic on the microblogging site, you'll get suggestions of people and accounts that tweet about that topic. For instance, a search for "movies" yields Roger Ebert, Judd Apatow, Jon Favreau and the iTunes Trailer account under the "People results for movies" sidebar.

You can get further suggestions by clicking on the "People" tab on the left-hand side search results where you can also browse recent tweets about the queried topic. In the movies example, further results include Tom Hanks, DisneyPixar and Kevin Smith.

Previously, people results used a far simpler algorithm, showing people and accounts to follow based on keywords, the company said in a blog post.

Though a relatively small and obvious move, it's yet another addition to Twitter's web interface that makes third-party tools for performing the same task a little less relevant (though the service has also been offering personalized follow suggestions for some time).

More About: twitter

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Devo Drummer Rips Freemium Model to Shreds With $75,000 Offering

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 12:25 PM PDT


If you’re in a band that lacks a kick-ass drummer (most members of the chillwave persuasion say, “Aye!”), you’re in luck — you can buy Devo’s session drummer for a mere $75,000.

In order to hype his new album, My New Friends, Josh Freese is offering up a stellar package for devoted fans. It includes: 1). Freese’s services as a drummer for one month, 2). One of his drum sets, 3). A Freese-penned, five-song EP written about “you,” 4). The chance to take Shrooms and cruise Hollywood in Danny from Tool’s Lamborgini, 5). 500 copies of My New Friends, 6). A trip to purchase matching outfits at Tommy Bahama’s and “make everybody very sad.”

Less expensive (and rad) packages include the album for $5, a $50 offering that includes a personalized call from the musician, and tons of other packages of varying prices stuffed with gear and interactions with Freese.

This isn’t the first time Freese has offered up a bizarre package of this sort. According to Wired, he marketed his 2009 disc, Since 1972, by offering fans such goodies as a miniature-golf session with drummer and his musician friends. The new disc features songs about fans who ponied up the cash to meet the artist in 2009.

This stunt seems a perfect fit for a musician who has played with Nine Inch Nails (as we all know, Trent Reznor is really into freemium packages) and Devo, who crowdsourced its last album in a highly tongue-in-cheek way.

Wealthier readers: Would you fork over $75,000 to chill with Freese?

Image courtesy of Flickr, colin.brown

More About: devo, freemium, john-freese, MARKETING, money, music

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100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 12:13 PM PDT

social_media_events_guide1

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

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

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

Upcoming Mashable Events

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

April 4-7, 2011, Vancouver, BC: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 25th Updated Forum on Social Media for Government: How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results, to learn how to incorporate social media into your communications and marketing plans, and leverage the latest interactive Web 2.0 tools and techniques to advance your organizational goals. Hear practical advice from: BC Ministry of Environment; Department of National Defence; City of Seattle, WA; BC Public Affairs Bureau, City of Oshawa, ON; Genome Alberta; Alberta Environment; Deloitte and more. Register and mention Mashable when registering to save $200!

April 4-7, 2011, Cannes, France: The mobile media, technology and entertainment industries converge for Connected Creativity, the first-ever global forum on connected entertainment, April 4-7th, in Cannes, France. As a part of MIPTV, Connected Creativity participants get the full benefits of joining 10,000 industry players at the world's greatest gathering in TV and media. This multi-billion dollar content market gives the world its first taste of the newest content that will shape the year to come for TV, Internet, mobile and all video-rich platforms. For more information and to register, please visit connected-creativity.com.

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

April 4, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Data 2.0 Conference – Learn from Google, Microsoft, SimpleGeo, Factual, and 50 other innovators about what's next in the world of data. The first conference to examine the growing importance of information accessibility in business, technology and society, the midVentures Data 2.0 Conference focuses on how the web is becoming the new database, and how businesses can better analyze and monetize this information. Discussions will span the next decade of data, from the data ecosystem and commoditization of information, to personal data control and open data initiatives. How will you use data to better target your new customers? Register and use the code data2mash for a 15% discount.

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

April 5-6, 2011, San Francisco, CA: iStrategy is an inspirational, 2-day, digital media conference for senior executives who believe that the success of their business requires a sound digital strategy. iStrategy has recruited keynote speakers, panelists, workshop facilitators and attendees with expertise in the online channels that drive successful outcomes and tools that provide ongoing measurement including: Social Media, Mobile Marketing and Applications, Display Advertising, SEO/SEM, Email Marketing, Database Marketing, Web Analytics, E-commerce and Content Strategy. Register with the promo code MASHSJ10 to receive a 10% discount off the ticket price.

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

April 6-8, 2011, New York City, NY: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ring the closing bell at NASDAQ? Now you don't have to – you can be there as an added bonus for attending our conference The 2011 Content Summit for Corporate Communicators & PR, presented by Ragan Communications and hosted by NASDAQ OMX. You'll discover new ways to tell a story that are echo-worthy in both social media and traditional media. Register with the promo code MASH11 to save $200 off the regular registration price.

April 6-8, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: Hispanicize 2011, the 2nd Annual Hispanic PR & Social Media Conference, is the first and largest conference devoted to Latino social media, bloggers and public relations professionals. The three-day conference will feature top industry keynote speakers and more than 24 professional development sessions. It’s also the first event to gather all the Latino and multicultural bloggers together for first time. For more information, please click here.

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

April 6, 2011, New York, NY: What do LivingSocial, BuyWithMe, Travelzoo, Gilt City, Group Commerce, Thrillist, eBay, SailThru, Yipit, Urban Candy, and Google all have in common? They are but a handful of companies that will be at Daily Deal Summit, the first ever conference focusing on the multi-billion dollar daily deal space. You read about them in Mashable. They are some of the fastest growing companies of all time, and almost all of them didn’t exist just two years ago. Now, is your chance to meet the leaders and hear what they think in person. What should traditional publishers do? Is there room for any more startups? What will the landscape look like a year from now? These questions and more will be discussed and debated at Daily Deal Summit. Tickets are limited, so register today! Mashable readers can save 20% by clicking here.

April 7, 2011, London, UK: The third Social Media in Recruitment Conference will again help recruiters get the most from using Social Media through Case Studies, Latest Trends and Best Practice. Discover how the British Army introduced Social Media in recruiting, how Nokia uses LinkedIn on a global basis to build a talent pipeline, and how the European Personnel Selection Office in Brussels (who have careers web sites in twenty three different languages) use multilingual Social Media sites to attract new hires. Register and save 10% with the discount code MASHABLE.

April 7, 2011, London, UK: MI EXPO, a one day conference and exhibition taking place at The Delfina London is a platform showcasing innovation within the marketing sector. The event promises to inspire and educate, whilst bring together the companies and individuals driving the industry forward creating networking and new business opportunities. The Marketing Innovation Awards, nominated for by the UTalkMarketing Community will take place at the end of the day during a drinks reception. Register and use the promo code MASH15 to receive a 15% discount.

April 7, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: Social Media Advanced Skills Huddle – SMASH is an interactive conference designed to help you make better decisions about deploying social media for marketing, public relations and corporate communications. Presenters and attendees will huddle to air issues, seek advice, and tap into each other’s wisdom while arriving at practical solutions. This event is part of a series of unique how-to huddles on the campuses of the world’s best universities, taught by some of America’s top social media practitioners and experts. SMASH pushes the traditional conference into something much more interactive and practical. Register and use the promo code smashmash11.

April 9-10, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: RetailCamp, an interactive two-day Unconference, hits Los Angeles April 9th &10th, 2011. RetailCamp brings together apparel and retail industry professionals, bloggers and agencies in an educational setting to discuss social media, mobile development, online marketing and connecting with customers through technology. Register and use the promo code MASHABLE for a 25% discount.

April 10-13, 2011, Denver, CO: 360|Flex, the world’s first and still best Flex Developer conference, will be held in Denver, CO and bring together the best and brightest of the Flex development community! Speakers include many leading community members and Adobe engineers. With over 50 sessions, including hands-on training the Sunday before the conference, 360|Flex offers more content than any other Flex/AIR developer event in the world. Register and use the promo code flexmash to save 20% off the ticket price.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 14, 2011, Boston, MA: Interested in meeting early-stage Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists in Boston? If so, then register for the FundingPost event on April 14th! FundingPost has hosted 175+ sold-out venture events in 20 cities over the past 9 years. At our next Boston event, the panel of investors will focus on Early-Stage Venture Investing: How to meet investors, pitch them, and what it really takes to get them to write you a check! For more information and to register, please click here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 28, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: Interested in meeting early-stage Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists in Las Vegas? If so, then register for the FundingPost event on April 28th! FundingPost has hosted 175+ sold-out venture events in 20 cities over the past 9 years. At our next event, the panel of investors will focus on Early-Stage Venture Investing: How to meet investors, pitch them, and what it really takes to get them to write you a check! For more information and to register, please click here.

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

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

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

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

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

May 4, 2011, Washington, D.C.: ConAgra Foods, United Health Group, the IRS, the U.S. Navy, and more will share case studies in corporate social media at BlogWell Washington, D.C.: How Big Brands Use Social Media. You’ll learn how to get started, get past roadblocks, and make your social media program phenomenal — in one afternoon, for just $250. Get practical, how-to advice on creating great content, getting management buy-in, educating employees, keeping lawyers and regulators happy, simple and ethical disclosure, and engaging fans. Presented by GasPedal and SocialMedia.org. Register with promo code THANKSMASHABLE and save 10%!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May 12-14, 2011, Chicago, IL: unGeeked Elite Retreats brings together 24 speakers over the course of three days. The format is “open discussion”. The topics focus on enhancing, positioning and leveraging both the internal and external brand. PPTs and Prezi’s are strongly discouraged and instead, on-going and intimate discussions among keynotes, regional speakers and attendees are encouraged. Speakers include: Amanda Hite, Jason Falls, Oliver Blanchard, Spike Jones, and Anita Campbell. Register with the promo code unGeekedChicago and save 5% off regular ticket price. Tickets includes the latest book from Olivier Blanchard and entry into the Chris Brogan Roast.

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

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

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

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

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

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

May 17-19, 2011, London, UK: The World E-Reading Congress brings together digital and print publishers with e-reading platforms and device manufacturers to discuss the business models and opportunities provided by the growth of the e-reading industry. Publishers must be prepared for this dramatic industry upheaval. They must learn how to embrace this disruptive technology and the World E-Reading Congress will enable them to discover how they can profit from the E-Reading revolution. Visit our website for more information and register before January to save 10%!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

June 16, 2011, London, UK: The Augmented Reality Summit is designed to explore this new dynamic reality and provide delegates with the perfect opportunity to uncover Augmented Reality in full and explore the opportunity's AR brings any brand or company. The AR Summit is positioned at the forefront of this exciting continually developing new industry. Whether you are a Brand, Advertiser or Agency, Technology provider or Developer looking to meet key industry figures, keep up with the latest developments, technology's & tools or simply to network with other from the world of AR – Register and use the promo code ARMASH to save 25%!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

August 1-3, 2011, San Antonio, TX: The eduWeb Conference is the event for you to meet, share, explore, and learn from your higher education peers on topics including mobile apps, branding, web site analytics, social media strategic planning, and web development. eduWeb offers four tracks: marketing communications; design and development; social media; and information architecture. Register with the promo code 11Mash and save $50!

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

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

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

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

September 26-29, 2011, Kaua’i, HI: Search and Social Hawaii is an elite conference unlike any other that will provide you with the strategies and complete know how to thrive in this ever changing environment. Each day begins with morning sessions around the hottest topics. With Keynote Bruce Clay of Bruce Clay, Inc. and speakers from corporations such as Real Networks, Network Solutions, AT&T, Microsoft Bing and Logitech. Afternoons are spent in a relaxed environment including planned activities in which individual attendees can get to know speakers and each other on a more personal level continuing the discussion and building long lasting relationships. Register and use the promo code SSWootMash to save 10%.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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5 Tips for Recovering From a Major CEO Blunder

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 11:48 AM PDT


Peter Shankman is the founder of HARO and is generally regarded as one of the top social media consultants and marketing speakers working today. His clients include Saudi Aramco, NASA, The U.S. Government, Haworth, Disney, Foley Hoag LLP, American Express, and countless others. He blogs at shankman.com.

Earlier this week, Bob Parsons, the CEO of GoDaddy, decided it would be a good idea to shoot an elephant and post graphic video of it on his blog. The move drew ire from animal rights groups and the general public, who lashed out at Parsons and his brand, severely damaging its public image.

It begs the question, what do you do when your CEO (or another high-level executive) completely screws up, and puts your brand image in jeopardy? How do you protect the company? More importantly, how do you stop customers from leaving in droves?

Here are a few crisis management techniques to keep in mind if that day ever comes.

1. Don’t Spin It, Don’t Fight It

Someone screwed up. Own it and move on. Trying to defend an indefensible act will only make it worse, and spinning it just makes you look that much more guilty. If you own what you're doing, you might lose some customers, but at least you won't lose your principles.

In the same vein, fighting with your detractors in an online forum (such as your own blog or a social media platform) never has a successful outcome. If you want to contact your detractors directly, do it, but it's not recommended. Know that anything you email or post is public the second it leaves your computer.

2. Divert Attention Away From Your CEO

If your CEO continues to make gaffes on a regular basis, or his lifestyle simply doesn’t align with your company’s image, trying to change him is pointless. Rather, try and focus on the things your company does well — hopefully there are a few.

Do you have good customer service? Make it even more awesome and shout about it from the rooftops. Make it your focus in everything you talk about online. Divert attention away from the CEO and focus on your best assets.

3. Be Selective in the Media Outlets You Talk To

Notice that Apple is very selective about which media outlets it will grant interviews to. Be just as selective. If you can control the message just a bit more, it helps. This won't solve all your problems, but don't be afraid to turn down the occasional interview from time to time.

4. Route All Media, Social and Otherwise, Through You

Your CEO is known for speaking from the hip, and usually not in a good way. Of course the media is going to try and go straight to him.

That's not ideal in a tense PR management situation, so your job is to ensure all outward communication is routed through you. Don’t let your CEO speak to the media at all, if possible. If you can't control his blog, at least you can prevent your company from being harpooned on late night TV.

5. Is It Even Worth It?

I once had a client who I honestly believe paid me to give him advice just so he could ignore it. After almost two years of tearing my hair out on a monthly basis, I just decided it wasn't worth it. If he wanted to bring his company down, he certainly didn't need my help to do it.

Fast forward several years. The company is gone, the man has gone bankrupt and even seen the inside of a jail cell. I made the right call. It was hard to walk away, but sometimes things really do have to end badly or they’ll never truly end.

No one likes to deal with an unruly executive, but CEOs can sometimes lose sight of how their actions affect their company. Help them through this as much as you can, but also know when it's time to cut and run.

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

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Cimmerian

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Zynga Adds DreamWorks CEO to Board of Directors

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 11:18 AM PDT


Social gaming juggernaut Zynga has added DreamWorks co-founder and CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg to its board of directors, giving it a powerful figure that could bring Zynga closer to Hollywood.

Katzenberg will become Zynga’s sixth board member, joining LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, Kleiner Perkins partner Bing Gordon, investor Brad Feld, Zynga COO (and former MySpace/Facebook exec) Owen Van Natta, and Zynga founder and CEO Mark Pincus. Zynga, the company that created FarmVille, CityVille and other hit social games, has a valuation exceeding $10 billion.

“I see a lot of similarities between DreamWorks Animation and Zynga, far beyond our love of animals,” Mark Pincus said on the company’s blog. “DreamWorks Animation is a revolutionary technology company, a recognized consumer brand, and at its core, a media company. It's easy to see the value that Jeffrey will add to Zynga as we grow and look for more ways to delight our players.”

Katzenberg has a long history in the filmmaking and media world. He was president of production at Paramount before heading Disney’s various motion picture divisions, responsible for hits such as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. He co-founded DreamWorks in 1994 with David Geffen and Steven Spielberg.

His expertise and connections in Hollywood should prove valuable to Zynga as it expands from its social gaming roots into mainstream media, its most recent foray being a tie-in between Mafia Wars and Sony Picture’s The Green Hornet. Zynga worked with DreamWorks last year for a tie-in to promote Megamind.

Images courtesy of david_shankbone via Flickr

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Jay-Z Expands Brand Presence Even More With New Lifestyle Site

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 11:04 AM PDT


As if being a rapper, clothing line creator and businessman weren’t enough, Jay-Z (a.k.a. Shawn Corey Carter) is adding another job to his resume: editorial director.

Today, Jay-Z, along with his company SC | Enterprises, is launching a new lifestyle site called Life And Times, which covers everything from music to fashion to tech to sports. An idea that was born about one year ago, the site is curated based on Jay-Z’s interests, and the rapper works with a small staff to produce each piece of content.

Content itself is arranged in an extremely visual fashion, reminiscent of music discovery iPad app, Aweditorium (which was created by the same folks behind TheSixtyOne). One clicks on picture tiles to uncover stories (which are written in rather straight-laced, design magazine style), videos and galleries.

Take a look at the new site and let us know: Is a blog with its main selling point being that it’s curated by Jay-Z a recipe for success? Would you add this site to your must-read list?

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LeBron James Launches Animated Webisodes for Helping Kids Tackle Tough Subjects

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 11:03 AM PDT

lebrons image

King James is going for a new title: cartoon social do-gooder. LeBron James is set to launch The LeBrons, a 10-part animated web series designed to provide positive messages to today’s youth. The show features four sides of the MVP-winning basketball player first featured in a set of Nike commercials.

The show will follow the four LeBrons: Kid (the protagonist), Athlete (the basketball star), Business (the suave suit), and Wise (the grandfather-figure) as they live in James’s hometown of Akron, Ohio. Each episode is based on lessons that teach respect or the importance of school. Rapper Drake guest stars as himself himself in one episode and eventually rap battles Business LeBron after an altercation. While it might seem like a cheap cameo, the episode teaches that violence isn’t the only way to solve conflicts. It’s a smart move.

The LeBrons will be delivered through a dedicated YouTube channel, youtube.com/thelebrons with some syndication on major sports sites, said Dan Goodman and Bill Masterson, co-founders of Believe Entertainment Group who helped create, finance and sell the show. Goodman and Masterson believe in the webisode format as the new frontier of digital entertainment: “When we looked at LeBron’s audience, it really became a natural place for the show to reside,” Masterson said. “Unlike when we grew up and cartoons were on Saturday morning … now their access is not as programmed or dictated by timing. It’s on their own terms.”

James will help those numbers by promoting the show through his social media presence. His Facebook account has more than 4.8 million “Likes,” while he has more than 1.5 million followers on Twitter (@KingJames). James has also dedicated a part of his website to showing the series.

James has long supported the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and a portion of the proceeds from the show will be used to purchase computers for the organization. HP and Intel are core sponsors behind the show and HP products regularly pop up along with Nike insignia (after all, the characters started off in a Nike commercial). It’s a careful balance, Goodman said, and one that is indicative of how digital entertainment is made: “I think we just have to strike a balance. [In] that first episode there happen to be a couple close-ups, but I think that if you watch the content, the general takeaway is content and not brand marketing.” Teaming up with brands can be a way to keep making content even when budgets are tight.

“The number one thing is content,” Masterson added. “If consumers think it’s just one big commercial then that wouldn’t be effective [for the show]. The brands don’t want that either.”

The show is a very much a passion project for James. He helped oversee the production, filmed live-action introductions, and voiced one of the characters (Business LeBron). “His schedule is obviously very busy so it wasn’t always easy buy it was important to [James] and it was important to us,” Goodman said. “Given his schedule, he could have just said ‘Call me when it’s over,’ and he was the opposite of that.”

It’s unclear whether the show will have a concrete, measurable impact on the well-being of its viewers, but even making a show centered around moral lessons was a victory for Goodman and Masterson. For Masterson, it was about showing there was a way to make digital entertainment with a positive message: “We’re planting a flag and saying, ‘Look, we think there’s a way to do better.’ ”

What do you think of the The LeBrons? How much social good can a web series hope to accomplish? What does the show do right? Let us know in the comments below.

More About: king james, lebron james, social good, social media, video, web series, webisodes

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3 Facebook Mobile Trends to Watch This Year

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 10:58 AM PDT


The Facebook Marketing Series is supported by Buddy Media, Power Tools for Facebook. Have something new to tell 500 million people? Learn the best way to manage multiple brands on Facebook with this webinar.

Facebook CTO Bret Taylor has said that a lot of the company's focus this year will be on mobile. When Facebook declares an intention in any direction, people take notice, but for marketers, this may mean that 2011 is the "year of mobile," a designation that has been tossed around every year since 2006 or so.

It's unthinkable for a marketer to ignore Facebook, but that said, there are a lot of mysteries and frustrations around the platform. Display ads don't perform very well there, for instance, and a lot of consumer data is kept under wraps. Facebook's mobile operations are even harder to get a handle on. The company's mobile app, for instance, doesn't at the moment provide any opportunities for advertisers through traditional venues, such as display ads.

But things are changing. Eyeing Groupon, Facebook recently expanded its Facebook Deals platform to include local deals in at least six cities. Facebook Places hasn't been used much by marketers yet, but that could also change. Here are three big potential growth areas for Facebook's mobile operations this year and some ways that marketers have already capitalized on them.

1. Mobile Friendcasting

Last November, Constellation Wines worked with mobile marketing firm Augme Technologies for a program that offered consumers a mobile site accessible via a 2D barcode or a text message. The site, which offered a party-planning calculator and suggested food and wine pairings, among other features, was designed for consumers who were out at liquor stores looking for a wine to bring home or to a holiday party.

One viral aspect of the effort was a feature that let those users share their purchasing decisions with their Facebook friends. David Apple, the CMO of Augme, predicts that such sharing will become easier this year as Facebook attempts to get retailers to register for Facebook Places. Doing so, Apple says, is going to "allow general grocers like Safeway and Kroger to create on-the-fly inventory deals."

That would also mean that the deals will be broadcasted across Facebook, opening up a new form of advertising: Mobile to Facebook. Another marketer that sees potential in mobile-to-Facebook is ABC, which is using MMS video messages, distributed every Wednesday, to publicize its new show Happy Endings. Users who get the messages also automatically post them to their Facebook wall. The network is hoping the Wednesday distribution will encourage tune-ins. In this case, the salient aspect about texting is not the ability to reach a consumer in a given location, but the fact that consumers are generally more responsive in real-time to texts than emails.

2. Deals

The combination of location-awareness and time-sensitive deals opens up a whole new area of mobile marketing for Facebook. Facebook got into the market when it introduced Deals as part of its Places service last November, and expanded it in March with Groupon-like deals specific to each city. (The pilot launch is in Atlanta, Dallas, San Diego, San Francisco and Austin, Texas.)

The expansion of Deals, in theory at least, gives retailers more incentive to register with Places. Imagine the following scenario, for instance: A consumer with 150 Facebook friends cashes in on a deal at Kroger, which automatically sends out a status update on her account describing the deal. Assuming 10 friends are shopping nearby that day and checking the Facebook app on their mobile phones, that's potentially 10 more customers than Kroger might have had if not for the Facebook-broadcasted deal.

Jamie Tedford, CEO of Brand Networks, predicts that a lot of brands will begin exploiting the possibilities of Places in earnest this year. “We will see more marketers building games and promotions on top of the Facebook Places platform delivering ‘check in to win’ and loyalty points as reward for checking in and broadcasting their location,” he says, noting that his firm did something along those lines recently with JetBlue.

3. Phoneless Checkins

Since Facebook is so pervasive, it's easy to see a day where consumers can access the social network by means other than a computer or mobile phone. For instance, under a program at the Coca-Cola Amusement Park in Israel last summer, visitors were able to update their Facebook statuses via their RFID-enabled bracelets. (See video below.) According to All Facebook, the program netted more than 35,000 updates each day of the program even though the village only hosts 650 teens at a time. Similarly, Vail Resorts last fall launched a platform where skiers could post the amount of vertical feet they traveled on their Facebook profiles. In another program, running shoe brand Asics let friends and family members send individualized messages to runners in the New York Marathon via Facebook. When a runner's tag was recognized by an RFID reader, the message ran on a video screen.

Mark Roberti, editor of RFID Journal, says phoneless checkins make sense at waterparks or skiing resorts where people might decide to leave their phones behind, but also at an event where connectivity might be a problem. Though he thinks it will take a while for the technology to go mainstream, he says that it opens up a lot of possibilities. "As marketers learn about it, they're going to find new and interesting ways to use it," he says of RFID Facebook checkins.

Series Supported by Buddy Media

The Facebook Marketing Series is supported by Buddy Media, Power Tools for Facebook. Have something new to tell 500 million people? Learn the best way to manage multiple brands on Facebook with this webinar.

More Facebook Marketing Resources from Mashable:

- 4 Ways to Set Up a Storefront on Facebook
- HOW TO: Add Social Sharing Buttons to Your Website
- The Future of Social Search
- 5 Creative Facebook Places Marketing Campaigns
- Dog: Man’s Best Facebook Friend, Too? [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Street Food Fanatics Get Tasty iPhone App & TV Combo

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 10:37 AM PDT


Invoke Media, creators of HootSuite, launched Eat St. on Monday, with the vision of creating the “the best street food app in the world,” in the words of the company’s senior strategist, Grace Carter. The mobile and web-based app is launching in conjunction with a television show called Eat St. The series debuts on the Food Network Canada on April 6 and on the Cooking Channel in the U.S. on April 12.

The free iPhone application [iTunes link] enables users to search nearby street food vendors by proximity, popularity and cuisine type.

Once a user chooses a vendor page, he or she can browse through information including the vendor’s hours, location, menu, specials, photos and Twitter feed. Users can also tap the Google Maps image on the vendor page to get directions to the food truck’s location.

In much the way that businesses are able to claim and manage their locations on Foursquare, vendors can claim their locations on Eat St. After claiming their venue, vendors are able to change their location, add photos, clarify operating hours and input specials. Unlike Foursquare specials, though, Eat St. specials are not limited to particular types of deals, as the specials feature is currently an open text field. The downside, of course, is that the system doesn’t have a method for “unlocking” specials or identifying users who qualify for them.

Upon launch, the app is already loaded with more than 2,000 popular street food vendors in 184 cities across North America. While the app will initially be focused in this region, future iterations will include the ability to crowd source new vendor entries from users.

About The TV Show

Produced by Paperny Films and hosted by foodie and Canadian comedian James Cunningham, Eat St. explores street food culture across North America (sans Mexico, for now). Cunningham provides a behind-the-scenes look at street food carts, teasing out the quirky stories behind them, sampling their food and interviewing customers about their thoughts on the carts’ offerings. In its first season, the show will showcase 52 street food vendors.

Cross-Promotion

The mobile app and TV show will benefit from cross-promotion between the two properties. The Eat St. mobile app has a prominent “TV Show” button on the home screen, in which users can find full-length episodes of the show. The app is currently loaded with a preview, but as episodes roll out, they will become available via the app.

During airings of the show, Food Network will be airing bumpers — quick announcements between the show and commercials — promoting the app. Food Network will also be running an advertisement referencing the app.

Business Strategy

Invoke and Paperny Films saw an opportunity to create a digital experience that was related to the Eat St. show, but could also exist on its own. Thus was born their joint venture, Eat St. Digital.

Carter and her team see the Eat St. mobile app as more than just a TV show tie-in. While it is tied to a multinational television show launch, the app can easily stand alone as a street food resource, with or without the TV show. “We saw a real potential for uniting and cultivating the street food community, both the vendors and the people who love to eat the food,” says Carter.

As part of the ongoing marketing plan, Invoke has hired a dedicated community manager, Corey Dilley, to maintain Eat St.’s blog, Twitter presence and feedback forums. Dilley will also manage Eat St.’s initiative to build relationships with vendors, foodies and street food communities and associations, such as the Street Vendor Project in New York City, the Asociasión de Vendedores Ambulantes in Chicago, the Street Food Vendors Project in Toronto and La Cosina in San Francisco.

The app is partially funded by the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, which is dedicated to empowering and advancing the Canadian broadcasting system, along with additional self-funding from Eat St. Digital and a mix of other funds from its partners.

Eat St. Digital doesn’t have a concrete monetization strategy as of yet, but Carter explained that the app has the capability to implement light advertising in search results, for starters. More strategically, though, the team is looking into the possibility of collecting market research that would be of value to street food vendors, such as information on hot areas and menu items in particular locations. Furthermore, building on the specials feature for vendors, the team is also open to brand partnerships that would entail related brands offering specials across particular locations.

Competitors

Eat St. is entering a fragmented street food apps market. Most street food apps are locally focused. Some prime examples include New York Street Food and Los Angeles Street Food. While these apps do a great job of pulling local information, they aren’t scalable. Both currently outrank Eat St. as far as the number of vendors represented in each city, but neither offers crowdsourcing, a feature Eat St. plans to include in upcoming iterations. If Eat St. is able to gain a sizable following, it will likely surpass these niche apps.

Another related tool is Cartspotting, launched by visual food guide Foodspotting last year. Although it doesn’t seem to have taken off (as @cartspotting‘s last tweet was in October 2010), the microsite was created to help users find nearby food trucks via Twitter. Vendors update their locations via Twitter and users follow their favorite food trucks to locate them.

While some food trucks are stationary, many are mobile, changing locations on the fly, based on foot traffic. As a result, the ability to update followers on their locations is essential. With Eat St.’s app, vendors are able to update their locations via Twitter, and the Twitter stream shows up on the vendor page, but this feature doesn’t currently change the vendor’s location on the map. Carter says that this feature will be improved in the app’s next release.

More About: Eat St., Food, foodie, foodies, free iphone apps, invoke, iphone, iphone app, iphone apps

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Obama 2012 Campaign Launches With Digital Push

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 09:56 AM PDT

With about 19 months to go until the 2012 presidential election, President Obama launched his reelection campaign with a YouTube video, an email blast and targeted texts Monday.

The YouTube video, "It Begins with Us," hit the web Sunday and features putative real voters identified only by their first names. In perhaps a clue to how this campaign will differ in tone from the last one, the hope message has been leavened with an acknowledgement of the candidate’s limitations. "Unfortunately, President Obama is one person, plus he's got a job. We're paying him to do a job," says Alice, a voter from Michigan. "So we can't just say 'Hey, can you just take some time off and get us all energized?'" Another voter, identified as Ed from North Carolina, also admits that he doesn't agree with Obama on everything. "But I respect him and I trust him," Ed says.

The outreach also included an email blast and texts to supporters stating that the president intends to file papers with the Federal Election Commission Monday. The text links to Obama's official site for his 2012 run. The campaign has also begun running ads on Facebook asking a personalized variation on the question, "You in yet?"

Obama's 2008 run will be a hard act to follow. Obama for America, as the campaign was known, won two top prizes at the Cannes Lion International Advertising Awards in 2009 in part for the campaign's pioneering use of social media, which included the My.BarackObama.com social network and signing up for Twitter (which was still in its infancy at the time).


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YouTube Video of the Day: Invisible Instruments Can’t Be Seen To Be Believed

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 09:42 AM PDT

Forget the clunky, borderline humiliating one-man-bands of old: Check out Tim Soo’s rendition of Bruno Mars's “Just The Way You Are” played entirely on an iPhone and Wiimote.

We first encountered Soo at Music Hack Day in New York City, where he took first prize for his “Invisible Instruments,” which he demos in the above video.

Soo is currently a student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, but he’s also a musician at heart.

“Originally, I built an extremely simple ‘invisible violin’ in part because I left my violin back at home and needed to perform a short composition for an intro music theory class,” he says. “I thought it’d make for an easy grade. The concept, however, took hold.”

“The idea spawned largely out of an aversion to the limitations and barriers that exist in music,” he adds. “Call it overly idealistic, but I liked the idea of pure freedom in music creation.”

Now, it appears as if Soo is hoping to take the concept even further, as he has set up a Kickstarter campaign to make the product a reality.

What do you think of Soo’s project? Would any musicians out there jam with an invisible instrument?

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Upgrading Your Smartphone Just Got More Expensive on AT&T

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 09:21 AM PDT


AT&T has updated its early upgrade and no-commitment pricing for smartphones by as much as $150, according to reports. Off-contract early upgrades for devices like the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, Android and Windows Phone 7 devices have increased $50.

Customers who opt to sign a one-year agreement rather than the standard two-year agreement will now pay $150 more for their non-iPhone smartphone devices and $10 more for feature phones. Historically, AT&T has allowed iPhone owners to upgrade at the new customer rate every 12 months, provided the customer signs another two-year agreement. This policy appears unchanged.

The news was first reported last Friday by Android Central and confirmed by BGR Monday.

An AT&T spokesperson told BGR,

“Only customers who are not yet upgrade eligible or who do not want to sign a contract are impacted. As mobile devices become more sophisticated, their cost goes up. This change reflects the increased costs, while still allowing us to offer customers the latest device before they qualify. We’re happy to discuss individual account and upgrade needs one-on-one with customers.”

Most iPhone users are eligible for special upgrade pricing (the same price as buying a phone as a new customer, provided they sign a new two-year agreement) between 12 and 18 months into their contract. Non-iPhone smartphone upgrade cycles can be longer, between 18 and 21 months, depending on the rate of the primary line plan.

That policy won’t change. Instead, users who opt to upgrade before the 12- or 18-month mark or who want to sign a one-year rather than two year contract, will now pay more.

[via MacRumors]

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Google Bids $900 Million for 6,000 Telecommunications Patents

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 09:12 AM PDT


Google has agreed to purchase Nortel’s approximately 6,000 patents, a portfolio that includes a wide array of wireless, 4G, semiconductor and data networking IP.

Canada-based Nortel Networks was once one of the largest telecom companies on the planet, worth C$398 billion at its peak during the dot com boom. The stock crashed and burned though, dropping to less than C$5 billion in market cap by 2002. The Canadian company never recovered and filed for bankruptcy in 2009, agreeing to liquidate all its assets later that year.

Since then, Nortel has been selling off its assets to pay back its creditors, and is now selling one of its most valued: its expansive patent portfolio, a century’s worth of IP “spanning wireless, wireless 4G, data networking, optical, voice, internet, service provider, semiconductors and other patent portfolios.” That’s part of why Google has entered into a stalking horse sale agreement with Nortel worth $900 million in cash.

According to federal law, Google can’t purchase the patent portfolio outright; the bankruptcy court has to give other bidders a chance to submit their offers. But it does mean Google is in the driver’s seat to acquire Nortel’s patented technologies. The search giant makes it clear in a blog post that it’s attempting to acquire Nortel’s portfolio as a defensive measure against patent litigation:

“But as things stand today, one of a company's best defenses against this kind of litigation is (ironically) to have a formidable patent portfolio, as this helps maintain your freedom to develop new products and services. Google is a relatively young company, and although we have a growing number of patents, many of our competitors have larger portfolios given their longer histories.”

Google has been sued on multiple occasions for patent infringement, but let’s be clear: The Nortel deal is all about Oracle, which sued Google last year for IP infringement related to Android’s use of Java (a technology Oracle now owns, thanks to its acquisition of Sun Microsystems).

Things haven’t looked good for Google in its patent defense, so acquiring a comprehensive array of telecommunications patents could give it leverage in the Oracle lawsuit. It also gives Google additional protection from any company that wants to sue it in the future. And with tech companies like IBM and Microsoft being granted 3,000 to 5,000 patents per year, it’s easy to see why Google feels the need to play catch-up.

More About: Google, legal, Nortel, Nortel Networks, patent, patent infringements, patents, software patents

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Apple Airs First iPad 2 TV Ad [VIDEO]

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 08:36 AM PDT

More than three weeks after the iPad 2 hit stores, Apple has released a TV ad — one that, surprisingly, takes issue with technology.

"Technology alone is not enough," a voiceover for the ad states, as images of a finger activating iPad 2 apps roll by. "Faster, thinner, lighter — those are all good things, but when technology gets out of the way, everything becomes more delightful, even magical."

Peter Coyote, whom you might recognize from Law & Order: Los Angeles and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, voiced the ads.

Since its April 2 upload to YouTube, the ad has gotten close to 1.5 million views.

The spot, by long-time Apple ad agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab, is consistent in style with past "The Product Is Hero" ads from Apple. In fact, it's very similar to Apple's first iPad ad, which broke last year during the Academy Awards telecast. Like the latest iPad 2 ad, it featured a close-up of a finger launching new apps by touching the device's screen.

That ad aired, as is often the case, before the device actually hit stores. The later release date for the iPad 2 ad is likely because demand for the new product was already so strong. Apple sold out of the product on the weekend it was released, March 14, according to reports.

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