Mashable: Latest 19 News Updates - including “How Robbers Did Their Dirty Deeds Before Foursquare”

How Robbers Did Their Dirty Deeds Before Foursquare
How Facebook Became Twice as Fast (But Still Not Fast Enough)
Google Launches Powerful Mobile Shopping App for Android
Calculate the Cost of Wasteful Meetings With MEETorDIE
School Accused of Secretly Spying on Students Through Laptop Webcams
How to Make the iSandwich 4G [VIDEO]
WordPress Down: WordPress.com Experiences Outage
Can E-readers and Tablets Save the News?
PayPal and Facebook Credits Will Play Nice After All
Sony Ericsson Turned Down Opportunity to Build Google’s Nexus One
AWESOME: Museum of Modern Tweets [ART]
Google Buzz: What is it Good For?
Austin Pilot Joseph Andrew Stack Left Disturbing Online Manifesto
Windows Mobile 6.5 Will Live on as Windows Phone Classic
5 Winning Corporate Social Good Campaigns
Shaun White Olympics 2010 Video in Hot Demand [VIDEO]
Photoshop Prepares to Turn 20
Regulators Approve Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal
AT&T Goes Google, Will Finally Sell First Android Device
Mashable’s Weekly Guide to Jobs in Marketing & Social Media

How Robbers Did Their Dirty Deeds Before Foursquare

Posted: 19 Feb 2010 02:26 AM PST

There’s a very easy way to find out if someone is home or not: you phone their fixed phone number. If no one answers, chances are the house is empty. If you really want to make sure, you can simply check if the lights are on.

And yes, robbers actually used these tactics to rob people’s house for ages; this is why, ahead of summer vacations, you’ll see advice in magazines to have a friend periodically visit your house, turn the lights on and generally create the impression the house is not abandoned.

Faced with criticism that their service is helping robbers find empty houses, the folks at Foursquare point out that there are other ways of finding out someone’s location: a cleverly designed Twitter or Facebook search will do the trick just as well.

It doesn’t end there: a robber that can use a computer and a phone has at least 20 different ways of finding out if someone’s not at home. The easiest of them all is still checking out if the lights are on and if no one answers the phone.

Yes, location-based services pose a certain security risk (it actually has far bigger privacy implications), and it’s good that someone pointed it out to the folks who perhaps haven’t thought twice about sharing their Foursquare info on Twitter and Facebook, too. But at some point, one has to realize that not using any location services won’t do much to protect you from being robbed.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should be careless about using a service like Twitter or Foursquare. Acquaint yourself with how they work, their terms of service, and don’t share any info if you’re not completely sure who you’re sharing it with. Other than that, there’s no reason to be paranoid.

Tags: foursquare, location

How Facebook Became Twice as Fast (But Still Not Fast Enough)

Posted: 19 Feb 2010 12:26 AM PST

There’s an interesting post today at Facebook’s engineering blog, detailing how Facebook’s engineers managed to make the site two times faster in a six months period, from June of 2009 till the beginning of 2010.

It’s an interesting (albeit somewhat technical) read. In short, their primary concerns were shortening network time (the time it takes for data to be transmitted between the user’s computer and Facebook) and render time (the time it takes the user’s web browser to process a response from Facebook and display the page). They managed to speed up the site primarily by reducing the number of cookies and cutting back on JavaScript.

Finally, they divided a typical Facebook page into parts (which they call pagelets) which can be loaded one after another (instead of waiting for the entire page to load. From the post:

“Over the last few months we’ve implemented exactly this ability for Facebook pages. We call the whole system BigPipe and it allows us to break our web pages up in to logical blocks of content, called Pagelets, and pipeline the generation and render of these Pagelets. Looking at the home page, for example, think of the newsfeed as one Pagelet, the Suggestions box another, and the advertisement yet another. BigPipe not only reduces the TTI of our pages but also makes them seem even faster to users since seeing partial content earlier feels faster than seeing complete content a little bit later.”

While this is nice to know, it’s hard not to notice the recent user complaints that Facebook is slower than ever (it’s been that way for me, too). Of course, the Facebook experience is different for users in different countries so it’s hard to say whether it’s a global problem, but one thing is certain: with Facebook’s user base growing the way it does, keeping the site fast enough will always be a challenge.

Tags: facebook, social media, social networking, trending, Web Development

Google Launches Powerful Mobile Shopping App for Android

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 06:54 PM PST

Google has just rolled out "Google Shopper," a new mobile application for Android devices that offers a variety of different ways to search for products.

In addition to basic search functionality, users can search by voice, take a picture of cover art, or scan a bar code to get detailed product information and price comparison. Google introduces the application on its website and in the video below.

As AndroidAndMe notes, the app clearly competes with the likes of ShopSavvy, who tells the publication that Google [and Amazon] "are and always have been our biggest competitors."

Google could deal a much stronger blow to the upstart by including Shopper – currently a Labs product – with new Android handsets. We also don’t see why Google wouldn’t extend the app to other mobile platforms as well.

Here’s the quick demo from Google:

Do you use shopping apps like Google Shopper and ShopSavvy on your mobile? Let us know in the comments.

Reviews: Android, Google, Shopper

Tags: android, android applications, Google, Google Android, shop savvy, shopping

Calculate the Cost of Wasteful Meetings With MEETorDIE

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 04:20 PM PST

This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.

Name: MEETorDIE.com

Quick Pitch: Have you ever been invited to a lousy meeting? If so then you will love MEETorDIE.com.

Genius Idea: We love websites with a sense of humor and MEETorDIE.com certainly has that down pat. A creation of Vapourware Labs (love the company name), a Mountain View startup made up of ex-EA and ex-Apple employees, the mission of the site is pretty simple: it lets companies calculate how much money a meeting is going to cost.

By pulling industry data from sources like the Department of Labor, MEETorDIE.com can calculate the cost of a meeting based on employees present, length and the industry that the meeting is in. The goal is to make it easier to identify meetings that are likely going to be more expensive than they are worth, which in turn can make people more productive.

No personal information is captured and you are not asked to leave any personal details about a meeting. You can however, share a funny quip about how much your meeting cost and what, if any value was associated with it.

While certainly a funny site and concept, the central message of MEETorDIE.com is actually pretty important in that it asks employers and employees to evaluate the real cost of meetings. If you’ve ever worked for a company (or if you work for one right now) that has meeting-itis where you have to have a meeting for everything and almost nothing productive ever comes from them, this might be a good way to lovingly shine a light on how resources could be better allocated.

How much do you think your meetings end up costing you every year? Is that cost justified? Let us know!

The Potential of E-readers and Tablets

"Right now, the e-reader and tablet are the most promising new potential source of revenue for newspapers," said Roger Fidler, program director for Digital Publishing at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri.

While a Freedom Foundation Fellow at Columbia University from 1991 to 1992, Fidler created a conceptual electronic newspaper prototype with about 12 hyperlinked pages. In 1994, he adapted that prototype for the Tablet Newspaper video he and others produced at the Knight-Ridder Information Design Lab.

Fidler also coordinates the Digital Publishing Alliance, which includes news companies such as The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post, and is focused on issues such as standards for content and ads on e-readers and tablets.

He told me that when he wrote Mediamorphosis: Understanding New Media in 1997, he predicted e-readers would become commonplace in 2010. Not only have they arrived, but sales of e-readers are picking up. Sales of e-readers are projected to be 5 million units this year, up from 2.2 million in 2009, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

"Within 10 years, I believe the majority of subscribers to newspapers and magazines will be reading digital editions delivered to mobile reading devices," Fidler said.

He said that as of February 10th, there were 99 newspapers from around the world available on the Kindle. The newspaper content is subscription-based without advertising. He said e-readers take a content feed from newspapers that's highly templated and automated.

Publishers Need a Bigger Cut and More Control

ipad kindle image Fidler said newspapers get 30% revenue from having their content on the Kindle.

"That is likely to change before long," he said. "Amazon's ability to set prices for e-reader editions and control the publisher's share of revenue is coming to an end."

He added that publishers have some leverage because e-reader vendors must have content in order to succeed.

"As newspapers have more ability to do rich presentations on magazine-size devices, you'll see more," he said. "Content will evolve. There's a lot of opportunity."

However, the Kindle won't get people reading newspapers unless it offers features similar to that of smartphones, such as color display, touchscreens, and photos, according to a news release about a study by the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Survey respondents are residents of Athens, Georgia, a city that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution dropped from its circulation, the release said.

UGA advertising professor Dean Krugman said in a statement that “as a stand-alone attribute, the newspaper feature is likely not strong enough to sell the e-reader.” He conducted the study for six months last year with advertising professor Tom Reichert and Barry Hollander, an associate journalism professor.

Fidler said there's evidence to support that Amazon will come out with a full-color device with a touchscreen before the end of 2010. Now that more vendors are introducing e-readers and thin, lightweight tablets such as the Apple iPad, publishers are pushing for delivery and presentation standards, and for agent relationships with e-book stores that let them set prices, incorporate advertising, and capture data about their subscribers, according to Fidler.

"The main competitors in this market will continue to be Amazon and Apple," he said.

Rich Media iPad News Apps are in the Works

Wired Magazine plans to launch an iPad edition this summer that includes rich media content. Wired's Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson showcased a demo of the Wired Reader app at TED. Wired's publisher Conde Nast also plans to launch iPad versions of GQ and Vanity Fair, Macworld reported.

Fidler said that people who purchase e-reader subscriptions are still looking for the experience they get in print, and those who want to do more will gravitate toward the iPad. He said the world seems to be divided over a print-centric view and a web-centric view of media content.

"I don't think the iPad will be an e-reader killer," he said. "They will coexist. They will serve different audiences."

New Content Presentations for a New Medium

Alan Mutter, an independent media analyst who authors the Reflections of a Newsosaur blog, said that media companies cannot simply re-purpose their content for e-readers and tablets. Content needs to be richer, offer more user control and interaction, and has to let the user manipulate it in a way that it becomes highly individualized.

Sport Illustrated's iPad demo prototype really leverages the capability of the interaction, according to Mutter.

"I think news content sites demand new approaches to content," he said. "I'm far from convinced that publishers are looking to make changes as radical as they should be looking to make."

He said that if they adapt, he has reasons to be encouraged. But the heavy, upfront task of launching new content displays for these devices might be too much at this point. Fidler said publishers are reluctant to make major investments in new platforms until they see some proof that they can generate significant revenue and ultimately be profitable.

What's a measure of success? He said that when the number of e-reader subscribers hits 100,000, media companies will consider them successful because that's what they believe it will take to get advertisers on board.

Exploring Multiple Revenue Streams

Fidler said paid subscriptions and advertising will allow e-readers and tablets to generate revenue for media companies. He said the hope is that an e-reader edition or an iPad app will be able to generate better revenue than the web has in the past. He stressed that e-reader and tablet editions must include advertising to be profitable.

Mutter said multiple revenue streams such as ads, subscriptions, and potentially syndication from other sites should be pursued. "Advertising is part of the picture, but so is charging for the service," he said.

Mutter said, for example, The New York Times puts content on the iPhone but gives it away for free, while CNN created an iPhone app and charged $3.

However, Gawker’s Valleywag reported that The New York Times circulation department wants to charge $20 to $30 a month for its forthcoming iPad app, and the newspaper’s digital department wants to charge $10 per month.

"The idea of having content optimized for the platform — I think people will pay for that," Mutter said.

More journalism resources from Mashable:

- 5 Essential Tools for the Mobile Journalist
- The Future Journalist: Thoughts from Two Generations
- 8 Things to Avoid When Building a Community
- Mashable's Social Media Guide for Journalists
- 7 Ways News Media are Becoming More Collaborative
- 8 Must-Have Traits of Tomorrow's Journalist

Tags: advertising, amazon, amazon kindle, Apple Tablet, apps, business, e-readers, ereaders, ipad, journalism, Kindle, Mobile 2.0, News, publishing, subscriptions, tablets

PayPal and Facebook Credits Will Play Nice After All

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 12:19 PM PST

Long imagined to be a potentially significant threat to PayPal, the Facebook Credits payment platform will actually work with its once theoretical rival, according to a post on Facebook’s blog announcing a strategic partnership between the two companies.

Under the deal, PayPal will become a payment option for purchasing Facebook Credits, which are still in use only sparingly in certain apps and games. Considering the burgeoning size of the micropayments business model — especially via transactions inside social games — the Facebook Credits platform could eventually be a huge revenue driver for the massive social network.

The news reveals that Facebook’s agenda is not to disintermediate or eclipse PayPal, and that likewise PayPal doesn’t perceive the Facebook Credits initiative as a direct competitor. We think it’s a good move on the part of both companies, in that working together could be more lucrative for each site than trying to battle head-to-head. It also means that folks without access to credit cards will be able to purchase Facebook Credits more easily.

The deal also specifies PayPal integration for advertisers, who will be able to purchase Facebook Ads via its payment platform. Though less significant than the partnership on Facebook Credits, it does offer a nice alternative for advertisers who prefer to manage transactions via PayPal.

What do you think about the Facebook/PayPal partnership? How do you see the future of Facebook Credits playing out?

Reviews: Facebook

Tags: casual games, facebook, facebook games, microtransactions, payment platforms, paypal, social games, social media, virtual goods

Sony Ericsson Turned Down Opportunity to Build Google’s Nexus One

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 11:56 AM PST

It’s common knowledge that HTC is the hardware provider for the Google Nexus One, but new statements by Sony Ericsson’s president indicate that electronics maker Sony Ericsson may have been approached first by Google.

Engadget is reporting that Bert Nordberg told a Swedish publisher that “his company was asked to build the so-called Google phone before HTC… and it turned down the opportunity.”

We dug up the article in question and it appears that the statements were made at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. An English version of the article can be read via Google Translate.

Should the remarks prove to be legit, it's interesting to note that Nordberg appears to stand by the company's decision and points to branding as a mitigating factor. In light of mediocre Nexus One sales, he might be right. Although it’s hard to discount the fact that HTC received massive publicity for its role in the phone’s development, and its likely that the Google/HTC partnership will yield additional devices and opportunities for both companies in the years ahead.

Reviews: Google

Tags: Google, Hardware, htc, Mobile 2.0, MWC, mwc 2010, nexus one, Sony Ericsson

AWESOME: Museum of Modern Tweets [ART]

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 11:06 AM PST

Listen up, y’all: I’ve got another delightful time-wasting Tumblr for you: Museum of Modern Tweets. Every Tuesday on this inspired blog, artist Odessa Begay renders a visual representation of a celeb’s 140-word message.

Although social networking could be seen as merely an outlet for mindlessly blathering into the abyss, a lot of folks are finding creative ways to appropriate the medium. Begay’s site, which appears to have been up for about a month now, is just the latest in this artistic stream of technological consciousness.

Celebrity depictions include Ryan Seacrest, Nick Jonas, John Mayer and Lance Armstrong, and offer trippy interpretations of what the celeb has tweeted. Check out a few of my favorites below:

Part of a Burgeoning Tradition

Like I said, the Museum of Modern Tweets isn’t the first site to riff on social media. There’s also Sophie Blackwell’s Missed Connections blog, in which the artist illustrates those fateful Craigslist messages:

And check out the Facebook group “I’ll have my Facebook portrait painted by Matt Held,” which you can join if you would like the chance to have Held paint your profile photo.

Reviews: Craigslist, Facebook, Missed Connections

Tags: humor, social media, tumblr, twitter

Google Buzz: What is it Good For?

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 10:52 AM PST

GMAIL USERS: We hope you’ll join the discussion over on Mashable's Google Buzz account.

Google Buzz hasn’t been out of the tech headlines all week: from the excitement around its launch to subsequent fixes to address privacy concerns, the web has been abuzz about Buzz.

But what’s the place for Buzz among existing social networks? Does it compete more directly with Twitter, or Facebook? Is it an entirely new approach to status updates that can co-exist and integrate with these tools?

If Twitter is the town square, what is Google Buzz?

That’s the topic of my CNN column this week.

Check out the column at CNN.com >>

Reviews: Facebook, Google Buzz, Twitter

Tags: cnn, Google, google buzz

Austin Pilot Joseph Andrew Stack Left Disturbing Online Manifesto

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 10:42 AM PST

If you’ve been following the news, you know that a plane intentionally crashed into an IRS building in Austin, Texas. While details surrounding this tragedy are still being discovered, it appears that the man who owned the plane, Joseph Andrew Stack, left an online manifesto detailing his decision. Stack also set his house on fire before crashing his plane.

If this manifesto is indeed authentic (which it appears to be), these heinous actions don’t appear to be part of any wider terror plot.

We’re embedding the entire disturbed rant here in the event that the website hosting the original gets taken down.

We’ll continue to update as we know more about this story. The IRS says it has 199 employees in that building, but believes all are accounted for.

Thanks to Andrew Baron for tweeting this link.

Tags: austin plane crash, breaking, joe stack, online manifesto, trending

Windows Mobile 6.5 Will Live on as Windows Phone Classic

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 10:18 AM PST

Now that Microsoft has officially unveiled the new Windows Phone 7 Series mobile operating system, what happens to all the smartphones out there running Windows Mobile 6.5? According to i started something’s interview with Microsoft, the company intends to keep supporting the current platform in tandem with the forthcoming Windows Phone 7 Series.

Once the new OS gets on the market, Windows Mobile 6.5.x will be rebranded as “Windows Phone Classic.” Whereas WP7S will be aimed squarely at consumers, the strategy for Windows Phones Classic will shift to emerging markets and the enterprise. This would give legacy support to all the third-party developers, manufacturers and OEMs who have invested in the Windows Mobile 6.5.x platform, which is still a relatively recent release.

Microsoft didn’t mention specifics about how the Windows Phone Classic platform will develop, but it suggested the 6.5.3 update was a good signpost for the direction that platform is liable to take.

Do you have a phone running Windows Mobile 6.5.x? Are you happy to learn the platform will still be supported or will you be looking to upgrade to a Windows Phone 7 Series handset when they come onto the market later this year?

[via jkOntheRun]

[img credit: istartedsomething]

Tags: microsoft, Mobile 2.0, windows mobile, Windows Mobile 6.5, windows phone 7 series, windows phone classic

5 Winning Corporate Social Good Campaigns

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 09:34 AM PST

Geoff Livingston co-founded Zoetica to focus on cause-related work, and released an award-winning book on new media Now is Gone in 2007.

Companies on the social web are increasingly trying to create better relationships by doing good. These social media efforts have created incredible new ways for companies to partner with non-profits and customers. The resulting wide ranging series of initiatives include contests, giveaways, fundraising drives and events to benefit communities.

While cause marketing and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs have been around for some time with fantastic campaigns, open crowd-oriented social media initiatives are new. We decided to take a look at some of the best corporate efforts around.

These five initiatives represent some of the best corporate “social media for social good” campaigns to date.

1. DonorsChoose Crate & Barrel Gift Certificates

Crate & Barrel spends part of its advertising budget to send DonorsChoose gift certificates to its customers, allowing them to determine which education initiatives they want to invest in online. DonorsChoose features projects posted by teachers across America, and potential donors can browse the projects and post reviews.

Since the effort started five years ago, 347,000 students have been impacted by more than 14,500 projects, resulting in 434,000+ hours of classroom instruction. In one benchmark study, 11% of the certificates were redeemed on the DonorsChoose site, and 82% of customers who redeemed the certificates were “very likely to consider Crate & Barrel for their next home furnishings or accessories purchase” compared to 76% of a control group of customers that didn’t get certificates, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Cause and Effect Blogger Leyla Farah wrote, “In this case study, the two groups of consumers experienced exactly the same store and products and sales associates, but those who were given the option to take a philanthropic action after leaving the store, perceived their experience very differently.”

Disclosure: Mashable has participated in DonorsChoose.

2. Target Gives the Check to Facebook

In one of the first major crowdsourced do-good contests in social media, Target’s Bullseye Gives program had a $3 million purse that was voted on over a two-week period. Target let its Facebook community (now numbering more than 900,000 people) decide amongst 10 non-profits.

“Target’s ‘Bullseye Gives’ was the first CSR effort that visibly combined CSR with social media in the form of a contest, and we’ve seen many follow — Chase Bank and Pepsi amongst them — almost to the point of contest fatigue,” said Changeblogger Alexandra Bornkessel. “It was an innovative approach that got many involved, and got people talking. A lesson learned was that while it was a win for Target, it left non-profits wanting more — challenging us all to do better.”

3. Ford Helps Invisible People Across America

Ford image

So many of these campaigns feature large purses, but what really matters is visibility and impact. That’s why Ford’s sponsorship of Mark Horvath’s drive across America was a game changer. The company simply provided a Ford Flex and a company-promoted social site to Horvath’s little-known “Invisible People” campaign. The end result? Ford made homelessness a primary issue on the nostalgic American road.

Further, the 11,263 mile effort legitimized Horvath’s “Invisible People” campaign online. Since last summer, he has become a national leader in the battle against homelessness.

“Let's be real here, homelessness is not a sexy cause,” said Horvath. “Plus, at the time I was unemployed, without any income and I just lost my house to foreclosure. Ford took a huge risk on me and it paid off for both of us. Besides several TV packages, many newspaper and blog mentions, I believe Scott Monty and Ford's biggest return on their investment was helping hurting people.”

“Ford’s support of the Invisible People project was never one of lead generation; it was mainly because we believed in Mark’s mission and because it aligned with our own strategic initiatives,” said Scott Monty, Ford’s social media lead. “Since the very earliest days of the company, we’ve always believed in giving back to the communities in which we do business — it’s just in our corporate DNA. …[W]e felt that Mark’s project was a way to extend that and to give some additional exposure to some of our strong products.”

Disclosure: The Ford Fiesta Movement was a charitable sponsor of Mashable’s Summer of Social Good campaign.

4. Stonyfield Farms Says “Have A Cow”

The Stonyfield Have-A-Cow program educates interested parties about life on organic farms and its impact on the planet’s health. The CSR effort ties back beautifully into the company’s organic differentiator. And overall, Stonyfield gives away 10% of its profits ($10 million to date) to support the environment and organic programs.

“They’ve leveraged what is both part of their story and their social responsibility card into an engaging, educational and successful social media arsenal: Farm cam video diaries; blog with a farmer; Twitter account (with the standard customer service and promotions); online community and more,” said Changeblogger Amy Sample Ward. “Anecdotally, I’ve even found Stonyfield Farm’s content engaging enough that as a vegan I’ve still participated in the ‘have a cow’ program.”

5. The Pepsi Refresh Project

Pepsi Refresh is still in the works: Awards have yet to be granted and community impact has yet to be determined. But there’s no question that Pepsi trumped this year’s Super Bowl ad hoopla with its audacious $20 million budget reallocation to the crowdsourced community giving program. A weak year in Super Bowl ads helped make Pepsi’s decision look even smarter, giving the company a ton of publicity.

The contest of all contests has garnered significant support online, too. “There are a lot of reasons why Pepsi Refresh works, but two stand out in my mind,” said Jason Falls, author of the Social Media Explorer blog. “First, it’s not just writing one check to a good cause to show you’re giving back, it’s a program that can make hundreds of little impacts over time, any of which may snowball into larger impacts.”

“The second reason it’s so powerful for Pepsi is that the decision of who gets the money is at least partially (and it seems more than just a small part) in the hands of us, the voters,” continued Falls. “We can help decide how Pepsi invests in our communities, our environment, our health and so on. It’s not just about supporting good causes, it’s about letting your customers help decide which ones are worth supporting.”

Disclosure: Pepsi sponsored Mashable’s NextUp NYC: The Future Journalist event.

Honorable Mention: Tyson Delivers Hunger Relief

We’ve seen great bursts of tweets and blog posts supporting their social media comment contests, but Tyson’s chicken-giving efforts are more than a gimmick. The company has evolved its hunger relief effort over the past decade to its current social media savvy, geoweb-enabled presence. As part of its efforts it sponsors hunger-specific charities like Share Our Strength. During that time it has donated more than 41 million pounds of meat to foodbanks across the country.

“What sets them apart in my mind is that Tyson sincerely puts the cause first,” said Changeblogger John Haydon. “Billy Shore, founder of Share Our Strength, and other leaders recognize this long standing commitment from Tyson. Standing side-by-side with a common mission creates unity between these two organizations — and this can’t be overlooked.”

These are just a few of the many efforts to date. Which corporate social media do good efforts would you add?

More social good resources from Mashable:

- 5 Tips for Creating Non-Profit Online Communities
- 5 Real Challenges For Non-Profit Texting Campaigns
- Why We're In the Age of the Citizen Philanthropist
- How Social Media Creates Offline Social Good
- How Non-Profits and Activists Can Leverage Location Based Services
- 5 Essential Tips for Promoting Your Charity Using Social Media
- 20 Ways to Change the World in Only 15 Minutes a Day

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, BeholdingEye

Reviews: Mashable, awards, blog, iStockphoto

Tags: BLOGS, business, charity, donation, facebook, giving, List, Lists, MARKETING, social good, social media, social media marketing, twitter

Shaun White Olympics 2010 Video in Hot Demand [VIDEO]

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 09:33 AM PST

After capturing the Olympic crowd in his athletic thrall, gold medal-winning snowboarder Shaun White has snagged the attention of Internet lurkers as well, as coverage of his award-winning run as well as signature epic trick has gone viral.

After snagging the gold (and defending his 2006 title) in the Men’s Half Pipe competition yesterday, White busted out the Double McTwist 1260 — a trick that’s beyond the expertise of many a boarder — during a victory run. Videos of the trick are already hot in search, making White a legend a mere day after grabbing the gold.

Shaun told the Examiner, “I felt it was such a miracle run….I just felt like I didn’t come all the way to Vancouver not to pull out the big guns.”

This year’s Winter Olympics has been embroiled in a lot of controversy, what with the battle between NBC’s tape delayed coverage and social networking, and the tragic death of Georgian luge competitor Nodar Kumaritashvili. The rising popularity of this video stands as a bright spot in all this madness, as people around the world seek out and relive the epic moment.

I’m actually having a difficult time finding a decent video over at YouTube — it seems at least one has been disabled by the International Olympic Committee. So you should probably head on over to NBC’s website for a better viewing experience. (Hm, the battle between NBC and social networks continues.) In the meantime, here’s a poor quality view of part of White’s run.

Reviews: YouTube

Tags: olympics 2010, sports, viral video

Photoshop Prepares to Turn 20

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 08:37 AM PST

Tomorrow Adobe Photoshop turns 20. While birthday celebrations for software might seem kind of silly, for a program like Photoshop — which has literally become a verb and has had a huge impact on the world of photography and graphic design — the partying seems justified.

Adobe is going all-out for the 20th anniversary, taking to Twitter and Facebook and holding parties around the globe.

It’s a Photoshop Party

Today in the United States, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (see, you know your software is an all-out institution when you have your own association) will be hosting a big party for more than 1,000 attendees at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco. Senior Adobe executives and Photoshop evangelists will all be there. You can watch the livestream of the event at http://www.photoshopuser.com/photoshop20th at 7:30 p.m. PST tonight.

Japan, Southeast Asia and Europe are also getting into the party spirit. Adobe Germany is going to do a 20-hour online marathon, with local experts showing off their favorite tips and tricks. France and India will also be celebrating, with contests to showcase the talents of Photoshop users.

Photoshop 1.0

Maybe the coolest event is Adobe TV’s special anniversary broadcast, which will air tomorrow at http://tv.adobe.com/go/photoshop-20th-anniversary. The original Photoshop team will reunite for the first time in 18 years to discuss their early work. They’ll also be demonstrating Photoshop 1.0 on a rebuilt Macintosh computer. Retro computing — I love it!

Social Media and Photoshop

The Photoshop Facebook Page has more than 400,000 fans, and Adobe has added some cool downloads to the “Celebrate” tab that will give users a way to customize their Twitter or other social network Avatars, plus a look back at the Photoshop application icon over the years.

On Twitter, Adobe is using a #PS20 hashtag to tweet about the anniversary.

A Look Back

Check out this preview of the Photoshop TV program that will air tomorrow night.

Reviews: Facebook, Twitter

Tags: adobe, graphic design, Photoshop, software

Regulators Approve Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 08:03 AM PST

The Microsoft-Yahoo deal, which will ultimately see Bing’s search technology power Yahoo’s search results, has been approved by regulators.

According to a statement put out by the two companies this morning, both U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission have given the green light to the alliance.

First announced in July of last year (but not finalized until December), the companies will now proceed with implementation. The companies say that process “is expected to begin in the coming days and will involve transitioning Yahoo!'s algorithmic and paid search platforms to Microsoft, with Yahoo! becoming the exclusive relationship sales force for both companies' premium search advertisers globally.”

Yahoo and Microsoft aim to have search integration completed in the U.S. by the end of this year, though transitioning advertisers “may wait until 2011 if they determine that the transition will be more effective after the holiday season.” Globally, the companies expect to have the whole move completed by 2012.

In conjunction with the announcement, Microsoft and Yahoo have launched searchalliance.com, though the site appears to be down as of 11:10 ET.

Tags: microsoft, Search, Yahoo

AT&T Goes Google, Will Finally Sell First Android Device

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 07:03 AM PST

Beginning March 7, AT&T will start selling the Android-powered Motorola BACKFLIP. Although the carrier is slated to sell the Dell Mini 3 exclusively later this year, the Motorola BACKFLIP will be the first Android device sold by AT&T.

Motorola debuted the new device — which combines a reverse QWERTY flip keyboard with a custom Android operating system supporting the company’s social media-intensive MOTOBLUR technology — back in January, but AT&T will be the first carrier to sell it stateside. AT&T will sell the device for $199.99 with a required two-year contract and smartphone data plan at retail locations and online.

The union of AT&T and Android became official earlier this year when we learned that AT&T would begin selling at least five Android phones in 2010. AT&T has been slow to sell phones powered by Google’s operating system, which means come March it will be the final major U.S. carrier to embrace Android.

Given AT&T’s size and reach we should see Android’s market share continue to climb in 2010. With Apple taking more than 25% and Android doubling up to 5.2% of the smartphone market, every additional carrier and Android device creates an opportunity for Google to close that gap.

Reviews: Android, Google

Tags: android, att, Google Android, Mobile 2.0, Motorola, motorola backflip

Mashable’s Weekly Guide to Jobs in Marketing & Social Media

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 07:01 AM PST

If you’re seeking a job in social media, we’d like to help out. For starters, Mashable’s Job Lists section gathers together all our resource lists, how-tos and expert guides to help you get hired. In particular, you might want to see our articles on How to Leverage Social Media for Career Success and How to Find a Job on Twitter.

But we’d like to help in a more direct way, too. Mashable's job boards are a place for socially-savvy companies to find people like you. This week and every week, Mashable features its coveted job board listings for a variety of positions in the web, social media space, and beyond. Have a look at what's good and new on our job boards: