Mashable: Latest 18 News Updates - including “Yelp for iPhone Adds Foursquare-Like Badges and Royalty Status” |  |
- Yelp for iPhone Adds Foursquare-Like Badges and Royalty Status
- Bing Cashback Is No More
- Facebook’s Insignia and the Company’s Ultimate Mission
- HOW TO: Buy and Sell Shares of Your Friends
- How to Connect with New Connections Online
- Our Favorite YouTube Videos This Week: Drums, Droids & More
- News Faceoff: Twitter vs. Newspapers
- 7 Awesome CSS3 Techniques You Can Start Using Right Now
- What Should Mashable Ask Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley?
- Stephen Colbert: iPad Clothing Pioneer [VIDEO]
- What to Expect from Apple at WWDC
- Look Who’s Blogging [STATS]
- TV Ad Blames Politician for Facebook Privacy Problems [VIDEO]
- How Does Facebook View the World?
- Google Testing New Ad Format for Boosting Twitter Followers
- China Blocks Foursquare After Users Check in to Tiananmen Square
- 4 Tips for Producing Quality Web Videos
- National Donut Day Draws 80,000+ RSVPs on Facebook
- Group Buying: Should Small Businesses Jump In?
| Yelp for iPhone Adds Foursquare-Like Badges and Royalty Status Posted: 04 Jun 2010 09:20 PM PDT  
The royalty feature is much akin to Foursquare’s mayorship feature, and lets Yelp users with the most checkins become the “Duke” or “Duchess” of a particular venue. Yelp goes a step further with the hierarchy, however, offering users with most Dukedoms in a particular neighborhood to be named the “Baron” and even a “King” to be crowned for most Dukedoms in an entire city. The company itself acknowledges in the blog post that “we’re not the first ones to offer checkins,” but that adding these features “furthers Yelp’s mission of connecting people with and supporting great local businesses.” Yelp also provides some statistics behind why they’re investing in new mobile features: a full 27% of all searches on the review site come from their iPhone app. Yelp has submitted this 5th major iteration of its app for Apple’s smartphone, which should become available in the App Store soon. The company also notes that Android owners won’t have long to wait either until the new functionality hits the Yelp client on that platform; we got a sneak peek of what Android users have to look forward to at Google I/O. It may be derivative at this point, but it nevertheless stands to add a fun element to the process of checking in to locations. The addition of higher order titles in the royalty hierarchy for being the most active in your neighborhood or city are an interesting new spin on the concept as well. What do you think of Yelp’s move into the game mechanics territory of location services that Foursquare earlier blazed? For more mobile coverage, follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Android, App Store, Facebook, Foursquare, Google, Twitter, Yelp Tags: -local, badges, foursquare, game mechanics, iphone, iphone apps, lbs, location, yelp
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| Posted: 04 Jun 2010 07:15 PM PDT 
Cashback first launched in May 2008 as Live Search CashBack. The program was simple: search for deals using Microsoft’s search engine. Buy products from search results with the coin icon and you received a bit of cash back from your purchase. It gained some traction after it launched, enough that Microsoft brought the program to Bing. However, Cashback hasn’t picked up in popularity like Microsoft hoped. In a blog post earlier today, the company announced that it is nixing the program:
 Bing Cashback will remain operational until July 30th. After that, the program will be shut down, although Cashback users will have a full year to redeem their rewards. The idea was solid one — offer incentives for searchers to buy through Bing’s partners — but it just never picked up steam. As some have pointed out, things could have been different if Microsoft had tried something like group buying, which has become a multi-billion-dollar trend. We barely knew you, Bing Cashback. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Bing, Facebook, Twitter Tags: bing, bing cashback, cashback, cashback rewards, microsoft, MSN Cashback
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| Facebook’s Insignia and the Company’s Ultimate Mission Posted: 04 Jun 2010 05:12 PM PDT   Earlier this week, Mark Zuckerberg took the stage of the D8 Conference to discuss privacy, his role as CEO, and the stupid things he did in college. There were many uncomfortable moments in his Q&A with co-hosts Kara Wisher and Walt Mossberg (it wasn’t pretty), but the oddest moment of the entire interview came from his sweater. Yes, Mark Zuckerberg’s trademark hoodie stole the show. After Kara Swisher suggested that he take it off, a circular insignia (pictured above) was revealed on the inside of the hoodie. Who knew Facebook’s CEO has been wearing the “Facebook Mission Seal” all this time? Based on pictures taken at the conference, SFWeekly was able to reconstruct the insignia. It’s a rather elegant but intricate design. Here’s a brief breakdown of what it means:
Facebook’s Ultimate Mission
The mission has definitely transformed over the years. In 2004, it was simply “an online directory that connects people through social networks at colleges.” In 2007, it was this:
In 2008, it became a tool that “helps you connect and share with the people in your life.” In 2009, pieces of the current mission began to surface. Here was Facebook’s mission in 2009:
What can we conclude from this evolution? Facebook is becoming more and more ambitious, transforming from a simple network for your friends to a utility to make the world more open and connected. Despite the privacy fiasco, don’t expect the world’s largest social network to relent from its path. It intends to keep opening up the platform and connecting the web through its platform and the new Open Graph. Only by doing this will Zuckerberg and his team succeed in becoming the central connection of the entire world. Is Zuckerberg wearing the insignia under his hoodie bizarre? Yes, but perhaps not to him. You can bet that he believes in the mission statement with every fiber of his being, and nothing — not even a bad performance at D8 — is going to stand in his way. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Connected, Facebook, Twitter Tags: facebook, Insignia, mark zuckerberg
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| HOW TO: Buy and Sell Shares of Your Friends Posted: 04 Jun 2010 04:01 PM PDT 
Quick Pitch: Buy and sell virtual shares in people and brands, with stock prices determined by influence and activity on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Genius Idea: Empire Avenue is a virtual online influence stock exchange game that uses people or websites as sticker symbols. Yes, that means you can buy and sell shares in your friends and they can buy and sell shares in you! Remember the virtual online stock exchange games from the Internet 1.0 boom and stuff like the Hollywood Stock Exchange? Empire Avenue is based upon a similar idea, but it focuses on the degree of online influence of individuals or organizations. Stock price is determined by reach, activity and engagement levels across Twitter, Facebook, blogs and more. While right now Empire Avenue is just a game, complete with award badges and virtual currency bonuses for doing certain tasks, in the future the goal is to connect advertisers and brands to influencers. At that point, influencers can then choose whether or not they want to promote or carry advertising for a brand or product, and in turn receive a portion of the advertising revenue. This video gives an overview of how to sign up and get started with the service: Purely as a game, Empire Avenue is incredibly addictive. Within a few minutes of signing up, filling out my profile, connecting my profile links and creating my own stock symbol (FILM), I was already getting notifications that people were buying shares of me, and subsequently I started looking at ways to buy shares in others. Obviously the goal is to be able to amass not only a valuable portfolio of people you follow and invest in, but to also build value in your own personal stock. While the idea of matching advertisers to influencers strikes us as being super smart, we have to admit, purely as a social game, Empire Avenue has lots of potential. Add an iPhone app into the mix and this could easily become a great way to bring day-trading into the Twitter age. InvitesEmpire Avenue is still in the invite-only beta stages, but the creators have been nice enough to offer 200 Mashable readers access. Just follow @EmpireAve on Twitter and retweet this post. The first 200 people that retweet will get invitations into the beta. Once you get into the beta, you can invite a few of your friends along too. If you want to have an addictive time buying and trading virtual influence shares, give Empire Avenue a shot. Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
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| How to Connect with New Connections Online Posted: 04 Jun 2010 03:20 PM PDT 
Well, there’s no way of knowing for sure how a person will react after you click “friend,” “follow” or “send” (hint: Facebook chatting a stranger is pretty much a solid creep-out all the way around), but we’re hoping we can at least steer you in the right direction while you’re surfing along this social sphere known as the web. That’s the topic of my new Netiquette column on CNN, which I write with my Stuff Hipsters Hate co-blogger, Andrea Bartz. Check out the column at CNN.com >>[img credit: Katherine Groth] For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: cnn, facebook, linkedin, netiquette, Opinion, social media, twitter
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| Our Favorite YouTube Videos This Week: Drums, Droids & More Posted: 04 Jun 2010 02:40 PM PDT 
We’ve got everything: rats, manic drummers (is there any other kind?), music, crayons, a purloined Jesus, perfume and NPR. I would say take a break from the sun and check out these videos, but we’re all “indoor children” here, amirite? This Drummer Is at the Wrong GigMatt Silverman: This drummer is awesome. The sad part is, I own the same bedazzled yellow sport coat these guys are wearing. Girlfriend Series – “Whatever You Like”Stephanie Marcus: I love these girls! Sesame Street: Making CrayonsTamar Weinberg: This is like my favorite Sesame Street skit of all time, and I want it in high res! Now that I have a little one of my own, even though he doesn’t know what crayons are yet, I want to make sure he actually knows how they were made! Jesus Statue Held HostageVadim Lavrusik: Not much else to say, but it includes this highlight quote from the ransom note in this news story: “We are holding Jesus ransom until you cleanup your poopie from you wieners.” It’s hilarious that news stories like this can make it on the air and that the reporter was able to read that ransom note without laughing. NPR: All Things DBrenna Ehrlich: NPR is doing some Onion-worthy stuff lately. I dig how they incorporated everything from auto-tune to Charoulette in this little parody vid. Rat Staring Contest with Background MusicZachary Sniderman: Two rats, locked in battle or love. The video claims it’s a staring contest but there is something oddly mesmerizing about two rats perpetually caught in the age-old question: kiss or kill? Star Wars iPad BriefingAmy-Mae Elliott: This is true YouTube genius. The voice of his Jobness trying to persuade the Rebel Alliance to go iPad. I need not say more — watch and enjoy! Egoiste ChanelLauren Indvik: I love Chanel perfume ads from the ’90s. This one, for a men’s fragrance called “Egoiste,” was shot by filmmaker Jean-Paul Goude in Brazil. The 30-second commercial features dozens of glamorous women yelling from the balconies of a hotel at an anonymous man who has seduced them all (you only see his arm holding the fragrance bottle at the end). The hotel front was built just for the ad. Amazing. A Tiny Apartment Transforms into 24 RoomsStephanie Marcus: I’m obsessed with this video that shows a tiny apartment transform into 24 rooms. The Android Phone Is for PornErica Swallow: As if the recent e-mail tangle between Steve Jobs and Ryan Tate (of Gawker), in which Jobs offered the world “freedom from porn,” wasn’t funny enough. This video is a fun parody of Avenue Q’s “The Internet is for Porn” sung by Jobs and the Android mascot, all in time for the iPhone 4.0 launch. For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Android, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Tags: humor, pop culture, viral video, youtube
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| News Faceoff: Twitter vs. Newspapers Posted: 04 Jun 2010 01:42 PM PDT 
It’s time once again for a new edition of our Web Faceoff Series, wherein we pit two services, devices or trends against each other for a knock-down, drag-out fight for the affection of Mashable readers.
Considering the growing role of social networks in how we consume information, it’s a good time to pit the following two sources against each other: Where do you get more of your news from these days, Twitter or newspapers? Cast your vote in the poll below until Sunday, June 6 at 3 p.m. PST to make your voice heard. And be sure leave a comment below about the reasoning behind your vote. Happy voting! Faceoff Series: Overall ResultsWeek 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 4: Week 5: Week 6: Week 7: Week 8: Week 9: Week 10: Week 11: Week 12: Week 13: Week 14: Week 15: Week 16: Week 17: Week 18: Week 19: Week 20: Week 21: Week 21: Week 22: Week 23: Week 24: Week 25: Week 26: Week 27: Week 28: Week 29: Week 30: Series supported by Buick  This Web Faceoff series is supported by Buick. [newspaper img credit: DRB62] For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Bing, Boxee, Chrome, Digg, Facebook, Firefox, Foursquare, Gmail, Google, Google Buzz, Google Docs, Gowalla, Gtalk, Hulu, Mashable, Pandora, Posterous, Seesmic Desktop, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, TweetDeck, Twitter, TypePad, Windows, WordPress, Yelp, aim Tags: News, newspapers, polls, social media, twitter, web faceoff
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| 7 Awesome CSS3 Techniques You Can Start Using Right Now Posted: 04 Jun 2010 01:39 PM PDT 
It’s now possible to do all sorts of cool things just using CSS — even animation. Although not all of the effects work across browsers (even browsers that have CSS3 support) and some things are more for show and tell than actual use, there is seemingly no shortage of cool things you can do, just with the stylesheet. Here are seven of our favorite CSS3 techniques that have a real-world use and that you can start experimenting with right now. 1. Awesome CSS3 Buttons One of the coolest things about CSS3 is that you can create scalable elements, like buttons, without having to create brand new images every time! ZURB highlights how to make some super excellent CSS3 buttons, complete with RGBA for awesome shading. Also check out ZURB’s Playground which has tons of really cool CSS3 examples and coding techniques. 2. CSS3 Bar Graph Ben Lister details a bevy of practical CSS3 techniques for web designers, including this awesome image-less 3D bar chart. Using the 3. CSS3 Dropdown Menu Nick La from WebDesignerWall shows off how to make a really great looking CSS3 dropdown menu that really pop off the page. He has instructions for both a gradient-image and completely CSS versions, so depending on your audience, you might be able to do the whole thing, gradient effects and all, completely in CSS. CSS3 Speech Bubbles Nicolas Gallagher has created some absolutely stellar pure CSS speech bubbles. These things not only look great, they can even be modified to be used as blockquote elements. If you want to see my favorite implementation, check out Gallagher’s demo page and look at the Twitter example. It seriously beats the pants off of Twitter’s official embed method. CSS3 Border Radius Hover States At Impressive Webs, Louis Lazaris put together a fantastic tutorial for recreating a really great looking effect he saw on Media Temple’s website. Using CSS3 border radius, he shows how you can create awesome looking hover effects that look really, really sharp. CSS3 Box Shadow Speaking of CSS3 borders, the gang at Carsonified has put together a really stellar video tutorial showing off some advanced CSS3 box shadow techniques for creating depth in your projects, just using CSS3. Following the tutorial, you can see how to create that great letterpressed effect in elements of your design. CSS3 Photo Gallery Apple just launched a new page showing off some of the cool things that HTML5 can do. Because HTML5 and CSS3 are often linked together, there is some overlap in techniques. One of my favorite demos was this Polaroid-style photo gallery/lightbox created using CSS3. Some of the transitions and 3D effects won’t work on all browsers, but its a really cool example of some of the WebKit specific CSS3 transitions that Chrome, Safari and other WebKit-based browsers can benefit from. Your ThoughtsIf you’re looking for more inspiration, keep an eye on Neven Mrgan’s HTML5 Watch blog. It’s a great way to find examples of CSS3 and HTML5 in the wild. What are some of your favorite examples of CSS3? Let us know! For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookSeries supported by Rackspace  Rackspace is the better way to do hosting. No more worrying about web hosting uptime. No more spending your time, energy and resources trying to stay on top of things like patching, updating, monitoring, backing up data and the like. Learn why. Reviews: Chrome, Facebook, Safari, Twitter Tags: css3, css3 tricks, HTML5, web design
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| What Should Mashable Ask Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley? Posted: 04 Jun 2010 01:32 PM PDT 
But we’re sure you have questions, too, so we want to leave a portion of the interview for them. Let us know your questions in one of the following ways:
Be sure to use your real identity so we can identify you by name if we ask your question, and please submit your questions by this Monday, June 7. Also, if you aren't attending the Summit, you can still see the interview along with the rest of the event on our live stream. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: dennis crowley, foursquare, mashable media summit
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| Stephen Colbert: iPad Clothing Pioneer [VIDEO] Posted: 04 Jun 2010 01:26 PM PDT  From vests to dresses, it’s clear that the iPad is this spring’s hottest fashion accessory. However, we should really credit Stephen Colbert for kicking this whole trend off — after all, he did show off the iPad at the Grammy Awards just days after the product was first announced. It seems that The Wall Street Journal didn’t get that memo. In an article on a new kind of iPad-friendly suit jacket (nearly identical to the same system Colbert used back in January), there was nary a mention of everyone’s favorite faux-pundit. Stephen Colbert being, well, Stephen Colbert, called the publication out in style. I just want to know when a women’s version of the iPad-friendly power suit will be made. [hat tip: 9to5Mac] For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: humor, ipad, ipad clothing, ipad suit, stephen colbert
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| What to Expect from Apple at WWDC Posted: 04 Jun 2010 12:50 PM PDT 
Things are a little more complicated this year though, thanks to the lost iPhone prototype case. It’s a virtual certainty that Apple will announce the new iPhone, but could Apple surprise us with a Verizon iPhone? What about a cloud-based iTunes? Could Apple TV be getting some air time next week? Here’s our preview of what we think Steve Jobs will drop next Monday at WWDC. The New iPhone
It’ll also come loaded with iPhone OS 4.0 and its many features. Multitasking, folders and enterprise features will all come with the new iPhone. We also bet that Apple will also include some video chat software to take advantage of that front-facing camera. As for the actual release date, a month ago we were told that the new iPhone could be released next week. We’ve been digging for more information since then and, after talking with our sources, we believe the most likely sale date for the new iPhone is now June 25, about three weeks from today. Predicting the sale date of an Apple product is always tough, but you can expect your local Apple and AT&T stores to have the device before the end of June. Verizon iPhone?Don’t expect Apple to say much, if anything, about a Verizon iPhone. There are countless rumors surrounding a potential iPhone collaboration between Apple and Verizon, with launch dates set as later this year to 2012 and beyond. However, recent comments from Verizon suggest that there will be no iPhone in the immediate future. We haven’t heard much new information on a Verizon iPhone. Our bet is that this event will be focused on the new iPhone itself and that a Verizon iPhone will get its own event later this year. Even if it were to be announced next week, it likely wouldn’t be available this month. We’re hoping that we’re wrong about the Verizon iPhone, but we suggest you don’t get your hopes up. iTunes Live, Mobile Me and the Cloud
With Google’s Android OS now offering users the ability to stream their music collection from their desktops, next week seems like the right opportunity for Jobs to reveal Apple’s new cloud initiatives. Not only do we think it’s like you’ll hear iTunes.com announcements next week, but Mobile Me could get some major enhancements to keep it competitive with Android. This is the year Apple takes the cloud seriously. Other Potential AnnouncementsWhile the focus will be on the next-generation iPhone, it doesn’t mean that Steve Jobs won’t pull a few other surprises out of his hat. The MacBook Air hasn’t been upgraded in a year, making it a prime candidate to get some attention at this year’s WWDC. There are also rumors that Safari will finally get extensions. What do you hope Apple announces during next Monday’s keynote? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to tune in on Monday for our live coverage of WWDC. For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Android, Facebook, Safari, Twitter Tags: apple, ipad, iPhone 4.0, iphone 4g, itunes, macbook, macbook air, wwdc
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| Posted: 04 Jun 2010 11:49 AM PDT 
This information isn’t particularly surprising, given the fact that people in this age bracket grew up during the blog boom — which started roughly seven years ago, according to Sysmos — but it does show an interesting striation in terms of where people are on the web. The report culled more than 120 million blog posts for information. According to a rep, “The demographics — including age, gender, location — are based on self-disclosed information. For example, if someone mentions I live in Queens, or Brooklyn, or Manhattan, we put that person as living in New York.” Using this method, the company deduced that 53.3% of the total blogging population is 21-35 years old. Bloggers aged 20 and under came in second, with 20.2%, followed by 36-50-year-olds (at 19.4%), and 51-year-olds and older (7.1%).  These numbers go hand-in-hand with previous studies we’ve seen — past research has indicated that Twitter is beloved by teens (which makes sense considering that it’s a newer platform) and older folks are finding their way to Facebook, so much so that mothers have become a target audience for ads (with 400 million accounts, Facebook has a pretty diverse user base). Interestingly, Sysmos also found that the gender distribution is nearly even among bloggers — with women making up 50.9% of keyboard jockeys and men 49.1%. We’re happy to see such equality reflected in the blogosphere (Sysmos, however, had no data with regard to race).  Other notable stats include:
 What do you think of these findings? Does anything surprise you? [img credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com] For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: blog, facebook, social media, stats, twitter
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| TV Ad Blames Politician for Facebook Privacy Problems [VIDEO] Posted: 04 Jun 2010 11:21 AM PDT 
The ad concludes, “Chris Kelly released your private information.” Kelly took the privacy chief job at the social networking site in 2005, then resigned on March 16, 2010 during his run for public office, but the ad’s accusations might not be factual. Politico reports that he wrote an e-mail to progressive hub MoveOn.org criticizing Facebook’s privacy policy, and according to Time Magazine he went on hiatus from the company back in August, possibly before the development of the Instant Personalization feature that has drawn such ire from users who feel that their privacy is threatened. Harris has been slamming Kelly for his involvement at Facebook for a while now. One of her statements read, “If Kelly couldn't stand up to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on behalf of Facebook users, how on earth can Californians trust Kelly to go to bat on their behalf as attorney general?" She’s currently the front-runner in the race for the democratic nomination, leading Kelly by 11% in one poll. This new ad — which is probably the first TV attack ad to focus on Facebook — brought the spat to millions of TV screens in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday. The Ad[via The Los Angeles Times] For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: advertising, attack ad, attorney general, california, chris kelly, facebook, kamala harris, L.A., Los Angeles, politics, privacy
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| How Does Facebook View the World? Posted: 04 Jun 2010 11:10 AM PDT 
Last week, I wrote a post calling out Mark Zuckerberg for making a correlation between Facebook’s privacy issues and their altruistic pursuit of data portability. Today I’d like to do something a little different. I’d like to examine some of the reasons why Facebook is finding it challenging to either a) implement data portability, or b) communicate about issues of privacy or data portability — and why ultimately, that might be OK, in the sense that it leaves room for the rest of the web to innovate. I will examine the issue in three parts. These parts, I believe, make up the crux of any reasonable criticism of Facebook at this time. Data Portability vs. InteroperabilityFirst, Facebook tends to discuss data portability without acknowledging the significance of open standards and interoperability. Data portability is not just allowing users to access their data. There is a silent “Interoperable” before the phrase that means the data, and the protocols to get it, need to be based on open standards and be interchangeable. Letting people code against your API is not the same as building the API in such a way that others (i.e. social aggregators or networks) could participate in the transactions just as easily. Facebook’s challenge, however, is that they are pioneering many of these interactions and can’t necessarily wait for standards to emerge or crystallize before acting. Standards emerge after a good pattern gets established. In many ways, Facebook’s leadership in demonstrating these patterns at scale shows the way (and provides the market momentum and emotional fuel) for standards to emerge. See the OExchange announcement earlier this week, for example. The challenge for Facebook here is to balance their need (and obvious appetite) for innovation with architectural choices that allow for open standards and interoperable protocols to be absorbed by their system. To show true commitment, they must also quickly adopt standards as they emerge. Taking these steps would put them in good position to avoid the Internet-scale forces that often reject proprietary platforms as fast as they emerge. In addition to decisive action, if Facebook clearly acknowledged this to stakeholders, it would go a long way. Will they make these decisions rather than pay lip service? That seems unlikely. Social Contracts vs. Open Culture Second, Facebook confuses privacy concerns with anger over a violation of their social contract with users, specifically with regard to people pushing back on the general goal of human openness. The potential for social media to make the world a more transparent and connected place is real and significant. I don’t think that any rational person who seriously considers the trends could argue against the idea that people sharing more in public, and reading more about others, could reduce fear born from any sense of ‘us’ vs ‘them’. I don’t think that anyone really challenges Mark Zuckerberg on this point when he makes it. They shouldn’t. The challenge for Facebook, however, is they began with a social contract — a promise to their users — of a private place for sharing amongst mutually confirmed friendships. To their credit as a company, they want to continue to push the boundaries, and innovate and evolve as quickly as the market. And the market has evolved. Thanks to Flickr, Twitter and others, public is the new default, and Facebook needs to keep up. For them to change direction towards these open defaults, however, they must declare this intention clearly and unequivocally. The team at Facebook tries to talk about the need for an open and connected society, and have continued to make incremental steps in this direction. But they have really failed to put it in the context of their history and our future. They need to tell the story of a cultural trend towards openness and explain that while they started as private place, their (new) unashamed goal is move towards a public one. Doing it in small steps without explaining the end goal or the reason, or even acknowledging the fundamental shift, is a big (and unnecessary) source of criticism. Open Culture vs. Open TechnologyThird, Facebook tends to use the word ‘open’ without drawing a distinction between culture and technology When the team at Facebook talks about wanting to make the world more “open,” I, and others who care about such things, hear them cloaking themselves in the mantra of Open Technologies when they are actually talking about open/transparent/public culture. Trying to draw the distinction between Open Technology vs. Open Culture is difficult for Facebook, considering that their audience is not that of our little echo chamber but rather a very mainstream community that does not understand such nuance. So in some regards, glossing over these distinctions is understandable given their target market. The problem, though, is that making the world a more open place using closed technologies all routed through a single company is not the way it can or should work. A more interoperable, peer-to-peer method of achieving cultural transparency is critical for there to be true openness (of both kinds). There is an architecture that would allow each node (read: user/site/service) to be a first class citizen on the interoperable social web and to choose how public or private it is when it comes to sharing. Facebook might know this, but their job is not to create an interoperable social web. They are the market leader — the clear winner — and as Dave McClure likes to say, “Open is for losers.” The nice thing about the web, though, is there are a lot of big, important, well funded and motivated losers who will ensure that Open will win in the end. Facebook’s job, however, is to capitalize on their momentum and network effects to create maximum value for their shareholders. This is not ‘evil’ or even necessarily undesirable. Because like with open standards, oftentimes until someone shows the industry how it’s done (and frankly lights a fire under its butt), it’s often hard for us all to collectively imagine what the future might look like. The challenge for Facebook — one they are more than capable of facing – is keeping up with the inevitable opening of the walls and the peering of the nodes. They are the most agile and innovative company at scale that has ever existed on the Internet. If anyone can do it, they can. The only question is, can the rest of the community execute as well? ConclusionIn these three areas — Data Portability vs. Interoperability, Social Contracts vs. Open Culture, Open Culture vs. Open Technology — Facebook has made big moves and very high profile blunders. Their challenges are great and their ability to execute with ambition first, ask questions later and quickly clean up the mess is the very reason for their success. Are these blunders a series of accidental missteps (a combination of ambition, scale and hubris) or a calculated risk to force their world view on unsuspecting users (easier to ask for forgiveness)? Only the executives at Facebook can ever truly answer this question. What’s clear, though, is that their platform is tightly coupled with countless other websites and applications across the web, and their financial success is aligned with many influential investors and actors. At this stage, and at this rate, their continued success is all but assured. But so is the success of the rest of the web. Countless social applications emerge every day and the rest of the web is, and always will be, bigger than any proprietary platform. Through its action and inaction, Facebook offers opportunities for us all. And in the dance between their moves and the rest of the web’s, innovation can be found. The only thing that can truly hurt the web is a monopoly on ideas, and the only ones who can let that happen are web users themselves. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookMore Facebook resources from Mashable:
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, alwyncooper Reviews: Facebook, Flickr, Internet, Twitter, iStockphoto Tags: data portability, editorial, facebook, open technology, privacy, social contracts, social media
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| Google Testing New Ad Format for Boosting Twitter Followers Posted: 04 Jun 2010 10:54 AM PDT 
Ads appear in a box with the Twitter bird icon in the lower left-hand corner and the advertisers’ latest tweet in the center. To the lower right is a button prompting viewers to follow the advertiser on Twitter, which they can do without having to leave Google. Clicking on any other part of the ad directs the user to the advertiser’s Twitter page, however. Google has begun testing the new ad format with a select number of advertisers, including Norway-based firm Qualité Search Marketing, who was invited to the beta test in early May. The firm reports only “a modest boost” to its follower count since testing on the platform began. “To provide more marketing opportunities for our advertisers to reach users in moments that are relevant and useful to them, we are currently testing different ways that allow advertisers to better update their ads in real time,” a Google spokesperson wrote to ClickZ. “We are currently in a limited test with a small number of advertisers and publishers.” Given that Microsoft’s Bing announced a similar deal with Twitter even before Google did, we suspect the search engine will shortly announce a Twitter-related advertising platform as well. What do you think of Google’s forthcoming ad product? How else could the company leverage its deal with Twitter to create value for advertisers? Share your ideas in the comments. [img credit: Qualité Search Marketing] For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Google, Twitter Tags: display advertising, Google, twitter
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| China Blocks Foursquare After Users Check in to Tiananmen Square Posted: 04 Jun 2010 10:02 AM PDT 
On June 4, 1989, more than 3,000 protesters and students were killed by the Chinese government for protesting against communism. The incident remains a difficult subject for the Chinese government, and discussion of the massacre or the protests is strictly forbidden in mainland China. This ban, of course, extends to the Internet. Last year, in the days leading up to the 20th anniversary of the incident, the Chinese government blocked access to Twitter, Flickr and Hotmail. This year, protesters got a little more creative, checking into Tiananmen Square using Foursquare and leaving, as Techblog86 calls it, “sensitive comments” in place of tips. What’s interesting is that it appears that the Chinese government may have become aware of how Foursquare was being used because of the re-publishing of checkins to other services like Twitter and Facebook. In any event, mainland China is now blocked from accessing Foursquare. We assume that in a few days the ban will be lifted, at least until the next unapproved outbreak of discussion. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Flickr, Foursquare, Internet, Twitter Tags: censorship, china, foursquare, Great Firewall of China, tiananmen square, trending
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| 4 Tips for Producing Quality Web Videos Posted: 04 Jun 2010 09:51 AM PDT 
With web video exploding and the promise of GoogleTV around the corner, it's a wonderful time to be able to upload your own content. But just because anyone can do it doesn't mean everyone should. For every well-produced, entertaining and informative video, there are millions that aren't. So what are some of the bigger pitfalls to avoid if you want your video to get people talking? Firstly, remember that at the moment, the vast majority of content created for the Internet makes zero money, so everything you do should come from a place of passion. Here are a few tips to make that passion work for you. 1. Take the Time to WriteUnfortunately, few people who are rushing to get their stuff up on YouTube have actually thought it through. And you don't have to take my word for it — just click on 99% of the web shows out there and you’ll find the script was clearly lower down on the priority list than craft services. So here's where you’ll need to roll up your sleeves. You have to actually sit down and come up with compelling characters and interesting situations. There's no hurry to get it right either, so take your time. It's probably best to outline your show before you write it. And while you're doing that, discard any parodies you've been thinking about. The web is bursting with them. If you want your content to stand out, you should focus on creating something original. The wonderful thing about the Internet is that you are your own creative force. Nothing exists to dilute your voice or imagination as it might in more established mediums like TV or film, so use both to their full extent. 2. Know the MediumThe target length for most web videos is five minutes or less. You should be fully aware of this as you write and prepare for production. Know that within those five minutes, there needs to be a beginning, middle and an end — even if it's part of a greater narrative structure that takes place over 10 episodes. Remember that you must make it as engaging as possible: You're competing with e-mails, Tweets, and whatever else is pinging away in the background. It’s also important to note that most people watch web videos alone. The sharing is often done not with people present, but through social media and e-mail. So think about how habits change between lone and group audiences. Take comedies, for example. Viewers tend to have more “laugh out loud” moments when they watch with other people. Sometimes that laughter is contagious — other times, a viewer will want his company to know he’s smart enough to get the joke. Either way, a lone viewer’s laugh out loud moments are going to be fewer and shorter. So when editing your web-based comedy, it's wise not to leave gaping holes after jokes for the laughter you're expecting. All you’ll end up with is a vacuum that reminds the viewer that the joke they just heard was even less funny than they thought. 3. Pay Attention to Production Values
Don't know what room tone is? It's making sure that everything sounds basically the same when you're cutting from shot to shot within one setting. To do that, the editor lays down an audio track taken from the room while shooting, which can then be used to make the ambient audio uniform between takes. Web audiences don't expect something that looks like The Matrix — but they're not going to put up with dialogue that sounds like it was recorded through a tin can. Find a good middle ground. Once you've got good acting talent and a great script, decent production values are what will set you apart from the thousands of other videos your audience could be watching instead. 4. Focus on Grassroots MarketingSome people think that the best, cheapest, and easiest way to market a web show is to start a Twitter or Facebook account, follow everyone they can, and start “shouting” about the content. So why is nothing happening? Because you're yelling into a chasm that's filled with the echoes from a million other people. No one's listening for the same reasons they never look at the flyers that come in the mail or the marketing pitches that come to their inboxes. Take a more engaging approach. It's a longer route, but the payout is far greater because you’ll ultimately be talking to people who care. If you’re producing a comedy series, don’t use the related Twitter account to only broadcast when new episodes are up. Between videos, use it as an outlet for news jokes or a free source of silly gags. And if you are trying to share your content with specific people, take care to avoid hitting them with the same message from multiple angles. The more e-mails, Facebook messages, and Twitter DMs one gets about the same thing, the less likely she’ll be to naturally discover and enjoy it. ConclusionSo there you go — a handful of simple tips that should serve as a starting point for getting your big idea off the ground, and hopefully out to the masses. What sort of production or marketing values do you look for in a successful web series? Be sure to share them in the comments below. For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookMore web video resources from Mashable:
Images courtesy of iStockphoto, oonal, Pitroviz Reviews: Facebook, Internet, Twitter, YouTube, iStockphoto Tags: facebook, List, Lists, tips, twitter, video, video production, web video, youtube
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| National Donut Day Draws 80,000+ RSVPs on Facebook Posted: 04 Jun 2010 08:52 AM PDT 
Dunkin’ Donuts launched a massive social media campaign a few months back in celebration of its 60th birthday, wherein it asked fans to "Create Dunkin's Next Donut.” Pastry pros were chosen based on their use of ingredients, donut name and donut story, and were awarded $1,200, a year's supply of donuts and the chance to compete in a bake-off at Dunkin' Donuts headquarters in Massachusetts. Well, the winner was finally unveiled today on Dunkin’s site: Rachel Davis, whose Monkey-see Monkey-donut will go on sale this fall (that particular confection is packed with Bananas Foster filling and topped with chocolate frosting and Reese’s Peanut Butter shavings — hello, heart attack). To celebrate the winning treat, Dunkin is giving out free donuts to anyone who buys a beverage today, and apparently people are stoked — about 22,400,000 calories (that’s the equivalent of about 6,400 pounds of human fat) and 1,440,000 grams of fat worth of stoked, based on Dunkin’s Old-fashioned Cake Donut’s nutrition info. We’ve been seeing a lot of brands turning to Facebook lately, asking fans to weigh in on products while simultaneously reaping the benefits of exposure (see Levi’s and Budweiser). What do you think of campaigns like this? Does it draw you in or turn you off to see big brands in your newsfeed? For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: business, entertainment, facebook, Food, MARKETING, money
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| Group Buying: Should Small Businesses Jump In? Posted: 04 Jun 2010 07:52 AM PDT 
A new “group buying” trend is emerging on the web, in which consumers effectively band together to get better deals or discounts when purchasing products and services. One of the flagship group buying web services, GroupOn, was recently valued at over $1 billion — providing a sense of just how big this sector could become. Other services like LivingSocial have raised significant funding. A fleet of other competitors are cropping up as well, from Tippr to Lifebooker and a number of smaller localized deal sites. Although still technically in its early stages, group buying is poised to become one of the bigger trends to emerge in 2010. Most group buying sites tend to offer localized deals and discounts in specific cities. Typical offers include percentage discounts at participating restaurants, coupons for savings off a minimum purchase at retail stores, two-for-one event ticket specials and other similar deals. Typically, each promotion only becomes valid if enough members sign up for it, encouraging viral sharing of individual deals. If the minimum sign-up is not met, the deal does not proceed and no one’s credit card is charged. Should Small Businesses Pay Attention Yet?What does the group buying trend mean for small businesses? Is it time to pay attention, or too early to get excited? In some ways, the situation is similar to how small businesses might consider involvement with another emerging trend: location-based checkin services like Foursquare. Neither trend has quite reached the “need to participate” stage, but both can have advantages depending on the nature of your business and of your clientele. For small businesses that cater to a tech-savvy, early adopter type of customer or audience, getting in early on an emerging trend can be a good move for your brand. Participation in online group buying could strengthen the perception of your business as a forward-thinking entity by showcasing your awareness of new trends and your initiative to dive in and experiment with them. If an integral part of your company's culture includes embracing new tools, being agile, and encouraging innovation, getting involved in group buying could promote your mission both internally and externally. A New Opportunity to Serve Your CustomersAnother way to look at the group buying trend is less as something entirely new and more as a novel twist on the long existing practice of rewarding your best customers with special deals and promotions. Companies have been placing paper coupons in circulars, sending snail mail flyers, and offering discounts online for years. Now, businesses are adding the “group” component to the equation, bringing with it a dimension of new customer attraction.  If you can get some of your existing repeat customers interested in a group buying deal, they may actually help get the word out about the discount and your brand by evangelizing it to their friends. They have great incentive to do so, not only because they already like your business, but because the more people who sign up for the promotion, the better chance they themselves have of securing the deal. Ortiz Fitness, a Brooklyn-based exercise boot camp recently offered one month of classes (five, 45-minute classes each week) for only $47 through Tippr. To make the group sales discount more appealing owner Bryan Ortiz decided to include a 30-minute personal training session for free. It's a package that would normally cost $242, and the deep discount brought in 83 new clients. "It was the best three days I've ever had in terms of business," said Ortiz. "It brought in prospective customers with a low risk offer and it saved me from having to pay for additional marketing like Facebook ads." When done right, a good group buying deal can be a win-win viral promotion for your business that keeps existing customers happy and brings in new patrons. Opportunity, But Not ObligationIt’s doubtful that group buying will fizzle out any time soon, so if your business simply lacks the bandwidth to get started with it now there will still be opportunities waiting in the future. On the other hand, if the trend matches your business's purpose and interests, you could benefit significantly by getting involved earlier. For now, the trend is still fairly nascent, and falls into the category of “opportunity, but not obligation.” There’s no rush for most small businesses to dive in, but if group buying is a good fit to move your brand forward now is a great time to get involved. For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookImage courtesy of iStockphoto, Pagadesign Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, iStockphoto Tags: Bryan Ortiz, coupons, discounts, group buying, groupon, LivingSocial, Ortiz Fitness, small business, Tippr
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The new iteration of Yelp’s iPhone app isn’t live just yet, but a 
After two years and multiple iterations, 
The insignia is perhaps more telling than anything Zuckerberg said during his time at D8 this week. In 2010, Facebook is dedicated to opening up the entire world and connecting as many people together as possible, utilizing the Open Graph, the Stream, and the Facebook Platform.
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 
Name: 
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Last week we saw 
For designers and developers, 
On Tuesday, I'll be taking the stage at Mashable Media Summit to interview Dennis Crowley, CEO of Foursquare. We'll have a lot to talk about, including his company's 
On Monday, 
We’d be beyond shocked if Apple 
Earlier this week, 
Bloggers, on the whole, are young — but not too young, according to 
In October 2009, Google 
The Great Firewall of China has a new target: 
Hayden Black is the writer, producer, and star of the huge online hits “
You don't have to compete with Mr. Spielberg, but there are a few basics that should be noted when it comes to producing web video — simple things like getting the lighting right (can we see your actors?), making sure all the dialogue can be heard, and ensuring the room tone matches.
Today is National Donut Day and to celebrate, Dunkin’ Donuts is giving out free pastries. Currently, more than 80,000 people have RSVP’d to the event 
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