Mashable: Latest 28 News Updates - including “iPhone 4 Now Available for Pre-Order”

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• iPhone 4 Now Available for Pre-Order
• Mac Mini Gets an Aluminum Unibody Update
• The Day When Twitter Lost its Tweets
• Why Your Grandpa Is On Facebook [STATS]
• Google Docs’ New Upgrades Go Live for Everyone
• Brightkite Launches Location-Based Photo Tips
• PREVIEW: What to Expect at E3 2010
• Twitter Launches “Places” Feature with Foursquare Integration
• YouTube Testing News Feed for Pro and Citizen Journalists
• Free Music Monday: 10 Free Downloads For Your Ears
• iPad App Brings Graffiti Culture to the Digital Realm [VIDEO]
• Rogue Facebook App on the Loose [WARNING]
• How CEOs are Using Social Media for Real Results
• Mark Zuckerberg Complains About His New iPhone on Facebook
• Microsoft Launches Newer, Slimmer Version of Xbox 360
• Microsoft Kinect, Xbox 360 “Slim” and More: Early Highlights from E3
• Will People Still Visit Chatroulette if They Can’t See Penises?
• 25+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events
• If You Tweet It, This Dude Will Do It
• Tiffany & Co. Brings Engagement Ring Shopping to the iPhone [VIDEO]
• More Data Shows Android Gaining on iPhone
• 5 Gadgets That Will Transform Your Home
• Starbucks to Offer Free Wi-Fi at All Stores Nationwide
• AT&T Unveils HTC Aria Android Phone
• Chocolate-Covered iPad Is the Gift that Keeps on Giving [PICS]
• Twitter Killed the Video Star: MTV Seeks Official Twitter Jockey
• iPhone 4 Available for Pre-order at Best Buy Tomorrow
• How Download Cards Connect Physical Music to its Digital Future
• YouTube, HP and Guggenheim: Send Us Your Most Creative Video

iPhone 4 Now Available for Pre-Order Posted: 15 Jun 2010 03:52 AM PDT If you want your iPhone 4 to be black, you can now pre-order it from Apple’s website for $199 (16 GB model) or $299 (32 GB model), together with the good old 8GB iPhone 3GS which is now $99 with a two-year contract with AT&T. Pre-orders are limited to two per customer. Although Apple put the pre-order page up in the middle of the night (U.S. time), it still caused enough interest to suffocate Apple’s servers, so you might experience slow loading times, with the page at times being completely unavailable. Pre-orders are also available in the UK and France, but these stores are down at the time of this writing. Once they’re back, customers will be able to buy an unlocked iPhone 4 which starts at £499 in the UK and €629 in France. For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: apple, iphone, iphone 4

Mac Mini Gets an Aluminum Unibody Update Posted: 15 Jun 2010 03:02 AM PDT Apple today launched an updated Mac Mini, which now has an aluminum unibody housing and far more powerful hardware than the previous iteration. The specs now start with a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, 2 GB of RAM, 320 GB hard drive, and an NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics chip, all of which will set you back $699. Those in need of a slightly more powerful machine can get the $999 version, which sports a 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo, 4 GB of RAM, dual 500 GB 7200-rpm hard drives, GeForce 320M graphics, and Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard. Both versions come with an SD card reader, 802.11n WiFi, 4 USB ports, a Mini DisplayPort jack, and a HDMI-out jack. The elegant new enclosure was created by Apple’s unibody construction process, and it’s only 7.7-inches square and 1.4-inches thin. For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: apple, Mac Mini

The Day When Twitter Lost its Tweets Posted: 15 Jun 2010 12:41 AM PDT Update: the tweets are now restored in users’ timelines, and Twitter is generally working as intended. Twitter is currently in a weird limbo. After having issues with missing tweets and incorrect tweet counts yesterday, and being down for the better part of the night, it is now up, but it has a different problem: all its tweets are gone. All the Twitter accounts we’ve checked, even Twitter’s official ones, are completely empty: they seem to work, but there are no visible tweets in the timeline. Twitter status blog has some info on the situation: “We're currently experiencing site availability issues resulting from the failed enhancement of a new approach to timeline caching. Our infrastructure and operations engineers are currently working to resolve this. We'll update you soon with an ETA. 10:17 PM PDT: Users may temporarily experience missing tweets from their timelines. They will be restored shortly. 11:51 PM PDT: We're recovering from the site outage. Remember, users may temporarily experience missing or duplicate tweets from their timelines. Normal timelines will be restored shortly.” So, there’s no need to panic: our tweets are (probably) not gone completely. Still, it’s a bit worrying seeing a completely empty timeline when you know it should be populated by thousands of tweets. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: social media, twitter

Why Your Grandpa Is On Facebook [STATS] Posted: 14 Jun 2010 11:29 PM PDT “Old people” on Facebook: They couldn’t beat it, so they joined it. But why? And how did they hear about social media in the first place? They can’t all be simply stalking their younger relatives, can they? A new study from the AARP — that’s the American Association of Retired Persons — shows that baby boomers in the 50-years-old-or-better age bracket are cool with the Internet, down with Facebook, hip to the iPad and not just using the web to spy on their kids and grandkids. The AARP spent some time last month interviewing 1,360 adults over the phone. They found that more than a quarter (27%) of Americans age 50 and older use social networks. Facebook is the most popular — in fact, 23% of all survey respondents said they preferred it to sites such as MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter. Another study earlier this year from eMarketer showed that boomers and seniors were flocking to Facebook, again showing a strong preference for this site over Twitter and MySpace — all this in spite of the fact that another survey showed older Americans reported hearing an awful lot of bad news and media coverage about Facebook. When it comes to general web surfing, 49% of respondents between the ages of 50 and 64 and 40% of all adults age 50 and older, said they consider themselves extremely or very comfortable using the Internet. In other words, we’re very close to seeing the majority of senior citizens embracing the web as a content medium and communication tool. As for discovery of social services, however, it seems the young folks are to blame for spreading word of Facebook to more venerable generations. Around 47% of AARP’s respondents had heard of social networking from a family member other than their spouse, and of those, 70% were tipped off by a child or grandchild. The overwhelming majority of these boomers are using the social web — at least to some degree — to keep in touch with family members. Almost three quarters of AARP’s survey group said they’re connected online to relatives other than children and grandchildren, 62% are connected to their children, and 36% are connected to grandchildren, as well. And don’t forget, many of these older Americans probably have the loot to spend on high-tech gadgets, if they so choose. Of the 1,360 respondents, 83% knew about the iPad, and 11-14% said they planned to purchase one. Two percent said they’d already bought an iPad. If you’re in the age-50-and-older crowd, do you use the social web, and why? Is keeping in touch with family an important part of your online routine? [img credit: prupert] For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Internet, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter Tags: AARP, baby boomers, facebook, older, retired, social media, social network, stats, study, survey

Google Docs’ New Upgrades Go Live for Everyone Posted: 14 Jun 2010 09:49 PM PDT Google has recently made a slew of changes to their Docs office and productivity suite live for all users and all new documents. From now on, when you create a new spreadsheet, drawing, presentation or text document in Docs, you’ll be using the snazzy new interface and collaboration features as the default. Two months ago, Google announced some major new features for Google Docs. Users were able to preview these upgrades, which included completely group chat, real-time collaboration tools, and completely redesigned editors for documents, spreadsheets, and drawings. From now on, anytime you create a new document, you’ll be doing so from the new version of Google Docs. Documents already created using the older editor will remain in that interface, and you’ll soon be able to move those older documents to the new version of Docs, too. Here’s a little video that highlights some of Docs’ new features: Enterprise-level users of Google Apps will also see the new default interface soon. Here’s what the rebuilt Docs looks like, in case you haven’t been testing it out over the past couple months: This upgraded version becoming Docs’ new default interface comes at just the right time; Microsoft recently announced a Google Docs competitor in Office Web Apps, a web-based suite that includes a text editor/word processor, spreadsheet editor and presentation software. Which company do you think has rolled out the better product for online document editing, collaboration and storage? And do you approve of the changes to Google Docs? For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Google, Google Docs, Twitter Tags: editor, Google, google docs, office, spreadsheets

Brightkite Launches Location-Based Photo Tips Posted: 14 Jun 2010 08:02 PM PDT If, while using a location-based service, you’re going to laud a venue’s decor, comment on its cute staff or decry the food presentation, it helps to provide photographic evidence along with your tip. Briefly put, a picture’s worth a thousand words. The ladies and gentlemen at Brightkite have known and implemented this maxim for a long time, and now, they’re letting users add pictures as well as text to their tips about the locations they love — or hate, as the case may be. Like Foursquare’s tips, these nuggets of knowledge are designed to impart granular information about a venue or location: The best time of day to visit, the best cocktail to order, the Wi-Fi situation, etc. Brightkite’s tips can be shared just to your friends as a recommendation or to the world at large. In addition to adding photos to the “tip” paradigm, Brightkite also lets users “like” tips. The tips with the most likes will rise to the top to ensure that the most relevant, best tips are seen first. Here’s what tips look like on the mobile and web interfaces: Tips and photo tips are available on the Brightkite website and iPhone app, with more device functionality coming soon. Another of this service’s latest, greatest exploits is group texting, which it launched last month. Photo tip features leave us wondering why more location-based services don’t let users upload images. What’s your opinion: Do you think pics are useful when trying to share tips about locations? For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Brightkite, Facebook, Twitter Tags: brightkite, geolocation, lbs, location, photo, tips

PREVIEW: What to Expect at E3 2010 Posted: 14 Jun 2010 06:36 PM PDT The Electronic Entertainment Expo kicks off officially tomorrow, and some pre-show events have already gotten underway. If you’re a gamer excited to see what this year’s E3 has to offer, stay tuned to Mashable for our coverage — and while you wait for the big reveals, take a brief look at some of the major trends we’re forecasting for this year’s show. Motion Control Microsoft already showcased their new motion controlling system Kinect at a media briefing earlier today, and we expect Sony to follow suit tomorrow with new details on their PlayStation Move motion-sensing system. This brings Microsoft and Sony up to speed with Nintendo, whose current-generation Wii console truly ushered in the motion-control age back in 2006. Of course, Nintendo is sure to have surprises up its own sleeve when it kicks off its press conference tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. PST. 3D As we saw earlier this year at CES, 2010 is shaping up to be the Year of 3D in gaming as well as in film and television. At EA’s press event today the company unveiled the sequel to the graphics-intensive Crysis franchise with a trailer for Crysis 2, which will be reportedly the only game available in 3D across the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC platforms when it launches this holiday season. Sony showed off ports of several 2D titles in 3D earlier this year, so look for them to unveil more 3D gaming goodness at their press event tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. PST. We’ll be looking out for some of the other major publishers to announce titles in 3D, as well. Mobile Everyone from the major players to the smaller independent development houses seems to be making games for portable platforms these days, and the portables of choice are now more frequently smartphones or the iPad. Just a few years ago, the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable held sway over the portable gaming market. Now the iPhone, iPad and Android platforms have captivated both games makers and players alike. We expect to see ports or smaller versions of popular franchise titles from large developers heading to the iPhone/iPad/iPod touch and Android platforms. We also expect to see a strong showing from indie game developers showing off their wares in some of the lesser trafficked corners of the massive E3 show floor. Music and Rhythm Games Rock Band 3 will be making its debut here at E3 as will Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, two of the biggest blockbuster music games franchises on the market. We also saw MTV Games and Harmonix reveal a new IP title with Dance Central, a full-body dance game experience where you follow the precise movements of an avatar on the screen. And here’s a note that will make music teachers proud: Rock Band 3 will feature a new guitar controller that also doubles as an actual guitar and a Pro Mode that focuses on learning real-world musicianship skills. We expect to see other titles aimed specifically at actual musical education out on the E3 show floor, too. Blockbuster Franchise Sequels Of course, no E3 would be complete without some trailer and gameplay reveals from some of video gaming’s hottest franchises. Call of Duty: Black Ops, Portal 2, Dead Space 2, Gears of War 3, Fallout 3 New Vegas, Little Big Planet 2, Fable 3, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Madden NFL 2011 and more are expected to be unveiled and detailed at this year’s show. A new Castlevania: Lord of Shadows title finally brings that long-running 2D platformer into the 3D action realm, and rumours of a new Zelda have old school gamers’ interest piqued. New IPs Beyond the known quantities, we also expect to see a lot of new intellectual property unveiled at the show. Epic and EA’s Bulletstorm looks like a promising over-the-top first-person shooter, described earlier today by one of its developers as a “blood symphony where the player is the conductor and the environments are your instruments.” Ico and Shadow of the Colossus developers Team Ico will reveal new details about the mysterious The Last Guardian, and we’re hoping Disney will unveil more about its upcoming Warren Spector steampunk/dystopian re-imagination of the Magic Kingdom with Epic Mickey. What are you most looking forward to from this year’s E3? For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Android, Facebook, Mashable, Twitter Tags: 3D, android, e3, E3 2010, EA, ipad, iphone, kinect, microsoft, Mobile 2.0, motion control, Nintendo, playstation, playstation move, sony, video games

Twitter Launches “Places” Feature with Foursquare Integration Posted: 14 Jun 2010 05:01 PM PDT After months of rumors and hinting, Twitter is ready to unveil its new and major foray into the world of geolocation: Twitter Places. This feature will highlight tweets around a given location. Starting now, Twitter.com desktop and mobile users can tag their tweets with existing Twitter Places and add new Twitter Places, too. Twitter Places can be explored and will reveal a list of recent, public tweets from that location. Twitter will also show you nearby locations and points of interest, including restaurants and shops. Twitter Places will be integrated with Foursquare and Gowalla, as well. ” Location is a key component of these tweets, so we worked closely with both companies to associate a Twitter Place with Tweets generated by these services,” wrote Twitter geo head Othman Laraki today on the company blog. Location data will also work with more browsers, including Safari and Internet Explorer. Here’s what it looks like from the web interface: Twitter is also releasing an API that will allow developers to play with Twitter Places in their third-party apps; we expect details and some interesting discussions will pop up in Twitter’s API Announcements group soon. “Over the next week, we will roll this out to users in 65 countries around the world,” Laraki continued, “so keep an eye out for the ‘Add your location’ link below the tweet box.” Users of Twitter’s official smartphone apps can also expect upcoming integrations of Twitter Places. If you’d like to stay up-to-the-minute on Twitter Places, you can follow @geo on the microblogging service. Twitter first announced its geolocation API back in March, and Evan Williams announced at the Chirp conference in April that the company would soon be launching a Points of Interest feature. What’s your opinion of this feature so far: Fun and useful, or just more noise? [img credit: tsevis] For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, Internet Explorer, Safari, Twitter, blog Tags: foursquare, geolocation, gowalla, lbs, location, trending, twitter, twitter places

YouTube Testing News Feed for Pro and Citizen Journalists Posted: 14 Jun 2010 04:31 PM PDT When news breaks these days, YouTube is quickly becoming a tried-and-true source for fascinating and poignant video footage from on-the-ground citizen journalists. Because of its perceived growing importance in the Fourth Estate, YouTube is testing a News Feed. This feature will highlight newsworthy videos uploaded by amateur videographers as well as professional news outlets. This feature is the result of a partnership with the Graduate School of Journalist at the University of California at Berkeley. The video service and the J-school will be working together to track breaking news on YouTube and aggregate it as a stream. The focus will be on freshness (with regard to date and time uploaded), impactful visuals, and citizen or non-traditional sources — the latter, we suspect, may help prevent any big media kerfuffles over their content being used in an unbranded stream. You’ll find the feed live at CitizenTube, where YouTube has for some time been intermittently tracking news stories, such as the Iranian elections and subsequent sociopolitical unrest. If you’ve recently uploaded a newsworthy video, you can bring it to the company’s attention by tweeting your link and any relevant information to @citizentube. One of our initial concerns is that the feed will be swamped with visually shocking stories, living up to the old news adage, “If it bleeds, it leads.” Currently, the feed is all pyrotechnical disasters and violent crime as captured by, well, anyone with a camera phone. We hope those in charge of the project will also take care to curate thoughtful, in-depth videos and highlight issues that are less shock-and-awe but ultimately of even more consequence to most citizens. What do you think: Can YouTube become a timely, relevant source of video news? If the News Feed succeeds, do you think it could rival network news programs? Or would it provide those programs a supplement of free and colorful footage for rebroadcast and analysis? [img credit: joshuatree] For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Tags: citizen journalism, journalism, news feed, ONLINE VIDEO, ugc, video, web video, youtube

Free Music Monday: 10 Free Downloads For Your Ears Posted: 14 Jun 2010 02:51 PM PDT Greetings and salutations, music lovers! Thanks for checking out this week’s edition of Free Music Monday, where we give you 10 free tracks in honor of the #musicmonday tradition on Twitter. As ever, we hope you enjoy this edition’s eclectic selection of free tunes we’ve collected. If there’s a genre you’d like to hear more of, drop us a line in the comments. And if you’d like to appear in a future edition of Free Music Monday, please check out the submission guidelines at the end of this post. Thanks for tuning in to Free Music Monday! 1. [ROCK/POP] The Belles: “Time Flies When You’re Losing Your Mind” — Lawrence, Kansas-based band The Belles offer Mashable readers a free track off their long-awaited follow-up (released June 8 on S-Curve Records) to their debut record. They’ve been compared to acts from Elliott Smith to the Beach Boys and Wilco, crafting pop songs with lo-fi charm. Simply hit this link to download the track, and check out more about the band on MySpace and on Facebook. 2. [AMBIENT] Tangram: “Bronze Bumblebees” — Smooth and tasty ambient electronica awaits you in this track from Hungarian producer Tangram. Download the track from the widget below, pick up the rest of the EP at Bandcamp for a name-your-price amount, and check out more about the artist on his website. 3. [ALT ROCK] Izabo: “On My Way” — Israeli four-piece band Izabo put together a very cool music video for this single featuring creative use of four iPhones. The video is embedded below, and the band kindly offers Mashable readers a free download of the track (right-click to get it). Find out more about Izabo on their website and on MySpace. 4. [NOISE POP] Edison Orange: “Stand for Something” — Seattle-based indie quartet Edison Orange will drop their newest CD release on June 21 and are offering some free tunes in anticipation. Check out your free copy of “Stand for Something” via the widget below, get more tracks and order the digital album on Bandcamp, and check out more about the band on MySpace. 5. [SINGER/SONGWRITER] Joy Valencia: “Wallet” — Singer, songwriter and producer Joy Valencia offers Mashable readers a free download from her ’60s psychedelic pop-infused work plus an extra track stream via the widget below. The Los Angeles-based artist counts influences as diverse as The Beach Boys, Burt Bacharach, Michael Jackson and the Zombies. Check out more from Valencia on her website, on Facebook and on YouTube. 6. [ALT ROCK] Blue Chandelier: “Join the Club” — Fairfax, VA-based Blue Chandelier crafts tunes “in the vein of ’90s alternative and Brit rock.” He’s also kind enough to give away “Join the Club,” along with the rest of his new album Crash and Boom, entirely for free. Stream or download individual tracks from the widget below, or snag a full copy directly at 128 Kbps or at 320 Kbps. Check out more about the artist on his website. CRASH AND BOOM by Blue Chandelier 7. [PUNK] Against Me!: Daytrotter session — Florida punk rockers Against Me! swung by Rock Island, Illinois to treat fans with a four-song free set including two tracks from their just-released album White Crosses and two covers from Cock Sparrer and the Dead Kennedys. Download the entire session at Daytrotter, and check out more about the band on their website. 8. [ELECTRONICA] Styrofoam: “Kids on Acid” — Antwerp, Belgium-based electronic and dance producer Styrofoam (aka “Arne Van Petegem with assorted guests”) offers a free download of “Kids on Acid” — use the widget below to grab your track. Check out more about the artist on MySpace and on Facebook. 9. [ROCK] ACIDIC: “Big Bang” — These four barely-out-of-high-school boys from Los Angeles pack a serious punch that belies their youth. They offer Mashable readers a free copy of “Big Bang” (right-click to get it) from their new album Getting Lucky. Check out more about the band on their website and on MySpace. 10. [INDIE] It’s True!: “Take This One From Me” — Taking cues from classic crooners and ’60s psychedelia along with more modern flavors, Omaha, Nebraska’s It’s True! offers the first single from their self-titled debut to Mashable readers (right-click for it). Find out more about the five-piece band on their website and on MySpace. As always, big thanks to all who tuned in for this week’s Free Music Monday! If you find something you like in this feature, please feel free to share it with your music-loving friends. You can always check out the latest edition of FMM, plus all the past editions, on the Free Music Monday tag page, so be sure to tune in each week. We’ve also included the list of past Free Music Mondays at the end of this post in case you want to check out the back catalog. Huge thanks to everyone who has submitted tracks. If you sent us something and we haven’t included it yet, stay tuned for a future Free Music Monday. Here is how to submit your music to FMM: Attention artists/labels: there are new submission guidelines for Free Music Monday. Please pick one track you’re willing to give away to Mashable readers as a free download and either a) include it as an attachment in your email to barb+FMM AT mashable DOT com (25 MB file size limit, please) or b) include a link to a location where we can download the song (use temporary file sharing sites like zshare at your own risk, because we may not get around to auditioning your track before the links expire). If you want to use “in exchange for email” or other specific widgets to offer the track to Mashable readers that’s totally fine — just send us or point us to the embed code. Please also include any relevant information about the artist (or link to their bio) plus their Twitter account, if they have one. If you’d like to also point us to more of the submitted artist’s work online where we can stream and/or download it, please feel free — but you must complete either a or b to be considered for Free Music Monday. Due to overwhelming submission volume we are sadly unable to include each and every submission or even reply to every inquiry. If we haven’t posted your track yet, you are welcome to submit another new track at a reasonable and totally not pushy time interval. If we’ve already posted a track from your band or artist, we are unlikely to double up and post something else from you for some time — as much as we love all of you! This makes FMM more diverse and inclusive of new music. Thanks! Free Music Monday Back Catalogue - 10 Completely Free Downloads (April 12, 2010) - 10 Entirely Free Downloads (April 5, 2010) - 10 Free downloads and More (April 26, 2010) - 10 Free Downloads Just for You (March 22, 2010) - 10 Free Tracks (March 8, 2010) - 10 Free Tracks to Download (May 10, 2010) - 10 Fresh and Free Downloads (May 24, 2010) - 10 Totally Free Downloads (March 29, 2010) - Alternative Rock Edition - Covers, Remixes, and Mashups Edition - Free Music Monday: Download 10 Free Tracks (May 3, 2010) - Electronica Edition - Free Downloads for Your Collection (Feb. 8, 2010) - Free Downloads for Your Ears (Feb. 1, 2010) - Fresh and Free Downloads (Jan. 25, 2010) - Get 10 Free Downloads Right Here! (March 1, 2010) - Get Your 10 Free Downloads (May 17, 2010) - Get Your 10 Free Downloads (April 19, 2010) - Hip-hop Edition - Labor Day Edition - Live Edition - Memorial Day Edition (May 31, 2010) - Rock and Pop Edition - Singer-Songwriter Edition - This Week’s Free Downloads (Feb. 15, 2010) - Tune in for Free Downloads (June 7, 2010) - Video Edition - Your Submissions Edition - Your Submissions, All Downloads Edition For more entertainment coverage, follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Mashable, Twitter, michael jackson Tags: free music monday, mp3s, music, musicmonday, twitter

iPad App Brings Graffiti Culture to the Digital Realm [VIDEO] Posted: 14 Jun 2010 02:11 PM PDT Graffiti wasn’t always recognized as an art form, nor were its practitioners recognized as artists. What once began as a criminalized and illicit activity is now gaining traction as an art form, and with that comes the inevitable shift to the virtual realm. Graffiti artist Phetus recently created a spray can app for the iPad, which went on to garner over a million downloads in less than a month, and hit number one in the “entertainment” category on iTunes in numerous countries. What is it about graffiti that’s causing a buzz in the virtual realm? Is it safer to do it online? Has it become more acceptable if it isn’t in your face? Tell us what you think. For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook More iPad resources from Mashable: - 10 Beautiful and Usable iPhone and iPad Interfaces - 10 Must-Have Apps for the New iPad Owner - iPad App Hands-on Reviews: Twitterific, Netflix, and ABC [VIDEO] - 5 iPhone Games You Should Supersize on Your iPad Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, iTunes Tags: apple, graffiti, ipad, ipad app, mashable video, startup, video

Rogue Facebook App on the Loose [WARNING] Posted: 14 Jun 2010 01:55 PM PDT Facebook users beware: A new rogue Facebook app is spamming newsfeeds and tricking users into handing over profile access. According to the security firm Sophos, more than 190,000 people have already clicked on a link sent by this rogue app that promises to show “shocking video”" of a teacher physically assaulting a young man. The bit.ly link redirects users to a Facebook Page that then prompts users to allow an application called “Teacher nearly kills 13 year old boy. SHOCKING!” access their profile information and permission to post on their wall. As of right now, it doesn’t appear that the application does anything more than post the spam link to the newsfeed in hopes of tricking more users; however, the next message the app posts to your wall could be far more dangerous. We echo Sophos’s thoughts in hoping that Facebook shuts down this app immediately and works on tightening some of the security policies that let this sort of thing through to begin with. If you have fallen for this attack, remove the app from your profile and then check your privacy settings to make sure nothing has changed on that front. Also delete any posts the app has made on your wall. [via Sophos] Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Antagain For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, iStockphoto Tags: facebook, facebook app virus, facebook apps, security

How CEOs are Using Social Media for Real Results Posted: 14 Jun 2010 01:30 PM PDT The Real Results series is supported by Gist, an online service that helps you build stronger relationships. By connecting your inbox to the web, you get business-critical information about key people and companies. See how it works here. It’s common to hear stories about marketing or recruiting departments using social media. But what about CEOs? Could having the ‘top dog’ of your organization engaged in social media be an asset to other corporate efforts? Our case studies outlined below show that having your CEO visible on social media can bring tangible results to your bottom line. Carmen Magar, CEO of Chocri, a make-your-own chocolate bar company, says the exposure makes a difference. “While the competition can see everything (e.g. when customers suggest a new topping) and some of them seem compelled to copy my blog posts nearly word for word, it’s worth it because authenticity rules.” Building Marketing and Public Relations Exposure For many companies, getting the word out about their product/service is the starting point. That positive exposure can lead to strategic alliances and increased awareness. Geri Stengel, president of Ventureneer, an online source for education, advice and peer support for small businesses looking to make a social impact, noted that positioning Ventureneer as a trusted source for information among those making a social impact is an important part of their overall strategy. Using her experience as an expert reviewer for the Social Innovation Fund, a competitive grant program from the Corporation for National and Community Service, Stengel posted a piece on how to write a winning grant proposal on her corporate blog. “As always, I tweeted with a link to the blog post. I was delighted when the vast majority (89) of the nearly 100 bit.ly clicks were from others who tweeted about the post. Importantly, a link to the blog post was included in the daily digest of Tactical Philanthropy's blog. Sean Stannard-Stockton, CEO of Tactical Philanthropy, is a nonprofit thought leader. Tactical Philanthropy also became one of our 2,400+ followers on Twitter, a goal we’d had for some time. Within two weeks of posting, the post became the most read on our website during that time period with nearly 200 page views.” Stengel’s story is a great reminder that success in social media doesn’t only come via quantitative metrics but also through quality engagement. And Diane Hessan agrees. As president and CEO of Communispace, Hessan’s corporation creates private online customer communities to help marketers from the world’s largest brands explore customers’ mindsets and generate game-changing insights. They’ve created more than 350 customer communities for industry leaders such as Kraft, Hewlett-Packard, Charles Schwab, Hallmark, Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline and Hilton Hotels Corporation. Hessan shared, “through social media, I've gotten free consulting and secured new clients and partners. Twitter has been a fantastic vehicle for getting information about Communispace into the marketplace fast. For instance, when Communispace launched its new blog, Verbatim, I sent a tweet out about it and more than 1,000 people checked out our blog as a result. To this day, some 40% of our blog visits have come from Twitter links.” It’s also important to remember that not everything that happens on social media needs to stay on social media. Magar tells the story of getting into a sold-out food event because she heard about it on Twitter and offered herself as a substitute for a cancelled participant. It translated into exposure with over 150 food journalists. Turning Marketing Opportunities into Sales For many organizations, the CEO is also the chief sales person. That was the situation with Scott Imbrie, CEO of Original Skateboards, LLC. Eight years ago, he started a skateboard company with his brother using their would-have-been college funds. “For six years, we generally broke-even. While we were growing the overall size of our business, we were still not profitable. Then, we changed course and focused specifically on online social media creation via YouTube. We launched our first video in 2007 — sales went up 40% and never went down. The following year, we invested in the production of an entire series of videos, the first of which was featured on the YouTube front page. Sales went up 80% and kept climbing.” Original Skateboards grew 432% in profit and 321% overall last year. And they are enjoying a great 2010. According to Imbrie, “We are up roughly 300% over top of that growth. Our focus on social media connection and innovative products seems to have finally paid off. We are now a multi-million dollar company and the 7th most subscribed sports channel in YouTube history with 73,000 subscribers.” Magar shared that more than 15% of their customers come directly from Facebook and Twitter. “The fact that we, as founders and CEOs, can speak to customers directly now makes us much more personal and people connect with us more easily.” Even when there might not be data supporting a direct relationship between social media activity and sales, sometimes other metrics point to the connection. For example, Magar explained that focus group participants ranked Chocri above their competitors with the main reason being that the company was "sympathetic." And their post-purchase survey data taught them the following: Satisfaction: A whopping 100% of our Facebook and Twitter followers described Chocri’s chocolate as "excellent or very good" (compared to 92.1% on average). Branding: 90% of Chocri Facebook fans and nearly 99% of Chocri Twitter followers said "You guys rock" or "Like you a lot", compared to the average (88%). Recommendations: More than 77% of Chocri Facebook fans and nearly 86% of Chocri Twitter followers recommended them to 4-7+ friends, compared to 56% on average. Staying Connected to Future Employees Having the CEO of a successful organization speak to students is a great way to recruit talent. Hessan uses social media as an opportunity to recruit students to work at Communispace. “Rather than collecting business cards, I encourage students to stay in touch on Twitter, where I connect them directly with our recruiters, while also taking advantage of the opportunity to see how facile they are online. As a result, we've ended up hiring over a dozen new employees this way in the last quarter.” Customer Engagement Whether it’s fixing a customer service matter or soliciting feedback, interacting directly with customers can prove to be invaluable. And yes, this can be done on many levels in an organizations, but there is something about conversing with the CEO that’s just different. Having a CEO involved in marketing and product development conversations on a consumer level encourages participation. Magar tells a story of the time before Chocri was introduced in the U.S. “We asked on our blog what toppings we should keep (toasted hazelnut), get (cocoa nibs) or toss (hemp seeds) upon entering the U.S. market. Not too long ago, we asked for submissions for ‘phrases’ to be printed in the inside of the packaging. Between Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, we got more than 47 suggestions – that are now printed. The winner was: Slow down. Relax. Enjoy.” Hessan also turned a customer service challenge into an opportunity for feedback. “Early on, when I first launched my Twitter account, someone tweeted about an awful experience they had in one of our client communities. I was mortified and tweeted, ‘Ouch, tell me more.’ She was blown away. Ultimately the situation was resolved and this person wrote a long post about how blown away she was that I responded. Since then, we've become friends – I've helped her with a job transition and she has provided valuable feedback on our software.” While CEOs like to see data and clear results, it’s important to remember that brand perception and customer service are very real. Magar suggests “not to ditch it because the direct and easily measured impact (sales) doesn't directly justify the time spent on it. We found some ways around this with our post-purchase survey, but it does take a leap of faith.” Is the C-Suite in your organization using social media? What kinds of results are you seeing? Series supported by Gist Gist helps you build stronger professional relationships by bringing together information from across the web for all your contacts and their companies giving you the right information at the right moment to get a first meeting, deliver an amazing pitch, or just find a better way to make a connection. Gist does all the work for you, assembling a dynamic collection of all your contacts and their companies from your email inbox, your social networks, or even your CRM system automatically building and updating their profiles as new content is published – by them or about them. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Images courtesy of iStockphoto, style-photographs Reviews: Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube, blog, iStockphoto Tags: Carmen Magar, ceo, CEOs, chocri, Communispace, Corporation for National and Community Service, Diane Hessan, facebook, Geri Stengel, gist, Original Skateboards LLC, President, real results, Scott Imbrie, Sean Stannard-Stockton, Social Innovation Fund, social media, Tactical Philanthropy, twitter, Ventureneer, youtube

Mark Zuckerberg Complains About His New iPhone on Facebook Posted: 14 Jun 2010 01:21 PM PDT Apparently, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg got himself a brand-new iPhone this week — and, apparently, he’s not too pleased with the device. Yesterday, the fresh-faced founder took to his Facebook wall to air a few grievances about the Apple product, sending some scorn in the general direction of the smartphone’s battery life and call quality. After a bevy of Facebookers “Liked” Zuckerberg’s status, he explained in the comments: “My thumbs were hurting from my Blackberry so I switched. I’ll probably get iPhone 4 if I don’t switch to Android.” Our question as this point is: Why not wait one more day to pre-order the hot new iPhone 4? [via Silicon Alley Insider] For more mobile coverage, follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Android, Facebook, Twitter, iPhone Tags: apple, facebook, iphone, mark zuckerberg, Mobile 2.0

Microsoft Launches Newer, Slimmer Version of Xbox 360 Posted: 14 Jun 2010 01:09 PM PDT Today at its Xbox 360 media event in Los Angeles, Microsoft dropped a big piece of news: the launch of a slimmer version of the Xbox 360, which starts shipping today and will hit stories by the end of this week. The new Xbox 360 comes in black, rather the current Xbox 360, which is white. It has 250 GB of disk space and comes equipped with built-in Wi-Fi, instead of using a direct Ethernet connection. And, best of all, it’s shorter and thinner than its bulkier counterpart. The new console will cost $299 — for comparison’s sake, the PS3 Slim and the current 120 GB version of the Xbox 360 also cost $299 (that’s more or equal GB for your buck). Microsoft is preparing for the Xbox 360’s biggest year yet as it puts all of its chips into Kinect, its controller-free gaming system. Formerly Project Natal, the new Kinect hardware addition will launch this November with 15 games and a ton of hype. Making the Xbox 360 sleeker and more affordable has to be a priority for Microsoft in its quest to bring Kinect into living rooms everywhere. Releasing it now gives it a chance to permeate the market before it initiates the next phase of its plan for video game domination. For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: kinect, microsoft, Natal, project natal, PS3, PS3 Slim, sony, xbox, Xbox 360

Microsoft Kinect, Xbox 360 “Slim” and More: Early Highlights from E3 Posted: 14 Jun 2010 01:02 PM PDT Although the Electronic Entertainment Expo doesn’t officially begin until tomorrow, Microsoft kicked things off early with a pre-show event at Los Angeles’s Wiltern Theater. Some of the details on the hotly-anticipated, motion-controlling Kinect were leaked early, but this morning’s media briefing provided more details as well as a slew of news on upcoming titles for the Xbox 360 platform. Microsoft unveiled details, trailers and gameplay footage from upcoming sequels for popular franchises like Call of Duty and Fable, as well as a number of new game and partnerships. Read on for our highlights from the media briefing below. Blockbuster Xbox 360 Titles First we heard updates and saw trailers and gameplay footage from some of the popular blockbuster franchise titles in the Xbox 360 camp. Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia showed footage from Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Head of Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Don Matrick announced a multi-year partnership between Xbox and Activision to launch all COD map packs and add-ons for the game first on the Xbox platform. That agreement will be in place from 2010 to 2012. Next Hideo Kojima and Shigenobu Matsuyama showed off Metal Gear Solid: Rising. Kojima is executive producing the title after years of PlayStation exclusivity for the franchise. Epic Games’s Cliff Bleszinksi took the stage next with three pals to show off four-player story co-op and mutating enemies in Gears of War 3. Rounding out the blockbuster reveals were Peter Molyneux with Fable 3 footage and Bungie Creative Director Marcus Lehto with Halo Reach. The sequel to Molyneux’s emotion-laden franchise also got a release date: October 26. We saw the world premier or the Halo Reach campaign which takes a leap into space, and found out that the game will ship this September. Kinect and Video Kinect Next up we dug into Kinect, one of whose goals is to help Xbox Live’s 25 million members come together more easily. The concept is “making it simple to find the friends and entertainment you care about,” according to Corporate VP of Microsoft Game Center Phil Specter. The idea is to make your living room smarter and more social. Kinect’s various sensors detect movement and sound, recognize you, respond to your gestures, listen to your voice, and obviate the need to use a remote control for even more things, like controlling your media. Kinect engineer Ron Forbes demonstrated the system to control the Dashboard using hand gestures and voice control. There will also be Zune integration with Kinect, allowing you to use voice commands like “Xbox: pause” and “Xbox: play” to control media playback. The next demo was Video Kinect, which is essentially a live video chat platform that works seamlessly between you and your Xbox Live friends, as well as anyone on the Windows Live Messenger network. They demoed movie trailers co-watching with a chat partner — a great example of the kinds of social TV experiences we should expect to see more of in our living rooms in the future. As with all of the Kinect features, Video Kinect is completely controller-free; the “technology is invisible.” Partnership with ESPN A new deal with ESPN will bring over 3,500 live sporting events to Xbox Live in year one. College football, basketball and soccer, plus major league baseball, NBA basketball and more will be streamed over XBLA with most broadcasts being delivered in high definition. You’ll be able to drill down into scores and stats for players and other interactive elements all while watching the games. You can also make use of Kinect to control playback and media transport options via gestures or voice command, with no controller needed. All of this will be available at no additional cost to Xbox Live Gold members. Six Kinect Launch Titles Next up we saw six of the 15 Kinect launch titles demoed. In Kinectimals, you interact with wildlife using the Kinect system — think of it as Microsoft’s answer to Nintendogs. It was cute overdose up on stage as a young girl used her hands to pet a baby tiger cub who responded to her hand movements on screen. Various other mini-games are employed in the title, like jump rope. Next up, Kinect Sports took a big swing at Wii Sports with full-body track racing and more. Kinect Joy Ride is essentially Mario Kart-style go-cart racing using Kinect, and Kinect Adventures is a casual group adventure title featuring mini-games and adventures like rail racing, whitewater rafting and more. You’ll also be able to take in-game “Polaroids” of you and your friends’ adventures and upload them directly to Facebook. Ubisoft showed off the world premier of Your Shape: Fitness Evolve which is Microsoft’s answer to Wii Fit. The company illustrated the levels of precision made possible by the Kinect system, even down to recognizing the demo woman’s sweater as she took it off. From cardio coach to various gym activities, Ubisoft worked with renowned trainers to design a fitness-oriented game exclusively for the Xbox 360. MTV Games and Harmonix next unveiled Dance Central; think DanceDance Revolution on steroids. It’s a full-body dance game experience where you follow the precise movements of an avatar on the screen. The developers worked with world-class choreographers to compile over 600 movies and 90 routines, including original routines from some famous music videos. Lady Gaga, No Doubt and the Beastie Boys are featured in the launch lineup of pop, hip-hop, and R&B tracks; more songs will become available for download over time. Kinect itself also got a launch date: November 4 in North America with 15 launch titles. The only thing missing still at this point is a price. New Xbox 360 After a couple more goodies — including a trailer for a new, controller-less Star Wars title from LucasArts coming in 2011 and footage from a new Forza Motorsport title using Kinect — Microsoft dropped a very big “one more thing”: a new Xbox 360 console. Featuring a 256 GB hard drive, built-in Wi-Fi and a quieter fan, the new device is already available at retail today at the same pricepoint as the current console lineup: $299. Rumors had the new device’s title as “Xbox 360 Slim” but Microsoft is simply dubbing the new console also “Xbox 360.” What are you most looking forward to from Microsoft’s announcements today? For more entertainment coverage, follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live Messenger Tags: e3, E3 2010, games, kinect, microsoft, video games, Video Kinect, xbox, Xbox 360

Will People Still Visit Chatroulette if They Can’t See Penises? Posted: 14 Jun 2010 12:39 PM PDT Chatroulette has been on the rise since earlier this year, when it suddenly became an international phenomenon. It has been the source of numerous viral videos, but it’s also been the source of voyeuristic male masturbators. Currently the company is looking for investors in Russia and the U.S. However, it looks like the service lost some of its steam in the month of May. According to web analytics firm comScore, U.S. traffic dropped nearly 7% from 1.564 million visitors in April to 1.327 million in May. Data from Experian Hitwise confirms the same trend: Chatroulette has lost its novelty. While Chatroulette’s decline doesn’t surprise us, it has to be troubling to Andrey Ternovskiy, Charoulette’s 17-year-old founder. He seems to be taking action though, reportedly working on software to weed out the penises that have plagued Chatroulette’s reputation. What is Chatroulette really about, though? Is Chatroulette a social utility for people to meet each other through video? Is it an entertainment tool for groups of friends? Or is it just an anonymous network where anything goes? These are important questions for Ternovskiy to answer before a turnaround becomes possible. Legitimizing the service by weeding out the genitalia may make it more viable to investors, but it could potentially accelerate its decline, not reverse it. It all depends on how people want to use the service. Changing a user’s habits is one of the most difficult things to do. Getting people to buy into Chatroulette as a useful social utility might be a very hard sell. Tonight, Ternovskiy will be accepting a Webby for “Breakout of the Year.” He has a lot of work to do to make sure that his breakout video chat service doesn’t become a footnote in Internet history, however. For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Internet, Twitter Tags: chatroulette

25+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events Posted: 14 Jun 2010 12:18 PM PDT It’s a brand new week, which means it’s time for Mashable's guide to upcoming social media and web events, parties and conferences. For more upcoming event listings, check out Mashable’s Events section. Would you like to have your conference or event listed here? If so, please contact us at least one month before your event to establish a media partnership. Mashable’s Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace. June 14-16, 2010, New York, NY: Arm yourself with the best digital and direct marketing strategies at Digital Marketing Days. You'll learn the latest strategies and best practices to acquire and retain customers in the digital era. Be privy to over 40 educational sessions on email, mobile, search, b-to-b strategies, international marketing and more, as well as keynote presentations, intensive workshops, a multichannel exhibit hall and fun networking opportunities. Mashable readers get $100 off the full access or daily conference pass with key code MASH1. Exhibit Hall Only passes are free until 5/28/10. Sign up today at www.dmdays.com. June 14-17, 2010, Boston, MA: Attend Enterprise 2.0 Boston to learn how to use collaborative tools to accelerate information flow, drive revenue and increase productivity. Visit a bustling Expo Pavilion featuring technologies from 50+ established leaders and innovative start-ups, network with Enterprise 2.0 visionaries and gain comprehensive thought leadership —from strategy to execution and performance monitoring—bringing the power of collaboration to your organization. Register today with code CNRNEB26 for a FREE Expo Pass ($100 value) or save 30% on the on-site price of any Conference pass. June 15-16, 2010, Chicago, IL: Building on the success of the 2009 event, The 2nd Annual Health Care New Media Marketing conference will feature presentations from healthcare executives that implemented Web 2.0 strategies and developed quality metrics for evaluating the success of new media campaigns. Over the course of two days, attendees will have the opportunity to learn from thought leaders from major hospitals, healthcare institutions and social media outlets. Through a series of case studies and forums, attendees will walk away with the tools needed to ultimately reach consumers through new media in an accurate and appropriate. Discount code: MASHABLE get $50 off. June 15-16, 2010 New York, NY: How your business can use social media for better marketing and communications: learn best practice through practical case-studies from corporate peers at 20+ experts from big businesses like McDonald’s, Dell, GM, PepsiCo and Adidas share best practice at new conference designed for large businesses. Companies like General Mills, Sears, Timberland and Merck are already attending. You can download a PDF brochure, book a ticket or even read our free white paper at our website here. Mashable readers save $200 if you quote MSH200 when booking. June 15-16, 2010, Wilmington, DE: Join the sharpest minds in the investment community at the 2010 Early Stage East Venture Conference, the exclusive venture capital showcase for promising young companies. Listen to these high-growth startups present in the areas of Financial Services Tech, Cleantech and Media Tech and connect with an audience representing over $5B in capital. Our featured guests and panelists include keynote Daymond John, Founder of FUBU, Josh Kopelman, managing partner of First Round Capital and Jeff Pulver, founder of the #140 Conference. Register now to get the early bird discount. Mashable readers please use ESEM for $100 off. June 16-18, 2010, New York, NY: Like every other industry, financial services is being transformed by the power of social media. We’re covering every topic of interest to PR, Marketing, Investor and Media Relations professionals. You'll discover the best way to pitch stories to the media about your company on Twitter, how to get the C-suite to buy into an aggressive social media plan and how NASDAQ Corporate Services helps companies track their online brand to make better decisions about their corporate strategy–the ideas go on and on! Register today by visiting http://www.ragan.com/finance-MASH10 and you’ll save $200 off the standard registration price! June 17, 2010, London, UK: Social Media Marketing 2010 will bring together some of the finest social media minds to discuss the latest campaigns, techniques and theories for achieving viral marketing success. From blogging to video-sharing, Flickr to Twitter, social media marketing is delivering impressive returns. Social Media Marketing 2010 will allow attendees to question the world's leading social media experts, including Chris Brogan & Brian Solis (via video), Mat Morrison, Andrew Walker, Charlie Osmond, Richard Sedley, Murray Newlands, Luke Brynley-Jones, Sue Keogh and Nadeem Azam. Register with code mashable to get a 10% discount. June 17, 2010, New York, NY: Untethered 2010: Profitable Media in the Tablet Era. How will tablets and e-readers change the media, publishing and advertising business? Join the media and technology experts who are shaping this quickly evolving market for an intense day of discussion and debate. Featured participants include top executives from Simon & Schuster, NPR, Google, Sony, The Washington Post Company, HarperCollins, Ogilvy & Mather, Condé Nast Digital, Starcom MediaVest, Razorfish, Hearst and more. For full details and to reserve your seat today, please visit http://untethered.thebigmoney.com. Use special code MASHABLE for a 20% discount at registration. June 18-19, 2010, Washington D.C.: The third annual Blogging While Brown Conference gives Bloggers of Color an opportunity to meet, network and learn about the latest technology to assist them with creating and distributing their content. During tremendous economic uncertainty and evolving technology, maintaining cutting-edge skills and strengthening relationships are more important than ever. As digital media content creators and distributors, bloggers rest at the intersection at some of the most challenging policy issues of our time, including broadband internet access, net neutrality and an evolving business environment for content providers. Register today and save 10% with promo code BWBMASH2010. June 21-23, 2010, Denver, CO: Hosted by WebmasterRadio.FM, AffCon 2010 is a conference series designed specifically to meet the needs of affiliate marketers. As such, admission is FREE for all working affiliates to attend! Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to meet and share ideas with the brightest business people in the affiliate marketing industry. Pulling together an amazing lineup of session panelists and speakers (including super affiliates), AffCon 2010 – Denver also features an exhibit hall, general and targeted skills sessions, networking and WebmasterRadio.FM’s epic AffiliateBash. Get registered today! June 21-24, 2010, Ottawa, ON: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 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 capture the power of social media in your organization, along with helpful tools, tips and techniques to get started. Hear practical advice, firsthand, from leading organizations such as: City of Ottawa, ON; Public Safety Canada; U.S. Department of State; Norfolk County, ON; Canadian Internet Registration Authority; Office of the Ombudsman, ON; Alberta Environment; Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada; Public Service Commission of Canada; Ottawa Public Library; Department of National Defence; Corporation of the City of London, ON; Thornley Fallis Communications & 76design; and more. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200. June 22-23, 2010, Atlanta, GA: The Business Of WordPress Conference is focused on providing generally non-technical business people with a roadmap for how they can leverage WordPress to establish or advance their business' presence on the web. This two-day event will include a Workshop Day on June 22nd for hands-on WordPress training. The second day will be an all day conference to learn what’s possible on the web today with WordPress, which now makes it easy for almost anyone to launch a world-class website. Register now and save 15% off of the June 23rd Conference. Use discount code mashable. June 22-24, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: Now in its third year, Velocity – the Web Performance and Operations Conference from O’Reilly Media – is dedicated to helping people build a better Internet that is Fast by Default. Join hundreds of web developers and experts under one roof, Velocity packs a wealth of big ideas, know-how and connections into three concentrated days. You’ll be able to apply what you’ve learned immediately for high impact results and you’ll come away prepared for what’s ahead. O’Reilly Velocity 2010 is the premier conference dedicated to building industrial strength sites, at internet speed. Register Now and save 15% with Discount Code vel10msh at http://en.oreilly.com/velocity2010. June 23, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The B2B Search Strategy Summit is designed by B2B Search Engine Marketers for B2B Search Engine Marketers to provide strategic and tactical Marketing knowledge and bring together the best minds in B2B search engine marketing, email, PR, social media and lead generation to share leading-edge information and experience. Conference attendees will walk away with a toolbox full of new strategies and tactics to apply immediately to current B2B Marketing challenges and opportunities. Register today and save 30% when you use the code MASHABLE. Attendance is limited to 150 B2B marketing professionals. June 23-24, 2010, Boston, MA: Join us for the USENIX Conference on Web Application Development (WebApps ‘10) which will be part of the USENIX Federated Conferences Week. WebApps ‘10 is a new technical conference filled with the latest research in all aspects of developing and deploying Web applications. The diverse 2-day conference program will include invited talks by industry leaders including Adam de Boor, Google, on “Gmail: Past, Present and Future,” a variety of topics and new techniques in the paper presentations, WiPs and a poster session. Since WebApps ‘10 is part of USENIX Federated Conferences Week, you’ll also have increased opportunities for interaction and synergy across multiple disciplines. Learn more at http://www.usenix.org/webapps10/mash. Receive $100 discount by entering CONW10MASH upon registration. June 23-25, 2010, Boston, MA: Join us for the 2010 USENIX Annual Technical Conference (USENIX ATC ‘10) which will be part of the USENIX Federated Conferences Week. Don’t miss the 3-day conference program filled with the latest innovative work in systems research, including invited talks by Ivan Sutherland on “Some Thoughts About Concurrency,” Ben Fry on “Visualizing Data,” and Matt Welsh on “RoboBees.” Find out about the latest in groundbreaking systems research in the paper presentations, WiPs and a poster session. Since USENIX ATC ‘10 is part of USENIX Federated Conferences Week, you’ll also have increased opportunities to network with peers across multiple disciplines. Learn more at http://www.usenix.org/atc10/mash. Receive $100 discount by entering CONW10MASH upon registration. June 24, 2010, Oklahoma City, OK: Get Social Conference is hosting a groundbreaking social media business event in Oklahoma City. GSC is a traveling half-day unconference focused on the business case for social media. This cozy unconference is limited to 150 attendees at a cost of $100 & includes VIP all-access to the legendary OKC Tweetup boasting 400+ attendees. Mashable readers receive a 25% off discount by using the code Mashable. June 24, 2010, Seattle, WA: Deploy is the premier event to learn about the technology and techniques to get your software product or web application built and shipped faster and cheaper. Hear from technology leaders who have delivered, like Vanessa Fox, Brady Forrest and Cheezburger Network’s Scott Porad. You’ll learn the latest effective technology to meet your product goals. To see all of the topics and speakers go to http://deployday.com. To save an additional 10% use the promotion code mashable. Don’t miss it! June 24-25, 2010, New Orleans, LA: At The Customer Centric Solutions Expo we'll discuss how health plans should re-assess their customer service practices to ensure they implement “new” service models that meet the needs of their members. As health plans implement strategies to transform their business into customer centric organizations, essential to their success will be new customer service models supporting marketing, communications and benefit design strategies. Remain competitive in this new marketplace, register today to SAVE $200 on the current registration rate, mention PROMO CODE: XCX344 to qualify (not valid for gov't rate). June 25, 2010, Walla Walla, WA: The Wine Bloggers Conference is now in its third year, with wine bloggers, social media experts and wine industry insiders gathering in Walla Walla, the heart of Washington’s wine country. The conference is limited to 300 attendees and content will focus on blogging and social media as related to the wine industry. Sponsorships are still available for wineries or other companies wishing to promote their product or service to wine bloggers. Mention mashable on your registration form to receive a $10 discount, not combinable with other discounts or for those already registered. June 25, 2010, London, UK: Cleaning up communications: Let's face it. For reputation makers – from 'social media experts' to 'communicators' , PR folk and 'reputation managers', that 'spin doctor' tag is never too far away and our collective reputation is less than pristine. In an environment where trust is vital, what can be done to clean up communications? An informal, conversational event, with speakers including the PRCA. Free event. July 26-28, 2010 Chicago, IL: Celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the eduWeb Conference, a premier annual event for higher education. We have 4 tracks, 46 presentations, 4 pre-conference workshops, 2 receptions and a dynamite program. Professionals in marketing, PR, alumni, admissions, advancement, student affairs, IT, athletics and other HE departments attend eduWeb to learn how to strategically communicate through their online presence. Register now and save an additional $50; use discount code: 10eduWebMash. June 28–29, 2010, Sydney, Australia: Crime and Legal Issues in Social Media will advise and assist professionals on the utilisation of social networking without fear of the risks. Some organisations are still hesitant to maximise their use of online networking. Risks such as breach of privacy, fear of legal action, developing a negative reputation and lack of control have given way to avoidance of this important medium. The event will explore the legal implications of using social media and the policies that manage the risks. Save 15% when using code CrimeSocialMash or call +61 1300 550 662 June 29, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Whether it’s social games, social news, social discovery, social search or other forms of social solutions, developers today are facing new hurdles in building instantly scalable products. As new technologies emerge to address the challenges faced by social application developers, it’s increasingly important to come together for knowledge sharing purposes. The first Social Developer Summit will bring together social application developers to discuss the challenges, solutions and best practices for building applications in the rapidly expanding social web economy. At the Social Developer Summit, industry experts will share tips and case studies for building high performance social web products. Register with promo code SDSMASH and save 20%! June 29-30, 2010, London, UK: The 2nd annual Cloud Computing and Enterprise 2.0 World Forum is the perfect event to learn and discuss the future development and integration of cloud and enterprise 2.0 services and products. Building on the success of the 2009 show, this two day conference and exhibition will provide a focused platform for the global cloud computing and enterprise social media industry. The 2010 show will include a free-to-attend exhibition with scenario based workshop area and key service providers demonstrating their products. July 1, 2010, London, UK: Brand Republic's Achieving Maximum Value From Your Social Media Strategy conference. Learn which social media strategies have yielded proven results, how to build brand awareness, deal with negative PR, gain senior buy-in, measure and monitor your success and integrate your social media campaign with traditional marketing and PR. Roundtable discussions, case studies and presentations from social media experts including: BT, Photobox, Speedo, BSkyB, Facebook, Lastminute.com, Labour Party, Amnesty International, Mirror Group, TripAdvisor, Fatface, Space.NK, SeaFrance and many more. Register online quoting MASHABLE50 and receive an extra £50 off the early booking discount at www.socialmediastrategyevent.com. July 2, 2010, London, UK: Social Media and the Social Web are two of the most dominant web trends today. BrightLemon are bringing together a number of leading figures in this field to discuss why, how and who should use the “Social Web”. The focus for this event will be on building online communities, social web tools and how they benefit organisations and brands. Register for FREE now. July 6, 2010, New York, NY: Game Dynamics and Marketing. Learn how to increase user engagement, promote viral adoption and make your app fun through game dynamics. Foursquare motivates people to share their location by offering badges and mayorships. On Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter users are obsessed with their connection counts. On Q&A sites people spend hours sharing their expertise for free — just for the prize of being seen as an expert to their peers. Learn the secrets to make your site into a game that is both fun and promotes the behavior you’re after. Mashable readers can receive 25% off registration with promo code mashable. July 7, 2010, Melbourne, Australia: Digital Sport Summit is Australia’s premier sport and digital media event. Hear from social media pioneers who are changing the face of Australian sport. Learn how social media and mobile technology is taking fan engagement to a whole new level. Featuring leaders in Australian sport and digital media – including Australian Football League star, Harry O'Brien – there is something for everyone. Mashable readers get $20 off the ticket price with the code dssmash. July 8, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Social Media Marketing 2010 San Francisco will bring together leading brands and marketing experts to explore the power of social networks. During this one-day event, a team of renowned marketing experts will provide guidance on how to effectively engage with customers via social media, give tips on how to maximize the impact of your campaigns and offer insights into new services to try and trends to watch out for. This is the ultimate event for anyone involved in social media or digital marketing. Media partners include Mashable, Adrants, State of Search and Seededbuzz. Speakers include Chris Heuer, Ben Parr, David Gelles, Joe Vazquez, Tom Foremski, Kym McNicholas, Dan Martell, Jennifer Neeley Lindsay, Hiten Shah, Murray Newlands and Marissa Louie. Register with code mashable to get a 10% discount. July 12, 2010, Washington, D.C.: Online Marketing Summit (OMS) is coming to D.C. with all new B2B and B2C case studies and social media integration tracks, unparalleled networking opportunities and an exclusive “Social Media and Content Marketing Workshop and Breakfast," brought to you by the Online Marketing Institute and Wharton Interactive Media Initiative. Learn search, social media and integrated marketing from the leading experts at Kodak, ExactTarget and HubSpot. Register now with promo code MASH20 for 20% off. July 12-13 & 15-16, 2010, Singapore & Hong Kong: Join us at this Media Relations conference. This 2-day event will see leading PR practioners gather to share more about the integration of social media & traditional media. PR professionals can look forward to discussing strategies that help you achieve your communication objectives and enhance your media relations & positive coverage. Learn how top B2B and B2C companies integrate new media tools for an all-rounded approach. Register today. Save 10% when you enter Mashable under ‘Additional Info’. July 12-13, San Francisco, CA: MobileBeat 2010, VentureBeat's third annual executive conference on the future of mobile, has expanded this year to a new two-day format. The theme: The Year of The Superphone and Who Will Profit. We’re assembling the major players in the industry to discuss, debate and explore who’ll win in the midst of the superphone revolution, and why. Join 500 mobile industry leaders — from the major U.S and international carriers, to the top device makers, developers, startups, marketers and investors — for two packed days of exciting content, breakaway sessions, power networking, and deal-making. For all events details, click here. Register here with promo code VB_Mashable and save 15%. July 12-15, 2010, Washington, D.C.: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 19th 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, firsthand, from leading organizations such as: Army Corps of Engineers; National Wildlife Federation; USDA; City of Raleigh, NC; University of Georgia Libraries; CDC; U.S. Department of Defense; U.S. Navy; Social Security Administration; U.S. General Services Administration; Transportation Security Administration; and more. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200. July 13, 2010, London, UK: This senior level forum offers SVPs, VPs, Directors & Heads of eCommerce, Online, Marketing, Digital and Customer Experience the opportunity to discuss strategies, solutions and best practice for enhancing the customer experience and delivering competitive differentiation by effectively managing and integration online, social and mobile channels. Offering a unique mix of keynote briefings, interactive discussions and one-to-one meetings Customer Experience Online will provide you with a unique opportunity to propel your online initiatives to success and position yourself at the forefront of the industry. Spaces are limited and by invitation only, click here to find out if you qualify. When booking your place, please use discount code MASH_BAN for a 10% discount. July 19-20, 2010, Marina del Rey, CA: BlueGlass LA, the widely anticipated follow-on conference to the Search & Social Spring Summit, is brought to you by an industry first: a special collaboration between firms Search & Social and 10e20, online marketing industry leaders. The speaker lineup includes leading technologists and entrepreneurs like Ben Huh from ICanHasCheezburger, Neil Patel from KissMetrics, Dave McClure from FF Angel and Brent Csutoras, social media expert whose company was recently acquired by 10e20. These experts will huddle with attendees to personally help them brainstorm digital marketing opportunities. Save 10% with discount code: mashablebg. July 19-23, 2010, Portland, OR: OSCON takes place at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. In its 12th year, OSCON continues to be the premier meeting ground for everyone using open source. At OSCON, you’ll participate in hundreds of sessions covering open source languages and platforms, practical tutorials that go deep into technical skill and best practices, inspirational keynote presentations, an Expo Hall featuring dozens of the latest projects and products, fun networking events and activities and the best “hallway track” around. No matter the economic climate, a strong technology foundation is the key for moving your business and projects forward. In just five information-packed days (and nights) OSCON gives you the tools you need to succeed. Join over 2,500 people passionate about open source and register now and save 15%. Use discount code os10mash when registering at: http://www.oscon.com/oscon2010. July 20, 2010, New York, NY: Word of Mouth Supergenius is where you’ll learn to be a fantastic word of mouth marketer with 12 how-to classes, 12 real-world case studies and six brilliant authors. You’ll learn practical, hands-on techniques to get started, grow your program and earn amazing word of mouth. Save $75 off registration by using the code ILoveMashableWOM. July 21, 2010, New York, NY: Social Convergence & The Enterprise: Case Studies & Roundtables. The conference will demonstrate how leading consumer and B2B brands are embracing social media and networking across the enterprise. The case studies will be followed by moderated interactive roundtables. Use promo code MASH for a discounted rate of $155. July 21, 2010, Toronto, Ontario: Building on the success of a sold-out NYC event, Cross Media Toronto will bring together leaders from all key media industries to discuss, demonstrate and debate cross media integration and partnerships. This is not your ordinary listen-to-talking-heads gabfest. One jam-packed panel with five executives from key sectors that will act as the bridge between four technology demos and two cross-media case studies, as well as what's sure to be a heated debate on a pressing current issue. The event will move quickly with some company introductions from the floor allowing everyone to know who is there and what they do. We want something big to come out of this. Mashable readers save 15% off using the discount code MASH2010. July 21-23, 2010, Sydney, Australia: KM & Collaboration Australia will feature renowned and respected international keynote presenters and Australian industry practitioners who will explore prospects and challenges in networking and collaboration, social media and Web 2.0, sustainability and profitability, and will outline and explain best practice tools, techniques and advancements in these critical areas. The event will provide you with useful, practical and timely lessons that you'll be able to implement within your organization as soon as you return to the office! Save 15% when using code KMAusMash at http://www.kmaustralia.com/registration.htm. July 29, 2010, Santa Monica, CA: Back by popular demand, Schmoozd 3 is scheduled to make another go-around at the Wokcano. The last event had over 300 people from a variety of fields: entertainment, tech, medical, marketing, venture capitalists, the press and many more. Schmoozd is an exclusive social mixer bringing together professionals in marketing, advertising, technology, social media and startups. The event is designed to facilitate knowledge sharing, relationship building and deal making. For more information, please visit www.schmoozd.com. Mashable readers get 50% off when registering via this link. August 11-13, 2010, Washington, D.C.: Whether you’re a researcher, a system administrator, or a policy wonk, come to USENIX Security ‘10 to find out how changes in computer security are going to affect you. The 3-day program includes an innovative technical program, starting with a keynote address by Roger G. Johnston of the Vulnerability Assessment Team at Argonne National Laboratory; invited talks, including “Toward an Open and Secure Platform for Using the Web,” by Will Drewry, Google; a refereed papers track, including 30 papers presenting the newest advances; and a Poster session displaying the latest preliminary research. Gain valuable knowledge on a variety of subject areas, including detection of network attacks, privacy, Internet security, Web security and more. Learn more at http://www.usenix.org/sec10/mash. Receive $100 discount by entering SEC10MASH upon registration. August 13, 2010, Nashville, TN: At Big South Social Media Summit, come listen to some of the most forward-thinking business giants from companies like Southwest, SAP, Comcast, Domino's as well as social media loving celebrities who will speak directly on how they drive ROI through social media. Speakers will share real-world success stories, pit falls and case studies to demonstrate the true value of social media. This summit will allow business leaders to finally understand how social media can propel their business and how to produce real results. More than the mechanics, this is a relatable summit that will open eyes to the power of social media in business. Get 15% off the ticket price by using the vacomash discount code. August 13-15, 2010 – Boston, MA: The 6th Annual Second Life Community Convention 2010 brings Residents of the Second Life community together to network, build friendships and to discuss Second Life in a common forum. This year’s convention will be held at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers, with a new organizing committee at the helm. In addition to new programming and content, AvaCon, Inc. has also launched a new website at http://www.slconvention.org which has all the details for the convention. SLCC is the largest virtual world convention combining art, business, community events, education, music, non-profit and the technical aspects of Second Life, other virtual worlds and related technologies in one location. Register Now & save an additional 10% using the discount code Mashable2010 at http://slcc2010.eventbrite.com/?discount=Mashable2010. August 15-17, 2010, New York, NY: Affiliate Summit East, the premier affiliate marketing conference, is taking place August 15-17, 2010 in New York City. This three day conference includes an exhibit hall with affiliate merchants, vendors and networks, as well as multiple tracks of educational sessions covering the latest trends and information from affiliate marketing experts. Use discount code mashable for 10% off any pass type. August 16-20, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Discover the tools of engagement at this year's SES San Francisco. No longer just lecturing your customers, learn to listen and converse in a more social world. Our experts will show you how integrating search, social media and video in even basic ways will transform both your site’s visibility and profitability. Packed with sessions on PPC management, information architecture, social media, local search, mobile application development, video optimization and other advanced topics, we have created an educational and networking environment designed for both beginners and veterans in digital marketing. Register by July 30th and SAVE up to $554 with code MHNY15. August 17-19, 2010, Seattle, WA: Taking place during Seattle Geek Week, pii2010 (privacy identity innovation) will explore how emerging technologies and business models are impacting the way data is created, shared and aggregated and how to strike a balance between protecting sensitive information and enabling innovation. The conference will also serve as the official launch pad for pii Labs, an open forum for brainstorming and collaborating that will be held at the Space Needle building. Tickets start at $345, and Mashable readers save 20% when they register with this Discount Code: 4MASH. Sign up today at http://www.pii2010.com! August 26, 2010, Galway, Ireland: Attend BlogTalk 2010: the 7th International Conference on Social Software. Join developers, researchers, practitioners and others who share, analyze and enjoy the benefits of social software and social media. Keynote speakers including Stowe Boyd, Dan Gillmor and Don Thibeau will share insights and discuss future developments. There will also be a one-day workshop on microblogging as part of the event. The cost is €200 for early birds and €250 for regular registrants. Use the mashtalk promotional code when registering to save 10%. We will also have a medieval banquet, but space is limited so register early. September 7-9, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: The Global App Show is focused on delivering the optimum network environment for app developers, mobile manufacturers, businessmen and users alike. If you are serious about your app, if you want to increase your downloads, users and audience growth rate, improve your development skills, quality or functionality of your app, if you want to influence decision makers, find experts, sell a product or service, if you want to promote yourself as an industry expert, or build your brand, then you cannot afford to miss the Global App Show. Go to GlobalAppShow.com, mention MASH and receive $25.00 off your show pass. Early pricing ends June 15th. September 13-14, 2010, Charlotte, NC: Social Media 4 Responders is the first hands-on social media conference specifically designed with responders in mind. Law enforcement; fire service, emergency management, public health, disaster and crisis aid, emergency medical services, public utilities and the list goes on! Seven hands-on workshops and four power packed sessions over two-days that will provide you with the knowledge & skill you need to get your organization engaged in the fastest growing means of communication in the world. Follow us on Twitter hashtag #sm4r. Use promo code Mashablesm4r to save 10% on your registration fee. September 15, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: Announcing our 2nd annual Digital Media Pipeline conference which will offer the only industry event that has as its primary focus – the distribution pipeline that helps connect the world's leading digital media content providers with the end user. Digital Media Pipeline offers an opportunity for digital retailers, Hollywood studios and aggregators, technology and service providers to share learnings and experiences in the business of retailing digital entertainment. Join us; register now and use the discount code MASH45 to receive $45 off. September 16-17, 2010, Dallas, TX: This year's 2nd Social Media Optimization Summits 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. The event offers two full days of intensive, hands-on workshops from the intermediate to advanced level, led by top social media experts including Brian Solis of FutureWorks, Jason Falls of SocialMediaExplorer.com, Shama Kabani of The Marketing Zen Group and Shama.TV, Geno Church of Brains on Fire and more. The unique "See it. Hear it. Do it." approach allows attendees to learn by doing and begin applying newly-acquired skills and knowledge while the event is underway. Register now and save $125 at: http://optimizationsummits.com/. Use discount code Mashable. September 21–22, 2010, 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 – call John Corrick on + 44 (0) 203 180 6595 and quote Mash10. Register online now at: www.ad-techlondon.co.uk. September 22-23, 2010, Singapore, Asia: At Social Media World Forum Asia, become educated, discover, engage, network, share and collaborate in the world of social media. Ideal for those looking to embrace the latest in brand engagement, monitoring, ROI, advertising and building communities. learn from social networks, brands, advertisers and analysts. Mention you are a Mashable reader to receive 15% discount September 27, 2010, Miami, FL: Calling all Affiliates, Merchants, Advertisers and Social Media Strategists looking to CONNECT to the right people, LEARN from the experts, increasing their EARNING potential and GROW their business! The Performance Marketing Expo is the premier event for best-in-class educational sessions (become an expert at Landing Page Optimization, Search, Social Media Strategies and Relationship Management), highly effective facilitated networking (in the Tune-Up Shop, Idea Factory, Masters of the Universe Roundtable sessions) and access to the leading Super Affiliates (Stephanie Nelson, Coupon Mom – Zac Johnson, MoneyReign, – Todd Martini, Alex’s Coupons – plus, eCoupons, MarketAmerica, TrialPay, Parent Media and more). Save 15% when using code PME2010MASH at www.iirusa.com/performancemarketingexpo. September 28-30 2010, London, UK: IIR's Mobile Broadband World is an absolute must for all those involved in the MBB ecosystem, including Mobile Operators, Content Developers, Financial Investors, Press and Media, Consultants, Technology Partners, Handset Developers and more. To claim your 10% discount courtesy of Mashable, please quote I2GS2MASH when registering. September 30th, 2010, London, UK: Bringing together collective thoughts on Social Media for 2011. We know its going to be much more than an introduction to Social, we're looking forward into the bigger picture about how we communicate within the platforms and how we measure and integrate Social Media into our strategies. We're bringing together some of the leading authorities in Social Media, from app developers to word of mouth evangelists to discuss where and how the industry is evolving! – 'A forward thinking social media conference'. For more information, please visit http://www.social-collective.com. Mashable readers can receive 25% off ticket prices at registration with promo code MASH25 October, 5-6, 2010 Prague – EyeforTravel's Online Marketing & Social Media in Travel Summit brings together top travel brands to share key insights on how to maximize the impact of your online marketing and social media initiatives. The 2 days are packed full of case studies, presentations and networking opportunities. Speakers hail from across Europe and include Lufthansa, Lonely Planet, Expedia, TripAdvisor, P&O Cruises and many more. Use the code MASHABLE to claim your €100 discount on the price to attend. October 13-14, Princeton, NJ: Brought to you by the producer of the sold-out ePharma Summit, the Multi Channel Pharma Marketing Event brings together product managers and marketing operations under one roof to discuss cross-channel media plans for building brand value and elevating top line sales. Join us at the ONLY industry event focused on breaking down internal silos to achieve channel integration and maximize return on engagement. Visit www.multichannelevent.com for more information. Register with Priority Code XP1515MASH to save 15% off standard registration! October 14-15, 2010, London, UK: Creating and distributing video online? Join us at Online Video Strategies this October in London and learn how to choose the online video solutions that meet your needs, increase audience engagement with interactivity, use video for marketing, promotion and branding, deliver video to the iPad, iPhone, and other mobile devices, leverage video for internal and external corporate communications, make sure your video gets seen by viewers and search engines, and measure the ROI of your video projects. In addition, Online Video Strategies is a featured event at Streaming Media Europe and all delegates enjoy unlimited access to the Streaming Media Expo as part of their registration. Register at www.streamingmediaglobal.com/ovs. Quote priority code MASHABLE20 for a 20% discount. October 17-19, 2010. New York, NY: Pivot Conference is the only industry conference to explore and evaluate the attitudes, technologies and preferences of the “always on” 18-34 year old consumer. Attend Pivot Conference and hear from those successfully engaging with today’s emerging consumer and create your own action plan for success. Register today with code MASH101 and save 20%. October 17-20, 2010, Scottsdale, AZ: agencyside presents one of the only digital marketing conferences exclusively developed for agencies. BOLO 2010 brings new ideas, new knowledge and actionable next-steps to both help your bottom line and achieve the goals of your clients. We realize time and money are both tight. That's why we've designed a conference that'll expand how you think and at the same time teach you hands-on how to manage digital more efficiently. You'll hear from industry thought leaders through keynotes, panel discussions and one-on-one meetings. agencyside has a proven track record for helping agencies become experts in the digital space. Build a team of subject matter experts. Fine tune operations to sustainable profitability. Generate new business for digital marketing services. This event will show you how. Early Bird of $699/person through June 18th. Use discount code mashable to save 15% off registration at any time. October 26, 2010, San Jose, CA: Get real about social media at SocialTech 2010—the only conference dedicated to teaching B2B high-tech marketers how to harness the power of social media. You’ll learn from B2B marketing leaders at companies like IBM, Intel, SAP, HP, Adobe and Cisco how to use social media to achieve real, measurable business results. Enjoy networking and keynotes from Guy Kawasaki, Robert Scoble and Jeremiah Owyang. Can't make it to San Jose? You can join us online. Register today and save 10% with coupon code MASH10! November 1-2, 2010, New York, NY: Are you a health marketing and communications professional? Please join us at unNiched 2010, a unique collaborative boot camp where you will actively learn and use collaboration, strategic marketing and communications skills. Using our unNiched Innovation Model, gain the tools to create and drive marketing communications success within (and without) your organization. In addition, you’ll have access to a private online group and learn from a range of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AIDS.gov, Edelman, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and the Stanford University Persuasive Technology Lab. Use the discount code Mashable and get 10% off. The Mashable Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace. Eventbrite is an online events marketplace where tens of thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations of all sizes manage, promote and sell tickets to their events. Make your event a success on Eventbrite. Reviews: Australia, Facebook, Flickr, Forum, Foursquare, Gmail, Google, Internet, LinkedIn, Mashable, Twitter, WordPress, social media, timberland

If You Tweet It, This Dude Will Do It Posted: 14 Jun 2010 11:50 AM PDT Twitter has been used for a lot of creative purposes lately — to document a naturalization ceremony, to re-tell Romeo & Juliet, to give an emotional outlet to a formerly vocally-oppressed feline — now, however, it will be used to control human life. That’s right, some poor schmuck has decided to put his every movement in the hands of the tweeting masses from June 21-26. According to CNN, David Perez, a 29-year-old recruiter for Leo Burnett, has agreed to don a pair of glasses complete with webcam, and follow the commands of his Twitter follows via @davidondemand for a full six days You can watch the live stream on his website, David on Demand. Apparently, he’ll do anything — as long at it’s legal. (Perhaps he should also include, “or lewd,” seeing as how some Twitterers are sure to have more “colorful” suggestions for how Perez should occupy his time). I hope he has insurance. So why has Perez decided to undertake such a perilous task? Well, his boss at Leo Burnett (a Chicago-based advertising agency) has promised the young man a ticket to the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in France upon completion of the experiment. Perez will also be attending an advertising conference during those six days, so we’re guessing Leo Burnett is hoping to capitalize on the buzz the project will cause. Livestreaming challenges like this aren’t that new, really. Back in February, UK broadcast personality Tim Shaw agreed to be locked in a steel box all by his lonesome, his every move streamed live on Justin.tv for 30 days — unless viewers could guess his location. (He got out on March 16). And then there’s Silent Clark, who chose to communicate solely through social media for one month. Still, the idea of leaving one’s well-being up to the denizens of Twitter is one we haven’t heard before. What do you think of this experiment? Interesting, or cheap publicity ploy? For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: humor, MARKETING, pop culture, twitter, web video

Tiffany & Co. Brings Engagement Ring Shopping to the iPhone [VIDEO] Posted: 14 Jun 2010 11:32 AM PDT Boyfriends and bachelors beware: Tiffany & Co.’s iPhone app [iTunes link] for engagement rings arrived in the App Store today, and it’s been carefully engineered for getting clueless and/or commitment-phobic grooms onto the engagement ring floors of Tiffany stores. For those looking to buy or receive a Tiffany’s engagement ring, the app brings the smooth, uncluttered shopping experience of the jeweler’s Flash-based website to the Flash-averse iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Users can browse rings by shape, setting, metal, design and six different carat sizes (up to 2.5 carats in the app, although larger stones are available at Tiffany & Co. stores). Rings are displayed true-to-size and from multiple angles with zoom functionality. The app’s most clever feature is its Ring Sizer, which lets users determine their ring size — or the ring size of their future fiancee — by placing an actual ring on the screen and adjusting circle sizes to determine its circumference. Users can also store their favorite combinations and share them via e-mail, text message, Facebook and Twitter — a great option for getting feedback from friends and family members if done discreetly. While the app is designed to drive customers to browse Tiffany’s engagement ring catalog and get them into stores — users can book a one-on-one diamond consultation via phone or e-mail straight from the app — it’s also a handy educational tool. Purchasing an engagement ring can be an intimidating process, and the app gives potential buyers a handle on the options — and their accompany prices — before entering stores. The only feature that could make it better, in my opinion, is if the app utilized augmented reality technology to let users “try on” rings. The app is available in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia and Japan, with prices adjusted to match the local currency. A Chinese version is also available, as is an international English version for all other countries, but prices will not appear. Versions for other mobile platforms are not in production at this time. What do you think of the Engagement Ring Finder? What additional features would you like to see in a second version? To see a full preview of the app, check out the video below. For more mobile coverage, follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Australia, Facebook, Twitter Tags: ipad app, iphone app, shopping, tiffany & co.

More Data Shows Android Gaining on iPhone Posted: 14 Jun 2010 10:50 AM PDT Quantcast released its North American mobile OS market share report for May 2010 today and the results are indicative of a trend we have seen from other sources: The iPhone is still the market leader, but Android is making big gains. The report measured mobile web consumption based on mobile OS for smartphones in North America, and listed iOS (nee, iPhone OS) as the leader with 58.4% marketshare. Google’s Android is in second place with 19.9% of the market and RIM is next with 10.4%. The remaining 10.9% is split among other mobile OS players like Nokia, Microsoft and Palm. While it’s no surprise that iOS is still the leader in this category, what is impressive is the rate at which Android is growing not only from month-to-month, but also year-over-year. Check out this chart, which shows the change in market share both from April to May 2010 by month and quarter over the last year: In every category, Android’s market share has risen, whereas iOS’s has decreased. Now, to be clear, the smartphone market as a whole has grown over the last year, so a decrease in market share is not he same as a decrease in number of devices — the pie is just now bigger, meaning that each slice is smaller proportionally. Still, the numbers are significant — iOS’s share of the market has decreased 8.1% whereas Android has increased 12.2% over the last year. As more Android devices hit shelves it will be interesting to assess the impact on the U.S. market. For more mobile coverage, follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Android, Facebook, Twitter Tags: android, iOS, iphone, Quantcast, smartphone

5 Gadgets That Will Transform Your Home Posted: 14 Jun 2010 10:49 AM PDT This Innovation Series is supported by Lexus. I live in a somewhat futuristic home. I have robots to help me with chores, computers to control my environment and entertainment, and a large and growing number of glowing screens that serve me an infinite variety of content. Most of the gadgets that make for truly transformative modern living are surprisingly affordable, and they’re changing our homes month by month and year by year into something that resembles our fantastic visions of “the future.” Here are five gadgets you can buy now (or a couple months from now) that will change the way you live, work and play. And be sure to let us know your favorite futuristic, time-saving gadgets in the comments. 1. Environment: HAL Home automation is hardly new, but it will change the way you use and control your home environment more than any other kind of gadget setup. It will also cost you a bit more than most gadgets, since you might have to invest in a server. Named for the spaceship computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is one such product on the market today. This home automation system allows you to control lights, appliances, audio, video, security and thermostat settings from a web browser, via phone or even by voice. HAL can also gather and serve content such as email, news items, stock quotes, weather reports and sports scores. Of course, for the more technically advanced of our readers, you can always hack you own version of HAL if you feel adventurous and have the time. And if you’re into FOSS, check out LinuxMCE, a Kubuntu add-on that lets you manage media, telecommunications, security and environmental controls in your home from any device. 2. Energy: PowerMeter Google’s PowerMeter has been around for a while, and new consumer devices specifically designed for this energy-monitoring software are starting to hit the market in greater numbers. By using a device such as Current Cost’s ENVI, you can make greener decisions by monitoring the energy you use. The ENVI can monitor the energy used by individual appliances as well as the total energy consumption of your household. It currently only monitors electricity, but the company is also developing the ability to track gas and other forms of energy. Its LCD screen displays your home’s energy consumption over a rolling 24-hour period as a bar graph. The ENVI can also calculate to the penny how much your energy use is costing you. 3. Chores: iRobot Remember Rosie from the Jetsons? So do the makers of iRobot. The company that created the Roomba also makes gutter cleaners, pool scrubbers, floor moppers and even automated shop vacs. Especially if you live in a larger home, having a small army of floor-bound robots can cut down immensely on your cleaning time and make tidying up a much more efficient process. The Roomba made its debut in 2002; it has since been joined by the Verro pool cleaner, the Looj gutter cleaner, the Scooba floor washer and the Dirt Dog shop vac. If you’re of a more technical bent, iRobot’s devices are also quite hackable and even have APIs for your programming pleasure. 4. Audio: Sonos S5 According to a company rep, this gadget is “the simplest, easiest way to get music into any and every room of your house.” Ringing in at around $400 per room, the Sonos S5 system is perfect for heavy iPod/iPhone users who want more and better access to their extensive iTunes libraries. The S5 acts as a sort of speaker for all the music in the cloud, as well. It can pull down all the music on the Internet, including tunes from web-based services like Pandora, Rhapsody, Napster, SIRIUS, Last.fm and more than 100,000 radio stations and podcasts. You can use your smartphone as a controller for your Sonos system, and the Sonos rep also told us the company is shipping a brand new iPad Controller experience later this year. 5. Entertainment: Google TV Google TV arrived a scant month ago. It was announced at Google I/O, where we also learned that Sony would be releasing a special television set to support the software. You can start stocking your piggybank now, because Sony’s Google TV will launch this fall, just a few months from now. Google TV is more robust than web TV or Apple TV, and it's not just a browser or a guide. This device and software will let you search for and navigate both TV and online content. You'll be able to download and run apps from your TV and control your TV from your Android smartphone. Best of all, Google’s excellent voice-activated commands and searches work beautifully on this device. Series supported by Lexus This Innovation Series is supported by Lexus. [img credit: x-ray_delta_one] For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Android, Facebook, Google, Internet, Kubuntu, Pandora, Rhapsody, Sonos, Twitter Tags: consumer electronics, gadgets, Google, google tv, HAL, home, home automation, irobot, power meter, powermeter, sonos

Starbucks to Offer Free Wi-Fi at All Stores Nationwide Posted: 14 Jun 2010 10:13 AM PDT Starting July 1, Starbucks will offer free Wi-Fi nationwide, with no registration or account required. Even better, Wi-Fi will not be time limited. Starbucks joins an increasing list of brands and chains to offer free Wi-Fi in its stores. For example, last December, McDonald’s rolled out free Wi-Fi to nearly all of its restaurants across the country. Panera Bread also offers a similar program. McDonald’s and Starbucks both have partnerships with AT&T, which, while often criticized for the quality of its wireless data network, is one of the largest Wi-Fi hotspot providers in the United States. Starbucks was one of the first chains to offer Wi-Fi access to its patrons, first via an agreement with T-Mobile and then with AT&T. Starbucks visitors have been able to enjoy up to two hours of free Wi-Fi from their favorite coffee house, provided they are either an AT&T customer or they use a Starbucks Card to login. The new program will do away with any sort of registration, which will make those of us who always forget either our AT&T account information or can’t find our Starbucks cards extremely happy. In addition to the new free Wi-Fi program, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz told Wired’s Chris Anderson that the company is also planning on rolling out a new Starbucks Digital Network in partnership with Yahoo later this fall. This network, which will only be accessible in U.S. company-operated stores, will offers customers free and unrestricted access to paid sites and services like WSJ.com and other content providers on their phones, tablets or laptops. Bringing the Starbucks Experience Online We spoke with Stephen Gillett, CIO, EVP and GM of Digital Ventures at Starbucks about the new plan for free Wi-Fi and the Starbucks Digital Network. According to Gillett, the goal is to bring the overall Starbucks in-store experience online. The first step is in providing an overall better online experience. This is where one-click logon comes into play, as well as the ability to connect with your device, be it a laptop or phone or iPad. The second part is the branded Starbucks online experience. Rather than just trying to create an aggregated portal of sources, Starbucks will be bringing quality content that is usually behind a pay wall to customers to access for free while in Starbucks stores. Different categories, like business news, lifestyle, music, entertainment, etc. will provide access to different content. This means that you can visit the Wall Street Journal uninhibited, as well as Zagat and also get local content from services like Foursquare pulled into your default Starbucks page. Furthermore, stuff like the Starbucks “Pick of the Week” iTunes promotion can now be integrated online, meaning that you can download the free weekly track from your iPhone or iPad or laptop, instead of having to use the cards with the redeem codes. The physical cards will still be available but for connected visitors, this is an easier way to access free content. The opportunity for premium service providers is that by offering free content to users while they are at Starbucks, they are potentially gaining new customers. A user might find they really enjoy some of the pay Wall Street Journal content and look at subscribing at home, for example. More and more providers will be announced as the launch date gets closer and Starbucks is committed to finding the best pay wall content it can bring to its audience. What do you think of Starbucks new free Wi-Fi plan and the content deals? Let us know! For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter Tags: att, starbucks, trending, wi-fi, wifi

AT&T Unveils HTC Aria Android Phone Posted: 14 Jun 2010 09:53 AM PDT AT&T is bulking up its Android roster with a new phone: the HTC Aria. It promises to be faster and more capable than the Motorola BACKFLIP and the Dell Aero. Aria comes with a 5-megapixel camera, a 3.2-inch display, a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM 7227 processor, the Android 2.1 Os and the HTC Sense interface. It will be released on June 20, just five days before AT&T release another competing smartphone: the iPhone 4. The Aria is clearly meant to be a mid-level Android phone — it just isn’t as powerful as HTC Evo or the Droid Incredible. However, it comes in at an affordable $129.99 with a two-year contract (after rebate). We’re glad to see more Android phones popping up on the AT&T network, but for those of you hoping to get something like the Nexus One or the HTC Evo with your AT&T service, don’t hold your breath. AT&T has made huge gains as the exclusive provider for the iPhone, and providing an Android smartphone with comparable features and power could put a major strain on AT&T’s relationship with Apple. For more mobile coverage, follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Android, Facebook, Twitter, iPhone Tags: android, apple, att, Google, htc, HTC Aria, iphone, iphone 4

Chocolate-Covered iPad Is the Gift that Keeps on Giving [PICS] Posted: 14 Jun 2010 09:29 AM PDT Stefan Magdalinski is now the front-runner in the “Guy of the Year” award for buying his wife a chocolate-covered iPad for her birthday, which he managed to get sent to South Africa. Knowing that his beloved, @kerrching, really wanted an iPad for her birthday, Magdalinski reached out to some friends in London who were not only able to get him an iPad (it’s not yet available in South Africa), but were also able to coat it and freeze it in chocolate. The results, we think, speak for themselves. The iPad is still in perfect condition and the chocolate coating is an extra layer of thoughtful kindness — and sweetness. Now we just have one question for you: Would you rather have a milk or dark chocolate-coated iPad? [via Nerd Approved] [img credit: Smagdali] For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: chocolate, cool stuff, ipad

Twitter Killed the Video Star: MTV Seeks Official Twitter Jockey Posted: 14 Jun 2010 08:56 AM PDT Fans of MTV’s now-defunct show, Wanna Be a VJ (wasn’t Jesse Camp just the craziest?) — prepare to feel old. The music network has just embarked on a search for… wait for it… a TJ (Twitter Jockey). According to the AP, MTV already has 18 candidates lined up, and is calling upon viewers to choose two more. The 20 Twitter hopefuls will compete in online challenges over the sultry days of summer, culminating in a live show on August 8 during which the audience will choose the voice of MTV’s Twitter stream. Dave Sirulnik, the executive in charge of the challenge, told the AP that the winner will be a liaison between the audience and the men and women behind MTV. “While they won’t be on TV the way VJs were, they will always be on,” he said. MTV plans to use the TJ to take the pulse of the viewers, in a sense, and to alter programming accordingly. MTV is certainly not the first organization to hire an official Twitterer (although it is offering a six-figure salary, which is pretty sweet for a job that requires pumping out 140-word epistles) — hell, even the White House has embarked on a similar search — but the job it’s offering is rather interesting. The TJ it chooses will have to both an online and offline personality (the winner will attend events and even appear on-air), as well as the ability to speak for both execs and fans. While the name leaves something to be desired, we think this is a rather intelligent move on MTV’s part — Twitter has become the official water cooler of today’s more tech-savvy society, a place where folks congregate to talk about everything from TV shows to awards ceremonies — we’ve even ruminated in the past as to whether social media has helped award show ratings grow. Imagine the engagement level MTV could achieve by having a TJ tweet during, say, Video Music Awards, interacting with fans who may be chatting about the proceedings. It will be interesting to see how fans of the network react to the new hire. You can start nominating yourself and your friends for the position today. Will you apply? [img credit: PresleyJesus] For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: entertainment, mtv, social media, television, twitter

iPhone 4 Available for Pre-order at Best Buy Tomorrow Posted: 14 Jun 2010 08:12 AM PDT On June 15, 2010, the iPhone 4 becomes available for pre-order at Apple.com, AT&T stores and Best Buy. Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile standalone stores across the U.S. will begin offering the latest iPhone for pre-order starting tomorrow, ahead of its June 24, 2010 release date. The new iPhone, which was announced last week at WWDC, will be available for $199 for a 16GB version and $299 for a 32GB version for new AT&T customers or current customers who qualify for the lowest upgrade pricing. In addition to featuring a faster processor and the iOS 4 software, the iPhone 4 will also features a brand new higher-resolution screen. By pre-ordering before the June 24 release date, consumers can help avoid some of the sell-out frenzy that goes along the release of an Apple product. Assuming you don’t need to get a phone as soon as they go on sale, you could even avoid some of sure-to-be-long lines and stroll in later in the day for pick-up. In the past, pre-ordering an iPhone at a Best Buy store has required a $50 deposit, but it’s unclear if that will be required this time. Depending on the foot traffic of your local Best Buy, AT&T and Apple stores, Best Buy may end up being one of the fastest places to get in and get out. Will you be pre-ordering a new iPhone tomorrow? If so, where will you be placing your pre-order? Let us know! For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: best buy, iphone, iphone 4, preorders

How Download Cards Connect Physical Music to its Digital Future Posted: 14 Jun 2010 07:44 AM PDT Sarah Collins is freelance journalist and student at Northwestern University. She also writes for Texas Monthly, A.V. Club Chicago, Chicago Parent, Venus Zine, and Punknews. Some songs just need to be played in a car. They require windows-down, wind-in-hair, public-dancing glory. But vinyl fans are stuck inside, sitting by a turntable, missing out on the world's greatest driving songs. Sound quality? Sure. But what does it matter if you can't take it with you? "I want the vinyl for home listening on my stereo, but I want it on my iPod for on the go too," says Seth Hubbard, Label Manager of Polyvinyl Records. Record owners were penalized by having their music trapped in one place while CD and iTunes purchasers were free to roam. "It made it more difficult for them to move music that was actually purchased from one place to the other, and that seemed like sort of a problem," says Chris Jacobs, General Manager at Sub Pop Records. A Sound Solution Enter download cards. The foreign slips of paper and plastic started showing up all over record stores at the beginning of 2007, each scrap entitling the owner to a full MP3 download of the record they just bought. Now fans could take the songs on MP3 players without hunting for illegal downloads or buying the album again on iTunes. The cards also opened the doors for new ways of delivering music. But record labels are still deciding whether or not the cards can serve as a new, standalone format, or if they'll be able to turn around declining album sales. "Who's going to buy a record twice these days when people are hardly buying it once?" That was the reasoning Patrick Scott used when he started offering download cards with all of the releases on his label, Static Station Records. He had started the label as CD only, but when sales started slipping, he switched to records, the only physical music format that has seen a boost in sales in the aughts. But by then, fans expected music they could take with them. "The ways that people listen to music right now don't really line up with the ways that you listen to LPs," says Jacobs. "People like to listen to music in a big long mix or while they're doing other things." Download cards freed up the music, and allowed for goodies, like the extra tracks Scott adds to the download cards for Static Station releases. "It just seems reasonable to do it," says Jacobs. "People who have purchased the record already should be able to listen to it in whatever way they want to listen to it." The cards helped make vinyl marketable again. "I think that's influenced a lot more people to buy the LP now," says Brad Schelden, the indie buyer for Amoeba Music, the world's largest independent record store. "Without question the digital download is a big part of why I think our vinyl sells so well," says Hubbard. The success of the download cards drove the label to experiment with other ways to use the cards. Paper Makes it Possible In 2008, Polyvinyl launched of Montreal's newest record, Skeletal Lamping, as a collection of posters, shirts, lamps, stickers, and other ephemera — each of which came with a download card. "Kevin [Barnes] from of Montreal kind of sat us down and kind of had this great idea of doing physical objects to sell digital music," says Hubbard. "Fans still want something physical when they want to support a band, they don't just want the MP3s." Hubbard says it was a way to test the waters and find the limits of the potential of download cards. The art objects sold well, but didn't quite beat out the CD and LP sales from the record. "I don't think we'll try anything to that degree again," says Hubbard. "But I do know a couple of our bands coming up have requested to do the t-shirt thing." Other bands have tried ideas that are further out there. "Routinely there's people coming up with just weird ideas on how to use these," says Jon Collins, the Vice President of Business Development at Drop Cards. Drop Cards created the download cards for of Montreal, and continues to make download cards for albums and promotional distribution for companies and music festivals. When Austin Jennings was looking to go on tour, he came to Drop Cards looking for something that would fit into his green initiative. "We print a download card that's actually made out of a biodegradable paper with wildflowers in it," says Collins. "He went on tour and rather than bringing a bunch of CDs, he sold little flower pots of dirt, and it had the download card attached to it. So you bought this little flower pot, downloaded his music, and then when you were done with it you could put the download card into the flower pot and it would grow." The Limits of Pushing Paper While the of Montreal experiment opened the door for creative thinking, most are still skeptical of download cards as a new medium. Scott created a label called Fissure Records to experiment with download card–only releases. "It was like this artifact that had, basically a 5 x 7 card that would have big artwork, bigger than a CD, and then it would have the download card mounted into it," he says. Two releases proved to him that the format wasn't viable. He says record stores and distributors "didn't have any idea what to do with them." Even Scott couldn't figure out how to sell the cards. "We're not set up to carry things like just a download card," says Schelden about Amoeba Music. "Like, where would we put it? We're not like WalMart or something, with like a spin-wheel with all these download cards on it." Without being attached to an object, download cards seem to only work as giveaways and promotional tools. "As its own sellable form it seems weird," says Scott. "If you're going to do a download card it needs to be attached to something else someone wants, be it a t-shirt, a commemorative plate, whatever." Sub Pop has been trying to figure out the perfect use for download cards. "It's kind of hard to find something that's inherently sort of valuable enough to justify spending that kind of money," says Jacobs. Experiments with pre-sale stickers have mostly failed, but the label keeps looking for new ways to use the cards. Scott, Jacobs and Hubbard all saw t-shirts and download cards as the success story in the of Montreal experiment. "It's an easy way to package two things that people expect from a band," says Hubbard. "You want to get the band t-shirt when you go to a show, you usually want to get their record. Why not just package them together?" The t-shirts have been repressed multiple times, and Polyvinyl plans to release other albums in the t-shirt and download card format. Conclusion Whether download cards can save the music industry depends on whether or not the industry can be saved. "It's part of a greater discussion of whether music is worth buying," says Collins. "If you can't sell your music, it being on a drop card isn't really going to help out." Collins says that the download cards can sell if fans start buying music again, but Scott isn't convinced they can ever be a standalone format. "The download card is basically a band-aid for music distribution," says Scott. "I feel like currently download cards are just a bridge to something better." For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook More music resources from Mashable: - Why MySpace Can Still Win as a Music Destination - 7 Unique Sites for Discovering New Music - 5 Great Ways to Find Music That Suits Your Mood - How Big Live Promises Big Change for Online Music Fans - HOW TO: Turn Your Android Phone Into a Killer MP3 Player Image courtesy of iStockphoto, YuriSH Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, iStockphoto, iTunes Tags: bands, CDs, digital music, digital music downloads, mp3, mp3s, music, records, tech

YouTube, HP and Guggenheim: Send Us Your Most Creative Video Posted: 14 Jun 2010 06:30 AM PDT The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hewlett-Packard and YouTube today launched YouTube Play, an international contest to find the world’s most creative new video. YouTube Play will accept user submissions from anywhere in the world until the deadline, July 31, 2010, 12:00 p.m PT. A jury of experts will then select up to 20 videos, which will be simultaneously presented on October 21, 2010 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, and throughout the Guggenheim network of museums in Venice, Bilbao and Berlin. The 200 videos that make it through the first round of screening will be available on the YouTube Play channel. The main criterion for winning the contest is creativity. According to YouTube, “submissions may include any form of creative video, including art, animation, motion graphics, narrative and non-narrative work, or entirely new art forms. YouTube Play hopes to attract innovative, original, and surprising videos from around the world, regardless of genre, technique, background, or budget. Participants can be art students or amateur video makers as well as creative professionals.” Check out a short promo video below, and an introduction to the project by the Managing Director of Google Creative Lab Andy Berndt and Guggenheim’s Deputy Director and Chief Curator Nancy Spector. For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

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