Mashable: Latest 20 News Updates - including “Mobile App Pinpoints Nearby Facebook and Twitter Friends” |  |
- Mobile App Pinpoints Nearby Facebook and Twitter Friends
- Google’s Long History of Social Media Attempts [INFOGRAPHIC]
- Google Launches App to Help You Find Open Parking
- YouTube Goes After Higher Quality Content and Footage
- Can Robots Run the News?
- Our Favorite YouTube Videos This Week: The Music Edition
- Twitter May Let Users Pay for Self-Promotion [RUMOR]
- Facebook “Like” Buttons Coming to E-mail Marketing
- Top 10 World Cup Twitter Trends [CHART]
- Turn Any Website into an Oil Spill [APPS]
- Interactive Tool Reveals the Social Media Behaviors of Your Audience
- 5 Tips for Job Seekers on Corporate Social Networks
- Ben & Jerry’s iPhone App Gets Even More Psychedelic with Augmented Reality
- Facebook Teams Up with British Government to Curb Deficit
- Experts Agree: Gen Y Will Not Grow Out of Social Networking [STUDY]
- Cavs Owner Brings Comic Sans Back
- Is Apple Planning to Offer Streaming TV Episodes?
- 4 Reasons the Updated iPhone is Good for Business
- China Renews Google’s ICP License
- Thanks to Mashable’s Socially Savvy Supporters
- Gmail Introduces Rich Text Signatures
| Mobile App Pinpoints Nearby Facebook and Twitter Friends Posted: 09 Jul 2010 09:00 PM PDT      Mashable's Spark of Genius series highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, see details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.
Quick Pitch: face2face introduces proximity awareness to mobile phone apps so users can know when their friends are nearby without sacrificing privacy. Genius Idea: face2face is a newly released mobile application that bills itself as a proximity-based social networking service. It works by showing which social network friends are nearby and providing tools to help users connect with them. The application is also extremely privacy-conscious which means users’ exact whereabouts are not disclosed. One of face2face’s best qualities is that out of the box there’s already an application for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry owners. Users of J2ME phones (Nokias) can expect an application in the near future. face2face also made a wise decision in leveraging the social network relationships users already have on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace as the fabric of identity for the service. Users that configure each of their accounts can benefit from a variety of cross-network features, including the ability to follow the feeds for each stream, post updates, and IM or SMS contacts. Plus, the more you engage with content from friends, the smarter the application becomes. Unfortunately, face2face doesn’t integrate with Foursquare or Gowalla for additional location data, which means the proximity measurements are pulled from each user who happens to be using the application (or running it in the background). So if a user’s social network friends are nearby, but they’re not running face2face, that user will be none the wiser. The application should be celebrated for its slick design and attention to detail, but it does have its shortcomings. Perhaps the biggest faux pas — apart from the location partnerships — is the Twitter limitation. In addition to everything else, face2face attempts to be part Twitter client and friend-connector, but it can only pull data for up to 500 of the Twitterers a user follows. If the application is to excel, it will need early adopters to sing its praises. That’s not likely with a 500 Twitter follower cap. Still the application is impressive and social media users looking to connect with their friends or friends of friends in the real world should give it a far shake.  Image courtesy of iStockphoto, asiseeit Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
Reviews: Android, Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, iStockphoto More About: bizspark, face2face, location based social networks, Mobile 2.0 For more Tech coverage:
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| Google’s Long History of Social Media Attempts [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 09 Jul 2010 07:47 PM PDT   Sure Facebook privacy issues can be frustrating, but what’s the alternative? With more than 400 million users, no other social media platform has been able to touch Facebook’s grip on person-to-person networking. But rumors have already started to fly that Facebook may soon face some stiff new competition. Google is supposedly getting into the market with Google Me, a not-yet-launched, oft-rumored social network that will directly compete with Facebook. Nothing is for certain yet, but more and more sources are saying Google Me does exist, and that could mean good things for all of us. If anyone were to take on Facebook, Google has the engineering talent, deep pockets, and customer loyalty required to give it a fair shot. Still, Google hasn’t had the best track record when it comes to social media attempts. Rather than a boring old list of past efforts, we decided put together a graphical timeline with text by our very own Stephanie Marcus and graphics by Shane Snow. Let us know what you think of Google Me (if it exists) and if anyone can actually topple Facebook.  More Google Resources from Mashable:
[img credit: Robert Scoble] Reviews: Facebook, Google More About: facebook, Google, Google Me, infographic, privacy, social network For more Social Media coverage:
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| Google Launches App to Help You Find Open Parking Posted: 09 Jul 2010 05:59 PM PDT   Google Labs has just released a new Android app that aims to help users find and share parking. The app, called Open Spot, gives users the ability to update a map when they are leaving their parking spots with others who are looking for parking. We’ve all driven around aimlessly, trying to find a parking spot — whether it’s on a street corner or in a shopping mall — and Google is hoping to crowdsource a solution that can save, gas, pollution and ultimately time. When you leave the spot, you just mark it on your phone and alert those around you that a new spot is available.  While we think the idea has a lot of promise, there are some inherent limitations into this system. First, the time limitation means that there is the potential for a spot to be taken before you get to it. Even if a spot is marked as “fresh” (within five minutes), that might not mean the spot is available. If there was a way for users to confirm that they have “taken” a spot in the system, the process might be better. The biggest problem though is that this is the sort of app that will only be useful if it gains widespread adoption. For instance, if you’re one of the only people in your neighborhood who uses the app, it will likely be useless to you unless you can convince others to join in. Getting people to use the app is going to be the biggest challenge, we think, because while the idea is good, it’s also novel. It’s the sort of novel solution that we could see ourselves using once or twice and then utterly forgetting about. Ultimately, this just strikes us as something that looks great as a theory but will be too much work for too little payoff to gain lots of traction. That isn’t to say we don’t love to see technology used to try to solve problems like finding parking spots. Android owners can download the app now and give it a try. Would you be interested in using an app to find parking spots? Let us know in the comments! Reviews: Android, Google More About: android, Android apps, Google, open spot, parking For more Mobile coverage:
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| YouTube Goes After Higher Quality Content and Footage Posted: 09 Jul 2010 04:45 PM PDT   YouTube has said that it will be sponsoring higher quality content and supporting ultra-high quality digital video. These two announcements come just days after the launch of the beta version of YouTube Leanback, the next phase in the company’s play for the living room. These moves also signal a shift in strategy for the online video site as it attempts to brand itself as a content destination rather than a place to watch viral videos. YouTube Partner Grants: Paying for Better ContentYouTube is rolling out its YouTube Partner Grants program, which will invest five million dollars to select new and emerging YouTube partners. The goal here is to provide small production companies and studios with the funds needed to produce high quality original content. The money that is given via the YouTube Partner Grants program will be an advance on future YouTube revenue shares. In other words, this is less of a “grant” in the government or endowment sense and more similar to how the record industry works. Eligible partners will be identified by YouTube and they will be contacted and invited to submit a proposal. Once proposals are approved, the funds are transferred to the partner and they can start using it to buy better equipment, hire new people and expand their marketing efforts. YouTube Goes 4KYouTube, a site that has never been particularly known for its overall video quality, will now support videos shot in 4K. 4K is a new standard in high-end digital video and it has a horizontal resolution of about 4000 pixels. The ideal screen size for 4K video is 25 feet and the resulting image is roughly four times the size of 1080p. Some of the most innovative new digital camera systems, like the RED One shoot in 4K. The RED One system, which is extremely innovative because not only is it modular and extremely upgradable, but it also offers incredible quality at a reasonable (for professional camera standards) price and in a body that is extremely lightweight. RED has been used to shoot films like The Lovely Bones, Green Zone and The Informant! as well as many commercials and music videos. It’s quickly becoming the camera kit of choice amongst digital filmmakers and now that footage can be uploaded to YouTube in its ultimate resolution.  That said, 4K isn’t without its caveats. First, while camera systems like the RED One are inexpensive by professional standards — a fairly robust setup can be had for around $30,000 — competitors like the Arriflex Alexa can easily cost over $100,000 after lens and mounts are involved. It’s still going to be out of reach for many would-be auteurs. The bigger issue is that the bandwidth requirements for 4K are pretty substantial. Not only that, but even if you do have the bandwidth to support 4K streaming, you may not having the computing horsepower. YouTube linked to four 4K uploads on its blog post, and while they were viewable over my 50 megabit connection on my Core i7 iMac with 8 GB of RAM at a very good framerate, the clarity wasn’t any better than at 1080p because I don’t have a 4K monitor. Approved YouTube Grant Partners will probably spend some of their money on upgrading their production equipment. Depending on the budget and scope of the projects, that might including getting one of the latest high-end digital video cameras, like the RED One. The RED system can record high-definition content in 4K, or a reference resolution of 4096×3072. That’s nearly four times the size of 1080p and the ideal screen size for 4K is 25 feet. And while we commend YouTube for supporting next generation formats so quickly, we still think its bitrate is on the low side. Redefining YouTubeYouTube is the dominant video site when it comes to short-form content, but when it comes to longer form original content, it lacks consumer and creator mindshare. While the company boasts about having more than 10,000 YouTube partners (content creators who get revenue share in ads overlaid on their content), the reality is that most of those partners don’t make anything off of their content. What’s more, with the exception of commercial content that is redistributed through YouTube, the site doesn’t have the best reputation for more artistic content. That’s why the grants program is important. If it works, YouTube could start attracting the kind of content that is currently being published to sites like Vimeo or Blip.tv. The support for next generation formats goes hand in hand with cultivating higher-end content creators. It’s also a sign that YouTube is really focussed on looking beyond the computer screen. The living room is quickly becoming a battleground in the connected content space and YouTube definitely wants to make sure it has a big piece of the pie. What do you think about YouTube Partner Grants and support for 4K video? Let us know! Reviews: BLIP, Vimeo, YouTube More About: 4k, RED camera, RED one, trending, youtube, youtube partner grants For more Tech coverage:
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| Posted: 09 Jul 2010 02:50 PM PDT   To the chagrin of sports reporters everywhere, a team from Northwestern University’s engineering and journalism schools has created a program that automatically generates sports news stories. Stats Monkey uses the box score and play-by-play — even quotes, if they’re available online — to compile articles that follow one of the system’s pre-defined narrative arcs. Despite the lack of human involvement in this process, New York Times columnist David Carr delivered a verdict of “not-that-terrible” on the result. A company called Narrative Science has even licensed the Stat Monkey software and now provides automated stories to news outlets, including the Big Ten Network. Reporting and writing, though possibly the most disconcerting, aren’t the only newsroom tasks that are increasingly being handed off to computers. Here’s a look at some other journalistic duties being outsourced to A.I. and whether or not they are ready for prime time. Editorial AutomationInstead of copy editors making the final call on how to headline articles at The Huffington Post, computers run an automated test period with two options. The headline that gets the best response from readers sticks. The process of finding the content itself is also becoming more automated. Instead of editors trolling for the best stories to post on their websites, some news sources employ algorithmic systems to decide which stories to put on their pages and when. And another project from Northwestern University, News at Seven, has been compiling information on the web to create automated newscasts since 2006. A company called Demand Media, though not a traditional news outlet, is probably most well-known for using automated computer processes to help create content. It uses an algorithm to generate headlines that will do the best in search engines and be most appealing to advertisers. Once the headline is generated, a pool of freelancers can sign up to write or create a video of the story for about $25. More than 10,000 freelancers create about 6,000 pieces of content every day. One of the most popular sites Demand Media produces is eHow.com, which anyone who uses a search engine knows is often successful in launching content to the top of results — so successful, in fact, that Google seems to be interested in creating a similar model. The Pros and Cons of Computational Journalism
Another upside is that automating news tasks is more efficient and profitable. Narrative Science doesn’t need to pay a reporter or even buy a game ticket in order to sell an article about a sporting event. They could produce and sell an article on every little league game in the country without substantially increasing their overhead costs (provided they have a reliable source of game data, of course). On a similar note, by catering to search engines and advertisers, Demand Media has, not surprisingly, demonstrated a potential to sell a lot of advertising. They’re expecting an annual revenue of about $250 million. But, as the once fully automated blog Techmeme found out, there are also limits to what computers can accomplish without real, flesh-and-blood reporters. The blog analyzes the way sites link together in order to determine what is newsworthy. In the beginning, the automated posts to the blog were unedited, but after some embarrassing headlines (including one about Anna Nicole Smith’s hospitalization posted after she had already been declared dead), the blog founder announced in a post entitled “Guess what? Automated News Doesn’t Quite Work” that he would be hiring a human editor. And while Carr was impressed with the automatic article that Stats Monkey produced on a playoff game between the Angels and the Red Sox, he also noted that the computer program missed the most important detail: That the winning team went on to play the Yankees for the championship. While automatic news generators do a great job of compiling information that other people put online, those people still need to put it online. According to a 2010 Pew Research Center Study that tracked several news threads, 83% of content was essentially repetitive. Of the 17% of “news” that actually contained new information, nearly all of it came from traditional media outlets — a.k.a. people. More Journalism Resources From Mashable:
Images courtesy of iStockphoto, VikaSuh, domin_domin Reviews: Google, iStockphoto More About: aggregators, automation, computers, journalism, News, robots, tech For more Tech coverage:
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| Our Favorite YouTube Videos This Week: The Music Edition Posted: 09 Jul 2010 02:28 PM PDT Hey loyal Mash readers, who has a song in their hearts today? Well, that makes one of us. If you’re currently lacking in the get-up-and-go, sunshine-and-bluebirds power required to get you gunning toward the weekend, check out our amazing medley of YouTube videos. This week’s theme is music, so tune up your laptops and try to stay on key (hehe). Only a few more clicks on the metronome until you can go out and hit a few bars — hopefully not solo (someone stop me, I’m a punning machine…) Example - Kickstarts (Official Video) (OUT NOW - AVAILABLE ON iTUNES)Lauren Rubin: Fun video, fun song, and a dance favorite of @keithtiley. SOUR '日々の音色 (Hibi no neiro)'Amy-Mae Elliott: This music video blew my socks off when I first saw it earlier this week. It begins looking for all the world like a blog standard, low-budget webcam effort, but keep watching -- the creativity is absolutely astounding (and the song's not bad either!) Vuvuzela OrchestraJay Irani: Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the vuvuzela orchestra, and wish you best of luck in sitting through all 1:39 seconds of it! Lena (Germany) performs winning 2010 Eurovision Song Contest songBen Parr: Lena swept the Eurovision song contest this year, and with good reason. "I'm Yours" (ukulele)Josh Catone: This is super adorable. Kids with UkuleleErica Swallow: What's possibly more adorable than a 5-year-old ukulele genius? A WHOLE ROOM of kids playing ukes while singing "Frère Jacques." More triangle, please! McDonalds Chicken Nugget Rap CommercialStephanie Marcus: It's terrifying when advertisers try to anthropomorphize "food." Even more terrifying when said "food" sings. Oh the horror. Sheltie SingingZachary Sniderman: I think the confusion at the start is what really makes the vid, that and Joplin. Insane clown Posse - "Miracles" (Acoustic Cover)Brenna Ehrlich: The original is loads better, but I enjoy a good "unplugged" version as much as the next girl. Also, I would like those guitar tabs, please... [img credit: Asim Bijarani] More About: humor, music, pop culture, viral video, youtube For more Web Video coverage:
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| Twitter May Let Users Pay for Self-Promotion [RUMOR] Posted: 09 Jul 2010 01:17 PM PDT   Twitter might be exploring an addition to its Promoted Tweets advertising platform that would let users pay to get more exposure — and followers — for their Twitter accounts. Sources have told All Things Digital that the rumored product is being discussed internally. Their sources claim that it would be akin to a “Promoted Tweeter” initiative that “highlights specific user accounts, designed to bump up follower counts.” There’s very little information about what this product would look like, how it would function or the pricing model. Sources did indicate that the product would be web and third-party application-friendly, although even that sounds very futuristic given that Promoted Tweets and Trends have yet to extend beyond Twitter.com. Twitter spokesperson Sean Garrett did not confirm or deny the initiative and instead merely commented that the company would “eventually have full suites of both promoted and commercial products.” We’ve reached out to Twitter as well and will update this post should the company decide to address the rumors around the product offering. Speculatively speaking, we could easily envision Twitter creating a do-it-yourself advertising play that would let users pay to promote their own tweets or profiles for the purpose of trying to gain more followers. Still, Twitter’s never been the type of company to emphasize or reward high user follower counts, which lends a hint of doubt to the rumor. [img credit: Matt Hamm] Reviews: Twitter More About: followers, Promoted Tweets, twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| Facebook “Like” Buttons Coming to E-mail Marketing Posted: 09 Jul 2010 12:29 PM PDT   E-mail marketing service MailChimp is preparing to release a new version of its application that includes support for integrating Facebook “Like” buttons in e-mail campaigns. MailChimp v5.2 will be released early next week and include support for the social plugin. Essentially marketers will soon have a simple way to plop Facebook “Like” buttons inside their e-mail messages. The e-mail “Like” buttons will look and function in exactly the same way that they do on the web. So, when a subscriber clicks the “Like” button in an e-mail, the campaign is then posted to their Facebook profile. Those “Like” behaviors are tracked by MailChimp and made accessible in the campaign social stats section. While somewhat controversial, “Like” buttons have proved to be incredibly popular, especially for content creators and online publishers. Nearly 65 million users reportedly “Like” things daily, and TypePad users have experienced a 50% increase in referral traffic to their blogs from Facebook. If the MailChimp “Like” addition works as advertised, we predict the upcoming feature will prove extremely popular with e-mail marketers and have the potential to massively boost user engagement. Given the very nature of Facebook “Like,” the e-mail recipient that clicks to “Like” something is taking a much more social and long-lasting action than simply clicking on a link. In fact, some might even make a case for replacing the link with the “Like” in e-mail altogether. Watch the video below for a descriptive walkthrough of the new feature. [img credit: Mzelle Biscotte] Reviews: Facebook, TypePad More About: email, facebook, Facebook Like, mailchimp, MARKETING For more Social Media coverage:
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| Top 10 World Cup Twitter Trends [CHART] Posted: 09 Jul 2010 12:18 PM PDT   For continuous World Cup coverage, check out Mashable’s 2010 World Cup Hub, which will be updated throughout the games. It seems that throughout the World Cup tournament, the most vocal tweeters have been from South America. Many of the top trending phrases, like Gano Hollanda and Alemania, have been in Portuguese and Spanish, and rarely have these languages been absent from the trends since the Cup began. Those vocal Brazilian and Argentinian fans love to talk about their individual players, but tend to refer to the opposition by country name only. So a wave of Brazilian lamentations over the team that defeated them and a surge of U.S. support for Holland has sent The Netherlands to the top of this week’s team chart. Below is the full breakdown, graciously compiled by Liz Pullen of What The Trend. Remember, these rankings are not about team and player abilities, but reflect a “trend point” aggregation of hotly discussed topics related to them. Most-Tweeted World Cup Teams
Most-Tweeted World Cup PlayersWe only included players on teams that actually played in the past week, which means that football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who continues to garner plenty of chatter from fans, has been removed from the stats below (his team — Portugal — was eliminated from the competition in the Round of 16). He would have ranked at number two on this chart.
Need more social media World Cup coverage? Of course you do! Head on over to Mashable’s World Cup headquarters, where you’ll find real-time data on match scores, social mentions, and links to all our previous news and resources. More World Cup resources from Mashable:
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Jezperklauzen Reviews: Facebook, Mashable, Twitter, World Cup, iStockphoto More About: data, social media, sports, trends, twitter, twitter trends, world cup, world cup 2010, world cup twitter trends For more Social Media coverage:
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| Turn Any Website into an Oil Spill [APPS] Posted: 09 Jul 2010 12:07 PM PDT   Although interest in the Gulf oil spill may be waning, more and more creative folks are finding ways to raise awareness. The newest tool on the block? An app that lets you create an oil spill on any webpage you choose. A Cleaner Future — a collaboration between marketing company Mark & Phil and postproduction house Greener Media that seeks to raise awareness about clean energy — is responsible for this wicked new toy. All you have to do is visit www.instantoilspill.com (check out Mashable being oiled above) to create your very own oil spill. You’ll then be treated to an inspirational quote. Ours was from Brad Pitt. (Erm. OK.) You can then choose to send the tool to a friend. According to AdAge, this is only the first in a series of projects from A Cleaner Future — they’re also working on a documentary about the communities affected by the spill. There’s no denying that what happened in the Gulf is a disaster of historic proportions. Still, it’s interesting to see what it has wrought: legions of creative projects from passionate people aiming to make a difference. From satirical Twitter streams that could teach the big guys a thing or two about branding, to custom Tumblr dashboards, to inspired plugins to vuvuzela-wielding protesters, the Internet is out full-force this time around. We hope all this creative sound and fury ends up signifying something. Reviews: AdAge, Internet, Mashable More About: oil-spill, pop culture, software, tech For more Dev & Design coverage:
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| Interactive Tool Reveals the Social Media Behaviors of Your Audience Posted: 09 Jul 2010 11:07 AM PDT Trend Stream has released a mini version of its Global Web Index — a syndicated market research service on web behavior and social media — in interactive infographic form. The tool (above) provides an insightful look at the social media profiles of various online users. Trend Stream’s “LITE” two-step tool lets users pick a country and define a specific audience — by gender, age and attitude — to pull up social media behavior and attitude analysis. The tool will then return a bevy of stats encompassing social media motivations, activities and brand perceptions for the selected audience and the entire country. The idea behind Global Web Index LITE is to give brands and marketers a snapshot of the social media preferences and motivations of their online audience. Try it out above and let us know what you think. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, VallarieE Reviews: iStockphoto More About: global web index, MARKETING, research, social media For more Social Media coverage:
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| 5 Tips for Job Seekers on Corporate Social Networks Posted: 09 Jul 2010 10:50 AM PDT   Anne Berkowitch is co-founder and CEO of SelectMinds, the leading provider of networking and referral technologies and of the recently launched TalentVine referral recruiting solution. You can follow SelectMinds on Twitter at @SelectMinds. There's a lot of talk these days about using social networks as job search tools as well as sources for recruiters and HR executives to scout talent. Many organizations opt to build secure, private networks for their current and former employees that provide a place for people to connect and refer opportunities, contacts and information to one another. Here are some tips to get the most out of these increasingly common company networks. 1. Remember Your ResourcesWhile it may be natural to dive into the wider web in your job search, you might be better served to take advantage of resources and people you are already connected to. Many businesses of all sizes offer networks to connect current and former employees. Check in with HR heads of former employers and find out what networking tools they offer. In the battle for great talent, it's in their interest to keep up with you and where your career is headed. 2. Present Your Best SelfWhen building your identity and reputation on a company network, it's important to remember that these networks are professional environments that are rarely anonymous. While you may have shared some drinks at the holiday party in 2007, you still want to engage with current and former colleagues on a strictly professional basis. Remember to update your information (title, company, leadership experience, etc.) regularly, perhaps every quarter, and point it out to relevant people as appropriate. Also note that while you’re maintaining a professional presence on internal company networks, your public social profiles on Facebook, Twitter and other sites will often be checked by recruiters before they make contact with you. We've all heard the horror stories — for example, applicants updating their status or tweeting before and after an interview with disparaging or confidential remarks about the company. We've heard about recent college grads who have thousands of photos on Facebook, many of which are not work appropriate. These are lessons applicants need only learn once. Showing some personality is important, but it's a fine line. 3. Reconnect
People are used to getting "Friended," "Followed," "Connected With" and more on a regular basis, so reaching out to past colleagues with whom you’ve worked should be well received. It's a great way to share opportunities, personal and professional news, and stay up to date on happenings at your company. When you join a company network, spend some time identifying colleagues and friends within the organizations and acknowledge them on the network. The foundation of many workplace relationships is gained in the first few days working together. A vendor my company works with recently had an influx of new hires due to business growth. The new team they assembled is full of characters and they promote camaraderie as an essential piece of their corporate culture. These employees are not just all Facebook friends but they're neighbors, they Follow each other on Twitter, retweet each other, etc. They are connected personally and online in a way we know will continue even if one of them should make a career move. 4. Show Your Self-MotivationAs everyone knows, finding a job is work in itself. If you want to get advice from a former colleague or talk about business connections or job opportunities, you have to reach out. (Re)connect online and then consider setting up a get-together with former colleagues. Being outgoing and organized is a quick way to get recognized — a factor that’s sure to pay off in the future. In-person meetings always go farther than a phone call ever could. For HR managers who work at large, global businesses, it's nearly impossible to meet candidates face to face. But if you're an executive and someone local is asking to meet up, it's a great activity to make time for. I recently heard about a young job seeker who wanted to relocate and found out the local director at her dream firm had gone to a competing high school. That connection alone (pointed out in an e-mail she sent him when she happened to be in town) got her in the door and ultimately, the job itself. 5. It Can't Hurt to AskGiven the professional nature of company networks, it's more common and expected for the topic of job openings and hiring to come up. Don't be afraid to ask your connections how they got their newest job, why they left a company, or if they would be willing to make an introduction for you. Understand that these networks create mutual relationships, so be sure to offer connections, guidance and thoughts to others — engendering good will when it comes to a professional network goes a long way. A woman my company works with has had previous high profile jobs in her field. As a result, many people know her and ask her for favors. The one she tells us she always obliges is giving honest answers to people who are considering going to work for her previous companies. Often these connections come through people she may need a favor from someday too, so it's a valuable practice to help past companies find great talent, even though she’s already left. More Business Resources from Mashable:
Images courtesy of studiovision, iStockphoto, Andresr Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, iStockphoto More About: business, job search, jobs, List, Lists, networking, small busines, social media, social networking, social networks, tips For more Business coverage:
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| Ben & Jerry’s iPhone App Gets Even More Psychedelic with Augmented Reality Posted: 09 Jul 2010 10:31 AM PDT   Some branded iPhone apps are useful: Dunkin’ Run makes it easy to collect co-workers’ drink requests for company coffee runs, for instance, while Whole Foods Market Recipes [iTunes link] lets users compile a shopping list and suggests recipes based on the ingredients on the list. Other apps, like those by Conde Nast Traveller and Tiger Beer even use augmented reality in a useful (rather than gimmicky) fashion. And then there is Ben & Jerry’s Scoop of Happiness app [iTunes link], which was just re-released with a new augmented reality-enhanced feature called Moo Vision. Holding up a pint of New York Super Fudge Chunk, Cherry Garcia, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or Milk & Cookies ice cream to your iPhone will cause vector images of cocoa farmers, Manhattan skyscrapers and, uh, flying chickens to magically spring forth from the lid. You can click to find out exactly why these various images are appearing and — get ready for it — share the information with your friends on your favorite social networks. Thematically, the feature makes sense. The app already has a “Mystic Moo’s Flavor Fortune” game, featuring a shawled, bejeweled and bespectacled cow with a crystal ball that will help you predict which flavor you’ll be most in the mood for during your next trip to the grocery store. I’m apparently destined to crave a pint of Phish Food this morning, which should sit great after my six-mile run. In all seriousness, what’s actually cool about the augmented reality function is that there are no QR codes involved — in other words, Ben & Jerry’s didn’t have to go through an expensive package redesign process to add the new feature to its app. Call me a killjoy, but I feel that the app needs to offer something a little more useful or interactive to justify the 21.5 MB of space it’s currently taking up on my iPhone. You can use the app to locate Ben & Jerry’s stores on a map, but you can also do that with Google Maps; what would be useful is if you could identify every location that sells Ben & Jerry’s icecream, including grocery and convenience stores. But I appear to be the exception — before the update, the app was the 37th most popular free app in the App Store, according to the company. Check out the video preview below and let us know what you think of the app’s new feature. Do you tend to gravitate towards apps that are more fun or utilitarian in nature? Video PreviewDisclosure: Ben & Jerry’s is a Mashable sponsor. Reviews: App Store, Google Maps, Mashable More About: Augmented Reality, ben & jerrys, iphone app For more Mobile coverage:
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| Facebook Teams Up with British Government to Curb Deficit Posted: 09 Jul 2010 10:05 AM PDT   The British government and Facebook have announced a partnership aimed at spearheading a new initiative focused on public spending and tackling the deficit. This is being described as the “largest public engagement project” ever launched by the British government, and the goal is to tap into the 26 million British citizens who actively use Facebook and get their feedback and ideas about policies associated with the public spending budget. During the general election, more than one million people participated in election day polls using the Democracy UK Facebook Page. The government hopes to use that momentum to solicit ideas and opinions about the deficit. The first phase of the Spending Challenge was rolled out to individuals who work in the public sector and the feedback was pretty strong: More than 60,000 ideas were submitted in just two weeks. This second phase, which is open to all British citizens, encourages individuals to not only submit ideas but to give feedback on suggestions from others. Prime Minister David Cameron held a web conference with Mark Zuckerberg to discuss Facebook’s role in supporting the Treasury’s new project. What do you think of the way the British Government is using social media to affect public policy? Let us know! Reviews: Facebook More About: British Government, facebook, government, politics, spending challenge For more Social Media coverage:
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| Experts Agree: Gen Y Will Not Grow Out of Social Networking [STUDY] Posted: 09 Jul 2010 09:18 AM PDT   In a survey conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, an overwhelming majority of technology experts and stakeholders believe that social networking and online sharing is more than just a fad for today’s youth. More than two-thirds of those surveyed indicated that the Millennial generation — otherwise known as Generation Y — will continue to use social networking tools as they mature into adult life stages and have families of their own. The research is part of Pew’s fourth “Future of the Internet” study which includes responses from selected experts and Internet users who were asked to think about “the future of the Internet-connected world between now and 2020.” When it comes to Millennials, 67% of experts in the respondent pool agreed with the following statement:
Pew found that the experts believe the advantages and social benefits of sharing personal information online far outweigh the consequences, an attitude that these young “digital natives” will carry into adulthood. A survey response from a Mozilla programmer exemplifies this notion: “Unless Generation Y has a collective privacy-related epiphany, they will continue to happily trade it for convenience.” There’s even consensus that society may learn to forgive these teens of their youthful errors in judgment online. Those dissenting with the majority (29%) believe that Generation Y will lose interest in social networking and age out of sharing personal information online. At the rate teens are using social networking sites, it’s easy to see why the experts believe social media usage will grow with younger generations as they mature. Where do you stand on the subject?  [img credit: foreversouls] Reviews: Internet More About: generation y, millennials, Pew Internet, Pew Internet & American Life Project, social media, survey For more Social Media coverage:
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| Cavs Owner Brings Comic Sans Back Posted: 09 Jul 2010 08:57 AM PDT   While LeBron James might have made sports history last night when he decided to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join forces with the Miami Heat — after a long, dramatic buildup that included King James joining Twitter — he may have made an even more important contribution to the cultural canon: The return of comic sans. A lot of people were naturally PO’d at James for turning coat and leaving his hometown team, but the most peeved was Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who penned a long epistle on the team website tearing into James. The contents of the letter were certainly worthy of going viral — there were a lot of all-caps sentiments and more than a little ill will — but the font Gilbert chose was, for lack of a better word, awesome. Comic-freaking-sans. You know, that font we all thought was rad when we were, like, 12 years old. The use of said font has sparked discussions across the web — it was a trending topic this morning on Twitter and The Washington Post even made mention of it — which leads us to wonder if it will make a true comeback sometime soon. Since its inception in 1994 — it was created Vincent Connare — people have had mixed feelings about the child-like font. Apparently, there’s even been a “Ban Comic Sans” campaign going since 1999. Still, we’ve seen the font coming back into the public eye rather whimsically of late — Timothy McSweeney’s Internet Tendency even recently featured a short, imagined monologue titled “I’m Comic Sans, A**hole.” I’ll admit that I’m a bit biased here, as I have a strange predilection for the goofy typeface — call it “I love the ugly puppy” syndrome — but it’s interesting to see it thrust into the public eye hand-in-hand with a sports-related incident. What do you think? They may have lost the King, but can the Cavs save Sans? [img credit: keith allison] Reviews: Twitter More About: font, humor, popular-culture, social media, sports For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Is Apple Planning to Offer Streaming TV Episodes? Posted: 09 Jul 2010 08:46 AM PDT   More fuel has been added to the overhauled Apple TV rumor fire, the latest reports indicating that the company is looking to migrate from the download-to-own to a stream-to-rent model for its TV shows. Currently, Apple sells individual episodes for $1.99 (standard definition) and $2.99 (high definition). Shows are also available as full seasons or via a season pass. The current rumor suggests that Apple is trying to negotiate the right to “rent” TV shows for $0.99 an episode. What’s more, these episodes would be streamed off of the device rather than downloaded locally. While cable companies often offer recent episodes of network TV shows for rental via video-on-demand, even that model has shifted from paid to free. It just doesn’t make sense to charge money to “rent” an individual episode of a TV show, especially if you’re talking about sitcoms or animated content which has a run time of about twenty-one minutes. What we can see happening is Apple shifting its current TV strategy from download-to-own to stream-on-demand. By that, we mean that rather than downloading the file in iTunes or on the Apple TV and then transferring it to an iPod, iPad or iPhone, users instead would be able to stream the content from any device connected to their iTunes account. The trade-off would be that because content is streamed, connectivity would be required. If a stream-on-demand strategy were in place, that might be an interesting alternative to the all-you-can-eat offerings from Hulu Plus or Netflix Watch Instantly. We reached out to Apple for comment regarding the latest Apple TV rumors but have not yet heard back from the company. Would you be interested in stream-on-demand television episodes delivered by iTunes? Reviews: Netflix Watch Instantly More About: Apple TV, hulu plus, streaming video, tv show rentals For more Apple coverage:
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| 4 Reasons the Updated iPhone is Good for Business Posted: 09 Jul 2010 07:37 AM PDT   This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. A new version of the iPhone hit Apple stores all over the country this week, and while none of its new features are strictly for business users, we can already think of a myriad of great ways business users can use the device that weren’t possible until now. Note that a couple of these are also available to owners of the previous model (iPhone 3GS) via a software update, but if you want the whole suite of new features in the software, you’ll want to grab the latest hardware, too. 1. Video CallsThe most touted feature of the iPhone 4 is a video calling mode called FaceTime. Just one tap on the screen will connect you with any other iPhone 4 user for a virtual face-to-face conversation using the device’s new front-facing camera — provided you’re both connected to Wi-Fi hotspots. 3G calling capability is expected next year, though it’s not clear whether or not you’ll have to buy a new model to do that. We’re guessing you won’t; it should just be a software update once AT&T’s cellular data network is up to the task. Talking to clients or partners face-to-face instead of just hearing one another’s voices can be a major boon if you’re trying to build and maintain strong relationships, especially over long distances. Sure, you could do video calls on services like Skype before, but it just got a lot easier with the new iPhone. 2. Unified E-mail InboxDepending on what kind of business you’re trying to run, you might end up with multiple e-mail addresses to check. Even if it’s just your personal and your work account, it’s hard to keep it all straight sometimes. Previously the iPhone wasn’t very helpful on this front, because it wouldn’t display e-mails from different accounts in the same inbox. That’s changed with iOS 4, the new operating system software freely available for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. Now you can view your account inboxes individually or all together in one. Additionally, e-mail conversations are sorted by “thread.” That means that when you receive 20 replies to a single e-mail, your inbox will have a link to a thread of messages in the conversation instead of throwing all 20 out in front, drowning out other e-mails. Both new e-mail features are welcome additions for business users who deal with a lot of e-mail coming in from many different places. 3. Better Battery LifeThe iPhone 4’s battery life is significantly better than that of the iPhone 3GS or either of its predecessors. The 3GS would run out of juice after a long day of flights, layovers and meetings. Not so with the iPhone 4, which gets an astounding 300 hours of life when on standby, and 9 hours of 3G talk time. Apple accomplished this despite added features and increased performance by installing a much larger battery in the device. It won’t be a night-and-day difference, but you’ll still be happy with it on long trips. 4. Better Enterprise SupportApple has updated the iPhone operating system with improved enterprise features that its customers in the business world have requested time and again. Those updates include features like wireless app distribution and mobile device management, along with SSL VPN support. Further, data protection of business-critical information is improved by protecting e-mails and attachments stored on the phone by using the device passcode as an encryption key. Perhaps most notably, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 is now supported, and the phone can handle multiple Exchange accounts, which quite a few executives and medium business owners use. It’s still not a BlackBerry, but the iPhone is closer than it has ever been. Note that these enterprise features will also work on the iPhone 3GS or 3G if you upgrade them to iOS 4. These new features have certainly enhanced the iPhone’s appeal to business owners. Will these new offerings persuade you to purchase an iPhone 4 for your business needs? Let us know in the comments below. Reviews: Facebook, Skype, Twitter More About: apple, business, iphone, iphone 4, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, smb For more Business coverage:
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| China Renews Google’s ICP License Posted: 09 Jul 2010 06:49 AM PDT   After tense negotiations, China has renewed Google’s ICP (Internet Content Provider) license, meaning that Google will continue to operate as a search engine in China. The future of Google.cn recently became very unpredictable. Google was redirecting traffic from its Chinese search engine to its (uncensored) Hong Kong search engine, Google.com.hk, but it became apparent that the Chinese government wouldn’t renew Google’s ICP license if Google continued with the practice. Google then changed its approach, and instead of automatically redirecting traffic, the company started displaying a landing page on Google.cn that links to Google.com.hk. According to an update on Google’s official blog post on the matter today, it seems that this new tactic worked. “We are very pleased that the government has renewed our ICP license and we look forward to continuing to provide web search and local products to our users in China,” wrote Google’s chief legal officer, David Drummond. This doesn’t solve all of Google’s problems in China. After an attack on Google which reportedly originated from China earlier this year, Google threatened to pull out of China altogether, citing freedom of speech as one of the main reasons. Later Google changed its stance, merely refusing to censor the results of its search engine in China. The final chapter of this saga, we believe, has not yet been told. Reviews: Google For more Tech coverage:
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| Thanks to Mashable’s Socially Savvy Supporters Posted: 09 Jul 2010 06:27 AM PDT
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This week, our valued sponsors are bmi, IGLOO, Webtrends Mobile Analytics, IDG, Yield Software, Clickatell, Influxis, Microsoft BizSpark, MailChimp, Sun Startup Essentials, MaxCDN and Eventbrite.  bmi is the second largest airline at London Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest and best-connected international airports. From our Heathrow hub we operate services in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. bmi’s global reach is further extended by being a member of Star Alliance, a grouping of 27 International airlines offering customers a worldwide network and a smooth integrated travel experience. Overall, Star Alliance offers more than 21,050 daily flights to 1,167 destinations in 181 countries. bmi is committed to using technology such as E-ticketing, Online Booking, Self Check-in at the airport and via the internet, helping to smooth and speed up the pre-flight experience. This, combined with streamlined behind-the-scenes processes and procedures, means the airline can boast one of the best punctuality records of any airline operating in the UK. bmi is part of the Lufthansa family of airlines, bringing us closer and even stronger partnerships with some of Europe’s major carriers. Check out their ongoing promotion.  IGLOO is a social software company that builds online communities for business. Uniting content management, collaboration and knowledge sharing tools within one secure social networking platform, IGLOO enables organizations to overcome the barriers to communication and collaboration that emerge because of size. Whether the obstacles are organizational or geographic, a more open and connected business improves employee productivity (Workplace Communities) and helps to foster better relationships with customers, partners and suppliers (Marketplace Communities). Learn more about how IGLOO is socializing the workplace and helping organizations build successful online communities through the IGLOO Social Media Playbook.  Webtrends Mobile Analytics lets you to monitor the adoption and usage of your mobile apps and mobile sites. It provides near limitless customization in terms of the data gathered and depth of analysis across iPhone, Android and Blackberry. And the data resides side-by-side with your website analytics. To keep up with Webtrends Mobile, add our blog to your RSS reader.  IDG’s Strategic Marketing Services group works with tech marketers to deliver services that include integrated multimedia marketing programs, program consulting and IDG Amplify social media advertising.  Yield Software's Yield Web Marketing Suite optimizes paid search (PPC) natural search (SEO) and landing pages, all in one easy-to-use Web-based system. A simple, intuitive interface together with sophisticated algorithms work seamlessly to optimize SEM campaigns every minute of every day, enabling growing businesses and their agencies to lower costs, improve performance and increase profitability. Yield also offers a free SEO Analyzer, which delivers a report covering how well a site is optimized and suggestions for improvement. Yield Software—Web Marketing Made Easy.  Clickatell offers mobile social networks the opportunity to measure their return on investment. Not only does Clickatell offer an Interactive Campaign Manager tool that allows you to monitor and intervene in your customer campaigns in real time, it also generates and manages database integration and comes with additional marketing tools. Track the delivery status of your text messages and the responses; take the guesswork out of campaigning. Your valuable messages will always be delivered as our products allow for message escalation to alternative delivery gateways. Social networks are also, through the account management package, given control over network channels and connectivity options. All necessary tasks have been automated and our central interface allows you to manage multiple connections and projects at the same time. Which leading social networking companies have chosen Clickatell as a mobile messaging partner? Read our success stories here.  Influxis is an official Adobe hosting partner and resource for the Adobe Flash Media Interactive Server. Influxis provides Flash hosting plans for all levels of use – beginner to enterprise. With a reputation for exceptional customer service, Influxis provides an extremely reliable international network of FMS servers in the U.S., U.K. and Germany.  BizSpark is a program which offers new software businesses and entrepreneurs access to Microsoft design, development and production tools with no upfront costs for up to three years. Members can also connect with a nationwide community of Network Partners – investors, incubators, service providers and entrepreneurial organizations – who are keen to help. For more information or to connect with a Microsoft BizSpark advisor, please visit MicrosoftStartupZone.com/BizSpark.  MailChimp is a powerful, easy-to-use e-mail marketing service. You design, me deliver.  If you’re working for a startup, Sun can help you get it off the ground fast. We created the fee-free Sun Startup Essentials program offering deep discounts on industry-leading, power efficient systems and storage products, optimized open-source software, massively scalable Web hosting services, plus free visibility via Sun’s co-marketing engine. It’s time to build your business on the kind of infrastructure that can scale right along with the skyrocketing demands of success. Find out about Sun Startup Essentials today!  MaxCDN – Content Delivery Network. MaxCDN makes it easy and affordable to get maximum global performance from your site and enable your visitors to get the most out of their visit! MaxCDN offers: resistance to the Digg effect, SSL Integration, No Setup Fee, US-based customer service, No Commitments. Get 1 TeraByte for just $39.95 today!
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. Additionally, thanks to the following partners for making Mashable happen: Since 2007 W3 EDGE has assisted with creative, web development and search / social media marketing Mashable.com and its numerous projects and other web properties. Day-to-day maintenance and support is also handled by Frederick Townes and his W3 EDGE team.
Thanks to ConVerdge for implementing our My Mashable social network.  Mashable would also like to thank AttentionPR for its PR support. AttentionPR proves that PR today is measurable, transparent and yes, social. Learn more about AttentionPR.  Rackspace is the better way to do hosting. No more worrying about web hosting uptime. No more spending your time, energy and resources trying to stay on top of things like patching, updating, monitoring, backing up data and the like. Learn why.  iStockphoto offers easy, affordable inspiration with millions of safe, royalty-free photos, illustrations, video, audio and Flash® files. Using the most accurate search in the business, customers download a file at least every second from a collection of more than five million files for business, marketing and personal projects. iStockphoto started in 2000, pioneering the micropayment photography business model and has become one of the most successful and profitable user-generated content sites in the world. iStockphoto pays out approximately $1.2 million weekly in artist royalties. iStockphoto is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Getty Images. Mashable readers save 10%.  Founded in 1998 as a free service, Dynamic Network Services Incorporated (Dyn Inc.) now operates two extremely reliable, “rock solid,” global DNS platforms; DynDNS.com for home/SMB users and the Dynect Platform for corporations and enterprises. As a leading provider of managed DNS services, Dyn Inc. plays a key role in keeping the Internet’s DNS infrastructure running smoothly, handling trillions of queries per day and servicing nearly four million active users. With a range of innovative solutions, from domain name and e-mail services on DynDNS.com, to failover, load balancing, traffic management and CDN balancing services with the Dynect Platform, Dyn Inc. remains committed to world class customer service and engineering excellence. Uptime is the Bottom Line. For more information about Dyn Inc., visit www.dyn.com, e-mail hello@dyn.com or call +1-603-668-4998.  ConcentricSky offers web development and strategic consulting services with a focus on emerging technologies such as Social Media and iPhone Apps. From simple websites to integrated web applications, we deliver innovative solutions that exceed your expectations – not your budget. We can get your name out there.Contact us for more information about supporting Mashable’s growth and development. Alternatively, visit our advertise section for more details about:
CPM-based advertising is available through our partner, Federated Media, but if you contact us directly, you’ll be entitled to exclusive unpublished discounts. Reviews: Android, Apps, Digg, Mashable, blog, iStockphoto, social media For more Social Media coverage:
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| Gmail Introduces Rich Text Signatures Posted: 09 Jul 2010 05:40 AM PDT   As of today you can use a rich text signature in Gmail, meaning that you can add links and images to it, as well as change the text’s format, font and color. To change your signature in Gmail, click on “Settings,” and scroll down to the “Signature” section. You’ll see a new signature editor which contains the same functions that are at your disposal when you compose an e-mail. If you have more than one e-mail address associated with your Gmail account, you’ll be able to choose a different signature for each one using the drop-down menu (the menu doesn’t appear if you have only one e-mail address associated with your Gmail account). Reviews: Gmail More About: e-mail, gmail, rich text, signature, trending For more Tech coverage:
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