Mashable: Latest 26 News Updates - including “Inside the Fashion Industry’s Plan to Profit from Digital This Fall”

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• Inside the Fashion Industry’s Plan to Profit from Digital This Fall
• SCVNGR Creates a Radically New Way to Check In with Friends
• .CO Domain Names Now Available
• How Mark Zuckerberg Intends to Repair Facebook’s Battered Image
• Facebook-Like Site Brings Safe Social Networking to Young Kids
• Reading Faceoff: E-books vs. Print Books
• Android Versus Android: Which Phones Are Winning on the Web? [STATS]
• Google Launches Buzz Firehose
• Auto-Tune Arrives on Android [APPS]
• How Mobile Technology is a Game Changer for Developing Africa
• Pandora Dominates the First #WinWeekend
• Mobile Game Lets iPhone and Android Users Do Battle
• Loopt Automatically Lets You Know When Your Friends Are Nearby
• Amazon: Kindle Books Now Outselling Hardcovers
• Adobe to Roll Out New Publishing Software for Tablets
• New BlackBerry API Can Grab Location Info From Cell Towers in Lieu of GPS
• Redbox Considers Online Service to Challenge Netflix [REPORT]
• 11 Ways to Speed Up WordPress
• 25+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events
• Behance Helps Creatives Showcase Portfolios on LinkedIn
• 5 Lessons to Learn from Web Startups
• iPad Available in 9 More Countries This Friday
• Bandage iPhone 4 Reception Issues with Antenn-aid [PIC]
• Netflix Finally Expands Beyond the U.S.
• 10 Awesome Apple-Inspired iPad Wallpapers [PICS]
• Mashable Weekend Recap: 13 Stories You May Have Missed
• Nokia Siemens Acquires Motorola’s Network Business for $1.2 Billion

Inside the Fashion Industry’s Plan to Profit from Digital This Fall Posted: 20 Jul 2010 05:21 AM PDT After collectively losing nearly a quarter of their ad pages in 2009, fashion magazines are poised to make a big comeback in ad sales in 2010 — but the recovered revenue may not come from print sales. Instead, the publishers of major U.S. fashion magazines are ramping up their digital and mobile offerings to meet advertisers’ increasing demands to reach consumers on those platforms. “Digital platforms are increasingly attractive to advertisers who demand accountability and want compelling, innovative programs that make consumers pay attention,” InStyle Publisher Connie Anne Phillips explained. Although InStyle has enjoyed an impressive rebound in print ad sales — the magazine has had nine consecutive months of ad page growth, and was up 45% in August ad page sales year-over-year — it is moving aggressively into the digital space. InStyle’s parent company Time Inc. acquired Stylefeeder, a “personal shopping engine” that makes purchase recommendations based on buyers’ previous acquisitions, in January. Interactive Shopping Stylefeeder’s technology will be used to power InStyle Boutique, a Flash-based virtual department store (see above) that will run for five weeks alongside the launch of the magazine’s September issue in mid-August. Readers will be encouraged to log on and explore the boutique daily to earn various rewards and incentives. Each individual “store” will feature a video and up to 20 hand-picked items from the advertiser that visitors can click to purchase. Videos about fall trends from the magazine’s editors will also appear in the Boutique with pre-roll and overlay opportunities for advertisers, but almost everything else about the Boutique is designed to get visitors to shop directly. Each participating brand will also have a quarter-page promotion in the magazine’s September issue, helping to bridge the gap between digital and print. Image Recognition and Location-Based Technology Over at Conde Nast, W magazine has developed a series of bold, experimental offerings for advertisers this fall. It will launch three interactive, mobile-based promotions — two tied to New York Fashion Week and a third that will roll out in October. The first of these is a highly unusual campaign that will allow advertisers to participate in a bit of guerilla marketing during Fashion Week via what VP and Publisher Nina Lawrence describes as, “an interactive fashion story that will come to life in a 270-degree mobile showcase.” The showcase involves a glass-paneled trailer filled with live models wearing advertisers’ merchandise, which will make stops at prominent New York locations to draw crowds. The trailer will also feature Microsoft Tags, Microsoft’s version of the QR code. Passerby can use Microsoft’s Tag Reader to scan the codes to learn more about the campaign and the advertisers involved. The second promotion, tentatively titled “Foursquare at Fashion Week,” is based upon Jimmy Choo’s London-based Catch-a-Choo campaign. The magazine will be checking in around New York City via the location-based app, where various brand ambassadors will be stationed. The first follower to arrive at those stations will receive prizes donated by advertisers. W will continue its mobile push in October. For its July issue, W worked with select advertisers to insert Microsoft Tags into their ad creative and on dedicated promotional pages. Readers could scan the codes to view new video footage about Estee Lauder’s night cream, to sign up for news and exclusive offers from Hugo Boss and to secure a complimentary fourth night stay at a St. Regis hotel. Lawrence said that advertisers “received very strong response,” and the magazine will roll out the Microsoft tag initiative to more advertisers in October. The tags will help advertisers “enrich their dialogue with consumers,” and “create more interaction in a printed page,” Lawrence explained. Shopping Apps and Multimedia Other titles are taking a more cautious approach to digital technology. “The biggest challenges at this point are more logistical in nature,” Nancy Berger Cardone, publisher of Hearst’s Marie Claire, said. “[We want to] push the boundaries of technology, while still delivering a rich consumer experience that stays true to the brand.” Like W, Marie Claire will begin to utilize image recognition technology this fall, which will enable readers to shop the pages of the magazine and access other bonus content via their mobile phones. The publication is also launching its first iPhone app, “Shop the Shoot,” which will leverage location-based technology to help readers locate and purchase items in the issue alongside advertiser products and videos. It’s a step in the right direction, but the app does not sound nearly as robust as Lucky’s iPhone app [iTunes link], which even lets you put products on hold at stores. Vogue, which holds the number two spot in ad page sales in its category, appears to be similarly cautious. The title promises to expand its presence on Facebook and Twitter come this fall (the magazine sent its first tweet on July 9), although it has not yet detailed its plans. For now, Vogue will continue to offer digital advertising opportunities through its e-mail marketing program and its shopping-based iPhone app, Vogue Stylist [iTunes link], which was launched in February. Hachette Filipacchi’s Elle Magazine will also focus on the web this fall by taking every single piece of content from the September issue and expanding it online with videos, additional photos and interviews. In terms of advertising, the magazine is also announcing a partnership with online publisher network Style Coalition, which will extend Elle’s and its advertisers’ reach to a larger audience. What About Social Media? Fashion magazines are clearly trying to corner their own share of the ever-expanding online and mobile advertising markets. But of all of the publishing executives I spoke with, only two — Susan Plagemann of Vogue and Ted Nadeau of Elle Digital — noted an increased demand for social media-based solutions from advertisers, even though more and more marketers are allocating funds to social platforms. That’s perhaps not surprising, given the number of luxury brands that advertise in these magazines and their general reluctance to engage with social media. As contributor Samir Balwani argued in a previous post, luxury implies a sense of exclusivity — ergo, not everyone should be able to freely interact with the brand on Facebook and Twitter. “It’s difficult for a brand to selectively choose who to interact with and, unless done properly, this segmentation could cause a major backlash,” he said. I spoke with Axel Dumont, who oversees media duties for Chanel North America at MEC, about the challenges that Chanel, as a luxury brand, faces with social media. “Chanel is a very creative-driven, luxury-driven brand. And right now they would not go with anything that doesn’t showcase the brand and make it beautiful,” he said. “They don’t want any interaction with their brand consumers. Chanel belongs to Chanel. It doesn’t belong to anyone else but Chanel.” Given the company’s attitude, it’s no wonder that Chanel and other luxury brands aren’t willing to let publishers run with their brands on social media platforms. Web and mobile-based solutions offer much more control, both in creative production and distribution. Although magazines will begin to announce ad page sales this week, we won’t likely know any details about the success of these web and mobile-based promotions — at least the ones that aren’t tied to print — until they are launched in mid-August. Of the solutions that these magazines are presenting for fall, which do you think offers the most value to advertisers? And, as a consumer, which offerings do you most want to engage with? Share your thoughts in the comments below. More About: conde nast, elle, fashion, fashion magazines, Hachette Filipacchi, hearst, instyle, magazines, marie claire, publishing, social media, StyleFeeder, Time Inc, vogue, w

SCVNGR Creates a Radically New Way to Check In with Friends Posted: 20 Jul 2010 05:18 AM PDT SCVNGR — the location-based challenge service that made the creative, city-themed treks of the Boston Globe and the New England Patriots possible — is ready to completely change the way we check in when out with friends. The startup has launched the “social checkin,” a new feature in the SCVNGR Android and iPhone applications that encourages friends to bump phones (or make the fist bump gesture simultaneously) to check in together at the same time and place. It’s like a modern day version of clinking glasses or giving high fives to friends at a bar, but with a very obvious social media twist that has the potential to be both data rich and rewarding for the users who participate. iPhone and Andriod application users will now be presented with the social checkin option as a new challenge whenever they launch the app. Players can then bump phones to complete the checkin with a group of friends and earn two points per person. Even better, the custom-built technology is designed to handle an unlimited number of devices simultaneously, which means a stadium full of people could essentially check in together at the same time. Founder and CEO Seth Priebatsch calls it “a drastic re-imaging of what the checkin can be.” The implications of the functionality are quite huge. The feature is the first ever way for friends to physically check in together, plus it’s easily the most fun checkin activity created to date. SCVNGR has essentially taken the tediousness out of pulling out your mobile device, loading an application and waiting to check in to a venue — there’s real and tangible action here. Plus, we can easily envision the competition for the world’s largest social checkin becoming a never-ending game on a massive scale. Of course, there’s also the fact that SCVNGR can now accurately tie together groups of people based on their social checkins. We can just image the plethora of use cases for this valuable data set. Priebatsch agrees. He sees the data eventually being used to help venues increase the “socialness” of their locations. Watch the video below for a demonstration of the new social check-in functionality. [img credit: Thomas Hawk] More About: checkins, scvngr, social check-in For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

.CO Domain Names Now Available Posted: 20 Jul 2010 01:20 AM PDT Missed out on a great .com domain name? Well, maybe you can still get the .co variety. Registry operator of .co domains, .CO Internet S.A.S., today announced that .co domains are available through registers such as GoDaddy.com, Register.com, Network Solutions, and others. For all practical purposes, .co domains are the same as .com domains; that means they are available to everyone and come on a first-come, first-serve basis. One of the biggest advantages of the .co TLDs, besides the fact that they’re similar to .com TLDs, is the fact that they are already widely recognized, as more than 20 countries, including the UK (.co.uk) and Japan (.co.jp), already use them for their country specific domains. One of the early adopters of the .co domain name is Twitter, which snatched the domain t.co, and is currently using it as a link service. Reviews: Twitter More About: .co, .CO Internet S.A.S., domain name, TLD For more Tech coverage: Follow Mashable Tech on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

How Mark Zuckerberg Intends to Repair Facebook’s Battered Image Posted: 19 Jul 2010 09:58 PM PDT On Wednesday, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg will sit across from ABC News’ Diane Sawyer in his most high-profile interview since 2008, when Leslie Stahl interviewed him on 60 Minutes. Facebook’s well-known CEO doesn’t give many public interviews, and for good reason: he has melted under the lights before, most prominently at this year’s D8 Conference. When Zuckerberg agrees to an exclusive, national TV interview, you know that he has something important to say. What message does Zuckerberg want to convey to the American public? To the entire world? Changing the Narrative We fully expect Mark Zuckerberg to use his national stage appearance to announce that the world’s largest social network has over 500 million users. It is one of the most significant milestones in the company’s history, plus the timing fits. The national stage gives the young CEO the opportunity to rewrite the Facebook story — one currently being written by this year’s privacy fiasco, the upcoming Facebook movie and Zuckerberg’s poor performance at D8. While the social network continues to grow wildly, the narrative of Facebook changing the world has veered off course. Bringing Sawyer to Facebook headquarters does several things. First, it humanizes Facebook by showing off a determined, smart, happy team. Second, it provides Zuckerberg a chance to cast himself in a positive light and make himself into a likable character once again. Finally, it’s a chance for Zuckerberg to get his message out direct to the people, past the media and the blogosphere. While Zuckerberg’s big announcement is likely to be the half billion user milestone, the focus of his message is more likely to be on the utility and connectivity of Facebook, and the positive world-changing impact it has had on our society. If he’s smart, he’ll bring out stories of how Facebook has reconnected families and friends, as well as talk about the connected future that he envisions. That positive message is what Facebook’s CEO will try to deliver. If he can avoid major snafus, he’ll succeed in repairing at least some of the damage that’s been inflicted by the company’s previous missteps. More About: Diane Sawyer, facebook, mark zuckerberg, Zuckerberg For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Facebook-Like Site Brings Safe Social Networking to Young Kids Posted: 19 Jul 2010 08:56 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. Name: Togetherville.com Quick Pitch: Togetherville is an online community for kids who are too young for Facebook that allows them to experience social networking in a fun, age-appropriate environment with involvement from parents and other trusted adults. Genius Idea: The idea to create a Facebook for kids is hardly new. Togetherville takes a parent-friendly approach to social networking that actually helps a parent use her own Facebook network to build out her child’s neighborhood (a.k.a network) on the site. Togetherville is meant to offer a more colorful and safe Facebook-like experience for kids ages six to ten (though any child under 13 can become a member), and it includes parents in the entire experience. “Grownups” can sign up using a Facebook account. They then create an account for a child and help connect the child to real-world friends by pulling data and relationships from the adult’s own Facebook social graph. Parents can easily find the children of their adult friends and connect them to their child on Togetherville. Parents also have complete control over who communicates with their children and can share the child’s activities with their friends on Facebook. Once an account has been created, a kid can comment on and “like” content from friends on his or her very own age-appropriate activity wall. The wall also allows for posting pre-fabricated “quips” selected from kid-friendly categories like “LOL.” Of course, kids can also participate in fun activities such as art projects, compete in games against one another or watch on-site videos. The site also encourages parents and chidren to use it together for a more educational experience. Togetherville doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to social features. YouTube videos (pre-screened, of course), games and activity feeds are all apart of the experience, and they have the features you’d expect elsewhere. The only difference is that they’re devoid of adult material and tailored toward young kids. The site recently introduced a virtual currency system that is both child money-management tool and parent reward utility. The feature is aptly named Allowance, and parents can award kids “T-bills” — $10 gets you 1,700 T-bills — that they can spend in their neighborhood to buy virtual goods, games or gifts. Togetherville really delivers on its intention to create a child-appropriate, Facebook-like experience for young people. With social networking and the web becoming a more integral part of the lives of young adults, the site could help to teach the next generation of Facebook users a more responsible way to use social media. [img credit: jemsweb] Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today. Reviews: Facebook, YouTube More About: bizspark, Children, facebook, Kids, togetherville For more Tech coverage: Follow Mashable Tech on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Reading Faceoff: E-books vs. Print Books Posted: 19 Jul 2010 07:53 PM PDT Earlier today, Amazon announced that Kindle books are now outselling hardcovers. Are we witnessing the dawn of the e-book? That is the subject of today’s Web Faceoff, our weekly series where we pit two web apps against each other in a competition for supremacy. For this week’s episode though, we decided to compare two mediums for information: the printed word vs. the electronic book. Books have been the cornerstone of our society for centuries, especially after the invention of the printing press — perhaps the most important invention in human history. Digital technology has begun to radically change the role of books in our society though. The e-book has exploded in popularity, especially since the launch of the Amazon Kindle. The e-book’s portability (it takes up no space, can be read on multiple devices) has helped it gain momentum. The ability to interact with e-books digitally (e.g. digital notes, bookmarks, zoom) has even made hardcovers and paperbacks obsolete for some. That’s why we want you, the Mashable readers, to weigh in on an important question: Which do you prefer: e-books or print books? Cast your vote in the poll below. Be sure to leave your rationale/arguments in our comments section! Reviews: Mashable More About: amazon, eBook, Kindle, Real book, web faceoff For more Battles coverage: Follow Mashable Battles on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Battles channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Android Versus Android: Which Phones Are Winning on the Web? [STATS] Posted: 19 Jul 2010 06:43 PM PDT Smartphones are one of the most talked-about and hotly debated consumer electronics on the block these days, and manufacturers are pumping out more of these devices each month. So, how are these devices measuring up in the arena of public opinion? A few 140-character user reviews can say a lot about a phone’s early success or failure, and we’ve got details on what social media junkies are saying about a few Android devices, including the Droid X, the HTC Evo, and the HTC Incredible. In the past year or so, we’ve gone from “smartphones” to “superphones” — slick, sexy pieces of hardware with huge screens, HD capabilities, powerful cameras, zippy processors, impressive browsing capabilities and more apps than you can shake a stick at. Technology has accelerated quickly over these months, and Android devices are competing nicely with Apple’s iPhones. How they compete amongst themselves, however, is another story. Many of these phones are selling faster than they can be built. And each one is making a significant media splash at its launch. In the public eye, is there one Android to rule them all? Android Devices by Sentiment In looking over data from sentiment analysis tool Chatterscope, which does some natural-language processing on tweets containing a given keyword, we see some interesting patterns emerging. Chatterscope even parses emoticons, and it can determine the difference between a moderately satisfied customer and a truly enthusiastic reviewer. Here’s what we learned from tracking Android-related keywords for eleven days. Between July 8, 2010 and today, Chatterscope collected 13, 303 tweets about the Droid X, 976 about HTC’s Evo, and 427 tweets about the HTC Droid Incredible. Clearly, the Droid X — which launched just last week — saw the lion’s share of buzz in terms of volume. We can attribute most of this noise to the fact that the device is brand-new and getting a lot of press coverage at the time, leading to more tweets and retweets of blog posts, consumer reviews and news articles. When we dice up the tweets into positive and negative sentiment, a different picture emerges. While the Droid X gets more tweets overall, the Incredible shows by far the best positive-to-negative tweet ratio: And when it comes to “supergood” and “superbad” tweets, i.e. the overwhelmingly positive and negative opinions and reviews, the Incredible was again the clear winner, with zero tweets of the “I hate this phone and would rather die than use it” variety. The underperforming device in terms of consumer sentiment, then, is the Evo. Why would this device — Sprint’s first 4G phone, which had completely sold out by June 8, just 4 days after its debut — be getting such a slew of negative Twitter reviews? We have seen some frustration expressed over this fact, which may account for a fair amount of negative sentiment; looks like the Evo’s manufacturers need to step up their game while demand is still hot and before the buzz around other devices sweeps that demand aside. Android Devices by Volume Over Time Another app we used to parse Twitter data about these three phones is The Archivist, which looks at users, links, keywords and tweet volume over a period of time. What we learned from a pure volume analysis is that the Incredible lags in terms of overall mentions — possibly because the Incredible launched at the end of April; the Evo and Droid X, which debuted June 4 and July 15, respectively, haven’t quite cooled yet in terms of media mentions and general public interest. The Droid X shows a predictable peak around its launch date, but mentions have sharply declined, perhaps signaling a dropping-off in consumer interest. On the other hand, the Evo’s sustained buzz signals good things for that device. Overall, during a 12-day period, the Archivist picked up 63,329 tweets about the Evo, 43,025 about the Droid X, and just 6,466 about the Incredible: Android Devices Being Compared to the iPhone Going into this analysis of Android versus Android, we wanted to leave any comparisons to the iPhone 4 completely out of the picture. However, the Archivist showed us that consumers themselves are making comparisons between these Androids and the iPhone in a huge number of their tweets. We checked out the lists of words used in the same tweets as these Android brand names; only the Incredible didn’t have the term “iPhone” in the top 5 associated keywords. For the Droid X, “iPhone” was the third-most used word in tweets about the Droid X, outnumbered only by instances of the terms “Motorola” and “Verizon.” In these Droid X tweets, the word “iPhone” shows up in a full 10% of all updates. When looking at tweets about the Evo, “iPhone” is the fifth most-used term, topped by “HTC” and “4G.” The term “iPhone” appears in 9.8% of tweets about the Evo. And for the Incredible, “iPhone” is the tenth most-used term, showing up in 6.4% of Incredible-related tweets. For qualitative data on why Twitter users would be putting Android phones in the same tweets as the iPhone, we turned to generic Twitter search. What we saw were frank, brief, gut reactions that compared one device to another; in a significant majority of the tweets we tallied, the Android devices were favorably compared and even considered preferable to the iPhone. Call reception, device speed, open-source software, device-specific features and even hardware aesthetics were touted as Android advantages. Granted, these tweets all represent subjective user opinions; still, these are the kinds of intuitive, emotion-charged beliefs that move product — and having these evaluations spread over a medium such as Twitter is definitely positive for the makers and retailers of these devices. Let’s just hope those manufacturers can keep up with demand. As more and more Android “superphones” roll out with each passing month, we’d love to know which phones are catching your interest. Should we be tracking Samsung’s Galaxy S, too? And what about the Charm from T Mobile? Let us know which phones are most exciting to you; we’ll add them to our list of devices to track, and we’ll update you on their progress in a couple weeks. Reviews: Android, Twitter More About: android, droid incredible, droid x, evo, htc evo, HTC Incredible, incredible, iphone, smartphone, social media, twitter For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Google Launches Buzz Firehose Posted: 19 Jul 2010 05:36 PM PDT Today, Google has announced the launch of the Google Buzz firehose, which will give developers access to all public activity published on Buzz via a single feed with real-time PubSubHubBub syndication. Google said the firehose was their most-requested features from developers. We’re also guessing that Google’s been eating its own dogfood, since they just launched Buzz results in Google Social Search a couple weeks ago. In the announcement post, Google highlighted the pretty and mostly useless We Feel Fine-esque Buzz Mood, an app that parses Buzz updates for emotion-related verbs then relays them to the viewer with snappy, slide-y animations. Partners for the firehose launch include some familiar names in the real-time space; both Collecta and OneRiot have integrated the firehose into their real-time search results, and Boulder-based social data firm Gnip was also among the first companies to use the Buzz firehose. Buzz might not be the biggest source of currently available social data, but adding its firehose to a wider mix of real-time social update data can help expand and refine and application’s results. Google is also releasing a few new API features today; users’ comments, users’ links and share counts will now be available via their respective feeds. What do you have to say: Will you be using the firehose API in any of your applications? What do you find interesting or exciting about this development? Reviews: Google More About: api, developers, firehose, Google, google buzz, real-time For more Dev & Design coverage: Follow Mashable Dev & Design on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Dev & Design channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Auto-Tune Arrives on Android [APPS] Posted: 19 Jul 2010 04:17 PM PDT There’s finally an Auto-Tune app for Android phones, the latest addition to a meme that won’t go down easy. It’s been used for megahit web series, Saturday Night Live digital shorts, Facebook status updates and Chatroulette pranks. It got even more exposure to the masses when an iPhone app hit the Apple App Store courtesy of music artist T-Pain and master music app developers Smule. MicDroid for Android is a work in progress and it isn’t as snazzy as the iPhone’s I Am T-Pain app, but it’ll get the job done with pre-recorded sound samples. Just put your mouth up to the mic, record yourself singing something, then use the supplied options to pitch and tone correct to your satisfaction. You’re just a few touchscreen taps away from potentially joining the ranks of today’s YouTube viral video makers. Jay-Z tried to say a year ago that Auto-Tune was D.O.A. but given the release of MicDroid and the popularity of I Am T-Pain, Auto-Tune fans of the world can go on and brush that dirt off their shoulders. [via PocketNow] Reviews: Android, YouTube, iPhone More About: android, Android Market, App, auto-tune, MicDroid, music, xda developers For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

How Mobile Technology is a Game Changer for Developing Africa Posted: 19 Jul 2010 03:50 PM PDT Gregory Ferenstein is a freelance journalist who investigates the intersection of technology and society. He also designs communication curricula for college students. Follow him on Twitter @ferenstein or at his website. Texting isn't just for late night convos and killing boredom. Short bursts of instant communication are connecting some isolated African communities to vital information. Because of widespread poverty in Africa, the technology culture there has followed a different path than the West. Because computers are so expensive, affordable mobile phones have become the ubiquitous form of communication. Between 2003 and 2008, Africa had the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world. On average, more than one-third of the African population has a mobile plan, with some areas reaching almost two-thirds market penetration. Non-profit organizations have seized on this unexpected opportunity to bring lifesaving health care information, quality K-12 educational curricula, and advanced farming techniques to millions. Here’s a look at some of these mobile awareness efforts. Health It’s impossible to overstate the health care crisis in Africa. Over 5.6 million people are stricken with HIV/AIDS in South Africa alone; upwards of 30% of the population in some age groups. Many are unaware that medical care is even available. Perhaps even more heartbreaking, the multi-million dollar efforts to provide antiretroviral drugs are in vain for those without proper instructions and monitoring. Cell-Life Aftercare, a joint project between the University of Cape Town and Peninsula University of Technology, can remotely monitor 15 to 20 patients per heath care worker, provide supplemental medical information and relay information back to a central database all via mobile technology. "The single greatest risk [to effective patient monitoring] is the lack of resources to roll out [antiretroviral therapy] effectively,” said Ulrike Rivett, founder of Cell-Life. “The areas with the highest prevalence of HIV have a shortage of skilled medical personnel, lack of good nursing and management staff and have limited financial resources.” Instant communication combined with an eagle-eye view of disease demographics has already prevented at least one outbreak of typhoid in Uganda. The U.S.-based non-profit Academcy of Educational Development – Satellife developed a program to relay information through networks via personal digital assistants (PDAs). "The outbreak was contained because we could see that something was amiss,” said Holly Ladd, Director of AED-Satellite. “This would not have been possible with paper and pencil reporting, which is much more time-consuming.” While we are far from stopping the serious health care issues that plague African communities, these early projects seem like an important and promising technological step. Instant Education With so many young eyeballs fixated on mobile devices, educators saw a great opportunity to reach kids who have traditionally struggled with formal education. MXIt, a mobile messaging and social networking client, reaches 40% of South Africa's population according to a company spokesperson, and has teamed up with scores of organizations to provide educational information on everything from mathematics to driving instructions. For mathematics, MXIt partners with cities and school districts to provide personal tutoring and curricula for use inside and outside of the classroom. For schools, teachers are given established curricula and student performance results to help them tailor future lessons. Outside the classroom, students can get answers to burning math quandaries through direct access to a real-life tutor. They can also refer a struggling friend. MXit seems pleased enough with the initial results to extend the program. According to materials provided by MXit, a new project partnership with Nokia that began with 260 learners has been expanded to over 3,000 and will soon cover two more South African provinces. Other educational projects include the aptly-titled "m-novels," which aims to provide mobile-formatted novels to fiction-hungry teens (as of this writing, only one such book, Kontax, seems to be in circulation). Finally, for young people striving for a driver’s license, MXit beams instructional videos and driver-knowledge questions to help them ace their test. According to material provided to Mashable by MXit, over 85,000 people utilized the program in the first month. Agricultural Education and Equality For many in the industrialized world, so-called "price dispersion" is a mere inconvenience — we might splurge for a $9 bagel on New York's 5th Avenue even if we could buy one for 99 cents further downtown. For people in low-income countries, however, price variance across markets can mean one less meal for a entire family. Fortunately, research finds that cell phone permeation can help smooth out price variation across markets. One study shows that for the fishing industry in sub-Saharan Africa, mobile phone penetration reduces waste, increased profits by 8%, and decreased consumer prices by 4%. "[With a cell phone], I know the price for US$2, rather than traveling [to the market], which costs US$20," said one grain trader in Zinder, Nigeria to researcher Jenny Aker. Mobile phones also provide access to global markets and crop-saving weather forecasts in developing areas around the world. Ross Biddiscombe reporting for the Guardian found that: "…using the Reuters Mobile Light (RML) mobile phone service, one grape grower in Maharashtra state, India, began sending his product to Russia for a higher price after subscribing, while a maize grower received an SMS message about bird flu in West Bengal which would cut his sale price, so he decided to store his produce, selling it for an increased profit when the market improved a few weeks later." Pocket-sized technologies are making the age-old uncertainties of agriculture somewhat more manageable for many in Africa and other developing regions. And for those with meager savings to buffer a crisis, it’s little wonder farmers are taking advantage of every opportunity to avoid them. Conclusion Cheap and efficient mobile technologies are significantly changing the lives of people in developing areas who are burdened by unequal access to resources and information. Health, education and agriculture are all benefiting from the collective I.Q. of a mobile nation, and cell phones are bridging the gap between isolated African communities and a global market eager for knowledge and talent. More Mobile Resources from Mashable: - How Non-Profits Should Approach Making iPhone Apps - 5 Real Challenges For Non-Profit Texting Campaigns - 3 Free iPhone Apps to Help Make a Difference - Top 8 iPhone Apps for Self-Help - Windows vs. Apple: The Future of Mobile Games Image courtesy of iStockphoto, sweetym [img credit: timparkinson] Reviews: Mashable, iStockphoto More About: africa, education, Mobile 2.0, SMS, social good, social media, South Africa, texting For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Pandora Dominates the First #WinWeekend Posted: 19 Jul 2010 03:09 PM PDT On Friday, Mashable announced the first of its #WinWeekend Weekly Sweepstakes in partnership with Live Nation. Every weekend, you can win prizes by sharing your answer to a simple question. Congratulations to Margaret Willison for winning this week’s $250 Concert Cash prize. For everyone else, thanks for playing, and stay tuned to Mashable on Friday afternoon for this week’s prize and question. Thousands submitted answers to the query: “What’s your favorite music website?” Pandora was by far the dominant leader, followed by Last.fm, Napster, YouTube, Grooveshark and Slacker. #WinWeekend will begin weekly at 5:00 p.m. ET on Fridays and end Sundays at 11:59 p.m. ET. Stay tuned for your chance to win an awesome prize! Thanks to Our Partner LiveNation.com Thank you to our partner, LiveNation.com, which is supporting prizes of the sweepstakes. “Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE-LYV) is the largest live entertainment company in the world, consisting of five businesses: concert promotion and venue operations, sponsorship, ticketing solutions, e-commerce and artist management. Live Nation seeks to innovate and enhance the live entertainment experience for artists and fans: before, during and after the show.” Follow them on Twitter and join them on Facebook. Reviews: Facebook, Grooveshark, Mashable, Pandora, Twitter, YouTube More About: contest, live nation, mashable, sweepstakes, winweekend For more Entertainment coverage: Follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Entertainment channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Mobile Game Lets iPhone and Android Users Do Battle Posted: 19 Jul 2010 02:31 PM PDT A popular iPhone dogfighting game called Skies of Glory has been ported to Android smartphones, and iOS and Android users can fight one another in real-time — a rare feature for mobile games. In fact, it’s a rare feature on almost any platform. Most multiplatform gaming experiences have been online games like World of Warcraft that work on both Mac and Windows computers, although there have been some exceptions — for example, Final Fantasy XI is playable on the PlayStation 2, PC and Xbox 360, and a few Xbox Live games can interact with their Windows counterparts. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers can’t play together on any existing game, however. It’s good to know that Android and iOS games can connect with one another given that the smartphone market will be split for some time. Skies of Glory isn’t the first such game, but it’s noteworthy because it’s one of the most popular iPhone games. You can download it on the Android Market for devices running Android 2.0 or greater today, or in the Apple App Store [iTunes link] for iOS devices. Trailer Reviews: Android, Android Market, Windows More About: android, Android Market, apple, apple app store, apps, games, Google, iOS, iphone, multiplayer, online games, revo solutions games, sgn, skies of glory, video games For more Entertainment coverage: Follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Entertainment channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Loopt Automatically Lets You Know When Your Friends Are Nearby Posted: 19 Jul 2010 02:06 PM PDT Geolocation service Loopt has just rolled out a new feature that lets users find out when their friends are nearby, whether or not they check in. The feature, which has been in beta for the last few weeks, takes advantage of the background location feature of the Loopt for iPhone and Android apps. For example, if I’m at a bar or restaurant and my friend is around the corner (assuming we both choose to share our location information with one another, of course), we’ll get alerted that the other is nearby. Likewise, if a friend checks in to a location or event a block or two away, I’ll get an alert and can opt to walk over and join the party. I spoke with Sam Altman, the co-founder and CEO of Loopt, earlier this afternoon. He said that Proximity sensors have completely changed how he has been using the service. He says the feature is a great way to facilitate impromptu get-togethers while making the constant checkin cycle less necessary. The nice thing about the feature is that users have complete control over how it can be used. Only users that mutually share data with one another can receive alerts. Alerts and background location are all opt-in, so a simple settings change can turn the feature on or off. You can also choose to exclude some of your friends from your background location sharing options. To turn the feature on, just go to the Settings section of the app and click on Alerts. Then turn the “Alerts” option on. You can set-up and control your background location settings by going to the Location Privacy option in the Settings section. Loopt has also instituted controls so that if you slip in an out of the “nearby” radius, you won’t send or receive too many alerts. The goal with proximity alerts is to keep people abreast of who is nearby, making it easy to connect. After all, location-based networking is supposed to be about networking, right? Both the Android and iOS 4 Loopt apps support proximity alerts and you can start using them now. What do you think of proximity alerts? Would you turn them on? Reviews: Android More About: Android apps, background location, geolocation, iphone apps, loopt, proximity alerts For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Amazon: Kindle Books Now Outselling Hardcovers Posted: 19 Jul 2010 01:19 PM PDT E-books have hit a significant milestone. In each of the last three months, Amazon reports that sales of books for Kindle have outpaced the sale of hardcover books, and that growth is only accelerating. In a statement, Amazon says that, "over the past three months, for every 100 hardcover books Amazon.com has sold, it has sold 143 Kindle books. Over the past month, for every 100 hardcover books Amazon.com has sold, it has sold 180 Kindle books." That’s impressive, especially considering it was only back in December that Amazon was celebrating Kindle books outselling the real thing on Christmas Day. Six months later, the shift has apparently become the norm. While part of that shift has to do with reading trends in general — Amazon notes that e-book sales grew 163 percent in the month of May and 207 percent year-to-date through May — Kindle book sales (and other devices like Barnes & Noble’s Nook) has been aided in recent months by price cuts getting e-readers into the hands of more consumers. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says that “the growth rate of Kindle device unit sales has tripled since we lowered the price from $259 to $189.” Those price reductions, of course, have been triggered in large part by new competition in the form of iPad. As much as anything else, Amazon is once again reminding us that Kindle is far from dead in the wake of Apple’s tablet, although with Kindle now offering apps for Windows, Mac, and most mobile operating systems, its long-term success may ultimately be much more dependent on its e-book store across platforms as opposed to physical device sales. Reviews: Windows More About: amazon, e-books, Kindle, trending For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Adobe to Roll Out New Publishing Software for Tablets Posted: 19 Jul 2010 01:02 PM PDT Adobe is working on a new kind of creative software specifically intended to help you publish digital magazines for tablet devices such as the iPad, the company revealed today. This new software, which will soon take its place in the Creative Suite pantheon, will be downloadable from Adobe Labs and will include tools that bridge the gap between print-oriented InDesign and software for interactive formats. The company’s goal is to make it simpler for more publishers to create and profit from tablet magazines like Wired’s hugely successful iPad offering. Wired used InDesign and a mix of other software to make its product. The new Adobe technologies will focus on mobile hardware-specific needs, including 360-degree image rotation and pinch/swipe gestural navigation for panning and zooming. This is currently accomplished through an AIR utility, the Interactive Overlay Creator. In future versions of InDesign, the Interactive Overlay Creator will be an integrated feature. Adobe is also making it easier to add mobile-friendly multimedia to slick, print-reminiscent layouts. From what we can see in a brief demo, it looks like designers will have a lot of fun taking an on-screen mockup to a .issue format magazine with relative ease. We can’t wait to try it out ourselves. Adobe will let you import layouts from InDesign to the new workflow. From there, you’ll be able to add metadata, experiment with portrait and landscape layouts, and export content to the .issue format — a brand-new, ready-to-render file for digital magazines. Here’s an overview of what Adobe is calling the Digital Magazine Workflow/Digital Content Builder: When the new software becomes available for download, you’ll also get some handy documentation showing you how to implement the digital content builder into your current workflow. And although the iPad is clearly the starting point for tablet magazine publishing, don’t think Adobe’s software will be limited to creating content for this device only; other tablets will also play nicely with Adobe-created digizines. Designers, what’s your opinion so far? Have any of you had the chance to play with this workflow yet? More About: adobe, Creative Suite, CS5, InDesign, ipad, magazine, Wired For more Dev & Design coverage: Follow Mashable Dev & Design on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Dev & Design channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

New BlackBerry API Can Grab Location Info From Cell Towers in Lieu of GPS Posted: 19 Jul 2010 12:44 PM PDT RIM has just added a new geolocation feature to its Locate Service toolkit, which will permit BlackBerry developers to use cellular tower data when grabbing location data for their apps. This will ultimately enable apps to use cellular towers to approximate location if a user is in an area without GPS coverage. This is similar to what Google does to determine location via Wi-Fi. However, RIM’s Locate Service use cellular towers instead of wireless hotspots. As more and more applications become geo-aware, having backup methods for location querying is important, especially if the app is being used in a location or building that makes GPS usage difficult. The BlackBerry Developer’s Blog details how the geolocation service works and gives some examples of how it can best be utilized. The service can even be used in apps that require a higher degree of location accuracy by showing users approximate locations while querying for a more accurate spot via GPS. As the blog post notes, this could have a huge impact on speed and user experience. The Locate Service can be used with BlackBerry Maps to tie in points of interest with the Maps app, or to show a map display as it relates to a user’s location. Again, while other mapping APIs have offered some similar functions, what is interesting about this approach is that it is a native part of the BlackBerry developer API. That makes implementing it into apps less complicated and independent of a third-party service. Apps that can take advantage of the new geolocation features and of the Locate Service need to be running BlackBerry OS 5.0 or higher. Developers can start adding this feature to their apps now. Reviews: Apps, Google More About: blackberry, geolocation, locate services For more Dev & Design coverage: Follow Mashable Dev & Design on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Dev & Design channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Redbox Considers Online Service to Challenge Netflix [REPORT] Posted: 19 Jul 2010 12:12 PM PDT In October, Redbox may challenge Netflix by announcing a web site for movie rentals, but it’s not clear yet whether that site will provide DVD-by-mail service, direct downloads, streaming videos or some combination of the three. Bloomberg reports that Redbox COO and former Netflix guy Mitch Lowe said his company might try to offer a wider variety of titles in an online service than it does in its 24,000 retail dispenser kiosks. The limited space in those kiosks is the service’s biggest drawback; each machine only hosts about 200 titles, a far cry from Netflix’s selection of 100,000. Both Redbox and Netflix are pummeling traditional retail stores like Blockbuster into dust in the marketplace, but Netflix looks like the safest bet in the long run. While its DVD-by-mail service has a serious drawback (a multiple-day delay between choosing a film and watching it), its increasingly popular online streaming service offers 100 times the number of titles in Redbox kiosks and you can watch them any time you want. It’s just a matter of getting devices that support Netflix streaming into the living rooms of consumers who dislike watching video on their computers. Netflix has made terrific progress there; Watch Instantly streaming is supported on all of the major game consoles as well as several set-top boxes, HDTVs and Blu-ray players. Should Redbox go the digital route, it will have to make new content deals (its strained relationships with movie studios will be problematic) and then reach agreements with consumer electronics manufacturers to get its service supported on as many devices as possible. One analyst told Bloomberg that Redbox’s best bet will be to sign a deal with a company like Sonic Solutions, which already has deals with consumer electronics companies. It’s also possible that Redbox will avoid challenging Netflix in that space and just go the DVD-by-mail route instead, but we believe DVD-by-mail is merely a stopgap between retail and digital distribution, so that doesn’t seem like a sound plan for the long term. [img credit: sean_oliver] Reviews: Blu More About: downloads, dvd, dvd by mail, dvd kiosks, Film, Movies, netflix, netflix watch instantly, redbox, streaming video For more Entertainment coverage: Follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Entertainment channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

11 Ways to Speed Up WordPress Posted: 19 Jul 2010 11:59 AM PDT Cyrus Patten is the editor of Pingable.org, a blog about everything WordPress. He specializes in the role of technology in community organizing. WordPress is inherently fast, and that’s why so many professional bloggers call it their choice platform. Like many new bloggers, I used to think that until I had enough traffic to make a difference, I’d worry about the bandwidth and site speed later. But that’s not thinking ahead considering that today social media can drive an overwhelming amount of traffic in a very short period of time; you don’t want to get caught with a crashed site. When you’re not prepared for lots of traffic, it’s common for a web host to suspend your account temporarily, and that’s something you don’t want. If your writing is decent and you’ve been doing some minimal promotion, then it could happen to you. Think positively and prepare your blog as though it’s going to be a huge success. To do that, here is a tutorial on how to speed up your WordPress site. Note: As always, with everything, you should backup your WordPress installation before making any code changes. 1. Caching Utilize WordPress Object Cache By inserting this simple code into your wp-config.php file, you can set WordPress to begin caching database queries rather than initiating new server requests on each load. You don’t have to understand why this works, it just will. 1. // Enable the WordPress Object Cache: 2. define(ENABLE_CACHE, true); Read more on this topic: By reducing the number of queries, you’ll both increase the speed of your site, and reduce the server resources that are consumed each time you receive a visitor. As a result, you’ll find that it will make your web host much happier in the event of a huge traffic spike. Utilize a caching plugin The main plugin that meets this need is the WP Super Cache, which does exactly what it says. It caches posts and stores them as files on the server so that repeated requests are dealt with faster and with fewer resources. The plugin will automatically update as comments are added so the dynamic nature of the blog isn’t lost. Another option, which is used right here on Mashable, is W3 Total Cache. It’s a plugin that promises 10 times the speed of your site without it. 2. Choose the Right Host There are several web hosts that are optimized to run WordPress. And while WordPress is not that picky, it does have a set of ideal server settings. Most web hosts meet the basic requirements, but you can find more information about what’s necessary here. Choosing the right host means more that just buying storage space. Many discount hosts will try to fool you with promises of massive server space at a cheap price because they know you will likely never use the promised enormous allotment. You should really be aware of: Bandwidth Processor speed/type Databases allowed Domains allowed Which versions of PHP, MySQL, etc. are installed Look for hosts that have more of a commitment to WordPress as a CMS and blogging platform and not just a mention at the bottom of their features list. Another solid resource is the WordPress hosting page. Also, though most shared hosts will likely be running Apache, keep in mind that WordPress can also run on NGINX, which can increase your server’s speed by changing the structure of the server requests. NGINX powers massive websites like Hulu, SourceForge and WordPress itself. If these big boys choose NGINX, you know it delivers. 3. Prune Your Plugins Take a look at your plugin list and remove the inactive ones. Then remove the any actives ones that you don’t actually use; they are likely to place a strain on your serve resources because WordPress loads all plugins when a page loads. Make sure you’re always running the latest stable release of both WordPress and your plugins. Many older WordPress plugins are not efficient and will weigh your blog down. WordPress 3.0 comes with a revamped plugin update feature, allowing you to update plugins faster, smoother and easier. It also offers a bulk update feature that is completely new to WordPress, so there’s no excuse for letting your plugin versions expire. 4. Choose the Right Theme Themes can make or break a WordPress installation. Go for something stylish but simple. It’s important to understand that fewer images will equals less loading time, which means a speedier site. Choose themes with the fewest possible images and a CSS-based design. Themes with tables, frames and static HTML will be slower than those based on the latest technologies. You might want to choose a minimalist theme and modify it to suit your needs. There are many resources for minimalist themes, including this one Six Revisions and this one at Tripwire Magazine. Don’t just take the theme’s simplicity as a sign of load speed, though; check the actual speed using something like YSlow or Pingdom’s Page Test. 5. Compress Images While a clean page means speed, you have to balance that with the fact that strong supporting images are key to a successful blog. But there is no reason to sacrifice speed for quality. By ensuring your images are appropriately formatted and compressed, you can help increase your blog’s speed. The easiest way to remember formatting is like this: Images that use only a few colors should be saved as .GIF or .PNG files, and images that use a full spectrum of colors (like true photographs) should be saved as .JPG files. If you use photo editing software, like Photoshop, you can “save for the web,” which will find the best format to save, while still maintaining quality. Next you should resize images to the smallest possible size to get the job done. When doing so, the color format should be RGB, as indexed images don’t scale well. When saving, set the total color amount to the smallest value possible without sacrificing quality. A combination of these steps will greatly decrease your image size and therefore your server response time. You should play around a bit to find the right format and experiment when uploading to determine which settings produce the smallest, high-quality image. 6. Compress Your Code Stylesheets Stylesheets are easy to compress, just use your favorite text editor to delete comments and unnecessary spaces and line breaks. Although you won’t see a drastic difference unless your style sheets involve tens of thousands of lines. JavaScript Compressing JavaScript isn’t as simple, but it is still relatively easy. There are a number of tools available, such as this one, which is free, that will compress your JavaScript code for you. Better yet, don’t rely on much JavaScript at all if you can help it. If your site has lots of interactivity, moving parts and fancy features, there is a good chance it is running a lot of JavaScript and that could slow things down. Additionally, you may use the Yahoo! YUI compressor tool or the Google equivalent compression tool. Either one will tighten up your code to make it run more efficiently. Coder Journal has a nice comparison of the various tools for JavaScript compression. Use CSS Sprites CSS Sprites allow designers to create interactive images, or multiple images using CSS instead of bulky and slow loading JavaScript. Sprites are an advanced technique, but here is a great tutorial at A List Apart. There is even a plugin developed specifically for WordPress that helps with the use of CSS Sprites. 7. Keep It Local Don’t rely on other people’s servers to be fast, so minimize any widgets, badges or applications that run off other locations. If possible, try to self-host all images and code, such as your analytics. That said, if you’re posting videos use a service that is built for such a load, like YouTube or Vimeo. But if you are expecting (or receiving) lots of traffic, you may want to look at paying for a dedicated server and not trying to host all your projects in that one place alone. A lot of people don’t realize that the geographical distance from a server actually matters. If the vast majority of your traffic comes from a specific country or region, consider locating your hosting close by. 8. Reduce PHP and HTTP Calls Websites were once built statically, meaning that each page was hand-coded and built from the bottom up. Now, most websites are generated dynamically each time a visitor loads the page, which allows for each experience to be custom designed for each person, making for a richer browsing experience. In order to accomplish this, many websites use PHP, a scripting language that allows you to reference remote content based on criteria set by the developer. For example, a site might use PHP to determine that this is a first-time visit, and the site may then use this information to generate a welcome message. Each time one of these PHP “calls” is made, a request is made to the server hosting the website, which takes time (usually milliseconds). This time is called “latency,” and some websites have thousands of calls each time the site is loaded, which can translate to millions per day depending on traffic. Wherever possible, scan your site for PHP requests and replace with static HTML. By doing this, the browser will simply read the HTML as opposed to asking the server what it should display. Here is an example of a slow and fast way to produce the same result: Slow: <?php bloginfo(name); ?><?php bloginfo(description); ?> Fast: <title>Mashable - The Social Media Guide</title> There’s more you can do to minimize PHP calls. This tutorial will help you cut down the PHP calls that occur in the typical WordPress header. You can also reduce PHP calls by eliminating any logging that might be happening; some advanced plugins offer an option to track plugin activity with a log, which can significantly slow down your WordPress site. 9. Keep Your Code Clean You can validate your code using the W3C Validator. It might seem snobby to have “standards” on the web, but the truth is, there are standards for a reason. If everyone met the standards, browsers would always know how to display the information they’re given. Use the tool at W3C to validate your code and fix any errors. This can be a painstakingly long process but it’s well worth the end result. Coding errors will slow your load time, especially if images that are referenced but don’t exist. Use a bug tool like Firebug to identify coding errors and fix them. 10. Database optimization Using a database administration interface like phpMyAdmin, you can select all tables and click “Repair” and “Optimize,” and scan for outdated tables that weren’t deleted when you removed old plugins. This plugin will take care of the database optimization while letting you stay out of the database itself. While this other plugin offers automatic optimization which may be better for the hands-off blog author. 11. Adjust Your WordPress Settings Go easy on the front page There’s no reason to show 100 posts on the front page, and really, you don’t even need to display the full post content on the front page. You can adjust this setting in the WordPress Dashboard under the Settings > Reading panel. Turn off inter-blog communication By default, WordPress interacts with other blogs that are equipped with pingbacks and trackbacks. Every time another blog mentions you, it notifies your site, which in turn updates data on the post. Turning this off will not destroy links to your site, just the setting that generates a lot of work for your site. For more detail, read this explanation of WordPress Pingbacks, Trackbacks and Linkbacks. More development and design resources from Mashable: - HOW TO: Create a Pixel Fireworks Animation Using JavaScript - Top 10 Resources for Design Inspiration - HOW TO: Get Up-to-Date on WordPress 3.0 - 7 Hackathons Around the World and the Web - 10 Web Design Bloggers You Should Follow Reviews: Hulu, Mashable, PHP, Vimeo, WordPress, YouTube More About: bandwidth, blogging, BLOGS, design, host, List, Lists, plugin, server, speed, storage, web design, Web Development, Wordpress For more Dev & Design coverage: Follow Mashable Dev & Design on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Dev & Design channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

25+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events Posted: 19 Jul 2010 11:16 AM PDT Every Monday, Mashable puts together a calendar of upcoming social media and web events, parties and conferences. 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. For more upcoming event listings, check out Mashable’s Events section. This summer, don’t forget to check out the Mashable U.S. Summer Tour that’s making stops at: Washington, D.C – August 5 New York – August 9 Chicago – August 11 Here are some tips on how to network, share your information and/or promote your event using social media: HOW TO: Plan and Promote Events with Social Media 35+ Ways to Find and Plan Events Online 8 Ways to Create Paperless Business Cards 5 Useful iPhone Apps for Business Networking Mashable’s Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace. 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 15% 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 22, 2010, London, UK: Brightlemon Drupal Training – Introducing Drupal (London): This Drupal course quickly gets you up to speed with building dynamic database-driven websites with Drupal. It begins with a basic introduction into the main concepts behind Content Management Systems (CMS) and the types of websites they are meant to help create. A running theme throughout the course is to illustrate how one can map general requirements to specific Drupal concepts. Buy tickets here. July 23, 2010, London, UK: Brightlemon Drupal Training – Advanced Drupal (London): This Drupal training course gives you a head-start and walks you through all the methods used in more advanced dynamic websites. Create complex content types, sophisticated displays of content and its filtering, advanced community features. Learn how to handle multiple types of media from audio podcast to video and present content with attractive effects. Buy tickets here. 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. July 27, 2010, New York, NY: The Future of Jewish Nonprofit Summit (#FOJNP) gathers handpicked professionals, volunteers and lay leaders to candidly interact in a laid back setting to unlock the full value of moving this vital industry forward. Some of the most respected nonprofit professionals, social media experts, marketers and online fundraisers are coming together to share their best practices, ideas and case studies. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Visit http://www.fojnp.com for complete details. Use registration code mashable for 15% off. July 28-29, 2010, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Asian Bloggers and Social Media Conference 2010 will bring together top prominent speakers from the Asia region to introduce and educate individuals and business on how to adopt and effectively take advantage of social media. The event will also introduce the concepts and tools of social media and how they can assists individuals and business to gain profit. Keynote address will be delivered by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia, a visionary global leader and blogger of our time. Just to name a few of the notable guest speakers are Dato' Sri Tony Fernandes (CEO of Air Asia), Thomas Crampton (Asia Pacific Director, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide) and Paul Moss (General Manager of Alt Media). For a 10% discount, please use the code ABSM-MAS at registration. July 29, 2010, Atlanta, GA: There’s nothing quite like a college campus to spark the learning juices, especially if there’s no final to pass. That’s why Communitelligence is taking the ESSENTIAL SOCIAL MEDIA SKILLS PRACTICUM to some of the world’s best universities, starting at Georgia Tech. It will be an intense day of challenging interactive discussions, illustrative case studies and hands-on tutorials (bring your laptop). You’ll leave armed with the knowledge, inspiration — and a social network — to help you start hitting some social media home runs for your organization. Register with promo code mashable10 to receive $100 off registration. Isn’t it time you went back to the CLASSROOM? 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. July 29-30, Philadelphia, PA: For nine years, Supernova has anticipated the major business, technology and policy trends of the Network Age. Supernova Forum 2010: Perestroika will combine the best aspects of executive, academic and participant-organized conferences. Produced with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, it features compelling innovators, leaders, intellectuals and policymakers in a dynamic networking environment. Hear Beth Noveck (U.S. Deputy CTO), David Cohen (Comcast), Jeff Jarvis (BuzzMachine), Danah Boyd (Microsoft Research), John Borthwick (Betaworks), faculty from the world's top business school and other thought leaders. Save 25% with discount code mash10 at http://www.supernovahub.com. August 2 – 3 & 5 – 6, 2010, Singapore & Hong Kong: The Mobile Marketing with Social Media Conference is a 2-day conference that will provide you with the latest trends, strategies and techniques for engaging new-age customers through mobile and social media (SM). Be updated with the mobile adoption pattern in Asia. Hear how global brands such as Starbucks, Microsoft, Lufthansa, Adidas, Virgin, Air Asia, Swire, Hong Kong International Airport etc. developed holistic marketing approaches. Understand how location based advertising allows greater engagement. Discover measurement analytics and tools to help quantify the performance of your mobile SM campaigns. Register today and save 10% when you enter the code Mashable under' Additional Info'. August 3, 2010, Mountain View, CA: See Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, and Jason Calacanis, CEO of Mahalo.com, speak at the The Founder Showcase. This quarterly startup pitch and networking event brings together over 275 investors, founders, and members of the press in Silicon Valley to hear talks from leading CEOs and pitches from 10 hot technology startups. Over $1MM has been raised by presenting companies at previous Founder Showcase events. Tickets start at just $40 — to register or enter the free Pitch Competition, go to foundershowcase.com. Mashable readers get 15% off by using discount code mashable_15. August 5, 2010, New York, NY: Web Design for Startups. Web design is one of the most important determinants of a startup’s success. A well-designed website increases user engagement, virality and conversions. A poorly designed site can turn off prospective users and leave a lasting negative impression. This event will provide an overview of the essential web design skills (interactive design, information architecture, usability testing, graphic/visual design, logo/identity design, etc.) and show you how to find and hire cost-effective designers to make your application usable and keep people coming back. Mashable readers can receive 25% off registration with promo code mashable. August 10-11, 2010, Rosemont, IL: The InterACT! Conference is a two-day event focusing on how video, print, social, web, e-mail and mobile work together interactively to drive your business. Join your fellow marketers and brand managers at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare for this unique two-day program featuring experts, in-depth case studies and hands-on teaching labs for a roll-up-your-sleeves conference that will change your business. Learn more and register now. Please use the discount code Interact_Mashable to receive $100 off the standard package. 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 16-17, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: Join us for the Restaurant & Hospitality Social Media Marketing Bootcamp. This event provides the practical knowledge and insights required by restaurant and hotel operators to establish objectives and strategies for your market, properly select the social media platforms to engage guests and monitor and measure the results of these efforts for a greater ROI. This event is presented by RestaurantWorx Consulting and Inside Hospitality. Use the Code “MASHABLE” (all caps) when registering and receive VIP pricing on “Day 1″ or “Day 1 & 2 Attendance” tickets. See complete event details on the event website at RestaurantSocialMedia.com. 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 19-21, Vancouver, BC Canada: GROW2010 Conference, Dealmaker Media's inaugural technology conference brings together leading entrepreneurs, influencers and investors from Silicon Valley and Canada to inspire innovation and entrepreneurship. The theme: Turning today’s entrepreneurs into tomorrow’s leaders. Join 400 industry executives for three days of networking, connecting, deal-making and outdoor adventure. Hear Zynga, Linkedin, Groupon, Zappos, SuperRewards, Mint and Get Satisfaction talk about founder passion, challenges and opportunities for building companies on the web. For all events details, click here. August 20-22, 2010, Washington, DC. The iPhone/iPad Boot Camp: 24 hours of training in iPhone/iPad Development covering basic to advanced features. It is an established certificate training program that trained over 400 iPhone developers since 2008. The D.C. instructor is Dan Pilone, author “Head First iPhone Development" for O’Reilly Press. Developers are able to develop an app after the training. The workshop offers a money-back guarantee after the first day. For limited time only – a 10% discount off the discounted early bird rate – a $400 savings – is offered on the registration page using the discount code mashable. August 23-27, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: Interactive and New Media BootCamp. This one-week course includes an intensive schedule of lectures, guest speakers, case study discussions and experience days, complete with professional networking events. The program demands action-oriented decision-making, and will bring you together with industry leaders to help you understand the constantly evolving landscape of Interactive and New Media. Mashable readers may register at http://uclanewmediabootcamp2010.eventbrite.com and use the discount code MASHABLE for 30% off. August 23-24, 2010, Chicago, IL: Windy City Social's http://www.windycitysocial.com/summit/ Social Media Masters' Summit was created to bring together brands, bloggers, agencies and consultants to connect and share social media best practices. Learn how Kenmore, ConAgra, General Motors, Tide, Microsoft, Weight Watchers, and other large brands are leveraging social media to connect with customers and increase their bottom line. Use code MASH20 to save 20% off registration. August 26-27, 2010, Windsor, CT: This seminar will help financial services firms develop and implement a cohesive social media strategy that drives distribution and grows market share. Social media experts and trend-setting industry practitioners will review strategy elements and key information to 1) Uncover opportunities for enhancing sales and service 2) Identify hurdles to implementation 3) Reveal how companies are clearing those hurdles and 4) Provide concrete takeaways for crafting and implementing your firm's strategy. Register with promo code 100MASHDIS to receive a $100 discount until August 6, 2010. 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. August 30-31 & September 2-3, 2010, Singapore & Hong Kong: Join us at the Integrated Marketing Communications in a Social Media Age Conference. Through a showcase of best practices from global brands, this two-day conference will equip marketers with strategies and insights to funnel core messages with conviction and consistency. Find out how you can capitalize on social media and integrate it seamlessly with offline channels to engage consumers and combat message dissonance. Register now and save 10% when you enter Mashable under "Additional info". September 6–7 & 9-10, 2010, Singapore & Hong Kong: Join us at the Social Media Marketing & Measurement Workshop. Through hands-on exercises, interactive discussions and case studies analysis, expand your knowledge in Social Media (SM) Marketing strategy development and implementation techniques and pick up skills in measuring social media efforts in financial and non-financial terms. Marketers can look forward to hearing how to design and integrate social media with existing marketing platforms and how to measure and monitor social media campaigns using free and paid tools. Register today and save 10% when you enter the code Mashable under 'Additional Info'. September 8-9, 2010, Minneapolis, MN: Event Camp Twin Cities is about inspiring event professionals to try new communication and collaboration paradigms at their events. Today's attendees are more educated, more experienced and have more information at their fingertips than ever before. Event Camp Twin Cities will show you new ways to harness this new attendee power and transform that energy into new ideas and solutions that change business. Come to Event Camp and discover the collaborative community of event professionals that are leading the events industry into the world of Social Media. Save 15% using discount code mashable. September 13-14, 2010, San Francisco, CA: APPNATION is the first global conference and exposition to focus exclusively on the burgeoning consumer applications marketplace. The event will cover social and mobile apps across all devices and platforms including social media platforms, smartphones, tablets, internet-enabled televisions and other emerging connected devices. Speakers include Adobe, Accel Partners, Getjar, The North Face, Marvel, Sequoia Partners, Smule, Time Inc., The Wall Street Journal and more. 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 13-15, 2010, Silicon Valley, CA: DEMO is the premier launch event with a 20-year track record of successfully identifying and delivering the world's most innovative new products and services to the market. Companies like: VM Ware, Palm, Skype, Google, EA, Microsoft, IBM, Nokia and Citrix have launched new products at DEMO. DEMO Fall 2010 will showcase the top B2B, B2C and vertical innovations coming to market—innovations on track to evolve or disrupt the markets they serve. Don't miss the chance to experience first hand the latest technology game changers in social and media, health and life sciences, clean and sustainable technology, cloud and enterprise computing and more! Register for DEMO at http://www.demo.com/EDFPartner and save 25% off the current public price for DEMO. September 14, 2010, Lawrence KS: Social Media Marketing Boot Camp with Sarah Evans: Limited tickets will be available for this unique boot camp style event with renowned expert Sarah Evans. You’ll spend a full six hours of session time with Sarah, taking an in-depth look at the role of social media in marketing your business or organization. You wont just learn effective social media marketing techniques, but will look at how social media works in conjunction with traditional marketing, practical ways of engaging customers and prospects, case studies, help with creating a social media based marketing plan, hints and tips, ways to make your brand stand out online, tools and resources, and plenty of opportunities for discussion and Q & A. Use the discount code MASHABLE to receive a 20% discount at registration. 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 15-16, 2010. Cologne, Germany: The dmexco is the leading European exposition for digital marketing & advertising. The exposition covers among others the theme areas online marketing, targeting, tracking, digital contents (moving images, audio advertising), social, mobile, performance marketing, affiliate, email marketing, search engine marketing and in-game advertising and offers agencies (media agencies, creative agencies, full-service agencies) a presentation platform. The dmexco is organised by the Koelnmesse, its industry partners are the BVDW (Federal Association of the Digital Industry) and the OVK (Online Marketers Circle). September 15-17, 2010, San Francisco, CA: GSMI presents the Social Media Strategies Summit. We have researched the social media buzz to develop and present to you a top of the line marketing conference that you can't afford to miss. With in depth case studies from the nuts and bolts to microblogging and sustaining online communities, you leave with a refreshed vision to take your marketing plan to the next level for 2010 and beyond. Please use the code “MikeSM” for a discount. 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 17, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Social:Email is a one day conference that offers expert-led guidance on how to engage with customers via email and social media, including tips on how to maximize the impact of your campaigns, insights into new tools and services, how to monitor and measure the results, and trends to watch out for. This is the ultimate event for anyone interested in combining email with social media marketing. Speakers include Brian Solis, Kristin Hersant, Dan Martell, Chase McMichael, Luke Brynley-Jones and Murray Newlands. Registerwith code mashable to get a 10% discount. 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 21, 2010, London, UK: Join us at this topical event to ensure that you are fully aware of all the legal and regulatory requirements surrounding data protection, as well as to hear how other organizations are handling these challenges. Speakers include Rosa Barcelo, Senior Legal Adviser to the EUROPEAN DATA PROTECTION SUPERVISOR, and Martin Hoskins of everything everywhere (the company that manage T-Mobile and Orange), who will discuss the lessons learnt from T-Mobile's data breach experience. Plus, don’t miss out on our post-conference workshop on Cloud Computing. Mashable readers save 10% with the following code: KW8112MASH. For more info or to register, go to http://www.ibclegal.com/dataprotectionmash. September 21, 2010, Chicago, IL: The New Marketing Labs team will be invading Chicago to hold our New Marketing Experience event. Imagine a world where you can take your One Big Idea and tap over 100 other participating conference attendees and experts and each of their One Big Ideas. All of this in a structured, fast-paced and highly interactive one-day program under the direction of Chris Brogan, Justin Levy and the team from New Marketing Labs. New Marketing Experience is that world. Through six key discussion sessions this program will help you analyze and draw the best of what you need form these Big Ideas. For more information, visit us at: http://nmlevents.com. Use the code “MASH50” for a 50% off discount. September 21, 2010, New York, NY: NY Games Conference — A Day of Power Networking with Leaders in the Exploding Games and Connected Entertainment Industries! NY Games features a lively and fun debate on timely cutting-edge business topics and demos, as well unrivaled access to some of the most progressive companies in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and beyond. We invite you to join us at the event and take part in the discussion with executives, creators, investors, analysts, press and gamers who will be instrumental in shaping the future of this booming business. Mashable readers can receive 10% off registration with promo code MASH10. 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 a 15% discount. September 23, 2010, Atlanta, GA: Lift Summit is the most comprehensive forum for marketing, social media and social commerce strategies. Join us for the second annual Lift Summit where leading experts and companies will share best practices for creating and managing social media strategies, translating social data into measureable actions, and analyzing sentiment to improve awareness and brand accountability. During this one day, information-packed Summit, marketing and advertising professionals will share real-world examples of Social Commerce strategies and tactics that have driven sales lift, increased customer loyalty, and produced actionable metrics and measurable ROI. Register with the promo code MASH2010. September 23, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Mediabistro’s Think Mobile conference explores the broadening mobile ecosystem, the application marketplace, and the innovation that drives the industry. Hear from visionaries that reinvented businesses by innovating with unique mobile offerings and gain an understanding of key mobile metrics. Speakers include Starbucks CIO Stephen Gillett, Microsoft Sr. Product Manager Anand Iyer, NPD Group Executive Director Ross Rubin, Evernote CEO Phil Libin and more. Register with promo code MASH and save 15%! September 24, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Mediabistro and Charles Hudson’s Smartphone Games Summit is a one-day conference about emerging trends in the mobile gaming industry. As new developments emerge such as the iPhone Game Center, is it game over for a number of gaming companies, or does it open an even larger opportunity? How do new technologies like the iPad change the game? The conference will bring together leading developers, investors, and executives from around the globe to share their collective wisdom on what’s working today and where this exciting industry is heading. Register with promo code MASH and save 15%! September 25, 2010, Atlanta, GA: Produced by Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society & Kennesaw State University's Center for Sustainable Journalism, Media Law in the Digital Age – The Rules Have Changed, Have You? provides an overview of the new legal landscape, case studies, cautionary tales and how to make the laws work for you. In a one day conference held at Kennesaw State University, learn what Lawyers, Journalists, Educators, Citizen Media Producers, Communications Directors, Academics and Publishers big and small need to know now. Panelists include the Nation's top Media Law Attorneys, Scholars and Journalists. Register with promo code MASH and save 20%. 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 28, 2010, London, UK: Brands are frequently companies’ most valuable asset. The threats to this valuable asset are increasingly coming through online channels. This event will provide practical solutions and risk mitigation strategies for brand owners to combat these critical risks. Join experts from companies including Abercrombie and Vodafone to benefit from the practical advice and guidance they can provide. Not only will they share their own experience of preventing brand abuse, but will explain how they derive real ROI from their brand protection activities. Mashable readers save 10% on the event with the code KW8079MASH. For more info or to register, please go to http://www.ibclegal.com/obpmash. September 29-30, 2010, Singapore: The Customer Show Asia 2010 is providing a unique platform that links loyalty and experience strategies with the latest technological tools and media. This conference will gather the world's largest brands, major stakeholders and leading solution providers in the customer care industry to learn, network, establish partnerships and seal profitable business opportunities. For more information, please visit website at http://www.terrapinn.com/2010/customerasia/index.stm . Register with promo code CSAMAS01 and enjoy 10% discounts. September 30, 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 September 30, 2010, London, UK: Get the latest on the attempts to increase regulation surrounding the moderation of UGC. What qualifies as illegal and inappropriate content and how should it be dealt with? This year Luisa Edwards, Head of Commercial, Google Legal EMEA, will share with you her expertise on the interactive online environment, based on experience managing the legal challenges facing Youtube. Plus attend the workshop Social Networking and the Law: Challenges, Risk & Opportunities; a fully interactive guide on protecting your organisation and maximising on the opportunities that social networking presents. Mashable readers save 10% on the event with this code: KW8094MASH. For more info or to register, go to http://www.ibclegal.com/ugcmash. October 4-6, 2010, New York, NY: At Search Marketing Expo – SMX East, you'll learn to maximize ROI from paid search advertising, optimize your website content for superior organic search results, expand your skills with local and mobile advertising expertise, master social media marketing on Twitter, Facebook and other SMM networks, boost conversions… and increase sales. Use code "smx100mashable" and save $100 off your registration. For more info visit http://www.smxeast.com. October 4-7, 2010, Atlanta, GA: FutureMedia Fest 2010 – Explore new paradigms in how Content is Created, Distributed and Consumed with FutureMedia at Georgia Tech. Join our mash-up of talent, ideas, trends and technology. Hear directly from top industry execs and visionaries. Talk with investors. Meet interactive marketing experts. Network with potential partners. Experiment real-time with open innovation. Industry leaders, academics, entrepreneurs and VC's will inspire and challenge attendees with provocative panel discussions, facilitated small discussion groups, and hands-on demos of next generation technology. Register today at http://www.futuremediaglobal.com and use the code FutureMedia 2010. October 4-8, 2010, Boston, MA: FutureMis the first ever week-long, collaborative, multi-location conference in Boston offering participants the opportunity to tap into the freshest thinkers in marketing, media and technology. Leading innovators will come together to share and explore how the newest technologies and insights are changing the way marketers think, create, engage and measure. 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 6-7, 2010, Boston, MA: The Inbound Marketing Summit is where the online marketing community gathers to solve today’s marketing and business communications challenges. This event features the brightest minds in the business, including world-renowned authors and practitioners, as well as leaders from some of the companies already using the new tools and strategies. This fast-paced and information-packed event is your check-up on your existing business communications strategies and your prescription for the coming months. On October 6 and 7 join Chris Brogan, Justin Levy and the entire New Marketing Labs team along with hundreds of marketers like yourself and 60+ speakers and sponsors at Gillette Stadium for two days of fast-paced, highly interactive, actionable content. For more information, visit us at: Inbound Marketing Summit. Use the code “MASH50” for a 50% discount. October 6, 2010, New York, NY: AdWeb 3.0 is an exclusive event taking place at the Cornell Club in New York City focusing upon the latest in business models, solutions and technologies in the digital advertising business in of data, platforms and monetization from the perspectives of buyers and sellers. Registration is open and available at the discount rate of $495. For more information on registration, and a full roster of speakers and sponsors, visit http://www.adweb30.com. October 6-7, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: Digital Music Forum West: Over 300 of the most influential decision-makers in the music industry gather in Los Angeles each year for this incredible two-day dealmakers’ forum to network, do deals and share ideas about the business. Digital Music Forum West -– now in its fifth year –- features a lively and fun debate on timely cutting-edge business topics and demos, as well as unrivaled access to some of the most progressive companies in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and beyond. Mashable readers can receive 10% off registration with promo code MASH10. 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 14-16, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: BlogWorld & New Media Expo is the first and only industry-wide tradeshow, conference and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of new media including all forms of blogging, podcasting, social media, social networking, online video, music, Internet TV and radio. The BlogWorld conference features more than 120 educational sessions, panel discussions and keynote presentations, while the New Media Expo features the only industry-wide new media marketplace where thousands converge to network and find all of their online business and marketing resources. Running concurrent with the BlogWorld conference, the Social Media Business Summit is the world's largest social media business conference where marketing executives, business owners and world-renowned companies send their teams to learn the strategies, tactics, tools and technologies they need to build their brands and grow their businesses with social media. Register today with the code MASH20 for 20% off!! 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 18-20, 2010, Washington, D.C.: As Social Media quickly emerges as more than a communication tool, the U.S. Government must proactively leverage this new "environment" to achieve organizational goals. IDGA's 3rd Social Media for Defense and Government provides a forum for senior Government and Military officials, industry partners and academic communities to align shared goals, showcase new technology and define the way forward. This conference will present advanced social media strategies that not only improve communication but actually utilize the tools to improve effectiveness. Register with code MASH4GOV and receive 20% off the standard three-day event fee! October 18, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Join us for the third annual i-stage startup competition, featuring debuts from game-changing apps, products and services. Presented by CEA, i-stage gives tech startups the opportunity to compete for a share of $50,000 in prize money and a free booth at the 2011 International CES. Audience members get the first look at the industry's newest visionaries and network with high profile investors, media and industry leaders. Past winners include Boxee and Regen Inc's ReNu solar charging system. There is no entry fee for competing start-ups. Mashable readers save 10% on attendee tickets. Register now and use discount code IMASH. October, 18, 2010, Washington, DC: Digital East 2010 will feature over 50 industry leading speakers addressing best practices on topics including Social Media, Online Advertising, Ecommerce, Cloud Computing, Web Analytics, Search, Email and more. When registering, use the code Mash1 for 20% off. October 22-23, 2010, Petaluma, Sonoma County, CA: SocialBizWorld is a 2-day Social Media and Web 2.0 business conference for private and public-sector business executives, leaders, managers, employees and consultants looking for insightful speakers, hands-on workshops, in-depth discussions and real-world examples to move their business forward with new media. With Basic, Intermediate and Advanced tracks, attendees will have full access to multiple sessions on both days, have numerous networking opportunities, attend the Friday evening Awards and Business Networking reception (with Special Guest “The TwitchHiker”) and have access to experts gathering in Northern California from all over the country. Join us for this fantastic event in beautiful Sonoma County, at the foot of wine country, minutes from Sonoma and Napa, and just 30 minutes north of San Francisco. Mashable readers receive 15% off conference registration with promo code MASHED. Please visit http://www.socialbizworld.com for more information. October 22-23, 2010, Atlanta, GA: Social Media Experts will be in high demand as social media becomes an integral part of PR and marketing campaigns. Will you be one? Designed specifically for marketing and PR professionals of all backgrounds, non-profit organizations and small business owners, the Integrating Social Media Conference goes beyond the buzz words to real-world and proven methods for successfully incorporating social media into your current marketing and PR strategies. You'll hear firsthand from social media experts including Shiv Singh of Pepsi Co., The Brand Builder's Olivier Blanchard, WholeFoods's Marla Erwin, HubSpot's Mike Volpe, Kellye Crane of Crane Communications and more. Register with promo code MASH and save 20%. October 25, 2010, Orlando, FL: IIR presents CUSTOMER WORLD, the co-location of three unique customer-centric events (NACCM, Linkage Strategies & Customer UNinterrupted) under one roof. Where the Voice of Your Industry comes together to champion and celebrate CUSTOMERS 1ST. Customer World's flagship event, NACCM, is an industry favorite. It attracts top customer-centric leaders in North America to share new and best practices for strengthening customer relationships. Content areas include customer-centric social media strategies, loyalty, customer experience, innovation, culture, engagement, leadership and more. Register with code CWORLD10MASH and save 15% off the standard rates. 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! October 27-29, 2010, Washington, DC: This event will showcase 15 federal perspectives on different strategies government agencies can implement to comply with the Obama Administration's Open Government Directive. The social media realm will be a prevailing topic of discussion as it has been the prime means federal agencies have taken to achieve compliance, but problems with its use still persist. This event will provide ADVANCED solutions and ideas to the policy, security, monitoring and measuring struggles that many agencies face on a daily-basis. Mashable subscribers will enjoy a 10% discount when they mention MASHABLE in their follow-up email to the event contact listed here: event. October 28, 2010, London, UK: The International Search Summit will focus once again on international and multilingual search marketing topics and offer delegates insight and advice on how to effectively develop and manage international online campaigns. Speakers at the event will include Eugene Lomize from Russian search engine Yandex, Omar Khaled from Arabic search Engine Ayna, as well as well-known search marketers Mikkel deMib Svendsen, Marty Weintraub, Massimo Burgio and Barry Lloyd. The Summit will be held at The British Library in London, and is a must for any marketer targeting multiple markets and/or languages online. Register now with the coupon code MASH20 to receive 20% discount. 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. November 1-2, 2010, Dubai, UAE: Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Summit at Total Marketing Discuss and debate the opportunities and challenges faced by marketers in leveraging social media as a marketing tool. Hear from leading organizations on how they managed to turn Twitter and LinkedIn amongst others into powerful communication channels! Getting in at the top of any search remains a key focus for many organizations today. Hear from leading practitioners on how best practice strategies and innovative methods to get the most out of the internet. Register and save 15% when using code MASHABLE-TM. For more information, visit www.totalmarketing2010.com. November 8-11, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: PubCon, the premier search and social media conference, features the industry’s biggest names and key players shaping the future of the Web. PubCon holds cutting edge panel sessions exploring tracks dedicated to search, social media and affiliate marketing, an intensive professional search and social media training program and some of the world's top keynote speakers. PubCon Las Vegas will also hold a one day two-track slate of intensive educational training programs led by some of the industry’s most respected search professionals. PubCon makes all of this available at some of the most affordable registration rates in the industry. Please use the code ma-8201210 for 10% off the registration price. November 17-18, 2010, Raleigh, NC: Internet Summit 2010 will feature over 100 speakers and an audience of over 1500 internet execs, entrepreneurs and senior marketers. Join dozens of industry leaders and innovators in the conversation on topics such as Social Media, Mobile, Cloud Computing, Geolocation, Online Advertising, Analytics, Video, E-commerce and more. Use registration code MASH for 20% off. November 17, 2010, Phoenix, AZ: Fifth Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference (AZEC10). In the current environment, some companies will still come out stronger than before. Has your business suffered? Have you been laid off? Are you trying to grow in difficult circumstances? Here at AZEC10, we’ve got your back. Local investors, local entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley veterans will spend the day discussing the realities of business today. You MUST meet these people and learn from them during the Great Re-Set of 2010. This is the premier entrepreneurship conference in Arizona, benefitting the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation. November 30, 2010 – December 2, 2010, London, UK: Online Information is the largest UK event dedicated to the information industry. Taking place in the Grand Hall at London's Olympia, the exhibition attracts more than 9,000 visitors each year from around the world. This unique, free to attend event consists of an exhibition with more than 200 international exhibitors alongside an extensive seminar programme. Online Information covers 6 core segments: Content Resources, ePublishing Solutions, Library Management, Content Management, Search Solutions and Social Media, providing an annual meeting place for this global industry. Mashable readers may register to attend here. November 30, 2010, London, UK: Social Recruiting Conference will gather together leading employers and recruitment industry professionals, to passionately discuss and practically demonstrate the power of Social Recruiting. The conference will be unlike any other Social Media Recruiting conferences you have attended. Our aim is to take the talk from theory to practice; and shift conversations from hype and hope to reality and results. #SRCONF will focus on Social Recruiting case studies, with measurable ROIs. Save 10% when you register with the code MASH10 at http://www.srconf.com. April 13-15, 2011, Singapore: The Internet Show Asia 2011 is a series of seminars and a large end-to-end showcase of the latest internet technologies and solutions. More than 10,000 attendees will be at the exhibition and conference to find new ways of doing internet business and enhancing product offerings through the internet – through case study presentations and speaking directly with solution partners. The show will aim to increase your ROI, it's all about business, not a technology show. For more details and registrations, please visit www.theinternetshows.com/2010/Singapore. 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, Boxee, Drupal, Facebook, Get Satisfaction, Google, Internet, LinkedIn, Mashable, Mint, Skype, Twitter, YouTube, awards, social media, society, video For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Behance Helps Creatives Showcase Portfolios on LinkedIn Posted: 19 Jul 2010 10:36 AM PDT Behance, a platform for creative professionals, has just launched a new collaboration between its service and LinkedIn. Utilizing a new app called Creative Portfolio Display, users can now connect their portfolios directly to their LinkedIn accounts. This is a great bridge between the creative and the more professional social networking worlds. At the Mashable Media Summit earlier this summer, Co-founder and CEO of Behance Scott Belsky spoke about the growth of the network and its focus on bringing creative meritocracy to the design world. Behance has always been focused on helping organize the creative world. To that end, the free Behance Network lets artists, designers and other creative professionals showcase their projects and portfolios. With the new LinkedIn partnership, the potential audience for Behance members increases exponentially. Using the Creative Portfolio Display LinkedIn app, Behance.net members can sync their portfolios directly with LinkedIn. Users can pick and choose what projects they want to showcase and the app has a really nice interface for viewing projects all on the social networking site. This is fantastic because as well-known as Behance is in the creative community, it’s not as well known in the broader business community. What better way to showcase your talents that to hook in your existing portfolio? The fact that visitors don’t have to leave LinkedIn to view your work is an added bonus. If you’re a creative professional already on LinkedIn, but you don’t have a Behance account, check out this page to sign up. If you already have a Behance.net account, you can go here and install the Creative Portfolio Display app on your own LinkedIn profile. Check out our gallery for a look at what Behance looks like within LinkedIn below. What do you think of the converging of professional social networks and creative communities? Gallery Linkedin-Profile Portfolio Manager Profile Project Reviews: Behance Network, LinkedIn More About: behance, creative professionals, design, linkedin, portfolios For more Dev & Design coverage: Follow Mashable Dev & Design on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Dev & Design channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

5 Lessons to Learn from Web Startups Posted: 19 Jul 2010 10:13 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. Web startups comprise one of the most exciting segments of small business culture. They’re young, they’re sexy, they’re rolling in glamorous-sounding amounts of “free money” from venture capitalists, and they get to make products that people around the world end up knowing about and using. Although not all small businesses will have the same characteristics of a tech startup, there are some lessons you can learn and some values you can appropriate into your own company, no matter what your business is about. Here are five ways to grow your business from observing and emulating web startup culture. If you’ve learned a lesson or two from an admirable startup that you didn’t find on the list, please let us know about it in the comments. 1. Your Company Culture Can Be Fun Why is GitHub’s logo the “OctoCat”? Why not? Ask the founders sometime at one of this startup’s famous drinkups. One of the most common attributes of the web startup is an almost universal dedication to having a good time. Work hard, play hard is the mantra in this sphere; you’ll see engineers pulling all-nighters to ship a product, but you’ll also see them goofing off together during downtime, pulling shenanigans on their coworkers, or investing in “office equipment” such as ping pong tables and discreet, under-the-kitchen-counter kegs. While not every small business will have the, um, stamina for Friday night Rock Band competitions, you can make your company culture fun and your workplace a fun place to be. Do you offer employees a place to relax? Is it taboo in your company culture to pull mild pranks or socialize during work hours? Do you ever have spontaneous outings, lunches, or games? Perhaps one of the best reasons to foster a sense of enjoyment and camaraderie in your office or workplace is that it helps counteract clock-watching; if your staff can “whistle while they work,” so to speak, they might find that work is easier and more enjoyable, leading them to become more productive. 2. Work Can Be Done Anytime, Anywhere CitySourced co-founder Kurt Daradics proved that entrepreneurship can happen anywhere — even on a cross-country road trip. Many web startups are composed of distributed teams. Many more have very loose definitions of “office hours.” Employees might roll in at one in the afternoon; they might stay and work the night away until the wee hours of the morning, too. And a lot of the time, they get to work from home. Many Gen X and Millennial employees see the ability to work from home as a huge benefit — for some folks we’ve talked to, it counts as much as a pay raise. If you trust that your employees can handle themselves and get their work done on time, consider letting them work from home or adopt more flexible work hours. Your night owls will appreciate the opportunity to work with all pistons firing, and your early birds will love getting home to their loved ones before rush hour traffic starts. And everyone, from CEOs to secretaries, appreciates getting to work in their PJs every now and then. 3. You Don’t Need a Lot of Money to Have a Good Time The guys at isocket don’t need your fancy amusements to keep spirits high. All they need are a couple plastic or rubber projectiles and a dog or two to hang around the office. “The lean startup” is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot. What does it really mean? In the post-dotcom era, “lean” means no chair massages and sushi lunches on the company dime. It means fewer and less lavish company parties or event sponsorships. Extravagance, in the current era, is out. Frugality and long runways are in. As a small business owner, you’re always focused on your bottom line; so what can you learn from the “lean startup” mentality? Well, even when you’re pinching the last of your pennies, remember to take care of your employees as much as you can — from salaries to benefits to culture (see #1). But also, be aware that being penny-wise doesn’t mean you’re not pound-foolish. Many startup CEOs make less than their employees. And startups also avoid the pitfall of the legacy employee who contributes little but places large demands on company resources. 4. It’s OK to Change Your Mind Formspring didn’t start as a Q&A app, but this spin-off of the original product has gone viral and a half and is now the company’s core focus. Startups often run into a brick wall when developing a product. They find out too late that the market is too competitive, that they don’t have the funding or partnerships they need, or that technology in its current state simply won’t allow them to innovate in the way they’d like. Do they shutter and go home? Sometimes. But more frequently, a startup will “pivot” — that is, it will turn on its heel and make a shift in it its product strategy, target market, business model, or whatever the missing piece of the puzzle might be. If something is broken beyond repair, simply scrap it and start over. As entrepreneurs, you’re often married to your own ideas. You can allow them to become too precious, and you can lose sight of more practical matters: Is it an idea other people like? Is it making money? Is it sustainable? If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” don’t be afraid to change your business just enough to get it back on track. Pivoting is OK for startups, and it can be OK for you, too. 5. A Small Risk Can Return a Great Reward Founding a social network while MySpace still ruled the web took a lot of cojones. But the risk has paid off in spades for Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and his employees. Last but most important of all, web startups assume more risk than almost any other kind of small business. Their founders risk their credit, relationships, and years of their lives on something as erratic as the Internet. They do it out of passion, and for some of them, that passion pays off rather quickly. For others, it takes a lot longer. You may not want or need to take the same kinds of risks a web entrepreneur would, but you should also keep in mind that simply maintaining a less risk-averse outlook can lead to huge benefits for you and your company’s growth and success. Certainly, there are times when you’ll need security, stability, or a tried-and-true solution. But other times, you might suffer by not taking that small gamble — for example, implementing an unorthodox suggestion from an employee or choosing an unconventional marketing strategy. Not every risk will pay off, but ultimately, a long-term, pervasive and absolute aversion to risk can keep your business small and your profits minimal. Keep an open mind, and be on the lookout for serendipity and opportunity. More Business Resources From Mashable: - 5 Online Tools for Answering Your Small Business Questions - Is Social Media Failing to Produce Business Leads? - 5 Tips for Managing Your Company's Brand on the Web - How Real-Time Data is Changing Business Optimization - HOW TO: Use Game Mechanics to Power Your Business Reviews: FormSpring, Internet, MySpace More About: business, company culture, corporate culture, facebook, funding, github, lean startup, List, Lists, octocat, small business, startup, tips, web startup For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

iPad Available in 9 More Countries This Friday Posted: 19 Jul 2010 10:06 AM PDT Apple’s iPad will go on sale in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore on July 23. Buyers in those countries will be able to choose between the 3G and Wi-Fi models already available in the U.S. at roughly the same prices. The addition of those nine countries will nearly double the number in which the tablet computer is available. The device originally launched in the U.S. on April 3. The UK, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland followed on May 28. With three million units sold as of about a month ago, it looks like the iPad might be on its way to unprecedented success — unprecedented in the tablet computer market, anyway. Are you a resident of one of the nine new iPad countries? Let us know in the comments if you plan on picking one up on Friday. Reviews: Australia More About: apple, gadgets, international, iOS, ipad For more Apple coverage: Follow Mashable Apple on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Apple channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Bandage iPhone 4 Reception Issues with Antenn-aid [PIC] Posted: 19 Jul 2010 09:02 AM PDT On Friday, Steve Jobs announced that part of Apple’s response to the whole iPhone 4 antenna problem would be to offer free cases for all iPhone 4 owners. However, if you don’t like the idea of having your beautiful phone marred by a bumper or other case, consider this adorable (and inexpensive) option to masking tape or silicon: the Antenn-aid. Antenn-aids are described by the seller as “custom vinyl sitcker[s] for your iPhone 4.” The Band-Aid for your iDevice is designed to be placed over the lower left corner of the antenna. And while the seller takes great pains to ensure that buyers understand that the Antenna-aid is for entertainment purposes only, chances are, the solution will work at least as well as tape or another type of protective covering. The bandages are being sold in packs of six for $4.99. Each Antenna-aid is a different color so you can color-coordinate. How useful (or not) the decals actually are is kind of irrelevant. We’re just really taken by the ingenuity and creativity of such a creation. As much as I love my iPhone 4, I still find the idea of having to have a bandage for the device just to make a phone call (assuming you hold your phone while touching the problem areas) absolutely hysterical. Well played, Etsy. Well played! What do you think of Antenna-aid? Would you get one for your iPhone 4? [via Cult of Mac] More About: accessories, antenn-aid, Antennagate, Etsy, iphone 4 For more Apple coverage: Follow Mashable Apple on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Apple channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Netflix Finally Expands Beyond the U.S. Posted: 19 Jul 2010 08:32 AM PDT Netflix announced that it is expanding its operations to Canada, bringing its Watch Instantly service of streaming TV shows and movies to our neighbors in the North. This is Netflix’s first expansion outside of the U.S. and will mark the company’s first streaming-only service offering (i.e., it has no tie-in with the traditional disc by mail rental program) to customers. Netflix has flirted with international expansion in the past, however, its plans were previously scrapped in order to focus on its core US market. Yet as more of Netflix’s core business moves away from traditional disc rentals and into digital streaming services, expansion into other markets becomes less challenging from a logistical standpoint. Securing licensing agreements for programming and content is still an ongoing challenge, but by focusing on a streaming-only plan, Netflix can highlight its strengths and eschew the more expensive and infrastructure-laden mail distributions centers. This move also prevents Netflix from going head to head against Zip.ca, which is essentially the Canadian mashup of Netflix and Redbox. Netflix says that Netflix Canada will be only available in English at launch, but that it expects to add French language support over time. It also looks like the service will be supported on Macs and PCs, as well as the myriad of Netflix-capable consumer electronics devices. In the U.S., Netflix offers a plan with unlimited streaming movies and TV shows alongside its basic one-at-a-time rental service for $8.95 a month. Canadian pricing hasn’t been revealed, but we expect it will be the same. It’s unclear if the current Netflix Watch Instantly library will be coming to Canada or if there will be localized changes. We’ve reached out to Netflix to find out details related to these issues and will update our report when we hear back. If you are in Canada and you want to get in on the Netflix-loving action, go to http://www.netflix.ca and sign-up to be notified as soon as Netflix Canada becomes available! What do you think of Netflix’s international expansion? Reviews: Netflix Watch Instantly More About: Canada, Film, moviesf, netflix, netflix canada, streaming movies, television For more Entertainment coverage: Follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Entertainment channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

10 Awesome Apple-Inspired iPad Wallpapers [PICS] Posted: 19 Jul 2010 08:06 AM PDT With the release of iOS4, Apple officially delivered the ability to change the wallpaper on your iPhone or iPod. While this is a cool feature for the iPhone, where wallpapers really shine is on the iPad, with its glossy, 9.7-inch, LED-backlit display that has enjoyed customizable homescreen wallpapers since its launch. We’ve rounded up 10 of the best iPad wallpapers around, offering you a gallery of Apple-themed gorgeousness that along with the iPad decals we recently brought you, will help you customize your iPad — front and back — and make it unique to you. And remember kids, for an iPad wallpaper to work as both landscape and portrait modes, it needs to be sized to 1024 by 1024 pixels. Enjoy! 1. Colorful Pixels Here, the colorful Apple logo is pixelated against a black background, making the colors really pop. 2. "Come See Our Latest Creation" Fan boys and girls will recognize the paint splats as the illustration featured on the media invite for the launch of the Apple iPad back in January. 3. Sidewalk Like a chalk stencil on the sidewalk, the texture on this wallpaper will look really cool on your iPad. 4. Industrial Logo Give your iPad an industrial look with this cool grill take on the Apple logo that brings to mind the Mac Pro computer. 5. Retro Here is another fun design featuring the retro rainbow Apple logo. 6. NYC Apple Store This shot beautifully captures the glass dome of Apple's flagship New York store in black and white. 7. Wooden Wallpaper Give your iPad a retro-chic look of wood veneer with this simple but effective effort. 8. iPhone-Inspired Early adopters will instantly recognize this design that emulates the original iPhone's Nemo-themed background. 9. Dripping Colors With a nod to the iPod nano's advertisements featuring dripping colors, this is as much a work of art as it is a wallpaper. 10. Spinning Beachball Ending the gallery on a light note, from the guys over at Gizmodo this spinning beachball screen is meant to be used to prank a buddy into thinking their iPad has gone into the mode where you start yelling, "WTF? But Macs don't crash!" More Apple Resources from Mashable: - 10 Fascinating Facts You Didn't Know About Apple - Top 6 Free World Cup iPhone Apps - 10 Fun iPod Speakers for Listening in Style - 5 Fantastic Free iPhone E-book Reader Apps - 10 Essential Money-Saving iPhone Apps [img credit: ipadwallpaper.org] Reviews: iPhone More About: apple, Apple iPad, ipad, ipad accessories, wallpaper, wallpapers For more Apple coverage: Follow Mashable Apple on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Apple channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Mashable Weekend Recap: 13 Stories You May Have Missed Posted: 19 Jul 2010 06:46 AM PDT We hope your weekend was either a relaxing one or a productive one — whichever you were going for — but alas, the web brakes for no one. We’ve collected some of the top stories from Saturday and Sunday so you can sip that Monday morning coffee satisfied that you’re well informed no matter how you spent your time away from your desk. Google discontinued its once highly anticipated Nexus One smartphone, Facebook revealed that it’s about to hit 500 million users, and Apple’s competitors struck back in the wake of Friday’s “Antennagate” press conference. Furthermore, we’ve got helpful resources, social media insights and some straight up fun stuff — including a roundup of the funniest Old Spice guy videos. Thanks for reading! News Essentials Google Discontinues the Nexus One Android Phone Facebook Will Celebrate 500 Million Users Next Week HTC, RIM and Nokia Challenge Apple's Antenna Claims Helpful Resources 11 Essential Online Resources for Consultants HOW TO: Score a Design Job HOW TO: Give Your Photos a Vintage Look 10 Cool Cable Management Solutions [PICS] More Social Media For Women, Social Media is More Than "Girl Talk" Mashable Hosts #SummerMash in San Francisco [PHOTOS] Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week [CHART] Weekend Leisure Top 10 Funniest Old Spice Guy Responses [VIDEOS] 10 Fun Microsoft Facts You Might Not Know FaceTime + $50 = Awesome Personalized Avatar Reviews: Facebook, Google More About: android, Antennagate, apple, facebook, Google, htc, mashable weekend roundup, nexus one, Nokia, RIM For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Nokia Siemens Acquires Motorola’s Network Business for $1.2 Billion Posted: 19 Jul 2010 06:31 AM PDT Nokia Siemens Networks has agreed to acquire the majority of Motorola’s wireless network unit for $1.2 billion in cash, the company announced this morning. Nokia Siemens Networks expects that this acquisition will strengthen its ties with a number of telecom operators, as well as make it the third largest wireless infrastructure vendor in the U.S., the biggest foreign wireless vendor in Japan and strengthen its current number two position in the global infrastructure segment. Under the terms of the contract, approximately 7,500 employees will transfer to Nokia Siemens Networks from Motorola's wireless network infrastructure business when the transaction closes. The contract is expected to be completed by the end of 2010, and will therefore not influence Nokia Siemens’s financials in 2010. "I believe the addition of Motorola's Networks business will significantly strengthen our worldwide presence, enhance our scale in the United States, Japan and other priority regions and reinforce our leadership position in the global wireless sector," said Rajeev Suri, chief executive officer of Nokia Siemens Networks. More About: acquisition, Motorola networks, Nokia Siemens For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

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