Mashable: Latest 26 News Updates - including “Foursquare Checkins Now Part of Customer Loyalty App for iPhone”

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• Foursquare Checkins Now Part of Customer Loyalty App for iPhone
• Apple Store is Down, New Macs on the Way?
• Yahoo Japan Signs Search Deal With Google
• Ask.com Reinvents Itself with a Focus on Community Q&A
• Computer Faceoff: Mac vs. PC
• MTV Releasing Facebook Game and iPhone App to Promote “Jersey Shore”
• Twitter to Show Photos and Videos in the Stream [UPDATED]
• Yelp Testing “Daily Deals” Feature
• Now You Can Bump iPhones to Connect on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
• Google Pushes Further into Yelp’s Territory with Maps for Android Update
• Inside the Mind of One of the Web’s Hottest Designers [INTERVIEW]
• “The Yes Men” Movie Dodges Legal Challenge by Launching on BitTorrent
• Google Apps Adds Government Edition
• More Tickets Available for Mashable Summer Tour in D.C., NYC and Chicago
• Crowdsource Your Relationship Issues
• U.S. Government: You Can Jailbreak Your iPhone
• Samsung Galaxy S: Hands-On with the Latest Android Smartphone [REVIEW]
• Metallica Edges out The Beatles in #WinWeekend
• HOW TO: Send an Audio Tweet
• Would You Ever Pay for Twitter? [STUDY]
• “Guy Walks Across America” in Viral YouTube Video
• AT&T Expands Free Wi-Fi Program to Alleviate Data Congestion
• 7 Superb Podcasts for Summer Listening
• 75+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events
• Mashable Weekend Recap: 15 Stories You May Have Missed
• iPhone 4 Coming to 17 More Countries on Friday
• HTC Desire and Nexus One Are Getting Super LCD Screens

Foursquare Checkins Now Part of Customer Loyalty App for iPhone Posted: 27 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT CardStar offers mobile phone users a simple way to manage physical loyalty and membership cards in a digital manner. Today the service is introducing integration with Foursquare to support checkins for users of the iPhone application. Now, when a user scans their club or loyalty card via CardStar during checkout, they can also tap to check in on the location-based service. The idea behind the integration is to eliminate the extra steps required for CardStar users to check in on Foursquare, and help merchants better verify user checkins. Additionally, the company hopes to facilitate more engagement between customer and retailer, as well as encourage additional rewards for Foursquare checkins. “The typical CardStar user already launches the app at point-of-sale in retail locations, airports, gyms and libraries. The CardStar integration with Foursquare was the next logical step to deliver a more cohesive mobile experience,” says CEO Andy Miller. The enhanced application also includes a few updates to improve the overall card storage and scanning experience. It has been updated to include support for iOS 4 and now includes a geo-aware favorite places list. When it comes to the bigger picture, CardStar’s Foursquare integration exemplifies the continued convergence of loyalty programs and location-sharing. Tasti D-Lite has been very experimental in its integration of social media into its rewards program, even going so far as to build social functionality — which automatically rewards points for tweets and checkins — into their point-of-sale software. Mobile application Topguest also seeks to turn checkins into rewards points that can be redeemed at pricey hotels. Of course, many retailers like Starbucks, Ann Taylor and Domino’s UK are simply turning to Foursquare for a location-based loyalty program that rewards mayorships or checkins. [img credit: joelogon] More About: cardstar, checkins, foursquare, loyalty program, Mobile 2.0 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

Apple Store is Down, New Macs on the Way? Posted: 27 Jul 2010 03:48 AM PDT The Apple store is currently down, and you know what that means: it may be time to part with some of your hard-earned cash and say hello to a new sleek gadget from Steve Jobs’ workshop. Yesterday, Daring Fireball’s John Gruber predicted that Apple will soon release new Mac Pros, speedier iMacs and a new 27-inch Cinema Display, and hinted at a possibility that Apple might also launch a mysterious “desktop multitouch trackpad device.” It might be an exciting day for Apple product fans. More About: apple, Apple Store, mac 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

Yahoo Japan Signs Search Deal With Google Posted: 27 Jul 2010 01:43 AM PDT Yahoo Japan said it will be switching Yahoo’s search technology with Google’s search engine, dealing a serious blow to the global Microsoft-Yahoo search partnership. In July 2009, Yahoo signed a deal with Microsoft, under which Yahoo was to adopt Microsoft’s Bing as the search engine on all Yahoo sites. However, Yahoo only has a minority stake (35%) in Yahoo Japan, while the Japanese telecom giant Softbank owns 40% of the company, meaning that Yahoo didn’t have the final say in the decision. “Yahoo! Japan made this decision as an independent and separate publicly traded company (…) This decision by Yahoo! Japan does not impact the global rollout and implementation of the Yahoo! search alliance with Microsoft, except in the Japanese market,” said Yahoo in a statement. Now, in a deal that is likely to be challenged by Microsoft, Yahoo Japan and Google will corner the Japanese search market, in which Bing only has a minute share. On the outside, however, nothing will change: Yahoo will keep its stake in Yahoo Japan and remain a strategic partner for the company, and Yahoo Japan will continue to use the Yahoo brand. Reviews: Bing, Google More About: Google, Search, Yahoo Japan 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

Ask.com Reinvents Itself with a Focus on Community Q&A Posted: 26 Jul 2010 09:01 PM PDT Ask.com is taking a new direction and attempting to refocus their search strategy around a more social experience, including an improved question-and-answer offering. The beta version of Ask.com comes with a new interface and is designed to provide a more semantic search experience. It includes a Q&A product that pulls from 500 million indexed questions and answers and queries appropriate Ask.com users for their answers. It will be released to users on an invite-only basis beginning today. As opposed to the traditional engine, Ask.com has always been centered around serving up relevant answers in the form of links to queries in the form of questions. The new version of the site is meant to deliver real answers, as opposed to just links, and introduce a community element to deliver human answers to subjective and complex questions. The beta offering is a product of four new features: a completely overhauled look with a focus on highlighting trending questions from the community, semantic search with answers displayed on the page, a large Q&A database and a user community element that targets members for answering questions based on their areas of expertise. The latter somewhat mirrors Aardvark’s formula for finding answers to user questions, and is initiated when users click the “Ask the Community” button on the right-hand side of the results page. Ask.com currently only accounts for 2% of the search market in the United States, which equates to 184,518,000 total searches for June 2010, according to Nielsen data. As such, the new direction to socialize and transform the search experience is one that makes sense for the company, but something that seems a bit tardy in terms of the question-and-answer online revolution already underway. In 2010, we’ve seen the traditional Q&A site model flipped on its head with the success of Aardvark, now owned by Google, the buzz around Quora and the anonymous approach of user-to-user Q&A that Formspring provides. Even Facebook is participating in the Q&A trend with a feature that’s already in testing. Ask.com is confident in their altered approach, though. “The evolution of our search technology, the rapid growth of the social Web and the shift in consumer search behavior are propelling Ask to the forefront of what we believe will be a multi-billion dollar Q&A category,” says President Scott Garell. [img credit: laurakgibbs] Reviews: Aardvark More About: Aardvark, Ask.com, facebook, Search 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

Computer Faceoff: Mac vs. PC Posted: 26 Jul 2010 07:49 PM PDT We’ve pitted countless web and tech-related items against each other in our weekly Web Faceoff series. There was Chrome vs. Firefox (Firefox emerged as champ), Facebook vs. Twitter (Facebook eeked out a win), iPhone vs. Android (Android crushed the competition) and Digg vs. StumbleUpon vs. Reddit (Digg secured victory with 14,000 votes), among many other matches. However, there’s one battle we haven’t had yet on Mashable: Mac vs. PC. That changes today. This week’s faceoff is the classic battle over the hardware you use every single day. Are you a loyal Windows user, or have you joined the cult of Mac? Do you religiously buy Dells, or have the Get a Mac ads convinced you to stick with Apple’s computers? Do you prefer Mac or PC? We want to know. Cast your vote in the poll below by Friday, July 30 at 12:00 PM PT. As always, be sure to let us know why you picked Mac or PC in our comments section. Reviews: Mashable, Windows More About: computer, mac, pc, Snow Leopard, web faceoff, Windows, Windows 7 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

MTV Releasing Facebook Game and iPhone App to Promote “Jersey Shore” Posted: 26 Jul 2010 06:22 PM PDT The second season of MTV’s reality hit, Jersey Shore, will debut this coming Thursday. To build anticipation around the first episode fist-pump style, MTV is releasing a Facebook game and iPhone app that will feature the show’s larger-than-life personalities in cartoon form. The Facebook game is a Jersey-Shore-lover’s dream come true and challenges players to battle each other in head-to-head pickle and tanning lotion throwing competitions. The game is set to make its debut on Tuesday and evolve in content as the storylines on the show develop over the season. From the looks of it, the game also involves managing finances and jobs, which seems a tad strange given what we know about the cast from season one. We kid. Later in the week, Snooki fans can “Spread Snooki” — yes, that’s the name of the game — using an upcoming MTV iPhone app. The app is much more harmless than the name insinuates; it will simply allow users to superimpose Snooki’s face or fist pump gesture on to iPhone photos they take or have in their library. The apps are nothing more than Jersey Shore fun. If this season is to be as successful as the first, than we can certainly expect even more inane games, spoofs and parodies. Here we go again. [img credit: MTV] Reviews: Facebook More About: facebook, iphone app, jersey shore, mtv, tv 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

Twitter to Show Photos and Videos in the Stream [UPDATED] Posted: 26 Jul 2010 05:15 PM PDT A new Twitter setting called “Tweet Media” has rolled out to some of Twitter’s users, strongly suggesting that the company will soon embed videos and photos in the stream. Tweet Media, which the Mashable team and others have been able to access under Twitter’s account settings, asks you whether or not you want to show photos and videos from everyone. It also comes with the following description of the setting: “By default, you’ll only see images and videos shared by people you’re following, and reveal those by people you’re not. Check this box to see media from everyone on Twitter.” It seems clear that Twitter is about to add multimedia in the Twitter.com stream, which could radically change the entire Twitter experience. It doesn’t seem like the feature is active currently though, even if you activate Tweet Media in your settings. We’ve reached out to Twitter for comment. We’ll update this post as we learn more. Update: It looks like Twitter has removed the Tweet Media setting from all accounts; it’s not longer available if you check your account settings. We’re investigating. Update 2: Twitter confirms that it is testing inline multimedia. The following is a statement we just received from Twitter: “We’re constantly exploring features and settings. What you saw was a small test of a potential consumption setting for inline media. We show inline media on our own iPhone and Android apps.” Hat tip to @NickStarr Reviews: Android, Mashable, Twitter More About: trending, Tweet Media, twitter, Twitter Media 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

Yelp Testing “Daily Deals” Feature Posted: 26 Jul 2010 04:39 PM PDT It seems that Yelp is getting ready to implement a “daily deal” feature across the popular website; they’re beginning to test this feature in certain markets, notably Sacramento. After a few Yelp users noticed Groupon-like deals popping up on Yelp.com, the company’s community manager confirmed, “We are testing it out for fun to see what kind of response it generates… Also, there will be another Deal coming out on Wednesday so look for it!” Deals have been showing up for select users on the right side of the home page. They’re limited-time offers, and users who have tried them say, “It acts just like a Groupon.” Basically, you’re allowed to pay a significantly discounted amount for goods or services at a local retailer. Groupon offers something quite similar, as does LivingSocial, so this move pits Yelp against those two relatively new companies. And while Groupon is particularly competitive (the startup was recently valued at $1 billion), Yelp has a distinct advantage: its larger and longer-standing base of users. Yelp company was founded six years ago by two former PayPal employees. Late last year, the company was rumored to be on the receiving end of a $500 million acquisition offer from Google. Yelp has also managed to score a few wins recently with integrations, new features and partnerships. For example, just last month, Yelp started allowing its users to make restaurant reservations on-site via a clever OpenTable integration. And Yelp — a popular resource for local businesses — has recently added social checkin metrics to its business reports. Are Yelp’s daily deals something you’d take advantage of as a consumer? If you own a business, would you partner with Yelp to create a daily deal for Yelp users in your area? [hat tip: The Next Web] Reviews: Google, Yelp More About: consumer, daily deal, groupon, LivingSocial, yelp 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

Now You Can Bump iPhones to Connect on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Posted: 26 Jul 2010 02:57 PM PDT Bump, the app that makes it super simple to exchange information with other users by bumping phones, has just released Bump 2.0 [iTunes link] for the iPhone. The app features an updated and refined interface plus the ability to compare calendars, instantly connect on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, and the ability to send messages back and forth without another Bump. Like its predecessor, Bump 2.0 is free. Bump is a great app for people that travel in groups with lots of smartphone users because it makes it simple to transfer information without the need to pass out business cards. It’s easy to use; just open up the app and make the “bump” gesture with the device to share your contact information. You can set up your contact profile in Bump by selecting your existing address book entry or by creating something brand new. You can then customize what information you want to include or exclude. We like that you can save multiple profiles, one of which you could use for, say, business contacts, and another for personal ones. The ability to compare calendars and set up meetings on-the-fly is a great addition to Bump. It’s sort of like Tungle.me and strikes us as being especially useful for business networking events. If you set up Bump to let you share your Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn information instantly, Bump can even compare friends you have with the user you are “bumping” and show you items like photos from Facebook. Bump also lets you share contacts and photos with the person you are bumping — another nice touch. Bump alerts you when someone sends you their info and you can choose to add them to your Friends list or follow them on Twitter. This video shows Bump 2.0 in action: While Bump 2.0 is for the iPhone, there is also an Android version of Bump available in the Android Market and the apps are cross-device compatible. Do you use an app to exchange information with new people, or does a business card and a cocktail napikin suffice? Reviews: Android, Android Market, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tungle, Twitter More About: bump, business card, information sharing, iphone apps, social network apps 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 Pushes Further into Yelp’s Territory with Maps for Android Update Posted: 26 Jul 2010 02:51 PM PDT In an update coupled with Google Maps 4.4 for Android 1.6 and above, Google has improved the mobile offering of Places. Android owners can now add the Places icon to their home screens and use it to quickly locate nearby venues and their accompanying information-rich business listings. The mobile Places experience now lets users query nearby places by voice or text, or dive into default categories — think restaurants, coffee, bars, hotels and gas stations — or custom-saved categories to search for places. Returned results are based on its expanding database of Place Pages. When pulling up a Place Page for a venue, users can glimpse the open hours for the business, easily see the distance and compass direction, and check out prices, parking and restaurant menu links. The enhanced mobile Places offering will also be rolled out to BlackBerry users when Google updates m.google.com/maps. The Google Places product as a whole continues to evolve as the company makes an aggressive attempt to usurp Yelp, and all other other competitors, in the minds of web and mobile users who are searching for local business information. [img credit: kylesteed] Reviews: Google, Yelp More About: android, Google, Google Android, Google Maps, google places, place pages 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

Inside the Mind of One of the Web’s Hottest Designers [INTERVIEW] Posted: 26 Jul 2010 02:30 PM PDT Jesse Thomas is living the interaction designer’s dream. He’s been working under his own self-hung shingle (JESS3) longer than he ever worked internally or at an agency, and his client roster includes impressive names such as NASA and Nike. He works with top tech competitors such as Google and Microsoft, and he’s also the guy that Facebook tapped for their 500-million-user commemorative project, Facebook Stories. He gets to mastermind the design concepts that shape the web apps used by people all around the world, all without ever having to worry about internal politics or site metrics. So, how do you get to be Jesse Thomas? “I work 24/7/365,” he told us in a recent chat. “I have no social life. I don’t drink like my friends do. “I’m also really lucky.” In addition to that luck, Thomas is a hell of a hustler who counts the newly crowned MySpace CEO Mike Jones as his mentor. “Did you notice that footer link on Facebook Stories?” He pointed it out. “An agency link on a permanent section of Facebook… That wasn’t an accident.” Here’s the nearly complete transcript of our interview; enjoy, and let us know your thoughts about Thomas, JESS3 and his work in the comments. The Interview Mashable: Excellent job on the Facebook 500-million-users project. Jesse Thomas: What a great opportunity, right? M: Have you done work with Facebook before? JT: Yes, branding work for f8 and confidential projects. We do a ton of work for Mike Jones at MySpace. Mike is my mentor. [We're] doing a ton with Foursquare; we are getting all our clients badges and pages and then building mini sites with the API. Microsoft loves us. For years we have been working directly with Microsoft’s public sector groups. And, my favorite client of all… NIKE! We are redesigning Nike.com. I’m sure you understand how tricky it is for an agency like mine to work with a mega brand like Nike. We are working directly for Nike, and the work we do gets passed to their agencies. We also work with brands via agencies, so we know how to navigate those waters. AMEX is via their AOR [agency of record]. We get love from Main Street to Madison Avenue. Mashable: So when you say “we,” who else is working with you? Weren’t you a solo once upon a time? JT: I have 15 full time employees, 30+ part time and 100+ freelancers. We have a UK office. We are a UX shop, and we also do animation and installations. We are known for data visualization. At one time, it was just me! But I’m hoping it will be like Ogilvy, the name will live on past me. And when I say installations, I’m talking about social media-themed art shows and corporate work like our AMEX projects. Typically these walls start as a pimped-out Twitter wall, but we push for Foursquare, Flickr, etc. One of Thomas’ early concepts for the Facebook Stories project. M: How long did it take you — roughly how many years — to get to this level? JT: I’m 28, I was in design school when I was 22. I was at Aol [from May to December in 2007], and I had this opportunity to go to Asia with AIGA on a lecture tour. So I left Aol and hired two guys, my director of tech and an illustrator, full time. Everyone loves good work, and social media is tricky. We get the jobs no one thinks they want. We see all the time agencies that pitch digital strategy, but the CEO or the managers don’t like social media and technology or they are green at using it, which I find lame beyond belief, to the point I set up shop to win work from them. They are asleep at the wheel! And they outsource the best projects, the most crucial parts. I was hustling mega new business while at all my jobs, on the side. M: And you really do get to do all the creative interface design without having to worry about the aftermath/metrics, right? JT: Exactly. Never ever ever. That’s the client’s problem. We follow directions. We are like the mercenaries; we don’t care who we fight for or why. M: So, you’ve also worked at agencies a bit in the past — what was that like? JT: It’s a place to learn, like bootcamp. If your agency doesn’t feel like bootcamp, it’s because they suck, and you probably do too. Basically, working at an agency is like being a slave or at a frat your first year. You have to have thick skin and learn every minute of the process. M: How hands-on are you personally with these projects? JT: I lead every project. Every single one. These are all my babies. I find the talent. I close half the new business. People tell me I’m a slave driver. I know what I want. If a client wants something stupid, that’s OK. They are like the guy with a broken arm at the hospital asking for cocaine. You have to, as a doctor, say “No” … It’s very risky the bigger the clients get. Agencies call that reckless. I call it shooting from the hip M: Do you envision going on like this, at this rate, indefinitely? JT: So we are building a number of products in our labs, silly things like oil.jess3.com and much more serious money making products. We do 10% of our work in labs, 90% for clients. I’d like to flip that… more like a company that begins to be known for products, and that would hopefully trump the brand itself… It’s all about patents. We have a few patents pending, and if I had more money, I’d be buying up patents relating to our stealth products, one of which is in the online advertising space. So we would becomes the next GE or IBM. We are talking about world domination here! Thomas and crew are working on a feature-length documentary film on the state of the Internet; the above is just a teaser. M: Do you think end users’ misunderstanding of online privacy has set location services back at all? We know it did at Facebook, at least for a while… JT: I think we have more super users now, and once we get past this hump, it will be a slippery slope. Facebook has a great system — tiered privacy. But that’s the boring stuff. What’s interesting is, what if everyone in your phone book was a user of this service. How could that experience get cooler? I don’t worry about the haters or the fools. They will catch up. Build for the nerds, not the dropouts. M: What are you going to test next year? A new passive checkin app? And if it goes over well, would you ever roll it out yourself? Or give the product to a company like Facebook or MySpace? JT: All of the above. We are fine with building for others; it finances everything else. M: What’s one application/site you yourself didn’t design that you thought was brilliant? JT: FarmVille. I don’t play it, but the idea is genius … It’s an evolution of Sim City — a smart evolution. M: Would you ever make a game? JT: YES. Lots of ideas, UX, etc. We’ve done quizes and such that were games, but a true game is on our list. And social games have been quietly clocking ridiculous session times under the radar. People will spend eight hours on a Zynga game, these crazy amounts of time to the point they have tiers of ad sales because they are so saturated. It’s a gold rush. Disclosure: JESS3 has previously done design work for Mashable. More Dev & Design Resources from Mashable: - 10 Tools for Distributed Developer Teams - HOW TO: Develop iPhone Apps With Staying Power - 11 Ways to Speed Up WordPress - 10 Tools for Getting Web Design Feedback - 40+ Web Design and Development Resources for Beginners Reviews: Facebook, Flickr, Foursquare, Google, Internet, Mashable, MySpace, Twitter More About: development, facebook, interview, interviews, mypace, programming, social media, twitter, web design, Web Development 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

“The Yes Men” Movie Dodges Legal Challenge by Launching on BitTorrent Posted: 26 Jul 2010 01:48 PM PDT Culture jamming pranksters The Yes Men have released their latest film on BitTorrent, unable to do so via conventional distribution channels because they are being sued by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Yes Men pose as corporations, governmental organizations or NGOs they believe are hypocritical or enacting harmful policies. They deliver speeches, send out press releases and set up websites to either take the organization’s policies to what The Yes Men believes are their logical conclusions, or to reverse the organization’s official position. In theory, the latter is useful as a PR stunt because it forces the organization to step forward and reiterate its potentially unpopular or controversial stance on an issue, thus raising awareness in the public and turning up the heat. That was the strategy that made The Yes Men defendants in a lawsuit. They pretended to hold a press conference using the name and logo of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, announcing a reversal of the organization’s position of climate change. The Chamber sued them for unlawfully using its trademark and intellectual property for commercial gain — that is, the sale of DVDs. The Yes Men have made a documentary film that depicts their pranks, and that Chamber of Commerce conference is among them. None of the networks are willing touch it until the lawsuit is resolved. TorrentFreak reports that The Yes Men released the film for free on BitTorrent instead, then asked viewers for donations. The Yes Men didn’t just do this to give the impression that it’s not all about commercial gain. They also did it to avoid paying for E&O or “errors and omissions” insurance, which documentary filmmakers are often required to buy if they can’t verify that every detail in the fore or background of every shot is free of copyright infringement. The E&O requirement is a huge hurdle for independent filmmakers. The film — titled The Yes Men Fix the World — landed at number six in TorrentFreak’s list of the top 10 films downloaded on BitTorrent last week. The torrent is hosted at the film’s VODO page. Clip From The Yes Men Fix the World More About: bittorrent, culture jamming, documentary, file sharing, Film, lawsuit, Movies, p2p, piracy, protest, the yes men, us chamber of commerce, video For more Web Video coverage: Follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Web Video channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Google Apps Adds Government Edition Posted: 26 Jul 2010 01:35 PM PDT Google Apps has already landed a few big customers in the public sector — including the City of Los Angeles — and today the company forwarded its drive into the space by launching a new edition of its app suite: Google Apps for Government. Google Apps for Government is, according to Google, the first cloud computing app suite to receive the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) certification. This will make it easier for agencies or groups to evaluate and adopt Google Apps. Any product aimed at government employees needs more than just certification, which is why Google notes in its blog post that Gmail and Google Calendar data will be segregated into data centers marked exclusively for government users in the continental U.S. After the Street View privacy fiasco, this sort of segmentation is going to be a necessary feature for any sort of widespread adoption. After all, while cloud-based applications can be very attractive to government users — especially as departmental budgets get tighter — there are simply some considerations that separate a government user from the average business. Government agencies or departments need to not only follow security protocols, which Google is addressing in part by getting FISMA certification, but many of these departments also need to have specific reporting, collecting and archiving measures in place. This is one reason that Microsoft has its own government-only cloud facility for its products aimed at federal users. This announcement and product is a big step for Google and having a formal government offering will certainly make the company more visible in the space. Google’s competitors haven’t been sitting idle. While Google can often undercut its competitors on price, security and reliability are two factors that matter more to many government users. If you’re interested in seeing what a government migration to Google Apps looks like, check out the video about the City of Los Angeles transition below. How do you feel about government agencies running on the cloud? Reviews: Gmail, Google, Google Calendar More About: cloud computing, Google, google apps, google apps for government 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

More Tickets Available for Mashable Summer Tour in D.C., NYC and Chicago Posted: 26 Jul 2010 01:30 PM PDT The West Coast stops in Seattle and San Francisco this month set the standard for the Summer Tour, but we’re confident that the East Coast will bring their “A game” for our upcoming events in Washington, D.C., New York City and Chicago. Each event will have drinks, appetizers, giveaways from our awesome sponsors, multi-streaming interviews with Watchitoo, enthusiasts from the community and the Mashable team. Tickets are on sale for each event and going fast. Please note that there are only a limited number of tickets per city being released due to capacity restrictions. Limited sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more info, please e-mail sponsorships@mashable.com. If you can’t make it to one of the events, we hope you’ll join the discussion on Twitter via #summermash and a live stream with Watchitoo on Mashable.com. In fact, we want you to help facilitate some of the discussion on Watchitoo by joining us on-camera to help ask attendees questions and answer some social media trivia. If you’re interested in being on-camera to help ask questions, the details are outlined below. You’ll also have a chance to win tickets to attend the events. Mashable Watchitoo Summer Tour Contest Contest Submission Criteria: Upload a 14-second YouTube video explaining why you should be brought on live to chat with hosts/attendees at the Mashable 2010 Summer Tour. Answer the question: "WHY ARE YOU the ONE to be featured LIVE on the Mashable Summer Tour Live stream?" YouTube video link must be posted to Facebook/Twitter with appropriate hashtags #summermash #watchitoo Become a fan of both Mashable & Watchitoo on Facebook. (Please use your real identity so we can confirm). After uploading to be picked for the contest, please email: summermash@watchitoo.com with your contact information Prize: Winners will be selected to participate live in the show. If you're chosen to participate, you will get to ask some of the virtual hosts live questions & answer social media trivia. Grand Prize: Watchitoo will award the best video with two tickets for each subsequent city: DC, NYC, & Chicago. Summer Tour DC USA Today HQ 7950 Jones Branch Drive McLean, VA 22107 Thursday, August 6 Time: 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Mashable Presence: Adam Hirsch, Sharon Hirsch, Adam Ostrow, Vadim Lavrusik, Brett Petersel, Lauren Rubin, Brenna Ehrlich, Erica Swallow, Lauren Indvik, Matt Silverman, Stefanie Rennert, Stephanie Marcus, Zachary Sniderman and Karen Hartline. Tickets: Tickets are available through Eventbrite. Only 90 tickets left. Socialize : Facebook, Foursquare, Plancast, Twitter (#summermash), Meetup One local sponsorship still available for Washington D.C. event. E-mail sponsorships@mashable.com for more info. Thanks to our Local Sponsors: USA TODAY was founded in 1982 with a mission to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Through its flagship newspaper and popular Web site, USA TODAY engages the national conversation and connects readers online through social media applications. USA TODAY, the nation’s number one newspaper in print circulation with a total average daily print circulation of more than 1.8 million, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper Web site which launched in 1995, reach a combined 5.9 million readers daily. Today's leading organizations are turning to Parature to provide service and support that enhances their customers' experience while reducing service-related costs. Parature Customer Service™ software integrates a customer portal, knowledge base,ticketing application, chat, and a host of other service modules in one dynamic, tightly unified system that manages all your support needs. Parature's integrated social media application, Parature for Facebook, is the industry's first and only customer service application that empowers organizations to support their customers directly through Facebook. Summer Tour New York City 92Y Tribeca 200 Hudson Street New York, NY Monday, August 9 Time: 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Mashable Presence: Adam Hirsch, Sharon Hirsch, Adam Ostrow, Vadim Lavrusik, Brett Petersel, Tamar Weinberg, Lauren Rubin, Brenna Ehrlich, Erica Swallow, Lauren Indvik, Matt Silverman, Stefanie Rennert, Stephanie Marcus, Zachary Sniderman, Karen Hartline and Christina Warren. Tickets: Tickets are available through Eventbrite. Only 32 tickets left. Socialize :Facebook, Foursquare , Plancast, Twitter (#summermash), Meetup Thanks to our Local Sponsors: Mopho is simply the best way to capture and share mobile photos. More than a check-in, Mopho tags your photos with a location or event and shares them with your friends. Mopho saves you time and effortlessly gives your photos more context, allowing you to capture and better reflect all of your experiences. Start sharing more with your photos — Download Mopho today from the iTunes app store and see more on the Web at http://mopho.to. There are currently 581 million customers using social media. How will your business reach them before your competitors do? Let our social media experts show you how. Please visit Wiley for more information. PepsiCo looks forward to connecting with the New York tech scene at the third-annual Mashable Summer Tour. PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar brands. Come enjoy a snack or beverage on us and join us outside of the event on Facebook & Twitter. Summer Tour Chicago Hyatt Regency Chicago 151 East Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60601 Wednesday, August 11 Time: 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Mashable Presence: Adam Hirsch, Matt Silverman, Karen Hartline, Brett Petersel, Vadim Lavrusik, Samuel Axon and Brenna Ehrlich. Tickets: Tickets are available through Eventbrite. Only 80 tickets left. Socialize : Facebook , Foursquare , Plancast , Twitter (#summermash), Meetup One local sponsorship spot still available in Chicago. E-mail sponsorships@mashable.com for more info. Thanks to our Local Sponsors: ServiceLive is the first online marketplace that allows homeowners and businesses to name their price or request bids for a wide variety of home services, and the list of available services is getting wider every day. ServiceLive was designed to erase the headaches and hassles of getting services done for both the service buyer and the service pro. For more information go to http://www.ServiceLive.com. ICUC Moderation Services is the global leader in online content and community moderation services. Our team of multi-lingual content and community specialists manage, moderate and monitor millions of social media conversations, comments, photographs and videos and work inside some of the largest online communities in the world. We are a social media services company leading the world’s biggest brands through the integration and execution of successful marketing campaigns. We are a global team of experts acting as the eyes and ears for your brand. You can’t control social media. You can be confident that we will protect and secure your brand. So sit back, relax and take a load off… We’ve got you covered. A Special Thanks to Our Tour Sponsors Join Gotelo.com and choose where you want to be found, anytime, in one easy step.  It's fast, free, and launching this summer. Gotelo simplifies the way you connect with people you know and businesses you like by directing you to their most current web page. The Intel® Atom™ Developer Program provides software developers with everything you need to easily develop and sell applications for Intel® Atom™ processor-based products starting with netbooks, and eventually supporting tablets, smartphones, consumer electronics and more. Program features include: Powerful tools—including an SDK, easy deployment and validation, Revenue and marketing opportunities, Developer Catalog to buy and sell application components, Application Labs in addition to a vibrant online community for support. Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations agency with offices in 76 countries around the world. The firm's success is built on its deep commitment to client service, our people, creativity, collaboration and harnessing the power of Advocates – engaging stakeholders in new and creative ways to build brands and reputation. Weber Shandwick provides strategy and execution across practices such as consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate and crisis management. Its specialized services include digital/social media, advocacy advertising, market research, and corporate responsibility. In 2010, Weber Shandwick was named Global Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report for the second year in a row; an ‘Agency of the Decade’ by Advertising Age, Large PR Agency of the Year by Bulldog Reporter, and Top Corporate Responsibility Advisory Firm by CR Magazine. The firm has also won numerous ‘best place to work’ awards around the world. A Special Thanks to Our Multi-Streaming Partner Watchitoo is an embeddable, live multi-streaming platform that allows 10+ participants to communicate via a web-cam in real time, while collaborating around a custom designed rich media playlist. A passive audience of thousands can view the show online. Any viewer can be added into a show via a virtual green room, where a moderator can adjust their microphone, have a private one-on-one chat, and vet their overall suitability to participate. Streams can be inserted, removed, re-arranged and re-sized in real time. Watchitoo has a rich feature set that includes Twitter and Facebook integration, chat, questioning, recording, screen-sharing and white-boarding. Thanks to Our Official Ticketing Partner Eventbrite is the world's largest self-service online ticketing site. Eventbrite makes it easy for anyone to sell-out an event. Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Mashable, Twitter, YouTube More About: Chicago, Events, mashable summer tour, new york, NYC, summermash, SummerMash U.S. Tour, Washington DC 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

Crowdsource Your Relationship Issues Posted: 26 Jul 2010 12:20 PM PDT This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Name: CouplesSpark Quick Pitch: Crowdsource your relationship issues with CouplesSpark. Genius Idea: Got romantic woes and no money for couple’s therapy? CouplesSpark allows guys and gals to voice both sides of the issue, and reap advice from other community users in order to come to a resolution. So you and your honey are fighting yet again: he won’t take out the trash; she hates your parents; he grinds his teeth; she doesn’t like Chinese food and you LOVE Chinese food and she’s being so selfish because you SO wanted Chinese food for dinner. You know, the usual. While you could have a huge public fight and subsequently poll the assembled gawkers as to who is in the right, that would probably be pretty uncomfortable for everyone involved. That’s where CouplesSpark comes in. It’s a pretty simple concept — merely create an account and post your respective sides of the story (anonymously or publicly). Community members can then vote on who’s in the right, and voice their opinions in the comments. Granted, this isn’t the most original idea in the book — remember CheatConfession.com, which lets you cleanse your conscience by sharing your stories of infidelity? Still, this site does tap into our natural desire to meddle in the affairs of others in a more constructive way. People love dispensing relationship advice — just take a look at the comments section of New York Magazine’s Sex Diaries to see what I mean — and it could be beneficial to get an objective opinion. Moreover, I took a look through some of the comments already on the site, and for the most part commenters actually strive to be helpful. Also, the site plans to add more features in the future, like date recommendations based on what you and your beau dig, and local deals. Are you currently fighting over the remote or some other tomfoolery? Would you be willing to get advice from a legion of strangers on your romantic sitch? Let us know in the comments. image courtesy of iStockphoto, A1Stock 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: iStockphoto More About: online dating, social media, spark-of-genius 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

U.S. Government: You Can Jailbreak Your iPhone Posted: 26 Jul 2010 11:48 AM PDT The U.S. government has said that iPhone owners are officially allowed to “jailbreak” their devices for “educational purposes.” The new rule was one of a number of exemptions to 1998’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) anti-circumvention protections. These exemptions are reviewed and authorized every three years to ensure that work protected by copyright can be used in non-infringing ways. While the “jailbreaking” exemption is surprising, it’s not the only one of note. Others include the ability: To bypass video game protections in order to investigate or correct security flaws For college professors, film students and documentary filmmakers to break the copy-protect measures on DVDs for embedding clips for educational purposes, criticism or in noncommercial videos To bypass the use of external dongles if the dongle no longer works For used cellphone owners to unlock phones so that they can be switched to another wireless carrier (this was a renewal of a 2006 exemption) The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which filed for three of these exemptions, is understandably ecstatic. Its statement says in part: “The first of EFF’s three successful requests clarifies the legality of cell phone ‘jailbreaking’ — software modifications that liberate iPhones and other handsets to run applications from sources other than those approved by the phone maker. More than a million iPhone owners are said to have “jailbroken” their handsets in order to change wireless providers or use applications obtained from sources other than Apple’s own iTunes ‘App Store,’ and many more have expressed a desire to do so. But the threat of DMCA liability had previously endangered these customers and alternate applications stores. In its reasoning in favor of EFF’s jailbreaking exemption, the Copyright Office rejected Apple’s claim that copyright law prevents people from installing unapproved programs on iPhones: ‘When one jailbreaks a smartphone in order to make the operating system on that phone interoperable with an independently created application that has not been approved by the maker of the smartphone or the maker of its operating system, the modifications that are made purely for the purpose of such interoperability are fair uses.” While we expect the jailbreaking news to get all of the attention, the ability for amateurs and educators to use short commercial video clips in their noncommercial or educational works is actually a much bigger deal. In essence, this makes the art of the video mashup “legal” and, in theory, should put a stop to many of the DMCA removal requests sent to services like YouTube. What do you think of the most recent DMCA exemptions? [img credit: Thomas Roche] Reviews: App Store, YouTube More About: dmca, EFF, jailbreaking, law, legal 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

Samsung Galaxy S: Hands-On with the Latest Android Smartphone [REVIEW] Posted: 26 Jul 2010 11:36 AM PDT Samsung has been making waves with its new Galaxy S Android-based smartphone. We recently put its AT&T variant, the Samsung Captivate, through the paces. Eschewing the single-carrier trend of most Android devices (in the U.S. anyway), Samsung is releasing a version of the Galaxy S for each of the four major U.S. carriers, all with the same basic hardware and software specifications. Samsung also sells a stock version of the device internationally. Thus far, the Galaxy S has been released for T-Mobile (as the Vibrant) and for AT&T as the Captivate. Sprint and Verizon will be getting their versions of the Galaxy S (the Epic 4G and the Fascinate, respectively) soon. While the Droid X, HTC EVO 4G and the rumored Droid 2 might be getting lots of attention among Android-based smartphones, they are not the only players in town. After spending nearly two weeks with the Captivate, we think Samsung has provided frontrunners HTC and Motorola with some stiff competition. The Hardware While the industrial design of the Galaxy S phones vary from carrier to carrier, all contain the same 4-inch Super AMOLED display and sport a 1 GHz “Hummingbird” processor with 512MB of memory. The phone also includes 16GB of internal storage and it can take a MicrSD card of up to 32GB. The Galaxy S includes Bluetooth 3.0, a micro USB connector (cleverly covered by a sliding style cover) and a removable battery. The device is lightweight and ultra thin. It appears to be thinner than the iPhone 4 because of how the sides are curved, but it’s actually slightly thicker. The battery cover has a really nice texture, which we wish extended to the entire back of the device. While having a lightweight device is great, we wouldn’t mind just a little more heft. It doesn’t feel cheap; it’s just very unsubstantial. The most striking quality of the phone is the screen. Samsung touts Super AMOLED and for good reason — it’s a beautifully bright and well-saturated display. The resolution is 480×800, and the icons and text are large and clear. We actually like the 4-inch screen size as it’s a nice compromise between the smaller 3.7-inch screen of the iPhone and Nexus One, and the larger screens of the Droid X and EVO 4G, which can overwhelm your hand as well as your pockets. Viewing photos or playing back video on the Super AMOLED screen is a real treat. Blacks are very black and colors totally pop. Still, the screen isn’t as clear or as crisp as the retina display on the iPhone 4. That’s not really a criticism — no screen matches the pixel density of the iPhone 4 — but it’s worth noting. As is the case with most other phones, the screen is difficult to read in sunlight. Still, you can actually see when someone is calling you, which isn’t the case with all mobile phones. The phone essentially lacks hardware buttons; other than the power button (on the right side of the Captivate), no other physical buttons exist. The four standard Android buttons are capacitive and backlit when the screen is activated and they are pressed. While the raw power of the hardware is largely tied to the software stack, we will say that the Samsung Galaxy S absolutely flies. The Software The Galaxy S ships with Android 2.1, or Eclair, although we’re anticipating an update to Froyo. Like HTC, Motorola and other vendors, Samsung has taken its own skinned approach to Android. Most of these changes are minor, but a few distract a bit from the OS and seem to slow things down. For instance, on the home screen there is a dock of four icons displayed in a style and orientation extremely similar to that of iOS. However, unlike iOS, you can’t rearrange or add or remove those icons. This is problematic because the e-mail icon is to Android’s non-Gmail client, which is not the client the majority of Android users want to use. It turns out you can change the icons. Thanks commenters! On the bright side, the Applications shortcut leads to a page of app icons laid out in a very iOS manner (and you can sort or arrange them based on date or name), an arrangement we prefer to the typical Android app drawer. The notification menu has some built-in buttons for turning Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sound and vibrate on or off. This is a really great touch and one that we wish Android proper would adopt. As for the home screens themselves, you can have up to seven and, unlike the standard Android, you can actually delete unused screens. Samsung has its own collection of “official” widgets, including something called “Daily Briefing” and “Feeds and Updates.” Daily Briefing contains news from the AP, the local weather and selected stock quotes. Feeds and Updates gives you easy access to your Twitter, Facebook and MySpace feeds, and you can select which networks you want to activate. You can also post status updates to one or multiple networks from the widget. We like both widgets, but we think Feeds and Updates is usurped in functionality and performance by the official Facebook and Twitter widgets. Because it’s running Android 2.1, full Flash support isn’t available on the Galaxy S. Still, the browser renders extremely quickly and plays video in the YouTube app extremely well. On the keyboard front, the Galaxy S comes with Swype pre-installed and also has a Samsung-specific keyboard. The Samsung keyboard is more attractive and has a better layout, in our opinion, than the stock 2.1 keyboard. Swype is a nice inclusion, though its usefulness is a matter of taste. AT&T has a few of its own applications installed on the Captivate and these, while generally pretty useless, are not overly annoying. One note about the AT&T version of the device: AT&T prevents “side-loading” applications, meaning that you can’t install apps that are not from the Android Market. You can get around this by simply “rooting” the device. We had to root our device in order to take in-action screenshots and as an added bonus can now side-load apps. One nice perk is FlipFont, which lets users change the default font on their device. I personally cannot stand Droid Sans, the standard Android font. Thus, I happily spent $0.99 on Helvetica Neue for the Galaxy S. Not to nitpick, but it does look more like standard Helvetica than Helvetica Neue; regardless, it makes reading text and application names much easier on my eyes. The fonts are all designed specifically for the display so kerning and ligatures are the way they should be. It’s a nice touch, courtesy of the folks over at Monotype Imaging. Camera (Stills and Videos) The Galaxy S has a 5-megapixel camera that did not prove as good as that of the iPhone 4. Its biggest detriment is its lack of LED flash which, while not all that great, are better than nothing. Additionally, the actual lux level of the camera is pretty poor and the best shots are going to be those taken in direct sunlight. You can tap to focus and the interface of the camera is quite nice. It’s a Samsung-specific interface and matches those of some of the company’s digital cameras. You can do digital zooming, but the results are really best left alone. You can also apply in-camera effects, panorama stitching, burst photo mode and set self-timers. On the video end, the camera can record in 720p. The resulting video is crisp and clear. While again not as good the iPhone 4, the real drawback is that the camera picks up every little shake because the phone is so lightweight. Pans and movement can really make someone seasick and for that reason — more than because of its actual quality — we don’t see this replacing a Flip camera. You can check out our test video below. We apologize, of course, for the shakes. The Verdict The Samsung Galaxy S is a fantastic smartphone. Call quality is crisp, data connections are fast, and the phone flies through apps and web pages. While we wish Samsung had left some aspects of Android alone on the software side, some of the touches to TouchWiz are actually an improvement. The screen on the device is second only to the iPhone 4, and photo and video quality is serviceable, if not fantastic. If you’re in the market for a new smartphone — especially an Android device — we highly recommend checking out the Galaxy S. It’s one of the best smartphones on the market and easily one of the nicest Android devices we’ve tested. What really excites us about the Galaxy S is that the device is going to be available virtually everywhere. In the U.S., that might not mean much, but we can see this device getting lots of adoption overseas, which will hopefully spur further Android growth and development. Have you played with a Galaxy S smartphone? What do you think of the most recent crop of Android devices? Galaxy S Screenshot Gallery Home Screen Locked Home Screen Home Screen Apps Apps Notifications Notifications Web Browser Web Browser Swype Search Keyboard Keyboard Feeds and Updates Feeds Status Update Daily Briefing Widget Daily Briefing Widget Daily Briefing Widget Daily Briefing Widget Home Screen Settings Samsung Widgets FontFlip FontFlip Camera Camera Disclosure: Samsung is a Mashable sponsor. Reviews: Android, Android Market, Bluetooth, Facebook, Gmail, Mashable, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube More About: android, reviews, samsung captivate, samsung galaxy s 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

Metallica Edges out The Beatles in #WinWeekend Posted: 26 Jul 2010 10:45 AM PDT This weekend, we held the second #WinWeekend Weekly Sweepstakes in partnership with Live Nation. We asked readers to finish the statement, “My favorite musical artist is…” for a chance to win one of two awesome prizes. With thousands of responses, Metallica edged out The Beatles for the most votes, followed by Zakk Wylde, Pink Floyd and Green Day. Congratulations to Brian LaFranchi and Jamie Stewart for winning this week’s prizes: an Ibanez electric guitar with a black knight finish (going to Jamie), and an autographed Epiphone Zakk Wylde Bullseye Guitar with a pair of tickets to a Black Label Society show and a copy of their latest album, “Order of the Black” (to Brian). For everyone else, thanks for playing, and check out Mashable on Friday afternoon for this week’s prize and question. #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, Mashable, Twitter More About: Beatles, contest, guitars, LiveNation, mashable, metallica, music, winweekend 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

HOW TO: Send an Audio Tweet Posted: 26 Jul 2010 10:36 AM PDT When Twitter's 140-character limit just isn't enough to get your message across, or you want to give a tweet the personal touch, why not add some audio? We’ve already brought you ways to share music on Twitter, but the solutions below will help you share the spoken word. Whether you want to sing happy birthday to someone, rant, or make a heartfelt apology, we've found five services that can help you out. All the services we've tested have three things in common — they are all completely free, they don’t require a phone (i.e. they are web-based solutions), and they are all easy to use. There are differences between them, so it's worth having a read through our experiences so you can see which would best suit your own needs. 1. Chir.ps Chir.ps is a super simple way to broadcast your voice to your Twitter followers. After signing in with OAuth, it's just a matter of entering your name for your personalized Chir.ps page before you can get going on the recording side of things. The on-screen recording is again, simple — just authorize Chir.ps to use your computer's mic, hit one button to start, say your piece, and then hit stop. You can preview your recording and once you're happy with it, add text and then tweet it. There's a slight delay before the tweet will hit your stream, and when it does Chir.ps will have added a shortened URL (like this: http://chir.ps/6hb) to your message which people can click through in order to hear your audio. While still decent, the audio quality of Chir.ps did not seem as great as other services we used, but the site does offer a listen count, so you can see how many people have hit play, which we do like. Here’s what your message will look like when people click through to Chir.ps: 2. AudioBoo AudioBoo ("because sound is social") offers an iPhone and Android app as well as an online service, but for the purposes of this article, it's the web-based offerings we're interested in. Once you've signed in with OAuth and chosen your AudioBoo username, the online recording takes place in a pop out window, which also gives you the option to upload a common audio file. If you record via the site, you can talk (or sing, or hum, or groan or whatever it is you want to do) for five minutes, after which you can preview your ramblings. Once you're happy, give the recording a title and AudioBoo saves it down into the "Your Boos" section of the site. From here you can choose to share your audio to Facebook, get an embed code for it, or tweet it, which creates a short URL like this: http://boo.fm/b154817 AudioBoo's sound quality is good, but there's no way to see how many people have tuned-in to listen to your broadcast, although there is the capability to comment on Boos. This is what your Boo will look like: 3. Twaud.io Twaud.io is another service that lets you both record online and upload files. Recording online is easy: Just sign in with OAuth, authorize use of your mic and you're good to go for a generous thirty minutes worth of record time, which is practically podcast length. Just hit the record button, hit it again to stop, and then press play to review whatever it is you've just uttered. Once you're done on the same screen there's a box to enter up to 100 characters of text, then just press the "Twaudio it!" button and you're done. Twaud.io's URLs are super short (http://twaud.io/ls4) and play automatically when someone hits the link. Those who listen to your recordings also get the option to download them, get an embed code, retweet them or comment on them, which is sent as an @reply to the creator. Sound quality is good, and the site tells you how many listens you've racked up, which is also good for an ego boost. This is how your message will appear to others: 4. Chirbit Chirbit doesn't offer OAuth sign-in as it's not designed solely for the microblogging service, but setting up an account is a pain-free process, all the same. Once you're in, you can use the service to record up to two minutes of audio, as long as you've given the appropriate permission just by hitting the onscreen buttons. After you've listened back and decided you like what you hear, you can give the clip a title and then add it into a category. The default category is a "Chirbit" and any casual users who are interested in occasionally using this as a social tool need not worry about the others (such as “audiobook,” “joke,” “pickup line”), which are designed to help the Chirbit community find content more easily. To save your Chirbit, you hit send and it will then appear on your Chirbit homepage. To get sharing, hit the cog icon on your recording and the site gives you the option to post it to Facebook or Twitter, making you a nice little shortened URL in the process. Here's one we prepared earlier: http://chirb.it/5LAfeM. And here’s what viewers will see, which includes the option to respond: 5. ShoutoMatic As well as offering a paid-for service where “celebrities” will record a message for you to tweet, ShoutoMatic also offers the infinitely more useful and free service of letting you record your own tweets. Head on over to the site, either sign up for an account, or connect via Facebook, and you’re ready to start “shouting,” as it were. On the simple interface you just hit to record, review and save the clip. If you’ve signed in with Facebook it will prompt you to post it on there, but you can skip this bit. After you’ve saved it, you can e-mail, download, post to Facebook or tweet your audio. If you tweet it, then Shoutomatic makes you a neat shortened URL (like http://bit.ly/ckvllv) and adds the text “Check this out” to your tweet, which obviously, you can choose to delete. There is no listen counter on ShoutoMatic, but people are able to reply directly on your message page. Here’s what anyone following the link to your message will see: BONUS: Pockets If you’re in the United States, Pockets lets you send targeted voicemail to an individual Twitter user. As you will see in the video demo above, Pockets will call you and record your message, which is then sent as an @reply to the recipient who can click through to the Pockets website to listen. More Twitter resources from Mashable: - Top 20 Sites to Improve Your Twitter Experience -10 Ways to Share Music on Twitter - Twitter to Facebook: 5 Ways to Post to Both - HOW TO: Create Custom Twitter Backgrounds - HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Twitter #Hashtags [Img credit: Pixey] Reviews: Android, Facebook, Twitter, iPhone More About: audio, AudioBoo, chir.ps, Chirbit, how to, how tos, pockets, shoutomatic, social media, Twaud.io, twitter, twitter tools, voicemail 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

Would You Ever Pay for Twitter? [STUDY] Posted: 26 Jul 2010 10:17 AM PDT In a new study, researchers found that while half of all Americans surveyed have tried a free web app like Twitter, zero percent of them would be willing to pay to use Twitter or a similar service. This might be bad news for social app startups whose primary revenue strategy involves user subscription fees. This finding is just one unearthed by USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s 2010 Digital Future Study, a study that’s been tracking online and social media behavior for the past nine years. “Such an extreme finding that produced a zero response underscores the difficulty of getting Internet users to pay for anything that they already receive for free,” says Jeffrey I. Cole, the Annenberg School’s director of the Center for the Digital Future. More than half (55%) of the respondents in this study said they’d rather be exposed to display advertising than pay for content. Yet the same people also expressed strongly negative views about online advertising, calling it “annoying” (70%) and saying that they never click on it (50%). “Consumers really want free content without advertising,” says Cole, “but ultimately they understand that content has to be paid for one way or another.” In case you’re wondering whether these statistics apply to e-commerce, let us put your minds at ease: They don’t. Around 65% of adult, American Internet users bought an average of 35 items each online in 2010. Many of these purchases were books, clothing, gifts, travel and computer hardware; around 40% of respondents said they used the Internet to buy computer software, including video games. Users are also loath to pay for content in the form of online news and paywalls, which require one to pay a subscription fee to access news articles and other content. And the stats are almost as dismal in those circumstances: Dramatic traffic decreases have been reported at both Newsday and The Times following the implementation of paywalls for online content. As Cole noted originally, it’s hard getting people to pay for something that was once free; in this case, the issue is compounded as the same news content is readily available on other sites not using a paywall. But not all pay-to-play models flop online; sites such as Vimeo and Flickr are doing well with split freemium models, where diehard users of the site can pay to access better features or get more on-site data storage. The difference is that these apps introduced the expectation for payment early in their development. What’s your position on paying for content, especially web apps? Would you pay to use a site like Twitter? What about Facebook? Do you currently pay for pro features on sites like Flickr? Let us know in the comments. Reviews: Facebook, Flickr, Internet, Twitter, Vimeo More About: money, pay, Revenue, study, trending, twitter, web apps 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

“Guy Walks Across America” in Viral YouTube Video Posted: 26 Jul 2010 09:57 AM PDT A video of a man trekking from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Golden Gate Bridge was this weekend’s viral sensation on YouTube, racking up half-a-million views since its debut on Tuesday. The video is popular not just because it’s a trek past American landmarks both major and minor, but because of a unique visual effect created by a combination of stop-motion and time-lapse video. The finished project consists of 2,770 still frames shot over 14 days. The filmmakers actually traveled cross-country in an RV, “living on the Gatorade diet” and stopping at scenic places along the way to do their shoots. We can’t help but think of the previous YouTube hit “Where the Hell is Matt?” That one showed a young guy who danced at locations all over the world — a project that earned him a sponsorship from Visa. The team made a Google Map with photos pinned at points of interest, and another YouTube video that described their experiences traveling across the country and explains how they achieved the visual effects in the video. You can view those things and the original video below. Guy Walks Across America Google Map View Guy Walks Across America! in a larger map Behind the Scenes Reviews: YouTube More About: america, edward sharpe, united states, USA, video, viral videos, walking, youtube For more Web Video coverage: Follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Web Video channel Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

AT&T Expands Free Wi-Fi Program to Alleviate Data Congestion Posted: 26 Jul 2010 09:48 AM PDT In a continued effort to alleviate data congestion in highly-trafficked areas, AT&T today announced the deployment of its second U.S. Wi-Fi hotzone in Charlotte, N.C., as well as its plans to open a third in Chicago in the coming weeks. The Charlotte hotzone provides coverage from the area around the NASCAR Hall of Fame Plaza on South Brevard Street to East Trade Street, and the nearby area around the Lynx light rail stop. Visitors and local residents can access the network via their Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones, laptops, netbooks and other devices. Smartphones that support auto-authentication should automatically switch over from their 3G service to the free Wi-Fi when they are within range. In May, AT&T rolled out its first free Wi-Fi hotzone in Times Square in New York City. The cellular network has been hounded by press and consumers since the iPhone joined its device roster in 2007, and these hotzones should alleviate constant complaints about dropped calls and slow data loading in these areas. In addition, any data usage in the zones won’t count against monthly plan limits. According to AT&T, its ability to handle Wi-Fi connections on its network has “grown tremendously”; in the second quarter of 2010, the cellular network was able to support 68.1 million Wi-Fi connections, more than four times the amount it was able to support in the same quarter a year ago. AT&T users: Have you noticed an improvement in service over the past several months? Or is your city still in desperate need of its own hotzone? Image courtesy of iStockphoto, SVLumagraphica Reviews: iStockphoto More About: att, iphone, Mobile 2.0, wi-fi 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

7 Superb Podcasts for Summer Listening Posted: 26 Jul 2010 07:56 AM PDT Alexander Hotz is a freelance multimedia journalist and public radio junkie based in New York City. Currently he teaches digital media at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Follow Alex on Twitter at @hotzington. Along with SPF and sunglasses, a captivating story can be essential for a trip to the beach. But this summer, beach goers should expand their narrative appetite beyond the written word. Podcasts, unbeknownst to many a bibliophile, are increasingly an excellent (and free) source of stories. Whether you're looking for fiction, non-fiction, comedy, tragedy or just a good yarn, these seven podcasts (in no particular order) are required listening for anyone under a beach umbrella this summer. 1. This American Life The undisputed granddaddy of the podcast world, "TAL," as its devotees know it, is arguably the best source for contemporary storytelling online. TAL boasts half a million downloads every week and is consistently ranked as the first or second most downloaded podcast on iTunes. In addition to an impressive array of non-fiction stories, TAL features investigative journalism, fiction, essays and experimental story telling. The show helped launch the literary careers of David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell and David Rakoff. To date it's the only podcast to have spawned a TV spinoff. Length: About an hour Frequency: Weekly 2. The Moth Although The New York Times described it as a "farm league" for This American Life, The Moth is by no means an also-ran. Every month the podcast attracts about 70,000 subscribers and one million downloads. Notable storytellers have included Margaret Cho, Ethan Hawke, Malcolm Gladwell, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, George Plimpton, Gay Talese, Moby, and Sam Shepard. Stories are recorded live and without scripts or notes at packed venues across the country. Like TAL, The Moth's stories run the gamut from deeply moving to hilarious. Length: About 5-17 minutes Frequency: Weekly 3. Risk! Risk! is similar in style to The Moth. The stories are all true and typically recorded at live shows in New York City. What sets Risk! apart is its subject matter. Generally, stories are outlandish and brimming with uncensored content. The show's tagline, "Where people share true tales they never thought they'd dare share!" tends to be an understatement. Despite its R-rated nature, Risk! has a healthy supply of talent. Many of the show’s contributors are actors, writers, directors, comedians and musicians. The first season, which recently wrapped up, included big names like Janeane Garofalo and Rachel Dratch. Length: About an hour Frequency: Weekly 4. WireTap WireTap is the creation of former This American Life producer Jonathan Goldstein. Although iTunes classifies the podcast as a comedy, the Canadian public radio show is difficult to pin down. Most of the program revolves around the hapless day-to-day existence of Goldstein's dysfunctional alter ego, an exaggerated form of Goldstein himself. Like Jerry Seinfeld and Woody Allen before him, Goldstein's self-deprecating humor delves into the minutiae of daily life. When Goldstein isn't wrapped up in one of his misadventures, WireTap also features short stories, which can be both humorous and sincere. Length: About 30 minutes Frequency: Weekly 5. StoryCorps Like The Moth, StoryCorps' podcast is produced by a non-profit devoted to storytelling. However, where The Moth's focus is on the art of storytelling, StoryCorps' mission is to record and preserve narratives for future generations. Begun in 2003 by radio producer Dave Isay, StoryCorps is similar to the oral history projects undertaken by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of the 1930s. Recording booths are set up in public places across the country and Americans — no matter what their background — are invited to come and tell their stories. Thousands of these recorded stories are stored at the Library of Congress, but the highlights are available online thanks to the podcast. Length: About 4-10 minutes Frequency: Weekly 6. Selected Shorts If you'd prefer more of an audio book experience, one of your best bets is Selected Shorts, a podcast produced by New York City's Public Radio Station WNYC. Each week this podcast features classic and new short fiction stories read by stage, screen and television actors. Depending on the length of the stories, the podcast can have 2-5 narratives. Like The Moth and Risk!, Selected Shorts is recorded in front of a live audience. Length: One hour Frequency: Weekly 7. The New Yorker Fiction Podcast For the recovering English major, The New Yorker's Fiction podcast may be the Holy Grail of online audio. Authors both prominent and up-and-coming read short stories they've picked by their favorite authors. Think Orhan Pamuk reading Vladimir Nabokov or Tobias Wolff reading Denis Johnson. If you know who those authors are, this podcast might be right up your alley. Length: 20-50 minutes Frequency: Monthly More Entertainment Resources from Mashable: - 5 Great Ways to Find Music That Suits Your Mood - 7 Unique Sites for Discovering New Music - Top 10 Facebook Applications for Music Lovers - Social Music: Top 5 Sites to Build a Playlist Image courtesy of iStockphoto, PeskyMonkey Reviews: iStockphoto, iTunes More About: audio, book, music, National Public Radio, new yorker fiction, NPR, podcast, reading, risk!, selected shorts, storycorps, the moth, this american life, wiretap 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

75+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events Posted: 26 Jul 2010 07:13 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 August, 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 26-28, 2010 Chicago, IL: Celebrate the fifth anniversary of the eduWeb Conference, a premier annual event for higher education. We have four tracks, 46 presentations, four pre-conference workshops, two 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 28, 2010, Webinar: The Social Commerce Webinar will highlight how Hallmark and Alvenda Launched a Social Commerce Channel on Facebook. Discover how merchants create relevant shopping experiences for their fans, how Hallmark and others are monetizing social media, and how social psychology affects purchasing decisions. For more information, please register here. 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: Top View Social Media Series begins in August! You’ll be able to tap into presentations from business executives who will help you take your social media strategies to the next level. All at absolutely no cost. Vaco, a consulting and placement firm specializing in technology, accounting/finance and administration will present this on-line series to lift the veil and demystify how social media brings true ROI to business! Executives from across the nation will share their tips to help you monitor and grow your return on investment at your company–all on http://www.topviewseries.com 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 14-15, 2010, Chicago, IL: SocialDevCamp Chicago is two days of developer-centric sessions about making the most of the social web. It's the unconference for social application and platform developers, mobile social developers, evangelists and enthusiasts. You'll join hundreds of passionate developers and creators for a weekend of talks on social applications, platforms, APIs, mobile applications, identity management and new media. 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 16, 2010, Charlotte NC: The social media conference for marketers, Social Fresh is not about concept, but focused on drilled down learning and case studies from the front lines. Learn what social media can really do for business bottom lines. One day, 25 speakers from companies like GM, Sprint, AT&T, Bank of America, Rubbermaid, H&R Block and many more. As well as keynote Amber Naslund of Radian 6. Register now and use coupon code mashable for 25% off. 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 25, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Ubergizmo will host Digital Summer, an event that brings together the most international, professional and glamorous crowd in San Francisco to celebrate photography, fashion, art and technology. Among the unique features of this one-of-a-kind event is a live runway fashion show showcasing designers Colleen Quen Couture, Jan Warnock, Harputs OWN and Sofie Olgaard. Invitees will also have a chance to enjoy a professional photo-shoot and lots of time to socialize. Intel and Verizon are sponsoring the event and will showcase their newest, coolest products. August 25, 2010, New York, NY: Come meet with fellow developers, marketers and agencies, members of the Facebook team, and your hosts from Syncapse. This is the official New York Garage as part of the global Facebook Developer Garage series. The theme of this Garage is global: Open Graph on a bigger scale, Facebook analytics, scaling apps globally – we'll cover it all. For more information and speaker application info, click here. 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 26, 2010, Orange County, CA: Engage or Die: A Special Night of Networking with Brian Solis – Well known author, A-list speaker and social media guru Brian Solis will be in Orange County for one night only! Just when you thought you had social media marketing and PR all figured out. Learn tactics and strategies about engaging customers that are changing the rules of marketing again! With themes from his new book Engage! and a stellar networking opportunity with some of the top marketers, social media influencer's and business talent in SoCal, we hope you’ll join us. August 29-September 21, 2010, Lake Tahoe, NV: The Social Media Insider Summit is a three-day event that brings together the brightest minds in social media marketing to share leading-edge information and experiences in a think-tank environment while exploring new technology, strategies, and tactics for effective use of social media as a marketing vehicle. Attendance for the Summits are capped to ensure conversations, learnings and overall experiences are intimate, productive and highly useful. Our sponsors are in the unique position of receiving unparalleled access to summit VIP attendees over three truly unforgettable days. Register with promo code SOCSUMMASH and save $1100 off the on-site registration price! 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 9-11 2010, Denver, CO: BlogPaws 2010 West is the only social media and blogging conference for the pet industry. Join us and more than 300 bloggers, pet-focused media and brands to learn, network and create change for pets in need. You'll walk away from this exciting weekend with new ideas, a fresh perspective and a supportive network of new friends and partners to help you further your mission online. Whether you blog for business, fun or for a pet-related cause, the inspiring keynotes and action-oriented breakout sessions by pet industry and social media experts will provide you with the inspiration, guidance and tools you need to build and promote your online presence. Register with promo code MASHABLE for a 20% discount! Learn more and register here. 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 15-16, 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, 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, 2010, Antwerp, Belgium: Out of Site proudly presents its very first Social Media and Google Optimization seminar. In two 60-minute sessions which take place in Out of Site headquarters in Antwerp (Belgium) you will gain more insight in the possibilities Social Media can offer your brand or company. Also an in-depth view of Google's role in your sales process will add to your key-knowledge of web technologies available to us today. Regular fee is 35 euro a person, which includes an incentive gift, lunch and drinks. Mashable readers can save 15% by entering the discount code OOSMASH159. 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, Santa Clara, CA: The Toy, Game and Technology Summit, in Santa Clara, CA is a one-of-a-kind summit that brings together leaders from the toy, video game and technology industries for in-depth discussion, cross-industry networking and the opportunity to generate new business. Capitalize on crossover business opportunities. Gain insight into toy, game and technology design issues, marketing strategies, exclusive market research and the latest trend forecasts. Toy, Game and Technology Summit is co-located with the Virtual Goods Conference. One registration gets you into both events for unparalleled networking and knowledge. Register with promo code MASHVIP and save 15%. 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 22-23, 2010, Chicago, IL: As we fight our way through a tough economy, “change” is the biggest word in business. Anyone who wants their organization to thrive knows that making change happen is better than watching it happen, and that “new ideas,” “fresh thinking” and “continuous innovation” have to be more than buzzwords. When IBM's Institute for Business Value recently asked 1,500 chief executives to name the most important leadership competency for the successful enterprise of the future, the number one answer was “creativity” — and creativity is why the Cusp Conference exists. A supercollider for creative thought, Cusp 2010 will feature designers of change like TED founder Richard Saul Wurman, social activist Tim Will, education innovator Diana Rhoten, “doctor of the future” Jay Parkinson and many more. Creativity is contagious. Register with the promo code MASHC and save 10%. 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 29-30, 2010, New York, NY: The Location-Based Marketing Summit in New York City, is the leading event for Fortune 1000 companies seeking to maximize marketing, commerce and business strategies using location-based services. Attendees receive valuable industry insight that can be immediately utilized in developing a location-based strategy. We give you an inside look at the location based marketing activities of major brands. Hear from companies who’ve made the journey and learn from their experiments and activities. We cut through the hype and separate buzz from success. Register with promo code MASHVIP to save an extra $100 off registration. The full schedule and speakers list can be found here. 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 1-2, 2010, New York, NY: The Open Video Conference (OVC) is a multi-day summit of thought leaders in business, academia, art and activism to explore the future of video on the web. Join us October 1-2 for two days of learning and inspiration, and stick around for the OVC hack labs, presented in partnership with NYU ITP. October 2-3, Vancouver, BC, Canada: The Pacific Northwest Drupal Summit is an annual conference to unite and improve the Drupal Community in the Pacific Northwest region. This year’s Drupal Summit is being organized by volunteers from the Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria Drupal User Groups. The camp will feature both scheduled sessions and “unconference” content on both days. Sessions are proposed by community volunteers and programming decisions will be made based on the interests and Drupal experience level of the attendees. In addition to the scheduled sessions, the camp will feature space for community gatherings, Birds of a Feather (BoF) sessions, hands-on training and more! 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 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 6-7, 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 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 adweb30.com. October 9-14, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Unlike other conferences out there, DMA2010 is the only Global ROI Marketing Event, focusing on direct and digital marketing integration across all channels! Learn from 300+ experts from brands like Pepsi, LG, HP and Twitter. Network with 10,000 practitioners from 50+ countries giving youaccess to broad and fresh marketing insights. and, create new partnerships with any of 400+ vendors in the comprehensive Exhibit Hall to learn how to merge direct and digital to maximize your ROI! Register and save an additional $250 with the discount code AN500. 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 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 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 27-28, 2010: The Caribbean Media Conference & Expo have become the Caribbean's premier regional conference on television, cable and satellite, broadband, wireless, radio, magazines, news and print media, advertising and marketing. The 2010 Caribbean New Media Expo and Conference is unique in that it seeks to strengthen the relationships with new media companies, marketers and advertisers to further capitalize on the benefits of digital, social and mobile media. Presentations and panel discussions will help marketers understand concepts such as online-display advertising, search and social networking and how the impact of new technologies has wrought consumer behavior changes. 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 28-30, 2010, Toronto, Canada: Today, companies recognize that Social Media is an important part of an integrated strategy that is woven into every fiber of Sales, Marketing, PR, Advertising, Customer Relations and Branding campaigns. The second unGeeked Elite three-day Retreat brings together 10 keynotes and 16 presenters who'll provide you with examples of best practices, solutions and case studies in a forum where keynotes and presenters ask you to engage, poke them in the eye with questions and get one-on-one responses in this intimate learning environment. RSVP with the promo code unGeekedMashable and save 30% off regular ticket price! 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 15, 2010, London, UK: The virtual goods model is the revenue-generating sensation that is taking the world by storm, from games publishers to media companies, from social-networking sites to consumer brands. The Virtual Goods World Europe 2010 promises to be the next step for your business! Major brands will come together to discuss the opportunities presented by the rise of virtual goods. Social networking sites will participate, to learn more from the brands and create business models for the future. Games publishers and developers will learn best practice customer acquisition strategies. All participants will learn new opportunities presented by advances in alternative payment systems. Register now with the promo code VGWMASH and save 10%! 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 25, 2010, London, UK: The media and marketing industry's Global GREEN Awards 2010 recognise and reward creative work that communicates the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainable development and ethical best practice in any sector and across any marketing discipline. Now in its 5th year the GREEN AWARDS™ are going Global, this year for the first time, all the categories are opened for entry from all over the world. The Awards illustrate the crucial role that needs to be played by green marketing and sustainability communications in informing people about green issues, products and lifestyle choices, and showcase examples of excellence and best practice in communicating sustainability and green issues. The Awards are now open for entry. For more information about the 16 categories and entry process, please visit http://www.greenawards.co.uk 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: 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

Mashable Weekend Recap: 15 Stories You May Have Missed Posted: 26 Jul 2010 06:59 AM PDT The weekend is over, but you can make the best of your Monday by starting off informed or entertained — whichever one you’re going for. We’ve collected some of the top stories from Saturday and Sunday so you can meet that goal. Yesterday, the biggest intelligence leak of all time occurred via WikiLeaks, an organization that simply couldn’t have existed before the Internet. Politics and political figures also came up in other stories over the weekend; the U.S. is enacting a law to make sure electronics companies aren’t buying “conflict minerals,” and the British Monarchy joined Flickr. As always, we have a number of resources to help you get the most for your time and effort, plus a bunch of fun stuff that will make you smile. Did you know you can play Snake while watching a YouTube video? Thanks for reading! News Essentials WikiLeaks Releases Afghan War Reports in Unprecedented Leak U.S. Enacts Law to Quell Sale of "Conflict Minerals" to Electronics Companies 73% of iPhone Users Are "Very Satisfied" With AT&T [SURVEY] Antisocial Social Media: The British Monarchy Joins Flickr Groupon Used to Premiere Indie Documentary Film Helpful Resources Top 20 Sites to Improve Your Twitter Experience 5 Tips for Aspiring Social Media Marketers Yolink Helps Web Researchers Search Behind Links 10 Best Apple iPad Stands 5 Awesome Apple iPad Mods [VIDEOS] Top 10 Accessories for Typography Nuts [PICS] Weekend Leisure YouTube Easter Egg: Play "Snake" Game While Watching a Video "Jane Austen's Fight Club" Fake Trailer Goes Viral [VIDEO] 10 Best "Worst" Infomercials on YouTube [VIDEOS] Reviews: Internet, YouTube More About: apple, conflict-minerals, Film, flickr, groupon, iphone, mashable weekend recap, twitter, wikileaks, youtube 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

iPhone 4 Coming to 17 More Countries on Friday Posted: 26 Jul 2010 06:37 AM PDT The iPad launch may come a bit late in some countries, but at least the iPhone 4 is arriving on schedule. According to a statement from Apple, the device will be available in 17 more countries this Friday, July 30. The countries are as follows: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The iPhone 4 is already available in France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the U.S., which brings the total number of countries where the device is available to 21. As far as other countries are concerned, Apple claims that the “iPhone 4 will roll out to many more countries later this year and Apple will announce availability and local pricing for these additional countries at a later date.” Reviews: Australia More About: apple, iphone 4, Mobile 2.0, smartphones 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

HTC Desire and Nexus One Are Getting Super LCD Screens Posted: 26 Jul 2010 05:53 AM PDT HTC officially announced it will be swapping AMOLED with Super LCD (SLCD) displays in several of its phones later this summer, including the Desire and Nexus One. The reason for the change, according to HTC, is the high level of demand for phones with 3.7-inch displays, on top of the low availability of AMOLED screens. Whether AMOLED screens are better than LCD screens is debatable, but buyers of these SLCD-equipped versions of HTC smartphones get an added benefit: better battery life. “The SLCD displays provide consumers with a comparable visual experience to HTC’s current 3.7 inch displays with some additional benefits including battery performance,” said HTC CEO Peter Chou. This sheds light onto Apple’s decision to use LCD technology for its iPhone 4. When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone 4, he said its LCD retina display is “quite a bit better than OLED displays." It’s quite possible, however, that Apple went with LCD technology because it anticipated that AMOLEDs would be in short supply. More About: Desire, htc, Mobile 2.0, nexus one, smartphones 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

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