Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Futurama Takes a Jab at Apple and Twitter [VIDEO]” |  |
- Futurama Takes a Jab at Apple and Twitter [VIDEO]
- Apple Denies Authenticity of Latest Steve Jobs E-Mail
- How to Build a Quick, Clickable Website or iPhone App Prototype
- Firefox Reaches 2 Billion Add-Ons Downloaded
- Amazon and Acquisitions: An Interview With Woot CEO Matt Rutledge
- Explosive Q&A App Formspring Goes Multiplayer
- UseTheSource: A “Hacker News” for Beautiful Code
- Facebook’s New Photo Tagging Feature Selects Friends For You
- Productivity Took a Dive During World Cup [INFOGRAPHIC]
- Mashable Summer Tour is Coming to the West Coast
- The World Celebrates Social Media Day [PHOTO & VIDEO]
- Google Will Cover LGBT Partner Health Benefits
- HISTORY Promotes Foursquare Presence in New 30-Second TV Spot [VIDEO]
- “Twilight” 8-Bit Viral Hit Comes Back to Life After DMCA Takedown
- WordPress Now Lets You Phone in Your Blog Posts
- 10 Fun iPod Speakers for Listening in Style
- Google Dives into Travel Search with $700 Million Acquisition of ITA
- MIT Researchers Developing Smartphone App for 2-Minute Eye Exams
- Lionsgate Uses “Bad Ass” Foursquare Tips and Specials to Promote “The Expendables”
- Beyond the Checkin: Where Location-Based Social Networks Should Go Next
- Tapulous Acquired By Disney [UPDATED]
- Google Building a Facebook Rival? Let’s Hope So
- Little Kids Reenact the American Revolution [VIDEO]
- 10 Beautiful Social Media Infographics
- Groupon to Offer Exclusive Deals through Local Newspapers
- Starbucks Free Wi-Fi Now Available in U.S. and Canada
- 30+ of the Latest Social Media Job Vacancies
- HP Confirms webOS Tablets Are in the Works
- How the Gulf Coast Benefit is Using Social Media to Rally Support
- YouTube Lets Users Question BP Executive
| Futurama Takes a Jab at Apple and Twitter [VIDEO] Posted: 02 Jul 2010 02:48 AM PDT      The new Futurama episode is making fun of Apple, Twitter, the iPhone and all of us who’ve ever waited in a line for hours to buy a gadget. The eyePhone, as it’s called, is just an instrument to make people use Twitcher, which in turn will be used by evil overlord Mom to infect everyone with the Twit Worm, turning users into zombies. Fry doesn’t know this, of course. After waiting for hours to buy an eyePhone, he finally reaches the counter. With a bored expression on his face, the clerk tells Fry, "Okay, it's $500. You have no choice of carrier. The battery can't hold a charge, and the reception isn't very.." Fry interrupts him, screaming: "Shut up and take my money!" Well, at least his eyePhone doesn’t have any antenna reception issues…or does it? Check out some of the clips from the new Futurama episode below. [via Edible Apple, Engadget] More About: apple, Futurama, twitter For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Apple Denies Authenticity of Latest Steve Jobs E-Mail Posted: 02 Jul 2010 01:11 AM PDT   According to Apple PR, a recent e-mail exchange between Steve Jobs and a concerned iPhone 4 customer, first published on Boy Genius Report, is fake. Steve Jobs has lately been known to answer customers directly via e-mail, and Apple generally doesn’t deny the authenticity of these messages. This time, however, it did, and it makes you wonder how many of those earlier e-mails attributed to Steve Jobs were real? An e-mail is very easy to fake; there’s even a Steve Jobs e-mail reply generator which makes the process effortless. And yes, everyone knows that; most reports on Steve Jobs’ e-mails will tell you to take the info with a solid chunk of salt. Unfortunately, when a CEO of a company as big as Apple says something to a customer directly, via e-mail, it’s news – even if there’s a big chance the news is fake. The reports based on Steve Jobs’ e-mails likely won’t stop, as there’s reason to believe that at least some of them are authentic. It’s OK, just have in mind that the real Steve Jobs is getting harder and harder to distinguish between the idea of Steve Jobs, created by Apple fans, haters, users, and the media. More About: apple, e-mail, steve jobs For more Apple coverage:
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| How to Build a Quick, Clickable Website or iPhone App Prototype Posted: 01 Jul 2010 11:53 PM PDT   Mashable's Spark of Genius series highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, see details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.
Quick Pitch: Make mockups — websites, iPhone apps, logos and more — through simple sharing and feedback, automatic versioning, and even prototyping. Genius Idea: You know how they say necessity is the mother of invention? Well, once upon a time (the time being last summer, specifically), a man was trying to build a website and needed to show his higher-ups a prototype — something clickable, not just a JPEG or Photoshop file. He needed to give them “a feel for the new design and site structure.” What was last year’s web designer’s nightmare is now a freelancer or small design shop’s dream. Mocksup will let you share your designs, add collaborators to your project, get comments and notes from your bosses or clients, track different versions of your work and yes, create clickable prototypes of your site and app design ideas. It’s a cool combination of digital wireframing and WYSIWYG website creation. It might also be the only online app that supports clickable iPhone app prototyping.
To get an idea for what these prototypes look and feel like, check out this web design example. (Interesting side note: Mocksup was created in 2009 for the Rails Rumble, an event we recently named as one of our all-time favorite hackathons.) Sounds great, but how do these guys — Adam Howell and Jim Van Fleet, the app’s creators — make money? Mocksup has an affordable subscription fee. You can test the site with one project, ten mockups and three collaborators for free, then they ask you to pay between $9 and $19 each month, depending on how much you use the app. We find these prices extremely reasonable. What do you think of Mocksup? How does it compare with other prototyping tools you’ve used in the past? Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
More About: Agency, freelance, iphone app, web design, website For more Dev & Design coverage:
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| Firefox Reaches 2 Billion Add-Ons Downloaded Posted: 01 Jul 2010 10:45 PM PDT   Firefox is the preferred browser of many a seasoned netizen, and it’s got the stats to prove it: As of today, Firefox users have collectively downloaded more than two billion add-ons. Here’s another interesting statistic: the number of downloads actually exceeds the number of Internet users globally. Of course, although the users make up the numbers, there would be nothing for them to download without the work of thousands of talented developers who create the add-ons in the first place. Although we don’t usually get into subjective claims from technology brands, we feel comfortable repeating the assertion that the Firefox web browser is the most completely customizable web browser available. Firefox reached the one billion add-on downloads mark in early 2009. At that time, its share of the browser market was 22%. As of May 2010, Firefox had captured 24.5% of the browser market. To celebrate this landmark, the Firefox team has assembled a collection of 25 of the best add-ons for their browser.
In the comments section, especially if you’re a Firefox user, we challenge you to answer the question: What’s your favorite browser add-on, and why? Reviews: Firefox, Internet More About: add-on, browser, Firefox For more Tech coverage:
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| Amazon and Acquisitions: An Interview With Woot CEO Matt Rutledge Posted: 01 Jul 2010 10:12 PM PDT   Yesterday, Amazon acquired Woot, the popular and incredibly quirky deal-a-day website network. The deal keeps Woot intact as an autonomous subsidiary of the Amazon empire (one that now includes Zappos). There are still a lot of questions and unknown surrounding the deal, though. How did the deal happen? Why Amazon? And how many “Bags of Crap” did Woot have to promise Jeff Bezos to get the deal done? Earlier today, I interviewed Matt Rutledge, CEO of Woot, about the Amazon acquisition and the questions surrounding it. While he had to be tight-lipped about the nitty-gritty details of the acquisition, he did shed light on some of the synergies he sees between Amazon and Woot, as well as the reaction of the site’s loyal “wooters,” and even the Screaming Monkey’s take on the deal. Why Amazon?While our interview was a mix of serious and lighthearted questions, I started with the heart of the matter: Why Amazon? Rutledge responded that Amazon is a great brand, and you won’t find many people that actually hate Amazon. He said that they’ve seen Amazon as a “real interesting partner for some time.” Now, that relationship is official. More important to Rutledge and the Woot team was keeping the independence of the company’s culture. In that regard, Amazon has a good track record: Woot’s CEO pointed to the Zappos acquisition and how that company has retained its unique and independent culture after being bought by Amazon. “We’ve seen a series of events that seem to indicate that they know how to do this well,” he said. Why Now?So why was this the right time for Woot to sell itself? Rutledge had an answer for that, as well. “As an entrepreneur, you really don’t want to slow down; you want to grow faster and bigger. It was the next step as soon as we were ready to take it.” As for the potential synergies between Woot and Amazon, he said, “There are a lot of areas that we are excited about, but we have a lot of learning to do in order to figure out what makes sense.” We’ve already seen one potential synergy in play, though. Today’s Deal of the Day was none other than the Amazon Kindle. Reactions Ever since the acquisition news broke, the reactions have been pouring in. While Rutledge has received “probably a dozen ‘you suck’ emails” in his inbox, he says that loyal wooters have taken the news “remarkably well.” “I think we have a pretty open platform where you can see the vast majority of the vocal crowd that speaks out in the forums,” Rutledge said. He went on to state that wooters in general are excited for the possibilities of the deal and wonder what it will mean for Woot. What about Woot’s employees, though? While they have displayed a pretty positive response, I was most interested in the opinion of its most visible team member: Woot’s Screaming Monkey. Yesterday, the monkey put down a lot of his thoughts via a hilarious rap video. That rap, as Rutledge told me, was the creation of Matthew Schultz, their official podcaster, who was responsible for the lyrics, vocals and production. The team was “very pleased to have the rap video be approved” as part of the announcement materials. Woot’s CEO told me that the song was on NPR this morning; he rolled down his windows and jammed to the song when he heard it. As for the Screaming Monkey’s take on the acquisition news, Rutledge said, “We enjoyed the CNN story that the monkey didn’t disclose the terms of the acquisition.” In all seriousness, the goal was to make the announcement enjoyable and lower the anxiety surrounding it. They wanted their independence to really shine. The FutureI asked the Woot CEO whether he expected any major shifts with the new ownership. “I don’t think anything will change,” he responded. Rutledge explained that Woot is on the “opposite end of the spectrum of a really defined culture” because they have a “firm opinion that a defined culture is not a true culture.” He told me that Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and CEO, understands that. “Remarkably, he gets our humor, and he’s interested in some of the serious elements of the business,” such as how Woot gets his deals and how it has built such a loyal customer base. While it’s unclear what Amazon’s plans are for Woot, it seems that the company is confident that it will prosper under its ownership. More importantly, Rutledge and the company firmly believe that their culture will remain intact, something that they always point to as a key to their success. One thing I didn’t find out, though: what will be going on sale on Woot.com tomorrow. On that secret, Rutledge would not budge. More About: amazon, interview, woot For more Business coverage:
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| Explosive Q&A App Formspring Goes Multiplayer Posted: 01 Jul 2010 08:52 PM PDT   One of the things that could make casual, social Q&A sites even more fun is “multiplayer” features that allow you to interact with groups of more than one person at a time. Formspring has just added such a feature: The site now lets you pose the same question to more than one friend at a time. For example, I was going to ask Jenna what her favorite restaurant in the city is, but I remembered that Bob and Gordon are also big-time foodies. Instead of having to go to each person’s profile individually, I can now ask them all en masse. You’ll be able to ask these questions of multiple Formspring users as well as your friends and followers on other social networks, including Facebook, WordPress, Tumblr and Twitter. The only catch: You can’t ask anonymously once you start asking multiple people.
Formspring’s growth has been nothing short of meteoric lately; in fact, we’ve been told that this app has just passed the 14 million users mark. The way the company is adding features, creating clever integrations and tweaking the UI probably has a lot to do with that. For example, Formspring recently gave users the ability to export questions and answers to WordPress and MySpace. In excess of 700,000 users took advantage of this integration within the first few days of its launch. In fact, the Q&A site has become so popular and its use so viral that we’ve spotted direct clones of its core feature in the wild on other sites from other startups. Do you use Formspring? If so, do you find this new feature interesting and useful? Do you think it will help the application grow and reach more users? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. [img credit crystaljingsr] Reviews: Facebook, FormSpring, MySpace, Tumblr, Twitter, WordPress More About: formspring, q&a For more Social Media coverage:
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| UseTheSource: A “Hacker News” for Beautiful Code Posted: 01 Jul 2010 07:41 PM PDT   Developer John Graham-Cumming was flattered, naturally, when someone on Hacker News said his code was “beautiful.” He was also inspired to create UseTheSource, a Hacker News-like repository for other examples of beautiful code. If you’re familiar with Daily WTF, a website that showcases egregious malfeasances in information technology, UseTheSource is designed to be the opposite of that. Rather than being a Hacker News-type catch-all site for news, blog posts, commentary, opinion, and oh yeah, a bit of code now and then, UseTheSource is intended to let users post bits of code and let the community decide which examples are truly noteworthy. UseTheSource employs a Reddit/Digg/Hacker News system of upvotes to allow the community to voice their approval of certain posts. And of course, users are allowed and encouraged to comment on posts. All in all, the system allows for a laser-like focus on a topic of greatest importance to programmers: How to find and emulate really great code.
One feature we’d love to see is a search option; filtering posts by language, as others have mentioned wanting to see, is another. If sorting by language “takes off,” Graham-Cummings said he may make a view-by-language option. In some ways, the site is similar to StackOverflow, but it goes beyond the Q&A format and isn’t designed for specific problem solving. Graham-Cumming has a stack of job titles and professional descriptors to his name; he’s VP of Engineering at Causata and the founder of Electric Cloud. He also authored The Geek Atlas, which was published by O’Reilly. What do you think of UseTheSource? Would it be a useful, interesting site to visit on the daily? Reviews: Digg, Hacker News More About: beautiful code, code, hacker news, usethesource For more Dev & Design coverage:
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| Facebook’s New Photo Tagging Feature Selects Friends For You Posted: 01 Jul 2010 06:28 PM PDT   Facebook has begun testing face detection technology for Facebook Photos. This is the first of what seems like a series of new features for its popular photo product. The tests, which some users will see starting today, focus on decreasing the tediousness of “tagging” friends in Facebook photos. In the current Photos feature, users upload photos, click on each face in a photo, tag that photo with the friend pictured therein and continue the process until the album is tagged. If you’ve got a large album or a lot of friends in a single photo, this process is inefficient and tedious. To solve this problem, Facebook has implemented face detection technology that will automatically find faces in photos and select them, eliminating one of the most tedious steps in tagging Facebook friends in photos. Your friends are already selected by the software — all you have to do is answer the Facebook prompt, “Whose face is this?” The technology is the same as the facial detection technology most digital cameras use today. While the tech itself may not be all that new, it is a clever and very welcomed addition to the Facebook Photos feature set. The company also promises that face detection is merely the first of many improvements that they’re trying out. It’s also interesting that the post was written by Sam Odio, one of the co-founders of Divvyshot, which Facebook acquired back in April in order to improve the Photos product. What other improvements and features do you want to see implemented in Facebook Photos? Do you think facial recognition — that is, Facebook automatically knowing whose face is whose — could be on the horizon? The company has a suggestion form for letting them know, but we also encourage you to share your ideas in our comments section below. Reviews: Facebook More About: facebook, Facebook PhotosT, photo, Tagging, trending For more Social Media coverage:
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| Productivity Took a Dive During World Cup [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 01 Jul 2010 06:01 PM PDT   Sales intelligence firm Inside View has been gathering data about our economy and productivity during the World Cup. Globally, we’ve been a bunch of slackers over the past month. Around 80% of the world’s population has been watching at least some part of the games, which have been going on since June 11, 2010 and will continue until July 11. Around 95 million people watch each match. Of course, not all of us are able to watch the games of our favorite teams on the weekends or after work, so some of us have been sneaking off, calling in, or otherwise slacking off to watch football/soccer/whatever you prefer to call it. As a workforce, we’ve cost our economies an awful lot of dough. Take a look at these stats (click the image to see it full-size), and let us know if you feel the teensiest bit guilty for those long lunches or “sick” days spent watching a match or two.  More About: football, infographic, productivity, soccer, sports, world cup, worldcup For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Mashable Summer Tour is Coming to the West Coast Posted: 01 Jul 2010 05:50 PM PDT   The 2010 Mashable Summer Tour is coming to a town near you, and we want to meet you. Next week we’re starting with the West Coast. This summer we’ll be coming to Seattle, San Francisco, Washington D.C., New York City and Chicago. Next week, we’re excited to meet you in Seattle as we kick-off #summermash. We’re excited to work with our Tour Partners, Gotelo, Weber Shandwick and the Intel Atom Developer Program. The Tour Partners will join us in each city and have some special presentations in the works. Tickets are on sale for the events and going fast. Come to the event to meet the Mashable Team and connect with social and tech enthusiasts in your community. Each event will have about 300 to 600 attendees and include networking, formal introductions to the sponsors, an open or cash bar, interview lounge, music, light appetizers and more. The ticket and registration sites are below. 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. Summer Tour SeattleHyatt at Olive 8 1635 8th Ave Seattle, WA 98101 Saturday, July 10 One local sponsorship spot still available in Seattle. E-mail sponsorships@mashable.com for more info. Thanks to our Local Sponsors:
Summer Tour San FranciscoGrand Hyatt San Francisco 345 Stockton St San Francisco, CA 94108 Wednesday, July 14 Time: 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. (Open bar all night!) Mashable Presence: Pete Cashmore, Adam Hirsch, Ben Parr, Karen Hartline, Brett Petersel, Jolie O’Dell, Vadim Lavrusik and Jenn Van Grove Tickets: Tickets are available through Eventbrite. Only 365 tickets left. Socialize: Facebook, Foursquare, Meetup, Plancast, Twitter (#summermash) Thanks to our Local Sponsors:
Sessions Include: Social & the Marketing Mix, Search, PR & the Social Butterfly, The Business Value of Social Media, Local Search Ranking Factors 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: Bing, Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter More About: Events, mashable, San Francisco-San Jose, seattle, summer tour
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| The World Celebrates Social Media Day [PHOTO & VIDEO] Posted: 01 Jul 2010 04:22 PM PDT   The inaugural Social Media Day celebrated yesterday did exactly what it was intended to do: connect thousands of people face-to-face in their local communities, provide resourceful discussions around social media, and plant a seeds for ongoing monthly meetups that enable people to network and learn from one another. Not only did Victoria, British Columbia officially recognize it as Social Media Day, but so did Vancouver. The celebration stretched across time-zones, and included countless pieces of media being produced throughout the day, from more than 30,000 tweets to hundreds of photos to the many livestreams and videos to showcase what each different community was doing and connect it with the rest of the worldwide celebration. We want to thank all of our organizers that made these meetups possible. We’ve seen and heard great things about your meetups, such as the Cleveland meetup, which was able to get a live alpaca to attend (see video below), and have heard your plans to keep them going. We encourage you to start thinking about the next meetup to establish your own Mashable Monthly Meetup that educates, connects and brings the social media community together locally and globally. This time around, we are going to encourage people to host their meetup on Wednesday, July 28th. Let’s continue to make these connections possible! We know we missed a lot of photos and videos from the event. Please share them in the comments! PhotosAntwerp, Belgium This event got organized fairly late, but grew very quickly with strong organizers. It included an introduction and of course a party with a DJ. Sao Paulo, Brazil The Sao Paulo meetup was the second largest in the world, and included speakers, networking and more. Check out the rest of the photos here. Chennai, India Chennai, India meetup had games, networking and charity all tied into the social event. To see more photos from the event, check out the stream of Flickr. Athens, Greece The Mashable and social media fans in Athens joined together to celebrate Social Media Day at a local cafe. See more photos here. Vancouver, BC The Vancouver meetup included the official proclamation from the city naming June 30th Social Media Day. Here is Pete Cashmore, who was in attendance, holding up the proclamation. Dubrovnik, Croatia The social enthusiasts in Croatia got together for drinks and networking. Photo by Ivana Urošević. Atlanta The Atlanta event was one of the largest, and included this OMGbooth, which has our very own reporter Christina Warren pictured on the right. For the full album, check it out on Facebook. Mashable NYC Team The New York City meetup was hosted by the Mashable team with help from Girls in Tech. With more than 300 in attendance, we snapped this shot just before the festivities began. Top: Matt Silverman, Vadim Lavrusik, Erica Swallow, Lauren Indvik, Zach Sniderman, Brett Petersel, Adam Ostrow, Adam Hirsch. Bottom: Stefanie Rennert, Stephanie Marcus, Brenna Ehrlich, Sharon Hirsch. To see the rest of the photos from the NYC event, go to the Mashable Flickr stream. New York City The New York meetup brought more than 350 people for some big-city networking and an overall good time. Miami, Florida The Miami meetup celebrated in true social media fashion by offering complimentary champagne to those that checked in on Foursquare, tweet out #SMday or update their status on Facebook. To see the full photos from the meetup, you can checkout this slideshow. Tempe, Arizona The Social Media Day meetup in Tempe had more than 100 in attendance and included a Skype call to connect with a Tucson meetup who was also celebrating Social Media Day in Arizona. Brisbane, Australia The Brisbane meetup included an "Alpaca Wall," which included facts about the most social farm animal. You can view the rest of the images here. San Francisco The San Francisco meetup was one of the largest Social Media Day events, and put on by our Mashable team in San Francisco. Here is Mashable's Ben Parr with a group of attendees. Thailand The meetup in Silom, Thailand, had a good turnout for people to come together and network around social media. To see the full album, see the Flickr stream. Boston The Boston meetup included a great panel and turnout of social enthusiasts. Pictured here is Dan Zarrella. To see the rest of the photos by Steve Garfield, check out the Flickr stream. VideosCleveland Brings an Alpaca The Cleveland meetup organizers had been trying to get alpaca for some time, and it looks like they succeeded. Congrats to them! Alpaca’s are among the most social farm animals, and so that is why we chose it as the mascot for Social Media Day. Social Media Day in Palma, Spain Timelapse Miami, Florida Social Media Day Recap Social Media Day in San Francisco CNN: ‘Happy Social Media Day’ See the Closest Meetup to Your CityReviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Mashable More About: mashable, meetup, smday, social media day For more Social Media coverage:
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| Google Will Cover LGBT Partner Health Benefits Posted: 01 Jul 2010 04:15 PM PDT   In something of a groundbreaking move, Google is giving its employees in same-sex relationships extra cash to cover their partners’ health benefits. Currently, when receiving partner health care coverage, same-sex domestic partners are subject to an extra tax that straight, married couples don’t have to pay. Google is taking the burden of paying this tax on itself by compensating partnered LGBT employees for the amount of the tax, which comes to a bit more than $1,000 each year. This benefit will also cover any dependents of the partner in the same-sex couple. This is a smart move for Google, and here’s why. This company has to share the local pool of talent with a huge number of technology companies in Silicon Valley, from well-established tech giants like Microsoft to startups who’d like nothing better than to nab a Google engineer as their CTO. By offering this benefit, Google is making a direct bid for LGBT talent. In the Bay Area, this is undoubtedly wise. Google is well known for its employee benefits. The company is famous for its free gourmet lunches, dinners and snacks for employees. And there are on-campus doctors, masseuses and fitness instructors, too. When it comes to starting a family, Google is also good to its staff. The company gives Googlers a 5-month parental leave option for new moms and seven weeks of paid leave for non-primary caregivers. These leave parameters also apply to parents who adopt — and Google will help out with adoption fees to the tune of $5,000. You can expense up to $500 of take-out or delivery food while you’re at home with your new little one, and when you’re back at work, Google can help out with emergency childcare up to five days a year. These benefits apply to all parents, regardless of gender or marital status. Laszlo Bock is Google's vice president for people operations, known in other circles as “human resources.” He told The New York Times today that the company had considered the tax on same-sex couples along with other issues, such as including domestic partners in its family leave policy. "We said, 'You're right, that doesn't seem fair,' so we looked into it," he said. "From that initial suggestion, we said, let's take a look at all the benefits we offer and see if we are being truly fair across the board… "It will cost some money, but it was more about doing the right thing." [img credit laverrue] Reviews: Google More About: benefits, domestic partner, gay, Google, healthcare, lesbian, LGBT For more Business coverage:
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| HISTORY Promotes Foursquare Presence in New 30-Second TV Spot [VIDEO] Posted: 01 Jul 2010 03:02 PM PDT Tomorrow HISTORY — otherwise known as the epoch-chronicling network, the History Channel — will starting promoting its Foursquare presence with a new spot. The ad in question puts Foursquare front-and-center and will be getting major airplay throughout daily programming. The cable network is using the ad to promote the HISTORY tips that are pre-populated across the U.S. The ad describes Foursquare as an “app on your phone that unlocks HISTORY wherever you are.” You can watch the spot above or check out the real deal on HISTORY when the ads begins airing at 7:09 p.m. EST Friday evening. Foursquare fan or not, you have to admit the additional airtime is yet another huge win for the recently funded startup. [img credit: HISTORY] Reviews: Foursquare More About: advertising, foursquare, history, MARKETING For more Business coverage:
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| “Twilight” 8-Bit Viral Hit Comes Back to Life After DMCA Takedown Posted: 01 Jul 2010 02:44 PM PDT
The game — which comes in 13 parts and parodies the film — has quickly gone viral since we wrote about it just the other day. Currently, it has more than 600,000 views. According to the Brothers, after getting in touch with the digital department at Summit, everything was “cleared up” and the game is now back in action. “Good that this situation went well — and good to see a digital department at a traditional company being helpful,” they told us. We wonder what impelled Summit to put the kibosh on its previous complaint, which was of the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) variety. We’ve reached out to them for comment. This isn’t the first time a video has been taken off YouTube and then restored. Just a few months ago, the video-sharing site took down scores of videos from the massively popular subtitled "Hitler finds out…" meme at the behest of Constantin Film, the makers of the original Downfall film. Those takedowns, however, were likely the result of YouTube’s Content ID system rather than the DMCA. You see, after the vids were nixed, YouTube issued a blog post that showed readers how to restore their perished parodies. In that case, users are sent a message in which they are given the option of disputing the takedown by checking a box that says, "This video uses copyrighted material in a manner that does not require approval of the copyright holder." The video is then restored unless the claimant files a formal DMCA notification. The Fine Brothers were not issued such a message nor given the option to check such a box. This is the message that they received today from the video-sharing site:
According to the Brothers, the game was not detrimental to the Twilight franchise at all. “This game was great press for them, and was written up literally everywhere. All these companies that want ‘viral’ press, here it was in wildfire, and they pulled it down,” they said. We wonder if Summit recognized that fact after the video-makers contacted the studio. Reviews: YouTube, twilight More About: Film, legal, pop culture, software, twilight, viral video, youtube For more Web Video coverage:
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| WordPress Now Lets You Phone in Your Blog Posts Posted: 01 Jul 2010 02:04 PM PDT   You can already write and publish WordPress blog posts from your iPhone, iPad, Android, e-mail and desktop, but now you can also post audio via your phone. Automattic founder Matt Mullenweg announced the new feature for WordPress.com earlier today. It’s rather simple: enable “Post by Voice” in your dashboard and you will receive a phone number and a unique code for posting audio from your phone to your blog. You can post up to one hour of audio at a time. The new feature is powered by Twilio, a cloud-based platform for building communication and voice applications. The feature isn’t anything revolutionary — Livejournal has supported similar functionality for years. However, it should make for thousands of interesting, late-night posts in the near future. Currently the feature is only available for WordPress.com blogs, but we’d love to see it implemented in the open-source version of WordPress as well. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Floortje Reviews: WordPress, iStockphoto More About: blog, phone, Wordpress For more Dev & Design coverage:
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| 10 Fun iPod Speakers for Listening in Style Posted: 01 Jul 2010 01:42 PM PDT   An iPod is only as good as its speakers, even when what matters to you is cool factor more than audio fidelity. Apple has described the iPod touch as the “funnest” iPod ever, and in that spirit we’ve rounded up 10 unique iPod speakers to compliment your device. If you’re looking for something novel, playful, or just downright silly, odds are high that there’s a speaker to match. Whether you want to listen to music at your desk, in the garden, at the beach or even in the bath, we’ve got a speaker to suit. Once you’ve picked a favorite, all that’s left to do is to pick your “funnest” tunes, sit back and enjoy. 1. Mini Amplifier Speaker This super-cute speaker looks like a tiny amp and stands just 5-inches tall. Since it uses a USB hook-up, you can use the amp with your laptop or MP3 player. Yes, the volume does go up to 11. Cost: $25 2. Retro Block iPod Speaker In no way officially branded, this “retro block” speaker will sit at the end of your ‘Pod or ‘Phone looking like a super-sized bit of LEGO. Cost: $25 3. Rock-It The “Rock-It” takes music from your device and turns it into vibration sequences. That means you can turn any object (such as a window, a cardboard box, even a filing cabinet) into an impromptu speaker by channeling those vibrations. We never leave home without one. Cost: $49.99 4. iPod Boombox This speaker comes flat-packed for some build-your-own fun. Once you’ve assembled it, the speaker resembles a retro boombox. Slide in your iPod and get ready for a dance off. Cost: $29.95 5. iDuck If you like to listen to music in the bath but are terrified your iPod or iPhone might go for a dunk too, then you might need the iDuck. The duck is a wireless, waterproof speaker that will float around your tub as your device (and the required transmitter) sit safely on dry land. Cost: Approximately $37 6. DJ Speaker Perfect for any DJ heros out there, this tiny turntable speaker will pump out your tunes in style. What it lacks in size, DJ Speaker makes up for in novelty with the ability to add pre-programmed sound effects like voices, siren noises — and oh, yes — scratching. Cost: $19.99 7. Burton Lil Buddy Bag Think of Burton’s weather-resistant Lil Buddy as a party in a bag. It offers an internal beverage cooler bag big enough for 12 cans, a bottle opener, and a built-in speaker that you can hook up to your iPod. Beach, here we come! Cost: Around $80 from Zappos 8. Funkyfonic Cassette MP3 Speaker Another retro, music-themed gizmo, this speaker shaped like a cassette brings some Eighties chic to your cutting edge iPod. Cost: $22 9. Ceramic Pig Speaker Novelty animal speakers are ten a penny, but this porcine audio device rises above the rest with its ceramic construction and civilized aesthetic. Resembling a sculpture, this speaker would be a great addition to any pig-lover’s desk. Mmmmm, bacon. Cost: $49 10. Headphonies The words “vinyl” and “collectible” always get our geek pulses racing. These stylish speakers won’t blow your head off with great sound quality, but they sure look funky. Cost: $19.95 each More Apple resources from Mashable:
Reviews: Facebook, Twitter More About: apple, boombox, burton, ceramic pig, dj speaker, funkyfunoic cassette, gadgets, headphonies, iduck, iphone, iphone accessories, ipod, ipod accessories, lil buddy bag, List, Lists, mini amplifier, retro block, rock-it, speakers For more Apple coverage:
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| Google Dives into Travel Search with $700 Million Acquisition of ITA Posted: 01 Jul 2010 01:14 PM PDT   Google has acquired ITA, developer of the airfare search and pricing system QPX that is used by major airlines. The deal is for $700 million in cash and comes after months of rumors about Google buying ITA. Now that it’s a done deal, Google plans to move into the lucrative travel search business and compete with the likes of Bing Travel, Expedia and Kayak. In a statement, Google’s VP Search Products & User Experience Marrisa Mayer says, “We'll work on creating new flight search tools that will make it easier for you to search for flights, compare flight options and prices and get you quickly to a site where you can buy your ticket.” Travel is one of the last major online verticals Google had not yet sunk its teeth into, though it’s long been assumed the company would eventually either build or buy something to compete. Back in 2008, the rumor was that the company would acquire Expedia. On a website that Google’s created with more details about the acquisition, the company says: “Searches for travel-related information are among the highest-volume queries we receive at Google,” highlighting the obvious opportunity that exists in the space. Google does note, however, that whatever they launch will “refer people quickly to a site where they can actually purchase flights … we have no plans to sell flights ourselves.” Now we’ll wait and see what they launch once the deal closes. We’ll also see what the response is from competitors, who probably always believed Google would launch a travel product, but now have to address a huge threat. [img credit: kevindooley] Reviews: Google More About: bing, Expedia, Google, ita, Kayak, travel search For more Business coverage:
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| MIT Researchers Developing Smartphone App for 2-Minute Eye Exams Posted: 01 Jul 2010 12:49 PM PDT   MIT Media Labs researchers are field-testing a smartphone application and $1 plastic lens attachment system called NETRA — Near-Eye Tool for Refractive Assessment — for eye exams. NETRA is designed for doctors in developing countries that may not otherwise have access to expensive ophthalmological equipment for eye exams. Using the application and cellphone lens attachment, patients can look into the lens to view parallel red and green lines. Fast Company explains that patients can then “use arrow keys on the phone to adjust those lines until they overlap. After just two minutes of testing, the app spits out an eyeglass prescription.” The researchers will show off the application and hardware combination at SIGGRAGH 2010 in late July. Then, after testing, NETRA will launch under the umbrella of PerfectSight, a for-profit startup that will “market and produce the device for Asian and African markets.” The application will run on multiple smartphones. Existing prototypes are being tested on the Samsung Behold II and Google Nexus One. The video embedded below includes a walkthrough of the idea and technology behind NETRA. [img credit: MIT Media Labs, Fast Company] More About: mit, Mobile 2.0, netra, perfectsight For more Mobile coverage:
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| Lionsgate Uses “Bad Ass” Foursquare Tips and Specials to Promote “The Expendables” Posted: 01 Jul 2010 12:06 PM PDT   Lionsgate has partnered with Foursquare and local businesses to promote its upcoming action movie, The Expendables. Starting today, Lionsgate will use its Foursquare presence to provide followers with tips and specials — all tied in to the “bad ass” theme of the flick — in 11 different cities. The studio is hoping to aggressively push the film, set to be released on August 13, through Foursquare with the help of its location-sharing members. To do so, it has added a smattering of tips to Expendables-themed locales that followers can discover in their own cities. Propaganda Tattoo in San Diego, for example, includes a tip that reads, “Ask for Thad! The most bad ass tattoo artist in SD! Brought to you by THE EXPENDABLES opening August 13!” The deal lovers among us will likely appreciate the specials more than the tips. One such special rewards Santa Monica residents who check in at The Shack and say “Sly sent me” to the bartender with $2 off a draft beer. In total, there are five to 10 different specials being offered in 11 cities such as San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. While not completely unique, Lionsgate is certainly being adventuresome with its alternative promotional strategy. We’ve seen films like Valentine’s Day take a similar route, so it should be interesting to see if this tactic will catch on with more studios during the summer months.   Reviews: Foursquare More About: Film, foursquare, Lionsgate, MARKETING, the expendables For more Business coverage:
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| Beyond the Checkin: Where Location-Based Social Networks Should Go Next Posted: 01 Jul 2010 11:51 AM PDT   Yan-David Erlich is the founder & CEO of photography app Mopho. He was also the founder and CEO of Social.im and a product manager in the digital media consumer web group at Google. Location-based social networks are currently enjoying a great deal of attention, and companies are rushing to get in on new services like checkins and geo-location. But before we all jump on the bandwagon, we need to ask ourselves what we really want to accomplish with social media. While location is a major part of navigation and mapping services like Google Maps, social networking’s real purpose is to get users to create, share and communicate. Adding location data to social networks can enhance these experiences, but it is not the end goal. Location — the "where" of a social experience — is not the most important characteristic of social media. In order to create lasting value, location-aware social networks need to look at what motivates their users to share with one another and make it central to the app’s design and user experience. Location is a Supporting Attribute Most location-based services have already figured out that simply checking-in is not enough to keep users engaged. Companies are adding new and evolving features in order to remain competitive and interesting. Foursquare uses checkins to give users new information and award badges. These can then translate into special deals or privileges. Similarly, Gowalla users can check-in to leave their own tips, trips, and photos. But those companies — and others in the same space, such as Loopt and Brightkite — have got their priorities backwards. They've tried to tack a sense of purpose onto an action (checking in) that is essentially uninteresting. Their services are built around the checkin. Instead, these companies should focus on the reverse. Features and services should come first, and checking-in should be viewed as an accessory. We have to move from creating services that are location-based to those that are “location-enhanced.” Why We Share Whether an application is intended to capture the smile on your mother's face, give you a competitive challenge, or help you snag a free cup of coffee, it should provide real-world value. Location-enhanced services need to put the "why" at the forefront of their user experience. When I take out my phone to snap a picture, it's because I want to capture a moment that is meaningful and share it with others. The main purpose of that photo is to share an experience. The ability to geo-tag that photo should be an afterthought. Several emerging companies have figured this out and are using location as an enhancement, rather than a purpose. For example, location awareness can facilitate or augment the experience of listening to live music (Superglued), networking and attending events (SitBy.Us), making payments (TabbedOut), using personal reminders and alerts (Plerts), and taking photos. Booyah's MyTown is another great application that puts the game playing first, and includes location as an interesting (but secondary) attribute of that experience. While their specific functions are wildly different, all of these services have one important thing in common: They understand why their users pull their phone out of their pockets in the first place. Life Is Not A Trivial Game In my opinion, checkins will never appeal to the mainstream. Checking-in is viewed by non-adopters as a trivial game, gratuitous to both the unique experiences and daily drudge of the places we visit. The relentless chore of updating one's location has even spawned a new phrase: "Checkin fatigue." If checking-in isn't compelling to most people, then why do so many apps still make it a central to their user experience? Perhaps these companies think it's too late to rethink the basics, or they're afraid of veering away from what has given them a small trending foothold. In fact, Foursquare recently released their own app store in an attempt to solidify “location” as a feature on which developers can build a variety of services, enticing big brands like Nabisco to jump in on the trend. What's Next?Ultimately, the location-based social networks that will thrive in the long-term are the ones that design their user experiences around users' real motivations. The checkin, as a stand-alone act, is fundamentally empty. It begs to be put into context. As part of a more comprehensive experience instead of a contrived first act, location can provide an intrinsically rich layer to social experiences. By itself, the checkin faces fatigue, or worse.
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| Tapulous Acquired By Disney [UPDATED] Posted: 01 Jul 2010 11:29 AM PDT   Tapulous, the iPhone app development firm responsible for the Tap Tap Revenge games, has been acquired by Disney, according to our sources. We have since confirmed the news. Tapulous, founded in 2008, is one of the best known developers of iPhone applications. Its flagship series, Tap Tap Revenge, has sold millions of copies in the iOS App Store. Disney has been pushing into the social realm in recent years through acquisitions and investments. In 2007, it acquired Club Penguin, a kid-focused virtual world, for a deal worth $700 million. However, that deal has not panned out as the media giant had hoped. Disney also have a stake in Playdom, a social gaming startup. We’ve reached out to Tapulous and Disney for more details. We’ll update this report when we hear back from them. Update: Our sources tell us that Tapulous will stay where it is in Palo Alto, California. Founders Bart Decrem and Andrew Lacy will become senior vice presidents, reporting directly to Steve Wadsworth, President of Disney Interactive. The impending announcement does not disclose the terms of the deal. Reviews: App Store, Tap Tap Revenge For more Business coverage:
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| Google Building a Facebook Rival? Let’s Hope So Posted: 01 Jul 2010 11:28 AM PDT
And while Google’s social networking efforts have so far fallen flat, even satisfied Facebook users should hope that the search engine’s efforts bear fruit — Facebook needs a true competitor to provide choice in the marketplace. Whether Google can succeed in social networking is questionable, but web users should hope for a positive outcome. That’s the topic of my CNN column this week. Check out the column at CNN.com >>Reviews: Facebook, Google More About: cashmore, cnn, facebook, Google, Google Me, pete cashmore For more Social Media coverage:
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| Little Kids Reenact the American Revolution [VIDEO] Posted: 01 Jul 2010 10:31 AM PDT If you’re an American — or just dig war, fireworks and red, white and blue — you’re probably prepping for the Fourth. Well, if JibJab’s latest diversion isn’t enough to get you in the three-day weekend spirit, check out Babelgum’s newest vid, “Kids Reenact: The American Revolution.” That’s right — the kids are back in town, and this time they’re reenacting an entire war. In the past, we’ve seen them take on Jersey Shore and The Hills, but it seems the tiny tykes are getting a little more highbrow of late. All together now: “No taxation without lablah-nah-na-blah-ation…” Yeah… More About: Babelgum, humor, Political, pop culture, viral video For more Web Video coverage:
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| 10 Beautiful Social Media Infographics Posted: 01 Jul 2010 10:08 AM PDT
Here are 10 infographics that prove as beautiful as they are interesting. 1. Social Web Involvement This is a global map of social web involvement which illustrates that hundreds of millions of web users are creating and sharing content every month. It provides a clear visualization of the ways in which social technologies are adopted differently across the world, showing the number of active bloggers, social networkers, video sharers, photo uploaders and microbloggers. Interestingly, it reveals that despite the Twitter hype, microblogging is still not a mass social activity and is nowhere near the size and scale of blogging. 2. Social Marketing Compass A compass is a device for orientating oneself and guiding physical direction. The social marketing compass points a brand in a physical and experimental direction, allowing them to connect with their customers, peers, and influencers, where those users already interact and seek guidance online. Created to illustrate social marketing within the book Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web, this infographic was also available as a poster to celebrate the book’s pre-sale. 3. Web Trend Map The Web Trend Map plots the Internet's leading names and domains onto the Tokyo Metro map. Domains and personalities are carefully selected through dialogue with map enthusiasts, and every domain is evaluated based on traffic, revenue, and character. As a result, the map produces a web of associations: some provocative, some curious, others ironically accurate. It’s available as an A0 poster (33.25 x 46.75 inches) and is printed in Tokyo, Japan, on exquisite, heavyweight, matte paper. 4. Conversation Prism The Conversation Prism is a visual mapping of the shifting landscape of social networks and micro communities. It beautifully represents social media tools for marketing, finance, human resources and more. Each tool is represented by their logo and arranged in a circular, flower-like structure. The graphic will continue to evolve as services and conversation channels emerge, fuse, and dissipate. It provides a visual representation of the true expansiveness of the Social Web and the conversations that define it and is an update to Version 1.0 which was released in August 2008. 5. Popular Site Demographics Numerous social media sites have witnessed explosive growth of their user bases in the last several years, but it's a known fact that user demographics, including age, gender, income and education, vary across different platforms. This infographic maps the demographics of the world's 7 most popular social media sites. While there aren't any quantitative data points listed, it's definitely worth a quick glance to see how the various sites compare to one another. 6. Social Landscape This infographic describes and ranks 10 popular social media channels by customer communication, brand exposure, traffic generation and SEO impact, which enables us to get a good grasp of how each tool helps users achieve business goals. It acts as a roadmap of the social web and demonstrates which social channel will give the most bang for the buck in terms of customer communication, brand exposure, traffic, and SEO. 7. How are Mobile Phones Changing Social Media? The mobile web is growing at an exponential rate, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. This infographic illustrates the rates at which people use the mobile web for social activities. It highlights a few intriguing facts, such as that there are more than 100 million active Facebook mobile users, and that those mobile users are twice as active on Facebook than non-mobile users. It also notes that 18-34 year olds account for about 50% of mobile social networking usage, with female usage higher than male usage. 8. The Boom Of Social Sites The explosion of social networking sites over the past decade has facilitated a transformation in the way we communicate with each other. This infographic details some of the social communities with over 1 million users, both active and defunct. The actual timeline itself is pretty interesting as you can clearly see the explosion of social networks between 2003 and 2006 (with the creation of Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn), and the relative slowdown in their creation after 2007. 9. The Biggest Shift The Biggest Shift details the importance and extent of social media. Essentially, if you are looking to utilize word of mouth advertising, social media is there to help boost your efforts. By focusing your marketing attention to the top social networking websites, you will see the immediate benefits of "fishing where the fish are". It's difficult to ignore the facts; YouTube is now the second largest search engine on the web; 3.5 billion pieces of content are shared each week on Facebook; and perhaps most significantly, 96% of 18-35 year olds are on a social network. 10. Social Media In Business This is a closer look into the adoption of social media platforms by global Fortune 100 companies as they look to leverage these networks to reach and communicate with their target audiences. While Facebook may still be the biggest social networking site, when it comes to business, Twitter seems to be the favorite among the Fortune 100 companies, with 65% owning a corporate Twitter account. Which infographics do you think best showcase the intricacies of social media? Series supported by Ben & Jerry’s Joe  This series is supported by Ben & Jerry’s Joe, Ben & Jerry’s new line-up of Fair Trade and frozen iced coffee drinks. Learn more about it here. [img credit: despair.com] Reviews: Facebook, Internet, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube More About: adoption, facebook, global usage statistics, infographic, infographics, maps, social media, statistics, stats, trending, twitter, web design series, youtube For more Dev & Design coverage:
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| Groupon to Offer Exclusive Deals through Local Newspapers Posted: 01 Jul 2010 09:51 AM PDT   The quickly growing deal-a-day site Groupon has entered in to a partnership with The McClatchy Company — owner of The Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee and several other newspapers — to outsource exclusive Groupon deals to McClatchy websites in 28 U.S. markets. The partnership means that McClatchy websites will now distribute Groupon-brokered deals that are specific to each locale and distinct from the offerings on Groupon.com. Sacramento and Kansas City will be the first two regions to experience the Groupon addition to their websites according to a statement from the company. This particular partnership represents both a new distribution model for Groupon’s deeply discounted coupons, and an alternative revenue model for newspapers hoping to monetize their content online. Should the outsourced Groupon deals appeal to local news consumers, the new monetization strategy could help solve the some of the growing financial woes of newspaper companies while helping Groupon continue to grow and maintain its domination over other deal-a-day sites. More About: groupon, mcclatchy company, newspapers For more Social Media coverage:
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| Starbucks Free Wi-Fi Now Available in U.S. and Canada Posted: 01 Jul 2010 09:15 AM PDT   Today is the first of July and that means that Starbucks’s no-charge, registration-less and limitation-free Wi-Fi initiative officially goes live at all U.S. and Canadian retail stores. Starbucks first revealed the news a little more than two weeks ago. CEO Howard Schultz also announced that the company is working on its own Starbucks Digital Network in partnership with Yahoo. The company is focused on introducing a seamless and entertaining web experience for all mobile devices, including the iPad. Content from premium partners like The Wall Street Journal will play a huge role in the Starbucks Digital Network, offering customers both a reason to dive into the Journal and sip on another latte. It’s a smart marketing move that will drive business and help finance the Wi-Fi initiative. Given that many of us at Mashable write part-time in coffee shops, we’re excited about Starbucks’s restriction-free approach to offering free wireless Internet access. If you’re out and about at a Starbucks store today, let us know what you think of the free Wi-Fi. [img credit: Thomas Hawk] Reviews: Internet, Mashable, Yahoo! More About: MARKETING, starbucks, wifi, Yahoo For more Tech coverage:
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| 30+ of the Latest Social Media Job Vacancies Posted: 01 Jul 2010 08:08 AM PDT
If you’re seeking a job in social media, we’d like to help out. For starters, Mashable’s Job Lists section gathers together all of our resource lists, how-tos and expert guides to help you get hired. In particular, you might want to see our articles on How to Leverage Social Media for Career Success and How to Find a Job on Twitter. But we’d like to help in a more direct way, too. Mashable's job boards are a place for socially savvy companies to find people like you. This week and every week, Mashable features its coveted job board listings for a variety of positions in the web, social media space and beyond. Have a look at what's good and new on our job boards: Mashable Job Board ListingsOnline Marketing Manager at Ormco Corporation in Orange, CA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Digital Media Strategist at Proof Digital Media/Burson-Marsteller in Washington, D.C.
Read more about this opportunity here. Community Manager/Blogger at BitDefender in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Read more about this opportunity here. Managing Director, Multimedia and Online Learning at Teach for America in Washington, D.C.
Read more about this opportunity here. Digital Marketing Project Manager at National 4-H Council in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Social Media Marketing Account Executive at MGH in Owings Mills, MD.
Read more about this opportunity here. Social Media Content Manager at Wolff Olins in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Account Supervisor at Mr Youth in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Senior Account Executive/Digital Strategist at Syndicate Media Group in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Marketing Manager at Digitas in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. NYC-Based Business Development Executive at Magnet Media, Inc. in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Public Relations and Communications Manager at Union for Reform Judaism in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. VP, Online Marketing at Gerson Lehrman Group in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Senior Web Producer at MTV Networks Latin America / Tr3s in Miami, FL.
Read more about this opportunity here. Lead Web Developer at Flank Marketing in San Diego, CA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Digital Strategist at Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, OR.
Read more about this opportunity here. Online Marketing Specialist at Provide Commerce in San Diego, CA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Social Media Strategist / Senior Community Manager at Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, OR.
Read more about this opportunity here. Social Media Specialist at NYC Social Sports Club in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Community Manager at BizBash Media in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Interactive Marketing Manager at Sonos in Cambridge, MA or Santa Barbara, CA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Marketing Program Manager at in Cambridge, MA or Santa Barbara, CA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Web Designer at TMG in Washington, D.C.
Read more about this opportunity here. Web Developer at TMG in Washington, D.C.
Read more about this opportunity here. Performance Test Engineer at Synacor in Buffalo, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Digital Media and Online Strategy Manager at PFLAG in Washington, D.C.
Read more about this opportunity here. Senior Product Manager at Yahoo! in Sunnyvale, CA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Senior Product Manager at Yahoo! in Sunnyvale, CA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Social Media Strategist at Flightpath in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Marketing Program Manager at <Sonos in Cambridge, MA or Santa Barbara, CA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Director, Business Development at Outbrain in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Interactive Marketing Manager at Sonos in Cambridge, MA or Santa Barbara, CA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Senior Account Executive at Modea in Blacksburg, VA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Digital Content and Marketing Intern at Kensington Publishing Corp in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Social Media Web-Monitoring Expert at MWKS in Los Angeles, CA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Vice President of Platform Engineering at Synacor in Los Angeles, CA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Scrum Coach at Synacor in Buffalo, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Application Architect at Wellpoint in Various US Cities.
Read more about this opportunity here. Web Information Architect at Symantec in Cupertino, CA.
Read more about this opportunity here. Email and Online Communications Strategist at Blue State Digital in New York, NY.
Read more about this opportunity here. Technical Operations Manager at Unruly Media in London, UK.
Read more about this opportunity here. Mashable’s Job Board has a variety of web 2.0, application development, business development and social networking job opportunities available. Check them out at here.
Got a job posting to share with our readers? Post a job to Mashable today ($99 for a 30 day listing) and get it highlighted every week on Mashable.com (in addition to exposure all day every day in the Mashable marketplace). For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Mashable, Sonos, Twitter, Yahoo!, blogger, social media More About: jobs
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| HP Confirms webOS Tablets Are in the Works Posted: 01 Jul 2010 08:02 AM PDT   HP has closed on its $1.2 billion acquisition of Palm, and with it, confirmed that it plans to develop tablet computers and netbooks based on the webOS operating system. HP also plans to continue to develop smartphones using Palm's technology. In a statement, the company says, "Palm will be responsible for webOS software development and webOS based hardware products, from a robust smartphone roadmap to future slate PCs and netbooks." Tablets and netbooks were one of the big reasons we assumed HP bought Palm, so today's news doesn't come as a surprise. With everyone from Apple to Dell getting into the game –- and the market expected to shift significantly over the next few years towards these types of devices –- HP had little choice but to make a bold move. What will be interesting to watch, however, is what devices –- if any –- the company builds for other platforms. HP recently nixed plans to launch a Windows 7-based Slate, a device teased by Steve Ballmer himself back at CES. With HP competitor Dell betting big on Android for both tablets and smartphones, HP's strategy appears to be a lot more like that of Apple, controlling both the hardware and the operating system. Now that the Palm deal is closed, we'll wait and see what types of devices come out of the company. Reviews: Android More About: HP, netbooks, palm, tablets For more Tech coverage:
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| How the Gulf Coast Benefit is Using Social Media to Rally Support Posted: 01 Jul 2010 07:42 AM PDT   Geoff Livingston co-founded Zoetica to focus on cause-related work, and released an award-winning book on new media Now is Gone in 2007. Today, the Gulf Coast Benefit will present the Coast to Coast series of concerts in 60 different venues across the United States. Monies from the effort will be channeled through What Gives!? to the Gulf Restoration Network’s community-based Gulf Future Campaign. While local marketing is being handled by independent club owners, social media is being used to orchestrate the effort. Nick Adler, Sloane Berrent and Casey Phillips organized and marketed the effort in less than one month. Social media was used as the overarching national tie to the 25 primary events and more than 65 locally organized awareness events. In all, the Gulf Coast Benefit hopes to raise $100,000 in collective donations. Sloane Berrent, co-producer of the Gulf Coast Benefit said, “I have always believed that our online interactions are meant to facilitate our offline experiences and the Gulf Coast Benefit is a perfect example of that. You can find an event or make a donation online and we are using social media tools to bring people together … It’s a way of extending the conversation that wasn’t available even three years ago and it’s a game changer.” Sloane met with us in New Orleans this past Tuesday and outlined the rapidly built social media efforts. Coast to Coast Social Media on One SiteThe central social media hub is a national microsite that serves two purposes: Getting people to attend their local event or donate. Using the Meetup Everywhere tool unifies all of the events in one place, though independent clubs make an extra click through necessary for ticket purchases. The What Gives!? PayPal widget was quickly built by the Gulf Restoration Network for the Coast to Coast donations. According to Sloane, WhatGives?! offered a really fast and easy way to channel contributions directly to the non-profit while circumventing unnecessary transparency questions about donations. Gulf Coast Benefit Twibbons Now also offered on Facebook, the Gulf Coast Benefit Twibbon app seeks to create grassroots visibility by getting influencers to badge their avatar. The application was clearly linked on the microsite, and more than 200 people have already donned the Gulf Coast Benefit colors. In another effort to get influencer support, Gulf Coast Benefit built a Twitter background via Tweety Got Back. PopRule Enables MobileIn today’s social media world, a mobile solution is a must. By using the PopRule platform, Gulf Coast Benefit was able to extend its reach to Android and iPhone users, as well mobile users of MySpace and Facebook. Founded by Rob Kramer, the PopRule platform was designed for taking and distributing rapid political action. Social Media Release on Pitch EngineInvariably, when creating an event of this scale, people ask for more information. A free social media release on Pitch Engine served as a flexible platform for blogger, business or even media conversations that required back up. The release offers video and pictures in addition to background information and links. Beachheads Gulf Coast Benefit used the usual beachhead social media properties on major social networks. Of the three main efforts — Facebook, Google and Twitter, the Facebook community has been the most vibrant. The Page features PopRule application elements for donations, as well as a lively wall conversation. It is clear that social media has been instrumental in the planning, organizing, and publicizing of the Gulf Coast benefit and will continue to be an important part of getting the word out and spreading media from today’s events. More Social Good Resources From Mashable:
Reviews: Android, Facebook, Google, MySpace, Twitter, iPhone More About: apps, concerts, Events, facebook, gulf oil spill, myspace, social good, social media, twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| YouTube Lets Users Question BP Executive Posted: 01 Jul 2010 07:35 AM PDT Seventy-two days have passed since the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico and the public is frustrated, to say the least. Well take a break from writing your satirical Twitter stream/crafting your web plugins/blowing your vuvuzela to join the discussion over at YouTube. The video-sharing site has teamed up with PBS NewsHour to allow users to send their queries to Bob Dudley, president and CEO of BP's Gulf Coast Restoration Organization. The live interview (which will stream at 3:30 pm ET/12:30 pm PT on CitizenTube) will be moderated by PBS NewsHour's Ray Suarez. You can also check out parts of the interview later on on PBS NewsHour and YouTube. If you want to ask Dudley about the clean-up plan or a myriad of other topics, head on over to youtube.com/citizentube and submit your question and vote for other questions you would like to see asked. This isn’t the first time YouTube has let the people interrogate someone in a position of power. Just last month the site streamed U.S. President Barack Obama’s speech on the crisis, and then a live interview with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who also answered questions submitted by users. Do you plan on joining the discussion? Reviews: YouTube More About: bp, oil-spill, Political, video, youtube For more Web Video coverage:
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