Mashable: Latest 28 News Updates - including “Nokia X3: Where Touchscreen and Keypad Meet” |  |
- Nokia X3: Where Touchscreen and Keypad Meet
- iPhone 4 is Coming to China Next Month [REPORT]
- Xbox Live Comes to Windows Phone 7: Here’s the Games Lineup
- Tumblr for Android Is Here
- Web Faceoff: Freemium vs. Ad Supported
- TV Guide Gets a Slick New iPad App
- Facebook May Make Location Announcement Wednesday
- Adobe AIR Apps on Android Phones by Q4 2010
- Slideshare Is Going Freemium
- How People Are Signing In Across the Web [STATS]
- Apple’s Steve Wozniak to Appear on “Big Bang Theory”
- iPhone App Makes Barcode Scanning a Social Experience
- 5 Trends Affecting How We Connect Through Social Media
- Mashable Launches Yahoo App
- Target to Launch Flash Sale on Gilt for Fall Designer Lines
- Hulu Serving 3x as Many Video Ads as YouTube
- Use Adobe Fonts in Your Own Web Designs
- Conquer Your Fear of Spiders… in 3D [VIDEO]
- The Future of Public Relations and Social Media
- Kid Receives 26,000 Texts After Justin Bieber Tweets Phone Number
- 100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events
- Best Buy Launches Shopkick Automatic Checkins and Rewards at 257 Stores
- Why Location-Based Social Media Needs to Get “Passive” Aggressive
- Advertisers to Spend $1.7 Billion on Social Networks in 2010
- North Korea Joins Twitter [REPORT]
- Hulu IPO Could Come This Fall
- Mashable Weekend Recap: 12 Stories You May Have Missed
- Facebook Dislike Button Is Fake [WARNING]
- iPod Overheats, Causes Train Delay in Tokyo
| Nokia X3: Where Touchscreen and Keypad Meet Posted: 17 Aug 2010 03:58 AM PDT      Nokia has a new feature phone out, Nokia X3, and its claim to fame is something Nokia calls Touch and Type: a rarely seen combination between a touchscreen and a fairly standard 16-button keypad. Nokia calls the phone X3, but to differ from the earlier Nokia phones by the same name, it also goes by the name Nokia X3-02. Feature-wise, it’s a fairly standard mid-range phone, with a 5-megapixel camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, music player and FM radio. It sports a 9.6mm thick, brushed aluminum casing, available in five colors. The operating system that powers the phone is S40, so don’t expect magic when it comes to the touchscreen UI, but it’s hard to compain when you’re getting both options – keypad and touchscreen – in one phone. Suggested retail price for Nokia X3 is approximately $161 (125 euro), and it’s expected to hit the market sometime this quarter. More About: Mobile 2.0, Nokia X3, touchscreen For more Mobile coverage:
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| iPhone 4 is Coming to China Next Month [REPORT] Posted: 17 Aug 2010 01:48 AM PDT   China’s largest telecom, China Unicom, plans to launch the latest version of iPhone in China next month, the AFP reports. Furthermore, Chinese media report that China Unicom will also start distributing the iPad in China, although the time of launch is unknown at this point. Neither of these statements have been officially confirmed by China Unicom. This is a good news for Chinese customers who’ve waited years to be able to legally buy the original iPhone. After initial hurdles, some of which had to do with the fact that the Chinese national standard for wireless networking is WAPI and not Wi-Fi, new versions of Apple’s phone is coming faster and faster to the world’s most populous nation. Last month, China Unicom started offering the iPhone 3GS with wireless capability, and it seems that the iPhone 4 might come to China sooner than expected. More About: china, iphone 4, Unicom For more Tech coverage:
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| Xbox Live Comes to Windows Phone 7: Here’s the Games Lineup Posted: 16 Aug 2010 11:40 PM PDT   An email from Microsoft tonight tells us that Windows Phone 7 will be launching with a whole roster of Xbox Live games to push the envelope of mobile gaming. A grand total of 63 games from have been announced today, and more will be available by the device’s holiday-season launch. The games include well-known titles such as Castlevania and Guitar Hero, classically inspired numbers such as Frogger, casual games that include Bejeweled and many more. We’re told that Windows Phone 7 will integrate all the aspects of Xbox Live that hardcore gamers love: Multiplayer, messaging, leaderboards, full game library access and more. Windows Phone 7’s gaming content will come from Xbox Live, Microsoft Game Studios, and major and independent game publishers. Some of their launch portfolio games include titles from Gameloft, Konami Digital Entertainment, Namco Bandai, PopCap and THQ. Matt Booty is Microsoft Game Studios’ general manager of mobile gaming; he stated in a release today, "Windows Phone 7 is the launch of a major gaming platform for Microsoft. Just like we've done with Xbox 360, our charter is to push the envelope and deliver definitive games that maximize the platform. We will have an incredible lineup of MGS titles, and that's just the beginning." The lucky guys at Engadget actually got to play around with Xbox Live for Windows Phone 7. Here’s some video they shot: As far as mobile devices for gamers go, this phone will be serious competition because of its deep integration with the Xbox platform; we suppose that’s the benefit of having a parent company that is all things to all consumers. The other mobile that’s shaping up to be a must-have device for gamer geeks is the rumored PSP phone. For your convenience, here’s the full list of games that we know about now. In the comments, let us know what you think of Microsoft’s choices so far and whether you think the “Xbox phone” or the PSP phone would win in a fight.
Reviews: Frogger, flight control More About: gaming, microsoft, mobile games, mobile gaming, Windows, windows mobile, windows phone 7, xbox, XBox live For more Mobile coverage:
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| Posted: 16 Aug 2010 10:40 PM PDT   Tumblr fans with Android devices, hustle over to the Android Market: Tumblr has released an official Android app. With little or no fanfare, this application has appeared with handy tools for posting photos, links and more to your Tumblr. You can take pictures and record audio and video for your posts from within the app, which makes for a very real-time blogging experience that lends itself well to the mobile device. In addition to posting, you can also access your dashboard to read, like and reblog the posts of those you follow. We’re seeing some Twitter integration, as well; you can choose to tweet about your posts as you go.
We won’t lie: The app is still super buggy. We’re speculating this is one of the reasons we haven’t heard much about this application yet from official channels. We’re also hearing that you’ll need to run at least Android 2.1 for this app to work; we tested it on Android 2.2 (Froyo). Nevertheless, we love using Tumblr, and we’re excited about the potential of Tumblr for Android. We’ll definitely be playing with it throughout the coming week and are looking forward to improvements as they roll out. If you’re interested in testing out this app, just head to the Android Market and search for “Tumblr.” Definitely let us know what you think in the comments, too. In your opinion, does this app compete well against the more established, third-party Tumblr-for-Android uploader apps? [img credit and hat tip: androidandme.com] Reviews: Android, Android Market, Tumblr, Twitter More About: android, App, blogging, Mobile 2.0, tumblr For more Mobile coverage:
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| Web Faceoff: Freemium vs. Ad Supported Posted: 16 Aug 2010 09:27 PM PDT   While many web companies offer their products for free, they aren’t exempt from the oldest rule of business: Make more money than you spend. Every company has to generate revenue, which fact was demonstrated clearly last week by Hootsuite’s new Freemium business model and this week by Slideshare’s launch of pro subscription plans. The acceleration of the freemium business model makes us question if this what users want. Just as important, is this what web businesses need to do to become profitable? That’s the subject of today’s Web Faceoff. The question we’re posing to you is simple: Which web business model do you prefer: freemium or ad supported? It’s a question of importance to both businesses and consumers alike. The answer could impact how technology companies shape their products and their web strategies. Cast your vote in the poll below by Friday, August 20 at 12:00 PM PT. We encourage you to also voice your opinion on this issue in the comments below. More About: Ad Supported, advertising, business, freemium, Revenue, web faceoff For more Battles coverage:
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| TV Guide Gets a Slick New iPad App Posted: 16 Aug 2010 08:03 PM PDT   TV Guide has just released its official, free app for the iPad [iTunes link]. The application features television listings, the latest news from TVGuide.com, video clips and episode sneak peeks. The app also has a built-in social component that lets users share what shows they are watching or are excited about seeing via Facebook and Twitter. TV Guide isn’t the first television-focused listings and news app for the iPad; Yahoo Entertainment app and What’s On TV? HD [iTunes link] have been available for months.  Still, TV Guide for iPad offers direct access to TVGuide.com as well as an updated television guide. And the app might be able to edge out from the rest of the pack with its video offerings. Right now, as part of its “Fall Preview,” the TV Guide iPad app includes access to the first episode from the new Showtime series The Big C. In addition to the numerous prongs of Showtime’s social media marketing campaign for this show, the channel is also offering a language-edited version of the pilot online.  TVGuide.com is a pretty solid resource for gaining online access to commercial TV shows and we hope that the iPad app will continue in that direction in the future. Do you currently use your iPad as a TV listings guide? What app is your favorite? Let us know in the comments. Reviews: Facebook, Twitter More About: ipad, ipad apps, television, tv, tv guide For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Facebook May Make Location Announcement Wednesday Posted: 16 Aug 2010 06:49 PM PDT   We’ve just received an invitation to visit Facebook’s Palo Alto campus on Wednesday to get “an update on the service's features and products,” and rumor has it the powers that be want to talk about location-based products. Kara Swisher at BoomTown says her sources “indicate that Facebook will finally be rolling out its own geo-location offering” on Wednesday. If this is true, it would fulfill a promise made to developers months ago at Facebook’s f8 conference, when we first thought the feature would launch. Such an announcement would moreover substantiate the subsequent months of “coming soon” rumors and verified quotes we heard from Facebook execs and others. In May, informants had said the new product’s release was no more than four weeks away. However, Facebook’s crowd-pleasing privacy changes put a hold on the upcoming location feature launch; at the time, we were told several projects in development were tabled while engineers and other staff scrambled to revamp the site’s privacy settings. At a Q&A session during the privacy features launch, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted the debacle had sidelined location plans altogether. But again in June, Zuckerberg told attendees at a London Facebook Developer Garage event, "We are finishing designing our application soon and hope to offer it soon." In short, we’ve heard (and repeated) the words “coming soon” a few too many times when it comes to Facebook’s location plans. We hope that Wednesday, we have something to actually show our readers for a change. What do you think: Will Facebook finally be unveiling its long-awaited location product this week? Or do you think this particular tea party will involve other products and features, such as the newly launched Questions or perhaps something we’ve never heard of? Place your bets in the comments, and stay tuned for Wednesday’s announcement! Reviews: Facebook More About: facebook, location, trending For more Social Media coverage:
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| Adobe AIR Apps on Android Phones by Q4 2010 Posted: 16 Aug 2010 05:51 PM PDT   This morning at Adobe’s San Francisco offices, a few lucky press folks were told that some Android device users could be seeing AIR-built apps on their phones as soon as the end of this year. We’ve seen a few AIR-for-Android demos making the rounds, but it was good to hear from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, that AIR for Android should be live at some point during Q4 2010. We first heard back in February that Adobe AIR would be coming to Android as part of the 2.5 release. AIR apps will be Market-ready and will not require any special approval process. AIR for Android will have roughly the same hardware and software requirements as Flash Player 10.1. The Android devices in question will have to be running Android 2.2 (a.k.a. Froyo) as well as an ARMv7 processor and OpenGL ES 2.0. One of the cool apps we’ve seen demoed is this Android-compatible version of Apple’s FaceTime. This app was built over the course of three days to test the features of AIR 2.5 for Android. In addition to P2P video apps, we’re sure that AIR apps will be great for casual games, multimedia consumption, shopping and many other types of mobile applications. Ever since we saw Adobe and Apple get testy over Flash on mobile devices and Flash-built mobile apps, we’ve noticed a much cozier relationship between Google and Adobe, especially on issues of hardware and software. Google confirmed Froyo would support Flash back in April, right around the time Apple banned devs from using Flash to build iPhone apps. From that point forward, Adobe has encouraged devs to focus on the Android platform instead. From what we saw today, Flash 10.1 and AIR 2.5 will be bringing great things to the newest breed of media-friendly and game-ready Android superphones. What do you think of these developments? Is the soured relationship with Adobe a net loss for Apple? Let us know your opinions in the comments. Reviews: Android, Google, adobe AIR More About: adobe, air, android, apps, Froyo, Mobile 2.0 For more Mobile coverage:
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| Posted: 16 Aug 2010 05:06 PM PDT   Slideshare, the popular service for sharing presentations, has announced that it’s switching to a freemium business model that caters to professionals, small businesses and enterprises. While using the core presentation-sharing service is still free, those who want to track engagement, monitor conversions and customize their pages will have to upgrade to one of three PRO plans. All PRO plans plans give users access to analytics about where their presentations are embedded and the ability to monitor tweets and Facebook updates. PRO plans also come with the ability to convert visitors into leads through a lead form. Finally, Slideshare will turn off ads for PRO plan subscribers. Gold plans come with more leads and customization and branding options for your channel. Platinum plans include unlimited leads and greater control over comments and transcripts. Dell, JESS3 and Microsoft are among Slideshare’s initial Pro customers. Silver plans require a $19 per month subscription, while Gold plans are $49 per month. The Platinum plans for enterprises have a steeper price: $249 per month. Slideshare seems to be following a freemium-leaning trend in monetization strategies. Last week, Hootsuite joined the freemium ranks, and Reddit launched a gold supporters plan to pay for new features and growth. What do you think of Slideshare’s move into a freemium model? Do you think it’s a smart move by the company? Let us know all of your freemium-related thoughts in the comments.  [img credit: daviddmuir] Reviews: Facebook More About: business, freemium, JESS3, presentations, Revenue, slideshare, startup For more Business coverage:
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| How People Are Signing In Across the Web [STATS] Posted: 16 Aug 2010 04:06 PM PDT   Identity management provider Janrain has just released its latest usage study detailing what social networks and services people use to sign in and share activities across the web. As in its last report back in April, Google and Facebook continue to dominate websites that offer third-party login options. Across the 250,000 sites that use Janrain Engage, Google represents the preferred sign-in option for 38% of users. Google is the dominant catch-all login in the aggregate, but other services, particularly Facebook, really take the lead when websites are segmented by type.  For example, for news media sites, Yahoo represents approximately 34% of all logins. For magazine publishers, Facebook is the clear choice amongst website visitors. Fifty-seven percent of logins are from Facebook, nearly triple its nearest competitor, Google, at 20%.  Likewise, with music sites, Facebook leads with 55% of logins and second place Twitter is at 18%. Retail brand logins are also largely dominated by Facebook.  It makes sense that Facebook has such a strong presence in magazines, retail brands and in music. This can likely be tied with the brand and publishers’ usage of Facebook pages. Facebook and Twitter Dominate SharingMore and more publishers are integrating sharing options like Facebook Like buttons or the new Twitter Tweet buttons into their sites. Many publishers are seeing increases in traffic as a direct result of these sharing tools. According to Janrain’s data, Facebook is the preferred sharing network for 53% of users. Twitter is close behind with 37%. Keep in mind, Janrain’s platform allows users to cross-share to multiple networks at once, which indicates that there may be some overlap.  Still, this is an important distinction from the single sign-in data. To us, this represents that while Google may be used as a frequent sign-in option — perhaps because of how closely the service is tied to an e-mail address — when it comes to engaging and identifying with information online, Facebook and Twitter are where users value their time. Do you use one social network for login purposes more than another? What services do you frequently use to share links or post about interesting items you find online? Let us know! Reviews: Facebook, Google, Twitter, retail More About: facebook, janrain, openID, single sign-in, twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| Apple’s Steve Wozniak to Appear on “Big Bang Theory” Posted: 16 Aug 2010 03:14 PM PDT   Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak announced via social media that he will guest star on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory this season, but he wouldn’t reveal the plot details behind his cameo. The famous computer engineer updated his Facebook status saying: “What’s it like to film an episode of Big Bang Theory? I’ll let you know tonight, but not what the episode is about.” He would be a good match for the show in many ways. It’s about a tight-knit group of nerds who are obsessed with video games, science fiction, science and, yes, computers. That said, they’re generally Windows user/PC gamer types, and we can imagine that if the show’s obsessive-compulsive, socially inept Sheldon Cooper character comes in contact with Woz he’ll have quite a few critical quips about Apple culture.  Wozniak’s no stranger to television. He has previously appeared on Dancing With the Stars, and he dated talk show host and comedienne Kathy Griffin, appearing on her program occasionally. Although this is Wozniak’s first appearance on the show, The Big Bang Theory has hosted geek cameos before; Twitter celeb and Star Trek alum Wil Wheaton is a recurring villain on the show. The Big Bang Theory’s new season will premiere on CBS September 23, but Wozniak didn’t say where in the sequence of episodes he’ll appear. Reviews: Twitter, Windows More About: apple, cameo, cbs, comedy, sitcom, steve wozniak, television, the big bang theory, tv For more Entertainment coverage:
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| iPhone App Makes Barcode Scanning a Social Experience Posted: 16 Aug 2010 02:33 PM PDT   This post is part of Mashable's Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Quick Pitch: Ever wonder if the product you’re about to buy is worth it? Scan its barcode, see what your friends think and make the right choice. Genius Idea: With the help of mobile phone applications like RedLaser, consumers are embracing barcode scanning for in-store comparison shopping. Bakodo [iTunes link] is a barcode intelligence service for the iPhone that aims to take the scan to the next level. Bakodo can scan most types of barcodes — including traditional barcodes and QR codes — and acts like a barcode search engine. It integrates with Amazon, Google, Best Buy and eBay product search engines so that each scan provides access to extensive product data on more than 12 million items. The app also shows relevant GoodGuide ratings, ShopWiki info and attached Stickybits for scans. The next version of the iPhone application is coming soon and promises to introduce social functionality around barcode scans. The idea is to encourage barcode scanners to rate and review products and create a community around products and goods. Users can see what their friends are scanning and reviewing and ideally make more informed purchase decisions. The pending update will also add more than 60,000 grocery items to the application’s database, which Bakodo founder Andres Douglas believes will be extremely popular with shoppers. “In 2009 we ran a number of beta tests that showed people love scanning pretty much everything, even their groceries,” Douglas says. “But we realized there were huge gaps in product information, so we developed our own crawling, scraping and search technology for barcodes, focusing on groceries in particular.” Bakodo also doubles as a white label, software-as-a-service offering for businesses. Retailers can license the technology to encourage, reward and track in-store scans. Services such as Bakodo and the social barcode startup Stickybits point to a future where our mobile phones not only help us find good deals but also encourage us to tap into word-of-mouth product info at the exact moment we’re ready to buy. Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
Reviews: Google, iPhone More About: bakodo, barcode scanning, Mobile 2.0, stickybits For more Tech coverage:
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| 5 Trends Affecting How We Connect Through Social Media Posted: 16 Aug 2010 02:12 PM PDT   Yuli Ziv is the founder & CEO of Style Coalition, a network of independent online publishers in the fashion and lifestyle vertical, based in NYC. She blogs on social media, entrepreneurship and tech at YuliZiv.com. Follow her on Twitter @yuliz. No matter how much we open up on the web, creating new connections online can be intimidating. Just as not everyone can start a conversation with a stranger at the bar, not everyone can comfortably start conversations in social media. Luckily, there are hundreds of online services and apps popping up, trying to solve our social awkwardness and help us discover new connections in new ways. These tools allow even the introverts among us to communicate, find friends, business partners and, yes, dates. One thing is most definite, online networks will continue to help us connect in more effective ways, collaborating with and inspiring each other. It can be as simple as connecting two "Mad Men" fans via Miso, or as large as organizing a global movement through CauseCast. The more we get used to the idea of creating new online connections and willing to try new ways to do so, the more chances we have in finding those that will turn to be meaningful. Below, we’ve taken a look at at the five ways we connect using social media. From tags on Twitter, to locations on Foursquare, to algorithmic systems; each of these trends is helping us build meaningful relationships. 1. Connecting Via Tagging Tags existed for many years on blogs and websites. Twitter and its hashtags redefined the way we think of “tags.” No longer add-ons to posted content, tags could actually organize and build communities. For example, during New York Fashion Week I met most of my business and personal contacts by using the hashtag, #NYFW. Although all of us attended Fashion Week before, none of us ever connected, simply because there was no easy way to connect us. Hashtags have changed that. 2. Connecting Via Niche Content Sharing Just like with tagging, sharing actual content attracts people that are interested in what you have to say and share. These connections become especially valuable when they revolve around specific niches where communities and connections can flourish. Foodspotting is a content sharing site for foodies where users can post photos of their favorite dishes. In the fashion space, GoTryItOn helps users connect to a global community of people willing to asses your outfit. Try on an outfit, post a picture, and the crowd will respond with (hopefully) helpful, honest advice. Another niche community, Dribbble, is great for designers looking to share and give feedback on new projects. Users can post snippets and previews of their work, comment on other projects, or even follow specific users with designs they like. 3. Connecting Via Activities People have been using the Internet to organize offline activities since its first days, but some sites – old and new – make the experience so much easier and less intimidating, especially when you are looking for new connections. Another New York startup that focuses on activities rather than on people doing them is the newly launched HowAboutWe, which completely redefines Dating 3.0 etiquette. People are matched based on the activities they propose for a date, rather than on their self-indulgent dating profiles. Its success only 3 months after launch is proof that there are lots of opportunities for innovative business models to be found in connecting people in new ways. Plancast is a site that allows its users to share plans in advance. It's been getting a great buzz among the early adopters and has some potential to change the real-time check-ins trend: Users intentionally broadcast their plans, meaning meetups are more scheduled and less happenstance. Here again, new connections can be created in advance, around events and activities, making an in-person meeting much less intimidating. 4. Connecting Via Locations Location-based social networks have had some real buzz over the past 18 months. One reason for this trend is that our phones are finally powerful and fast enough to recognize and analyze local data. As with activities, it’s much easier to create connections when there is a common point of interest, like a neighborhood bar or favorite store. While location leaders like Foursquare don't explicitly encourage new connections (yet), there are plenty of services that fill the void. CitySense brings an interesting development to location networks by answering the question, “Where is everybody going right now?” The app, billed as a real-time night-life discovery and social navigation tool, is still in the process of adding more personalized options aimed at better creating those hard-to-find meaningful online relationships. In the location dating space, one of the newest examples is meetMoi, a dating app that updates your location in real-time as you move around. At any moment, meetMoi searches for compatible matches near your actual location and sends you an alert when it finds a match. From there you have few options – wink, instant message or, if you are brave enough, meet instantly. 5. Connecting Via Algorithms This trend combines the real potential of “Web 3.0″ by using semantic web and sophisticated algorithms to connect like-minded individuals. Hunch is the most buzzed about site, using collective decision trees to make choices based on users’ interests. Although the site has proven effective for some users, personal testing returned many incorrect assumptions on my personal taste. More Social Media Fun from Mashable:
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, PeskyMonkey Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Hunch, Internet, Twitter, Yelp, iStockphoto More About: algorithm, connecting, geo-location, List, Lists, relationship, social media, Tagging, trends For more Social Media coverage:
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| Posted: 16 Aug 2010 02:01 PM PDT   Today we’re releasing the Mashable on Yahoo application, giving you easy access to social media news as you navigate Yahoo. This new application lets Yahoo users easily view Mashable content through Yahoo Pulse, Yahoo Toolbar, Yahoo Homepage and My Yahoo. To add the application, users must first give “permission” to the app, and then install it in each location where it will be used. The application enables you to easily browse our subject channels, share stories with your network or friends, search Mashable content, browse our job listings and more. You can also add the application to your Yahoo homepage. After adding it to your homepage, you can access the application content through the “Quick View” option, without having to go to your Pulse page. If you’re a user of the Yahoo Toolbar, you can easily check out Mashable.com or get a preview of Mashable’s content with a nice button that lets you quickly access the application. You can also add the application to your Yahoo Homepage and your My Yahoo page. Mashable on Yahoo! Pulse  Access Mashable on the Yahoo! Toolbar  Keep up with Mashable on Yahoo’s Homepage  We hope you enjoy the application and as always, we appreciate hearing feedback about how we could improve it. Let us know what you think in the comments. Reviews: Mashable More About: announcements, mashable, social media, tech, Yahoo, yahoo apps, yahoo pulse For more Social Media coverage:
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| Target to Launch Flash Sale on Gilt for Fall Designer Lines Posted: 16 Aug 2010 12:55 PM PDT   Target is partnering with the members-only Gilt Groupe flash-sale service to create an exclusive experience around its upcoming fall capsule collections. For years, Target has worked with big name designers — think Jean-Paul Gaultier and Proenza Schouler — to produce affordable high-end lines for Target shoppers. This partnership takes previous efforts up a notch. The Target Designer Sale on Gilt starts this Friday at noon ET, and Gilt members can expect an advance look at select items from this fall’s three limited-edition designer collections before they arrive in stores. The featured designers are apparel-maker Gaby Basora, who will bring her Tucker label to Target, decoupage housewares creative John Derian and the British luxury bag brand Mulberry. Gilt, which focuses on online flash sales for premium goods, has been branching out of late to extend its exclusivity model to more mainstream consumers. It recently teemed up with Starbucks, for instance, to offer exclusive deals to My Starbucks Rewards customers. The Target initiative is another alternative digital rewards program that will give Gilt members the benefit of first-look access to Target items that typically sell out once they hit shelves.  [img credit: J. Stephen Conn] More About: flash sale, gilt, gilt groupe, MARKETING, Target For more Business coverage:
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| Hulu Serving 3x as Many Video Ads as YouTube Posted: 16 Aug 2010 12:43 PM PDT   Hulu generated 783 million video ad impressions in the month of July, more than three times the 219 million impressions generated by Google sites like YouTube. The stats on ad impressions come from a report by comScore, which tracked the big video sites and ad networks in the month of July. The report also included viewership data for the sites displaying the ads. Google sites reached more than 143 million viewers in July, while Hulu only reached a bit more than 28 million. With those numbers in mind, it might seem odd that Google managed fewer ad impressions than Hulu, even though it delivered more videos to more users. Dig a little deeper and it’s easily explained. Remember that YouTube doesn’t play video ads on all of its videos; regular user videos generally don’t have ads, while brand channels often do. Also, longer Hulu clips frequently have multiple video ads. YouTube relies more on non-video forms of advertising, like banners and AdSense, including ad bars that pop up during videos. Hulu has some display ads, but the majority of its advertising is served in the form of short video clips that play before a video begins or during commercial breaks. We believe there’s room for both the user-generated content that is YouTube’s bread and butter and the professionally produced stuff that Hulu is known for, but despite their different core competencies the two sites compete in some spaces. Most importantly, YouTube is trying to build up its cache of TV shows and movies to compete with Hulu, and is using a variety of business models to monetize. Reviews: Google, Hulu, YouTube More About: ads, advertising, analytics, ComScore, Google, hulu, impressions, streaming video, television, tv, video, youtube For more Web Video coverage:
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| Use Adobe Fonts in Your Own Web Designs Posted: 16 Aug 2010 12:02 PM PDT   Typekit, a company doing its part to help bring better typography to the web, has just announced an new partnership with Adobe. The partnership means that Typekit users can now integrate famous fonts like Myriad, Cooper Black and Adobe Garamond into their own sites and designs. We spoke with Bryan Mason from Typekit and he expanded more on the process of making these fonts web-ready: “Adobe has been working on the hinting and screen rendering of these (and others to follow) for months. On a pixel-specific level, Adobe reviews each font character-by-character, weight-by-weight. It is amazingly meticulous work — and the results show.” Mason also said new Adobe fonts will be added to the service as they are web-ready. We also spoke with Jeffrey Veen from Typekit about what the company — which is celebrating its one-year anniversary — has planned going forward. He said in part: “We’re also adding more and more features that help designers focus on creativity and not compatibility. Soon, we’ll be launching some amazing CSS3 tools that not only focus on webfonts, but all of the new browser capabilities.” These are the Adobe fonts that are now available to Typekit users:
Not all fonts and weights are available for all user plans, but select Adobe fonts are available at every tier. What do you think of Adobe and Typekit’s announcement? Do you plan on integrating Myriad Pro in your designs? Let us know! More About: adobe, fonts, typekit, typography, web fonts For more Dev & Design coverage:
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| Conquer Your Fear of Spiders… in 3D [VIDEO] Posted: 16 Aug 2010 11:30 AM PDT   To celebrate the upcoming October debut of the UK’s inaugural “at home” channel, Sky TV has come out with a very interesting promotion: what it’s calling the UK’s “first-ever 3D spider phobia treatment.” So what exactly does that treatment entail? Apparently, its purpose is to help people overcome their arachnophobia by getting up close and personal with some not-so-real-live creepy crawlies, including common house spiders, Daddy Long Legs, False Widows and Chilean Rose Tarantulas. The immersive footage — a clip from which you can check out below (but not in 3D) — is currently being shown at Liverpool's BugWorld Experience throughout August and the beginning of September, and features advice on how to deal with fear of many-legged ones. Although Sky has yet to launch its 3D channel, it has already started showing live sports in 3D in pubs, and plans on entering the living room space this fall. With this move, it will join U.S. networks, like ESPN, which launched limited 3D programming this summer. It remains to be seen how many other countries and television networks will embrace this technology, but some experts, like those at Insight Media, predict that there will be 40 million 3D-capable displays by the year 2014. The future of the technology aside, we think is this an interesting — if not unorthodox — way to promote Sky’s channel. Here’s hoping the “Fear of Clowns” clinic is next on the agenda. More About: 3D, Hardware, spiders, television, video For more Tech coverage:
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| The Future of Public Relations and Social Media Posted: 16 Aug 2010 11:15 AM PDT
In the past decade, the Internet has had a huge impact on how PR professionals function. As of late, social media is changing the face of PR, as well. We interviewed 14 PR pros on the future of public relations and how they see social media changing the industry. We collected their thoughts on how social media will affect the future of the press release, the evolution of social platforms, current limitations and solutions for those impediments, connecting with other PR pros, cost savings, and building relationships. The Future of the Press ReleaseThe first press release was created during the fall of 1906 by Ivy Lee, known by some as the founder of modern public relations. For much of its proceeding history, the press release was unchanged from its original form. It wasn’t until the ’90s when online newswire services like BusinessWire and PRNewswire began to appear, decreasing reliance on fax machines and e-mail for disseminating news releases. During the past few years, we’ve witnessed a shift towards what some are calling the “social media release.” Services like PitchEngine, PressLift, PRX Builder, and MindTouch are bringing the press release into the new millennium with embedded multimedia and easy distribution through various channels, including social media and e-mail. We asked our PR experts about the future of the traditional long form press release, and we received quite a bit of feedback that showed that while it is here to stay, it will continue to be influenced by the brevity and accessibility of social media. Amanda Miller Littlejohn, founder of Mopwater Social Public Relations, commented on the importance of the social media release and how it enables readers to share and interact with it:
The format of the press release isn’t the only factor in its evolution. In an e-mail interview, Vice President of BLASTmedia, Lindsay Groepper, discussed how distribution of the press release will continue to be key to its future:
PR professionals are now experimenting with these new distribution channels. Likewise, many are finding that the form of the press release isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for every channel. Vistaprint’s Public Relations Manager Jeff Esposito believes that the press release will continue to evolve into multiple iterations for various audiences, channels, and situations:
In the end, the press release’s future may simply depend on media consumption trends, according to David McCulloch, director of public relations at Cisco Systems:
Kelly McAlearney, an account supervisor at Edelman Digital, agrees that based on natural progression, the press release will continue to get shorter, for concision’s sake:
Lou Hoffman, CEO of The Hoffman Agency, brought an interesting perspective to this conversation. He said that the backlinks generated by press releases are reason enough to continue syndicating them, even if the contained information is of little use to the audience. He speculates that if search engines were able to point out and devalue republished news releases and their included backlinks, companies would find better ways of dispersing news:
The Evolution of Social Platforms The social media platforms with the most value must be used by a client’s target audience and be a meaningful place for brands to connect with consumers and journalists. Our PR experts said that mass social platforms, like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, will continue to be important on some level, but niche, industry-specific networks will be of greater value in the future. “The most important platforms for PR pros in the future will be the ones most targeted for their clients,” said Cara Stewart, founder and principal at Remarx Media. “Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are ‘fun;’ getting nitty-gritty into community sites that are industry-specific is less ‘fun,’ because PR pros have to really understand clients' technologies, business models, services and more. Really, it's more about PR pros becoming better PR pros and understanding their clients' businesses, as well as what their clients do … Social media is not a one-size-fits-all solution.” Social media platforms will continue to evolve, but “A PR person’s job remains the same,” said Heather Whaling, founder and president of Geben Communication. “It’s critical that we’re innovative and staying on top of the latest and greatest; however, we also need to avoid ’shiny object syndrome’ and instead make recommendations based on the client’s business needs.” Once the industry settles in to a standard for finding the right platforms for each of its clients, the next step is measuring success. Miller Littlejohn pointed out that the PR industry is moving from placing importance on broadcasting to highly valuing monitoring and measurement:
There is also a growing demand for social platforms that make it easier for journalists and PR reps to contact one another. Help a Reporter Out (HARO), PRNewswire’s ProfNet, NewsBasis, and Media Kitty are all enabling the communication lines to run in both directions. Rather than having PR reps make the first moves all the time, now members of the media can put out requests for pitches from particular types of experts. In fact, I used HARO to write this article and received nearly 200 quality responses. Current Limitations & SolutionsWhile PR pros are experiencing lots of successes with social media as is it today, our experts pointed out quite a few limitations with the current offering of social platforms that will need to be worked out for continued adoption, understanding and success across the industry.
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| Kid Receives 26,000 Texts After Justin Bieber Tweets Phone Number Posted: 16 Aug 2010 10:55 AM PDT   On Saturday, Justin Bieber broke a sacred rule: He tweeted “everyone call me [number]  or text” to his 4.5 million followers. The number wasn’t his, though, and the boy it did belong to was inundated with thousands of calls from Bieber’s fans.Bieber deleted his tweet shortly after publishing it, but it was widely retweeted, proving that you really can’t unsay something on Twitter. A couple of weeks ago, Kristopik tweeted, “im the one who hacked ryan and got justins #.” Bieber then tweeted the teen’s number to get back at him. Kristopik uploaded a video to the Internet showing his iPhone getting relentlessly assaulted with texts and phone calls (see below). He reportedly received 26,000 text messages — here’s hoping he has the unlimited text messaging plan, though that wouldn’t necessarily protect his phone bill from expensive international texts. Kristopik’s father was quoted by the Free Press saying, “If it costs us $2,000 or $10,000, it’s out of line.” Bieber’s privacy was violated first, so you could say it’s retaliation, but this seems like a disproportionate response and an irresponsible abuse of celebrity. It’s similar to the incident when MIA tweeted a reporter’s phone number when she was unhappy with the way the writer described her in a New York Times Magazine cover story. Celebrities suffer from invasions of privacy on a regular basis, but does that justify them in using their social media influence to turn the tables on over-enthusiastic fans or uncooperative reporters? Reviews: Internet, Twitter, iPhone For more Social Media coverage:
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| 100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events Posted: 16 Aug 2010 10:05 AM PDT   Every week, 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 listings, check out Mashable’s Events section. This September, join Mashable for the Mashable & 92Y Social Good Summit in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. More information about the event can be found here. Please e-mail events@mashable.com for available sponsorship information. In the meantime, here are some tips on how to network, share your information and/or promote your event using social media:
Mashable’s Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace.  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, 2010, Seattle, WA: In the summer of 2010, hundreds of the world's leading bloggers and tech-savvy enthusiasts will once again descend upon the city of Seattle, WA for the technology conference of inspiration and influence. Gnomedex is a single-track conference guaranteed to bring you conversations and experiences of a lifetime. Our conference theme of “Human Circuirtry” is one that has created buzz around the blogosphere in past years. Loosely defined, Human Circuitry is the point at which technology and humanity combine. This year, we’re proud to feature Brian Solis as a keynote speaker, with presentations from people such as Violet Blue, Jason Barger, Scott Draves and many more. To celebrate our tenth year, we will be having a small TechTV / Call for Help reunion – right on the Gnomedex stage! More details about that will be coming soon. Full information about the conference can be found on the Gnomedex site. Register for an all-access pass with discount code g10Mashable to save 20%!  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 20, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: Join members of Mashable's and Social Reward's executive team at The Venetian® and The Palazzo® Social Rewards Tweetup celebrating the launch of The Venetian and The Palazzo Social Rewards program. The Tweetup will be hosted at Lagasse's Stadium located in The Palazzo Las Vegas from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Attend and enjoy the chance to win one of many great prizes including Sanyo Dual cameras and suites at The Palazzo, plus two complimentary cocktails per guest. Special Mashable rate of $129/night Weekend rate (8/20-8/22) at The Palazzo – Call 866.263.3001 and use group code XMASHA, must book by 8/19 and be 21 or older to attend. Click here to RSVP.  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/  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 trendsetting 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 influencers and business talent in SoCal, we hope you’ll join us.  August 27, 2010, Dallas, TX: Join the top social recruiters and sourcers at Talent Net Live. Network & learn the latest social recruiting techniques, best practices, & time savers for effective talent attraction, applicant tracking, employer branding, candidate sourcing and more. Click here for both event and registration information. Mashable readers can save $10 with the coupon code MASH.  August 28th, 2010 Austin, TX: BlogathonATX – We’re gonna blog your face off. It’s too hot to be outside, so bring your laptop and creativity along as we spend a Saturday kicking out some posts for our personal and business blogs. We’ll have space for writing, as well as other activities such as brainstorming, technical advice and even blog set-up for newbies!  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 9-11, 2010, Atlanta, GA: The Modern Media Man Summit is the first blogging conference for men and dads and will feature many of the most influential social media experts in the country, including Charles J. Orlando, Dave Taylor, Liz Strauss, Carol Roth and Ted Murphy. Many speakers, including Jim Kukral and Ron Mattocks, are newly published authors and are focused on helping men and women bloggers prosper in the digital age. Thanks to M3's Platinum Sponsor Chevrolet, baseball legend Cal Ripken, Jr. is throwing out the first pitch. Register with the promo code M3MASH and save 20 percent.  September 10, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Join San Francisco trendsetters, world travelers and social media fans to celebrate Trendy Lime’s first anniversary with the special edition of JETLAG! Over the past year, Trendy Lime, a social media-driven producer of upscale events, has been creating events to suit the most discerning tastes by mixing Fashion, Travel and New Media. Among JETLAG partners: Mashable, Vator.tv, Bub.bliciou.us, 360 Fashion Network, Mesaic and others. Register with the promo code JLMASH to receive a surprise present.  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 14-16, 2010, Dallas, TX: BIA/Kelsey's Directional Media Strategies 2010 takes place in a pivotal moment in Yellow Pages history. BIA/Kelsey's latest global Yellow Pages forecast indicates digital will account for 39% of Yellow Pages revenues by 2014. The future revolves around how publishers can best serve the needs of small business advertisers—with video, reputation management, mobile directories, social platforms, group buying, SEM/SEO and more. Join more than 400 senior execs from the global Yellow Pages community at DMS '10, September 14-16 in Dallas. Register with the promo code DMSMASH and save $200!  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 15-16, 2010, Chicago, IL: Are you looking to quantify your social media efforts? Do you want to have constant customer engagement? If the answer is yes, join us at in Chicago at the Hotel Allegro for iStrategy 2010 to learn, network, share ideas, and understand how to build your online marketing strategy to its fullest potential. iStrategy 2010 Chicago brings together the cream of American leaders in social media marketing. iStrategy will give delegates the valuable insight they need to: Harness New Technologies, Drive Revenue Growth, Create Value from Digital Assets, Develop Innovative and Creative Online Strategies and achieve a Market Leading Online Position. Register now and quote MashableCHI to receive a 10% discount  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 15, 2010, New York, NY: Mobile Social Communications: Case Studies & Roundtables — Our Keynote Presenter will be Eric Friedman, Director of Client Services, Foursquare. Case studies by Tasti D-Lite LLC, Buzzd, Yelp, McDonald’s and others will showcase how real brands are achieving tangible business goals integrating mobile social strategies into their overall marketing and communications approach. The case studies will be followed by moderated interactive roundtables. Use the promo code MASH for a discounted rate ($155).  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 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 16-17, San Diego, CA: The San Diego Music & Technology Conference brings people together to enjoy, advance and celebrate the convergence of electronic music and technology. Interactive panels led by industry experts and musicians will be open forums where attendees can collaborate, challenge themselves and walk away inspired. And come experience world-class artists and up-and-coming talent perform in beautiful, sunny San Diego. Register today and save 20% off the ticket price with the 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. Register with 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 22, 2010, Toronto, ON (Canada): Social Media Bootcamp: history | strategy | tactics is a perfect introduction to social media for your business or organization, this full-day workshop and seminar will investigate how to use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and how to use them successfully. Besides providing a foundation on the origins of the web, we’ll cover the latest and most important trends and dive deep into where this is all going. We’ll cover emerging technologies and look how this will shape our future. Attendees will leave the workshop with an integrated, and more holistic view of how the web is changing and how their businesses and organizations can harness their potential for building relationships online. This knowledge will be used to reach a wider audience and improve community engagement. Register now and save an additional 10% with discount code mashable.  September 23-25, 2010, Richmond, CA: Are you a community leader, organizer, marketing executive, CEO, Executive Director, or media maker? Join us at theCOREconference where community and technology leaders convene to exchange ideas, practices & strategies. Learn how to build, engage, lead, communicate and collaborate with your people from dynamic practitioners across many fields. Grow your social endeavors and understand the economy and ecology of communities. Subjects explored include: collective intelligence, crowd sourcing, alternative currencies, movement building, multi-stakeholder collaborations and the economics of community. Save $50 off with the promo code MASH at http://thecoreconference.com.  September 23, 2010, Atlanta, GA: Lift: The B2B Social Commerce Summit is a "must attend" event for marketers, senior management and business owners looking to apply real-world social tactics that drive sales lift to their business. Co-hosted by Wharton Interactive, OfficeArrow and Social Strategy1, and bringing together the brightest minds in the B2B space, this 2nd annual 1-day information-packed all-inclusive event delivers educational workshops on how to monetize social media, how to quickly generate quality leads, and how to translate social data into measurable conversions. Use promo code MASH2010 and save 10% off $199 admission or $159 early-bird through 8/16.  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 24-26, 2010, Asheville, NC: Type-A Mom Conference provides bloggers and companies with a chance to network, learn and take it to the next level. The conference will feature some of the most insightful people in social media talking about topics like finding your voice, how businesses can engage bloggers, and turning your passion for blogging into a paycheck. New this year is Dad Track, Type-A Mom Business and Tribes, small group power sessions for blog niches. The popular Blogger Town Hall Meeting and Kid Con will be back this year. Register with the promo code MASHABLE to save 25%.  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%!  Sep 24, 2010, Mumbai, India: Digital Content and Social Media define the new marketing mantra of the future world, and they go to the heart of Corporate Strategy. Are you in yet? Attend the Digital Media Conclave – the most relevant and cutting-edge conference brought to you by CellStrat, India’s leading Mobile and Digital Media Strategy Consulting firm. Listen to top-notch digital and social media innovators from leading companies across India as well as corporate case studies in the digital media domain undertaken by India’s foremost Digital Marketing experts. Mashable readers will receive a 10% discount upon registration at the event.  September 24, 2010, San Francisco, CA: TEDxSoMa seeks bring the TED experience to a local level, bringing together innovative ideas andconcepts through TEDtalks and inspiring speakers. TEDxSoMa is organized by members of the pariSoma Innovation Loft and other volunteers whose core beliefs are community, collaboration, innovation, openness, and sustainability. Join us in person or by watching the live stream on the day of the event. Learn more and register at www.tedxsoma.com.  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 27-28, 2010, Chicago, IL: midVenturesLAUNCH is the largest startup and innovation conference in the Midwest. Showcasing new startup companies in web, mobile, consumer products, sustainability and greentech, we're bringing together 150+ new companies in three tracks: COMPETE, a startup competition with over $100,000 in cash and prizes; mVDEMO, an area for early-stage startups to gain exposure; and LAUNCH, where later-stage VC- or angel-backed startups and established brands will launch new, innovative products and services from 2010 on our main stage. Featuring key panelists and speakers from the top of the industry, midVenturesLAUNCH is the conference for technology innovators, offering a unique opportunity to seek funding, meet entrepreneurs, investors, developers, designers and leaders, and watch new ideas come to life. All in one space. Visit wwww.midventureslaunch.com for more info.  September 27-28, 2010, Minneapolis, MN: Get your ticket today for the ninth annual MIMA Summit, the premier interactive marketing conference in the Midwest. We're offering summit attendees more session speakers than any year before, a whole new line of intensive workshops, and featuring author and high-energy businessman Gary Vaynerchuk and comedian, author, and vigilante pundit Baratunde Thurston keynoting the event. The MIMA Summit 2010 will offer more than 1,000+ attendees a dynamic range of educational content—from interactive, media, brand and technical strategies, to design, content strategy, the neuro-science of marketing, open-source CMS, and even social media. Early bird pricing is available until September 3rd at www.mimasummit.org.  September 27-29, 2010, Dallas, TX: After 15 years, the Web has lost its “new media” moniker to a new disruptor: mobile. The action is clearly local. Local mobile advertising is forecast to take an even sharper hockey-stick trajectory than the local Web, going from a few hundred million in 2009 to $14 billion in less than five years. Join Borrell Associates for its Local Mobile Advertising Conference to identify what’s working today for local advertisers, what’s likely to work tomorrow, and how to get there. The conference is designed for executives selling mobile-related advertising at the local level. Use promo code MASH100 and save $100!  September 27-30, 2010, New York, NY: Web 2.0 Expo New York assembles top tech influencers for four days of intense talks, workshops, discussions, and networking events. This year, Web 2.0 Expo New York focuses on Platforms for Growth, diving into the platform opportunities for the whole web ecosystem. We'll highlight the important challenges faced by the industry’s key players, and help you pick the winning platforms for growth in a web-fueled world. Connect with other designers, developers, entrepreneurs, marketers, business strategists, and investors at one of the most vibrant events of the year. Use discount code webny10bd14 when you register to save 25%.  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 28, 2010, London, UK: The first ever Mobile and Video in Recruitment Conference has been designed to help recruiters get the most from using mobile and video in Recruitment. This unique conference will include speakers from some of the largest and well-known blue chip companies (including YouTube) who are leading players in mobile and online video. The conference will also include case studies and discussion panels and is aimed at forward-thinking recruiters who want to gain a competitive advantage. Save 15% with the discount code MASHABLE.  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-October 1, 2010, Lake Tahoe, NV: Tahoe Tech Talk is NOT just about assembling an outstanding lineup of speakers (though we’ve done that, including Digg founder Kevin Rose, Twitter adviser / investor Chris Sacca, and former Facebook strategist Dave Morin). It’s about creating an opportunity for true discussion. Each speaker will return to the stage for a massive interactive session, taking questions from the audience about the technology sphere in 2010 and beyond. Conference registration includes a complimentary night’s stay at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Resort and Casino… all for just $399! Space is extremely limited, so reserve your spot today! For more details, visit www.tahoetechtalkconf.com.  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.  September 30, 2010, London, UK: Brightlemon Drupal Training – Drupal Development with Views and CCK: Drupal is a powerful CMS solution on its own – but the add-on modules of Views and CCK take that flexibility to a whole new level. This day is dedicated to turning you into an expert of how to integrate the two modules to get a lot done quickly. Buy tickets here.  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 1, 2010, New York, NY: Produced by Mediabistro and Social Times, the third annual Social Ad Summit explores best practices for social media marketing and advertising. The rapid growth of social media is providing marketers with larger reach, stronger customer relationships and increased relevance. At this showcase of recent case studies from agencies and brands, you'll see firsthand what is working and learn how to implement a successful strategy for your organization or client. Social networks, publishers, ad agencies, marketers, PR agencies, service providers delivering social advertising and anyone else interested in the latest trends in social media marketing will unite at Social Ad Summit. Speakers include Organic SVP Steve Beck, Turner Sports VP of Marketing Jeff Mirman, Skimlinks Co-founder and CEO Alicia Navarro, and more. Register with promo code MASH and save 15%!  October 1, 2010, London, UK: Brightlemon Drupal Training – Drupal e-commerce solutions with Ubercart (London): The course will introduce you to the world of e-commerce Drupal style and show what a powerful and flexible suite of solutions is available. We will build a shop from scratch and through the process explore the various modules and techniques that are required. The main focus is around the Ubercart set of modules. Buy tickets here.  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 2-3, 2010, Philadelphia, PA: PodCamp Philly 2010 is targeted to audio and video podcasters, bloggers, social media enthusiasts, professionals and hobbyists, musicians, marketers, and people who generally want to understand more about the new media space. The power of an unConference is you get open access to ideas, thoughts, best practices, and the true "wisdom of crowds" simply by registering and attending. Find out more at http://www.podcampphilly.com, or sign up at http://podcampphilly2010.eventbrite.com.  October 3, 2010, Victoria, British Columbia: Come to Canada’s most beautiful city, and the first city in the world to proclaim Mashable’s Social Media Day! Whether you are an avid Facebook user, interested in learning about Twitter, or you're trying to grow your business by leveraging social media tools – there is something for everyone at this event! Social Media Camp is a one-day event featuring interesting and knowledgeable speakers from around British Columbia, and across North America! Register with promo code SMCV10 and save 15%!  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 5-8 2010, Austin, TX: The Game Developers Conference® Online, formerly GDC Austin, is designed for online and connected game developers creating social network games, free-to-play titles, large scale MMOs, and all types of social games. GDC Online focuses on emerging topics in connected game development including microtransactions, the casualization of MMOs, and new distribution models and is ideal for online gameservice providers, tool vendors, and emerging game technology pioneers. Join industry trailblazers from Bigpoint, Disney, Playdom, Tencent, Relic, Zynga and more to discuss best practices and provide insight on the future of online games. Register with code GDCMASH and save 15% off conference passes. Learn more about GDC Online and start the registration process at www.gdconline.com.  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 5-6, 2010, London, UK: Are you looking to quantify your social media efforts? Do you want to have constant customer engagement? If the answer is yes, join us at in London at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel for iStrategy 2010 to learn, network, share ideas, and understand how to build your online marketing strategy to its fullest potential. iStrategy 2010 London brings together Europe's leaders in social media marketing. iStrategy will give delegates the valuable insight they need to: Harness New Technologies, Drive Revenue Growth, Create Value from Digital Assets, Develop Innovative and Creative Online Strategies and achieve a Market Leading Online Position. Register now and Quote MashableLON to receive a 10% discount.  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, Novotel Clarke Quay, Singapore: The Mobile Social Networking Conference is hailed as the event for all major players within the mobile social networking and telecommunications industry to explore topics ranging from product innovation, revenue management, pricing strategy, and consumer trends. Conference presentations include case studies, discussion panels, and presentations by industry leaders, professionals and regulators. Register with the promo code M1 for a 10% 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 7-8, San Francisco, CA: Every year we bring you our biggest and brightest conference in the Fall in our beautiful hometown of San Francisco. Health 2.0 always features the most comprehensive line-up of technology innovators, as well as leaders in health care, government and finance, and unveils the best new health care technology startups at Launch! You won't want to miss the Fourth Annual Health 2.0 Conference. With nearly a hundred speakers and plenty of new healthcare demos and technologies on display on stage and in the exhibit hall, you'll get a sweeping overview of the ways that information technology and the web are changing healthcare.  October 8-10, 2010, Miami, FL: The Blogalicious Weekend conferences are aimed at celebrating the diversity of women of all ethnicities in social media. Over the course of 3 event-filled days, savvy, influential and talented bloggers will ignite a sense of unity within the multicultural blogging community as well as educate marketers on the importance of our demographic in today's marketplace, all while networking, building relationships, and promoting inspiration and success for each other. Imagine a getaway that combines all of the things that you love about blogging with the added element of face-to-face interactions and the intimacy of "IRL" relationships. At Blogalicious 2010, You'll laugh, you'll learn, you'll let your hair down. It will be just like blogging…only better! Register with the promo code MASHABLE10 and save 5%  October 8-10, 2010, Philadelphia, PA: Experience 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. Matt Campbell, author of “How to Make an IPhone App" for AppMastery Press, will serve as the instructor. Developers will be able to develop an app after the training. For limited time, a 10% discount off the discounted early bird rate – a $400 savings is offered on the registration page using the discount code mashable.  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 10-13, 2010, Cincinnati, OH: The HighEdWeb Conference is nationally recognized as the conference designed by and for all higher education Web professionals — from programmers to marketers to designers to all team members in-between — who want to explore the unique Web issues facing colleges and universities. With more than 60 presentations; a robust poster session; daily general session addresses; pre-and post-conference intensive, hands-on workshops; and multiple high-quality networking opportunities, HighEdWeb attendees receive a high-quality professional development experience packed into just a few days. Register by August 31, 2010 and save $125!  October 12-13, 2010, London, UK: a4uexpo is Europe’s largest Performance Marketing Conference with over 1,000 delegates, 48 diverse conference sessions, an all inclusive middle evening party, a pre and post event networking bash, and a buzzing expo hall all being shared with the leading entrepreneurs and players within the dynamic £10bn Affiliate & Performance Marketing industry. A4uexpo London focuses on quality, knowledge transfer and unparalleled networking opportunities with delegates from around the world, whether you’re a new or established affiliate, agency, entrepreneur, search specialist, merchant or network, a4uexpo is simply a must attend, educational and networking event for those serious about making an impact in Affiliate Marketing. Register online today with code MASHABLE25 and save £25 on a full conference pass for a4uexpo London.  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: SuperGlad describes the prosperous life of agencies on the right side of the digital marketing divide. The “have’s” have it. The “have nots” do not. For an agency, in-house digital marketing expertise is now a must, not a nice-to-have. And does the knowledge permeate the agency or rest with just one person operating as a stand-alone department (who, by the way, could leave you high and dry if something better comes along)? Digital marketing is a core competency of the “have” agencies. You might not need to execute on all of it but you need to understand it and drive the strategy upon which decisions are made surrounding it. BOLO 2010 takes on the big task at hand: explaining why digital media leads the charge in SuperGlad agencies. It is not an afterthought. It is dealt with using creative, media, traffic and account service employees who think traditionally first, then translate that thinking to a digital environment. This event will show you how. $799/person (or $599 for agencyside members). Use discount code mashable to save $125 (more than 15%) off full-price 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 8-11, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: See the latest collaboration tools and technologies at Enterprise 2.0 Santa Clara’s comprehensive conference and expo. Gain thought leadership — from strategy to execution and performance monitoring — to bring the power of collaboration to your organization, accelerate information flow, drive revenue and increase productivity. Register with the promo code CNUJES04 to save $100 off the onsite price for passes or for a free expo pass.  November 10-12, 2010, Orlando, FL: Please join the Social Media Club for their first annual conference, Social Media University, in Orlando, FL. The Social Media University event will be a deep dive into the higher ideals and issues affecting Social Media itself, including the rise of the Social Media Professional. It will be quite different from what you have experienced at other conferences on social media. With John Hagel III, David Meerman Scott, KD Paine, Tom Foremski and many other social media masters as our 'faculty', this conference will be invaluable for all Social Media Professionals. Please visit www.socialmediauniversity for more information!  November 11, 2010, London, UK: The first London Social Gaming Summit is a one day event focused on the intersection of games and the social web. The event focuses on helping social games developers build, monetize, and grow their social games. We’re bringing together the leaders in free-to-play games, social networking, and payments infrastructure for a full day of panels and talks.  November 12, 2010, London, UK: The first London Virtual Goods Summit is a one day event focused on the emerging market opportunity for virtual goods and economies. Once restricted to the world of online gaming, virtual goods and currencies are beginning to influence the development of social networks, community sites, and many other new and exciting markets. The market for virtual goods continues to grow – join us for engaging talks and panels designed to highlight important trends in this fast growing market. This is a must-attend event for those in the games, social media, and entertainment markets. Register now with the promo code MASHABLE010 for 15% off!  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 18, 2010, Madrid, Spain: Stepping out of the comfort zone: Innovation & Social Media in Healthcare. Advertising in the new markets of conversations is the big challenge, and realizing that you no longer have the control of the brand is difficult to assume and scary. But wanted or not, the conversation is out there. HCPs are right now storytelling their opinions, experiences, unmet needs, therapeutic strategies and ideas via the Social Web. They are looking for connectivity and knowledge in these new ecosystems which are "common and global grounds". The word of mouth surpasses, in credibility, the traditional communication tools.  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.  November 30, 2010, London, UK: Hear how 21 heavyweight brands, including Facebook, Sainsbury’s, Google-YouTube, COI, King of Shaves, Motorola, JustGiving, BBC, Volvo, M&S, FT, Jaguar, Eurostar and Santander are demonstrating real results from social media at the Social Media Results For PR & Comms Conference. Tried and tested strategies to genuinely engage audiences, fully embed and integrate social media practices and clearly demonstrate real results. Mashable readers receive a £150 discount with the promo code MASHABLE if you book before August 19. Click here to download the conference brochure.  December 1-2, 2010, Berlin, Germany: Lead generation, lead nurturing, inbound marketing, B2B social media marketing, SEO, storytelling, mobile marketing and blogging, B2B marketers are facing new challenges in building profitable marketing strategies. The first BB2B Marketing Europe event features a keynote presentation by Chris Brogan and will bring together European B2B marketers to share knowledge through real-world case studies, best practices, lessons learned and offer networking opportunities with some of the biggest brands and businesses today – Forrester Research, Google, Philips, Dassault Systemes, Accenture, HP, Honeywell, Canon, Kodak, Symantec, HubSpot, iTive and more. Register by September 30th to receive an early bird discount.  December 7-9, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: Taking place in the heart of Silicon Valley, BIA/Kelsey's Interactive Local Media 2010 (ILM:10) is a unique, three-day mega-conference featuring the true innovators of local media, local directories, local search, local mobile, local social and local direct marketing. One highlight is a special Mobile Local SuperForum offering the deepest and most strategic dive ever presented in the mobile local space. Head's up: Local is hot, and this year's conference should be BIA/Kelsey's largest ever. Register with promo code ILMMASH and save $200!  December 8-10 Reno, NV: Join professionals from marketing, tourism, gaming, service industries and nonprofits in Reno-Tahoe's amazing ski country for Social Media at Reno Tahoe (SM@RT), one of the best values of any similar national conference in 2010. Speakers, along with specialized breakout session presenters, include top authors, practitioners and strategist from media giant, Gannett, winter travel destinations, Vail Resorts, and many other experts in building business for professional service firms. Anchored by the University of Nevada, and its business and journalism schools, attendees get specialized instruction to return home with ways to immediately improve their social media marketing. Register now and save and an additional $100 online for the main conference with the discount code MASH.  February 7-10, 2011, Orlando, FL: ARC's 2011 World Industry Forum: Driving Innovation, Sustainability and Performance will take place at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld! This forum will focus on challenges that will help you develop winning strategies. It provides an ideal environment for industry executives to collaborate, share ideas, and find new ways to attack their most pressing problems. The event includes sessions on the major issues facing our industry, with multiple tracks that enable executives to explore these topics from different perspectives. Owner/operators, solution providers, & technical experts will all benefit while contributing to the community's body of knowledge.  March 8-9, 2011, Brussels, Belgium: Are you looking to unleash the power of social media for CRM? As new channels and strategies emerge it is increasingly important to meet face-to-face to share knowledge, challenges and experiences. Enterprise Social 2.0: CRM will bring social media marketers and CRM experts together to share knowledge through real-world case studies, best practices, lessons learned and offering networking opportunities with some of the biggest brands and businesses today. Past speakers include: Google, Kodak, L'Oreal, Philips, Nokia, Lego, Siemens, Vodafone, SWIFT, SAP, Roger Smith Hotel, Dominos Pizza, Airbus and more. To receive a special discount, register now!  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, Digg, Drupal, Facebook, Foursquare, Get Satisfaction, Google, Internet, LinkedIn, Mashable, Mint, Skype, Twitter, Yelp, YouTube, awards, eXperience, social media, society, video For more Social Media coverage:
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| Best Buy Launches Shopkick Automatic Checkins and Rewards at 257 Stores Posted: 16 Aug 2010 09:29 AM PDT   Best Buy is readying 257 of its U.S. stores for a digital loyalty program that rewards customers who walk in and automatically check in via the Shopkick iPhone app and future Andriod app. The Best Buy Shopkick initiative was announced earlier this month and will award offline shoppers with “kickbucks” — the Shopkick virtual currency — that can be redeemed in-store or converted to Best Buy gift certificates online. Shopkick has been integrated into Best Buy’s point of sale system, allowing customers to give their mobile phone number to the cashier to redeem discounts. The program is set to go live tomorrow in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, New York City and Chicago markets, with 70 additional stores in Dallas, Miami and Minneapolis set to support the digital rewards program by October 1. Shopkick’s iPhone app (which also goes live tomorrow) is designed to automatically check shoppers in to retail venues; no manual entry or GPS required. The automatic checkin is powered by small, physical speakers that emit inaudible sound near the entrances of participating stores. Mobile phone microphones are designed to pick up the signal, which will contain a store-specific code, if the Shopkick app is installed and running. Shopkick’s launch partnerships extend beyond Best Buy and include Macy’s and two additional yet-to-be-disclosed retailers. Shopkick also has a partnership with U.S. mall operator Simon Property Group, owner of 370 shopping centers nationwide. Twenty-five malls in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago are said to be launching with the Shopkick program by the end of the month.  [img credit: Ron Dauphin] More About: checkins, geolocation, MARKETING, Mobile 2.0, shopkick For more Mobile coverage:
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| Why Location-Based Social Media Needs to Get “Passive” Aggressive Posted: 16 Aug 2010 09:02 AM PDT   Jesse Thomas is the CEO and Founder of JESS3, a Creative Interactive Agency. JESS3 designs products and experiences for brands like Google, Nike, Facebook, MySpace, C-SPAN, Microsoft and NASA. Ten years ago, Seth Godin predicted the demise of “interruption marketing” and the rise of “permission marketing.” His idea was that intrusive advertising, like traditional television commercials, were on the way out, and that inclusive methods were on the rise — not just product placements, but customer loyalty programs, rewards and quid pro quo agreements that required some level of trust between the business and customer. He’s been right. But we’re still being interrupted in new ways, and one I’ve been thinking about lately is Foursquare. And I’d like to predict the demise of “interruption checkins” and the rise of “permission checkins.” Stopping whatever you’re doing to check-in when you arrive at a location is just lame. If you’re arriving at a happy hour, you might lose a conversation while you’re busy tapping away. If you visit a store, you’ll be standing just outside or inside and getting in the way until you’ve checked-in. The active checkin requirement is one thing holding back location-based social networks (also called “geosocial” networks) from widespread adoption. (According to Forrester, only 4% of Internet users have ever used them.) Passive Checkins: Are We Excited Yet? GPS technology, as it currently works, can determine where I am, accurate to about my current neighborhood. But let's say you're in the Empire State Building, with many stories above or below. It doesn't know whether I'm on the first floor or the 100th. Other technologies are trying to solve this problem. Cell tower triangulation probably won’t, but in big cities, wifi triangulation might. No matter the solution, one is necessary for smart, passive checkins. More advanced systems could also guard against "cheating" because they would keep you honest: Your phone is like your IP address. If we can find smart ways to stop fictional checkins, this in turn will make rewards and prizes for loyalty more relevant. One of the main obstacles in Foursquare's usability is that it actually takes a while to update. If you were to be "OnGrid," you would be checked-in or asked to be checked-in if you are at a place for more than 15 minutes, but could tweak whether you wanted to be "findable" or not. The next step, once you have approved the checkin, would be whether you would push this information to Facebook and/or Twitter. The option would of course exist to be easily "OffGrid," if you don’t want to be found. This feature would also make a lot of sense for “swarming.” A swarm is a proactive thing, one of the cornerstones of social networking and a real payoff for geosocial. If a predictive system was implemented, the service could then know when to expect a swarm and how many people would likely be there — data that would be extremely valuable for a variety of businesses. What we want is a passive geosocial experience, and we don’t care who brings it to us. Foursquare is a big player here now, but alone they don’t have all the pieces to make a truly useful and satisfying service. That’s why other startups are trying to fill the gap, such as Future Checkin and Shopkick. These companies and others may hold pieces of the puzzle, but they’ll only be role players in the overall solution. Who Can Play?Facebook and Google have a real opportunity here, as does Microsoft. Facebook seems to have the best ecosystem of companies with locations, though they currently lack a location system. But let us propose that they give everyone a “Locations” tab, and any time someone checks into a geosocial service, whether it’s an eventual Facebook-native service or not, this information is pushed to Facebook.  Any future service along these lines should look something like Dopplr — an early and unappreciated entrant into geosocial networking that helps you plan trips in advance. If a Dopplr-like service was part of your Facebook Locations tab, that location would be pre-saved and pop up when you are in proximity to it to facilitate checking in. Checkins: The Game of Strategic ConquestFacebook can’t be a player in this game without a major partnership. They certainly have the best social graph in the business, and it’s absolutely the company’s most valuable asset. But to make this work, Facebook needs a mapping service, and through their existing partnership with Microsoft, they may have one available. Because this kind of service works especially well for live events like concerts, there is a very real opportunity for MySpace to get in on this, as well. Twitter has also started to geotag tweets, and a future version of the service may have tweets mixed with geosocial checkins, plus a tab to show just geosocial check-ins. The part of the equation that could help both Google and Facebook (with the help of their Microsoft partnership) change the geosocial game is the use of content-rich maps. Google had the right idea with Latitude, although it was certainly ahead of its time. Maps are an important part of the war and will be a key weapon in the arsenal of whichever geosocial model comes out on top. Although Google has taken its knocks for having trouble in the social space, they are the only player with a sophisticated social graph (Gmail, Buzz) and the ability to place social information on a map (Maps, Local and Latitude). And when they do, it should be built on your Google account — that is, your Gmail address. If this sounds like Buzz, which was poorly received, you're thinking too narrowly about these tools. It's not always about sharing information with your friends; it's also about organizing information about your friends. What’s important here is not that others see your social graph, but that you have access to a more powerful social graph — that is to say, your address book. The Future is (Almost) HereThis post is based in part on a slideshow I produced about the failings of Foursquare and the missed potential of geosocial services. Since publishing it, several new mobile players have appeared that address some of the issues I have discussed above.
These are all steps in the right direction, and platforms looking to enter the geosocial game should take into account all these voices in building the “next big thing.”
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| Advertisers to Spend $1.7 Billion on Social Networks in 2010 Posted: 16 Aug 2010 08:43 AM PDT   The latest numbers from eMarketer project that advertisers will spend nearly $1.7 billion in the U.S. on social networking sites in 2010. Worldwide, spending will hit $3.3 billion according to the report. The numbers represent a significant bump up from estimates published by the research firm at the end of last year, when it projected $1.3 billion would be spent on the space in the U.S. Not surprisingly, eMarketer sees about half of that money (in the U.S.) going to Facebook, with MySpace continuing to see a smaller share of the pie. Separately, the firm estimated that Facebook’s 2010 revenue would hit $1.2 billion in a report published last week. Earlier this month, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said that some of the social network's biggest advertisers had boosted ad spending by 10x this year; a trend that's apparent in the eMarketer report.  [img credit: donbuciak] Reviews: Facebook, MySpace More About: advertising, MARKETING, social media, social networking, trending For more Business coverage:
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| North Korea Joins Twitter [REPORT] Posted: 16 Aug 2010 07:13 AM PDT   North Korean media outlet Uriminzokkiri — one of the few local outlets to write in English for a foreign audience — has opened a Twitter account: @uriminzok. Although it is hard to determine who exactly updates the site, it is believed to be directly run by the North Korean government. Thus, the Uriminzok Twitter account could be the first official presence of North Korea on Twitter. The first message on the Twitter account was posted last week, declaring in Korean that the website “Our nation” now has a Twitter account. Subsequent messages were links to either important documents from North Korean history or news items from the Uriminzokkiri website. North Korea is run by one of the world’s most secretive regimes, but lately it’s been embracing social media; last month, Uriminzokkiri launched a YouTube account, which currently contains 78 videos. However, the North Korean government is hardly opening up with its new online presence, as the content posted on these accounts is pure propaganda and interaction with other users is currently nonexistent. Reviews: Twitter More About: North Korea, social media, twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| Posted: 16 Aug 2010 06:49 AM PDT   Hulu could be joining the ranks of publicly traded Internet companies as soon as this fall. Citing "people briefed on the matter," The New York Times reports that the company is discussing an IPO with a variety of investment banks that would value the joint venture formed in 2007 between News Corp, Walt Disney, NBC Universal and Providence Equity Partners at north of $2 billion. The move would mark yet another big Internet IPO to surface in recent weeks, following both Demand Media and Skype announcing plans to go public. Hulu's revenue is said to be approaching $200-250 million per year, with the company recently adding a "Hulu Plus" service offering a more robust content library and apps for iPhone and iPad. No other details were immediately available on Hulu's IPO plans; Mashable has reached out for comment and will update our story with any further information. Update: A spokesperson for Hulu offered a “we don’t comment on rumors or speculation.” Reviews: Hulu, Mashable, Skype For more Business coverage:
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| Mashable Weekend Recap: 12 Stories You May Have Missed Posted: 16 Aug 2010 06:42 AM PDT   It’s Monday morning, and you know what that means: It’s time to rejoin the rat race. Make sure you have a head start by reviewing these news stories and resources you might have missed this Saturday and Sunday. This weekend, Twitter let a bug slip by that (for just a couple of hours) redefined one of the fundamentals of the service, George Lucas announced that Star Wars is hitting HDTVs next year, Facebook made an intriguing acquisition, Gap embraced Foursquare, and the alleged “Craigslist Killer” was found dead. News Essentials
Helpful Resources
Weekend Leisure
Reviews: Craigslist, Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter More About: art directors, blu-ray, brands, business, chai labs, copywriters, craigslist, craigslist killer, facebook, foursquare, gap, mashable weekend recap, Philip Markoff, refreshingapps, social media, Star Wars, tech, tips, trends, twitter, web comics For more Social Media coverage:
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| Facebook Dislike Button Is Fake [WARNING] Posted: 16 Aug 2010 06:03 AM PDT   A new Facebook scam is making the rounds, and it’s taking advantage of a non-existent Facebook feature many users crave: the dislike button. First, let’s clear things up: There is no such thing as an official Facebook dislike button. It’s possible that Facebook will implement a similar feature in the future, but right now it simply doesn’t exist. So, if you see a status update containing the message “I just got the Dislike button, so now I can dislike all of your dumb posts lol!!” or “Get the official DISLIKE button now” followed by a link, you should know that it’s another one of many scams that aim to extract your personal data.  If you click on the link, you’ll land on an elaborate Facebook dislike button “install” page (note that if the dislike button were real, you wouldn’t need to install it; Facebook would automatically add it to user profiles). If you follow the instructions, you’ll be asked to give the app permission to run, after which you’ll be asked to complete a survey, similar to the surveys found in many other scams we’ve seen recently. Interestingly enough, the app ultimately points you to an existing Firefox add-on called FaceMod, which dubs itself the “Facebook Dislike Button (the Original),” but the add-on doesn’t seem to be connected to the scam. We haven’t verified whether the add-on works as advertised or if it’s dangerous, but one thing is certain: It is not coming from Facebook and it is not an official Facebook dislike button. As usual, we advise you not to click on suspicious links on Facebook, especially if they promise something that sounds impossible or unlikely. Do not give away your personal information, unless you're absolutely sure why and who you're giving it to. If you've fallen for the scam, remove the offending app(s) from your Facebook profile; furthermore, remove the related message from your status, News Feed, and your Likes and Interests in the "Edit my Profile" menu. [via Sophos] Reviews: Facebook, Firefox More About: dislike button, facebook, malware, scam, social media, trending For more Social Media coverage:
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| iPod Overheats, Causes Train Delay in Tokyo Posted: 16 Aug 2010 05:17 AM PDT   A Tokyo commuter train was delayed Friday due to a burning smell that was caused by an Apple iPod owned by one of the passengers. The train was stopped in western Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward for eight minutes — quite a long time for Tokyo’s busy train schedule — at around 8:20 a.m. local time. “When a member of staff went to investigate inside the train, a passenger came over showing him that the iPod she was listening to had burst apart,” the spokesman of the rail line operator Tokyu Corp told Reuters. No injuries were reported. The timing is bad for Apple, with Apple Japan recently admitting overheating problems in first generation iPod nanos and offering replacements to customers. The exact model of the iPod that caused the accident on the train, however, remains unknown. For more Apple coverage:
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Public relations specialists were some of the first people to embrace the power of social media, and as a result they are often the ones leading the way in the social space, whether they are consulting with clients from an agency point of view or strategizing on an in-house PR team.
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