Mashable: Latest 28 News Updates - including “Large Hadron Collider Achieves 7 TeV Proton Collisions”

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• Large Hadron Collider Achieves 7 TeV Proton Collisions
• MapQuest Brings Free Voice Navigation to the iPhone
• Minnesota’s Governor to Hold Town Hall via Facebook
• LinkedIn for BlackBerry Released [SCREENSHOTS]
• Watch the Large Hadron Collider Experiments Live
• Foursquare’s Growth Not Slowing Down: 725,000 Users, 22 Million Checkins
• U.S. House Members Ask FTC to Investigate Google Buzz
• Now You Can Update Your Facebook Status via Yahoo Mail
• Video: “Scarface” School Play [Randomly Viral]
• Facebook Wants You to “Like” Brands
• Apple to Launch Two New iPhones, One for Verizon [REPORT]
• File Transfers Coming to Gmail Chat
• 10 Amazing iPad App Video Demonstrations
• EXCLUSIVE: Lou Reed’s New Commercial for Lou Zoom iPhone App [VIDEO]
• Adobe Flash to Come Bundled with Google Chrome [RUMOR]
• Free Music Monday: 10 Totally Free Track Downloads
• 5 Big Twitter Trends to Follow Right Now
• Twitepad Brings Twitter to the iPad [VIDEO]
• How Startups are Using Social Media for Real Results
• Buy Wi-Fi Access Through iTunes [Apps]
• The iTunes App Store Comes to Facebook
• YouTube Highlights Your Facebook Friends’ Activity
• Lady Gaga + Sesame Street = Out of this World Mashup [VIDEO]
• Growing Your Business: 5 Tips From the Founder of Foursquare
• Cast Official Votes for “American Idol” via Facebook
• Mashable’s Weekly Calendar of Social Media Events
• Digg’s Empty Search Results Promote Burger King’s Double Cheeseburgers
• Warner Bros. Looks for Anti-Piracy Interns
• Suppliers Expect to Ship 8-10 Million iPads in 2010 [REPORT]

Large Hadron Collider Achieves 7 TeV Proton Collisions Posted: 30 Mar 2010 05:02 AM PDT The title might not sound terribly exciting if you’re not a physicist, but this is the main reasons the Large Hadron Collider was built in the first place – to collide elementary particles at extremely high levels of energy, which would help physicists test some predictions of high-energy physics, including the existence of the hypothesized Higgs boson. Two pivotal achievements happened today: first, the LHC finally managed to sustain a 7 TeV particle beam. Secondly, first proton collides were achieved at this level of energy, which is a world record. "With these record-shattering collision energies, the LHC experiments are propelled into a vast region to explore, and the hunt begins for dark matter, new forces, new dimensions and the Higgs boson. The fact that the experiments have published papers already on the basis of last year's data bodes very well for this first physics run," said ATLAS collaboration spokesperson, Fabiola Gianotti. Now it’s up to the scientists at CERN to analyze the data, which will probably take some time; look out for some exciting news from CERN in the days to come. [img credit: Image Editor] Tags: CERN, large hadron collider, LHC, physics, trending

MapQuest Brings Free Voice Navigation to the iPhone Posted: 30 Mar 2010 01:14 AM PDT It’s quite inevitable, really: after Google announced free turn-by-turn GPS navigation for Android devices, followed by Nokia’s decision to offer the same on its smartphones, the price of full-featured GPS navigation apps on other platforms is hurtling towards zero. Case in point: MapQuest 4 Mobile, a free GPS navigation app for the iPhone, now offers “basic voice guidance.” The app will tell you when you need to take a turn, and if you get lost, it will warn you that you’re off route. Other features include saving maps and routes on MapQuest.com and retrieving them on your iPhone, easy POI finding via the OS X dashboard-like Place Carousel, finding you on a map or in relation to a route, and free form search. The app is available for free in Apple’s App Store. Tags: gps, iphone, MapQuest, maps, Mobile 2.0, navigation

Minnesota’s Governor to Hold Town Hall via Facebook Posted: 29 Mar 2010 10:13 PM PDT The governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, has found a novel use for Facebook: conducting town hall meetings. On Wednesday, March 31, at 7:15 p.m. ET, the governor will use his Facebook Fan Page to make a major announcement and to gather feedback from his fans on “helping Republicans win the 2010 elections.” Facebook’s been a powerful tool for politicians for years: Facebook Election 2006 and Barack Obama’s “A+” use of Facebook in the campaign are just two of many examples. While it’s unclear exactly how Pawlenty’s town hall will be conducted, we suspect that it will involve live video via his Facebook Fan Page, something that groups such as the Jonas Brothers have utilized with great success. Governor Pawlenty has a decent following on Facebook — more than 31,000 fans — but we suspect it’ll rise rapidly if he holds more of these events on the world’s largest social network. What do you think: Are Facebook town halls a good way to reach constituents or are they just publicity stunts? Let us know in the comments. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: facebook, government, minnesota, politics, Republican, Tim Pawlenty, Town Hall

LinkedIn for BlackBerry Released [SCREENSHOTS] Posted: 29 Mar 2010 08:46 PM PDT BlackBerry users, LinkedIn has finally arrived; The business social network has just launched LinkedIn for BlackBerry, version 1.0. The new LinkedIn BlackBerry app, which you can download now online or very soon from the BlackBerry App World app, not only provides users with access to their connections, invitations, and messages, but provides deep integration with BlackBerry Mail, Contacts, and Calendar, allowing you to integrate contacts, get LinkedIn mail in your inbox, and a lot more. Here are the details, along with a boatload of exclusive screenshots of LinkedIn for BlackBerry that we’ve obtained: BlackBerry for LinkedIn: The Overview LinkedIn’s new BlackBerry app is not as feature-rich as LinkedIn for iPhone, simply due to the limitations of the software and hardware. In fact, you’re going to need a BlackBerry, Tour, Curve, or Bold with BlackBerry OS v4.3 or later in order to run this bad boy. Still, for a BlackBerry app, it does everything you’d want a LinkedIn app to do and then some. The app is divided into six key modules: Network Updates, Search, Connections, Invitations, Messages, and Reconnect. Each of these features is self-explanatory, which is why I’m going to let the screenshots do most of the talking. Jump down below to learn about some of the app’s other features. 1. Network Updates: This module provides you access to your friends’ status updates and allows you to update your own. 2. Search: Search focuses around both finding your connections and searching any of LinkedIn’s 60 million+ members. 3. Connections: Browse and check out your connections; simple as that. 4. Invitations This one’s self-explanatory. 5. Messages: Not only do you get access to your messages, but it has a killer feature: integration with BlackBerry Mail. Whenever you receive a LinkedIn message, it’ll appear in your inbox just like any of your other messages. 6. Reconnect: The final module provides suggestions for new people to add to your connections. LinkedIn Has a Few More Tricks Up Its Sleeve In addition to the six modules, LinkedIn’s also gone ahead and integrated the app with three of BlackBerry’s native apps: Contacts, Messages, and Calendar. 1. Contacts: Take your LinkedIn connections and drop them directly into your BlackBerry contacts, giving you quick access to the LinkedIn profiles of your business associates. 2. Messages: LinkedIn messages appear directly in your BlackBerry Inbox as if they were emails. 3. Calendar If an attendee of an event on your calendar has a LinkedIn profile, you can quickly pull it up. Clearly, the company took a lot of time and energy to make sure they got this app right. The integrations with native BlackBerry features seem to be its greatest strength, especially the BlackBerry Inbox integration. Business users who rely on LinkedIn to look up prospective leads, employees, or customers will now have a powerful tool in their hands. BlackBerry users, what do you think of the app? Are you going to download it? Let us know in the comments. More Screenshots Reviews: LinkedIn Tags: blackberry, business, linkedin, Linkedin for BlackBerry, Mobile 2.0, RIM

Watch the Large Hadron Collider Experiments Live Posted: 29 Mar 2010 06:47 PM PDT The Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland, will perform the first-ever proton collision tomorrow morning — via live stream. It’s a big day for science, and you don’t have to miss any of it if you have a laptop with Wi-Fi nearby, because most of the event will be live streamed on the CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) website. The webcast begins at 2:00 a.m. ET tomorrow morning and will continue through 12:15 p.m. ET. CERN has published a minute-by-minute schedule of what you’ll see; the main event is the first attempt to collide protons at seven trillion electric volts. That will go down one hour into the webcast. Folks are joking that this massive scientific experiment will destroy the world. That’s nonsense, of course. But the experiments that will be conducted there will be groundbreaking in figurative ways. No embed has been provided, so you’ll have to jump over to the site at the designated hour to watch. [via Wired UK] [img credit: Image Editor] For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research, experiment, large hadron collider, LHC, live video, livestream, Science, switzerland, trending, webcast

Foursquare’s Growth Not Slowing Down: 725,000 Users, 22 Million Checkins Posted: 29 Mar 2010 05:18 PM PDT Mobile social network Foursquare keeps on releasing new stats on its growth, and why shouldn’t it? The numbers are nothing short of impressive. Just 12 days ago, Foursquare grew by nearly 100,000 users in 10 days, taking its total number of users to somewhere north of 600,000. Now a new update from the company reveals that Foursquare has almost 725,000 users. That’s somewhere around 100,000 new users in two weeks. The Foursquare bandwagon hasn’t lost any steam. Foursquare also revealed a second stat: there have been over 22 million check-ins by its users. While that’s not the same as Twitter’s 50 million tweets per day, it’s a damn impressive number for a company that is barely a year old. It’s also more difficult to check into specific locations (you have to change locations) than it is to tweet. Foursquare’s been on the rise for a while, but it looks like South by Southwest (SXSW) has accelerated that growth to new levels. Our prediction that Foursquare would become the Twitter of 2010 may just come to fruition. Reviews: Foursquare Tags: foursquare, gowalla, iphone, Mobile 2.0

U.S. House Members Ask FTC to Investigate Google Buzz Posted: 29 Mar 2010 04:37 PM PDT An assortment of cross-party lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives has officially asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the launch of Google Buzz for potentially breaching consumer privacy. Trouble was brewing early on for Google over its launch of Buzz, with privacy advocates quick to file a class action complaint in San Jose federal court last month. Now PC World reports that six Democrats have joined five Republicans from the House of Energy and Commerce Committee in petitioning the FTC to look into Google’s handling of the launch, which they say exposed Gmail users’ private information to outsiders. Google was quick to respond to concerns by making changes to how the service worked. Still, that quick back-peddle could end up underscoring the perceived privacy issues — on original first launch, your most frequently e-mailed list of contacts was made public by default. As such things go, the process may be long and drawn out even if the FTC decides to undertake the investigation, so it’s likely to be a while before we hear the end of the Buzz privacy brouhaha. What do you think: Should the FTC investigate? Did Google violate users’ privacy during the launch of Buzz? For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Gmail, Google, Twitter Tags: FTC, gmail, Google, google buzz, privacy

Now You Can Update Your Facebook Status via Yahoo Mail Posted: 29 Mar 2010 04:02 PM PDT Yahoo’s social media strategy of lots and lots of Facebook is coming to fruition in a big way today, with the web portal rolling out deeper integration of Facebook within Yahoo Mail. Last month, Yahoo started with its first Yahoo Mail/Facebook integration: importing Facebook friends’ e-mail addresses into their Yahoo contacts. Today’s two new features make Yahoo Mail a lot more social, though. The first feature is simple but effective: the ability to update your Facebook status via Yahoo Mail. Once you log in with your Facebook account, you can simply choose to share your status updates via Facebook, in addition to your Yahoo network — it’s a straightforward status update box that appears in your inbox. The second feature is also cool: now whenever someone emails you that is also your Facebook friend, their profile picture will appear in the email. As we highlighted in Google vs. Yahoo: Who Has the Right Social Strategy, Yahoo’s goals seem to be centered around partnerships and becoming a portal to the social media world. If Yahoo keeps adding features like these to its various other properties, it has the potential to become a social hub. Does Facebook integration make Yahoo Mail more enticing? Let us know what you think in the comments. Reviews: Facebook Tags: facebook, social media, Yahoo

Video: “Scarface” School Play [Randomly Viral] Posted: 29 Mar 2010 03:45 PM PDT First you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the… massive pile of popcorn. Behold, “Scarface School Play,” quite possibly the most majestic piece of theater we have ever seen. Ever. To our surprise and delight, this bizarre vid of a rather twisted school play was posted to YouTube earlier today. It’s basically the best thing in the world (which is yours!), and I refuse to say more on the subject. Just watch it. Like, seven times in a row. Warning: This video contains spoilers. For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Tags: humor, viral video, youtube

Facebook Wants You to “Like” Brands Posted: 29 Mar 2010 03:18 PM PDT Facebook's making a small wording change with some potentially big implications. Now, instead of clicking a button that says "become a fan" to start following a given brand, users will simply have to "like" them. According to an email obtained by MediaMemo, Facebook is alerting advertisers to the impending change by explaining that "Like" links offer "a simple, consistent way for people to connect with the things they are interested in … in fact, people click "Like" almost two times more than they click "Become a Fan" everyday." The latter part is important – it means that the change could make it easier for brand advertisers to accumulate fans quickly. But it also means that users might not totally understand what they're opting in to. After all, becoming a fan means that you'll start receiving updates from the brand in your News Feed. Beyond that, it still doesn't solve one of the main problems of Facebook's Fan wording – while there are many Pages on Facebook I'd like to follow — because they provide information I need or would like to access — I wouldn't necessarily call myself a "fan" of them (nor want my friends to think I am one). Perhaps that's why Twitter's "follow" wording still makes the most sense. So, while this change looks to be good for brands, it remains to be seen if it will be good for users, or might even create more confusion. What do you think of the change? Let us know in the comments. Update - Here’s the doc from Facebook explaining the change, via Joffrey in the comments: Fb Language Change PDF For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: advertising, facebook, MARKETING

Apple to Launch Two New iPhones, One for Verizon [REPORT] Posted: 29 Mar 2010 03:02 PM PDT A new report from The Wall Street Journal suggests that Apple will reveal not one, but two new iPhones this year. One would be based on GSM/UMTS standard that powers AT&T’s network, while another would be compatible with CDMA, the standard used by Verizon. The announcement would come in June or July, when Apple normally announces new iPhone models. According to the WSJ, two different manufacturers will make the two different iPhones. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. will develop the GSM model, as it has done for the previous three versions, while Pegatron Technology Corp. (a subsidiary of ASUSTeK) will build the CDMA version. Production of the CDMA version is scheduled to start in September. If the report is true, it can only mean one thing: AT&T’s exclusivity deal with Apple is coming to an end. As long as Apple doesn’t build a CDMA version of the iPhone, AT&T doesn’t have to worry about Verizon becoming a carrier of the wildly popular smartphone. A CDMA-version of the iPhone almost certainly means that Verizon would add Apple’s phone to its arsenal. As an AT&T spokesman told WSJ, “There has been lots of incorrect speculation on CDMA iPhones for a long time.” And in fact, he’s right: We’ve heard tons of rumors about 4G Verizon iPhones and incorrect predictions of when Apple would drop AT&T-iPhone exclusivity, and the result is that the iPhone is still only on the AT&T network in the U.S. Will that change this year? Is Apple really making two phones? Unless there’s a major leak from Cupertino, we’re going to have to wait to find out. Tags: apple, att, CDMA, GSM, HSDPA, iphone, iphone 3g, iphone 3Gs, trending, UMTS, verizon

File Transfers Coming to Gmail Chat Posted: 29 Mar 2010 02:44 PM PDT Today Google has revealed that users can now transfer files via chat in iGoogle and Orkut. This is good news for web users with a preference for software-free chatting, but the better news is that Google promises to bring the same functionality to Gmail, which already supports voice, video and group chat. The iGoogle and Orkut file transfers will work for photos, documents and presumably small video files. In addition, web users can exchange files with users of Google Talk — the more robust desktop version of Google’s chat client — without any hiccups. We certainly look forward to the day when file transfers will be supported via chat in Gmail, and we’ll update you when we know more. Until then, let us know what you think about the new iGoogle and Orkut functionality in the comments. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Gmail, Google, Orkut, Twitter, google talk Tags: gmail, Google, iGoogle chat

10 Amazing iPad App Video Demonstrations Posted: 29 Mar 2010 02:23 PM PDT Apple’s iPad hits stores this Saturday. Of course, the App Store is a big reason the iPhone has been such a huge success, so many of us are really excited to get a glimpse at what apps for the iPad will look like. About ten days ago, developers got the opportunity to start submitting their iPad apps to the App Store and those that are deemed ready will be available on day one. Earlier today, we looked at Twitepad, a Twitter client for the iPad. Now check out these 10 other application demo videos. We’re not sure if every app on this list will be available on day one, but collectively they certainly represent some of the early trends we expect to see in this next wave of mobile application development. Which is your favorite? 1. iMockups for iPad iMockups for iPad by Endloop is an app that lets designers or developers build wireframes for the iPhone, iPad or a web application right on the device. Wireframing can be an invaluable process and while it can absolutely be done on paper, it often works better in a digital form, especially if the output is going to be digital. We’re not sure on the actual application details, but it looks pretty sweet, check it out! 2. SktechNotes for iPad Our friends at TUAW posted this video showing off SketchNotes for the iPad. SketchNotes brings drawing and note-taking together in one app to create the digital equivalent of your favorite notebook. Developed by ZombieCatSoftware, SketchNotes is sure to be just one of the many drawing and note-taking apps we see in the coming weeks for the iPad! 3. Mondo Solitaire Another app that was first featured by our friends at TUAW is mondo Solitaire from Ambrosia Software. Ambrosia has been in the Mac development space for 17 years, making games and utilities for the Mac, iPhone and now iPad. Mondo Solitaire shows off just how cool a card game can look on the iPad! 4. BuzzVoice for iPad BuzzVoice is an app that reads you your favorite news sources (including Mashable) on your iPhone, iPod touch, desktop computer or MP3 player. Now it’s coming to the iPad. Last week, the BuzzVoice team put together this video showing off the app and some of its features. It looks very similar to the iPhone app, but with an added playlist manager. 5. Kobo for the iPad Kobo is a global eReading service that offers apps for iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm Pre, Android, PC and Mac and now the iPad! Kobo released a sneak peek of Kobo for the iPad on its company blog. Kobo’s not sure if the app will make it into the store on launch day, but you can check out what should be headed your way soon. 6. Mighty Meeting MightyMeeting is a tool that lets you run presentations and meetings from your iPhone, and now, iPad, whether doing something in person or across the world. I actually saw this presentation live at DEMO last week and was really impressed with what MightyMeeting is doing and how they are taking advantage of the iPad hardware to make the product really sing. I have a feeling that the iPad is going to become a popular presentation tool and MightyMeeting, along with Apple’s own Keynote for iPad, are some of the first to really address that space. 7. iBrite I firmly believe that nostalgia is one of the four pillars of the Internet. As such, you see lots of web sites, web apps and now, iPad apps, dedicated to reminiscing about awesome stuff from the past. With iBrite, you can turn your $500 iPad into a replica LITE-BRITE. You remember LITE-BRITE, that cool toy that let you create pictures with a lightboard? First appearing in 1967 and a part of many households in the 1970s and 1980s, you can relive the magic iPad style. Check out the video that iBrite has put together: The iBrite creators are taking a poll on their website to figure out pricing for the app. It’ll be between $1.99 and $4.99 when it comes out. 8. iPad Browsing Part II Yesterday, our own Brenna Ehrlich posted an iPad walkthrough from MacStories that showed off what browsing the App Store looks like on the iPad. Today, MacStories has followed up the video with a second-part, this time showing off some of the charts, categories and how to switch to iPhone apps. Check it out! 9. Apple Guided Tour: Safari Apple has a series of Guided Tours for the iPad featuring all of the built-in apps, as well as the iWork apps that will be available in the App Store. Check out the video tour of Safari for the iPad: 10. Apple Guided Tour: iBooks Another guided tour video from Apple features the new iBooks app. Check it out below and see how this interface compares with what Kobu is doing. Have an iPad Demo Video? Let us know! Did we miss your app? Leave a note in the comments and link us to your demo! What apps are you most looking forward to playing with on the iPad? Let us know! Reviews: Android, Mashable, Twitter Tags: apple, ipad, ipad apps, ipad demos

EXCLUSIVE: Lou Reed’s New Commercial for Lou Zoom iPhone App [VIDEO] Posted: 29 Mar 2010 02:09 PM PDT Lou Reed isn’t the first legendary musician to make his own iPhone app, but he is probably the first to make one that renders your contacts “beautiful, huge and legible.” Lou Zoom [iTunes link] is available in the App Store now for $1.99 and performs one simple task effectively: It super-sizes the font in your Contacts list, expanding each entry to the full width of your screen for better legibility and easier selection. Its search feature also adds a number of enhancements to the default iPhone search, by letting you search with partial names (not just the beginnings of first or last names), swipe left or right to paginate through long results or multiple phone numbers/e-mail addresses, double tap to map addresses, make calls or send e-mails and switch directly to Edit mode to make changes to an entry. We’re also happy to host the exclusive debut of Lou Reed’s first commercial promoting the Lou Zoom app, featuring Lou himself and a demo of how the software enhances your Contacts list on the iPhone. For more mobile coverage, follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: contacts, iphone, iphone apps, Lou Reed, Lou Zoom

Adobe Flash to Come Bundled with Google Chrome [RUMOR] Posted: 29 Mar 2010 01:52 PM PDT Abode may have a new ally in its battle with Apple over Adobe Flash: Google Chrome. According to a report from ZDNet, Google intends to bundle the embattled Flash platform into future builds of the Chrome browser — no plugin installs necessary. Chrome is the world’s third most popular browser — surpassing Safari earlier this year — but still trailing Internet Explorer and Firefox in market share. The move itself won’t make a huge impact for either Flash or Chrome, considering Adobe’s own stats say that around 99% of Internet-enabled desktops already have the plugin installed. However, including Adobe Flash in Chrome also means that it would be part of Google Chrome OS, which could be a strong motivation behind this move. The symbolism of the move cannot be understated. Google and Apple are no longer friends, and Apple dislikes Flash so much that it is not including it on the iPad or the iPhone. By partnering with Adobe, Google is placing yet another wall between itself and Apple, and making its competitive intentions clear. What will happen to Flash if Google decides to back Adobe? Nobody knows yet, but it’s definitely something we have to watch unfold in the next few months. For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Chrome, Facebook, Google, Twitter Tags: adobe, adobe flash, apple, chrome, Chrome OS, google chrome, google chrome os

Free Music Monday: 10 Totally Free Track Downloads Posted: 29 Mar 2010 01:10 PM PDT Welcome, music fans! Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of Free Music Monday, where we offer you 10 free tracks, sets or albums in honor of the #musicmonday tradition on Twitter. Read on, right-click and enjoy some free tunes collated eclectic-style. If there’s a genre you’d like to hear more of, drop us a line in the comments. And if you’d like to appear in a future edition of Free Music Monday, please check out the submission guidelines at the end of this post. And, as always, thanks for tuning in to Free Music Monday! 1. [ELECTROPOP] Mystery Roar: “Mayhem” — This disco-soaked electropop outfit was recently nominated for Best New Act of the Year at the Boston Music Awards. The group offers the track “Mayhem” (right-click to download) to Mashable readers. Check out a few more tracks on their MySpace page, get updates on their home page and look for their self-titled EP to drop on Dopamine Records on April 13. 2. [INDIE ROCK] Andale: “I Liked You Better When” — Salt Lake City, Utah, is home to indie rock quartet Andale, whose sound reportedly recalls “a 5-year-old genius finger-painting historical fiction.” We would also add, “if the Breeders and L7 met in a dark alley and got drunk together instead of fighting.” They offer Mashable readers a free download of “I Liked You Better When” — get your right-click on to snag it. 3. [WORLD/POP/REGGAE] Tough on Tobacco: “Voices in My Head” — Check out a refreshingly unique sound from this “humor-tinged pop-rock-reggae sextet” from Mumbai, India. Download a copy of “Voices in My Head” from the widget below, and download the rest of their new album completely free as well from the group’s website. 4. [INDIE/ALTERNATIVE] Feral Children: “Play on a Frozen Beach” — Snag a free download of this cross-genre Seattle five-piece courtesy of Loudvine. Somehow both sweet and dark, this track combines elements of electronica with progressive rock, as if Animal Collective got dosed up on sunshine and unicorns and went off to explore their alter egos. 5. [HIP-HOP] Rockie Fresh: “Make It Right” — Chicago hip-hop artist Rockie Fresh recently dropped his debut release Rockies Modern Life. He offers Mashable readers a free download of “Make It Right” (right-click and get it) (Warning: Some NSFW lyrics); check out more on his MySpace page. 6. [CLASSIC ROCK] Michael Yonkers: “Lovely Gold” — It’s not too often we get to hear any “new” classic rock, but thanks to Drag City, we have some original material from ’60s and ’70s guitarist Michael Yonkers that was previously unreleased. Check out the vintage fuzz from “Lovely Gold” for the low, low price of your right-click. 7. [SINGER/SONGWRITER] Danni Rosner: “In the City” — Check out some well-produced piano pop from Washington, D.C.-based Dannis Rosner. Right-click for a copy of “In the City” from her album Piano Actress and find out more about the artist on her website. 8. [ALT POP] Johnny Hi-Fi: “Familiar Voices” — San Francisco, CA-based alternative rock and pop band Johnny Hi-Fi have three albums under their collective four-piece belts, as well as hundreds of gigs around the globe over the past 10 years. They offer Mashable readers a free cut of “Familiar Voices” (right-click or bust!) from their third record, Vicious Cycle of Promises & Apologies. 9. [COUNTRY] The Harters: “Jenny” — Get a free copy of “Jenny” from this trio of siblings from their website in exchange for a mailing list signup. Well-produced with a fresh sound, the Harters’ music embodies “family, love and harmony.” 10. [ELECTRONIC] Classics: “Zookeeper” — This L.A.-based duo offers a unique combination of electronic production and singer/songwriter vocals and sensibilities. Expect to find influences from John Mayer and Iron & Wine to Portishead and Zero 7. They offer Mashable readers a free download of “Zookeeper” (right-click to get it); find out more from their MySpace page. Once again, big thanks to all who tuned in to Free Music Monday! If you find something you like in this feature, please feel free to share it with your music-loving friends. You can always check out the latest edition of this feature, plus all the past editions, on the Free Music Monday tag page, so be sure to tune in each week. We’ve also included the list of past Free Music Mondays at the end of this post in case you want to check out the back catalog. Big thanks to everyone who has submitted tracks. If you sent us something and we haven’t included it yet, stay tuned for a future Free Music Monday. Here is how to submit your music to FMM: Attention artists/labels: There are new submission guidelines for Free Music Monday. Please pick one track you’re willing to give away to Mashable readers as a free download and either a) include it as an attachment in your e-mail to barb+FMM AT mashable DOT com (25 MB file size limit, please) or b) include a link to a location where we can download the song (if you want to use “in exchange for e-mail” or other specific widgets to offer the track to Mashable readers that’s totally fine). If you want to also point us to more of your work online where we can stream and/or download it, please feel free — but you must complete either a or b to be considered for Free Music Monday. Due to overwhelming submission volume we are sadly unable to include each and every submission or even reply to every inquiry. If we haven’t posted your track yet, you are welcome to submit another new track at a reasonable and totally not pushy time interval. If we’ve already posted a track from your band or artist, we are unlikely to double up and post something else from you for some time — as much as we love all of you! This makes FMM more diverse and inclusive of new music. Free Music Monday Back Catalog - 10 Free Downloads Just for You (March 22, 2010) - 10 Free Tracks (March 8, 2010) - Alternative Rock Edition - Covers, Remixes, and Mashups Edition - Electronica Edition - Free Downloads for Your Collection (Feb. 8, 2010) - Free Downloads for Your Ears (Feb. 1, 2010) - Fresh and Free Downloads (Jan. 25, 2010) - Get 10 Free Downloads Right Here! (March 1, 2010) - Hip-hop Edition - Labor Day Edition - Live Edition - Rock and Pop Edition - Singer-Songwriter Edition - This Week’s Free Downloads (Feb. 15, 2010) - Video Edition - Your Submissions Edition - Your Submissions, All Downloads Edition For more entertainment coverage, follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Mashable, Twitter Tags: downloads, free music monday, mp3s, music

5 Big Twitter Trends to Follow Right Now Posted: 29 Mar 2010 12:43 PM PDT As Twitter celebrates its fourth birthday, we thought it appropriate to take another step back from the day-to-day happenings of the Twitterverse and analyze some of the bigger trends. There are many indicators that can clue us in to what’s in store for the social network. This time we’re exploring the pending debut of @anywhere, looking at how Twitter is shaping the way we watch television, dissecting Twitter’s challenge to the newsroom, discussing international growth, and breaking down Twitter’s user base. If you know of additional Twitter trends you find compelling, be sure to share them in the comments. 1. Twitter Anywhere, Everywhere As revealed by Evan Williams at SXSW, Twitter’s next objective is to conquer the web. The vehicle is @anywhere, a product we expect to hear more about at Chirp, Twitter’s developer conference. At launch, @anywhere will integrate Twitter features with popular publishers’ websites, so you’ll soon be able to more easily follow authors/contributors and tweet about content while on Digg, The New York Times, and Advertising Age without interfering with your experience of that content. The 13 launch partners will be the first to feature @anywhere, but the easy-to-integrate JavaScript code that powers @anywhere will eventually be made available to all website owners and publishers. Given Twitter’s immense power as a distribution channel, we imagine that @anywhere will become a popular additive and that we’ll soon start to see Twitter anywhere and everywhere. 2. The Demise of Tape-Delayed Television Twitter is real-time. Television is often tape-delayed. Those two concepts create a dissonance on the social web. Fans inadvertently happen upon the results of their favorite shows if they glimpse a spoiler tweet. Anger and frustration ensue. Rinse, repeat. Of course the idea of Twitter as a television show spoiler is nothing new. Early adopters living on the West Coast in the U.S. have been privy to this imbalance in television programming for four years and counting. The difference now is that Twitter has crossed the chasm and become a chatter box for the American Idol viewers of the world, who don’t take kindly to seeing this week’s booted contestant outed on Twitter first. Ryan Seacrest can speak to that first hand as he became a target of teen loathing after tweeting Lacey Brown’s elimination before the results aired live in the West. Seacrest can’t be blamed for Fox’s programming decisions or the spoiled curiosity of the show’s fans. After all, Idol touts itself as a live show, and we’re all living in a world of immediate information. Television needs to catch up. It may be a slow and steady process, but networks are starting to get the memo: Audiences want to watch live. We can point to popular award shows like the Oscars and Grammys which aired live this year, both pulling in record ratings. The risk-reward formula paid off, which means more adventurous networks will continue to experiment with more live, less tape-delayed, content. We can thank Twitter for that. 3. Challenging Newsrooms Twitter — as a platform — has a tendency to break news before mainstream media outlets. Tweets are immediate. The process to find a lead, fact check, source stories, get editorial review, and publish to the wire is not. Ultimately, you have a situation where newsrooms are challenged by the pace of Twitter and their own insistency on remaining reputable. On that front, Reuters’ refuses to sacrifice quality for speed and maintains that journalists should never “scoop the wire” by breaking stories on Twitter. In a conversation with Peter Horrocks, the new BBC Global News Director who is mandating social media usage, this challenge became all the more apparent. The BBC has its own social media policy, similar to Reuters, that discourages contributors from expressing opinions on Twitter that would jeopardize the organization’s reputation. But Horrocks tends to be more lenient when it comes to journalists and correspondents breaking news on Twitter. When asked directly about whether or not staff could break news on Twitter, Horrocks said, “if a correspondent came across something and [Twitter] was the only technology they could use, of course they should do that.” But the speed of breaking news on social media should never trump credibility. “If they could make a phone call first [to vet the story], we’d prefer that,” Horrocks added. His additional statements made it appear that a story broken on Twitter is a net loss to the BBC, as other opportunities across their print, web, radio, and television platforms may be jeopardized. But Horrocks, a fascinating individual to speak with, is as social media savvy as they come. It begs the question, will Twitter always foil the newsroom? Is there a solution to the disconnect between real-time and reliable? 4. International Growth With Twitter now available in languages like French, Spanish and Italian thanks to the social network’s successful translation project, it’s no surprise that non-English tweets are on the rise. Previous reports even suggest that only half of all the messages on Twitter are in English. That’s a pretty significant bump in non-English tweets in a short amount time, especially when you take into account that during the first half of 2009, 66% of tweets were in English. As Twitter becomes available in even more languages, we certainly expect the ratio of foreign language tweets to English language tweets to swing in favor of the former. 5. More Tweets, More Niche Twitter moved beyond on the techset when celebrities, media organizations, and sports teams all discovered that they could benefit from the medium. It’s since become the first place news breaks, created an environment ripe with information for the gossip column, and a way for notable names to directly connect with their fans. Twitter has grown exponentially as a result of the exposure, but in some ways they’ve hit a ceiling: Those with a use for it have already found it, while those uninterested remain as such. Given the very nature of Twitter, it can only always appeal to a select portion of the population. In spite of its astronomical growth and pervasiveness, Twitter is a niche product for a niche audience. We can look to data demonstrating new user fatigue and power user behaviors as indications pointing to this conclusion. While Twitter is still growing rapidly in terms of tweet volume, a recent study from Nielsen on Twitter usage in the UK sheds light on the fact that 7% of super users — those who use Twitter more than 60 minutes per month — account for almost 80% of the overall time spent on Twitter. Data from Baracuda Labs points to the same trend. Their report suggests that 73% of Twitter users have tweeted less than 10 times, with 34% never surpassing the first tweet hurdle. Twitter will continue to be an important distribution channel — especially for publishers, personalities and media — and quantity doesn’t appear to be a challenge. But the coming months and years will likely continue to see the active audience narrow in scope. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook More Twitter resources from Mashable: - 140 Reasons We Love Twitter - How The Roxy Became the #1 Venue on Twitter [INTERVIEW] - 5 Ways to Use Twitter to Avoid a Backchannel Disaster - How Twitter in the Classroom is Boosting Student Engagement Images courtesy of iStockphoto, hidesy. [Img credit: Lloyd Davis] Reviews: Chirp Blu, Digg, Facebook, Twitter, iStockphoto Tags: at-anywhere, List, Lists, social media, top twitter trends, trends, twitter

Twitepad Brings Twitter to the iPad [VIDEO] Posted: 29 Mar 2010 12:10 PM PDT InfoXenter has released the first screenshots for its upcoming Twitter application for the iPad, Twitepad. Twitter apps are one of the hottest categories in the App Store, so it’s no surprise that we’re seeing some iPad-specific apps as we approach the Saturday release date. Apple started accepting submissions to the App Store about 10 days ago, and Twitepad will be available at launch. The biggest difference between the Twitter clients for the iPad and the iPhone is device screen size. This opens up lots of opportunities for developers. On a smaller screen, utilizing space efficiently becomes hugely important. With the iPad, the challenge will be how to best use the excess space. Twitepad does this in part by integrating a web browser into the client, which makes it easy to look at articles and links that friends send over Twitter. You can also open up your favorite pages and RSS readers like Google’s. Twitepad also supports Instapaper, which makes it that much better for users who want to save and recall articles for future reading. Twitepad can also support multiple columns a la Tweetdeck. Check out this video that shows off Twitepad: We can’t wait to give Twitepad a full review when it comes out on Saturday. What do you think of this approach to Twitter on the iPad? Let us know! [via TUAW] For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Google, TweetDeck, Twitter, instapaper Tags: ipad, ipad apps, twitepad, twitter

How Startups are Using Social Media for Real Results Posted: 29 Mar 2010 11:17 AM PDT The Real Results series is supported by Gist, an online service that helps you build stronger relationships. By connecting your inbox to the web, you get business-critical information about key people and companies. See how it works here. For startups, the amount of money you have to burn before you either need to break even or raise more capital is your runway. Extending the length of that runway is an art form that requires startup founders to learn how to squeeze maximum value out of every dollar they spend. Social media is one important way that startups are saving money while still delivering value. Whether being used for customer service, community building, product marketing, or internally for staying organized and communicating as a team, one common thread can be found through the social media use of every startup we talked to: Cost savings. “We have no outside investment. That means we're bootstrapping right now,” said Jack Benoff, Director of Marketing at Zugara, which last year went back into “startup mode” to create their own augmented reality software. “Social media has given startups the ability to market themselves in a way that wouldn't have been possible before. Sure, it takes a commitment (in time), but the hard costs are minimal. It allows us to focus our financial resources on production, research and development, and sales, which is huge for us.” Here are four ways that startups are using social media for real results. 1. Customer Service One of the most useful ways that startups are employing social media is for customer service. “On the customer service side, beamME gets tremendous value out of social media. These days, people expect to be able to post issues with companies directly to Twitter and obtain a real-time response. This instantaneous access to our customers is invaluable,” said Gabe Zichermann, CEO of beamME, a maker of mobile networking tools. According to Zichermann, one of the most useful tools they’ve used to manage their customer-focused social media efforts is Hootsuite, which has cut the amount of time necessary to look after their Twitter and Facebook accounts tremendously by allowing them to be used at the same time. “HootSuite is particularly effective and cuts down our time/cost requirements,” said Zichermann, who still advises getting someone, at least part-time, to help manage the flow of social media use and plan things out as far into the future as possible. “[That] will reduce the repetitive workload and make campaigns run faster.” Phonebooth.com, which sells PBX services to small businesses, has had a similar experience using Twitter for customer relations. Said Todd Barr, Vice President of Marketing at Phonebooth: “Twitter has become the launching point for many of our internal processes. We have multiple examples of responding to an issue on Twitter within a couple of minutes and being on the phone with them within ten minutes. A tweet actually starts an internal process where we pull in the appropriate parties, get our information together, and reach out to the customer. All of our other social media usages are extremely important, but Twitter is actually helping to create a culture change. We're able to quickly assemble the correct folks to improve life for the customer. Internally, this begins to shed light on the power of social media and the team of folks who want to be involved is gradually expanding.” Barr told us that Phonebooth has solved over 20 customer support issues using Twitter and has also created a “vibrant product feedback loop, with good user participation.” 2. Building Community Barr and Phonebooth also utilize social media for building a community of customer evangelists. “With the launch of Phonebooth Free, we heavily relied on our social media efforts to rapidly build a community and are providing support, invites, encouragement and general engagement through Twitter. Social media also impacted our decision to launch Phonebooth Free at SXSW,” said Barr. “We believe that it is important to focus on where our customers are and not where our industry is. This is a very important distinction in our minds.” Zugara also uses social media to create community and build awareness. Both the company’s Twitter account and Facebook page are used to actively engage people, Benoff told us. “We also use Twitter to attempt to organicly build relationships with our industry's key influencers,” said Benoff, who reached out to Mashable over Twitter for this post. Building relationship and fostering community are commonly talked about uses for social media, but one of the most often overlooked aspects of social media is building relationship offline. It is important for startups to take online networking to the next level and go out and talk to customers in person at tweetups and conferences. “There were at least ten social media people that were critical to our success at SXSW that we had met in person before or planned to meet in Austin. Many of those connections even helped funnel people to our booth and evangelize Phonebooth,” said Barr. 3. Product Marketing Using social media for marketing is another cost-saving no-brainer for startups. Social media tools like YouTube, SlideShare, and Ustream have helped Zugara save money and increase new business opportunities, said Benoff. Much of Zugara’s social media use is centered around thought leadership and allowing journalists and potential customers to have immediate and easy access to information about their products and industry. Social media marketing tactics also figured into the launch plans for Phonebooth Free. “Social media levels the playing field. It has never been easier to be more in touch with your customers or market than it is now,” said Phonebooth’s Barr, who used social media to lay the groundwork for the Phonebooth Free product. “Traditional marketing promotes messages to unwitting audiences –- our marketing seeks to draw in interested people who want to hear from us with compelling content, products and conversations.” As a result, Phonebooth Free “blew away” launch goals, according to Barr, in large part because “our [social media] messages were amplified by a strong group of followers.” However, startups using social media for marketing need to be in it for the long haul, cautioned Benoff. “If you are going to use social media to market yourself think of it as a commitment, or strategy, not a campaign. You can't start a conversation with someone (in the real world) and then walk away. The same applies here.” Every startup we talked to counseled on the value of being authentic. “Be honest. Be respectful. Be responsive. Be transparent. Sell infrequently,” said Benoff. “Keep it real: Don't try to be someone you're not; don't cover up issues/problems –- instead, address them head-on and transparently; follow-up with people (do what you say you are going to do),” was Barr’s advice. “Concentrate on the value you're providing for others through these tools,” said Dmitry Dragilev, Marketing Lead at ZURB. “The tools are just another communication medium. What value are you providing for them through SM? Try to imagine yourself in their shoes –- would you be interested? Imagine you're standing with strangers in an airport -– what would you say to them to get their attention and get them excited about what you're doing?” 4. Staying Organized Finally, startups are also using social media with great success internally as a way for employees to stay organized and more connected with each other. At interaction design firm ZURB, they’ve actually built two social media tools, Notable and Verify (in invite-only beta), to help streamline their internal workflow. Though they now sell it as a “software as a service app,” their flagship product Notable, an application that organizes and manages design feedback, is actually used internally at ZURB. “The homepage of Notable was actually designed with the help of Notable,” said Dragilev. “We took the capture of it, iterated through feedback with the team, then closed it down and implemented it.” The team also uses Harvest (time tracking) and Highrise (CRM) to keep track of complex consulting hours and people at the more than 75 companies they have worked with. “Social media has provided another channel for teams to streamline their internal workflows,” according to Dragilev. Online gadget community gdgt uses a number of social media and web-based applications to create a virtual office environment for its employees that increases communication and collaboration. Company founder Peter Rojas explained how gdgt uses social media tools internally: “We don’t have an office (at least not yet!), so being able to collaborate together online is essential. We use Campfire as our primary chat room, Skype when we’re rolling out new features and need really close collaboration or have a conference call, Google Docs for documenting anything and everything, Dropbox for sharing files, and Yammer as sort of a looser way to chat and share links.” By relying on web-based tools and not needing to have an office, said Rojas, the company is able to save a significant amount of money and been able to better communicate with each other. “I think it’s made it easier to be decentralized and run very horizontal organizations with a minimum of micromanagement,” said Rojas. One thing to remember when putting social media in place internally, according to Rojas, is to test applications and find the ones that work for your startup. “I’d recommend trying out different [apps] until you find one that’s the right fit for your organization. The tools need to fit with the team rather than the other way around,” he said. How is your startup using social media, either internally or externally, for real results? Let us know in the comments. Series supported by Gist Gist helps you build stronger professional relationships by bringing together information from across the web for all your contacts and their companies giving you the right information at the right moment to get a first meeting, deliver an amazing pitch, or just find a better way to make a connection. Gist does all the work for you, assembling a dynamic collection of all your contacts and their companies from your email inbox, your social networks, or even your CRM system automatically building and updating their profiles as new content is published – by them or about them. [img credit: jakrapong, Big City Swing] Image courtesy of iStockphoto, sironosov Reviews: Dropbox, Facebook, Google Docs, HootSuite, Mashable, Skype, Twitter, Yammer, YouTube, gdgt, iStockphoto, ustream Tags: customer service, facebook, List, Lists, MARKETING, real results, social media, startups, twitter

Buy Wi-Fi Access Through iTunes [Apps] Posted: 29 Mar 2010 11:16 AM PDT There’s a new iPhone, iPod touch and iPad app in the Apple App Store that you can use to buy access to Boingo Wi-Fi hotspots: Boingo Wi-Fi Credits [iTunes link]. The app is free and comes with one credit for one hour of service. Further service costs $1.99 per hour, but when you buy 10 hour credits you get another free. If you need to find a place to use your credits nearby, there’s a Google Maps-based hotspot locater. Boingo maintains numerous Wi-Fi hotspots across the world, and is particularly popular in airports. The service has previously offered several ways to pay. Boingo Unlimited ($9.95 per month) offers unlimited laptop use at any hotspot in the United States. Day passes cost nearly as much. A similar plan is available for mobile devices for $7.95 per month, but it’s distinct from the laptop one; to access hotspots on both devices you need to spend $17.90 per month. There’s also a global plan: 2,000 minutes of access on any hotspot in the world for $59 per month. If you’re OK with spending money for public Wi-Fi spots, the prices are somewhat reasonable. Still, the company has gotten some flak for making it very easy to sign up for recurring service on your computer or mobile device, but requiring a phone call to customer support to end the agreement. Reviews: Google Maps Tags: App, apple, apple app store, boingo, iphone, itunes, wi-fi

The iTunes App Store Comes to Facebook Posted: 29 Mar 2010 10:19 AM PDT Interacting with the iTunes App Store just got easier, thanks to the new App Store Facebook page. Developed and powered by Vitrue, the new page puts the App Store inside Facebook — making it easy to search for apps, share them with friends, find out which apps are hot right now and which are deemed “essential” by the iTunes editors. In the Featured tab on the App Store’s Facebook page, you can see top apps and view the sales charts for paid and free apps across different categories. This is the same information that you would get from iTunes or from the App Store application on your iPhone or iPod touch, but it’s all in Facebook. Click on the “Get App” button and a browser window for that application opens up (and if iTunes is installed, iTunes opens as well), allowing you to download with a single click. Underneath each app is a Facebook Share button that lets you share the app with your friends on your wall. The coolest part of the page is the Search & Share tab. Type in a keyword or a description for instant results, which you can then post to your wall. Vitrue is planning on adding more features to the App Store’s page, which will make it much easier to sift through the 170,000+ apps offered. There are also some interesting promotional implications for app developers, who can use Facebook to easily publicize their apps. Vitrue uses their SRM (Social Relationship Manager) to power the new App Store page. I’ve been able to take a look at what tools like this can do for small and large businesses looking to manage their social media sites, and the results are impressive. What do you think of the App Store’s integration with Facebook? Let us know! For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, iPhone Tags: app store, apple, facebook, itunes, trending

YouTube Highlights Your Facebook Friends’ Activity Posted: 29 Mar 2010 09:51 AM PDT YouTube recently started promoting a lesser-known feature that allows users to connect their Facebook accounts to the video-sharing site and view their friends’ recently favorited videos. The underground feature is finally ready for primetime usage, which means members will now notice a new Facebook Connect call to action under the “Recent Activity” section of the homepage. Facebook may be first, but YouTube has plans to integrate with other social sites. Given that you can already auto-share your videos to Twitter and Google Reader, it would seem logical that the next integrations will include those services. While the update is a relatively minor addition to the YouTube experience, it’s certainly one that makes sense. If your friends are more in the know, you’ll be more likely to find out about the next hot meme. [img credit: nrivera] For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Google Reader, Twitter, YouTube Tags: facebook connect, youtube

Lady Gaga + Sesame Street = Out of this World Mashup [VIDEO] Posted: 29 Mar 2010 09:13 AM PDT The latest in a long string of Lady Gaga viral videos is a Sesame Street mashup starring the Yip Yip aliens as backup singers. Gaga is the most popular brand in viral video history, thanks mostly to her hugely successful Vevo music videos. Mashups, covers and spoofs from both professionals and YouTube users have helped grant Gaga even more exposure — as if she needed any. For its part, Sesame Street has stayed relevant with official spoofs of Mad Men and Apple’s iPod commercials. This video is not official as far as we know, but it follows in the tradition of those hits. The Yip Yips and Lady Gaga seem like a match made in viral video heaven — people were already saying she was a space alien. [via BuzzFeed] For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Tags: celebrities, Lady Gaga, music, sesame street, television, viral video

Growing Your Business: 5 Tips From the Founder of Foursquare Posted: 29 Mar 2010 09:01 AM PDT This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. As founder of the Internet’s hottest startup, Foursquare, Dennis Crowley knows a thing or two about growing a small business. Foursquare is a location-sharing mobile app that lets users check-in to venues, share that check-in with their friends and social media sites, and discover friends, tips, and popular places nearby. The startup launched one year ago, has attracted massive press coverage, and has grown to around 600,000 members. This isn’t Crowley’s first success story as a technology entrepreneur, and given that he’s also worked for Google, his perspective is colored with the sagacity of knowing that being nimble, lean, and fast can be just as effective — if not more so — as having bigger budgets and more manpower. Over the years, Crowley’s learned several key lessons applicable to small businesses. Here are five that small business owners should take to heart. 1. “Twitter is your best friend” Crowley speaks of Twitter as a distribution channel for all types of communication, and describes it as the most immediate way to connect with customers. “At Foursquare we use Twitter for a little bit of everything: Good news and bad news, press clippings, RTs [retweets] from other users and customer service inquires. We’ll tweet when new versions of our apps are ready for download and tweet when our database is experiencing hiccups. Keeping users in the know doesn’t take any more than a few seconds and your most loyal users will spread the word via RTs.” The nature of Foursquare may position it to be more heavily followed than the typical small business, but the point here is that small business owners should use Twitter to compliment their day-to-day work experiences. 2. “Keep it light” The Foursquare team lives by this mantra, so while they share everything from where they are to what they’re doing, they’re doing so in edible, consumer-sized bites, perfect for the sporadic attention spans of their audience. On this front, they’ve opted to use Tumblr as a lightweight blogging platform. Crowley explains, “On our company Tumblr we’ll post the success stories our users send in, write recaps of what goes down at Foursquare HQ meetings, and post pics of what we’re having for lunch. Our staff is full of personality and we try to show that as much as we can. The story of 16 guys and girls crammed around four tables is much more interesting than the story of a faceless Internet startup.” Crowley also advises to apply the “keep it light” philosophy to all customer-facing initiatives. He also suggests that small business owners don’t have to be “all business, all the time.” 3. “Guerilla customer service” Foursquare is by no means perfect. As a young startup, the company faces the challenge of keeping their servers running as they attract record levels of activity, and doing so always in the public eye. It’s a daunting position to be in unless it’s approached head-on, and that’s what Crowley and his team do on a daily basis. “We’ll use Twitter Search to search for things like “foursquare sucks,” “foursquare broken,” etc. to find people who are experiencing problems but who would probably never submit a support ticket. With a quick @reply we can often shed some light on the issue and do it in public.” The same guerilla-style customer service is perfect for small businesses, especially with regard to negative press or unflattering blog posts and comments. Crowley says, “don’t feel shy, jump in and comment. Making yourself part of the conversation shows users you’re listening and care about the issues they have.” 4. “Small and scrappy marketing 4eva” Not everything should be expensive, especially when it comes to marketing. Small businesses could easily be intimidated by the money that bigger companies can throw at large campaigns, but bigger isn’t always better. Steal a page from Foursquare’s play book and get scrappy. Take the SXSW Interactive festival. Inside the convention center there were dozens of sponsors with huge tents and elaborate setups. Here’s what Foursquare did: “Instead [of formulating a marketing plan] we did two things: #1. Took all the swag we had (pins, stickers, temporary tattoos) and put them in ziplock bags. Everytime we found a user that told us how much they loved Foursquare (and there was an army of them!) we gave them a bag of swag to hand out to their friends. #2. We picked up a rubber Foursquare ball and a box of chalk, drew a Foursquare court on the ground outside the convention center and played for four days straight (and yes, we are still sore).” The game was a huge hit and attracted the attention of conference goers and big media alike. Crowley continues saying, “Thousands of people stopped by to see what was going on, say hi, play a game or two, and pick up some swag. It gave people the chance to meet our team in a super informal setting (playground game!) and hang out with us in an environment where phones and laptops were completely out of the way.” 5. “Show off your team” The scrappiness didn’t stop with fun and games. Crowley also used the offline event as an opportunity to introduce users to team members, and vice versa, in a playful way. Crowley states, “We designed our business cards as collectibles — collect all 6 and unlock a Foursquare badge. Once word of this got out, people were looking all over downtown Austin for employees just so they could introduce themselves and collect a badge. Every time we handed out a card, we got to meet one of our users. Actually encouraging people to reach out and introduce themselves to your team puts a name and a face on the products you’re building. It also helped us start a dialog with people who’d probably never introduce themselves.” It’s a smart strategy that small businesses can emulate to create more personal connections with their customers. For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook More business resources from Mashable: - Why Your Brand Needs to Be on Facebook Now - HOW TO: Make Your Small Business Geolocation-Ready - Web Entrepreneurship: Does the City You Live in Matter? - 4 Elements of a Successful Business Web Presence - HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy Image courtesy of iStockphoto, shulz Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Google, Tumblr, Twitter, iStockphoto Tags: business, Business Lists, foursquare, interview, List, Lists, location-based, MARKETING, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tips, tumblr, twitter

Cast Official Votes for “American Idol” via Facebook Posted: 29 Mar 2010 08:47 AM PDT Idol Fanatic promises to do what FOX’s television enterprise American Idol never has: It lets fans vote for their favorite contestants via a Facebook application — at any time. The application uses Ribbit — a web-based phone service à la Google Voice — to dial in user votes during American Idol’s allotted voting period. Each week users start with five votes and can earn more for each Facebook friend they invite. In order to maintain the legitimacy of the voting process, Facebookers are required to provide a telephone number that is then used to create a Ribbit account. When the voting lines open, Idol Fanatic uses those Ribbit accounts to automatically dial in the votes submitted via the app. Idol Fanatic also creates a shared experience around American Idol voting, as it allows users to see who their Facebook friends are voting for and to discuss the show’s contestants. The application is a brilliant use of web technology — it lets fans cast their votes in a couch-friendly and social fashion that aligns with how television viewers are consuming media today. Whether or not American Idol and FOX will approve of the new voting mechanism remains to be determined. When we inquired regarding concerns about the app being shut down, we were told that the application complies with voting guidelines and is “on the up-and-up.” For more entertainment coverage, follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Google Voice, Twitter Tags: american idol, facebook, facebook application, idol fanatic, social media, tv

Mashable’s Weekly Calendar of Social Media Events Posted: 29 Mar 2010 08:46 AM PDT It’s a brand new week, which means it’s time for Mashable's guide to upcoming social media and web events, parties, and conferences. For more upcoming event listings, check out Mashable’s Events section. Is your event not on this list? Contact us at least one month before your event and let's establish a media partnership. Mashable’s Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace. March 29, 2010, Portland, OR: The social media conference for marketers, Social Fresh is not about concept, but focused purely on case studies from the front lines. Learn what social media can really do for business bottom lines. One day, 35 speakers from companies like Intel, Ford, Comcast, Nike and many more. As well as keynote Peter Shankman. Register now and use coupon code mashable for 15% off. March 30, 2010, London, UK: The upcoming Hit Me! Social Media and Search event is designed for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to find out the latest practical business advice and information about Social Media and Search. Freshbusinessthinking.com has partnered with Microsoft to deliver this power-packed one day event featuring experts and leading practitioners from the world of social media and search. Stats published by Nielsen show that social media usage has increased by 82% in the last year. The challenge for organisations of all sizes is how to use social media to drive business. Over 1500 delegates have attended our one-day events and the average rating is 8.5 out of 10 – the next one is shaping up to be the best ever with a host of experts on hand to give you the information and advice you need to grow your business online. Mashable readers: get a discount entering promotional code MASHABLE. March 30-April 1, 2010, San Jose, CA: Become Location Enabled at Where 2.0. Now in its sixth year, Where 2.0 is one of the world’s foremost events dedicated to exploring the emerging technologies in the geospatial industry. At Where 2.0, we expose the tools pushing the boundaries of the location frontier. Join us and meet the people behind the mashups, the people behind the platforms, and the people looking ahead to the future of geospatial. Find out what’s viable now, what’s lurking just below the radar and how to gain a competitive edge. Register now and save 15% at en.oreilly.com/where2010. Use code whr10mash. April 5, 2010, New York, NY: You need to be a social media specialist. Today’s marketplace demands it. Content, regardless of medium or platform, is regularly created, curated, commented upon and shared by consumers. If you’re not strategizing to maximize the social component, you’re missing prime opportunities. Register for the IAB Social Media Marketplace to gain insights from Federated Media's John Battelle, MediaLink's Wenda Harris Millard, Del Monte's Doug Chavez, Deep Focus's Ian Schafer, GE's Andrew Markowitz and more. Use code mashable to save $100. April 7, 2010, Cincinnati, OH: BlogWell: How Big Brands Use Social Media features 8 great case studies on the best social media programs at large corporations. AT&T, Dell, Duke Energy, General Mills, Hilton, Procter & Gamble, Rogers Communications, and Tyson Foods share case studies in corporate social media. You’ll learn how to get started, get past roadblocks, and make your social media program phenomenal. From GasPedal and the Social Media Business Council. Get $39 off registration by using the code ILoveMashable. April 7, 2010, New York, NY: Attend the Social Media Advertising Consortium's April NYC Salon. Join SMAC members for a lively discussion on how brands are organized around social media. A panel of top brands including IBM and PepsiCo, and agencies will share insights, look at best practices, campaign successes and discuss what's next in measurement and research. Discussion followed by networking, wine & light hors d’oeuvres. The cost is free for SMAC members and $45 for non-members. Mention Mashable when registering to save 10%. Space is limited so register early. April 7-8, 2010, New York, NY: Strengthen your business with mobile marketing, apps, video, and content at Think Mobile, a conference focused on mobile strategy, marketing, and mobile apps. Learn how to get your brand in front of the right customers, how to handle mobile content, and how to make money in mobile. The full day dedicated to mobile apps will cover building an app team, designing user interfaces, marketing your app, and targeting development for specific platforms. Speakers represent AdMob, Pandora, Nielsen, Bravo, PCMag.com, and more. Register with promo code TMMASH and save 20%! April 7-9, 2010 Sydney, Australia: ConnectNow is a three day event focusing on the intersection of social media, emerging technologies and enterprise. The first two days is conference, where you’ll learn from international specialists how to leverage off new trends in marketing innovation such as augmented reality, location based services, social search, the real-time web, mobile’s growing dominance and the importance of ’social capital’. Day three is workshop day specifically for non-profits, charities, Government and community groups. Attend ConnectNow and leave equipped with actionable strategies to implement to your business. Register online and email info@connectnow.net.au quoting: Mashablemates to get 10% discount! April 8-10, 2010, Atlanta, GA: The 2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference will bring together more than 1,000 nonprofit leaders, IT innovators, communications gurus, fundraising superstars and nonprofit staffers from all over. You’ll learn the latest trends, practical how-tos, and IT solutions that can optimize your organization’s use of technology and help you meet your mission to create more social good in the world — and you’ll have a good time, to boot. Select “Mashable” from the “How did you hear?” field to receive an $100 discount. April 9, 2010, London, UK: Natural SEO, a thupr event, aims to resolve some of the myths around SEO. The event brings together people who blog (for themselves or on behalf of others) with tools designed to help them, and experts prepared to share their wisdom. There are discussion streams and the chance to try out some of the software on site in a relaxed, conversational environment. The event is free, but limited to 100 places. April 12-15, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: The 6th annual MySQL Conference & Expo, presented by O'Reilly Media, brings over 2,000 open source and database enthusiasts together to harness the power of MySQL and celebrate the huge MySQL ecosystem. The O’Reilly MySQL Conference & Expo is a new event that builds on the tradition of past MySQL conferences (previous events were co-presented with MySQL AB and with Sun). This inclusive, innovative event will showcase the full spectrum of the MySQL ecosystem, from global corporations and diverse service vendors to start-ups and grassroots projects. Our growing lineup of speakers, program committee members, and sponsors represent a wide array of some of the most influential companies and projects in the MySQL community. Register now and save an additional 15% at: en.oreilly.com/mysql2010. Use discount code mys10msh. April 12-15, 2010, Washington, DC: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's Forum on Social Media for Recruiting in Government & Defense: Using Web 2.0 Technologies To Attract, Retain, And Engage Top Talent To Become An Employer Of Choice, to learn how to incorporate the power of social media into your organization’s recruiting strategy, along with helpful tools, practical tips and techniques to get started. Hear practical advice, firsthand, from leading government agencies and organizations such as the: Internal Revenue Service; Library of Congress; Booz Allen Hamilton; Sodexo, Inc.; U.S. Air Force; Peace Corps; Arbita, Inc.; Panetta Communications; CollegeRecruiter.com; Bold Interactive; Campbell-Ewald; Brazen Careerist & CampusGov. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200. April 12-16, 2010, New York, NY: Attend New York Entrepreneur Week (NYEW), a non-profit movement formed around a single belief: entrepreneurs change the world. The New York Entrepreneur Week movement gives you the opportunity to actively engage the foremost entrepreneurs, investors and dealmakers both in the State and from around the world. Now is the time for entrepreneurs who have the will and drive to prove they can achieve anything, to stand up and come together in New York State for another groundbreaking NYEW event. Receive 75% off with code: Mashable 2010. April 16-17, 2010, Royal Oak, MI: FutureMidwest, the region's largest two-day technology and knowledge conference, is aimed at helping professionals successfully add digital strategies to their communications programs. Technology and online tools have dramatically changed the way we do business. FutureMidwest will highlight the effect this transition has had on companies. The conference will feature presentations, group breakout sessions, relationship-building opportunities and influencers who are redefining business in the digital age. For a 50% discount, e-mail your name to hello AT FutureMidwest DOT com with the subject line "It's Happening Mashable." Then go to the Web site and register as a student. April 16-18, 2010 Montreal, Quebec, Canada: The iPhone Boot Camp offers a three day workshop on iPhone and iPad Development, covering basic to advanced features such as web services, database, core location and animation, audio and camera and augmented reality. The workshops are limited to fifteen developers and is a full 24 hours of training. The iPhone Boot Camp is a well established certificate training program that has trained over 200 iPhone developers in dozens of cities since 2008. Our instructors are all developers with several apps in the store and experienced trainers using proven course material. Most developers are able to develop an app for sale in the app store after completing the training. The course is recommended for software developers that have a basic understanding of object oriented programming. A 10% discount off the discounted early bird rate – already a $400 saving – is offered at the workshop registration page for Mashable readers using the discount code mashable. April 17, 2010, New York, NY: Seven on Seven will pair seven leading artists with seven gamechanging technologists, and challenge them to develop something new –be it an application, social media, artwork, or whatever they imagine– over the course of a single day. The seven teams will unveil their ideas at a one-day, public event at the New Museum. Participants: Tauba Auerbach, Ayah Bdeir, Cao Fei Jeff Hammerbacher, David Karp, Aaron Koblin, Andrew Kortina, Hilary Mason, Matt Mullenweg, Monica Narula, Marc Andre Robinson, Evan Roth, Josh Schachter, and Ryan Trecartin. Use registration code mash to get $100 off. April 19, 2010, St. Louis, MO: The social media conference for marketers, Social Fresh is not about concept, but focused purely on case studies from the front lines. Learn what social media can really do for business bottom lines. One day, 35 speakers from companies like Ford, Best Buy, Scottrade, Hardees, CMT and many more. Register now and use coupon code mashable for 15% off. April 19, 2010, San Francisco, CA: This comprehensive, dynamic event will explore the inherent challenges of social media and will arm you with the specific tools necessary to protect your company, your intellectual property and your reputation in today's virtual world. Speakers represent companies including American Express, Expedia, Intel, MySpace, Walmart, Wells Fargo, and more. Register for this timely program today and ensure you understand the inherent perils of the market and construct the proper policies to protect your company and ensure future growth. Mention code MASH and save $100! Visit corpcounsel.com/socialmediawest to register! April 19-20, 2010, Washington DC: The annual Politics Online Conference is a decade old tradition where techies come together with elected officials, campaign consultants, hill staff, lobbyists, advocacy professionals, non-profits and more to talk about how technology is, and can be used, in politics. Over the course of two days we will have three keynotes, 28 breakout sessions, and two happy hours. Most importantly we will be giving away eight $1,000 prizes as part of the new Brains On Fire awards. Use discount code mashable to reduce the rate to $450. April 19-21, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The Emerging Communications Conference & Awards (eComm) is focused on What's Next in Telecom, Mobile & Internet Communications™. It's designed to accelerate communications technology and business model innovation. Participants attend to be exposed to the latest technologies, research, companies, trends and opportunities. Use discount code Mashable for 10% discount. April 20-23, 2010, San Mateo, CA: At NewComm Forum 2010, don't miss the premier conference for unlocking the power of the social web for business. Speakers include a who's who of social media experts and practitioners from leading companies. Five comprehensive tracks include: Online Communications & Communities, Social CRM, Markets are Conversations, Understanding the New Media Landscape, and NewComm Essentials. Early Bird discounts through March 12th Use discount code NCF2010MASH to save an additional $100 – register now – seats are limited! April 20-23, 2010, Bangalore, India: As one the longest running independent developer conferences in India, Great Indian Developer Summit is the gold standard for India’s software developer ecosystem for gaining exposure to and evaluating new projects, tools, services, platforms, languages, software and standards. At GIDS participate in hundreds of practical sessions encompassing the full range of Microsoft computing, Java, Agile, RIA, Web, open source/standards, languages, frameworks and platforms, inspirational keynotes, an Expo Hall featuring dozens of latest projects and products activities, and engage with 80 speakers from around the world and over 3000 IT professionals. Save 50% when using code GIDS10MPR0200 to register at developersummit.com/registeronline April 21, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Join SF New Tech, the Bay Area’s largest and longest running monthly tech event, to get an early look at of some of the hottest new tech around. Famous for its sold out events where executives (and the occasional hacker or two) take to the stage to strut their stuff, SF New Tech is *the* place where early adaptors, developers, influnencers, venture capitalists, journalists, bloggers, and regular every-day folks converge to see the latest and greatest technology. Visit sfnewtech.com for details. April 21-23, 2010, Atlanta, GA: The 30th Annual Medical Communications Conference is a three day conference that focuses on improving the communication skills of medical professionals. Attendees will receive one on one media training from seasoned journalists, participate in hands on sessions that utilize the latest Web 2.0 applications, meet agents in publishing and television and receive case study driven examples of how to be a medical expert in all media platforms. CME will be provided for both MDs and RNs. Register now and receive $200 off as a Mashable reader. April 22, 2010 Los Angeles, CA: When it comes to today’s PR world, it’s all about the buzz. That particularly viral kind of word of mouth marketing that means big brand recognition and even bigger sales. But, how do you build that buzz and keep it going? How do you transition a traditional PR campaign to new media? And, how do you convince clients that all the tweeting, texting and typing is totally worth it? These are just a few of the topics we’ll be covering at Girls in Tech LA Presents: The Buzz – PR & Marketing 3.0. The event starts at 6:30, with a panel discussion, followed by cocktails, networking and a full bar menu provided by Hollywood hot spot H.Wood. Speakers include Rynda Laurel (AF83, Bearstech & Hackable: Devices), Nicole Jordan (Mobile Roadie), Amanda Coolong (Tech Zulu, ThisWeekIn.com & Beta PR), Andrea Scott (POM Wonderful) and Christine Kirk (Social Muse Communications)., Tickets are $10, and supplies are limited, so grab yours before we sell out. April 22–23, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: If you're like most marketers, your intention to react with quickness and quality outpaces your ability. Forrester’s Marketing Forum 2010 connects you with analysts, peers, and industry leaders whose expertise will help you establish and embrace adaptive marketing practices. Call 888-343-6786 and save 20% off the regular rate with VIP code MFXMSH. Discount applies to new registrations only and cannot be combined with other offers. April 23-25, 2010 Toronto, Ontario, Canada: The iPhone Boot Camp offers a three day workshop on iPhone and iPad Development, covering basic to advanced features such as web services, database, core location and animation, augmented reality, audio and the camera. The iPhone Boot Camp is a well established certificate training program that has trained over 200 iPhone developers in dozens of cities since 2008. The workshop is limited to fifteen developers and is a full 24 hours of training taught by experienced developers and trainers, using proven course materials. Most developers are able to develop an app for sale in the app store after completing the training. The course is recommended for software programmers that have a basic understanding of object oriented programming. A 10% discount off the discounted early-bird rate – already a $400 savings – is offered to Mashable readers on the workshop registration page using the discount code mashable. April 25-27, 2010, Toronto, ON: Now in its 9th year, FITC Toronto is 3 full days and nights of events, plus one day of optional pre-festival workshops. With some of the most unique and engaging presenters from around the globe, FITC Toronto is an information blitz of over 70 presentations, demonstrations, and panel discussions covering the Creative, Technical, and Business aspects of Flash and digital media. Sandwiched between our legendary FITC parties, abundant networking opportunities, and opped off with the FITC Award Show, it’s three days and nights that will leave you inspired, energized and awed. Buy your 10% discount ticket today using the code: mashable April 26, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The Future of Money & Technology Summit will bring together the best and brightest thinkers around money, including visionaries, entrepreneurial business people, developers, press, investors, authors, solution/service providers, and organizations who work where cash and commerce collide. We meet to discuss the evolving money ecosystem in a proactive, conducive to dealmaking environment. Featured speakers include Ben Parr from Mashable, as well as representatives from Wells Fargo Bank, Kiva, SharesPost, Jambool, Founders Fund, Outright.com, SoftTech VC, and many more. Entering the discount code Mashable will get you 10% off. Look forward to (hopefully) seeing you there… April 26-27, 2010, St. Louis, MO: Join us for the Restaurant & Hospitality Social Media Marketing Bootcamp. This event provides the practical knowledge and insights required 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 April 26-27 & 29-30, 2010, Singapore & Hong Kong: Join the Search Engine Marketing Workshop and be equipped with refreshing SEM strategies and solutions to improve brand image and maximise ROI. Learn to achieve the best search rankings for your website and implement campaigns across borders with tested management techniques. By capitalising on the synergies of SEM and social media, you can reach your customer's personal online world and even convert skeptics to evangelists! Get a 10% discount when you enter Mashable under "How did you know about this event." April 26-28, 2010, Berlin, Germany: Embedded Mobile & M2M. Services conference is a great chance to compare approaches to building a profitable Embedded Mobile and M2M business. The opportunities of the Embedded Mobile and M2M market are clear to see. This event will help you to realise them. Visit the website today and book your place at this exciting event. Receive a 10% discount by quoting I2AENMASH when registering. View our website at embeddedm2m.net/mashable April 27-29, 2010, Amsterdam, the Netherlands: The Next Web Conference is going into its fifth edition. It is the leading Internet Conference on European soil. Enjoy 3 days of Amsterdam, inspiration, business and fun. 1000+ Internet professionals, entrepreneurs, developers, VC’s, bloggers, industry journalists and higher management of leading corporations gather in Amsterdam for The Next Web. It is a must attend for everybody that is interested in the future of Mobile and Web. Mashable readers get 35% off — just go here. April 28, 2010, London, UK: The Brands, Bands and Social Media Savvy event at the IAB is all about how brands and bands are joining forces to connect with consumers/audiences. It's something of a masterclass in the ‘art’, featuring major music players, brands and ad agencies who really understand the medium… and the messages. It’s a great opportunity to hear about cool campaigns, and to pick the brains of those behind them. Presenters include Sony Music, MySpace Music, Euro RSCG, Thinktank, Nokia, Heartbeats International, Unsigned Band Review. For a 10% Mashable discount, go to this link. April 28-30, 2010, San Jose, CA: At NSDI ‘10, meet with leading researchers to explore the design principles of large-scale networked and distributed systems. This year’s 3-day technical program includes 29 technical papers with topics including cloud services, Web browsers and servers, datacenter and wireless networks, malware, and more. NSDI ‘10 will also feature a poster session showcasing early research in progress. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to meet with premier researchers in the computer networking, distributed systems, and operating systems communities. Save an additional $100 by using the discount code NSDIMASH10 upon registration. April 28-30, 2010, London, UK: At the informatology 2010 Good Practice for Great Performance conference, hear from Google's Global Head of Learning Technologies; create great video at the "Making Movies on a Shoestring" Masterclass led by Nick Shackleton-Jones, the BBC's Online and Informal Learning Manager; discover the power of social media for learning at "Jane Hart's Learning & Performance 2.0" Masterclass. There’s 50+ great speakers. Give your own take on New Media @ Work at the unconference – and attend the day free. Use this link for the great Mashable discount of up to 60% off. April 29, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: Over 300 of the most influential decision-makers in the games industry gather for the LA Games Conference to network, do deals, and share ideas about the future of console, PC, online and mobile games. LA Games Conference – now in its 4th year – features a lively and fun debate on timely cutting-edge business topics, 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, analysts, press and professional gamers who will be instrumental in shaping the future of this booming business. The event is designed to be interactive like the world we live in giving delegates the opportunity to share their ideas live at the event via text message and in moderated roundtable meetings. Mashable's readers can receive 10% off registration with the promo code LAGCMASH. April 29-30, 2010, Lawrence KS: Social media is much more than a fad – it’s changing the way the world communicates. The communities in northeast Kansas are at the forefront of this movement and have made the region a hub for innovative technologies and social media use. Because of this, The World Company of Lawrence KS, is hosting a brand new social media event: The Free State Social. The Free State Social will highlight the best in social media from our area and put local innovations and ideas on a national – even global – stage. Our purpose is to educate attendees about the current state of social media, present opportunities for its use and talk about where the industry is headed. The Free State Social will be held on April 29-30, 2010 at the new Oread hotel in Lawrence, Kan. Keynote speakers include Jeremiah Owyang, Ellyn Angellotti, Shawna Coronado, Sarah Evans, Gowalla co-founder Scott Raymond, and Chris Brogan, co-author of the New York Times best-seller Trust Agents. Enter MASHABLE when checking out for a $20 discount on each ticket. April 30–May 2, 2010, Mountain View, CA: The Wisdom 2.0 Conference brings together staff from technology companies such as Twitter and Google, with Zen teachers, neuroscientists, and others to explore how we can live with deeper meaning and wisdom in our technology age. Speakers include Greg Pass, VP of Engineering at Twitter; Bradley Horowitz, VP of Products at Google; Dave Morin, Senior Platform Manager at Facebook; Ben Parr of Mashable; Loic Le Meur of Seesmic; and many others. Use the discount code Mashable here for special discount. May 3, 2010, Boston, MA: Social Media & Community 2.0 Strategies is the FIRST social media event that focuses on real-life business impact. Not just for entertainment value, hype or buzz, but real-world examples of driving revenue, cutting costs, and energizing conversations around your brand. What can you expect from this event that you won't find anywhere else? Targeted advice for business managers including Market Researchers, Innovators, Brand Managers, Customer Experience Strategists and Marketing Enthusiasts seeking practical, real-life business examples they can translate into their own organization to monetize this powerful medium. Save 15% when using code SOCIAL10MASH at iirusa.com/socialmedia. May 3-4, 2010, Tampa, FL: Search & Social has announced the second annual Search Marketing Conference filled with distinguished speakers, hyper-networking opportunities and a valuable educational forum. The 2010 Search and Social Spring Summit will be held at the Doubletree Guest Suites in an air-conditioned outdoor complex with a waterfront view. This two-day conference is a premier forum that will bring a search marketing community who make up of traditional marketers looking to expand to internet marketing, employees sent by companies for further training on search marketing tactics, and experienced search marketing professionals. For 15% off ticket price, use code: mashable. May 4-5, 2010, Boston, MA: Drive sales and make social media work for you at MarketingProfs B2B Forum! You'll learn the ins-and-outs of social media as part of your overall B2B marketing mix – from integration and engagement to measurement. Get 1-on-1 access to the best and brightest B2B marketing stars who will share best practices and FREE advice! Plus, our loyal attendees say our events are ridiculously fun, interactive and the kicker is – we have the best Freebies in the biz! (no keychains here…FREE industry research reports & memberships—stuff to help you really drive sales in 2010!) Register today with code MASH to save up to $200! May 6-7, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The Social Gaming Summit focuses on the intersection of games and the social web. The event will focus 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. Speakers represent Gowalla, Five Minutes, Inc., LOLapps, RockYou, Booyah!, Inc., GameHouse Studios and more. Register with promo code SGSMASH and save 20%! May 11-12, 2010, Toronto, ON: Join us for Social Media – Risks & Rewards. The social media revolution is happening now, and quickly gathering steam. No business can afford to be left behind – and no business can afford to be unaware of the increased legal risks that a Company is exposed to. Learn about implementing and improving social media strategies, protecting your brand, return on investment, legal implications and much more. PLUS…a special address from Kevin Flynn, member of the blogging team for Obama for America. Use promo code 10495MASH to receive 15% off! May 13, 2010, London, UK: The International Search Summit Innovations will focus on some of the most recent trends, tools and techniques in digital marketing including video, mobile and social networking and offer delegates insight and advice on how to effectively use them in international online campaigns. A range of expert speakers will discuss the latest international opportunities in these areas and offer practical tips for integrating them into an organisation's overall marketing strategy. The Summit will be held at The Barbican Centre in London, and is a must for any marketer targeting multiple markets and/or languages online. Book now with coupon code MASH1305 to receive 20% discount. May 13, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Vator, a leading platform for innovators and entrepreneurs to broadcast themselves, is holding its second Vator Splash competition to find 10 promising early-stage startups to present at the Vator Splash event. Enter the competition today and join other onstage presenters, such as Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, gWallet CEO Gurbaksh Chahal, August Capital VC Howard Hartenbaum, Founders Fund VC Dave McClure, Lightspeed VC Jeremy Liew and Mayfield VC Raj Kapoor. Buy your 25% discount ticket here using the code: VatorMashable May 13-15, 2010, Milwaukee, WI: unGeeked Elite is a Nationwide Marketing and Branding Event. Featuring eight social media gurus and mavens such as Chris Brogan, Jason Falls, Sally Hogshead, Olivier Blanchard and more. unGEEKING is the widespread adoption of trends, strategies, and tools that allow us to enhance and embrace internal and external marketing campaigns, enhance customer service and develop better PR campaigns. Throughout the three days this nationally-focused event participants will learn about positioning your internal and external brand; managing inbound and outbound marketing efforts; facilitating online customer relationships; building strategic public relations campaigns; and monitoring social trends among clients and customers. Mashable readers get an exclusive 25% off the standard pricing with the special code: unGEEKEDMASH May 14, 2010, Dublin, Ireland: The Future of Web Apps is returning to Dublin for the second year. This one day conference will feature speakers from Twitter, FreshBooks, Yahoo, Canonical and local favourites Des and Eoghan from Contrast. The conference will address the hot topics from the world of web development and business including geo-location, APIs, metrics, the cloud, developer tools and running your own web app business. As always there will be plenty of networking opportunities and chances to quiz the speakers. Visit futureofwebapps.com/dublin-2010/ for further details. Get 15% off your pass by entering promotional code mashable when signing up. May 14-17, 2010, Chicago, IL: The 2010 NARM Music Business Convention is an annual event with two music-focused programs: 1. The Music Business Crash Course (May 14-15) is perfect for entrepreneurs, musicians, managers and labels. This session explores social media, marketing and sales opportunities in the evolving digital music world. 2. The Annual NARM Convention (May 15-17) brings top industry pros together to meet, share innovations, hear great live music — and discover what's next in music-related digital, physical, mobile, social networking and gaming initiatives. Use discount code mash25 to receive 25% off the non-member rate for the convention. May 17, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The SF MusicTech Summit will bring together around 700+ visionaries in the music/technology space, the best and brightest entrepreneurs, developers, investors, service providers, journalists, musicians and organizations who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce. We meet to discuss the evolving music/business/technology ecosystem in a proactive, conducive to dealmaking environment.Entering the discount code Mashable will get you 10% off. Look forward to (hopefully) seeing you there… May 17-19, 2010, Charlotte, NC: Search Exchange is a 3-day action packed internet marketing conference offering insights into social media marketing, search engine optimization, online reputation management, and pay per click advertising. Learn and network with industry professionals and business owners from around the world. Mashable readers save 10% using code mash10 during registration. May 17-19, 2010, Munich, Germany: a4uexpo heads to Germany for a two day Conference and expo. Over 30 presentations and panel debates on how to embrace the Affiliate Marketing sector, to include how media owners, agencies and advertisers can utilise Social Media platforms within the channel. Topics also include SEO, SEM, Blogging, Best Practice, Video, Mobile and API feeds. The conference includes access to 3 networking parties and promises to attract the very best entrepreneurs and affiliate marketing specialists from across Europe. Mashable readers can enjoy a 10% discount on registration with the code MASH10. May 17-19, 2010, London: The Future of Web Design is back in London at a brand new venue in the heart of the City. It’s all new for 2010 as the conference expands to a two track two day event with an additional day of workshops. Featuring the very best of the web design industry including Dan Cederholm, Elliot Jay Stocks, Dan Rubin, Paul Boag, Molly Holzschlag, Bruce Lawson, Simon Collison and many more and covering the topics and issues that matter to web designers and front end developers including CSS3, HTML5, jQuery and running your web business. The Future of Web Design is the event to attend to keep up to date and meet fellow designers. Visit http://futureofwebdesign.com/ for further details. Get 15% off a two day conference pass by entering promotional code mashable when signing up. May 18-19, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: The Social Media Strategies Conference is the premier event for CMOs, Social Media Strategist, Managers, Marketers, Search Marketers, Online Community Managers, Corporate Communications, PR, Marketing, Advertising, and Recruiting Professionals. This year the conference will focus on how organizations are and can leverage Social Media to achieve their business goals. Hear from the experts about this cutting-edge space, how it impacts your business, and how you can leverage it. This conference will feature workshops, interactive sessions, panel discussions, and keynotes from thought leaders. Don’t miss it! To save $100 use the promotion code: mashable May 18-19, 2010, Berlin, Germany: Looking for fundraising for your ICT, cleantech or life science company? Or are you an experienced investor who would like to meet new innovative entrepreneurs? If so, then you should definitely come to the European Venture Market (EVM)! The EVM is a two-day networking conference for investors, service providers and starting entrepreneurs to meet, network and further develop business ideas and projects. The conference program contains company pitch presentations, keynote speeches, industry specific presentations, one-to-one meetings and several other networking moments. Get 10% off by using code MASH2010. For more information and registration, please visit europeanventuremarket.com. May 19-20, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Gilbane Conference San Francisco 2010 is focused on Content, Collaboration and Customers. Today web and enterprise content management permeate every aspect of an organization. Internal websites, whether in the form of intranets, blogs, or portals and provide efficient ways to collaborate & share knowledge. Customer & internal-facing applications share requirements that call for a number of enterprise content, publishing and infrastructure technologies including multi-lingual, social media, search, and integration software. Our conference is focused on what you should expect from these technologies. Mashable readers get to save an additional $200 – just use discount code MARSH when registering! May 19-20, 2010, Hong Kong: Mobile Social Networking Asia. Breaking the Barriers of Social Networking in Mobile – The Next Generation of MSN. The event that will bring the social network giants in mobile, mobile operators, application developers, telecommunication analysts and consultants, broadcasters, social media players, and start-ups in the field of Mobile Social Networking in one venue that will uncover and discover the trends in the region and the international scene. Mark your calendars on the 19 – 20 of May 2010 and join us in Eaton Hotel, Hong Kong for the most exciting and interesting Mobile Social Networking event of the year. Some companies onboard the conference: Friendster, Aircel, Bangalink, Plus Eight Star, GrupoDelaware, Zipano Technologies, Waze, Xuqa.com, Virgin Mobile, Maxis, Blogworks, Net Biscuits, Smart Telecoms, Infinita, Aljazeera Satellite Network, Exicon, Citycell, Dialog Telecom, Grameenphone, AdMob. Mention NeoedgeMashable when registering to save 25% discount on the delegate fee. May 21, 2010, London, UK: SMiB10 is not your normal “run of the mill” conference, we are an agile progressive Web 2.0 style conference where the conversation and interaction begins well before the event day, and continues long after. We’ll provide you with an outstanding, exciting, far-reaching and educational experience utilising social media experts who are experts in the true sense of the word. If you are interested in networking with the UK’s cream of the crop social media experts, looking for key strategic business insights, answers to organisational challenges you must come along to Social Media in Business. Register using discount code: mashable for a 10% discount off tickets May 22–23, 2010 Los Angeles, CA: The You Conference presents a unique opportunity, to learn personal branding, social media, the art of the hustle, self promotion and create a flood of customers. Gary Vaynerchuk (Crush It!), Dave Lakhani (How To Sell When Nobody’s Buying), Peter Shankman (Can We Do That?!), and Geri Druckman will provide an interactive format enabling each attendee to learn the tools & techniques to infiltrate markets, make social media work for you and be successful. Use promo-code: Mashable for a $50 discount. May 24-25, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The 2010 (fourth annual!) Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup is a two-day conference where today’s top brand, corporate and social marketers, media professionals, educators and non-profit organizations gather to share best practices, research and the latest strategies on marketing to youth with technology. Don't miss this year's keynotes Neil Howe, who coined the phrase “The Millennial Generation,” and anthropologist/Intel Fellow Dr. Genevieve Bell! Register here and receive a 10% discount with the code: MASHABLE. May 24-26, 2010, Chicago, IL: If you want to learn how to create a Twitter account or Facebook Fan page, then School of WOM is not for you. This conference will equip you with the knowledge you need to ensure "no consumer gets left behind." The curriculum will focus on the power of how great customer service leads to customer recommendations resulting in driving sales, building brands, fostering community, sparking conversations, and influencing a company's culture. School of WOM will ensure that your brand becomes talkable across all consumer touch points. Visit womma.org/schoolofwom and save $200 and receive the early bird rate by using the code: MashableRocks May 24-26, 2010, Chicago, IL: Human Resources IQ brings you the two-day Social Media for Recruitment Summit on each of the key social media channels. You'll learn proven success strategies & tactics for recruiting top talent through the hottest online communication tools. You'll find out how to demonstrate the ROI of your social media programs to your executive team. Mashable readers get an exclusive 20% discount off the standard All Access price with special code IUS_MASH_#1 when registering! May 24-27, 2010, Princeton, NJ: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's Forum on Social Media for Pharma: How To Develop, Execute, And Evaluate Web 2.0 Strategies To Engage Your Audiences And Drive Business Results, to learn how to incorporate social media into your communications and marketing plans, and leverage the latest interactive Web 2.0 tools and techniques to advance your organizational goals. Hear practical advice, firsthand, from leading organizations such as: AstraZeneca; Johnson & Johnson; Pfizer; Daiichi Sankyo; Acorda Therapeutics; Novartis Diagnostics; Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals; Novo Nordisk; Lundbeck; Fleishman-Hillard Digital; Porter Novelli; National Organization for Rare Disorders; Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness; and more. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200. May 25, 2010, Philadelphia, PA: SocialMediaPlus is a 1 day Social Media and Web 2.0 business conference for business leaders throughout the Mid-Atlantic area. SocialMediaPlus focuses on 4 types of business professionals that most need to understand the effect that Social Media is having on many businesses across the area. Four specific business Tracks include: 1) Executive Track; 2) Marketing and Sales Track; 3) IT Track; 4) Human Resources Track. It’s like 4 conferences in one. Business owners, Executives, Vice Presidents, Directors and Managers from all 4 business units will learn proven strategies and tactics for utilizing Social Media and the technology that drives it. Attendees will learn from some of the industry’s best and brightest minds and hear from business owners and professionals who have succeeded in implementing programs and campaigns built around Social Media and web 2.0 technology. Use promo code MASH15 for a 15% discount. May 25-27, 2010, The Sage Gateshead, UK: Thinking Digital attracts more than 30 of the world's most innovative, creative, insightful and/or accomplished people to come to The Sage Gateshead, United Kingdom annually in May and talk about their work, inspirations, insights and ideas. Our venue and speakers thereby attract a wonderfully eclectic mix of people from around Northern England, Europe and the world. Mashable readers save 25% using code tdc_mashable here. May 27-28, 2010, Greenville, NC: The Shift Conference is a free, two-night event for businesses to learn how to effectively use social media for cultural and economic influence. Bringing together speakers who are ‘in the trenches” { no big names here! }, businesses who are using social media on an everyday basis, and a few other surprises, attendees will receive practical information that they can use for immediate real-world application. Please visit CityShift.org for more information. May 28-29, 2010, Dallas, TX: The Big Design Conference is an intense day of learning within the scope of Strategy, Social Media, User Experience, and Code Development. Experts from across the country will gather to present theories, research, experiences, and best practices to students, professionals, and executives looking to stay on the bleeding edge. Speakers include Jared Spool (founder, User Interface Engineering), Bill Scott (Netflix/author of Designing Web Interfaces: Principles and Patterns for Rich Interactions), Russ Unger (principal, UserGlue), Ryan Merket (founder, Ping.fm), Chris Bernard (UX Evangelist, Microsoft), and many more (full list at http://bigdesign10.com/speakers/). Mashable readers receive 10% off conference registration by using the code MASHABLE during the checkout process. June 3, 2010, New York, NY: Hatch Match Columbia 2010: A great investor and industry event for one-on-one meetings with people you want to meet and have great conversations that stimulate action. This yearly event draws crowds of 400+ with 30+ investors including Union Square Ventures, Bessemer Ventures, Greenhill, Zelkova, NYC Seed, Metamorphic Ventures, and more. Additional experts are made available in the areas of mobile, digital, advertising, legal, etc for you to access in the main room. For more information and sign up go to: hatchmatch2010.eventbrite.com to meet one-on-one with NYC investors. Mashable readers can receive 25% off registration with promo code MASH10. June 4-6, 2010, Hutchinson, KS: Small Business Social Media Summit – A live, rub elbows, shake hands and sit down across a table from other small business owners event. Some of the most respected social media, internet based marketers and small business peers have come together to share their proven strategies. They will give you real life, no hype and the nitty-gritty details you need to know how to take advantage of the benefits social media has to offer any small business. This is your chance to develop a plan and take what you learn home with you. Register now and save at: smallbizsocialmediasummit.com. Special pricing of $180 for Mashable readers is available here. June 8-9, 2010, Seattle, WA: Search Marketing Expo – SMX Advanced Seattle is the only search marketing conference designed exclusively for experienced internet marketers. In-depth sessions offered on SEO, paid search, social media and more. Participate in hour-long keynote conversation with Google Senior Software Engineer Matt Cutts. Check out the full agenda. Join the most accomplished search marketers in the world – attend SMX Advanced Seattle. Don't wait – SMX Advanced has sold out 3 years running. Register now, use discount code smx100mashable to save $100 plus secure your spot. Register today!! June 9, 2010, Mountain View, CA: The Online Community Unconference is a gathering of online community professionals – managers, developers, business people, tool providers, investors – to discuss experience and strategies in the development and growth of online communities. As we have found with our past events, the best source of information on all of these challenges is other knowledgeable practitioners. Get $20 off by registering with discount code mashable. June 10, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: The Sales Innovation Summit is a collaborative event bringing together leaders from the sales, marketing and academic world to rethink the sales cycle. We will explore together how to execute in the new market reality in order to win market share and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Tickets are free. June 11-20, 2010, Washington, DC: Digital Capital Week (#DCWEEK) is a 10 day festival in Washington DC focused on technology, innovation and all things digital in our nation's capital. Modeled after Internet Week NY, Social Media Week, FotoWeek DC, Fringe Festival, etc. — DCWEEK will consist of a series of distributed events produced and hosted by individuals, organizations and community groups. Technologists, Artists, Entrepreneurs, Communicators, Govies, and social capitalists of all kinds will participate in panels, workshops, projects and parties. Register at dcweek.eventbrite.com – general admission is FREE. June 14-15, 2010, San Diego, CA: Bring your agency knowledge about emerging media, digital media buying/planning and the latest in analytics, usability and testing. These 2-day agencyside workshops provide hands-on training for digital marketing experts in the fields of social media, mobile marketing, online media buying, usability and web analytics. Workshops are held on June 14-15 at the Andaz Hotel in San Diego, CA. All workshops are designed specifically for the agency audience. Early Bird of $599/person through April 16th. Use discount code mashable to save 15% off registration at any time. Learn more and register today. June 15-16, 2010, Chicago, IL: Building on the success of the 2009 event, The 2nd Annual Health Care New Media Marketing conference will feature presentations from healthcare executives that implemented Web 2.0 strategies and developed quality metrics for evaluating the success of new media campaigns. Over the course of two days, attendees will have the opportunity to learn from thought leaders from major hospitals, healthcare institutions, and social media outlets. Through a series of case studies and forums, attendees will walk away with the tools needed to ultimately reach consumers through new media in an accurate and appropriate. Discount code: MASHABLE get $50 off. June 21-23, 2010, Denver, CO: Hosted by WebmasterRadio.FM, AffCon 2010 is a conference series designed specifically to meet the needs of affiliate marketers. As such, admission is FREE for all working affiliates to attend! Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to meet and share ideas with the brightest business people in the affiliate marketing industry. Pulling together an amazing lineup of session panelists and speakers (including super affiliates), AffCon 2010 – Denver also features an exhibit hall, general and targeted skills sessions, networking, and WebmasterRadio.FM’s epic AffiliateBash. Get registered today! June 24-25, 2010, New Orleans, LA: At The Customer Centric Solutions Expo we'll discuss how health plans should re-assess their customer service practices to ensure they implement “new” service models that meet the needs of their members. As health plans implement strategies to transform their business into customer centric organizations, essential to their success will be new customer service models supporting marketing, communications and benefit design strategies. Remain competitive in this new marketplace, register today to SAVE $200 on the current registration rate, mention PROMO CODE: XCX344 to qualify (not valid for gov't rate). June 29-30, 2010, London, UK: The 2nd annual Cloud Computing and Enterprise 2.0 World Forum is the perfect event to learn and discuss the future development and integration of cloud and enterprise 2.0 services and products. Building on the success of the 2009 show, this two day conference and exhibition will provide a focused platform for the global cloud computing and enterprise social media industry. The 2010 show will include a free-to-attend exhibition with scenario based workshop area and key service providers demonstrating their products. July 1, 2010, London, UK: Brand Republic's Achieving Maximum Value From Your Social Media Strategy conference. Learn which social media strategies have yielded proven results, how to build brand awareness, deal with negative PR, gain senior buy-in, measure and monitor your success and integrate your social media campaign with traditional marketing and PR. Roundtable discussions, case studies and presentations from social media experts including: BT, Photobox, Speedo, BSkyB, Facebook, Lastminute.com, Labour Party, Amnesty International, Mirror Group, TripAdvisor, Fatface, Space.NK, SeaFrance and many more. Register online quoting MASHABLE50 and receive an extra £50 off the early booking discount at www.socialmediastrategyevent.com. July 13, 2010, London, UK: This senior level forum offers SVPs, VPs, Directors & Heads of eCommerce, Online, Marketing, Digital and Customer Experience the opportunity to discuss strategies, solutions and best practice for enhancing the customer experience and delivering competitive differentiation by effectively managing and integration online, social and mobile channels. Offering a unique mix of keynote briefings, interactive discussions and one-to-one meetings Customer Experience Online will provide you with a unique opportunity to propel your online initiatives to success and position yourself at the forefront of the industry. Spaces are limited, and by invitation only, click here to find out if you qualify. When booking your place, please use discount code MASH_BAN for a 10% discount. August 13, 2010, Nashville, TN: At Big South Social Media Summit, come listen to some of the most forward-thinking business giants from companies like Southwest, SAP, Comcast, Domino's as well as social media loving celebrities who will speak directly on how they drive ROI through social media. Speakers will share real-world success stories, pit falls, and case studies to demonstrate the true value of social media. This summit will allow business leaders to finally understand how social media can propel their business and how to produce real results. More than the mechanics, this is a relatable summit that will open eyes to the power of social media in business. Get 15% off the ticket price by using the vacomash discount code. October 17-20, 2010, Scottsdale, AZ: agencyside presents one of the only digital marketing conferences exclusively developed for agencies. BOLO 2010 brings new ideas, new knowledge and actionable next-steps to both help your bottom line and achieve the goals of your clients. We realize time and money are both tight. That's why we've designed a conference that'll expand how you think and at the same time teach you hands-on how to manage digital more efficiently. You'll hear from industry thought leaders through keynotes, panel discussions and one-on-one meetings. agencyside has a proven track record for helping agencies become experts in the digital space. Build a team of subject matter experts. Fine tune operations to sustainable profitability. Generate new business for digital marketing services. This event will show you how. Early Bird of $699/person through June 18th. Use discount code mashable to save 15% off registration at any time. The Mashable Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace. Eventbrite is an online events marketplace where tens of thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations of all sizes manage, promote and sell tickets to their events. Make your event a success on Eventbrite. Reviews: Australia, Facebook, Friendster, Google, Gowalla, Mashable, Mobile social networking, MySpace, Pandora, Ping, Seesmic, Twitter, Web Design, social media, video Tags: conferences, Events, mashable, networking

Digg’s Empty Search Results Promote Burger King’s Double Cheeseburgers Posted: 29 Mar 2010 07:45 AM PDT Burger King –- no stranger to clever social media marketing campaigns –- is taking over Digg's empty search results pages. Specifically, the fast food chain is placing ads promoting its $1 double cheeseburgers when you conduct a search on Digg that yields no results. The "error" message reads: "Looks like your search had a typo. Maybe you’ve got tiny hands?" While that may or may not be the reason for your empty search results, as Switched notes, that wording is actually a tie-in with an ongoing BK ad campaign where people complain that their hands are too small for BK's massive double cheeseburgers. We're not sure if this will be an ongoing ad slot for Digg –- who has reported success with other forms of social ads on its site –- as a big part of the BK campaign would seem to be the unexpected nature of the ad. Nonetheless, it's a clever tie-in by BK with an audience that we have a hunch has an affinity for $1 double cheeseburgers. For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Digg, Facebook, Twitter Tags: advertising, burger king, digg, MARKETING

Warner Bros. Looks for Anti-Piracy Interns Posted: 29 Mar 2010 06:56 AM PDT The UK arm of Warner Bros Entertainment is looking for students to spy on digital pirates. It seems logical: Students know about piracy, many of them have committed acts that would be considered digital piracy, so why not hire them as counterintelligence? The actual description of the job has, according to TorrentFreak, been taken from the vacancy at The University of Manchester. It sounds rather ominous. Here’s an excerpt: “During the 12 month internship, duties will include: monitoring local Internet forums and IRC for pirated WB and NBCU content and in order to gather information on pirate sites, pirate groups and other pirate activities; finding new and maintaining existing accounts on private sites; scanning for links to hosted pirated WB and NBCU content and using tools to issue takedown requests; maintaining and developing bots for Internet link scanning system (training provided); preparing sending of infringement notices and logging feedback; performing trap purchases of pirated product and logging results; inputting pirate hard goods data and other intelligence into the forensics database; selecting local keywords and submitting local filenames for monitoring and countermeasure campaigns and periodically producing research documents on piracy related technological developments. Various training will be provided.” The salary is quite good for a student: £17,500 salary for a year’s work. However, you might experience backlash from, well, many corners of the Internet. Furthermore, as suggested by TorrrentFreak, we’re sure that some devious students will become double agents: accept the job, feed only very minor things to Warner Brothers, but track their anti-piracy activities from the inside. It’s only natural in the world of spies. Tags: piracy, Spy, warner brothers

Suppliers Expect to Ship 8-10 Million iPads in 2010 [REPORT] Posted: 29 Mar 2010 06:02 AM PDT The first batch of iPads is in the mail, and everyone is wondering how many of them Apple will manage to sell in the upcoming months. There is reason to believe that Apple has sold out all the iPads it had in stock — some estimate the number to be around half a million. Now, there’s more reasons to believe iPad sales so far have been phenomenal. According to Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty, Asian suppliers have revised their shipping forecasts for the iPad, and they now expect to ship 8-10 million devices by the end of 2010. Furthermore, they expect to ship 2.5 million in the first three months of sales (March to May); however Huberty still predicts that Apple will sell (as opposed to ship) 6+ million iPads in 2010. Other analysts expect the number to be even lower, around 3-4 million. These are all just estimates, and we’ll have to wait for some real sales data to get a better idea of how well the iPad is doing, but from what we can see now, it has exceeded almost all expectations. Tags: apple, Apple Tablet, ipad, trending

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