Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “You Can Now Buy an iPhone Without a Contract” |  |
- You Can Now Buy an iPhone Without a Contract
- Chatroulette Beats Hot or Not in Reader Poll
- The Onion Gets Another Cable TV Show
- Google Testing Hotel Prices in Google Maps
- Tweets Calling for Obama’s Assassination Prompt Secret Service Investigation
- Mashable’s Weekly Social Media Events Guide
- New York’s Museum of Modern Art Acquires the @ Symbol
- Dell Aero Adds Another Android Phone to AT&T’s Lineup
- Top 20 Tax Procrastinating Cities [Interactive Map]
- Cardpool Offers Major Merchant Gift Cards on the Cheap
- How the Fashion Industry Uses Location-Based Marketing
- Nintendo DS Enters Schools in Japan This Fall
- You Can Now Gift iPhone Apps
- Mashable’s Google Wave API Challenge: 3 of the Best New Extensions
- Free Music Monday: 10 Free Downloads Just for You
- Hulu Not Available on New Web TV Browser
- MyChanceRomance Marries Chatroulette and Online Dating
- iPad Launch Looks to be Dominated by Gaming Apps [STATS]
- How Small Businesses Are Using Social Media for Real Results
- Chatroulette Improv Piano Player Removed from YouTube
- Thousands Watch as Molly the Owl’s Babies Hatch on Ustream [VIDEO]
- Google Redirects Chinese Site to Hong Kong
- iPodMeister: Swap 600 CDs for an iPad
- Streamy Awards Audience Choice Finalists Announced [VIDEO]
- Zosh Lets You Replace Your Fax Machine with Your iPhone
- Make Online Purchases with Your Verizon Wireless Account
- 5 Stellar Ways to Explore Space Using Social Media
- Simultaneous Web and TV Use Is Surging [STATS]
- Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus Coming to AT&T
- Here’s What the Kindle App for iPad Looks Like
| You Can Now Buy an iPhone Without a Contract Posted: 23 Mar 2010 02:23 AM PDT  
You can buy one iPhone per day; the devices, however, will still be locked to AT&T, meaning you must either use an AT&T SIM with it, or unlock it. The prices are: $499 for the iPhone 3G 8GB, $599 for the iPhone 3GS 16GB, and $699 for the iPhone 32GB.  [Image source: Gizmodo]
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| Chatroulette Beats Hot or Not in Reader Poll Posted: 22 Mar 2010 09:36 PM PDT 
At 742 votes, Chatroulette commanded 66% of the vote, more than twice the 281 votes Hot or Not netted to stake out its 25% of the total. The tie vote occupied 9% of the total. I guess Ben Folds, Merton, and the 14% pervert demographic can’t be wrong. Were you at all surprised by the results? Check out the full list of the Faceoff Series’ past winners below, and be sure to come back for the new edition for this week! Faceoff Series: Overall ResultsWeek 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 4: Week 5: Week 6: Week 7: Week 8: Week 9: Week 10: Week 11: Week 12: Week 13: Week 14: Week 15: Week 16: Week 17: Week 18: Week 19: Week 20: Week 21: Week 21: Week 22: Week 23: Reviews: Bing, Boxee, Chrome, Digg, Facebook, Firefox, Foursquare, Gmail, Google, Google Buzz, Google Docs, Gowalla, Gtalk, Hulu, Pandora, Posterous, Seesmic Desktop, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, TweetDeck, Twitter, TypePad, Windows, WordPress, Yelp, aim Tags: chatroulette, hot or not, poll, polls, social media, video, web faceoff
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| The Onion Gets Another Cable TV Show Posted: 22 Mar 2010 07:40 PM PDT 
This is the second deal The Onion’s made in cable television; it signed with Comedy Central to bring its Onion Sports Network to the air a few months ago. Like Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, ONN will parody local affiliate news and at-a-desk editorial programming on 24-hour news networks. The Onion is known for a harsher and more absurd style of comedy though, so don’t expect the new series to step on Stewart’s toes if it actually makes it on the air. Here’s how Executive Producer Will Graham describes it to The New York Times: “If you look at CNN.com or FoxNews.com, and you see these little snippets there, now we're going to give you the whole network, and make it the most authentic, aggressive, snarky, in-your-face news show out there.” Onion News Network is already the moniker of the fake news channel behind the absurd videos published regularly on The Onion’s website, but Graham says that the new show won’t be a series of derivative snippets. We’ve embedded a subject-appropriate example of the web series below in case you’ve been missing out, though. The Onion News Network: “Internet Archaeologists Find Ruins Of ‘Friendster’ Civilization”Tags: cable tv, comedy, ifc, independent film channel, News, television, the onion, the onion news network, tv, web series, web video
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| Google Testing Hotel Prices in Google Maps Posted: 22 Mar 2010 06:53 PM PDT 
The new feature is very straightforward: whenever you search for hotels in a specific region, you will have the ability to check the prices of hotels that show up in search results, based on the date and the number of nights you are staying. The data is based on advertised prices from sponsored results — the prices are essentially ads, albeit useful ones. Google made it clear that it is not changing its ranking system for hotels; instead, this is an experiment to test a new form of advertising that might be useful to the user. From the screenshot Google provided, the integration seems simple and useful to both Google Maps users and its millions of advertisers. It could roll out to more users soon if testing goes well. What do you think; is this a feature that you would use? Let us know in the comments.  Reviews: Google, Google Maps Tags: Google, Google Maps, Hotel, travel
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| Tweets Calling for Obama’s Assassination Prompt Secret Service Investigation Posted: 22 Mar 2010 04:41 PM PDT 
With intense debate swirling around last night's healthcare reform vote, @THHEE_JAY and @Solly_Forrel expressed their frustration with the President by publishing tweets reading “ASSASSINATION! America, we survived the Assassinations and Lincoln & Kennedy. We’ll surely get over a bullet to Barrack Obama’s head” and “You Should be Assassinated!! @Barack Obama." Now, the Secret Service is investigating, as they do with all perceived threats against the President. ABC News notes that the two users both tried to backtrack from their statements, and at least one of the accounts (@THHEE_JAY) appears to be offline as of Monday evening. This isn't the first time social media activity has caught the attention of the Secret Service. Last year, a teen created a Facebook poll asking "Should Obama be killed?" Ultimately, charges weren't filed after the perpetrator’s identity was discovered, and it seems likely that the suspects in this case had no formal plans or means to try and assassinate the President. Nonetheless, it's another reminder that what's said in social media carries just as much weight as what's said using other forms of communication. Apparently, some users still need to figure that out — and more of them will, as law enforcement continues to leverage social media in their crime-fighting efforts. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, jodiecoston Reviews: iStockphoto Tags: barack obama, healthcare reform, president obama, Secret Service, trending, twitter
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| Mashable’s Weekly Social Media Events Guide Posted: 22 Mar 2010 04:30 PM PDT 
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 22-23, 2010, Paris, France: At Marketing 2.0 Conference, learn from brands’ social media initiatives, advertisers, researchers and analyst. Hear from leading people in the Social Media business on their strategy, revenue models and how they are approaching the upcoming trends in the Social Mediasphere. Worldwide case studies from global brands and corporations on their use of social media. Examine the current market conditions, future forecasts and predictions from leading researchers. The socialmash2010 discount code gives you €200 off.  March 22-23 & 25-26, 2010, Hong Kong & Singapore: Join us at the Social Media & PR conference. This comprehensive two-day event sees PR practitioners from leading global brands and agencies come together to share about the best practices, pitfalls to avoid, case studies, how-tos, measurement and ethics of social media in PR. See social media’s relevance to both B2B & B2C, discuss how new & traditional PR avenues can be integrated. Register today. Save 10% when you enter ‘Mashable‘ under ‘How did you know about this event’.  March 22-25, 2010, Dallas, TX: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 17th Forum on Social Media for Government: How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results, to learn how to capture the power of social media in your organization, along with helpful tools, tips and techniques to get started. Hear practical advice, firsthand, from leading government agencies and organizations such as: Transportation Security Administration; NASA; Microsoft U.S. Public Sector, CDC; GovLoop; Southwest Airlines; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Army Reserve; City of Sugar Land, TX; Missouri River Regional Library; City of Reno, NV; Texas Parks & Wildlife Department; Deloitte Services, LP; GolinHarris; 2ndSix; & Panetta Communications. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200.  March 22-26, New York, NY: Go beyond search at the Search Engine Strategies. Learn the newest trends, strategic action plans, and technology that industry leaders are employing today. Our experts will trace the natural evolution of search exploring topics such as: digital asset optimization, mobile application development, transition from search to discovery and more. SAVE 15% with code MHNY15. Program will focus on cutting edge strategies, tips, and tactics that will be driving search in 2010. Hear from the leading voices in search and digital like Avinash Kaushik, David Meerman Scott, Tim Ash, Ray Comstock and more.  March 23, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Swagapalooza is an experiment in viral media. On March 23rd, the world's most-followed bloggers, tweeters, and digital influencers will gather to judge five-minute auditions from the creators of the latest, greatest, and most unexpected new products. Are you one of the world's top bloggers or tweeters? If so you deserve to be begged for your attention and your following. Your taste and discernment make you the perfect judge of these marketers who will come to cajole, beg, and bribe you with more free stuff than you can imagine… Tickets are free for those who qualify.  March 23, 2010, Sacramento, CA: Northern California Social Media Society Launch Party. Join NCSMS in celebrating their launch. Celebrate with cocktails, appetizers and door prizes; learn about the Society and network with other individuals and businesses. The NCSMS provides an opportunity for their members to collaborate with other individuals and advocates as well as continue to grow social media marketing skills and smarts. Whether you want to learn or lead, this is a great opportunity to be part of an organization which is dedicated to the advancement of social media. The event is free to those who register.  March 23-24, 2010, Berlin, Germany: Learn, discuss and explore the challenges and commercial opportunities that exist within the mobile internet ecosystem and make the most of best-practice perspectives over a two day period offering a programme packed with case studies, roundtable discussions, industry snapshots, masterclasses and fishbowl sessions. Significant discount for Mobile Operators, Online/Mobile Communities, and Content providers! Go to iir-mobileinternet.com/mashable for more information.  March 24, 2010, New York, NY: Social Reputation Management: Protecting and Strengthening Your Brand Across the Social Web is a conference that will share the best case studies on how communicators and marketers listen to conversations, monitor and comprehend what is being said, and engage through the social web. The case studies will be followed by moderated interactive roundtables. Use promo code MASH for a discounted rate of $155.  March 24, 2010, Rutherford, NJ: Learn about how you would grow your business, talk to your customers, interact and engage. Social Media will help your business grow, financially and in relation to your customers. Topics include Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogging, etc. This workshop is geared for small businesses that want to grow their fanbase and reach potential customers and make your relationships better with by using the social web. Click over to socialbiz324.eventbrite.com to purchase tickets to the event and use the code mashable to save 50%.  March 24-25, 2010, San Francisco, CA: EyeforTravel's Social Media Strategies for Travel conference goes beyond the 'what is social media?' debates (that were so 2008!) and examines the strategic importance of social media to travel brands. The 2 day conference will share leading case studies, hits, tips and advice from top travel companies including JetBlue, Hilton, Virgin America and more. Use the discount MASHABLE to save $100 on the registration fee!  March 25, 2010, Santa Monica, CA: Join us for more rock solid networking with tech geeks, VCs, entrepreneurs and good folks just like you. Schmoozd is an exclusive social mixer bringing together professionals in marketing, advertising, technology, social media and startups. The event is designed to facilitate knowledge sharing, relationship building and deal making. For more information, please visit www.schmoozd.com. Mashable readers get 50% off when registering via this link.  March 25, 2010, Toronto, ON: Join Nick La, creator of the popular blog Web Designer Wall, owner of N.Design Studio, IconDock, and Best Web Gallery for a one-day immersion into WordPress, the world’s most popular publishing platform. If you want to learn how to create your own WordPress themes, understand how to use template tags and conditional tags to format and display the data you want, or how to use WordPress as a content management system, Nick will take you from WordPress Zero to Hero in 7 hours flat.  March 25-26 2010, Atlanta, GA: REtechSouth: The only event in the Southeast that ties cutting edge social media concepts and practices, plus tips and tactics on existing technologies, to the unique challenges of the current real estate market. It's worth attending just to absorb all the expertise that will be in the room, as real estate's best and brightest direct their attention towards your needs. Presented by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. Save $29 off registration by using the code Mashable.  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 22–23, 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, 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 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 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. 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" and you'll pay only $1295 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 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 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.
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, WordPress, YouTube, social media, society, video Tags: conferences, Events, mashable
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| New York’s Museum of Modern Art Acquires the @ Symbol Posted: 22 Mar 2010 04:11 PM PDT 
Because the @ symbol is owned by no one, the acquisition is symbolic — pun hopefully not intended — but @ will nevertheless be placed on display. The museum will exhibit renderings of @ in several typefaces, and will label them as it might label works made from or on differing materials. The decision was made in response to the symbol’s radical rise in prominence in the age of the Internet. @ is actually hundreds of years old, but until the late 20th century, it was an arcane device used in shipping manifests and accounting books. It evolved to another plane in the zeitgeist when American engineer Ray Tomlinson was looking for a way to concisely reference users’ locations within a network while working on ARPANet. Tomlinson observed that the @ symbol was placed on keyboards because of its use in accounting, but that it was rarely if ever used outside of that limited scope. Thus, it was up for grabs as far as he was concerned. Now when we send an e-mail, we send it to a person @ a domain — his or her digital dwelling. @ has become one of the world’s most ubiquitous and unifying symbols, connecting people across every cultural border. It continues to evolve even now, as its usage on Twitter, Facebook and other services has made it a sign of identity. I am not samuelaxon on Twitter; I am @samuelaxon on Twitter. The development of this new meaning was almost an accident, but that usage has already become common. MoMA Senior Curator Paola Antonelli wrote of the symbol, “It might be the only truly free — albeit not the only priceless — object in our collection.” Free but priceless — like the @ symbol and its many meanings, that concept is increasingly a familiar one for today’s Internet-connected civilization. [via The New York Times] Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: @, arpanet, art, at, at symbol, design, moma, museum of modern art, new york
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| Dell Aero Adds Another Android Phone to AT&T’s Lineup Posted: 22 Mar 2010 03:39 PM PDT 
We learned back at CES that the carrier would be adding at least five Android handsets to its lineup this year, and now the Aero will step up to the plate as number two among them. The Dell smartphone has been sold already in China as the Mini 3, which leads to worries that the Aero may run an older version of Android — 1.6 or even 1.5 instead of the more modern 2.0 or most ideally 2.1 (seen on the Nexus One and shortly the Droid). We know the Aero will run a custom user interface co-developed by Dell and AT&T, but details on other questions like specs, pricing, and official launch date are scarce at this point; we’ll keep an eye out for further info on Dell’s foray into the U.S. smartphone market. Is anyone else actually kind of fascinated to see what Dell comes up with as it enters an increasingly crowded smartphone playing field? Reviews: Android Tags: Aero, android, att, dell, Dell Aero, Google, Mobile 2.0
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| Top 20 Tax Procrastinating Cities [Interactive Map] Posted: 22 Mar 2010 03:25 PM PDT  It’s that unfortunate time of year otherwise known as tax season. To celebrate (sort of), D.I.Y. tax software TurboTax (by Intuit) is exposing the worst cities in the U.S. when it comes to tax procrastination with its scary-but-true interactive map. Depending on your tax status — which if you live in Houston, Chicago or New York is probably still in a sad state — you’re likely to find the map an amusing distraction, an unflattering glimpse in the mirror, or, well, reality. Houston, it’s time to turn the tide around. File those taxes.
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| Cardpool Offers Major Merchant Gift Cards on the Cheap Posted: 22 Mar 2010 02:54 PM PDT 
Quick Pitch: Never be stuck with an unwanted gift card again. Cardpool is creating a secondary market for gift cards. Genius Idea: Cardpool is an online marketplace for users to buy, sell and trade giftcards. For the seller, the site offers an opportunity to unload unwanted gift cards and pocket up to 90% of the remaining balance. Buyers, on the other hand, benefit by being able to purchase the gift cards of their choosing at up to 30% off their face value. Buyers can selectively choose from gift cards from most major retailers in 11 different categories like clothing, restaurants and electronics. Say, for instance, you’re a Jamba Juice fanatic. There are currently three different offers, each with a 15% savings. You could purchase a $25 card for $21.50 and still redeem it at face value. The only downside is that you’re entirely dependent on the site’s user-submitted supply, so there’s no guarantee that you’ll get your Juice fix for less. Sellers can enter their gift card info and Cardpool will make an offer and reward the seller with payment 24 hours after receiving the gift card. Site members can also create a merchant wish list to be notified when new cards become available. A few other bonuses to Cardpool: the site offers free shipping, it only carries gift cards that don’t have expiration dates and there’re no fees to use the service. Basically Cardpool is an all-around consumer win, and it’s just as simple as it sounds. Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
Entrepreneurs can take advantage of the Azure Services platform for their website hosting and storage needs. Microsoft recently announced the “new CloudApp()” contest – use the Azure Services Platform for hosting your .NET or PHP app, and you could be the lucky winner of a USD 5000* (please see website for official rules and guidelines)." Reviews: PHP Tags: cardpool
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| How the Fashion Industry Uses Location-Based Marketing Posted: 22 Mar 2010 02:50 PM PDT 
While location-based services like Foursquare and Gowalla are gaining serious traction on the social marketing scene, many fashion brands are still trying to come to terms with the potential of social media in general. Luckily, some retailers and brands have begun experimenting with mobile social marketing strategies. During New York Fashion Week, Conde Naste partnered Lucky Magazine with Foursquare, for example. Foursquare users were given tips about the best places to visit between shows. In addition to Lucky-branded fashion insider tips, Foursquare users were awarded special badges as they checked-in to any of the 700 stores featured in the magazine's directory. Here are some other examples of how fashion brands and retailers are beginning to embrace location-based social marketing. Marc Jacobs, Foursquare, and New York Fashion WeekFashion giant Marc Jacobs has been one of the few brands that has fully embraced social technology from the outset, opting for cost-effective digital marketing methods over traditional events and expensive parties.  Marc Jacobs and Foursquare created the "Fashion Victim" badge, which allowed Fashion Week attendees (and others) to "check-in" at any Marc by Marc Jacobs stores in New York and around the country to unlock the badge. Four people who unlocked the badge in New York were randomly chosen to receive tickets to the Marc Jacobs show. The partnership provided both Marc Jacobs and Foursquare with word of mouth marketing. One winner, Elaine Ellis, a style blogger who writes The Art of Awkward, was in town for the weekend and changed her flight to attend the show. Her excitement was contagious. Ellis, who recounted her experience and thanked Marc Jacobs and Foursquare on her blog, said, "[Marc Jacobs] made my dreams come true; there will never be a better day in my life!" Unlike many other fashion brands, Marc Jacobs is working to effectively communicate with its customers through social media. Streaming its runway shows online was only the first step — incorporating the Foursquare collaboration was an awareness and brand-building exercise to establish what was next. Translating Online Interactions into Offline SalesWalker shared further insights for large retailers, brands, and shopping conglomerates hoping to harness the marketing opportunities that location-based services offer. "For a retailer such as The Grove in Los Angeles," Walker said, "they could follow the model that Tasti D-Lite implemented. They could sync their loyal rewards program to Foursquare; offer a branded badge for recognition, additional points, freebies and member perks for being a frequent shopper/patron." It would be the same for Nordstrom, Gap or any local retailer. By syncing their loyalty programs with Foursquare, they're enabling frequent shoppers to share their recent purchases with their communities. When a user posts shopping tips or deals at a particular location, that post is essentially an advertising impression on Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook. The Future of Location-Based Marketing For RetailersFoursquare and other location-based services like Loopt and Gowalla offer retailers the opportunity to increase in-store visits and foot traffic. "The convergence of fashion and mobile technology was previously limited to fun, co-branded mobile phones (like the Juicy Couture T-Mobile Sidekick),” said Shari Doherty, a consumer-marketing consultant with over 15 years of industry experience in digital entertainment, mobile and location-based services. “But now, with the advent of location-based services, there are even more exciting opportunities for fashion retailers and brands to deliver entertaining and interactive experiences. “We’re now starting to see more cross-platform experiments that blend social networking elements into the physical store experience. And with the continued evolution of mobile and location technologies, a ‘check-in’ on your favorite application will unlock even more comprehensive place-based info like photos, videos, reviews and real-time advice.” If executed well, these location-enhanced shopping experiences can translate into improved customer loyalty, referrals, and sales, both online and offline. Easy to use mobile access to global fashion content and community is a powerful tool to inform, inspire, and curate the local shopping experience. More social media resources from Mashable:
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, jonya Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, Twitter, iStockphoto Tags: business, fashion, foursquare, gowalla, location-based, loopt, MARKETING, Mobile 2.0, social media, twitter
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| Nintendo DS Enters Schools in Japan This Fall Posted: 22 Mar 2010 02:45 PM PDT 
Of course, the focus of using the device will be on education and learning as opposed to straight-up gaming, but as soon as teacher’s head is turned we imagine a few of the wee tots will be surreptitiously firing up Mario Kart. In all seriousness, the prevalence of learning-based titles in math, language, reading and other subjects makes the DS a worthy candidate for educational use. The Escapist reports that Nintendo’s iconic game designer Shigeru Miyamoto revealed the company’s plan to get DS systems into elementary and junior high classrooms as a learning implement once the new school season commences. The DS itself is no stranger to educational usage, as it’s frequently found already as a learning tool in galleries, museums and aquariums in Japan. Even McDonald’s has adopted the handheld to cut costs in its part-time employee training program there. Now that Twitter, Facebook and the Nintendo DS are about to be required curricula somewhere in the world, what new technologies do you think will make it into classrooms next? [via Switched] Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: education, japan, nintendo ds, nintendo dsi, Nintendo DSi XL, schools, Shigeru Miyamoto, video games
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| Posted: 22 Mar 2010 02:34 PM PDT 
On the drop-down box on each application’s page (next to the “Buy” button) there’s now an option that says “Gift This App.” From that point, you then just enter in details like name, e-mail address and the message that you want to include. Apple has long let people gift music albums to friends, but being able to gift applications is pretty cool. There are times I really want to recommend an app to my fiance — and I know he’ll forget about it — but if I can gift it to him, we can bypass the amnesia. Hey, it’s a nice surprise AND a nice app. It’s also a solid alternative to using iTunes Gift Cards if you just want to buy someone a certain application. Please note, you can only give users in your country gifts — so keep that in mind, especially if you have more than one iTunes account. Let the app gifting begin!  [via TiPb] Tags: app store, app store gifting, apple, itunes
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| Mashable’s Google Wave API Challenge: 3 of the Best New Extensions Posted: 22 Mar 2010 02:12 PM PDT 
We’ve received dozens of great submissions, and below we highlight three of our favorites. Remember: you can submit a Wave extension until the deadline on April 9th. Winners receive 2 unlocked Nexus Ones, free passes to the Google I/O conference and get their extensions featured on Mashable (details below!). Deciwave by “I’m Dario”“Bring music to your waves with Deciwave, the first multi-site music embedding robot, built upon Robot API v2 ” Full Description from Developer: “Deciwave allows to embed music players from: Goear, Jamendo (songs and albums), SoundCloud (tracks and sets), The Sixty One, mix.dj, Deezer (playlists and radios), Hosted MP3/OGG files, Vimeo, Youtube (videos and playlists). Using the Robot API v2 it brings a full music experience into Google Wave, using your favorite sites.” Video Demo: WaveTube by Eyal ZachWaveTube Installer URL – WaveTube Sample Wave “WaveTube is a YouTube player for Wave that displays the list of viewers in real time. ” Full Description from Developer: “The WaveTube gadget for Wave is a YouTube player that displays the list of viewers in real time. For each participant watching the video, there is a progress bar (that is, how far into the video they have watched) that everyone else in the same wave can see. WaveTube also makes it possible to drag someone else’s progress bar or to change their playback status (play or pause). Participants can also add notes, which will pop on top of their progress bar, at the time they were set in respect to the progression of the video.” Screenshot: Pushy by Chris ParsonsPushy Installer URL – Pushy Sample Wave “Push notifications (including github and googlecode commits) to Wave” Full Description from Developer: “Pushy is a robot which accepts any form of HTTP post and adds the content as a new message on the wave. It has special handling for github post-receive hooks and googlecode PostCommitWebHooks: it formats them nicely using a gadget.” Screenshot: Contest DetailsThere will be 3 voting categories: Most Fun, Most Useful and Best Use of the Embed API. We’ll then pick a Judge’s Choice as the overall winner. The winning developer/development team will receive 2 unlocked Nexus Ones, see their extension featured on Mashable AND receive free passes to the Google I/O conference. 4 Step Submission Process Timeline: Rules: Reviews: Google, Google Wave, Mashable, Vimeo, YouTube Tags: contest, Google, Google Wave, google wave api challenge, google wave extensions
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| Free Music Monday: 10 Free Downloads Just for You Posted: 22 Mar 2010 02:01 PM PDT 
Read on, right-click, and enjoy yourself some free tunes. And if you’d like to appear in a future edition of Free Music Monday, please check out the submission guidelines below. Attention artists/labels: there are new submission guidelines for Free Music Monday. Please pick (at least) 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. And as always, thanks for tuning in to Free Music Monday!
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. If you missed the new guidelines for how to submit to FMM, please find them at the beginning of this post. Thanks again everyone! Free Music Monday Back Catalog
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| Hulu Not Available on New Web TV Browser Posted: 22 Mar 2010 01:36 PM PDT 
Click a Hulu video in Kylo and you’ll end up with a screen that’s blank except for the words: “Unfortunately, this video is not available on your platform. We apologize for any inconvenience.”  The people behind Kylo — a company called Hillcrest Labs — are just as confused as everyone else. "We are currently investigating why Hulu videos are not playing within the Kylo browser,” says CEO Dan Simpkins. “Prior to our formal launch, Hulu videos would play within the Kylo browser. Like Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari, the Kylo browser is simply a web browser, and it's our sincere hope that Hulu isn't restricting access." The context makes the restriction seem plausible. Hulu is stuck in a difficult situation. It would be in the service’s best interest to be available on every platform, but the providers of its content prefer that the videos remain on the web so they don’t cannibalize the more profitable traditional TV audiences. The problem: Products like Kylo blur the lines between television and web viewing. Hulu blocked an application called Boxee some time ago because that application skipped Hulu’s web interface altogether and went straight to the videos. An arms race of sorts resulted, with Hulu blocking Boxee again each time the app’s developers found a new way to access the site’s content. The situation gets messier still when you consider that Hulu launched its own HDTV-friendly software called Hulu Desktop. The distinction between web TV and the TV you watch in your living room will become even less distinct in the coming months and years. Stay tuned to see what happens next. Reviews: Boxee, Firefox, Hulu, Safari Tags: home theater pc, htpc, hulu, kylo, News, set-top box, video
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| MyChanceRomance Marries Chatroulette and Online Dating Posted: 22 Mar 2010 01:11 PM PDT 
We’ve seen the site used as a de facto meetup spot in the past — remember Chatroulette Missed Connections — and video dating is nothing new, so the marriage of the two concepts seems like a natural progression. But that doesn’t mean it’s a stellar idea. Sites like MyChanceRomance are basically akin to MTV’s Next (remember that show where people could be “Nexted” at any point over the course of a date?), but with webcams, which — as you can see from the above screenshot of Adam Ostrow and myself testing out the service — don’t make for the most flattering representations. In short: Sites like these are kind of a recipe for a) Creepy encounters with the exhibitionist dudes already tearin’ up Chatroulette, or b) Hours and hours of emotional abuse. Still, it’s unlikely that the above service will take off. When Adam and I went to gather the screenshot above, we were connected to each other instantly, which means no one is likely using the service. Also, the sound wasn’t working, and we were randomly disconnected after a minute or two. Also, you’re only able to enter your gender in order to be matched with a mate, not your location. So unless you’re down for a long-distance Internet relationship, this is probably not the site for you.  [via Killer Startups] Tags: chatroulette, online dating, pop culture, video
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| iPad Launch Looks to be Dominated by Gaming Apps [STATS] Posted: 22 Mar 2010 12:45 PM PDT  It seems as if the Apple iPad will uphold the iPhone platform’s strong gaming heritage, as almost half of the apps being tested on the device fall into the games category. While apps classed as “entertainment” come in second, gaming apps are said to command 44% of Apple test time on the new device, according to stats from Flurry. At the moment, we’re not sure why so much time is being devoted to games — it could be because such apps require more thorough testing (the iPad runs the iPhone operating system, after all, so most apps will only need to be re-sized) or it could be indicative of the type of apps that will be available. Only time will tell. Flurry’s Vice President of Marketing Peter Farago told AppleInsider that the apps seen on iPhone OS 3.2 via the iPad have likely have been used by Apple for testing purposes with its new hardware, already on pre-order and due to be released April 3. Reviews: Apple Ipad, iPhone Tags: app store, Apple iPad, flurry, statistics
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| How Small Businesses Are Using Social Media for Real Results Posted: 22 Mar 2010 12:30 PM PDT 
The most obvious benefits are increased customer loyalty and engagement. Less obvious but just as important: Your business will gain exposure not through your own advertisements, but through folks who’ve already been patrons. We’re more likely to trust a Facebook update or Yelp review from a friend than from the business itself. We spoke with small business owners and social media managers around the world who have successfully used social media to increase business performance, and we asked them for their stories and their tips. Here’s what we learned. It’s About Relationships, Not Pitches The most common advice we received from businesses successfully using social media: Use it to engage your customers in a conversation, not just sell your services. Ideally, social media helps any business become the corner barbershop or bookstore where the owner knows each regular’s name and preferences. Reid Travis is the social media manager at quick-serve Mexican restaurant chain Panchero’s, which while not exactly a small business, is decidedly the little guy when stacked up to the larger, multi-national fast-food chains against which it competes. “We’re not focused on marketing to our followers, fans and readers,” he says. “Our primary goal is to connect with them.” He says engagement and transparent communication are important assets.
Blatz Market & Liquor’s Joe Woelfle employs a similar strategy. He says: “Social media has been pivotal in growing my business. A good portion of my tweets are conversational just to stay in front of my followers as much as possible. However I also use it to gauge interest about new products, run specials, and get the word out about events.” Woelfle says his January 2010 was up 25% over the same month in 2009 after his first year of social media use. His chief slice of advice? “I would tell other SMB’s to be themselves but be sure to actively engage your followers.” Social Media Exposure: Better Than Ads and Cheaper, Too Businesses use social media to gain exposure for their products, services and brands. The alternative is traditional advertising, but social media is uniquely valuable to small businesses for two reasons. First, it’s cheaper. But it also ensures that people are hearing about your business from a source they trust more than an advertisement: friends and family. Jim Glaub’s Art Meets Commerce does Internet and social media marketing for Broadway and off-Broadway shows with limited marketing budgets. Word of mouth is already essential to these productions’ successes — social media is an extension of that. Glaub says, “People leave the show and jump onto Twitter to tell their friends how much they liked the show. It’s been especially helpful when people with large followings tweet about it, increasing our followers and exposing the show to people that may not have heard of it.” He also reports that celebrities will attend the shows and tweet about them, providing even more exposure. Having an active Twitter presence encourages these theater fans to spread the word and encourage their own followers to start tracking the show. For small business owners, it is important to remember that some people will tweet about you or review you on Yelp whether you have a presence there or not, and what they say might not be positive. You need to be on the ground, ready to deal constructively with any negative exposure. As stated previously, you should be participating in and guiding a two-way conversation. Alan Lewis, director of special projects at Natural Grocers, has some advice on that front:
Engaging the Local Community
The staff primarily uses Facebook for its event features. They host a monthly dance and create a Facebook event well in advance. When someone RSVPs to an event, his or her attendance is by default shared with all of his or her friends. That gets the word out. Mertz says:
The studio doesn’t use Yelp to organize events — though it could. Rather, the staff uses it as a source of positive recommendations from other customers. “We love and slightly fear Yelp,” Mertz admits. “We pay attention to everything in our reviews. We reinforce with our staff the aspects of our business our clients enjoy and immediately work on issues they report need improvement.” She believes that the risk of a poor review is outweighed by the power of a positive one. “We post client testimonials that our students e-mail us, but I believe Yelp adds credibility to reviews,” she says. The studio’s website hosts a badge widget boasting of the studio’s 20 five-star reviews. Visitors who click the badge are taken to Yelp where they can read those reviews hosted by a more convincing third-party. Yelp has become a necessity for local businesses, so be sure to check out our list of tips for small businesses just getting started with the service. Going the Extra MileThe above tips cover just the basics. Some businesses go even further to reach the influential, tech-savvy crowd who spend their lives immersed in social media. Arizona restaurant Liberty Market actually tweets regular customers asking them how the food was, for example. That’s the variety of attention folks expect to get from a small, mom and pop business. It’s a pleasant surprise that this culture can be amplified in an era of greater connection, not mitigated. Some businesses will be able to clearly see online sales go up in proportion to Twitter followers. Some won’t. Sometimes it can be less about the monthly figures and more about creating a culture that customers will revisit and talk about with their friends. That’s harder to measure, but it’s long-established wisdom for small businesses trying to compete in a market controlled by big corporate chains. Using social media, you can offer something to your customers that larger businesses can’t. Liberty Market’s Joe Johnston sums it up:
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] Reviews: Facebook, HootSuite, Twitter, Yelp Tags: advertising, business, facebook, MARKETING, real results, small business, social media, startups, twitter, yelp
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| Chatroulette Improv Piano Player Removed from YouTube Posted: 22 Mar 2010 12:29 PM PDT 
Merton became the big Internet sensation when he logged onto Chatroulette with his glasses, hooded sweater, and trusty keyboard and created songs for random strangers on-the-fly. The result was millions of views, tons of Merton love, and even an “Ode to Merton” performed live by Ben Folds, which has also gone viral. By their very nature, Merton’s songs were very unlikely to have violated copyrights from the big music agencies; his songs were created as soon as the next Chatrouletter appeared. Our understanding is that the video didn’t violate any copyrights; instead, there were likely privacy issued involved, as most of the people in the video didn’t know that they were becoming part of a viral video. Tags: chatroulette, Improv Piano Player, youtube
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| Thousands Watch as Molly the Owl’s Babies Hatch on Ustream [VIDEO] Posted: 22 Mar 2010 12:07 PM PDT 
Molly is a wild owl inhabiting an owl house barn in San Marcos, California. According to the info on the Ustream page, Molly “appears to be a first-time mom,” with the rest of her babies expected to hatch this month. To date, Molly has laid six eggs with the next “Molly Watch” — or egg hatch — expected to take place tomorrow. Careful viewers will note that she has also a gentleman caller that tends to make an appearance after sundown. Since Molly made her Ustream debut in mid-February, there have been more than 1.4 million views of her channel The Owl Box, and the current viewer count is more than 17,000 at the time of this post. Apart from the cute owl factor, The Owl Box provides an atypical glimpse at a natural phenomenon. Its growing popularity points to the unparalleled voyeuristic opportunities that sites like Ustream provide, and we expect this channel to continue to be a big hit as Molly’s eggs hatch and new baby owlets are born. You can watch the live feed below, friend Molly on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. [Img credit: lyle e davis] Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, ustream Tags: ustream, viral video, web video
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| Google Redirects Chinese Site to Hong Kong Posted: 22 Mar 2010 11:57 AM PDT 
Google first announced that it was considering pulling out of China in January, writing at the time that it would no longer censor search results at the behest of the Chinese government following a set of cyber attacks targeting human rights activists. Update: Google has posted the following statement on their company blog:
Google notes that this workaround could quickly be thwarted by the Chinese government, and has thus setup this webpage which keeps track of which services are currently accessible in the country.  Reviews: Google, blog
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| iPodMeister: Swap 600 CDs for an iPad Posted: 22 Mar 2010 11:16 AM PDT 
iPodMeister offers a one-stop solution for anyone looking to flog their CD or DVD collection in return for an Apple device. At the lowest end of the scale, 220 CDs or DVDs will get you an 8GB iPod nano, while 1,150 CDs or DVDs will net you a 64GB 3G-enabled iPad. Adding to the simplicity of the service, iPodMeister will also “digitize” your music collection (i.e., rip the CDs you send in) as long as you are prepared to see the CD “cost” per item go up. While the service has been going since 2004, the iPad option is naturally the newest addition, seeing as how the device is due to be available on April 3. [via NYTimes] Tags: Apple iPad, CDs, ipodmeister
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| Streamy Awards Audience Choice Finalists Announced [VIDEO] Posted: 22 Mar 2010 10:39 AM PDT 
The Audience Choice nominees are the top 10 most submitted series in the 11 Streamy categories. They were picked based on 150,000 submissions. The finalists are revealed (and mocked) by web TV funny guy Nick Thune in the video we’ve embedded below; it’s worth a quick view. The winner will be announced at the Streamy Awards ceremony on April 11. And the Nominees Are…Wondering what the nominees in all the other categories are? They were announced a couple of weeks ago. - Agents of Cracked Nick Thune Names the NomineesReviews: Streamy Tags: agents of cracked, anyone but me, dorm life, Elevator, legend of neil, live video, nick thune, noob, star-ving, streamy awards, streamys, The Guild, the totally rad show, web series
      This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Zosh Lets You Replace Your Fax Machine with Your iPhone Posted: 22 Mar 2010 10:28 AM PDT 
The metaphor was actually pretty apt for the product being demoed: an app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad that lets you sign documents or add text or images to your documents and then e-mail those documents back to yourself or a person that you need. I actually discovered Zosh on my own a few weeks ago while researching business productivity apps, and it’s a winner. It really does eliminate the need for a fax machine (or more commonly, the print, sign, scan, e-mail cycle) and is really useful for anyone who is on the go or is just too lazy (like me) to bother with dealing with their printer/scanner combo. Check out this video: Once you download the app, you create an account. You can then e-mail any document (PDF, office formats, images) to a special e-mail address that Zosh then imports. Once you get a document, you can choose to add text, a signature or an image (if you have a stored image of your signature or something) and a date. The cool feature is when you sign the document. Using the iPhone’s screen you just sign your name. It works much better than I was anticipating — it was actually on-par with signatures I create with my Wacom tablet. As you sign your name, the screen moves forward to give you more space. Once you get your signature, you can insert it anywhere in your document, move it around, resize it or rotate it. Then you can just e-mail the document back to yourself or to someone else and they get a fax-quality image with your signature intact. Zosh [iTunes link] is $2.99 in the App Store. Reviews: iPhone Tags: apple, demo, demospring10, iphone, iphone apps, zosh
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| Make Online Purchases with Your Verizon Wireless Account Posted: 22 Mar 2010 09:56 AM PDT 
Called Billtomobile, the service allows approved merchants to integrate a payment option into their checkout systems where purchases –- both one-time and subscription –- are added to a user's phone bill. For security, a passcode is sent to a user's phone that needs to be entered online to complete a transaction. There's also a $25 maximum spending limit per user, per month. Clearly this is a convenient way for those without credit cards or PayPal accounts to make purchases, and should be a boon to social gaming companies that integrate it. Some networks –- like hi5 and myYearbook –- have seen significant revenue growth from implementing pay-by-mobile options. Verizon's service –0 being offered in partnership with mobile billing company Danal — will launch later this spring. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, JerryPDX Disclosure: Verizon Wireless is a Mashable sponsor. Reviews: Hi5, Mashable, iStockphoto Tags: mobile payments, social gaming, verizon wireless
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| 5 Stellar Ways to Explore Space Using Social Media Posted: 22 Mar 2010 09:33 AM PDT 
Here’s a spaced-out selection of sites and social media resources that will have you reading the thoughts of astronauts, taking a virtual tour of the International Space Station, and viewing galaxies far, far away. Get your space geek fix below, and, as always, please do share any resources we’ve overlooked in the comments box. 1. Mission Control: Space Agencies on the WebThere’s a ton of space agencies around the globe, together boasting an estimated $44 billion annual budget to find out more about space. While capabilities vary dramatically from country to country (not all have basic launch capability, let alone manned spaceflight, and the only two with lunar landing capability are NASA and the Russia’s CCCP), most are doing interesting work that can be perused online. NASA dominates online as it does in space (which might have something to do with the fact that its funding is currently around $12 billion ahead of even the nearest agency), offering the best online experience. You could easily lose yourself in the official NASA site, which is highly recommended if you have a spare 36 hours or so to kill.  Other official online destinations for the major space programs around the globe include the European Space Agency, with which Canada enjoys the special status of a “Cooperating State.” Staying in Europe, both France’s Centre National D’Etudes Spatiales and the German Aerospace Center offer English language versions of their sites, as does the Russian Federal Space Agency. The official online destination for the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, is painfully dry, but chock full of fascinating content if you can stand to stick around, while in contrast, the China National Space Administration site takes a more poetic approach to space exploration. At one point, they explain why the moon is liked by the people of Earth: “because of its thin brilliance that brings lovers with quiet warmth in the night, it is likened to a jade plate or a lovely and graceful woman.”  2. Online ObservatoriesIt goes without saying that the Hubble Telescope’s official site is the go-to place for some amazing real-life space imagery. Thankfully, the official site offers a wealth of photography via galleries, most of which you can download for personal use as desktop wallpaper, etc. Better still, there’s plenty of info explaining what’s in the photos and why it matters. There’s also the option to see where the Hubble is at any time during its 97-minute sweeps around the Earth.  Elsewhere on the web, both Google and Microsoft offer a glimpse of our galaxy. Sky in Google Earth is a feature of the virtual world software that, at the click of a button, will show you the sky above your location with the option to navigate to certain points, or pan and scroll around to see stars, planets, constellations and more — as well as photos from the Hubble. In addition to mapping the Earth and providing space data, Google offers 3D models of both the Moon and Mars. The features give you a glimpse at lunar landscapes and Apollo landing sites, as well as Martian points of interest like the so-called Face on Mars or Olympus Mons. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can even have a brief chat with a local.  Microsoft’s real-time simulation of the company’s World Wide Telescope project is now integrated into Bing search as a Bing Maps application. In addition to viewing celestial bodies in real-time as if you were to look up at the night sky, there are pre-loaded “collections” of constellations that can be viewed against Streetside (i.e. 3D photo) maps.  If you’d like to know what the innards of the International Space Station look like, you can take a 360-degree tour over at Boeing’s website. NASA offers something similar, but we found Boeing’s option easier to use.  3. Cosmic Connections on Facebook and TwitterNASA is big on Facebook with over 30 different accounts and Fan Pages. We’re not going to list them all here, rather just point you to NASA’s main account. But you might want to browse the full list and cherry pick the areas you’re interested in following.  You can also connect with U.S. Army Astronauts, and the 1,000-plus people that support them on Facebook. Across the pond, the European Space Agency’s fans number nearly 4,000 space lovers. The ISS’s Facebook pages, meanwhile, will keep you updated with the goings-on at the cosmic outpost, while becoming a fan of the X PRIZE Foundation will connect you to all the gossip about the multi-million dollar race to the moon, and other endeavors. Those with an eye to the future can beat the crowds by signing up to fan the James Webb Space Telescope on Facebook. As the successor to the Hubble, the super-duper, high-tech infrared telescope is due to launch in 2014, and the related Facebook Fan Page offers info on the project, as well as the option to comment on it and connect with others who share your interest. If you want to stay in touch with space organizations and people on a more real-time basis, Twitter has a wealth of accounts that are worth following, including one for the aforementioned Webb Telescope. As well as following the big agencies like NASA (which offers a useful list of who is in space right now), individual astronauts can followed for a more personal view. As you can imagine, there are quite a few astronauts who tweet, especially with NASA’s pro-social media approach. But a few to get you started include Mike Massimino, the first man to tweet from space, U.S. Army Astronaut Col. Tim Kopra, Soichi Noguchi, Clayton C. Anderson, Nicole Stott and Naoko Yamazaki. Tip: If you want to cheat, you can just follow the NASA Astronauts account for more of an overview. Twisst is great account that offers personalized alerts for when the International Space Station is passing over your geographical area — as it’s visible to the naked eye, it’s certainly worth keeping a look out for it.  Our favorite by far however, is the Twitter home for JPL’s Near Earth Object Office that coordinates NASA’s efforts to detect and track potentially hazardous asteroids and comets headed to, or near, Earth. Follow this account if you’re looking for a heads-up on the planet’s imminent doom.  4. Void-Filling VideoAs in other areas, NASA really shines when it comes to online video resources. As well as offering exciting live-streamed launches, there’s a NASA TV area within the site’s main multimedia offerings, an official USTREAM channel, and over ten official YouTube channels including the main one.  You can get your space fix elsewhere on YouTube with the official Hubble account and the European Space Agency. Another spot to watch for relevant content is the Science Channel. 5. An Astronomically Cool App We run the risk of sounding like NASA cheerleaders here, but the free iPhone app the organization offers is a must-have for iPhone- and iPod touch-owning space geeks. It is, quite simply, mega. You can easily burn ten space-faring minutes at a time on categories like “Missions,” which includes detailed info about ongoing and recent operations, “Images,” with an Image of the Day that you can share via Twitter, Facebook Connect and e-mail, or “Videos” and “Updates,” the latter of which aggregates official feeds from Twitter into a timeline of interesting info. The only catch is that due to the wealth of info the app can access and its dynamic updates, you do need to be connected to use it. But when you are, it’s like having NASA in your pocket. More social media resources from Mashable:
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, inhauscreative Reviews: Bing, Facebook, Google, Twitter, YouTube, iStockphoto, ustream Tags: facebook, List, Lists, NASA, ONLINE VIDEO, Science, social media, space, tech, trending, twitter, video, web video
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| Simultaneous Web and TV Use Is Surging [STATS] Posted: 22 Mar 2010 09:12 AM PDT 
In fact, nearly 60% — or 134 million people — do it at least once a month, with the average time spent consuming media on both platforms now three and half hours per month. That’s almost 35% more time spent doing both than last year at the same time. These numbers should come as no surprise given the upward trend in simultaneous media consumption. Still it’s important to recognize just how prevalent computers in the living room have become. In fact, panelists reported using the Internet 34% of the time they were also watching television — 14% more frequently than a year ago. Nielsen points to increased DVR usage as a factor influencing simultaneous usage rates. We also know that television viewers are using sites like Twitter and Facebook to share the experience with their friends and followers during live events like the Super Bowl, Grammys and Oscars. Image courtesy of iStockPhoto, joshblake Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, iStockphoto Tags: Nielsen, social media, stats, tv
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| Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus Coming to AT&T Posted: 22 Mar 2010 08:06 AM PDT 
Despite launching fairly well-received next gen phones (starting with the original Pre back in 2009), the struggling smartphone company is facing questions about its solvency as of late. Sales of the devices are said to be disappointing, as is the company’s share price, which was down below $5 last week. AT&T has yet to reveal when the Palm phones will be available on its network, only that they are due “in the coming months.” AT&T is matching Verizon Wireless‘ pricing for the Pre Plus ($149.99), but offering the Pixi Plus for less ($49.99) with both options requiring a two-year agreement and $100 mail-in rebate. Tags: att, palm, palm pixi plus, palm pre plus
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| Here’s What the Kindle App for iPad Looks Like Posted: 22 Mar 2010 07:47 AM PDT 
For some reason, Amazon repeatedly uses the formulation “Kindle apps for tablet computers (including the iPad)” several times on the official page; perhaps Amazon is implying that iPad is not just another tablet, or maybe it’s preparing for possible rejection of the app — which is definitely a possibility, since it competes with Apple’s iBookstore. As for the features, Amazon promises that apps will be “tailored to the size, look and feel of your tablet computer,” with customizable background, brightness and font. That nifty page turn animation that iPad has? Yep, the Kindle app will have it too (unless you choose to shut it down and use the “Basic Reading Mode”). Furthermore, Kindle for tablets will include Whispersync, with the ability to start reading on one device and continue on another, as well as full access to the Kindle store. Check out some screenshots below.    Tags: amazon, ebooks, ipad, Kindle, trending
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