Google has just unveiled its latest attempt to become more relevant in the social media space: Google Buzz. The product is integrated within Gmail and will be rolled out gradually to all of the webmail service’s users over the next few days.

We’re still digesting all of the implications of Buzz (and will have more coverage throughout the day), but in the meantime, here’s the two-minute demo of the product in action both on the Web and via mobile that Google showed off during today’s press conference:

What are your initial reactions? Another soon-to-be-forgotten Google social product? A FriendFeed clone? A Facebook/Twitter killer? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: Google, google buzz

It’s official: Google has just announced Google Buzz, its newest push into the social media foray. This confirms earlier reports of Gmail integrating a social status feature.

On stage revealing the new product was Bradley Horowitz, Google’s vice president for product management. While introducing the product, Mr. Horowitz focused on the human penchant for sharing experiences and the social media phenomenon of wanting to share it in real time. These two key themes were core philosophies behind Google Buzz.

“It’s becoming harder and harder to find signal in the noise,” Bradley stated before introducing the product manager for Google Buzz, Todd Jackson.

Here are the details:

Google Buzz: The Details

- Mr. Jackson introduced “a new way to communicate within Gmail.” It’s “an entire new world within Gmail.” Then he introduced the five key features that define Google Buzz:

- Key feature #1: Auto-following

- Key feature #2: Rich, fast sharing experience

- Key feature #3: Public and private sharing

- Key feature #4: Inbox integration

- Key feature #5: Just the good stuff

- Google then began the demo. Once you log into Gmail, you’ll be greeted wiht a splash page introducing Google Buzz.

- There is a tab right under the inbox, labeled “Buzz”

- It provides links to websites, content from around the web. Picasa, Twitter, Flickr and other sites are aggregated.

- It shows thumbnails when linked to photos from sites like Picasa and Flickr. Clicking on an image will blow up the images to almost the entire browser, making them easier to see.

- It uses the same keyboard shortcuts as Gmail. This makes sense. Hitting “R” allows you to comment/reply to a buzz post, for example.

- There are public and private settings for different posts. You can post updates to specific contact groups. This is a lot like Facebook friend lists.

- Google wants to make sure you don’t miss comments, so it has a system to send you an e-mail letting you know about updates. However, the e-mail will actually show you the Buzz you’ve created and all of the comments and images associated with it.

- Comments update in real time.

- Google Buzz has a “recommended” feature that will show buzzes from people you don’t follow if your friends are sharing or commenting on that person’s buzz. You can remove it or change this in settings.

- Google is now speaking about using algorithms to help filter conversations, as well as mobile devices related to Buzz.

The Mobile Aspect

- Google buzz will be accessible via mobile in three ways: from Google Mobile’s website, from Buzz.Google.com (iPhone and Android), and from Google Mobile Maps.

- Buzz knows wher you are. It will figure out what building you are and ask you if it’s right.

- Buzz has voice recognition and posts it right onto your buzz in real-time. It also geotags your buzz posts.

- Place pages integrate Buzz.

- In the mobile interface, you can click “nearby” and see what people are saying nearby. NIFTY, if I say so myself.

- You can layer Google Maps with Buzz. You can also associate pictures with buzz within Google Maps.

- Conversation bubbles will appear on your Google Maps. They are geotagged buzz posts, which lets you see what people are saying nearby.

- They just showed off a video for Buzz. We’ll have it up soon.

The Third Act

- Google’s philosophy on social is this: It wants buzz to be the paragon and poster child for creating a social destination in an open environment that adheres to open standards.

- It’s launching at 11:00 a.m. PT in its first wave.

Tags: android, gmail, Google, trending

Facebook has removed its Lexicon analytics app, blogger Steve Rubel noticed last night.

Don’t know what Lexicon was? That’s OK, a lot of people didn’t; it was announced very quietly, but it was a neat tool. You could use Lexicon to see how frequently, and when, certain terms were trending in status updates, just like you can use Google Trends to do the same with search terms.

For example, our own Stan Schroeder was a bit perplexed a couple years back when the word “sex” had a massive spike in usage on May 30, 2008. It was the launch day of the Sex and the City movie in the United States — understandably something a man in another hemisphere might not follow closely.

Unfortunately, those amusing little mysteries and insights are now lost to Facebook users, and Facebook hasn’t provided a satisfactory explanation as to why. The notice that hangs where Lexicon used to be says:

“Thank you for your interest in Lexicon. We are removing the Lexicon product from Facebook for the time being. We may bring components of Lexicon back in the future, but we are focusing development on our analytics tools for Page owners, advertisers and Platform developers.”

Facebook has already launched its analytics tools for Page owners, but it is probably working on expanding them. Still, that doesn’t seem like a sufficient reason for taking down Lexicon. We’ll update here if we learn more.

Tags: analytics, facebook, google trends, lexicon

Susan Payton is the President of Egg Marketing & Public Relations, an internet marketing firm. She blogs at The Marketing Eggspert Blog, and teaches marketing courses at Marketing EggSchool. Follow her on Twitter @eggmarketing.

We all know about Tweetups and online events, but what about events that you didn’t specifically invite the Twitterati to attend? Conferences, meetings and parties are all events that might not have started online, but which can definitely benefit from online promotion and mention.

Leverage your offline event with some smart social media marketing. Here are seven ways you can maximize exposure of your event using online tools.

1. Blog About It

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Before, during and after your event, blog about it. Blogging beforehand can alert others about your event and encourage them to learn more or register to attend. Live blogging during your event can create buzz and excitement for those who were unable to attend (and provide them a snippet of what they missed, which will encourage them to look for your next event). Blogging after can provide a recap, as well as info on upcoming events.

SXSW attendee Allen Stern liveblogged several sessions at the 2009 event. His blog posts are little more than notes from the presentation, but they do a good job of relaying the highlights to readers quickly.

2. Post Photos on Flickr

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Everyone loves seeing photos of themselves (as long as they’re flattering). By posting photos of your event on Flickr and tagging them with people’s names, you can generate interest in your event from the people who attended and those who follow them on various social media channels.

BlogHer posts photos from its conferences and events both in the header on its website and in its Flickr stream. It invites participants to upload their own photos from the events into the Flickr stream, which encourages interaction.

3. Put it on Facebook

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You can also post the photos and tag them on Facebook. The added benefit of doing so on Facebook is that when you tag someone, it appears on their wall. Anyone who is a friend of someone you tagged can see the photo. The idea is that it will lead them to want to learn more about the event (because hey, they want their photo put on Facebook from a cool local event too). Note that you’ll only be able to tag people that you’re connected to.

If your event or company has a Facebook Page, you can include highlights from the event, like quotes from keynotes, activities, awards or even faux pas from speakers.

For even more interaction, visit the profiles of those that attended and leave custom comments: “Hope you got that wine stain out of your blouse. Sorry about that!” “Great comment you made at the keynote presentation!” Etc.

The Wine Conference, an annual event held in Houston, posts updates on the conference to its Facebook Page. Here the event posts logos for its sponsors, photos from events, and blog links about the conference.

4. Post Photos to Twitpic

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Twitpic is a great tool that allows you to take a photo with your phone or camera and upload it directly (via a shortened URL) to Twitter. Anyone following you on Twitter will see your tweet and the link to the photo, and can click to view it.

During your event, what better way to show those not in attendance what they’re missing than by taking photos and sending them in real time? Save your hi-resolution photos to be processed later, but upload snapshots from your phone instantly to create a sense of visual livestreaming as the event is underway.

5. Tweet the Event

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Don’t overlook the best real-time tool in social media for your event. Sending tweets out to your followers is a great way to keep everyone updated on what’s happening. Whether it’s an awards show where you can share the winners before journalists write about them, or a conference where you can tweet soundbites, Twitter is a great tool for connecting people online and offline to your event.

Make sure your organization or business doesn’t have legal objections to you tweeting from the event. If the event covers trade secrets or other sensitive stuff, you may be entangled in more legal issues than you can shake a stick at if you’re not careful. The NFL banned tweeting from football events this season, for example, and is imposing fines for those that violate the ban.

6. Use Hashtags

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The easiest way to track tweets and other mentions of your events on social media platforms is to ask all participants to use a # with a designated keyword or phrase when discussing it.

For example, in 2009, BlogWorld New Media Expo used the hashtag #bwe09 on Twitter to track all mentions of it. Many presentations used this hashtag or one relating to a particular topic as a way to field questions and comments during the presentations. For those unable to attend, following the hashtag was a great way to stay updated on soundbites from the conference.

7. Livestream Your Event

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If your event is a conference or educational platform, consider livestreaming it via web video. Using services like Justin.tv or Ustream.tv, you can broadcast your event live over the Internet. This helps expand your audience and interact with them, even if they are not present in person at your event.

Wrapping it Up

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Remember that you can get the most out of online promotion if you start long before the event. Map out a strategy that includes what you will do prior to the event, during, and after. Ask employees and attendees to assist you by posting their own take on the event through their blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr accounts. Make it as easy as possible for anyone to share their content and photos of your event online.

More social media resources from Mashable:

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- 5 Levels of Effective Communication in the Social Media Age
- Zen and the Art of Twitter: 4 Tips for Productive Tweeting
- The Tao of Tweeting
- How Social Media Has Changed Us
- 5 Tips for Building Lasting Online Friendships
- 4 Steps for Effective Online Networking

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, sjlocke

Tags: blogging, BLOGS, business, event planning, Events, facebook, flickr, justin.tv, List, Lists, live blogging, livestream, livestreaming, MARKETING, small business, social media, social networks, twitter, ustream

In an effort to remind you that WordPress can be just as flexible and e-mail-friendly as Posterous, the company has released a Posterous importer for users who want to “graduate” from the mini-blogging site to “a full blog with the features, flexibility and reliability of WordPress.com.”

The new WordPress.com utility can be found via the Tools section within the Dashboard. All that’s required to run the import is your Posterous host name, user name and password, and it can import all of the following: posts, tags, comments and images.

On the flip side, Posterous has supported the inverse functionality — import from WordPress (and other blog platforms) — for several months, along with an autopost to WordPress option.

Now that you can get your content both in and out of Posterous and WordPress, it seems as if there’s a battle brewing between the two services, which serve overlapping purposes but offer unique advantages. We see the value in both, but we’re curious if WordPress’ we’re-just-as-dead-simple-as-the-other-guys strategy will convince you to switch over. Share your thoughts in the comments.

Tags: posterous, Wordpress

Legendary music festival Bonnaroo is announcing the lineup for its 2010 festival today, and instead of doing so in one fell swoop, the fest is releasing info via its MySpace page all day long.

If you head on over to www.myspace.com/bonnaroo right now, you’ll be greeted with a cartoonish cuckoo clock and what appears to be a flying lightbulb. Every six minutes or so, the clock opens — like something out of The Nutcracker — and a cadre of punkish-looking dudes emerge to reveal another artist who be present at Bonnaroo this June.

Artists will also be making their own announcements over the course of the day (they started at noon, EST) via various social media channels, and the MySpace page will aggregate that list. Tickets also went on sale today — which is a milestone, since this is the first time ticket sales and the line-up announcement have fallen on the same day.

Acts that have already been revealed include: Cross Canadian Ragweed, John Fogerty, Medeski Martin & Wood, Weezer, The Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs performing The Dark Side of the Moon, The Avett Brothers.

While this idea is certainly creative, it is rather messy in essence. Why? Because information about the line-up is currently all over the web like confetti on the sidewalk after New Year’s. Bonnaroo provides no links to individual artist announcements, so if you’re not, say, Rolling Stone (who has a more comprehensive list than the Bonnaroo MySpace page), you’re stuck staring at a rather irritating flying light bulb for six minutes until the page refreshes with a new announcement. I know cubicle culture breeds downtime, but I doubt anyone has the hours — or patience — for that.

Tags: music, myspace, social media

If Dear Abby and your therapist just aren’t cutting it this Valentine’s Day, you can tweet at the world’s longest-married (living) couple, Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher, for the scoop on how to score and sustain love.

That’s right, while some of the older set just can’t wrap their heads around Twitter (unless it’s connected to a fax machine), the Fishers will be all up on the microblogging site this V-Day, dispensing pearls of wisdom to the younger set (for whom the sanctity of marriage has already been destroyed by Facebook). The whole project was dreamed up by blinkbox, which is an on-demand movie and TV website in the UK.

Herbert and Zelmyra — who were married in 1924 and are 104 and 102 years old respectively — are inviting us romantically bankrupt miscreants to visit their Twitter page, @longestmarried, from today until February 12. Simply tweet your question to the pair, who will select 14 questions that they will then answer on February 14.

The couple, who enjoy hanging on their front porch, watching trains pass by, counting cars and talking to their neighbors, are apparently the model of wedded bliss. They each have their own bedroom — so Herbert can stay up late watching baseball. Well, I guess distance does makes the heart grow fonder.

Tags: dating, online dating, twitter, valetine's day

Earlier this morning, the Apple Store was down for a protracted amount of time. That almost always means one thing: Something new was added to the store. This time, it was Aperture 3.

Aperture is Apple’s photo management and editing software for professionals or users who just want more power than Apple’s iPhoto can offer. In many ways, you could call Aperture iPhoto Pro — and that looks like it’s an even more apt description in the latest version.

The software — which is $199 for new users and $99 to upgrade from a previous version of Aperture — lets you organize, edit and export or print all of your photographs.

Aperture 3 adds a bunch of new features, including the Faces and Places features first introduced in iPhoto ‘09. This feature will automatically detect people in your photographs, allowing you to add tags and identify people — which makes exports to Facebook and Flickr pretty simple. The Places feature uses GPS data embedded in your photographs to add location-related data to the photo. This is really cool if you’re on a trip and want to create a supplementary map of all the places you visited and took pictures.

The other big new feature with Aperture 3: It supports video. Photos are still the main focus, but as more and more digital cameras start to feature video and HD video, it makes sense to be able to import all the same data alongside your photographs. You can create a JPEG from a frame, create multimedia slideshows and edit clips. I just got my fiance a Panasonic GF1 micro four-thirds camera that shoots AVCHD Lite. Not having to use different programs to import footage from the card will be a great time-saver.

Even my favorite feature of Aperture — Photo Books — got an upgrade. You can now order extra-large 13×10 books, and Apple added some new book themes. I don’t think I’ve ever given my parents a better gift than the Photo Book that I created with Aperture for Mother’s Day 2008. The print quality was astounding and my parents still keep the book on the coffee table.

Are you a photog or photog in training? What is your favorite photo editing software tool? Let us know!

Tags: aperture, aperture 3, apple, mac, photography, software

TED, the Technology Entertainment Design conference, is renowned for bringing together the world’s smartest and most creative people. TED 2010 starts today in Long Beach, California, and we’ll be bringing you coverage of the event all week.

To help you track the most insightful presentations and news at TED, we’re launching a dedicated TED channel today at mashable.com/ted. Don’t forget to check out the TED channel – or bookmark it – to see what the world’s most influential people are saying about technology and social media innovation.

If you’re new to TED, check out 5 Insightful TED Talks on Social Media to get started.

Special thanks to Nokia for sponsoring the TED channel, which will be featured on Mashable for the next week.

Tags: TED, ted 2010

In honor of the grueling work days in the immediate future and Tom Selleck’s glorious ’stache, we thought it prudent to offer up a list of single-serving Tumblr blogs that are sure to provide you with a much-needed helping of entertainment.

This list is far from comprehensive, seeing as how there’s scores of Tumblrs on the web — with more popping up every day — but it does contain both staff and popular favorites. We know we’ll probably miss a few that you have bookmarked, so please feel free to post them in the comments.

Selleck Waterfall Sandwich

This blog is basically self-explanatory, which isn’t really explaining much. It will leave you oddly hungry — whether it’s for Selleck or the sandwiches is up to you.

Awesome YouTube Comments

Of all the trolls in the land, those who frequent YouTube are by far the most amusing/horrible. Get a daily dose of idiocy and rare lyrical clarity here.

Unhappy Hipsters

OK, so it’s no longer a Tumblr and those aren’t really hipsters (“yuppy” would be more accurate), but this blog is hilarious. If decorating magazines generally put you to sleep, this blog will stir your ventricles back into wakefulness.

Animals With Casts

Come on, if the title alone doesn’t melt your heart, you are obviously made of granite and sitting in a courtyard, pigeons roosting peacefully on your shoulders.

Lunch Bag Art

This dad pimps out his kids’ lunch bags every day with awesome art. Um, can I get a parental upgrade? (And someone else to make me lunch…)

Clients From Hell

Yeah, bosses can be a drag, but what about the people who are supposed to be “always right”? This blog has some real gems…

The Daily What

This pop culture aggregator has everything — weird news, videos and ephemera galore. So many time wasting diversions, so little, well, time.

(via The Daily What, via Delete Yourself)

Slaughterhouse 90210

Page meets primetime with this photo blog, which combines literary quotes with photos from popular TV shows.

F*ck Yeah Indie Boys!

OK, a list of entertaining sites wouldn’t be complete with a little eye candy (and one of the denizens of the “F*ck Yeah!” meme), and seeing as how we covered Sports Illustrated models last week, I thought we needed a little something for the ladies. Incidentally, there’s a version for the gents as well.

Tags: blog, pop culture, tumblr

Navigon’s MobileNavigator, one of the first iPhone apps to offer real turn-by-turn GPS navigation, has established itself as one of the best such applications available for Apple’s smartphone.

The latest version of the app (available here) has an option to alert your buddies to your current location via Facebook or Twitter. It also adds an option called MyRoutes, which enables you to create custom routes according to your needs and habits. Finally, Panorama View 3D gives you a 3D terrain view, based on NASA’s data.

The price of the app itself is currently $20 cheaper than before: $69.99. However, if you want live traffic information that’ll cost you an extra $19.99 (promotional price, applies only until the 15th of February), and the Panorama View 3D will cost you an additional $9.99. Put all that together, and it’s 100 bucks; not exactly cheap, but it’ll definitely buy you a full-featured navigation package on your iPhone.

Tags: facebook, iphone, Mobile 2.0, Navigon, twitter

Back in September, cloud content management provider Box.net rolled out its OpenBox Mobile platform, thereby allowing developers — and users — to access and integrate Box.net’s cloud storage with their own files and applications. Today the company is releasing a bunch of new updates that enhance mobile collaboration.

New iPhone App

Box.net was one of the first collaboration companies to enter the iPhone space, back in October of 2008. Since that time, the company has been working hard to bring the Box.net experience to your pocket. The new version of the Box.net iPhone app adds a bunch of new features that go a long way to achieving that goal.

Box.net 2.0 adds in file preview (similar to the enhancements rolled out last month for the full site), the ability to comment and view comments on files or folders, the ability to share files or folders straight from the app, and the ability to view updates to an account or project.

In the last 18 months, we’ve watched as Box.net has transitioned from a cloud storage solution into an entire cloud-based content management system. At this point, Box.net is actively pitting itself against Microsoft’s SharePoint for small and large business users.

Quickoffice Integration

This is where Box.net gets cool. One of the long-touted benefits of the cloud is that it is location agnostic. So if I’m in Miami, San Francisco, New York or Atlanta, I can access my files — even if I’m not using the same computer at each location. When it comes to mobile solutions, however, while Google Docs is doing what it can — especially on the Android platform — to bring in the mobile editing experience to docs stored in the cloud, most of the existing solutions are tied to local files on your phone.

This is why it’s awesome that Box.net is integrating with the Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite. That means you can edit Word and Excel files on your Box.net account on your phone and save the changes back to your Box account, all within Quickoffice for the iPhone. This is a huge boon for business users. And when you think about the power of something like this when paired with Apple’s upcoming iPad, the possibilities become fantastic.

The Quickoffice app that offers Box.net integration will be available shortly in the App Store. If you already use Quickoffice, check your updates — it’s coming!

New Mobile APIs

One of the things I’ve always liked about Box.net has been its OpenBox platform. This allows Box.net to plug into other web services like Salesforce.com. When OpenBox Mobile launched in September, developers were given the opportunity to add support for Box.net storage and file integration into their own apps.

A number of applications have done just that — including my favorite PDF reader, GoodReader. Now Box.net is expanding its developer APIs to add in more options for search, commenting, update notification and other ways to plug into the Box.net ecosystem.

Developers can check out Box.net/developers for more information and to access the OpenBox Mobile APIs. I think that GTD and to-do apps that could integrate with Box.net could be absolutely killer. Think how great it would be if you could add in a link to a file on your Box.net account when crafting a to-do or setting a meeting agenda.

Mobile Matters

The biggest benefits of cloud-based storage — and really cloud computing in general — isn’t really visible at the end-user until you leave the workstation and embrace being location agnostic. This is what mobile integration does. We expect more and more companies to follow in Box’s footsteps and add mobile integration at the API level to their cloud-based products.

What do you think about mobile computing paired with cloud storage? Let us know!

Tags: box.net, cloud computing, iphone, openbox mobile

comScore has released a report on the state of the US mobile market from September to December 2009, and it shows that the recently established trends of Android and iPhone growth don’t show signs of ceasing.

In December 2009 RIM was still the leading mobile smartphone operating system in the U.S., with 41.6% market share, a slight drop from 42.6% from September 2009. Apple has risen from 24.1% to 25.3% in that same period, and Google, although still in the fifth place, has doubled its market share – from 2.5% to 5.2%.

Microsoft lost one percentage point and dropped to 18% share, but the biggest loser of the bunch was Palm, which dropped from 8.3% to 6.1%, despite recent price cuts which made their smartphones one of the cheapest on the market. If Palm doesn’t do something to reverse this trend, it may soon be looking at the back of Android, which is growing like a weed, both in the US and internationally.

[Image credit: comScore]

Tags: android, apple, Google, iphone, microsoft, palm, RIM

Whenever Apple Store goes down, it’s a moment of geek bliss, especially if you like Apple products. What will Apple launch this time? Will they just announce minor changes to some of their Macbooks, or do they have something really interesting in store for us this time?

In any case, the Store is down now, so feel free to share your guesses on what’s coming once it goes back up again. Let’s just hope it’s not common maintenance.

Tags: apple, Apple Store

There’s no denying it: Google’s Nexus One, although being one of the best Android-based smartphones on the market, isn’t selling well.

One of the reasons behind sluggish sales is lack of true customer support. Who does an owner of a Nexus One turn to in case of trouble? HTC, the phone’s manufacturer, mobile network operator, or Google itself? This issue is still not solved, but at least now Google gave customers live phone support.

Live phone support is available at 888-48NEXUS (63987) and it works from 07:00am to 10:00pm PST; unfortunately, you can’t request tech support, as this line seems to be limited to status and shipping issues. Furthermore, as an international user, my best bet is still going through online forums in case of problems. Google is getting better at this, as they finally realized that providing proper support for a smartphone is a not as easy as launching a support website. Still, Google has a long way to go to make Nexus One users really happy.

Tags: Google, nexus one, smartphone

Hello, Hollywood. On the heels of the Foursquare-Bravo TV deal, news of several additional major media partnerships involving the location-based social networking app have dropped this evening.

According to various reports, Zagat, Warner Bros., HBO, the History Channel and ExploreChicago have all been added to Foursquare’s media and entertainment mix. Here are the partnerships that appear to be live or coming very soon:

Zagat

The New York Times is reporting that Foursquare has signed a deal with trusted restaurant review service Zagat. Zagat’s official Foursquare page is already live and includes official Zagat-rated tips and recommendations that users can add as to-dos to their Foursquare experience.

Zagat is calling the partnership “Foodie Love,” and there’s even a new accompanying foodie badge. Zagat.com is extending the partnership beyond Foursquare and starting a “Meet the Mayor” online interview series that will feature discussions with prominent Foursquare mayors.

Foursquare’s relationship with Zagat is clearly an answer to Yelp’s introduction of check-ins, especially given the trusted and prestigious nature of Zagat content.

Warner Bros.

Earlier this evening we received some intel in our inbox about a Warner Bros. partnership with Foursquare around the studio’s upcoming movie, Valentine’s Day. Per Foursquare’s other big media partners, the deal includes content in the form of tips and to-dos, but these are centered around romance and Valentine’s Day activities. Of course, it wouldn’t be Foursquare without a badge to go with the campaign.

The Valentine’s Day Foursquare page includes text that reads, “Visit and check-in on Foursquare at any of the locations on our Valentine’s Day inspired list of the most romantic places in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston to get a Valentine’s Day badge! Then go see the movie, in theaters on February 12!”

HBO

We found HBO’s Foursquare How to Make it in America page via AdAge. The series premieres on February 14, and although HBO isn’t ready to go on the record about its Foursquare relationship, a page packed with show-related tips is already live. The deal appears to be structured in a similar fashion as the others, and includes the addition of show-specific badges for “Culture, Living, Cocktails and Nightlife.”

The idea seems to be that viewers can turn fiction into reality and live like the show’s main characters, Ben and Cam, who are “two enterprising Brooklyn twentysomethings hustl[ing] their way through New York City, determined to achieve the American Dream.”

More Major Media Deals

AdAge is also reporting that the History Channel is exploring similar options with Foursquare, and thanks to a tip sent in via e-mail, we uncovered an ExploreChicago page that is reminiscent of Metro News’ relationship with the location-based game.

ExploreChicago happens to be Chicago’s official tourism site, and the deal includes three Chicago-themed Foursquare badges (which we believe to be the ones above) that users can unlock by checking-in across the city.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, janrysavy

Tags: entertainment, explorechicago, Film, foursquare, hbo, MARKETING, media, social media, trending, tv, warner bros, zagat

In last week’s Faceoff Series we asked about music consumption models: Do Mashable readers prefer to own their entire music collections or do some of you gravitate toward subscription services?

One week later and the results are in: Ownership wins the day at a full 50% of the vote. Of all our past Faceoffs, though, this edition had one of the highest “tie” votes constituting people who really like both models. The music subscription model still came in second place behind ownership at 28% of the vote, but the “Tie: I like them both!” option was very close behind at 22%.

The results seem to indicate both a growing contingent of folks warming up to the idea of music subscription services, and the idea that there could be room in the market for both approaches to be sustainable business models. Which option got your vote in our poll, and why? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: music, polls, social media, subscription, web faceoff

This isn’t the way you should learn about the death of your 17 year old brother.

According to Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph, twins Angela and Maryanne Vourlis had just woken up on their 20th birthday. Like most young adults, they logged onto Facebook to check their walls and inboxes for birthday greetings.

Instead of finding happy birthday wishes, the two twins found messages of “RIP Bobby” (their brother) and “RIP Chris Naylor” (a friend of his) all across their Facebook news feeds. Completely shocked, baffled, and hurt, the two rang their brother’s phone in the hopes it was a mistake. It was to no avail.

Next, they rang their mother. While she didn’t receive any word from the police or others about Bobby or Chris Naylor, she did know that Bobby was with his friend that night. After a call to the police, they confirmed what they had learned on Facebook: that Bobby Vourlis was dead. He passed away along with Chris Naylor in a fatal car accident that also took the life of a third teenage passenger.

You can read the whole heartbreaking story over at the Daily Telegraph, but it’s clear that the real-time nature of the web spread information far faster than even the police or phone calls could. While we understand it takes time to identify victims and send an officer to a residence to inform family of the news, the process can simply take too long in today’s world.

We offer our condolences to both families for the tragedy they are enduring. We could not imagine learning about it the way they did.

[via CNET]

Tags: Brothers, death, facebook, Twins

Award-winning director (and three-time Oscar nominee) David Lynch (of Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks fame) and the David Lynch Foundation Television have teamed up with mobile video marketer Mogreet to bring video MMS messages to Lynch fans.

We spoke with Mogreet and the David Lynch Foundation about the technology, the purpose of the campaign and how the DLF is using social media and technology to further its message.

Spreading a Message With Mobile Video

The ever-increasing pace of smartphone adoption only underscores the growing importance of mobility. As we’ve seen with everything from mobile app stores to the Red Cross’s text message for Haiti campaign, mobile is an extremely valuable platform for brands and nonprofits to get their messages across.

Video is an important communication driver, too, and when you combine the two technologies together, you end up with something potentially amazing.

Last month, we wrote about Thwapr, a company that specializes in doing mobile-to-mobile video. We see mobile video messaging as something that’s only going to continue to grow, especially as more and more companies realize just how many users are able to actually view video on their phones.

One of the companies that is really focused on mobile video marketing is Mogreet. Mogreet works with companies so that they can send video MMS messages to users that request their information. Because virtually every mobile phone sold since 2005 or so can support MMS messages that include video playback, the potential audience for these sorts of messages is huge.

I spoke with James Citron, the CEO of Mogreet, and he told me that the company has more than 2,700 device profiles in its database, meaning that if you have a cell phone, chances are, it can play one of Mogreet’s video MMS messages. Each video is encoded in a variety of different formats and it is sent to phones in the best format for that phone, so that users of an iPhone get a different experience than someone using a Motorola Razr, but each user gets the best possible experience for his or her device.

While this has primarily been used for commercial advertisers, Mogreet is interested in getting into the non-profit space too, because that’s perhaps an even better market for this sort of service. Think about it, what if you could donate and then get a video message back showing someone who is helped by your donation saying thanks? Or what if you could see what is going on in Haiti or some other place that needs aid? The non-profit organization’s message might be that much more powerful. After all, images often speak louder than words.

To that end, Mogreet decided to work with the David Lynch Foundation and bring some of Lynch’s talents — and messages — to his fans.

David Lynch Goes Mobile

The David Lynch Foundation Television is dedicated to documenting programs that awaken creativity and transform lives. To that end, the foundation has a website, DLF.TV, that has lots of video content of David Lynch and of people the Foundation has helped, as well as of other artists and friends who have support the Foundation’s vision.

The first mobile video message that the DLF will be sending to fans is of a short film that Lynch directed featuring the musician and artist Ariana Delawari. Delawari’s debut album, Lion of Panjshir was recorded in Kabul and Los Angeles, and reflects the cultures of both places. Delawari’s decision to return to Afghanistan in 2007 to record the album influenced her work and its overall sound. Like Lynch, Delawari is a student of transcendental mediation and like Lynch, it has also influenced her life and her work.

Lynch directed a six-minute short showing off Delawari’s style and voice. The style is unmistakable Lynch, from the background to the sound mix to the camera angles. It’s also a piece that works well when viewing on the web or on a mobile phone.

To spread the word about Delawari — and to kick off a mobile-type of initiative — fans can text ‘LYNCH’ to 647338.

It’s an interesting approach to spread a message from an always-interesting director. It’s also something we expect to be a growing trend, especially as nonprofits start to embrace the power of mobile.

What do you think about mobile video? Are you a fan of David Lynch? What do you think of this initiative? Let us know!

Tags: david lynch, MMS, Mobile 2.0, video, video messaging, web video

Update: Netflix contacted CNET and retracted its statement regarding plans for 1080p streaming, saying it has no plans for 1080p this year. However, the company stood its ground on the 5.1 surround sound plans, so you can still keep your ears open for that upgrade.

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Netflix plans to bump the video quality of its Watch Instantly streaming service up to 1080p on some devices, CNET claims. It will also roll out 5.1 surround sound support. Both upgrades will occur by next year.

Currently, Netflix Watch Instantly is available in 720p HD on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, and some set-top boxes. 1080p is a much higher resolution, and the existing devices don’t stream Netflix content with 5.1 surround sound.

Netflix’s CEO has in the past predicted that streaming will overtake DVD-by-mail as the company’s main business. The library keeps on growing — for example, the Criterion Collection just contributed a ton of art-house and foreign films — and the number of devices you can watch the content on is growing too.

No time frame for the upgrade has been given, but the core technology that powers Netflix Watch Instantly — Microsoft Silverlight — got the capability last year. You can already watch 1080p streams on the Xbox 360 through the Zune Marketplace using Silverlight.

In some ways, streaming stole HD’s thunder. While the high definition digital video disc format Blu-ray was counting on viewers’ interest in quality, it turned out that more users have been interested in the convenience of watching content when and where they want. That has meant a sacrifice in resolution among other things, but 1080p Netflix is a first step towards closing the gap between quality and convenience.

The highly compressed 1080p streams that are possible over the United States’ broadband infrastructure are still not high enough on the quality scale to beat Blu-ray head-to-head, but they will still be better than most people are used to.

Tags: 1080p, netflix

What was your favorite moment during the Super Bowl? Was it the fast-paced game or the ads that got your attention?

If the ads caught your eye, which moment stood out for you? If it was the game, which play was most memorable? Why did it stick with you? We want to know!

FLO TV, which ran its “Moments” commercial as one of the Super Bowl ads this year, has provided three FLO TV Personal Televisions (value: $290 each with 6 months free service) as prizes for this contest.

To enter, leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite Super Bowl moment of 2010, either during the game or the ads. We’ll pick three winners based on the originality, humor and creativity of your comment.

Because FLO TV works in the US, this contest is US-only. The contest will run for 24 hours and winners will be notified via email by Friday February 12.

About the Prize: FLO TV Personal Television

The FLO TV is a way to watch TV on the go. Here’s how the company describes the device:

FLO TV brings live mobile TV to the small screen. The FLO TV service combines the best content, an intuitive user interface and a superior multicast network to deliver a true quality TV viewing experience for consumers. FLO TV offers full–length simulcast and time–shifted programming from the world’s best entertainment brands, including ABC, CBS, CNBC, COMEDY CENTRAL, Disney Channel, ESPN, FOX, FOX News Channel, FOX Sports, FUEL TV, MSNBC, MTV, NBC 2Go and many more.

The FLO TV Personal Television is available through Amazon.com, Best Buy and RadioShack among other leading retailers at a suggested MSRP of $199 and comes with 6 months free service, for a total retail value of about $288.94 USD.

Disclosures: FLO TV is not a Mashable sponsor or partner. Mashable and its staff receive no payment or incentives for running this contest.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Willard

Tags: contest, flo tv, moments, Super Bowl, Superbowl

We’ve already looked at how on-air Super Bowl advertisers fared with audiences during the Big Game, but how did online viewers react to the spots? Check out which ads were the biggest winners — or losers — with the Hulu crowd.

The 2010 Super Bowl was a big win for more than just the New Orleans Saints, CBS scored big-time, too, garnering the biggest Super Bowl audience on record, and, with 106 million U.S. households tuned in, the most-watched television program of all time. That means a lot of eyes were on the ads — both online and on-air. And now more than ever, we can ascertain almost instantly how these commercials resonated with viewers.

Similar to YouTube’s AdBlitz channel, Hulu’s AdZone features all of the nationwide Super Bowl spots and lets viewers vote, Siskel & Ebert-style (that’s thumbs-up or thumbs-down) on which ads worked and which ads fell flat. You can even see how many users from different demographics and locations liked or disliked certain ads, and you can compare those metrics with other ads.

Hulu explains the whole process in its blog, and voting continues until tomorrow night should you choose to check it out. Still, Hulu shared some of the rating charts with us (at least as they stand right now), and we think the results are pretty interesting:

Motorola clearly scored big time with its Megan Fox photo ad. Why? Not only is it the most-viewed commercial, it is the fifth most “liked” ad and the third most “disliked” ad. That’s some pretty serious buzz.

Other big winners? Doritos’ “House Rules” ad got high marks from viewers and racked up the online views. Likewise, Google’s big Super Bowl ad played well with audiences and got lots of views.

Proving that controversy does indeed lead to viewership, Focus on the Family’s Tim Tebow ad is one of the most watched, even if it is also the most disliked.

What was your favorite ad from the Big Show? Least favorite? Let us know!

Tags: ads, hulu, MARKETING, Super Bowl, super bowl as, video

There’s some good news and some bad news. First, the good news: sources tell Engadget that multitouch browsing will be added to the Motorola Droid in its next software update.
Multitouch was one of the most requested features on Android, at least until the Nexus One gained multitouch browsing last week.

The bad news: the update won’t add the ability to install live wallpapers, a coveted feature of Android 2.1 seen in the Nexus One.

The point of live wallpaper is essentially to let your homescreen behave like an application, making it animated and interactive. Live wallpapers have the same access to the platform functionality that apps do, giving your homescreen the ability to change dynamically and to bring relevant information to the background of your phone. There’s no word on when or even if the Droid might support live wallpaper, but it looks like it won’t be included in this upcoming update.

Other tidbits from the new build — based on Android 2.1 version 1 — include pre-installed Google Goggles experimental visual search, and versions of the news and weather widgets first included with the Nexus One.

The official word on the street from Motorola is that the new update will roll out this week, so it won’t be long now before Droid users finally get to enjoy the multitouch browsing experience their Nexus One counterparts have been privy to since last week.

Tags: android, android 2.1, droid, live wallpaper, Motorola, multitouch, verizon

iPhone repair shop iResQ claims that it has the front panel component of the next iteration of Apple’s iPhone, and it has posted a few photos to demonstrate a couple of ways the handset will differ from its predecessor.

If these pics are legit, then the new iPhone will actually be one-fourth of an inch taller than all of the previous three models. Presumably this is to make room for a new component — or more than one new component.

iResQ also observes that the front panel has a “reflective, mirror-like surface” near the top of the phone, and speculates that this is a relocated proximity sensor. The current iPhone’s proximity sensor is used to detect when you’re holding the phone up to your ear. If you are, it shuts off the screen to save battery life and to avoid blinding you with light.

If the reflective surface is the proximity sensor, then Apple might be planning to use the sensor for other functions as well.

If Apple is planning to launch a new iPhone this year, it will likely be announced at WWDC this June. We’ll have to wait until then to see if these photos are real. Take a look at the photos below, but remember that it’s best to pile this in with the rest of the rumors for now.

[via MacRumors]

Tags: apple, iphone, iphone 4g, trending

While the Nook — Barnes & Noble’s $259 e-reader and Kindle rival — has been available for purchase online since November, it has yet to be sold in the company’s brick-and-mortar stores. Come Wednesday, however, that will all change.

The New York Times is reporting, “Barnes & Noble, the country’s largest bookselling chain, said that its Nook electronic reading device would be available for purchase in its stores starting Wednesday.”

Barnes & Noble originally made a big splash with its Nook announcement in late October, but its digital book reader has since been met with mixed reviews and suffered from stock shortage problems around the holidays.

The push to finally get the Nook in Barnes & Noble stores is likely the result of the hoopla involving Apple’s iPad. As Google is learning via lackluster Nexus One sales, consumers haven’t exactly embraced the online-only purchase model when it comes to electronics. With its physical debut coming several months prior to the iPad’s, Barnes & Noble might have an opportunity to land key sales before consumers can hold the iPad for themselves.

Tags: barnes & noble, ereader, nook

The 2010 Technology Entertainment Design conference will be kicking off tomorrow in Long Beach, California, bringing the leading minds of many fields together to talk shop about innovation, change, and what the future holds.

As social media has become a game changer for industries across the board, you can bet the experts at this year’s TED conference will have their sights set on peeling back the hype and getting at the core of what social technology has in store for this year and beyond.

Perhaps the best part of the TED conferences is that videos of the talks are archived and free to view right on the organization’s website. Given the wealth of insight we’re sure to see tomorrow, we thought we’d whet your appetite by highlighting a few recent and exceptional talks from TED’s past, with a focus on social media.

1. Alexis Ohanian: How To Make a Splash in Social Media

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We’ll start things off with a real-life social media parable about how the biggest and most effective forces on the web usually take shape by accident. Alexis Ohanian of Reddit.com tells the quick and hilarious story of how the social web provided some unexpected help to Greenpeace in halting the Japanese whaling industry. Internet marketers take note: The meme is all powerful, and it cannot be controlled.

2. Clay Shirky: How Social Media Can Make History

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In this talk, consultant, professor and author Clay Shirky discusses the unprecedented immediacy of real-time citizen journalism made possible by social media and the nearly ubiquitous access to mobile web technologies. From the election crisis in Iran to the massive earthquake that shook China in May of 2008, Shirky discusses how media is made on the ground, as-it-happens, via the social web.

3. Evan Williams: Listening to Twitter Users

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With a couple of anecdotes building the ultimate social media case study, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams discusses how a little side project called Twitter became a game-changing phenomenon with the help and input of the very users who made the service a success. From innovative marketing uses to core functionality, Williams provides the evidence for what we knew all along: Users know best.

4. Stefana Broadbent: How the Internet Enables Intimacy

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As social media changes our social lives, speculation has abounded for years on how the web may be disconnecting us from intimate interactions in favor of meaningless quests to rack up followers and “friends.” Not so, says Stefana Broadbent, who explains that social networks function the same way online as they do in real life. While we may have lots of friends, we only really communicate regularly and meaningfully with a handful of them, and social technologies like e-mail, texting, and tweeting allow us to do so more often across time and space.

5. Seth Godin: The Tribes We Lead

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From professional sports mascots to balloon animal makers, some communities are so extremely niche that they could only properly thrive on the Internet. So argues blogger and author Seth Godin, who believes that our revolutionary new connectedness has brought human culture back to its roots, and that tribes (groups of people mobilized around a shared interest) are the present and future of all web content.

What are your favorite TED talks about social media? Which did we miss? Let us know in the comments.

Tags: future, List, Lists, social media, social networks, technology, TED, TED Talks, twitter, video

In this week’s Free Music Monday we offer you 10 free downloadable MP3s (or the occasional full album) for your eclectic listening pleasure. If you haven’t checked out Free Music Monday before, we’re giving away free and legal tracks in honor of the #musicmonday tradition on Twitter.

We also gladly accept your submissions for Free Music Monday — please find information about how to submit your tracks or music from artists you represent at the end of this post. Now without further ado, let’s roll some tracks!

1. [DOWNTEMPO] Cosmo D’s Sauce: “Metroid (Brynstar)” — Jazzy horns and downtempo beats from one of several acts from the Brooklyn-based Smoothe Moose label and artist collective. Right-click to download this track, and grab lots more from Smoothe Moose’s mixtapes at Soundcloud. The We Love Video Game Music sampler featuring this track is also embedded below for streaming and download.

Smoothe Moose Mixtape #3 – We Love Video Game Music by smoothemoose

2. [OPERA] The Knife: “Colouring of Pigeons” — It’s The Knife like they’ve been heard before. Right-click to snag a track from the electro-opera the brother and sister duo were commissioned to compose, Tomorrow, In a Year, based on the infamous Charles Darwin text The Origin of Species. The digital release on the 92-minute opera is out now, with the two-CD physical album to arrive March 1.

3. [STONER ROCK] Ancestors: “The Ambrose Law” — If you like Sabbath-influenced progressive rock, right-click to check out this track from L.A.’s Ancestors. [via Stoner Rock]

4. [ELECTRONICA] Four Tet: “Essential Mix” — Almost two hours’ worth of mixes and remixes are included in this set from UK’s Kieran Hebden, better known as Four Tet. Download the entire set from Soundcloud or from the streaming player below.

Essential mix (January 2010) by Four Tet

5. [ROCK] Martha and the Muffins: “Don’t Say Anything” — To get your free download from the recently released new album Delicate (their first studio release in 18 years), head on over to MatM’s site to sign up for the mailing list and get a copy of “Don’t Say Anything” from these Toronto-based rockers.

6. [INDIE] Thunderhawk: “King Basement” — Get your right-click on to snag a track from the forthcoming VI release from Indianapolis’ Thunderhawk, slated to drop in March. Check out more about the band on their MySpace page and at Standard Recording.

7. [EXPERIMENTAL] Primary Colors of Sound: “bAg” — Chill, downtempo beats characterize this experimental electronic outfit, who offer a free download of the track “bAg” along with several others on their iLike artist page.

8. [GUITAR ROCK] Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity: “Three Angels” — Songwriter, guitarist and Electrokitty Studios owner Gary Reynolds has embarked on an ambitious plan to release a new track per week and a full-length album every month in 2010. New tracks go up every Monday, and you can always download the latest on Gary and the band’s website. This week’s track is “Three Angels,” described as “religion and spacemen done to a Zeppelin style groove and a nice backwards guitar solo.”

9. [DUBSTEP] Derivate: “L2 (Beto Narme’s Dense Subspace Remix)” — Netlabel Sublime Porte from Istanbul offers this remix (right-click to download) of Derivate’s recent EP, Lagrange Points I. You can also download the release in its entirety at Sublime Porte, plus follow the label for future releases on Twitter.

10. [SINGER/SONGWRITER] GarageSpin: “Spinning Daydream” — This track about “embracing all experiences in life, good and bad” from singer/songwriter and music blogger Mike B, recording and blogging as GarageSpin, is available for the low cost of your right-click. Snag another free track and free stream from the GarageSpin Music page.

As always, thank you for tuning in to Free Music Monday! If you like this feature, please help us out by sharing it with your music-loving friends. You can always find the latest edition of this feature by hitting up the Free Music Monday tag page, so please check back. We’ve appended the list of past Free Music Mondays at the end of this post in case you missed any of the back catalog.

Big thanks to everyone for the great submissions we’re getting. If you sent us tracks and we haven’t featured them yet, stay tuned for a future Free Music Monday. If you’d like to submit tracks for yourself or an artist you represent, give us a shout at barb AT mashable DOT com. Be sure to send us an MP3 or two we can use (no more than 25MB file size total please) or send us a link to listen to tracks you’re willing to provide as a free download. Thanks everyone!

P.S. Bonus tip: They’re not “free” but they are low cost — be sure to check out Amazon’s 100 albums for $5 through February.

Free Music Monday Back Catalog

- Alternative Rock Edition
- Covers, Remixes, and Mashups Edition
- Electronica Edition
- Free Downloads for Your Ears (Feb. 1, 2010)
- Fresh and Free Downloads (Jan. 25, 2010)
- Hip-hop Edition
- Labor Day Edition
- Live Edition
- Rock and Pop Edition
- Singer-Songwriter Edition
- Video Edition
- Your Submissions Edition
- Your Submissions, All Downloads Edition

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Reviews: Opera

Tags: downloads, free music monday, mp3s, music

]]> http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/free-music-monday-downloads-2/feed/ http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/free-music-monday-downloads-2/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Mashable/~3/za0ia5mQW_A/ http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/bandize/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:18:02 +0000 Samuel Axon http://mashable.com/?p=203790 <p><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/bandize/&service=bit.ly"></a>This post is part of Mashable&#8217;s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details <a href="http://mashable.com/bizspark">here</a>. The series is made possible by <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.microsoftstartupzone.com/BizSpark/Pages/At_a_Glance.aspx?WT.mc_id=MSZ_Mashable_posts">Microsoft BizSpark.</a></p><p> <a href="http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/bandizelogo.jpg"></a>Name: <a href="http://bandize.com/" target="_blank">Bandize</a></p><p> Quick Pitch: Online DIY organization and management business tools for musicians, bands, band managers and record labels.</p><p> Genius Idea: Bandize, which will be unveiled at <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/sxsw">South By Southwest</a>, is an idea so sharp that you&#8217;re likely to wonder why it hasn&#8217;t already been done. And to some extent, it has; many of its features have appeared in web or desktop apps before, but not in such a complete and cohesive package.</p><p>Managing an independent music act (like, say, a punk rock band) is like owning a small business. Bandize helps managers and band members collaborate on all the critical data related to their work, from merchandise sales to event schedules to important contact information.</p><p>If you already know the world of online workplace collaboration tools, think of it as a <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/37signals/">Basecamp or Backpack</a> for bands. Tasks can be assigned to band members and you can track their productivity to make sure every one is pulling his or her weight. And if someone pitches in a little extra — like if he or she lends the band some money for gas — you can keep track of that and make sure that person is compensated.</p><p>The obvious features are all here, of course. You can schedule tour dates and track how much money you&#8217;ve made with merchandise sales. But one feature that sets Bandize apart is the ability to track how well each piece of merchandise is selling at each venue. You can see if one T-shirt tends to be more popular than another when your band plays in Austin so you can plan to bring more of that same merch the next time you have a date there.</p><p><a href="http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/merchsales3.jpg"></a></p><p>You can also use Bandize to manage your contacts. If someone is associated with a particular venue, you can tag him or her with that venue, and when you print out day sheets at each venue, his or her contact info will be included. If you already have a lot of contacts, you can import them from various sources like Outlook, Google Contacts or a vcard. There are a bunch of other smaller features like poster printing, file storage, and more accounting and contact management tools.</p><p>Bandize is currently in beta testing, and you can get a 30-day trial for your band right now. After the trial, it will cost $15 each month.</p><p>Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark</p><p><a href="http://www.microsoftstartupzone.com/BizSpark/Pages/At_a_Glance.aspx?WT.mc_id=MSZ_Mashable_posts"></a>BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can <a href="http://mashable.com/bizspark">sign up today</a>.</p><p>Entrepreneurs can take advantage of the <a href="http://www.azure.com/" target="_blanK">Azure Services platform</a> for their website hosting and storage needs. Microsoft recently announced the <a href="http://www.newcloudapp.com/" target="_blank">&#8220;new CloudApp()&#8221; contest</a> &#8211; use the Azure Services Platform for hosting your .NET or PHP app, and you could be the lucky winner of a USD 5000* (<a href="http://www.newcloudapp.com/official-rules.html" target="_blank">please see website for official rules and guidelines</a>).”</p><p>Reviews: <a href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/337165-PHP" target="_blank">PHP</a></p><p>Tags: <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/bandize/">bandize</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/bizspark/">bizspark</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/music/">music</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/startups/">startups</a></p> <img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/bandize/" alt="" />

This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.

Name: Bandize

Quick Pitch: Online DIY organization and management business tools for musicians, bands, band managers and record labels.

Genius Idea: Bandize, which will be unveiled at South By Southwest, is an idea so sharp that you’re likely to wonder why it hasn’t already been done. And to some extent, it has; many of its features have appeared in web or desktop apps before, but not in such a complete and cohesive package.

Managing an independent music act (like, say, a punk rock band) is like owning a small business. Bandize helps managers and band members collaborate on all the critical data related to their work, from merchandise sales to event schedules to important contact information.

If you already know the world of online workplace collaboration tools, think of it as a Basecamp or Backpack for bands. Tasks can be assigned to band members and you can track their productivity to make sure every one is pulling his or her weight. And if someone pitches in a little extra — like if he or she lends the band some money for gas — you can keep track of that and make sure that person is compensated.

The obvious features are all here, of course. You can schedule tour dates and track how much money you’ve made with merchandise sales. But one feature that sets Bandize apart is the ability to track how well each piece of merchandise is selling at each venue. You can see if one T-shirt tends to be more popular than another when your band plays in Austin so you can plan to bring more of that same merch the next time you have a date there.

You can also use Bandize to manage your contacts. If someone is associated with a particular venue, you can tag him or her with that venue, and when you print out day sheets at each venue, his or her contact info will be included. If you already have a lot of contacts, you can import them from various sources like Outlook, Google Contacts or a vcard. There are a bunch of other smaller features like poster printing, file storage, and more accounting and contact management tools.

Bandize is currently in beta testing, and you can get a 30-day trial for your band right now. After the trial, it will cost $15 each month.

---

Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark

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BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

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).”

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Reviews: PHP

Tags: bandize, bizspark, music, startups

]]> http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/bandize/feed/ http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/bandize/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Mashable/~3/Rc_a4mTpIFI/ http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/onion-ring-facebook-meme-beats-justin-bieber/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:42:23 +0000 Brenna Ehrlich http://mashable.com/?p=203736 <p><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/onion-ring-facebook-meme-beats-justin-bieber/&service=bit.ly"></a><a href="http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/onionring.jpg"></a>Forget <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/01/29/doppelganger-week-facebook/">doppelgangers</a> and <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/02/03/facebook-urban-dictionary-week/">Urban Dictionary definitions</a>, the newest <a href="http://mashable.com/social-media/facebook">Facebook</a> meme is, undoubtedly, &#8220;Can this [Insert random thing] Get More Fans Than [Insert Famous Person]?&#8221; The latest victim? Pop singer Justin Bieber, who is apparently much beloved with the young folks (and <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/02/01/mom-justin-bieber-tat/">their mothers</a>). The victor? An onion ring.</p><p>The fried food thoroughly trounced the Canadian pop star on February 6, according to the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=can+this+onion+ring+get+more+fans+than+justin+bieber&#038;init=quick#!/pages/Can-this-Onion-Ring-get-more-fans-than-Justin-Bieber/285409781939?ref=search&#038;sid=2401404.2856880751..1" target="_blank">fan page</a>, which was created by Facebook user Toby Brittan.</p><p>Bieber Fan Count: 1,648,758 fans</p><p>Onion Ring Fan Count: 2,152,536 fans</p><p>Brittan founded the page on February 1, and according to <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/slackberry-cull-of-one-alfred-place-members-1891477.html" target="_blank">The Independent</a>, the 16-year-old &#8212; who is the son of British businesswoman Sharon Brittan &#8212; has even been approached by advertisers wanting to strike up some business on the page.</p><p>Similar pages and spin-offs are already in abundance. In fact, the onion ring soon went on to beat out <a href="http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=can+this+onion+ring+get+more+fans+than&#038;init=quick#!/pages/Can-this-Onion-Ring-get-more-fans-than-Stephen-Harper/282298836447?ref=search&#038;sid=2401404.1666862733..1" target="_blank">Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper</a>.</p><p>Despite these political aspirations, the meme mostly targets pop culture figures such as Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers, as well as the Twilight films. The challengers? Everything from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=get+more+fans+than&#038;init=quick#!/HTpurplemonster?ref=search&#038;sid=2401404.27206929..1" target="_blank">purple monsters</a> to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=get+more+fans+than&#038;init=quick#!/pages/can-this-sausage-roll-get-more-fans-than-cheryl-cole/293965221672?ref=search&#038;sid=2401404.27206929..1" target="_blank">sausage rolls</a>. My personal favorite? &#8220;<a href="http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=can+this+pickle+get+more+fans+than+nickleback&#038;init=quick#!/pages/Can-this-pickle-get-more-fans-than-Nickleback/282013353726?ref=search&#038;sid=2401404.2888905726..1" target="_blank">Can This Pickle Get More Fans Than Nickleback [sic]</a>?&#8221; The answer? Dear God, I hope so.</p><p>Reviews: <a href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/478089-twilight" target="_blank">twilight</a></p><p>Tags: <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/facebook/">facebook</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/humor/">humor</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/justin-bieber/">justin bieber</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/memes/">memes</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/pop-culture/">pop culture</a></p> <img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/onion-ring-facebook-meme-beats-justin-bieber/" alt="" />

Forget doppelgangers and Urban Dictionary definitions, the newest Facebook meme is, undoubtedly, “Can this [Insert random thing] Get More Fans Than [Insert Famous Person]?” The latest victim? Pop singer Justin Bieber, who is apparently much beloved with the young folks (and their mothers). The victor? An onion ring.

The fried food thoroughly trounced the Canadian pop star on February 6, according to the fan page, which was created by Facebook user Toby Brittan.

Bieber Fan Count: 1,648,758 fans
Onion Ring Fan Count: 2,152,536 fans

Brittan founded the page on February 1, and according to The Independent, the 16-year-old — who is the son of British businesswoman Sharon Brittan — has even been approached by advertisers wanting to strike up some business on the page.

Similar pages and spin-offs are already in abundance. In fact, the onion ring soon went on to beat out Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Despite these political aspirations, the meme mostly targets pop culture figures such as Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers, as well as the Twilight films. The challengers? Everything from purple monsters to sausage rolls. My personal favorite? “Can This Pickle Get More Fans Than Nickleback [sic]?” The answer? Dear God, I hope so.

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Reviews: Facebook, twilight

Tags: facebook, humor, justin bieber, memes, pop culture

]]> http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/onion-ring-facebook-meme-beats-justin-bieber/feed/ http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/onion-ring-facebook-meme-beats-justin-bieber/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Mashable/~3/-gOrELl2LM8/ http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/communication-social-media/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:23:08 +0000 Soren Gordhamer http://mashable.com/?p=203728 <p><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/communication-social-media/&service=bit.ly"></a><a href="http://twitter.com/SorenG" target="_blank">Soren Gordhamer</a> is the organizer of the <a href="http://www.wisdom2summit.com/" target="_blank">Wisdom 2.0 Conference</a>, which brings together staff from Google, Facebook, and Twitter with others to explore living wisely in our modern age. Mashable readers can use code ‘Mashable‘ for a discount when <a href="http://www.wisdom2summit.com/Register" target="_blank">registering</a>.</p><p>In the era of social media, our networks are much larger than they have ever been, and we have more ways to communicate with those in them. Even if you are not very active on <a href="http://mashable.com/social-media/facebook">Facebook</a> or <a href="http://mashable.com/social-media/twitter">Twitter</a>, my guess is that your sphere of communication has expanded significantly in recent years. Who you communicate with and how you communicate has changed radically. This new connected era brings both opportunities and challenges.</p><p>In the past we had a set of contacts, all of whom generally knew how to reach us &#8212; via phone, e-mail, or regular mail. Today, thanks in large part to social media, we have many different levels of communication, each with a specific purpose and etiquette. When we do not understand the role of these levels, they can become huge time wasters. When we do understand them however, they can help us more effectively engage and navigate these new waters.</p><p>Level 1: The Public Reply</p><p>Just about everyone, including Bill Gates (who if you have not heard, <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/01/19/bill-gates-twitter/">recently joined Twitter</a>), has learned the importance of having both a means to communicate with people, and a channel where people can respond. Though you can do this on Facebook through comments on Fan pages and in groups, this seems most applicable to Twitter, where people use @replies to send and receive short, publicly viewable messages.</p><p>The public reply provides an open and transparent channel for people to interact with public figures, brands, and each other, without the pressure of response that comes with e-mail. Public interactions are a great starting point for engagement that never existed before social media, and if done correctly, can often lead to more fruitful direct communication.</p><p>Level 2: The Direct Message</p><p>Once a relationship is established through public communication, the next step is often a direct message within a social network. A direct message creates a private connection without opening the floodgates of e-mail. In fact, in may even be preferable to e-mail in the long term.</p><p>Why? Especially with Twitter, a DM has a character limit, and can only come from people you follow. If you have ten e-mails (of unlimited length and possibly unknown sources) and ten Twitter DMs, which are you likely to open first? For an increasing number of people, the answer is DM.</p><p>Once you make a connection through DM and get permission to follow-up via e-mail, the e-mail is often better received. Facebook, where most people allow private messages, can also be a means to take communication to the next level.</p><p>Level 3: E-mail</p><p>E-mail still has its place in this new era. It allows for more in-depth communication, can be easily forwarded, and sent to numerous people at once. When e-mail is used skillfully, it enables deeper communication. When not used effectively, it can become a huge time drain, as people write lengthy messages without much thought of the time and attention they are asking of recipients.</p><p>This fine line makes e-mail tough to master in the social media age. If you&#8217;re looking to advance to the next communication level with someone, respect this direct and private channel, and be sure to keep your e-mails succinct and meaningful.</p><p>Level 4: Phone</p><p>Hearing someone&#8217;s voice allows people to get a better sense of one another. While communicating via text, a person can take time to carefully craft his or her words, potentially presenting an image that may not be true or is harder to trust. A phone call allows for more immediate back-and-forth, and can be particularly helpful if a subject matter is delicate or people are considering a more in-depth relationship.</p><p>Some time back I was communicating with an editor about an issue that we had bounced back and forth several times. Finally she said, “Let&#8217;s chat about it on the phone.” This furthered the dialogue significantly and bypassed what may have taken weeks to sort out via e-mail.</p><p>Level 5: In-Person (or Video Chat)</p><p>I have met numerous people in person that I first communicated with via social networks. All of these meetings were enhanced by the natural progression of our first digital communication. While at one time face-to-face interactions were the entry point, today, in-person meetings often come at later stages.</p><p>Particularly if people are considering working on a project together, an in-person meeting allows for the most in-depth connection. For some people Skype or other video chat may be enough to experience this.</p><p>Too often people think communication is only through words, but our bodies communicate as well. They communicate how comfortable or uncomfortable we are discussing a matter, our level of passion for a subject, and our hopes and fears. Meeting with someone in person allows for communication to occur on multiple levels, and people often come away with a much better sense of each other.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>In this era of social media when we are reaching out and engaging more and more people, the question is not just “Should I communicate with someone?” but “How should I communicate with someone? How can I build engagement one step at a time?” The more we allow for and understand the importance of all the various levels of communication, the more we can skillfully and effectively use each one.</p><p>More social media resources from Mashable:</p><p>- <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/01/12/zen-social-media/">Zen and the Art of Twitter: 4 Tips for Productive Tweeting</a></p><p>- <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/12/03/the-tao-of-tweeting/">The Tao of Tweeting</a></p><p>- <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/01/07/social-media-changed-us/">How Social Media Has Changed Us</a></p><p>- <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/12/09/5-tips-online-friendships/">5 Tips for Building Lasting Online Friendships</a></p><p>- <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/01/05/effective-online-networking/">4 Steps for Effective Online Networking</a></p><p>Images courtesy of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.istockphoto.com/mashableoffer.php">iStockphoto</a>, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=814005">TommL</a>, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=1068199">PaulPaladin</a>, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=738133">Kohlerphoto</a>, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=82111">sandoclr</a></p><p>Reviews: <a href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/337627-Skype" target="_blank">Skype</a>, <a href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/393797-iStockphoto" target="_blank">iStockphoto</a></p><p>Tags: <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/communication/">communication</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/e-mail/">e-mail</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/email/">email</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/facebook/">facebook</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/list/">List</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/lists/">Lists</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/meeting/">meeting</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/social-media/">social media</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/social-networking/">social networking</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/social-networks/">social networks</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/twitter/">twitter</a></p> <img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/communication-social-media/" alt="" />

Soren Gordhamer is the organizer of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference, which brings together staff from Google, Facebook, and Twitter with others to explore living wisely in our modern age. Mashable readers can use code ‘Mashable‘ for a discount when registering.

In the era of social media, our networks are much larger than they have ever been, and we have more ways to communicate with those in them. Even if you are not very active on Facebook or Twitter, my guess is that your sphere of communication has expanded significantly in recent years. Who you communicate with and how you communicate has changed radically. This new connected era brings both opportunities and challenges.

In the past we had a set of contacts, all of whom generally knew how to reach us — via phone, e-mail, or regular mail. Today, thanks in large part to social media, we have many different levels of communication, each with a specific purpose and etiquette. When we do not understand the role of these levels, they can become huge time wasters. When we do understand them however, they can help us more effectively engage and navigate these new waters.

---

Level 1: The Public Reply

---

Just about everyone, including Bill Gates (who if you have not heard, recently joined Twitter), has learned the importance of having both a means to communicate with people, and a channel where people can respond. Though you can do this on Facebook through comments on Fan pages and in groups, this seems most applicable to Twitter, where people use @replies to send and receive short, publicly viewable messages.

The public reply provides an open and transparent channel for people to interact with public figures, brands, and each other, without the pressure of response that comes with e-mail. Public interactions are a great starting point for engagement that never existed before social media, and if done correctly, can often lead to more fruitful direct communication.

---

Level 2: The Direct Message

---

Once a relationship is established through public communication, the next step is often a direct message within a social network. A direct message creates a private connection without opening the floodgates of e-mail. In fact, in may even be preferable to e-mail in the long term.

Why? Especially with Twitter, a DM has a character limit, and can only come from people you follow. If you have ten e-mails (of unlimited length and possibly unknown sources) and ten Twitter DMs, which are you likely to open first? For an increasing number of people, the answer is DM.

Once you make a connection through DM and get permission to follow-up via e-mail, the e-mail is often better received. Facebook, where most people allow private messages, can also be a means to take communication to the next level.

---

Level 3: E-mail

---

E-mail still has its place in this new era. It allows for more in-depth communication, can be easily forwarded, and sent to numerous people at once. When e-mail is used skillfully, it enables deeper communication. When not used effectively, it can become a huge time drain, as people write lengthy messages without much thought of the time and attention they are asking of recipients.

This fine line makes e-mail tough to master in the social media age. If you’re looking to advance to the next communication level with someone, respect this direct and private channel, and be sure to keep your e-mails succinct and meaningful.

---

Level 4: Phone

---

Hearing someone’s voice allows people to get a better sense of one another. While communicating via text, a person can take time to carefully craft his or her words, potentially presenting an image that may not be true or is harder to trust. A phone call allows for more immediate back-and-forth, and can be particularly helpful if a subject matter is delicate or people are considering a more in-depth relationship.

Some time back I was communicating with an editor about an issue that we had bounced back and forth several times. Finally she said, “Let’s chat about it on the phone.” This furthered the dialogue significantly and bypassed what may have taken weeks to sort out via e-mail.

---

Level 5: In-Person (or Video Chat)

---

I have met numerous people in person that I first communicated with via social networks. All of these meetings were enhanced by the natural progression of our first digital communication. While at one time face-to-face interactions were the entry point, today, in-person meetings often come at later stages.

Particularly if people are considering working on a project together, an in-person meeting allows for the most in-depth connection. For some people Skype or other video chat may be enough to experience this.

Too often people think communication is only through words, but our bodies communicate as well. They communicate how comfortable or uncomfortable we are discussing a matter, our level of passion for a subject, and our hopes and fears. Meeting with someone in person allows for communication to occur on multiple levels, and people often come away with a much better sense of each other.

---

Conclusion

---

In this era of social media when we are reaching out and engaging more and more people, the question is not just “Should I communicate with someone?” but “How should I communicate with someone? How can I build engagement one step at a time?” The more we allow for and understand the importance of all the various levels of communication, the more we can skillfully and effectively use each one.

---

More social media resources from Mashable:

---

- Zen and the Art of Twitter: 4 Tips for Productive Tweeting
- The Tao of Tweeting
- How Social Media Has Changed Us
- 5 Tips for Building Lasting Online Friendships
- 4 Steps for Effective Online Networking

Images courtesy of iStockphoto, TommL, PaulPaladin, Kohlerphoto, sandoclr

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Reviews: Facebook, Skype, Twitter, iStockphoto

Tags: communication, e-mail, email, facebook, List, Lists, meeting, social media, social networking, social networks, twitter

]]> http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/communication-social-media/feed/ http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/communication-social-media/