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• Twitter Under Phishing Attack?
• New Android From Motorola is Called Devour
• Ustream Raises $75 Million in Funding
• iPad Hardware Reveals Potential Slot for Camera
• Create, Schedule and Send Real Greeting Cards Via the Web With enGreet
• GTalk Crushes AIM and Facebook Chat in Reader Vote
• Google to Launch App Store for Google Apps [REPORT]
• Oscar Nominations to Be Broadcast Live to the Web on Tuesday
• Free Reality TV Show Debuts on Your PlayStation 3 This Month
• Google Chrome Gets Greasemonkey Support
• Zune Phone and Windows 7 Mobile to Debut This Month [RUMOR]
• AP and Yahoo Ink Content Deal, Leave Google in Limbo
• Browser Usage Stats: Chrome Grows While IE and Firefox Shrink
• Grammy Ratings Surge; Did Social Media Play a Role?
• Mashable is Hiring Experienced Journalists
• Mashable’s Social Media Week San Francisco Closing Party: This Friday
• Mom Gets Tat in Exchange For Daughter’s Justin Bieber Tickets [VIDEO]
• Why Apple Could Have Etched “iPad” Into Some Rocks and Sold Millions
• Free Music Monday: 10 Free Downloads for Your Ears
• How Web Video SEO is Finally Coming of Age
• Amazing, Extraordinary, Tremendous: The 3-Minute iPad Keynote [VIDEO]
• iPhone App That Saved Life in Haiti Sees Sales Surge
• Pepsi and Focus on the Family Most Buzzed-About Super Bowl Advertisers
• Mashable’s Weekly Guide to Social Media & Digital Events
• 5 Essential Tools for the Mobile Journalist
• Obama Answers Questions Live On YouTube Today
• Target’s Facebook Campaign Combines the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day
• Taylor Swift’s Grammy Performance Inspired by Viral Cover Version [VIDEO]
• Netflix Gets A Huge Influx of Indie and Foreign Films
• TurboTax to Help You Through Tax Season With Major Twitter Effort

Twitter Under Phishing Attack? Posted: 02 Feb 2010 05:07 AM PST Numerous Twitter users are pointing out that Twitter forced them to change their passwords out of the blue. According to blogger Andrew Girdwood, these users have received an email containing the following message: "Due to concern that your account may have been compromised in a phishing attack that took place off-Twitter, your password was reset," together with a link for resetting the password. Although the email itself looks like a phishing attack, it’s genuine; it seems that admins at Twitter have discovered something fishy is going on, and they’re trying to prevent further damage before it happens. The Next Web also mentions reports that this incident has something to do with the user account @THCx, which may have gained access to a large number of Twitter accounts, possibly by abusing NutshellMail, but all of this is unconfirmed at this point. [Image Credit: blog.arhg.net] Tags: phishing, social media, twitter

New Android From Motorola is Called Devour Posted: 02 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Although the company has been struggling financially for over a year now, at times being on the verge of shutdown, Motorola’s mobile division created quite a stir with its Android smartphone, the Droid (partly thanks to an aggressive, expensive marketing campaign). Now, Motorola is riding the wave with several new Android handsets; recently it was the Backflip, and now another phone is joining the club: the Devour. We know it’s called that because the folks at Android Central have gotten hold of a retail box (or a promo box) for the phone, and Engadget later spotted support documents for the Devour on Motorola’s official site (currently offline). Many details about the phone are unknown, but we know it’s a part of Verizon’s roster, it’s got a Qualcomm MSM7627 processor (the same one that powers the Palm Pixi) QWERTY keyboard, WiFi and a car kit. Oh yes, it also has MotoBlur for all you widget lovers. [Image credit: Android Central] Reviews: Android Tags: android, Devour, Motorola

Ustream Raises $75 Million in Funding Posted: 01 Feb 2010 10:07 PM PST Live video streaming platform Ustream has just announced that it has raised $75 million in a Series B round led by Softbank, a telecom firm based out of Japan. Additional funding from strategic investors (aka previous investors) is still pending. According to Ustream, the funding will help them expand their live video platform beyond the states and into Asia. Softbank is an investor in Alibaba.com, social app maker RockYou, is the lead owner in Yahoo Japan, and has telecom and Internet businesses in multiple Asian countries. Its international reach and properties are likely to be an asset as Ustream expands internationally. Ustream told me in a phone call that in January the service had over 50 million live video viewers and 3.5 million registered viewers. Ustream has been on a roll recently. The company has had success with live video streams such as the Puppy Cam and Twilight: New Moon Red Carpet, which had over 3 million viewers. Recently Ustream released an iPhone app for video streaming. Back in April 2008, Ustream’s raised $11.1 million in a Series A funding round with DCM, as well as original angel investors Labrador Ventures and Band of Angels. Reviews: ustream Tags: funding, live video, softbank, trending, ustream, video

iPad Hardware Reveals Potential Slot for Camera Posted: 01 Feb 2010 08:04 PM PST Perhaps we haven’t learned everything about the iPad just yet. Could an iPad with a camera be in the near future? Mission Repair, a company that fixes broken Apple products, apparently got their hands on some iPad parts. Their pictures showed off the internal frame, which curiously enough has a small hole on the top of the frame. When the Mission Repair team took a camera out of a MacBook and placed it inside the iPad’s top hole, it fight right in. You can see a comparison of the MacBook camera and the iPad slot in the image above. As 9 to 5 Mac points out, there is other evidence to support the possibility of a camera in either the upcoming iPad or in a future version of the device. And as we’ve discussed previously, the iPhone 3.2 OS hints at camera support for the iPad. A front-facing camera just makes sense for the iPad: it provides the device with teleconferencing and webcam properties that could alone make it worth purchasing. Apple’s exact plans for an iPad camera, when they would roll it out, or why they didn’t include it in last week’s demo is anybody’s guess. [Img credit: Mission Repair] Tags: apple, Apple iPad, Apple Tablet, camera, ipad, Tablet

Create, Schedule and Send Real Greeting Cards Via the Web With enGreet Posted: 01 Feb 2010 07:23 PM PST 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: enGreet Quick Pitch: enGreet allows you to find, personalize and mail the perfect greeting card without leaving the house. Genius Idea: There are plenty of websites where you can create your own greetings cards and send them to loved ones, but most of them only let you make digital greeting cards. Those don’t have the same effect as a real card that your friend, significant other, or family member can hold in his or her hands. Indiana-based enGreet solves this problem, offering a large selection of base greeting cards that you can customize with your own words, fonts, and images before sending them out to the recipient in as little as one day’s notice. Once the card is done, you can either ship it to yourself to sign it and deliver it in person, or have it sent directly to the person you made it for. Either way, it’s more personal than an e-card. Scheduling is available, too. For example, if you’re afraid you’ll forget Valentine’s Day this month you can go to enGreet right now and schedule a card to be delivered in advance. enGreet notes that it offers cards for holidays and minority groups that other services miss. Think of it as the long tail of greeting cards, if you like. enGreet uses other services to make sure you’re on top of special events. You can sign up for e-mail notifications of upcoming dates that are important, and soon the site will integrate with Facebook to import friends’ birthdays. Text message reminders and follow-up calls are in the works, too. Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark 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)." Reviews: Facebook, PHP Tags: bizspark, engreet, greeting cards

GTalk Crushes AIM and Facebook Chat in Reader Vote Posted: 01 Feb 2010 06:33 PM PST Last week, we asked you to vote on which instant messaging (IM) tool was best: AIM, GTalk, or FbChat. AOL Instant Messenger has been around since 1997, giving it the edge in users and brand recognition. However, while Google Talk and Facebook Chat made their debuts in 2005 and 2008 respectively, they’ve both come a long ways due to their strong integration with more popular products, such as Gmail. In the end though, over 4000 of you voted on which IM client was best… …and GTalk emerged on top! With 2189 votes (53%), Google Talk handily took down AIM’s 1257 ballots (30%) and Facebook Chat’s 511 votes (12%). Another 203 of you (5%) couldn’t between the three IM tools. Tomorrow we’re going to launch another edition of the Web Faceoff, so be sure to make your voice heard with your vote. Let us know what you think of this week’s results in the comments. Faceoff Series: Overall Results Week 1: - Mozilla Firefox vs. Google Chrome - WINNER: Firefox, 4600 votes (Chrome: 3310 votes, Tie: 911 votes) Week 2: - Tumblr vs. Posterous - WINNER: Tumblr, 1809 votes (Posterous: 1496 votes, Tie: 256 votes) Week 3: - Pandora vs. Last.fm - WINNER: Last.fm, 1187 votes (Pandora: 1156 votes, Tie: 122 votes) Week 4: - Twitter vs. Facebook - WINNER: Facebook, 2484 votes (Twitter: 2061 votes, Tie: 588 votes) Week 5: - WordPress vs. Typepad - WINNER: WordPress, 2714 votes (Typepad: 267 votes, Tie: 357 votes) Week 6: - Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard - WINNER: Windows 7, 3632 votes (Snow Leopard: 3278 votes, Tie: 121 votes) Week 7: - TweetDeck vs. Seesmic Desktop - WINNER: TweetDeck, 3294 votes (Seesmic Desktop: 1055 votes, Tie: 260 votes) Week 8: - Microsoft Office vs. Google Docs - WINNER: Microsoft Office, 1365 votes (Google Docs: 994 votes, Tie: 315 votes) Week 9: - Apple iPhone vs. Google Android - WINNER: Google Android, 3323 votes (Apple iPhone: 1494 votes, Tie: 228 votes) Week 10: - AT&T vs. Verizon - WINNER: Verizon, 1161 votes (AT&T: 538 votes, Tie: 118 votes) Week 11: - Google vs. Bing - WINNER: Google, 2180 votes (Bing: 519 votes, Tie: 97 votes) Week 12: - iPod Touch/iPhone vs. Nintendo DS vs. Sony PSP - WINNER: iPod Touch/iPhone, 704 votes (Sony PSP: 639 votes, Nintendo DS: 482 votes, Tie: 108 votes) Week 13: - Digg vs. Reddit vs. StumbleUpon - WINNER: Digg, 14,762 votes (Reddit: 11,466 votes, StumbleUpon: 2507 votes, Tie: 1032 votes) Week 14: - Old versus new Twitter retweets - WINNER: Old style retweets, 1625 votes (New style retweets: 699 votes, Tie: 227 votes) Week 15: - Gmail vs. Outlook - WINNER: Gmail, 3684 votes (Outlook: 980 votes, Tie: 590 votes) Week 16: - Boxee vs. Hulu - WINNER: Hulu, 626 votes (Boxee: 591 votes, Tie: 106 votes) Week 17: - Nexus One vs. iPhone 3GS - WINNER: Nexus One, 6743 votes (iPhone 3GS: 2818 votes, Tie: 592 votes) Week 18: - Foursquare vs. Yelp vs. Gowalla - WINNER: Foursquare, 1182 votes, (Yelp: 661 votes, Gowalla: 509 votes, Tie: 143 votes) Week 19: - AIM vs. GTalk vs. FbChat - WINNER: GTalk, 2189 votes, (AIM: 1257 votes, FbChat: 511 votes, Tie: 203 votes) Reviews: Bing, Boxee, Chrome, Digg, Facebook, Firefox, Foursquare, Gmail, Google, Google Docs, Gowalla, Gtalk, Hulu, Pandora, Posterous, Seesmic Desktop, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, TweetDeck, Twitter, TypePad, Windows, WordPress, Yelp, aim Tags: aim, aol, chat, facebook, fbchat, Google, gtalk, im, poll, web faceoff

Google to Launch App Store for Google Apps [REPORT] Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:18 PM PST App stores are all the rage these days, it seems. Now The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google’s about to launch a new one for businesses, focused around creating software for Google Apps. According to the report, Google’s plan is to sell software built by third party developers to enhance Google’s suite of apps (e.g. Gmail, Docs, Calendar, Sites, GTalk). These outside apps could be for adding more security, enhancing word-processing features, or porting information into Google Apps. A Google Apps store would work in the same fashion Android or the iPhone App Stores operate: developers set a price and Google and the 3rd party share in the revenue. It’s a model that has proven very successful. If it took off, it could create a whole new marketplace and a new revenue stream for the world’s largest search engine. It could even pave the way for app stores within Google’s consumer products. The announcement is slated to come in March or so, although now that news has broken, it’s likely an official blog post from Google will come sooner. However, The Next Web points out that Google already has an “app store,” known as Google Solutions Marketplace. However, what the WSJ reported on seems to be far more robust and better integrated with Google Apps itself than Solutions Marketplace. Do you think a Google Apps Store is a good idea? Would you pay for certain features? Which ones? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Reviews: Android, Gmail, Google, Gtalk Tags: app store, business, Google, google apps, trending

Oscar Nominations to Be Broadcast Live to the Web on Tuesday Posted: 01 Feb 2010 04:56 PM PST As awards season nears its climatic finale with The Oscars in March, the Academy is doing something they’ve never done before: broadcasting the Oscar nominee announcements live to the web. It may not seem like a big deal, but this is Oscar we’re talking about and it’s an unprecedented live stream for the most prestigious and buzzed about award nomination ceremony in the entertainment industry. So set your alarm o’clock and make sure to check out Anne Hathaway and Academy President Tom Sherak announce this year’s Oscar nominees broadcast live starting at 8am EST. You’ve got a few online viewing options, all of which support real-time chat options (we’ve also embedded it below): - Oscars.org - Livestream - Facebook With Oscar on board, it seems as if the major trend towards live streaming award show programming on the web is here to stay. The Golden Globe Awards dedicated an entire social media-inspired red carpet show to their live streaming arensal, while the Grammy Awards — which saw a huge 35% ratings surge – also had a live stream of their red carpet event. Clearly, the entertainment industry is wising up to the idea that bringing fans into the experience through live video streams and social media can be a net positive for the awards show broadcast. Reviews: Facebook Tags: academy awards, celebrities, Film, MARKETING, media, Movies, Oscars, social media

Free Reality TV Show Debuts on Your PlayStation 3 This Month Posted: 01 Feb 2010 04:23 PM PST Sony Computer Entertainment America is making good on its promise to expand original content offerings on its PlayStation Network distribution service. They’ll be bringing an original reality television series, The Tester, to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles via the PSN as a free downloadable series starting February 18. We’re starting to see a number of new “direct to the web” video content offerings emerging as the larger internet television trend continues to accelerate, like If I Can Dream, which is heading to Hulu this season. Now The Tester joins another popular “direct to game console” video series, The Guild, created by actress and gamer geek icon Felicia Day and airing exclusively on rival Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE distribution service. Like The Guild, The Tester also has gaming as its core theme, with 11 contestants squaring off to compete for a coveted slot as a PlayStation game tester at SCEA San Diego with a $5,000 signing bonus. In typical reality show style, the hopeful game testers will live in a communal house and be filmed for eight episodes filled with zany challenges quasi-related to actual skills allegedly required for game testing. Each Thursday starting February 18 a new episode will be available for free download on the PlayStation Network. Check out the trailer and more information on the panelists and judges at TheTester.com. Are you interested in a reality show about game testers? What other kinds of shows would you like to see produced direct to game consoles? Reviews: Hulu Tags: playstation, playstation 3, PS3, PSN, reality tv, sony, the tester, tv, video games

Google Chrome Gets Greasemonkey Support Posted: 01 Feb 2010 04:07 PM PST Since debuting in December, more than 2,000 extensions have been created for Google Chrome. Now, Chrome users have access to about 40,000 more, thanks to support for Greasemonkey scripts in Chrome 4.0 for Windows and the Chrome Developer builds for Mac and Linux. We’ve covered Greasemonkey and the browser-awesome it can provide in the past, but if you aren’t familiar, the plugin (originally for Firefox) allows site-specific JavaScript user scripts to run on a page, providing additional options and functionality. So, for example, you can install a script that will give additional YouTube viewing or download options or pipe-in data from other sources and display it alongside other content. In Chrome 4.0, you can go to Userscripts.org, the big clearinghouse for Greasemonkey scripts, and install many of the more than 40,000 scripts directly in Chrome (about 15-25% of the scripts won’t work yet). On the backend, Chrome will convert those scripts into a Chrome Extension, which you can then manage and uninstall the scripts with ease. This is a huge boon for productivity lovers. Greasemonkey scripts are a great way to add easy functionality to web pages and the fact that they can be installed and uninstalled the same way as regular Chrome Extensions flat-out rocks. If you are running the development version of Chrome for Mac (or the Chromium Nightly Builds) or the beta for the Linux version of Chrome, you should also have Greasemonkey support. Because I primarily use Safari, I haven’t really had access to many of my favorite scripts ever since Snow Leopard made the browser 64-bit and my GreaseKit input manager stopped working (and no, I didn’t want to recompile). Now I can have my favorite rendering engine (WebKit) along with some awesome browser-enhancing scripts. Do you use Greasemonkey or userscripts? What are your favorites? Let us know! Reviews: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, YouTube, linux Tags: google chrome, greasemonkey, software, web browsers, webkit

Zune Phone and Windows 7 Mobile to Debut This Month [RUMOR] Posted: 01 Feb 2010 03:03 PM PST It’s still officially rumor at this point, but Spanish-language blog MuyComputer reports that it’s confirmed with NVIDIA that the company will be on hand at this months’ Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with Microsoft to announce the new Zune Phone. The phone will reportedly run on the Tegra platform, NVIDIA’s powerful system-on-a-chip that was used in the Zune HD and will also be used by a number of upcoming tablets. We’ve been following the relatively steady stream of Zune Phone rumors, often referred to as “Project Pink” or the “Microsoft Zune Phone Experience.” Rather than being primarily a Zune music player with a phone grafted on, the Zune Phone is highly expected to run Windows Mobile 7 and incorporate the Zune software — similar to the way Apple’s iPhone runs a flavor of what is essentially iPod software. It could very well be Microsoft’s long-awaited answer to the iPhone, so we’ll be watching closely during MWC for all the relevant announcements. What do you hope to see included in the Zune Phone? [note: img at top right is only a mockup] [via Gizmodo] Reviews: iPhone Tags: iphone, microsoft, MWC, MWC2010, windows mobile, windows mobile 7, zune, zune hd, Zune Phone

AP and Yahoo Ink Content Deal, Leave Google in Limbo Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:51 PM PST Yahoo and the Associated Press have announced that they have inked a deal to keep the AP’s content appearing on Yahoo’s properties. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. We’ve known for a while that the non-profit Associated Press has been suffering due to the recession and rapidly falling newspaper revenues. It has accused web companies such as YouTube and Facebook of exploiting the AP’s content. With this deal, the AP will likely get a revenue boost to help bolster its finances. In return, Yahoo will get the continued stream of AP stories and content that has helped it grow into one of the world’s largest websites. As a top destination for news, Yahoo definitely wanted to get this done. Where does this leave Google, whose Google News hasn’t hosted any AP content since December? In a statement received by both Mashable and Search Engine Land the company said: “We have a licensing agreement with the Associated Press that permits us to host its content on Google properties such as Google News. Right now we are not adding new hosted content from the AP. The licensing agreement is the subject of ongoing discussion so we won’t be commenting further at this time.” While Search Engine Land translates this to mean that the AP and Google have signed a new deal, that is far from clear. It seems just as likely that Google and the AP are still hammering out the details and will announce a deal in the near future. While Google has less to gain from the AP’s content, it’s still a valuable source of pageviews and ad revenue. [via Associated Press] Reviews: Facebook, Google, Mashable, YouTube Tags: ap, content, Google, google news, newspaper, Yahoo

Browser Usage Stats: Chrome Grows While IE and Firefox Shrink Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:35 PM PST An analytics company called Net Applications has determined that Google’s Chrome web browser is stealing market share from both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. In January, Chrome grew by 0.57% to 5.20% of the browser market. Meanwhile, Firefox shrunk by 0.20% to 24.41% and IE shrunk 0.51% to 62.18%. Safari and Opera both stayed put, more or less; Safari grew 0.05% to 4.51% and Opera shrunk 0.02% to 2.38%. You might recall that Chrome passed Safari to grab third place in the browser market a month ago; it seems probable that the ground Chrome is gaining is at Microsoft and Mozilla’s expense, although no direct causation has been definitively established by Net Applications’ numbers. Chrome has a number of advantages, not the least of which is the fact that it’s much faster than the competition. It’s been derided for its lack of certain valued features in the past, but Google has gradually been introducing them. For example, it just put extensions and bookmark sync into its live Windows build a week ago. Google has been running ad campaigns on sites like Hulu, and it seems like it’s been working. Now the Bad News: Internet Explorer 6 5.20% of the market is actually impressive for a browser as new as Chrome, but Internet Explorer still dominates. IE8 takes up 22.31% of the market and IE7 carries 14.58%, but it’s upsetting to see that IE6 on its own is still the second most popular browser version (behind IE8) at 20.07%. At Mashable, we’ve made it clear that we believe IE6 must die. It has stifled innovation and left its users vulnerable to security threats for too long, and compared to modern browsers it’s a hassle to use. Google agrees, and so do many other companies; that’s why it’s phasing out support for the browser, hoping that in doing so it can convince users to either upgrade to a newer version or switch to a competing browser like Firefox, Chrome or Safari. The good news is that this seems to be working, albeit very, very slowly. IE6 has been declining gradually for months. It just can’t happen quickly enough. Reviews: Chrome, Firefox, Google, Hulu, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Windows Tags: apple safari, google chrome, microsoft internet explorer, mozilla firefox, net applications, opera, software, web browser

Grammy Ratings Surge; Did Social Media Play a Role? Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:16 PM PST Update: We’ve added some social media statistics related to the Grammys at the end of this post. The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards aired last night and the ratings were up. Big time. Maybe it was Stephen Colbert’s iPad presentation, maybe it was Taylor Swift’s viral-video inspired live performance. Regardless, 26.6 million viewers tuned into CBS last night, a 35% increase over the 2009 event. In fact, these were the best numbers the Grammys have had since 2004. Award shows in general are on the decline in terms of viewership (although the 2009 Grammys did have more viewers than the 2008 awards), so managing to score consistent ratings is an accomplishment. To see the sort of increase that the Grammy Awards saw suggests that the overall marketing campaign, including the social media component, really resonated with potential viewers. Although it’s too soon to speak to social media’s role in these increased numbers, one thing is for certain, #Grammy was a hot topic on Twitter last night and even into this morning. This brings up an interesting observation: Does Twitter increase the importance of viewing live events “live”? Twitter as the New Water Cooler Historically, popular shows get people talking. In the past, people talked the next day at work, hence the term “water cooler chatter.” In the age of social media, however, it’s less about talking about events that happen today tomorrow and more about talking about them as they are happening. In this regard, live events become that much more important to watch live, if only because that’s what the social web is collectively discussing. If this is true — and looking at the ratings for the last few major award shows, this might be a trend (ratings for the Golden Globes were up 10%) — then live events like award shows and sporting events that rely less on narrative and more on actions (like who won what or what play was made) could really stand to benefit from an increased social awareness and increased collective engagement. Grammy Social Media Stats We’ve managed to get some stats from the social media aspect of the “We’re All Fans” campaign. Here’s the breakdown: 125,760 Facebook Fans 48,776 Twitter Followers 1,505,838 combined views on YouTube for the “We’re All Fans” campaign videos 2,050,699 combined views on Grammy.com for the “We’re All Fans” campaign videos The Grammys were a trending topic on Twitter for more than four days Before the actual awards, the Grammy’s also held a Social Media Summit panel, which featured Mashable’s own Pete Cashmore. You can see the whole set of videos at Grammy.com/videos but two of our favorites include this conversation about the possible pitfalls in the convergence of social media and music and this interview with Pete. Did you watch the Grammy Awards this year? Did you tweet about it at the same time? Let us know! Disclosure: Mashable's Pete Cashmore and other notable social media influencers attended the Grammy’s Social Media Rockstars panel this past week, discussing the intersection of social media and music. Participants on the panel also attended the Grammys. Reviews: Mashable, Twitter, YouTube Tags: grammy awards, grammys, ratings

Mashable is Hiring Experienced Journalists Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:15 PM PST Interested in joining Mashable’s editorial team? Mashable is expanding and we have a number of full- and part-time opportunities for professional journalists. Read on to learn more about the positions and how to apply. Senior Editor [Full-Time] Location: West Coast Mashable is seeking a talented and experienced editor based on the West Coast with a professional journalism background and at least three years writing and/or editing at an established news organization. Responsibilities include: - Writing and editing daily news related to social media - Overseeing staff writers and editors - Creating and managing editorial projects - Speaking at events and participating in press interviews Requirements/Qualifications: - Three years writing and/or editing at an established news organization - Journalism background - Strong understanding of the tech and social media world - Excellent writing and communication skills - Ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced environment - Strict attention to detail - Hard worker with the commitment to put in extra hours - Familiarity with WordPress and social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, etc Read more and apply for this position here. Investigative Reporter [Full-Time] Location: San Francisco Bay Area Mashable is seeking a seasoned investigative reporter based in San Francisco to research and report on news items. Responsibilities include: - Sourcing original stories about the tech and social media world - Taking regular meetings with companies in the area and going to press events - Speaking at events and participating in press interviews Requirements/Qualifications: - 2-3 years at an established news organization doing investigative reporting - Journalism background - Strong understanding of the tech and social media world - Excellent writing and communication skills - Ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced environment - Strict attention to detail - Hard worker with the commitment to put in extra hours - Familiarity with WordPress and social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, etc Read more and apply for this position here. Editorial Assistant [Full-Time] Location: NYC Mashable is seeking a talented and experienced editorial assistant eager to gain exposure to the online media space, with the desire to build a career as an online editor. Responsibilities include: - Provide general editorial support to senior staff, including copy-editing and finding relevant links and images for articles - Research stories - Maintain relevant documents and calendars - Assist with interview and panel preparation - Work on special projects when needed Requirements/Qualifications: - 1-2 years editorial experience - Journalism background - Excellent writing and communication skills - Ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced environment - Strict attention to detail. Should have experience copy-editing - Hard worker with the commitment to put in extra hours - Familiarity with WordPress and social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, etc Read more and apply for this position here. Other Opportunities Contributors Mashable is seeking professional journalists with experience covering a range of topics related to social media and the web for weekly features. Freelancers are welcome to apply here. Guest Writers Want to contribute to Mashable but can’t make a large commitment at the moment? Our guest writer program is the perfect opportunity to get involved, expand your portfolio and promote your personal brand. Learn more here. Mashable’s Job Board lists a variety of web 2.0, application development, business development and social networking job opportunities available. Check them out at jobs.mashable.com. Reviews: Facebook, Mashable, Twitter, WordPress Tags: announcements, career, jobs

Mashable’s Social Media Week San Francisco Closing Party: This Friday Posted: 01 Feb 2010 01:54 PM PST Mashable and Social Media Club are proud to present the Social Media Week San Francisco Closing Party! Join us on February 5th as we support Social Media for Social Good and raise money (and our glasses) for NetSquared to expand its support of non-profits using Web 2.0 and social media tools and methodologies. Individual tickets are on sale now for $20 in advance ($30 at the door), and include two drink tickets, along with a cash bar. $10 from each ticket will be donated to NetSquared. We also welcome you to add a donation for any amount you choose to give on top of the regular ticket price. It’s going to be a blast, so if you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area this week, don’t miss out! Details: Date: Friday, February 5th, 2010 Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM PT Location: 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna Street, San Francisco, CA Tickets: On Sale Now Socialize: Facebook Event Mashable Team: Mashable Co-Editor Ben Parr and Events Director Brett Petersel About Social Media Club Social Media Club is a Not for Profit Member organization (501c6 status pending) organized for the purpose of promoting media literacy, sharing lessons learned, creating a path to professionalism for media makers, promoting industry standards and discussing important questions of Social Media's impact on society. As the world's largest group of Social Media professionals, Social Media Club represents a new breed of associations for the post Web 2.0 world. Social Media Club's mantra is "If you get it, share it." Thanks to Our Sponsor Tags: announcements, Events, mashable, sf, social media week

Mom Gets Tat in Exchange For Daughter’s Justin Bieber Tickets [VIDEO] Posted: 01 Feb 2010 01:47 PM PST Oh, man, we haven’t seen a video of a poorly thought-out tattoo since this guy was shilling for Ray-Ban (although there’s talk that the ink was fake). Thank heavens for this lady, who got a tat of a DJ’s face on her lower back so that her daughter could meet Justin Bieber, who is apparently very popular with the kids. This video has been out for a few days now, but it’s been racking up the views — mostly for the sheer “Why, God, why?” factor of it all. We all know that YouTube sensation turned super popular pop star Justin Bieber makes people do crazy things (and sometimes gets folks fired for not being scarily attentive enough), but this little stunt takes the cake. Apparently the host of FM radio show Mack at Night has a little project called “Tats for Tickets,” which promises just that. In this case, a mother got what is commonly known as a tramp stamp of the DJ’s face (a rather flattering representation, I might add) in exchange for a meeting between her daughter and the singer. Check it out below and be happy that this girl is not your daughter. (Bonus awfulness points for the “Pants on the Ground” reference.) [via Buzzfeed] Reviews: YouTube Tags: justin bieber, music, pants on the ground, viral video

Why Apple Could Have Etched “iPad” Into Some Rocks and Sold Millions Posted: 01 Feb 2010 01:22 PM PST The Social Analyst is a weekly column by Mashable Co-Editor Ben Parr, where he digs into social media trends and how they are affecting companies in the space. It’s been five days since Apple introduced the iPad to the world, and everybody is still reacting to the announcement. Adobe is calling Apple out on the issue of no Flash on the iPad. The iPad has already sparked the Amazon vs. Apple ebook war. Countless people are writing reactionary pieces (including me). The iPad still hasn’t left Twitter’s trending topics. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen an unreleased device draw such ire and approval. The reaction to the Nexus One, the iPhone 3GS and Google Wave don’t even compare. Some people just hate the thing, while others (like Jim Cramer) believe it’ll be the biggest selling device in history. My intent in this column is to cut through the crap and to answer two key questions: 1. Will the iPad be a commercial success? 2. Is the iPad good for computing and the web? Will the iPad be a Commercial Success? Let me answer the first question clearly, right now: Yes, it will be a commercial hit. The iPad combines a lot of things people want in their computers: simplicity, speed, sexiness, portability, and a price that trumps many computers and almost all laptops. No, it doesn’t come with a camera, multitasking, Flash, or a USB port, but the vast majority of people don’t care about that. So long as they can play games, surf the web, play music, read books, and stick the iPad into a keyboard peripheral, they will get exactly what they need from the iPad. That isn’t to say that techies won’t get utility out of the iPad, either: apps, speedy browsing, portability, iBooks, 3G access, and the Apple brand are more than enough to get gadget geeks to line up at 6 AM in front of an Apple store. People Are Forgetting That This Is the First Version The simple truth is that Apple’s tablet didn’t need a lot of features to sell millions. It really just needed the Apple brand and the beginnings of a great product to make it a hit. Remember, this is the first edition of the iPad. A year may seem like a long time, but it really isn’t in the larger scheme of things. Releasing the iPad without more expensive parts like the camera gives Apple the chances to get market penetration via price while it tracks how people actually use their iPads. You can bet that Apple will come out with a newer, sexier version of the iPad every year, just like it does for the iPhone. You can also bet that Apple will delight its previous doubters with features such as a front-facing camera and multitasking. Year one is about product introduction, year two is about true market share infiltration. Missing features aren’t a problem: they’re a market strategy. iPad: Is It Good for Computing and the Web? One of the major complaints by technologists about the iPad has to be its “closed” system. I think Twitter’s Alex Payne sums it up best: “That the iPad is a closed system is harder to forgive. One of the foremost complaints about the iPhone has been Apple's iron fist when it comes to applications and the development direction of the platform. The iPad demonstrates that if Apple is listening to these complaints, they simply don't care. This is why I say that the iPad is a cynical thing: Apple can't – or won't – conceive of a future for personal computing that is both elegant and open, usable and free.” He goes on to explain that its closed system could signal the end of a “hacker era,” where the curious could play around with hardware and code as they pleased, leading to the experimentation that has led to many of technology’s greatest innovations. So let’s get down to the big question: Is the iPad a good thing or bad thing for the future of technology, computing, and the web? My answer: it’s a good thing, but we have to be careful. Simplicity Brings Computing to the Masses While most of us active in the tech and social media industries are adept and proficient users of PCs and Macs, most people simply aren’t. Multitasking isn’t something they like or want to do. In all honesty, they just want to access their email and access Facebook. The iPad will bring more of the web to many more people. It’s very easy to click on an app and get your Facebook or to open up the browser and go to your friend’s blog every day. Many senior citizens and younger children would benefit from an iPad as their full-time computer. No blue screens of death, no pain with cords, no hardware incompatibilities. Oh, and this is key: they won’t have to purchase an Internet connection or have Wi-Fi if they have a 3G iPad. For many people, a 3G connection will be more than sufficient for their browsing needs. This makes it cheaper and easier to own and operate. For more technologically-savvy users, the iPad acts as an alternative computing device, giving them access to the web in another room or while they’re on the road. No, you won’t be able to blog as fast on an iPad, but it’s really just meant as a robust, handheld window to the web. Closed Environments Aren’t Good, But We Have Choices Let’s be clear: I do not like closed platforms. I think Android’s open platform is the future, not Apple’s closed iPhone App Store. As seed investor and Y Combinator founder Paul Graham noted last week, the App Store’s policies have hurt Apple’s relationship with developers and continues to be a “karma leak” for the company. This is a free market though, and that means companies have the right to choose to build their platform in any way they want. At the same time, we as customers have the right to choose which devices we buy and use. Apple wants to control the user experience at every level, and we can’t blame them: the experience between PCs varies wildly and is prone to errors, shutdowns, and frustrating load times. The iPad is a strong answer to these issues. The iPad isn’t, nor will it ever be, a replacement for the computer, however. You can always choose to buy a PC instead of an iPad or to put down your iPad in favor of your laptop when you need to access an open platform. You can choose to buy an Android-based tablet if you want open apps, or you can just stick with your Nexus One. Apple cannot and will not single-handedly make computing a closed environment. As long as people are curious and have a choice, advanced computing devices will thrive. Even if Apple created a Macbook based off the iPhone OS, people would still buy PCs in droves. Choice is good for the web. Innovation is good for computing. And in the end, Apple’s iPad will make the web far more accessible, despite our gripes and concerns. Reviews: Android, Facebook, Google Wave, Twitter Tags: apple, Apple iPad, Apple Tablet, ipad, The Social

Free Music Monday: 10 Free Downloads for Your Ears Posted: 01 Feb 2010 01:06 PM PST In this week’s Free Music Monday we’ll be offering you 10 free downloadable tracks or albums for your eclectic listening pleasure. If you haven’t been with us for Free Music Monday before, we’re giving you some auditory enjoyment in honor of the #musicmonday tradition on Twitter. Without further ado, let’s roll some tracks! We also happily accept your submissions, and you’ll find information about how to submit to Free Music Monday at the end of this post. 1. [INDIE] Beach House: “Swinging Through the Foggy Ghost Matter” — Check out this brand new Daytrotter session with four live recorded renditions from Baltimore’s indie rock duo Beach House, composed of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. The four tracks are from the pair’s recently-released third album Teen Dream, and are free to download or stream from the previous link (downloads require a free site sign-up). 2. [REGGAE] Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad: “Seasons Change” (Live) — Right-click to download this live rendition of Seasons Change from the roots reggae and experimental dub outfit out of Rochester, NY. The track is from the group’s LIVE UP! album, self-released in late November. Check out more about the band on their website and follow them on Twitter. 3. [SINGER-SONGWRITER] Andrew Olsen: “Hello Lovely” — Rich, full and heart-tugging, “Hello Lovely” is available for the low, low, price of one right-click. You can also grab the other two tracks from the Dear Mary EP and follow Los Angeles-based Andrew Olsen on Facebook. 4. [ROCK] The Black Raspberries: “Dying Breed” — Grab a free track (right-click to download) from these Worcester, MA, independent rockers. Check out more about The Black Raspberries on MySpace. 5. [POP] Zack Borer: “Bad Romance” (cover) — Snag a surprisingly tender cover of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance from New York-based singer-songwriter Zack Borer, who combines flavors of rock, funk and soul in his music. Both the “Bad Romance” cover and an original jam, “That’s the Way” (which has the distinction of being a pre-loaded single on Google’s Nexus One phone), are available for download here, plus you can stream the “Bad Romance” cover below. 6. [BREAKBEAT] Noisia: Studio Mix — Streaming remixes of Dutch electronica trio Noisia’s single “Machine Gun” off their forthcoming album are topping the Soundcloud charts currently. Streaming below is the 16bit remix of “Machine Gun,” and below that is the trio’s latest Studio Mix available for download by clicking the down arrow on the right side of the player. Noisia – Machine Gun (16bit Remix) by NOISIA Noisia – Invisible Studio Mix January 2010 by NOISIA 7. [ROCK] The Illusion: “Mind” — If you like Pink Floyd, check out this Italian rock four-piece The Illusion, featuring the legendary Vinnie Colaiuta on drums. Both “Mind” and “End of Trip” are available for free download from Stereofame, plus a number of other tracks available for streaming. 8. [COUNTRY] David Johnson: “Eights and Aces” — Not your typical straight-up country outfit, Colorado-born and Los Angeles-based David Johnson combines country licks with sometimes humorous lyrics and sensibilities. Right-click to download a free track, and head over to his MySpace page to hear more. 9. [INDIE] Manchester Orchestra: “I could Be With Anyone” — Head over to Spinner to download indie rockers Manchester Orchestra covering Kevin Devine’s tune, and check out a live video below of the Southern five-piece’s original “I Can Barely Breathe” (more live footage on The Interface). 10. [ROCK/POP] Debutaunts: “As Long as You Want Me” — Right-click yourself into a free track from the Debutaunts just-released album Why Can’t We Have Fun. The rest of the album is available for streaming and purchase online. As ever, thanks so much for tuning in! If you like this feature, please give us a push by passing Free Music Monday on to your music-loving friends. You can 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 Special Edition themed Free Music Mondays at the end of this post in case you missed any of the back catalog. Thanks huge 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! Free Music Monday Back Catalogue - Alternative Rock Edition - Covers, Remixes, and Mashups Edition - Electronica Edition - 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 Reviews: Google, MySpace Tags: downloads, free music monday, mp3s, music, musicmonday, twitter

How Web Video SEO is Finally Coming of Age Posted: 01 Feb 2010 12:09 PM PST Though publishing videos on the web has been child’s play for years now, the process of getting them to rank high in search remains enigmatic at best, frustrating at worst. The pace of video publication is accelerating faster than ever, and though video SEO seems to have been left behind the rest of the industry, it’s finally starting to catch up through some exciting developments that will hopefully provide more incentives for publishers to produce great video content. As we start a new year and a new decade, here’s a look at the state of web video SEO right now. The State of Web Video When you produce a video now, there’s no dearth of places to publish it. Though YouTube remains the dominant player in the industry, Vimeo, Blip.tv, Viddler, Metacafe, and a host of other sites (most of them free) have fragmented the market. There’s no need to build or host your own video player, and you can leave the heavy bandwidth duties to them rather than your own server. Just as there’s lots of competition in the platform arena, competition among videos themselves is growing wildly. YouTube spokesman Aaron Zamost said over 20 hours of video are uploaded to the site every minute, and about 120 decades of video are uploaded each year. Hundreds of little tweaks and tricks exist in optimizing a webpage for search, yet the entire realm of video SEO right now consists of only a few to-dos and a lot of finger-crossing. Zamost summed up the basics for ranking high in a YouTube search: “Have a clear, descriptive title, and include as many accurate tags as you can. For example, if you’ve created a video that shows how to tie a bow tie, your title should be ‘How to tie a bow tie.’ That’s really important, because that’s [what] your target viewer probably wanted to learn. So think visually — ties, dress, how to dress nice, how to tie a tie, how to tie a bow tie, etc. It’s also important to note that many users who are searching for video just want to be entertained, and may not be looking for something that precise. So if you’ve created compelling content, think about how a user would likely find it. Tags like ‘funny video,’ while generic, can be very useful.” Many publishers, however, are concerned with getting links and traffic to their site, not just their YouTube page. Rand Fishkin, CEO and co-founder of the multi-million dollar SEO agency SEOmoz, emphasizes the importance of placing videos on your own site and submitting a video sitemap to search engines. “Video results are often far easier to ‘rank,’ than standard web results, but there are some hoops you’ll need to jump through,” Fishkin said in an e-mail. However, users sharing videos by embedding or linking to them in their own sites often leads to traffic and link juice being sent to the third party site (like YouTube or Metacafe) that actually hosts the video, rather than a publisher’s own. A vital part of SEO strategy is getting other websites to link to your site. If people are linking to your content on YouTube, your site doesn’t build much (if any) link equity or page rank at all, which can be discouraging for web publishers. New Developments Because search engine robots only understand actual text, they can’t determine the quality of a video by the content inside it — only by the links to it and the content around it, like the title or tags. People have muddled over this problem for a long time, and a couple of realistic solutions have recently emerged. First, YouTube now has the ability to place captions on its videos. The transcript of a video can be attached to its timeline, allowing users seek to specific portions of YouTube videos by phrase. This transcript can be searched and indexed by the engines, meaning your video content itself can count toward ranking now. Whereas originally you had to provide your own captions to attach, YouTube can now do captions automatically. As with any robotic transcription however, human intervention may be required to fix computer-generated mistakes in the text. Placing a video’s transcript in its description has been a somewhat common SEO practice in the past, but the marriage of the transcript to the video timeline itself is a definite advancement. Another company to recently stumble on a similar solution for web video SEO is the New York-based SpeakerText. SpeakerText helps you perform the same transcript-to-video matrimony as YouTube captions, but further puts SEO power in publishers’ hands through a concept it calls “QuoteLinks.” Basically, once your video has been “speakertexted,” you can embed it on your own website with the transcript attached. Visitors can select a chunk of the transcript, copy it, and paste it in their own blog or website as a link to the exact moment in the video where the quote appears. The link goes to the publisher’s site, not YouTube’s. Right now SpeakerText only works with YouTube, but the company says it plans to provide the service for other platforms in the future. “Anytime somebody quotes, it will link back to the original source, which is good for the end user because they can actually see it in context,” said CEO Matt Mireles, “… and the publisher gets rewarded because it not only sends viral traffic directly, but then the link creates huge SEO.” SpeakerText is free if you provide your own transcript, and you can order transcription through the site at what it claims is roughly half the cost of traditional transcription services. SpeakerText utilizes an army of “Turkees” at Mechanical Turk to do the transcribing. The Future So what’s next for video SEO? Fishkin believes that new platforms like the iPad and the Android Marketplace have big implications for the future. “I suspect this divergence of video from the open web to closed platforms (a curious shift indeed) may have some substantive impact in the future,” he said. Zamost said that “social elements are playing an increasingly important role in the development of new features on YouTube, especially related to search and discovery.” The incorporation of social trends in search algorithms could spell big changes indeed for the SEO industry. Whatever happens next, it’s clear that video SEO is finally starting to catch up to the rest of the web. With services like SpeakerText and YouTube captions emerging to help eliminate unsearchable content issues, the future likely holds more automated and accurate video-text mapping and perhaps eventually video editing in the cloud. What changes are you hoping for? Share your thoughts in the comments below. More web video resources from Mashable: - YouTube Is the Top Social Media Innovation of the Decade - 5 Eye-Popping 3D YouTube Videos - 8 Companies That Are Reinventing TV Online - 5 Best YouTube Sports Moments of 2009 - The 10 Most Innovative Viral Video Ads of 2009 - 7 of the Most Inspiring Videos on the Web Image courtesy of iStockphoto, parasoley Reviews: Android, Vimeo, YouTube, iStockphoto, video Tags: metacafe, Search, search engine optimization, SEO, social media, speakertext, stats, viddler, video, Vimeo, web video, youtube

Amazing, Extraordinary, Tremendous: The 3-Minute iPad Keynote [VIDEO] Posted: 01 Feb 2010 11:37 AM PST Steve Jobs’s stage presence and speech delivery are second to none. So what’s his secret? Adjectives! The folks at NeilCurtis.com decided to condense the iPad keynote into a much more digestible format while keeping the most important sound bites intact with everything you need to know in order to whip out your credit card come March. The 180 second bite-sized version of the iPad announcement serves as a hilarious look at the abundant use of adjectives and superlatives during Jobs’s presentation. Don’t be surprised if you hear a lot of the following: Extraordinary. Phenomenal. Far better. Simple. Wonderful. Great. Gorgeous. Awesome. Super. Huge. Tremendous. Amazing. Terrific. Exciting. Beautiful. [img credit: procsilas] Tags: Apple iPad, Apple Tablet, celebrities, ipad, steve jobs, trending, viral video

iPhone App That Saved Life in Haiti Sees Sales Surge Posted: 01 Feb 2010 11:17 AM PST We wrote recently about how Dan Woolley used a medical app on his iPhone to help save his life after being trapped in the rubble after the Haiti earthquake. That program, the American Heart Association’s Pocket First Aid & CPR app [iTunes link], saw its sales skyrocket after the media coverage of Woolley’s experience. AdAge reports that despite the $3.99 first aid app competing with other free and lower-cost medical apps, it climbed from number 97 on the list of top paid apps in the Apple App Store to break the top 50, ultimately peaking at position 49. This is an impressive feat for the non-entertainment app, which rose above perennially popular titles like Shazam and CNN Mobile. While he wouldn’t disclose actual revenue figures from the sales bump, Jive Media co-founder Doug Kent did say, “The sales increase has been pretty dramatic.” He said the app made its way into the top 15 highest-grossing apps and into the number two most popular slot in the health and fitness category of the App Store, up from ranking between 60 and 70 before Woolley’s story broke. The trajectory of Pocket First Aid & CPR is a reminder of how important trust can be to a potential consumer, and how that trust can increase his/her willingness to break out the wallet even when free alternatives exist. Mobile analytics firm Flurry indicated the sales jump witnessed for Jive Media’s app went well beyond the typical peak a developer would see after a targeted promotion — also indicating that trust is difficult to simply manufacture. What factors help you decide which brands to trust and which apps are worth paying for? Reviews: Shazam Tags: AHA, analytics, branding, flurry, haiti, iphone, iphone apps, jive media, MARKETING, Mobile 2.0, Trust

Pepsi and Focus on the Family Most Buzzed-About Super Bowl Advertisers Posted: 01 Feb 2010 10:48 AM PST While the Saints and the Colts get ready to flex their football muscle on the field, big brands are already battling for primetime social media attention. As it stands now, Pepsi and Focus on the Family are the most buzzed-about Super Bowl advertisers. Alterian used SM2, its social media monitoring service, to look at more than 50,000 conversations from the social web and break down the key advertiser pre-game highlights. The summary report of its findings is embedded below. Both Pepsi and Focus on the Family are topping the charts when it comes to overall mentions and online reach — per Alterian’s Social Engagement Index (SEI), which measures quantity and reach — over the rest of the advertisers. However, if you look at the sentiment of those mentions, Pepsi — who decided to forgo its typical spot for a social media campaign instead — is the advertiser with the most positive conversations, while Focus on the Family and its Tim Tebow ad are generating the most negative mentions. When looking at both positive and negative mentions instead of just quantity, however, Audi and Coca-Cola are fairing the best when it comes to online opinion. Pepsi, Doritos and Boost Mobile round out the top five advertisers with the highest Sentiment Weighted SEI, which only measures engagement based on positive and negative comments. Some other points of interest: - Taco Bell is the third most-mentioned advertiser. The brand also comes in third place when looking at both volume and online reach. - Even with its banned Lola spot, GoDaddy.com isn’t generating as much buzz as the top two. It also has a Sentiment Weighted SEI of – 460 (a value of 100 indicates the average advertiser, negative index indicates more negative conversations than positive conversations). - Mancrunch didn’t make Alterian’s advertiser list, so there’s no indication as to how data on its controversial gay dating site ad, which was posted to YouTube last week, stacks up against other advertisers. Since Altertian’s data is just preliminary, things are likely to fluctuate as we get closer to the big game. What’s especially interesting is that in the age of social media, advertisers that are staying stealth about their spots aren’t getting anywhere near the amount of online buzz as those that are spilling the beans early. And clearly Pepsi’s no-ad social media strategy is paying off in the pre-game duel. We’re curious to see how this all plays out come Sunday. Super Bowl Social Media Results 1 Feb 10 [image courtesy of iStockphoto, spxChrome] Disclosure: Pepsi is a sponsor of Mashable’s upcoming NextUp NYC event. Reviews: Mashable, YouTube, iStockphoto Tags: MARKETING, social media, sports, Super Bowl, Super Bowl ads

Mashable’s Weekly Guide to Social Media & Digital Events Posted: 01 Feb 2010 10:47 AM PST It’s a brand new week, which means it’s time for Mashable's guide to upcoming social media and web events, parties, and conferences. For more upcoming event listings, check out Mashable’s Events section. Is your event not on this list? Contact us at least one month before your event and let's establish a media partnership. Mashable’s Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace. February 1-5, 2010, New York, London, Berlin, Toronto, San Francisco, São Paulo: Social Media Week’s second annual conference will take place between February 1st – 5th, 2010 simultaneously in New York City, Berlin, London, San Francisco, Toronto and São Paulo. The five day conference will explore the profound impact that social media has on culture, business communications and society at large. The week-long conference is designed as a series of localized events, which city partners are responsible for organizing. Over the course of the week and in each city, programs will span a variety of formats, ranging from talks, presentations and panel discussions, to interactive workshops, seminars, networking events and drinks receptions. RSVP here. February 4, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Vator, a leading platform for innovators and entrepreneurs to broadcast themselves, is holding its inaugural 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 Zynga CEO Mark Pincus, Smule CEO Jeff Smith, August Capital VC Howard Hartenbaum and Google Ventures VC Bill Maris. Buy your 25% discount ticket today using the code: VatorMashable February 8, 2010, Tampa, FL: The Social Media conference that comes to you. Social Fresh is a one day, case study rich conference targeted for marketers. Social Fresh Tampa will have 30+ speakers including Chris Barger of GM, Maggie Fox of Social Media Group, and John Andrews of Collective Bias (formerly of Walmart). Get 15% off if using code mashable. February 8-10, 2010, Philadelphia, PA: The 9th Annual ePharma Summit is the most innovative digital marketing event for pharma. Year after year, hundreds of marketing professionals from leading pharmaceutical companies attend ePharma for incomparable access to insider information for optimizing their brand strategy and perfecting consumer relationships. Join us next February to collaborate with industry leading industry minds and perfect your digital strategy by pursuing true e-marketing innovation. The 2010 event is packed with fresh case studies, hands-on workshops, hot topic debates, facilitated roundtable discussions, and live audience polling sessions. Register with Priority Code XP1506MASH to save 15% off standard registration! February 8-11, 2010, Washington, DC: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 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: CIA; IRS; U.S. Army Public Affairs; National Wildlife Federation; U.S. Department of Agriculture; City of Raleigh, NC; U.S. Navy; Morris County, NJ; U.S. Department of State Roanoke Public Libraries, VA; Court Services & Offender Supervision Agency; Department for International Development, Government of the United Kingdom; NOAA; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; National Defense University; City of Richmond, VA; Porter Novelli; Booz Allen Hamilton, and more. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200. February 9-13, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Macworld 2010 is a five-day event that educates, entertains and immerses attendees in the Apple products community. A comprehensive expo hall offers access to hundreds of Mac products and services, paired with expert advice, demonstrations and instruction. Macworld conference programs feature industry leading minds, presenting cutting edge product training on the topics attendees most want to see. From Mac Power Users to creative professionals to first-time users to Enterprise computing professionals, Macworld has the conference content, special presentations and exhibit hall attractions that create what has been called "Mecca for Mac Users". Get 15% off as a Mashable reader. February 10, 2010, New York City: The Online Community Unconference East 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. Mashable readers are entitled to a discount by registering here with code mashable. February 15, 2010, Barcelona, Spain: The Mobile Premier Awards recognize the year's best in Mobile Startup Innovation and are the largest open, global startup competition in the mobile industry. The awards are the point of reference in startup premiers during the Mobile World Congress and are organized in collaboration with some of the main networks in the industry. Participation to the awards is free and open to any startup with a mobile angle. Sign up at www.mobilepremierawards.com and take your chance to walk the red carpet in Barcelona! February 16, 2010, San Diego, CA: BlogWell: How Big Brands Use Social Media features 8 great case studies on the best social media programs at large corporations. Starbucks, Clorox, USAA, Intuit, Avery Dennison, Community Medical Centers, State Farm Insurance, and the Navy Office of Information 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. Save $39 off registration by using the code ILoveMashable. February 17, 2010, Atlanta, GA: Startup Riot is an annual event that focuses on giving fifty startups an opportunity to present, in three minutes, to a large audience of investors, corporate business development and M&A representatives, and other interested parties. Attendees are pre-screened so the room is never filled with service providers, job hunters, or others who are not the target audience. Selected presenting entrepreneurs pay nothing to attend. In 2010 we will move to a bigger venue for the event and the always popular after-party. Also new in 2010 are prizes for presenters and attendees. We are currently accepting applications to attend and present. February 19, 2010, London, UK: What game changing technologies are on the horizon? What new business models will drive growth and value? Who will evolve? Who will go extinct? London Business School's fourth annual Technology Summit explores these and many other questions on the eve of a brand new decade. The Summit promises to be a watershed event for the London technology community. It brings together global thought leaders at the intersection of enterprise, consumer interest and emerging technology for an exciting day of provocative discussions. Come to hear fresh business insights from Facebook, Skype, Goojet, Advent Venture Partners, DoTheGreenThing.com, INQ Mobile, IDEO, BT Design and many others. Buy your 10% discount tickets here. February 19-21, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: SCALE 8X is the 8th Annual Southern California Linux Expo. As the premier community run Linux / Open Source conference, it will feature tutorial sessions designed to show users of all skill levels what Open Source can do and how to do it. Whatever your interest is in Open Source, SCALE 8x will have something for you. Mashable’s readers can receive 40% off registration with the promo code MASH8. February 19-21, 2010, Miami, FL: The Miami iPhone Boot Camp offers a three day workshops on iPhone Development, a full 24 hours of training in Obj-C and the iPhone SDK 3.0, from basic to pro iPhone application development. The workshop is part seminar, part training, part hack-a-thon and students get plenty of hands on exercises. Limited in size the workshop is taught by iPhone developer Ben Sgro. He has released four iPhone applications to the appstore RapLyrics, RapLyricsRaw, 5KQuotes, WisestOne. His current project is a 2D engine that will power a series of game. The training is a great way to jump start your iPhone app development and save weeks of effort trying to figure out the iPhone SDK on you own. Currently the early bird rate is in effect, a savings of $400 and a 10% discount to Mashable readers using entering discount code mashable on the registration page: miamiiphone.eventbrite.com/ February 22-24, 2010, New York, NY: From authoring, editing, and layout to distribution and consumption, new technologies are changing all aspects of publishing. TOC will help you navigate these changes and understand how to apply them to your business or organization for a more profitable future in publishing. You’ll also have the opportunity to participate in conversations that are shaping that future as often as they are describing it. The fourth annual O’Reilly TOC Conference is your opportunity to join those inventing the future of publishing. Register now and save at: en.oreilly.com/toc2010/public/register. Save an additional 15% when you use the Discount Code: toc10mas. February 22-24 2010, Miami, FL: The Future of Web Apps Miami is a three day event for web application developers and entrepreneurs and includes tutorials, inspiration and workshops taught by leading figures at the cutting edge of today’s web. Companies at the event include Twitter, Facebook, Mint.com, Palm, FreshBooks, Reddit and Mozilla. Topics include HTML5, jQuery, online marketing, funding strategies, measuring the success of your web app and Facebook Connect. Save $50 when using promo code MASHABLE. February 22–25, 2010 San Diego, CA: Online Marketing Summit, the premier educational event for marketing professionals, is coming to San Diego this February. Join your marketing peers as they share ideas, hear from expert practitioners, and learn best practices in the areas of: Social Media, Search, Email, Analytics, and more – in a completely vendor free environment! Register now and receive 25% off using discount code MASHABLE. February 23, 2010, Milwaukee, WI: Think Tank Live! Search Marketing & Social Media Summit. An Internet marketing conference focused on using digital marketing and social media to drive strategic business results, increase profits, and lower costs. Be prepared to learn: Emerging best practices for key online marketing channels • Align your business for customers on the web • Create a strategy to increase clients and profits. Topics: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) • SEM / Pay Per Click • Web Analytics • Social Media • WordPress. Our speakers are professionals from Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin who are committed to providing high level insights to provide real-world results for your business. To register, visit ThinkTankLive.com. Please use discount code Mashable for $50 off. February 23-26, 2010, San Jose, CA: At FAST ‘10, explore new directions in the design, implementation, evaluation, and deployment of storage systems. Learn from leaders in the storage industry, beginning Tuesday, February 23, with ground-breaking file and storage tutorials by industry leaders such as Brent Welch, Marc Unangst, Michael Condict, and more. This year’s innovative 3-day technical program includes 21 technical papers, as well as two keynote addresses, Work-in-Progress Reports (WiPs), and a Poster Session. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to meet with premier storage system researchers and industry practitioners from around the globe. Register by February 8 and save! Mashable readers get $100 off using code FASTMASH10. February 26, 2010, New York, NY: NY Tech Cares (@nytechcares) for Haiti, Irving Plaza, was pioneered in light of the heart wrenching devastation that has struck Haiti. The NY Tech community has come together in a collaborative effort to launch and host a disaster relief and fund raising effort to help Haiti’s 1 million homeless and wounded. Many are joining us, so please visit nytechcares.org for more information on this event with an exciting line up of musicians, a live feed to Haiti and a silent auction. February 26-28, 2010, Washington DC: The Washington D.C. iPhone Boot Camp offers a three day workshops on iPhone Development, a full 2 hours of training in Obj-C and the iPhone SDK 3.0, from basic to pro iPhone application development. The workshops are part seminar, part training, part hack-a-thon and students get plenty of hands on exercise. The workshops are limited in size and taught by iPhone developer Matt Campbell, iPhone developer with several apps in the app store and author of the popular book “How to Make an iPhone Application” The training is a great way to jump start your iPhone app development and save weeks of effort trying to figure out the iPhone SDK on you own. Currently the early bird rate is in effect, a savings of $500 and a 10% discount to Mashable readers using entering discount code mashable on the registration page: dc1.eventbrite.com February 26-28, 2010, Saint Louis, MO: The Saint Louis Innovation Camp is a three day event focused on the needs of the Saint Louis IT and Entrepreneurial community. This camp will be hosted on the UMSL campus in Saint Louis, MO. In this camp, local leaders from the Business, IT, Education, and Marketing communities have all joined forces to accomplish the singular goal of supporting entrepreneurs in the successful development of business models which focus on the delivery of technical products and services. To accomplish this goal, this camp offers no non-sense education, hands-on assistance, interactive networking exposure, and a follow through support package to spark technical innovation in the Saint Louis Market. Enter Mashable as the discount code for a 10% savings on the standard ticket price. March 1-4, 2010, Ottawa, ON: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 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: ON Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care; Parks Canada; Communications Community Office; City of Ottawa, ON; Public Safety Canada; Indian & Northern Affairs Canada; Toronto Police Service, ON; Canadian Forces Aerospace Warfare Centre; Human Resources & Skills Development Canada; Northern Lights Canada; Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation; Royal Bank of Canada; Genome Alberta; Business Development Bank of Canada; Thornley Fallis Communications; Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing, & more. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200. March 2-4, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: Search Marketing Expo – SMX West content is so compelling, you'll want to implement what you've learned before leaving the conference. Over 50 super-charged sessions on PPC, SEO, local search, search-friendly design, and social media marketing will help you flourish today, tomorrow and in the future. Whether you're new to search or have years of experience, employed at a Fortune 500 company or run your own business or agency, you'll be a more effective, innovative and inspired internet marketer after attending SMX East. Featured keynote – Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Use discount code smx100mashable when you register. For more info visit smxwest.com March 3, 2010, Seattle, WA: Join a select number of PR, marketing and communications professionals at PR+MKTG Camp™ Seattle for a full day of highly interactive discussions on social media — complete with marshmallows and a virtual campfire. It will explore how to market, measure and manage the opportunities and challenges that social media presents. Our format avoids panels or PowerPoint demonstrations. Top agency and brand executives serve as moderators to help participants find solutions to their social media questions. Mashable readers get a ten percent discount with promo code MASHABLECAMPSEATTLE. March 4-5, 2010, Chicago, IL: At SOHO's 2-Day, "The Co-Alignment of the Corporate and Personal Brand," a Strategy Framework, develop your exclusive copy of "The Draft," SOHO's 16-page social communications policy workbook for businesses and corporations. The focus in 2010 is aligning the corporate brand with internal and external communications. SOHO brings to you presentations, case studies and Town Hall meetings with Olivier Blanchard and Dan Schawbel, and other experienced practitioners. For more information and to register, please visit Sohobiztube.com. Use discount code MashableChi for a 20% discount on a 2-day "The Draft" ticket. March 6, 2010, Cape Cod, MA: Geek Girl Tech Boot Camp – Cape Cod 2010 is going to rock! Geek Girl Boot Camps are full-day technology “unconferences” for women, taught by women, of all ages and knowledge levels where you can find workshops on everything to do with computers and the Internet! Workshops include PC and Mac, Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), Photoshop, QuickBooks, Blogging, Podcasting, WordPress, Google Tools, Dreamweaver, Video, Inbound Marketing, digital photography, and more. The workshops are designed for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. There are Discussion Groups and an all day Help Desk. The Mission of Geek Girl Camp is to educate and empower every girl and woman at every age level, on every skill level, at every income level on computer technology with fun and provide a legacy by giving back and paying it forward. Mashable readers get an exclusive $30 discount off the standard pricing of $139 with special code mashable2010 when registering! March 6th, 2010, Reno, NV: Nevada Interact will bring together business owners, non-profit advocates, publishers, newsmakers, bloggers, podcasters, filmmakers, media, PR and advertising professionals and anyone else interested in interactive media from every corner of Nevada together for hands-on learning, rich discussions, opportunities to meet with local companies working in interactive media and plentiful networking opportunities. Proposals are being accepted until February 8th, 2010: nevadanewmedia.org/nevada-new-media-summit/submissions/ March 8, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: At digiday:MOBILE, discuss the question “Is Mobile The Next Critical Mass Medium?” Discover the what the future holds for you and this game changing media platform at digiday:MOBILE in Los Angeles. During this high-level full day event – top Publishers, Agency Executives and Brand Marketers will come together to discuss and debate how to fully utilize the next critical mass medium: MOBILE. DIGIDAY gives media leaders a chance to converge and discuss high level strategies and the future of Mobile Marketing. www.digidaymobile.com. Get $100 off for Mashable Readers with discount code: Mashable. March 9, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: At digiday:SOCIAL we’ll discuss the question of The New Media Reality: Everything is Social. Are You? During this high-level event, top Publishers, Agency Executives and Brand Marketers will come together to discuss how Social Media is everywhere and is changing everything. DIGIDAY gives media and marketing leaders a chance to converge and reveal high-level success strategies as well as offer insights on how the future of Social Media Marketing will play out for all. Get $100 off for Mashable Readers using code Mashable. March 9-10, New York, NY: Is your intranet dead or alive? Fire it up at INTRANET INSIDER WORLD TOUR LIVE 2010: Making Enterprise 2.0 Work. Learn how to get the intranet basics right (governance, buy in, usability, etc.), plus how to start down the Enterprise 2.0 journey with blogs, wikis, internal social networks, podcasts and video . Learn what leading edge companies such as IBM, ESPN, Alcatel-Lucent, Deloitte and EMC are doing to “socialize” their intranets for communication, collaboration and bottom-line success. Register today with promo code mashable10 to receive $200 off registration. March 9-11, 2010, Baltimore, MD: At the Gartner Portals, Content & Collaboration Summit: Evolution in Real Time, you'll learn how to bring your workplace, information, and processes up to real-time speed for greater efficiency. In 3 days, 30+ Gartner analyst sessions, case studies, workshops and roundtable discussions you'll gain a set of tools and insights on Gen4 collaboration, cloud-based portal and content services, social networking, Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0, megavendor wars and more. Save $300 off the standard rate when you register at gartner.com/us/pcc with priority code PCCMASH. March 10, 2010, New York, NY: Cross Media NYC brings together leaders from all key media industries to discuss, demonstrate, and debate cross media integration and partnerships. Our goal is to bridge the gap between the different media sectors in order share information and find new opportunities. We want the gaming people to meet the TV people, the publishing people to meet the web video people, and everyone to meet the advertising people but let's be honest, in the end, it's all about the money. Use Registration Code mashable to get 15% off. March 15-16, 2010, London, UK: At Social Media World Forum, learn from social networks, brands, advertisers and analysts. Hear from leading social networks on their strategy, revenue models and how they are approaching the future. 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 analysts. Mention you are a Mashable reader to receive 15% discount. March 17, 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) takes 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. March 19, 2010, London, UK: Justmeans' Social Media and Stakeholder Engagement Conference will bring together the top minds in sustainability, marketing, innovation and technology. This executive forum will explore how technology can enable sustainable business by involving stakeholders in the value creation process and will showcase examples of success and failure in this rapidly evolving market. Use this link for a 10% registration discount. 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 22-26, 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 23-24, 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 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 8-10, 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 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 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) takes 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 25-27, 2010, The Sage Gateshead, UK: Thinking Digital is overtly inspired by the TED and PopTech conferences in America. We attract more than 30 of the world's most innovative, creative, insightful and/or accomplished people to come to Hall Two of the Sage Gateshead, United Kingdom annually 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. 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 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. The Mashable Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace. Eventbrite is an online events marketplace where tens of thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations of all sizes manage, promote and sell tickets to their events. Make your event a success on Eventbrite. Reviews: Facebook, Google, Gowalla, LinkedIn, Mashable, Mint, Seesmic, Skype, Twitter, WordPress, YouTube, linux, video Tags: conferences, Events

5 Essential Tools for the Mobile Journalist Posted: 01 Feb 2010 10:32 AM PST The multi-function playground that is the smartphone has shrunk the capabilities of a van-sized 1970's news team into the pocket of a single reporter. Today, front-page news can stream from any individual with a cell phone camera and a Twitter account, as it did during Iran's election protests last summer. Today, major news outlets, such as CNN, have crowdsourced parts of their newsroom to locally-savvy citizen journalists, often armed with little more than a camcorder. In addition to the standard smartphone equipment, such as a camera and social networking applications, we’ve compiled a list of five additional tools that can help a single journalist rival a fully-functional news team. With these tools, a mobile journalist can record data, edit clips, and broadcast polished stories as events unfold. 1. Voice Recorder/Google Voice A smartphone microphone doubles as a remarkably good interviewing device. Built to filter out ambient noise, it can be held at a comfortable length from an interviewee’s face or be left on a table. Best of all, cell phones are so ubiquitous that they seem less intrusive than bulky recording equipment. "[I]t was frightening for most people when a full TV crew was on site for an interview," said Frank Barth Nilsen of Mojoevolution.com, a blog dedicated to mobile journalism. "It’s not so frightening to be interviewed by a man or woman with only a cell phone. It’s small and most people are used to being photographed by a cell phone." For times when face-to-face interviewing is not possible, Google Voice is a handy alternative for teleconferences. Subscribers to Google Voice are given a unique number, which forwards calls to a landline or cell phone, and stores voicemails on an easily accessible website. Perhaps the best feature is integrated voice-recording for inbound calls, and, like voice mail, the entire conversation can be retrieved from anywhere via the web. 2. Ustream In December, Apple approved its first live-streaming iPhone application, Ustream Broadcaster. Users of the popular video website Ustream can upload audio and video in real-time. In addition to streaming multimedia, you can now use Social Stream to integrate the experience into popular social media websites. Depending on the connection, Ustream Broadcaster can be pretty choppy. But, for breaking news, even lower-quality real-time video can send a powerful message. 3. Reeldirector Reeldirector is a video editing suite for the iPhone that can trim and join clips, add titles, and embed sound. Though editing on your phone for broadcast is probably not something journalists will need or want to do often, the app is perfect for creating a montage of short street interviews or key clips. 4. Fast Thumbs and Sync-able Memos Why carry around a notebook and pen when a fully functional keyboard is always within arms reach? Though it takes some practice, thumb typing can record information as fast, if not faster, than traditional handwriting. Below are six super-fast typing tips from the world's fastest texters. Once you've typed-up a good story, you'll want to make sure all that hard work is safe. Applications like Notespark and Evernote sync notes to a remote server so that even if your cell phone is lost while traveling, all your work is preserved. 5. WordPress In the age of the Internet, a breaking news story can be as much about publication speed as it is about quality journalism. With the WordPress application for the iPhone, journalists can patch together analysis and multimedia and post it to a blog without ever touching a computer. Even for journalists who rely on an editor to publish stories, a WordPress post can give an editor a working layout for how all the information should flow. Conclusion Today, everything a journalist needs to publish a story is only a few clicks away. In addition to speedy publication, inexpensive reporting allows less-endowed news outfits to blanket an area with more reporters. For instance, at Penn State, an unofficial campus newspaper, Onward State, is taking on the century-old university standby The Daily Collegian. According to sources at Onward State, a combination of mobile journalism and social media has helped the rogue publication become a competitor to the more established, award-winning official newspaper. From college campuses to the streets of Tehran, a combination of low costs and hyper-local resourcefulness is democratizing the world of news journalism, putting the power of the press, literally, into the hands of every citizen. More journalism resources from Mashable: - Mashable's Social Media Guide for Journalists - 8 Things to Avoid When Building a Community - 7 Ways News Media are Becoming More Collaborative - 10 News Media Content Trends to Watch in 2010 - 8 Must-Have Traits of Tomorrow's Journalist - 10 Ways Journalism Schools Are Teaching Social Media Image courtesy of iStockphoto, MotoEd Reviews: Evernote, Google Voice, WordPress, iStockphoto, ustream Tags: citizen journalism, evernote, Google Voice, iphone, journalism, Mobile 2.0, News, notespark, reporter, reporting, ustream, Wordpress

Obama Answers Questions Live On YouTube Today Posted: 01 Feb 2010 10:10 AM PST United States President Barack Obama will answer user-submitted questions on YouTube’s CitizenTube channel this afternoon at 1:45 p.m. EST. YouTube is so excited about this webcast that it’s advertising it with a strip at the top of the site regardless of what you’re viewing at the time. (You can remove that if you want, though.) The President obviously won’t have time to answer all 12,000 questions that have been sent in, but he’ll get to as many as he can. He won’t know which questions will be asked until he hears them during the interview. All the submissions are visible at CitizenTube, though, and users can vote for which ones they’d like answered, so the questions we hear in the webcast should be a finger on the pulse of the nation — or at least the pulse of the citizens who are interested in a webcast Q&A. This is an interesting slice of cyber-democracy and populism; it will be the first interview with the President since he delivered his State of the Union speech last week. The speech attracted 1.3 million online viewers at Whitehouse.gov and 48 million on traditional television. Tags: CitizenTube, live video, obama, politics, state of the union, youtube

Target’s Facebook Campaign Combines the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day Posted: 01 Feb 2010 09:47 AM PST It’s the first day of February and that means two things: Valentine’s Day is just two weeks away and the Super Bowl is NEXT Sunday! Retail store Target has decided to embrace both of these upcoming events, while also giving money to charity, with its new Facebook app, Super Love Sender. Target is going to split $1 million across five different charities that support educational programming. The online community can decide how those funds are allocated by sending cute, interactive Valentine’s Day cards. If you go to Facebook.com/Target and click on the Super Love Sender tab, you can start the process of sending a JibJab-like, NFL- and Valentine-themed greeting card. Before you start creating the card, you can choose from one of five charities that you think should get the most money. The charities Target is supporting are: - Kids in Need Foundation - St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital - The Salvation Army - United Through Reading Military Program - United Way You can send up to 10 cards a day, which totals 10 votes for your favorite charity. Target is offering a real-time look at how the charities are doing against each another. The cards themselves are pretty funny. They aren’t quite as interactive as something like Elf Yourself, but they are a cute, funny way to send a greeting, while also voicing how you think Target should allocate its funds. What do you think of how companies are using Facebook to raise awareness and connect with charitable causes? Let us know! Reviews: Facebook Tags: charity, facebook, MARKETING, super love sender, Target

Taylor Swift’s Grammy Performance Inspired by Viral Cover Version [VIDEO] Posted: 01 Feb 2010 09:24 AM PST Musician and producer Butch Walker scored the awesome opportunity to perform live at The Grammys with Taylor Swift last night — all because of a viral video that he posted to YouTube months ago. Back in November, Walker — formerly of rock band Marvelous 3 — was using Twitter to ask fans which songs he should cover at L.A.’s Hotel Cafe, where he had a residency. Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” was the number-one choice, and Walker later recorded the jam with gender-adjusted lyrics and banjolin accompaniment. The musician whipped up a “making of” video — complete with pee breaks and subtitles — which became such a viral hit that in a mere two days Swift caught wind of the cover and tweeted enthusiastically, “@butchwalker covered You Belong With Me and I’m losing my MIND listening to it! Blown away.” As a result, Walker got to rock out with the Grammy-award-winning Swift, as well as legend Stevie Nicks, at last night’s ceremony. This state of affairs truly shows social media’s ability to both bring people together and to foster creativity. Swift may not be everyone’s cuppa tea (neither Kanye nor I are fans), but Walker’s cover is actually pretty good. But that might just be because I like to watch dudes with suspenders and sleeve tats play instruments. Check out both the original vid and the Grammy performance below and let us know what you think in the comments. Reviews: Twitter Tags: butch walker, grammys, music, taylor swift, twitter, viral video, youtube

Netflix Gets A Huge Influx of Indie and Foreign Films Posted: 01 Feb 2010 09:02 AM PST Netflix just formally announced that it has signed non-exclusive deals to stream online content from independent and foreign film companies like the Criterion Collection, Gravitas Ventures, Kino Lorber, Music Box Films, Oscilloscope Laboratories and Regent Releasing. As a result of the deals, Netflix is already streaming 300 previously unavailable indie and foreign films on its website to all of its subscribers. More classics are on the way, and some of Netflix’s new deals will allow the site to stream new releases from participating companies. The announcement names Departures, Wendy and Lucy, A Nos Amours, Au Revoir Les Enfents, Good Dick, As It Is in Heaven and Seraphine as key examples of the kind of content now available. Others include François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows and several films by Ingmar Bergman, including The Seventh Seal — that classic, angst-ridden film about literally playing chess with Death. Expansions like this to Netflix’s library — along with initiatives like streaming content via any of the three major video game consoles — make Netflix arguably the best deal for film fanatics. Its collection isn’t comprehensive, but it’s definitely the most expansive one you can get for less than $10 per month. Netflix isn’t the only place you can watch art house films and classics on the web, though. A social networking/film streaming site called The Auteurs partners with Criterion, Latin American cinema source Costa Films and French distributor Celluloid Dreams to offer rentals either free or pay-per-view. Both The Auteurs and Netflix made our list of the top 10 social sites for film buffs. Tags: criterion collection, Film, gravitas ventures, kino lorber, music box films, netflix, oscilloscope laboratories, regent releasing, the auteurs, video

TurboTax to Help You Through Tax Season With Major Twitter Effort Posted: 01 Feb 2010 08:47 AM PST TurboTax is launching a major Twitter initiative today that looks to help customers of its popular online tax software get through the process of paying taxes. The company has enlisted 14 people to answer both tax and software questions through the @teamturbotax account. The process will be managed with CoTweet, the Twitter CRM software that several other big brands use, including Best Buy and Ford. @teamturbotax joins a number of other social media initiatives at TurboTax, including a tax Q&A via a Facebook Page and an online community on parent company Intuit's website that reportedly has more than 10 million users. Taking a look at the account, it looks like the TurboTax team is already jumping in to answer customer questions, though you have to wonder if it wil be able to keep up with the volume that will likely come as April 15 draws closer. Nonetheless, it seems like a more attractive way to get customer support than either signing up for a separate site or a time consuming live chat – at least if you're already on Twitter. How do you plan to pay your taxes this year? Will Twitter support make you consider TurboTax? Let us know in the comments. Reviews: Twitter Tags: intuit, software, taxes, turbotax, twitter