Monday, May 30, 2011

Mashable: Latest 8 News Updates - including “Samsung Wants to See the Next iPhone and iPad”


Mashable: Latest 8 News Updates - including “Samsung Wants to See the Next iPhone and iPad”


* Samsung Wants to See the Next iPhone and iPad
* Top 5 Foursquare Mistakes Committed by Small Businesses
* Asus PadFone Tablet Hides Smartphone Inside [PICS]
* Indy 500 Warmup: World Record-Setting 332-foot Truck Jump [VIDEO]
* Money-Shredding Alarm Clock Is Completely Unforgiving [PICS]
* 6 Gadgets We’re Playing With This Week
* Is There a Social Media Tech Bubble? [INFOGRAPHIC]
* 13 Instagram Apps For More Photo Fun
* 46 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed

Samsung Wants to See the Next iPhone and iPad

Posted: 30 May 2011 02:02 AM PDT


The Apple-Samsung patent infringement lawsuit is heating up: Samsung’s lawyers have filed a motion for Apple to provide them with a sample of the next generation iPhone and iPad.

Since Apple keeps very tight wraps around all its upcoming products, it’s highly unlikely that the company will comply with this request, at least without a fight. However, recently Samsung was ordered by a judge to give Apple samples of its yet unreleased tablets and smartphones, including the Galaxy S2 and the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Add to that the fact that Samsung has also filed a countersuit against Apple citing several patent infringements, and suddenly Samsung’s claims don’t seem that far-fetched.

Nilay Patel examined Samsung’s request and he found some subtle differences between the two requests: Samsung products that Apple requested to see were publicly announced, while Samsung wants to see Apple’s products which are unannounced and – if you disregard the rumor mill – officially do not exist.

Either way, if the motion is successful, only Samsung’s lawyers – not even Samsung itself – would see Apple’s products, and the chances of any info leaking out into the public are very slim.

The full text of Samsung’s filing is available here.

Image courtesy of Flickr, boedker.

More About: apple, ipad, iphone, lawsuit, patent, samsung

For more Mobile coverage:

* Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Mobile channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


Top 5 Foursquare Mistakes Committed by Small Businesses

Posted: 29 May 2011 04:27 PM PDT


This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

From our coverage on Mashable, you’ve probably learned a fair share about Foursquare for business. There are more than 9 million people on Foursquare, and there are 250,000 businesses that have claimed venues and use the location-based service as part of their overall marketing program. Foursquare is a free platform for merchants to use to engage and incentivize customers, but only if done right. Here’s what not to do as you embark on your Foursquare marketing endeavors.
1. Creating a Complicated Special

There’s no fun in trying to unlock a special that is nearly impossible to unlock. Try to keep it simple. The purpose of Foursquare’s merchant platform is to bridge the gap between customers and merchants, and a high barrier to entry could easily turn users off. There are seven kinds of specials to choose from, depending on whether you’re targeting new customers, encouraging people to come back multiple times or wanting to reward the mayor (your most loyal Foursquare customer).

Foursquare enables businesses to activate a special only on certain days or during certain times, or they can reward people for every nth checkin, regardless of what time or day it happens. “Receive a free cupcake on your fifth checkin” or “10% off your bill on Tuesdays” are good examples of simple rewards.

Specials can provide discounts, a few bucks off or a free item. If you’re worried about margins, you can offer a special that doesn’t affect your bottom line — maybe users will get to shop during special hours at your shop. Alternatively, you can post videos of your most active Foursquare users on your Facebook and Twitter pages. Eric Friedman, Foursquare’s director of business development, says the best kind of specials are those that make people feel special and provide them with something they couldn’t get as a regular consumer.

Also, remember to set an end-date for your campaign if it’s a limited-time offer and use the fine print if there are exclusions to your special.
2. Not Training Staff

You never want someone to redeem a special and show it to your staff, only to be looked at with googly eyes. Be sure your team is prepared and can recognize a Foursquare special and offer the redemption. Once you create a special, Foursquare provides flyers for you to print — one for employees, and one for customers — to build awareness for the product and make sure everyone is on the same page.

If you add a new special or change your current one, be sure to alert the team so they can answer any Foursquare-related questions.
3. Not Using Foursquare’s Dashboard

The Foursquare dashboard is full of useful information. Merchants can see what times people are checking in, in addition to details on the gender and age breakdown of those users. Businesses can use this information to craft a special to lure people to their venues during slow periods.

Only about 25% of Foursquare users send checkins to Twitter or Facebook, so logging in to the dashboard allows you to see who your most frequent and most recent Foursquare checkins are. This is helpful for businesses and gives them an inside look at their customers, while also proving contact information — such as their Twitter handles — if a user provided it when signing up. The Twitter handle can be used for one-on-one outreach, which will make your customers feel special and appreciated (and hopefully not creeped out).
4. Giving Away Too Much Product Via Specials

Just like on Groupon, there is a point at which your margins could be affected in such a way that you could be losing money. If you’re a cupcake shop, you might not to be able to afford giving away a free cupcake with each checkin. That’s fine, just get more creative and offer a more exclusive special. Perhaps you can do a loyalty special so that people get a reward — a free cupcake — on every third or fourth visit. That way, they’re incentivized to come back, so you’re encouraging and rewarding loyalty with delayed gratification.
5. Not Advertising That You’re a Foursquare Merchant

People might not be inclined to check in if they don’t know there’s a reward, so be sure to put the window clings (which Foursquare sends you when you create a special) on display. Setting up a special also guarantees that your business is shown in the “specials nearby” tab when people open the Foursquare app in the vicinity of your business.

The bottom line is that there are nearly 10 million people on Foursquare. Some might be more inclined to try your business — and keep coming back — if they know there’s an incentive on Foursquare. Therefore, not publicizing your special can be a huge missed opportunity.

What are some small business Foursquare marketing mistakes you’ve seen? Let us know in the comments.
More Foursquare Resources from Mashable:

- HOW TO: Start Marketing on Foursquare
- HOW TO: Set Up a Foursquare Special
- Why Location-Based Services Will be the Killer App of the 2012 Elections
- Checking In on Foursquare or Facebook Becomes a Game With Virgin America
- How Geolocation Will Revolutionize the On-Site Service Industry

More About: foursquare, lbs, location marketing, location-based apps, location-based marketing, location-based service, Location-based services, small business, trending

For more Business & Marketing coverage:

* Follow Mashable Business & Marketing on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Business & Marketing channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


Asus PadFone Tablet Hides Smartphone Inside [PICS]

Posted: 29 May 2011 03:36 PM PDT


Here's a novel idea: Hide a smartphone inside the back of a tablet, and you can have the best of both worlds. That’s what Asus has done with its PadFone, nestling its new Android smartphone into a docking bay in the back of its larger-screened tablet companion, complete with a small door that closes behind it, storing the handset out of sight.

You’re looking at the first pictures to surface of this unusual configuration, which reminds us of the Motorola Atrix 4G smartphone. Even that’s not quite the same, though, because the Atrix plugs into a laptop-like companion, consisting of a keyboard and screen.

Details of the configuration are still murky at this point. On its Facebook page, Asus has been plugging its tagline of "Break the Rules: Pad or Phone," and the company is doing that by bringing the Motorola Atrix’s kind of versatility to a tablet form factor. Look at the gallery below, and you’ll notice there’s even a small hole for the Garmin-Asus-like smartphone‘s camera to peek out. The pictures also show what could be a folding tablet with a keyboard inside.

Our take: Both Asus and Motorola are on the right track, because for those of us who must carry around a bag full of gadgets every day, we’d like to avoid duplication of effort. This Asus system uses what’s probably a dual-core processor inside that smartphone to run a tablet as well. Then there’s just one unit that handles both tablet and smartphone processing, and there’s just one cellphone bill to pay.

These pics were somehow leaked to Pocketnow.com, but the big reveal happens at Computex in Taiwan tomorrow, when we’ll find out more details about this intriguing new configuration. Meanwhile, peruse Pocketnow’s pics in our gallery below and please let us know what you think of this coolness in the comments.


Asus Padfone Back


[Asus Padfone Back]


Notice the camera port.


Asus Padfone Flat


[Asus Padfone Flat]



Asus Padfone Hero


[Asus Padfone Hero]



Asus Padfone Tablet


[Asus Padfone Tablet]


Graphics courtesy Pocketnow.com

More About: Asus, Computex, PadFone, reveal, smartphone, spy pics, Tablet

For more Mobile coverage:

* Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Mobile channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


Indy 500 Warmup: World Record-Setting 332-foot Truck Jump [VIDEO]

Posted: 29 May 2011 02:08 PM PDT

Sunday was Indy 500 day, and our thoughts turned to fast cars, the latest automotive tech, the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, and … world-record truck jumping?

That’s what happened at turn 4 of the Indianapolis 500 race track, when stunt driver and Top Gear star Tanner Faust warmed up the crowd by setting a new jumping distance world record for a 4-wheeled vehicle.

Driving down a huge ramp designed look like a Hot Wheels “V-Drop” track as part of a “Fearless at the 500″ promotion, Faust picked up enough speed to launch his specially modified “Pro 2″ truck a world-record 332 feet. That was more than enough to beat the previous record of 301 feet.

Until the day of the jump, Faust’s identity was kept secret. He’d been practicing for months — he tells his story in this video, revealed for the first time on Sunday:

And the video teaser that led up to the jump:

More About: cars, Indianapolis 500, indy 500 2011, indy 500 truck jump 2011, jump, Memorial Day weekend, Tanner Faust, trending, truck jump 2011, video

For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:

* Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


Money-Shredding Alarm Clock Is Completely Unforgiving [PICS]

Posted: 29 May 2011 01:14 PM PDT


This design concept might be more sight gag than real product, but it’s clever nonetheless. Bringing new meaning to the phase “you snooze, you lose,” when you place this unforgiving clock across the room from your bed, if you don’t get up when the alarm sounds, it’s going to cost you.

Might we suggest at first being easy on yourself, placing a lower-denomination bill into this sleeper’s trap before you start punishing yourself too much. From the looks of these pics, that shredder does a thorough job of destroying currency or whatever else you’d like to place in it. And look at that — the designer has placed not one, but what looks like a stack of $100 bills into the clock’s hungry maw.

Careful, though — in the U.S., willfully destroying U.S. currency is a federal crime:

“..Whoever mutilates, cuts, disfigures, perforates, unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, Federal Reserve Bank, or Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such item(s) unfit to be reissued, shall be fined not more than $100 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.”

Adding a bit of jail time to the penalty of losing your $100 (and perhaps paying another $100 fine) might just make you get out of bed in the morning, sleepyhead.


There's a stack of hundreds in there!


[There's a stack of hundreds in there!]


Maybe start out with $1 bills?


Side View


[Side View]


[Via AcidCow]

More About: Alarm Clock, Clocks, design concept, shredder, sight gags, trending

For more Dev & Design coverage:

* Follow Mashable Dev & Design on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Dev & Design channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


6 Gadgets We’re Playing With This Week

Posted: 29 May 2011 12:12 PM PDT

Mashable recently kicked off its Gadget of the Day Series, supported by the Energizer Inductive Charger. Each week, we’ll review a number of gadgets that catch our interest. In case you missed them, here are the gadgets from our second week — read on for great reviews of Nike’s SportWatch GPS, the Logitech Alert Security System, Altec Lansing Orbit USB Stereo wireless speakers, Logitech’s HD Pro Webcam C910, and the GoFlex Satellite.

Looking for even more gadget reviews? This roundup will appear every weekend during the series, and you can check out all of our gadget coverage on the Tech & Gadgets channel.
1. Nike+ SportWatch GPS

Runners of all levels who want an accurate assessment of their runs should check out the Nike+ Sportwatch GPS. It’s accurate, and with a little software-side tweaking, it could be the perfect scoring system for your daily exercise routine.

2. Logitech Alert Security System

The Logitech Alert Security System uses high-quality cameras to record and send video to a computer via ordinary electrical wiring. This refined system keeps watch over your stuff in HD quality, giving you clear video of anyone who wants to trespass on your property, day or night. You can install the system yourself, but to fully cover an average-sized house will cost you in excess of $1,000.


750i Outdoor Camera


[750i Outdoor Camera]




It's small and solidly built. But can it make it through a bitterly cold winter?


Outdoor Camera Mounted


[Outdoor Camera Mounted]


The mounting hardware is solidly built as well.


Bottom of Outdoor Camera


[Bottom of Outdoor Camera]


There's a mic to capture audio, too, but you can disable that.


Outdoor Interface


[Outdoor Interface]


The interface is mounted on a wall, then plugged into an outlet. Here I've taken off its weatherproof door to install the thin electrical wire that goes to the camera.


Indoor Camera 750i


[Indoor Camera 750i]


Attach this camera via suction cup or bracket, front or back.


Indoor Camera Mounted


[Indoor Camera Mounted]


The suction cup held well.


Network Interface


[Network Interface]


Plug this unit into an AC outlet and connect it to your router, and it bridges the electrical system with your network.


Alert Commander Interface


[Alert Commander Interface]


Here's what the screen looks like with 4 cameras attached.


One Camera Full Frame


[One Camera Full Frame]


Here's a single camera in the viewer. You can also view them in arrangements of 4 or 6, or go full screen without any controls on any of the arrangements.


Motion Detection Zones


[Motion Detection Zones]


Here I've drawn two small zones for motion detection, and I'm in the process of drawing a third across the bottom of the screen. I'm trying to avoid constantly moving trees, but it was hard to avoid false alarms in this situation.


Motion Detection Alert


[Motion Detection Alert]


Configure the system to send you a text or snapshot alert via email or cellphone text. The advanced settings let you adjust the amount of movement that will trigger alerts.


Alert Web Viewer


[Alert Web Viewer]


View live cameras with this, but no recordings.


Night Vision Quad Split


[Night Vision Quad Split]


It's in black & white, and sometimes the infrared lighting makes things look weird, but the images are sharp.


Night Vision Single Camera View


[Night Vision Single Camera View]


The camera's resolution will let us get a good look at those raccoons that like to lick the grill grease late at night.
3. Altec Lansing Orbit USB Stereo wireless speakers

Portable laptop speakers are a dime a dozen, so you need to stand out to make an impression in an overcrowded market. Altec Lansing has focused on sound quality, portability and ease of use with its new Orbit USB Stereo offering, in an attempt to appeal to laptop owners on the go. These wireless speakers are a great budget option for laptop-toting travelers who value audio clarity over volume.


Flip-Out Legs


[Flip-Out Legs]


The speakers are supported by flip-out stands which fold flat for storage and transportation.


Rear View


[Rear View]


The wires wind up inside the end of the speakers so they can lock together for portability.


Side View


[Side View]


The speakers boast an industrial look and a robust build.


The Travel Sleeve


[The Travel Sleeve]


The USB Orbit Stereo speakers come complete with a fabric travel case.
4. iRig Mic

Need a serious yet portable condenser microphone for interviews or music recording? This one plugs into your iPhone, and the results are impressive. The recording quality of the microphone is quite good and the sensitivity settings work as promised. For the mobile musician or reporter, this is a great add-on to an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.


iRig Mic in Use


[iRig Mic in Use]


The iRig Mic with a recording in process.


iRic and iRig Recorder


[iRic and iRig Recorder]


The iRig Mic and iRig Recorder software.


iRig Profile


[iRig Profile]


The iRig Mic resembles a standard karaoke microphone. It comes with its own carrying pouch, a microphone clamp for attachment to a stand and has a headphone passthrough port, perfect for users who want to monitor what they are recording.


iRig Recorder and VocaLive


[iRig Recorder and VocaLive]


Users can download free versions of recording apps from IK Multimedia, including iRig Recorder and VocaLive.

The paid versions of these apps provide enhanced functionality, but come at a price. iRig Recorder is $4.99 and VocaLive is $19.99.

Both apps are solid workhorse applications and allow users to export audio directly from the app to other sources, including hosting services like SoundCloud.
5. Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910

At $99, the C910 is a quality HD webcam that works with both Windows and Mac OS X. For the price, it delivers solid performance and high-quality video. Seeing is believing, so here is an unedited video, recorded in 1080p (compressed) and uploaded directly to YouTube, created by Mashable Christina Warren. The audio hiss in the background is from our office, but otherwise, we’re pleased with the results.

6. GoFlex Satellite Mobile Wireless Storage

The GoFlex Satellite enables you to wirelessly stream movies, listen to music and view photos with up to three Wi-Fi devices at the same time. It’s perfect for anyone who travels with an iPad and families with kids in the car who’d like to pass the time with photos, music and movies.


Top Side


[Top Side]


The rounded area in the foreground is where you plug in the included USB cable.


DC In


[DC In]


There's an included car charger, letting you plug the drive into a car's cigarette lighter for recharging. The batteries are said to last 5 hours.


Adapter Port


[Adapter Port]


Here's where that adapter plugs in. This port is protected by a removable door, which we think is too easy to lose.


Plastic Door


[Plastic Door]


Here's the plastic door that protects the port.


USB Cable Plugged In


[USB Cable Plugged In]



Three Playing At Once


[Three Playing At Once]


Here are two iPads and an iPhone, all three playing back movies from the drive at the same time without a hitch. Nice.

For more gadget reviews, check out the Gadget of the Day Series and visit the Tech & Gadgets channel.

More About: Gadget of the Day Series, gadgets, hard drive, ipad, iRig, iRig Mic, iRig Recorder, logitech, Logitech Alert Security System, logitech c910 webcam, Nike

For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:

* Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


Is There a Social Media Tech Bubble? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 29 May 2011 10:53 AM PDT


Valuations of social media companies are starting to remind us of 1999. But are they overvalued?

Now that Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5 billion, LinkedIn’s IPO valued the company at $8.9 billion after its first day of trading, and Facebook’s estimated value is pushing $100 billion, you might be starting to wonder if buying into user numbers rather than revenue is a good idea.

Social media site G+, a community of professionals, entrepreneurs and academics, put together this detailed infographic that lays it all out in front of you. Take a look at these valuations and let us know in the comments if you think this is getting out of hand:

(Click here for enlargement)

Infographic courtesy Gplus.com

More About: facebook, infographic, ipo, linkedin, microsoft, Skype, social media bubble, tech bubble, trending

For more Business & Marketing coverage:

* Follow Mashable Business & Marketing on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Business & Marketing channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


13 Instagram Apps For More Photo Fun

Posted: 29 May 2011 09:50 AM PDT


In this collection of our favorite Instagram-infused applications, each offers an interesting way to view or enjoy Instagram’s ever-expanding photo archives — some are Instagram-only clients, while others use Instagram to enhance their existing products.

Instagram delights its more than 4.25 million users with photo-enhancing filters, tilt-shift, cool comments and “likes” features and instant social sharing options.

The once iPhone-only experience has spread to the web, Macs, iPads and even the physical world, thanks to a growing crop of developers. They’re harvesting the massive amount of photos shared by Instagram users each second via the startup’s three-month-old real-time API.

As many of our readers continue to point out, the only hole in Instagram’s ecosystem is the lack of an application for Android users.


Carousel


[Carousel]


Carousel is a gorgeous Instagram Mac app for your desktop.

Carousel, which sells for $4.99 on the Mac App Store, includes the standard photo viewing and commenting features, but it also packs a number of nuances -- double-click photos to enlarge and save them to iPhoto for instance -- that make it a near picture-perfect interpretation of Instagram in desktop form.

We love the four theme options, keyboard shortcuts and the growl notification options, but its the simple and subtle design touches that make it a standout application.


Instagallery


[Instagallery]


Instagallery [iTunes link] is a $1.99 application for browsing Instagram photos on your iPad or iPhone.

Swipe through popular photos or login to scroll through, "like" and comment on your friends' Instagram photos. Hit the "play" button and the app will start a slideshow and scroll through photos for you.

Instagallery also includes user profiles, different background options, and supports tag and user search. You can even double-tap or pinch to zoom photos to enlarge them.


Screenstagram


[Screenstagram]


Screenstagram is an Instagram-powered screen saver for Mac. Download the app and you'll be able to view your friends' photos as your always-updating desktop screen saver.

"We wanted to do something that took advantage of the eye candy, something beyond a web-based photo browser – something to really showcase our friends' grainy, bar room photography," app creator Doug Pfeffer says. "A way we could sit with the photos and soak them in longer than usually allowed by the ephemeral, wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am approach taken by the feed in the Instagram iPhone app."

After download, simply select Screenstagram as your screen saver in the Desktop & Screen Saver settings panel. Input your user name and password, and optionally select to show user names or include popular images. Then, sit back and watch as Instagram photos are swapped in and out as tiles on your screen.

No Instagram account? No worries. You can still use Screenstagram to view popular photos.


Gramframe


[Gramframe]


Like Screenstagram, GramFrame is an Instagram screen saver, but this one is for your iPad.

The $1.99 iPad application [iTunes link] is as simple as they come. You can log in to Instagram and choose to watch popular photos, friends' photos or your own photos cascade on to your iPad.


MorningPics


[MorningPics]


Instagram early adopters have been posting photos for more than seven months and have likely developed a massive photo archive. MorningPics offers a simple way to relive those memories.

MorningPics delivers one randomly selected previously taken Instagram photo via email each morning. The email includes comments and "likes." Depending on what you post to Instagram, your daily morning trip down Instagram memory lane could be quite emotional or inspiring.

Sign up here for early access to the private beta.


Extragram


[Extragram]


Extragram is a third-party web app for Instagram you can use to view, search, "like" and comment on Instagram photos.

The elegant interface displays photos in three different styles: Grid, Filmstrip (pictured) or Map view. We like it for its subtleties and finesse. We also enjoy the "Discover" tab for finding trending tags and profiles on Instagram. Plus, the app developers frequently release new features so it continues to get better with time.


Gramfeed


[Gramfeed]


Gramfeed, like Extragram, is a web client for Instagram.

Gramfeed is a little less flashy than Extragram, but the interface does offer two different photo views and an enjoyable way to view your Instagram timeline, add comments and "likes" to friends' photos, search and browse popular photos.


Inkstagram


[Inkstagram]


Inkstagram is also a web app for browsing Instagram photos. You can view photos in small, medium or full sizes while browsing your feed, popular photos or your own photos.

We especially appreciate the "My Likes" view which showcases all of the photos that you've liked on Instagram.


Instaprint


[Instaprint]


Instaprint is a printer for Instagram photos.

Each Instaprint box, intended to be an Instagram photo booth for parties, is set with a location or tag so that any Instagram photo appropriately tagged will be automatically printed in an ink-less Polaroid-like fashion.

The Instagram prints even include comments. For the Instagram geek, it really doesn't get much cooler than this.


Keepsy Instant Album


[Keepsy Instant Album]


Scrapbooking startup Keepsy's Instant Album is a print photo book for your Instagram photos.

The online app connects to your Instagram account, pre-selects your best filtered photos and auto-generates an instant album of roughly 35 photos that you can purchase and place on your coffee table. If you'd rather customize and design your album, have at it; Instant Album lets you edit page layouts, drag-and-drop photos onto the same page, tweak backgrounds, customize text and so forth.

The 11-by-8.5 inch hardback albums start at $29.95.


Destroyed


[Destroyed]


Musician Moby used Instagram to add photo flare to his Destroyed album release. The artist launched a microsite tying together Soundcloud and Instagram to create an album/photo book experience with interactive appeal.

Users can listen to the new album while clicking on map points to view Instagram photos taken from Moby's tour.

We think it's a marvelous and highly creative use of Instagram's API and hope it will inspire more artists to explore photo-sharing and music mashups.


Momento


[Momento]


Momento, the $2.99 personal social media diary application for iPhone users, was one of the first applications to add Instagram integration.

The app is a winner in our book because it lets you automatically import your Instagram photos for inclusion in your daily diary entries. Now your Instagram moments don't have to be so fleeting.


Flipboard


[Flipboard]


When social magazine Flipboard added Instagram integration in March, application users were presented with an elegant way to leanback, flip through and enjoy their friends' filtered and tilt-shifted photos.

The rich integration displays brighter, bolder photos, and lets you comment and "like" friends' photos from within Flipboard.

Instagram inside Flipboard is a fresh take on leisurely weekday or weekend reading.

More About: instagram, instagram API, instagram apps, trending

For more Social Media coverage:

* Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Social Media channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


46 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed

Posted: 29 May 2011 08:42 AM PDT

icons image


Guess who’s back, back again? Mashable has wrapped another week jam-packed with tools and resources for your digital life.

This week we have stories walking you through the startup investment process, Lady Gaga’s social media spectacle, a history of advertising on Twitter, and even some cool decals for your iPad.

Looking for even more social media resources? This guide appears every weekend, and you can check out all the lists-gone-by here any time.
Editors’ Picks

* How Lady Gaga Created a Web Marketing Spectacle for Born This Way [PICS]
Lady Gaga has paved a path for stars and brands to get inventive with the ways they use digital and social media to promote themselves and connect with fans. Here’s how she did it with her new album, Born This Way.
* Microsoft's Steve Ballmer Conundrum
Should Ballmer get the boot? Does Microsoft need a fresh, new face to guide it into a post-PC world? Let’s crunch the numbers.
* Hacking for Good: Three Ways for Devs to Get Involved
Want to use your dev powers for the greater good? Here are three ways to get involved.
* How Activist Investors Use Social Media to Influence Companies
In the world of corporate investing, a blog post or tweet could change the course of business for companies and stakeholders.
* 6 Excellent Small Business Websites To Learn From
For small businesses looking to clean up their websites, here are six quick tips for improvement, along with six excellent websites to learn from.

Social Media

* 3 Unique Ways To Read Your News This Weekend
As a follow-up to our post on 13 alternative ways to consume the news, we decided to highlight three more applications that focus on enhancing the news-reading experience, each with its own appeal.
* This Week in Politics & Digital: Online Debates, Twitter Gaffes
Gaffes abounded this week on both sides of the aisle, plus YouTube launched a town hall to help engender national debate divorced of party politics and in-fighitng.
* It's Happening: Top 10 Rapture Bomb Pics
The rapture came and went, but what were its funniest “casualties”?
* HOW TO: Use Social Media During Your Family Vacation
Location-based services, photo sharing apps, group messaging apps and other social media tools can help enhance your vacation.
* The Earliest Social Network Ever Discovered [COMIC]
Archaeologists know that humans have always been social.
* 4 Ways To Help Missouri's Tornado Victims
A tornado touched down May 22 in Joplin, Missouri, killing 89 people. How can you use social media to help?
* Missouri Tornado: Images, Video & Tweets Capture the Devastation
As residents of Joplin, Missouri begin to sort through the aftermath of a tornado that killed at least 142 people last Sunday evening, many of them are posting information about the disaster using social media.
* 5 Ambitious Social Good Startups Created In a Single Weekend
Startup Weekend is an organization that helps ambitious companies from around the world go from concept to launch in just 54 hours.
* What Happened at the eG8? [INFOGRAPHIC]
Here’s a look at the most buzzed-about moments from the eG8.
* Digital Publishing & the Imperative to Preserve the Integrity of Print
Josh Koppel is a pioneer in the still-emerging field of digital publishing. His work is not just breathing new digital life into printed media, but also redefining how we think of “content.”
* The Eating Habits of Conservatives Versus Liberals [INFOGRAPHIC]
Conservatives like their French fries, liberals drink too much, and more insights from Hunch.com.
* 10 Fascinating Facebook Facts – And What They Say About Us
Facebook is irrevocably part of our daily lives, what has it changed and what does its success mean?
* HOW TO: Talk to Children About Online Safety
If parents don’t teach online safety, their children might not recognize imprudent online actions or realize their consequences. Here are four ways to broach the subject.
* How Social Media & Game Mechanics Can Motivate Students
Kids like to play games, but can games also make them want to learn?
* 5 Strategies for Maximizing Your Content's Social Reach
If you want your branded content to reach the web masses, it needs to be packaged accordingly. These 5 tips will help get your message ready for the road.
* Facebook Profile Photos By The Numbers [INFOGRAPHIC]
An analysis of 500,000 Facebook profiles yields some interesting statistics about the photos we choose for our thumbnails.

For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
Tech & Mobile

* 10 Desirable Decals to Decorate Your iPad [PICS]
An iPad decal is a cheap and fun way to personalize your ‘Pad. Here are 10 designs we really like.
* PlayStation Network Outage: The Real Costs [INFOGRAPHIC]
The PSN has been down for seemingly ever — what were the costs?
* 5 Gadgets We're Playing With This Week
This week Mashable staffers got their hands dirty with the Polaroid 300, WiebeTech RTX220 QR, Boxee Box, Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse and Wow-Keys Keyboard.
* Native App vs. Web App: Which Is Better for Mobile Commerce?
For merchants, it’s no longer enough to have an ecommerce strategy – businesses need to embrace a mobile commerce strategy, too.
* 10 Amazing Hipstamatic iPhone Photos
10 Amazing Hipstamatic iPhone Photos
* Meet Your Makers: 21 Smashing Photos from Maker Faire [PICS]
Here is a gallery of stunning images of the robots, hackers, and handicrafts from Maker Faire 2011 in the SF Bay Area.
* Will Mobile Cloud Computing Ever Take Off?
Users increasingly access cloud services at home, at work and in the enterprise. Now, the focus is being turned to mobile. But is mobile cloud computing ready for prime time?
* 10 Creative Office Storage Solutions [PICS]
We’ve found 10 creative and fun accessories for your office that, as well as keeping clutter to a minimum, might even put a smile on your face.
* 4 Legal Considerations for Building a Mobile App
Having unclear terms of service or data collection policies can land your mobile app in hot water with the press and the law. Here are some best practices to be aware of.

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
Business & Marketing

* HOW TO: Set Up a Facebook Page
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you set up your Facebook Page for your business.
* 5 Social Media Recruiting Tools for Small Business
Startups and small businesses may not have the funds for a recruiter, but the social web can serve up premium prospects — if you know where to look.
* How Square's New Pay-With-Your-Name System Works [PICS]
Square introduced Card Case as a way for iPhone and Android app users to pay with just their names, no wallet needed. Here’s how it works.
* HOW TO: Get Started With Google Analytics
Google Analytics makes it easy for you to track and analyze data about how people are getting to your website and what’s performing well.
* 5 Easy Ways to Liven Up Your Facebook Stream
Give your fans something to rave about. Here are five ways to spice up your business’s Facebook stream.
* 10 Things You Need to Check Before Investing in a Startup
A startup may have a great pitch and a dedicated team, but you should always perform due diligence before writing a check. Weigh these factors prior to taking the investment plunge.
* 8 Brands That Have Found Success on Facebook & What We Can Learn
Here are 8 brands that have found success on Facebook, including some takeaways on what they did right and how you win success as well.
* HOW TO: Start Marketing on Facebook
If your business is looking to tap into the world’s largest social network, check out our six-step guide to getting started.
* Private: 3 Small Business Tips From The Apprentice Winner Bill Rancic [VIDEO]
In honor of Small Business Week, we enlisted season 1 winner of The Apprentice Bill Rancic to answer your questions about growing a business.
* How Amazon Helped Adam Carolla Stay in Podcasting
Adam Carolla talks about how an Amazon deal helped him say no to a deal on terrestrial radio.
* 10 Ways For Entrepreneurs To Build Brands Online
Building your brand online in a meaningful way is no easy task. We’ve highlighted 10 methods for entrepreneurs to dig into.
* The History of Advertising on Twitter [INFOGRAPHIC]
Twitter has to make money somehow, and it won’t be by charging for access. Here’s an infographic explaining Twitter’s foray into advertising.
* 7 Ways Ad Agency Pros Stay on Top of Social Media Trends
How do ad agency execs charged with staying on top of social media trends do their jobs? There’s more to it than just reading the news.
* 9 Ways To Increase Your Productivity While Working From Home
As a freelancer, wasting time equals wasting money. Here are some tips to get you more productive while working from home, no matter what you do.
* HOW TO: Choose & Approach a Corporate Partner for Your Non-Profit
Finding a corporate sponsor is a lot like dating. How can you get your non-profit into the right relationship?
* 8 Important Term Sheet Items to Evaluate Before Investing in a Startup
Do you know exactly what to expect from your startup investment? The term sheet will tell you. Here are the top things to look out for when you’re getting ready to sign the deal.

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Image courtesy of Dawghouse Design Studio

More About: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, gadgets, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, social good, social media, tech, technology, twitter

For more Social Media coverage:

* Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Social Media channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


You are subscribed to email updates from Mashable!

To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.


Email delivery powered by Google

Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Mashable: Latest 8 News Updates - including “Hangover II’s Mr. Chow Guest Stars in Mike Tyson’s iPhone Game”

Mashable: Latest 8 News Updates - including “Hangover II’s Mr. Chow Guest Stars in Mike Tyson’s iPhone Game”


* Hangover II’s Mr. Chow Guest Stars in Mike Tyson’s iPhone Game
* This Week in Politics & Digital: The Online Influence Issue
* RIP Gil Scott-Heron: 5 YouTube Videos To Remember Him By
* Google’s New Quick Flight Search Makes Your Life Easier
* Internet Drama [COMIC]
* 4 Fun Apps To Enhance Your Digital Lifestyle
* HOW TO: Set Up an Online Resume
* Naked Gaming Craze In New York? It’s a Hoax [VIRAL VIDEO]
* Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week [CHART]

Hangover II’s Mr. Chow Guest Stars in Mike Tyson’s iPhone Game

Posted: 28 May 2011 06:28 PM PDT


The Hangover Part II made its debut on the big screen this weekend, and along with it, made an appearance in Mike Tyson's iPhone game in a Warner Bros. promotion for the film.

Specifically, a free update to the game (Mike Tyson's Main Event [iTunes link]) features the ability to fight Mr. Chow (played in The Hangover Part II by Ken Jeong) in Bangkok (where the film is set), watch the full trailer within the app and buy tickets.

For those unfamiliar with the Hangover series, the update is especially fitting since Tyson, playing himself, was the breakout star of the first movie and makes a return appearance in the sequel.

So far, the update seems to have ignited more interest in Main Event, which was downloaded more than one million times in its release week back in March. The creators of the game, RockLive, tell Mashable that they saw more than 120,000 active users of a new "city leaderboard" feature on Thursday, which allows users to see the top scorers in their area based on geolocation.

The game, which is very much modeled after the classic NES title Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, has also added more virtual items, such as a "Power Balance wristbrand" that helps users beat more challenging opponents in their quest to get to Mike Tyson. It's those virtual items — along with promos like the one for Hangover II — that RockLive hopes will help the monetize the free game.

Below, an interview I shot with Tyson back at SXSW before the release of the game:

More About: Film, kien jeong, MARKETING, mike tyson, Movies, rocklive, the hangover part ii, warner bros

For more Business & Marketing coverage:

* Follow Mashable Business & Marketing on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Business & Marketing channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


This Week in Politics & Digital: The Online Influence Issue

Posted: 28 May 2011 03:33 PM PDT

us flag tech image


Online influence is the golden fleece for politicians. Control of the digital world is becoming just as important as control of the offline world.

This week we saw former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty announce his presidential bid online, a breakdown of online Klout for presidential candidates, Twitter’s CEO announced as part of a White House telecommunication advisory council, and an official White House rapid response Twitter feed.

This weekly series picks out the week’s top stories in the intersection of digital technology and politics.
Tim Pawlenty Announces Presidential Bid on YouTube

Tim Pawlenty announced he was running for president last Sunday in a video posted to YouTube. Oddly enough, the video actually pre-empted Pawlenty’s formal announcement planned for the following day, reported the New York Times.

Pawlenty calls out President Obama for giving fancy speeches rather than fixing problems and claims that he, and not Obama, has the courage to tackle tough issues. Using YouTube may also help give Pawlenty’s image some color.
Which Presidential Candidate Has the Most Klout?

klout image

Every 2012 presidential candidate has so far embraced social media … but has social media embraced them? Lee + dela decided to take a look at the group’s online influence according to their Klout scores. Klout is an online metric that measures the reach, power and general influence of any Twitter account. Though it’s far from a definitive standard, the scores give a good impression of how the candidates stack up. Obama leads with with a score of 88. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is second-highest with 79; Newt Gingrich is at 74; and Pawlenty is the lowest with 66.
Twitter CEO Named to Obama’s Advisory Committee

Seems like Obama really likes Silicon Valley. In a White House statement released Thursday, Obama named Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, along with Scott Charney, corporate VP of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing Group, McAfee President David G. DeWalt and three others, as potential appointees to his National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. The group oversees the availability and reliability of telecom services in the U.S.
White House Launches Rapid Response Twitter Feed

response image

The White House launched a Twitter feed aimed at finding and deflecting negative online commentary. The account is listed under Jesse Lee (@jesseclee44) according to Online Social Media. Lee is the White House’s new Director of Progressive Media & Online Response. The account was set up as a way of "helping coordinate rapid response to unfavorable stories and fostering and improving relations with the progressive online community,” according to Huffington Post.

The fact that the account is under Lee’s name rather than an official-sounding government title hints that the role will be more about personal outreach than top-down story squashing. Although Lee only has a little more than 1,800 follows at time of writing, the account is verified and is likely to grow with use.

Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, Pgiam

More About: barack obama, pawlenty, politics, President, president obama, week in digital politics, White House

For more Social Media coverage:

* Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Social Media channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


RIP Gil Scott-Heron: 5 YouTube Videos To Remember Him By

Posted: 28 May 2011 02:30 PM PDT


The great Gil Scott-Heron died Friday at age 62, and across the Internet, the American poet, musician and author is remembered for his groundbreaking music and influential style.

One of his most popular compositions was “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” but when he recorded that poem and song back in 1970, he didn’t realize that a lot of his work would be immortalized on YouTube decades later.

We’ve scoured YouTube and found the 5 most popular official videos of Gil Scott-Heron‘s work, giving you a small taste of his recording and performing career that spanned four decades. Gil, you’ll be missed:


Gil Scott Heron - Washington D.C


from black wax gil scott music poet


Gil Scott-Heron | We Almost Lost Detroit


Gil Scott-Heron and his Amnesia Express from March 14, 1990 in London, UK.


Gil Scott-Heron - The Bottle


Video clip for Gil Scott-Heron's The Bottle.


Gil Scott-Heron - 'I'm New Here' (official video)



Gil Scott-Heron - 'Me And The Devil' (Official HD Video)


Graphic courtesy The Guardian

More About: Gil Scott-Heron, rip, the revolution will not be televised, trending, videos, youtube

For more Video coverage:

* Follow Mashable Video on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Video channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


Google’s New Quick Flight Search Makes Your Life Easier

Posted: 28 May 2011 01:16 PM PDT


Google just made it a lot easier to quickly look up flight information. Now you can type “flights from [a city] to [another city] in the Google search window, and it’ll quickly display a summary of flight information right there on the results page.

Could it get any easier? We tested this new feature that was announced Friday on Google’s Inside Search blog, and it works beautifully, especially if you’re talking about major cities.

For instance, type “flight LA SF”, and you’ll get a long list of flights when you click on the resulting drop-down list:

Or you can simply type “flights LA” and Google will helpfully show you each flight to Los Angeles from all airports, including numerous airlines and flight durations. Find out what flights originate from your local airport by typing “flights from [your airport here]“.

It works in 10 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Turkish and Catalan.

It’s not quite so easy if your destination is not served by a nonstop flight. For example, we tried entering “flights from Milwaukee to Tahiti” and got nothing but the usual list of travel sites.

Smaller towns with tiny airports aren’t particularly well served, either. Type “flights from Topeka” and again you’ll see those usual travel sites. But city dwellers will almost always get results when they type the word “flight” and the name of a city.

There are a lot of trick searches you can do on Google that have been around for a while. A favorite of ours is to do quick conversions of currency, weights and measures using the power of Google. For example, type “300 gbp in usd” (which stands for 300 Great Britain pounds in U.S. dollars) and you’ll immediately see the answer: $494.19. The key word there is “in”. It’s especially handy with metric conversion. Try this one: “250 km in miles.”

Thanks, Google. This is yet another life-enhancing improvement added to your search repertoire.

Graphic courtesy Googlylessons.com

More About: flight lookup, flights from ny, Google, new feature, Search, trending

For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:

* Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


Internet Drama [COMIC]

Posted: 28 May 2011 12:02 PM PDT

Here’s a show I’d watch.

[Mashable Comics]

Mashable Comics are illustrated every week by Kiersten Essenpreis, a New York-based artist who draws and blogs at YouFail.com.

Hat tip to Josh Catone for his encyclopedic knowledge of Law & Order.
More Mashable Comics:

- The Earliest Social Network Ever Discovered
- The 19th Annual Internet Meme Convention
- Stand-Up Web Developers
- The Secret Social Media Lives of Goldfish
- There's a Badge for That

More About: cat videos, comics, humor, mashable comics, memes, television, viral videos, youtube

For more Social Media coverage:

* Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Social Media channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


4 Fun Apps To Enhance Your Digital Lifestyle

Posted: 28 May 2011 11:11 AM PDT


The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Each weekend, Mashable handpicks a few startups we think are building interesting, unique or niche products. This time we’ve curated a list of lifestyle applications for our uber-social readers to gain even more fulfillment from their digital activities.

If you’ve developed an affinity for Instagram, for instance, consider signing up for MorningPics to revisit your past photo moments. Love to IM with friends on Facebook and Google, but hate the clunky interfaces of mobile chat apps? Tap to Chat for iPhone and iPad should suit you nicely.

Do you often miss the best of your friends’ Facebook updates? Try Feedkite for a traveled-filtered view of what’s happening in your social graph. And, if you want to collect and save your entire social networking life, use Patchlife to automatically build a digital journal you can reference and add to on the web or iPhone.
Patchlife: A Journal For Your Social Networking Life

Quick Pitch: Patchlife records all your online moments in digital journal entries.

Genius Idea: A modern-day journal that’s automatically written by your status updates, photos, videos and blog posts.

Mashable’s Take: Digital denizens share photos via Instagram, Facebook and Flickr, recount significant moments on Twitter and share where they’ve been via Foursquare. Patchlife weaves these disconnected status updates into interconnected colorful daily diary entries that document our lives.

Use the web application to connect to the social networks that you use and Patchlife will import your content, sorted by date, and build out an interactive digital diary of shared moments that you can relive on the web or via the companion iPhone application. You can also use Patchlife to compose your own entries and attach links, photos and documents.

The app reminds us of Momento for iPhone, but offers a slightly different take on social network journaling.
Tap to Chat: Facebook & Google Chat for iOS

Quick Pitch: Chat with all your Facebook and Google friends on the go.

Genius Idea: A slick interface for lean-back IMing with friends via iOS devices.

Mashable’s Take: Tap to Chat for iPhone and iPad, by Osmosis Apps, connects to Google Talk and Facebook to create an application experience that is centered around and optimized for instant messaging on mobile devices.

Tap to Chat’s biggest draw is its elegant interface, but it’s also packed with fun features. You can view open chats, star conversations, change the color theme, quickly switch between chats and receive message notifications.

The application, which costs $0.99, is proving to be quite popular with iOS users (we like it best on iPad). The startup says its seen more than 500,000 downloads of Tap to Chat in the past five months.
MorningPics: Memories Via Email

Quick Pitch: MorningPics is a simple service that emails users each morning with an Instagram photo they’ve taken in the past.

Genius Idea: Relive past Instagram moments one day at a time.

Mashable’s Take: Take a trip down Instagram memory lane every morning with MorningPics. The super simplistic application connects to Instagram to do just one thing — it emails you a randomly selected photo you took in the past. The MorningPics daily email includes one Instagram photo per day, as well as all the associated comments and “likes.”

“Unlike other email, these messages don’t require anything of the user,” creator Brenden Mulligan explains. “They exist to make a past memory more fresh, and hopefully give the user a nice way to start the day. That’s the goal.”

MorningPics is currently in private beta, but Mashable readers will be granted priority access.
Feedkite: Follow Your Friends’ Travels

Quick Pitch: Feedkite is building a social travel graph by identifying & organizing all the authentic travel resources buried inside Facebook.

Genius Idea: Surfacing friends’ trips and travels on Facebook.

Mashable’s Take: Feedkite is a Facebook application that finds travel updates and photos of your Facebook friends. The app digs through the status updates of your friends to present you with a place and photo-centric view of where they’ve been traveling.

Use Feedkite to search and see where your Facebook friends have traveled, browse through photos of friends’ trips and explore a map of destinations where your friends have been. You can also see how you’re connected to destinations, and can mark places to your destination wish list.

Feedkite is ideal for those looking for an alternate way to consume their friends’ Facebook status updates and photo uploads.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, ozgurdonmaz

Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

Microsoft BizSpark

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, 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.

More About: bizspark, Feedkite, MorningPics, Patchlife, spark-of-genius, startups, Tap to Chat

For more Startups coverage:

* Follow Mashable Startups on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Startups channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


HOW TO: Set Up an Online Resume

Posted: 28 May 2011 10:12 AM PDT


Your resume is boring. How do you expect to stand out in a crowd of job seekers when your black-and-white, list-formatted resume and formulaic cover letter blend with all the rest?

Luckily the Internet is here to save you. With the coming of social media resumes, video resumes and visual resumes, the world of job seeking just got a lot more interesting.

If you’re looking for ways to make your resume stand out — whether that’s on your personal website, video hubs, document-sharing websites or LinkedIn — here are some ideas to get you started, along with examples for each format.

If you’ve posted your resume online in a creative way, share a link and your story with us in the comments below.
Your Website

First, if you don’t have a personal website, get one. It’s a great way to showcase your passions, thoughts and experience, whether you’re searching for a job or not. If you name your website after yourself (i.e. ericaswallow.com, in my case), it will probably rank highly when people search for your name online.

Now that that’s taken care of, consider listing your resume (or at least an “about me” page) on your website, so site visitors can learn more about you.

Hagan Blount, a self-described writer, editor and producer, hosts a compelling infographic resume (pictured above) on his personal website. The “Resume” tab on his site includes his resume, alongside a stream of his most recent tweets. The resume is creative in that it includes a non-traditional approach to his professional (and personal) history, complete with fun stats, QR codes and recommendation quotes from influential business people.
Video Resumes

A well-edited and informative video resume could be the perfect complement to a traditional resume. Videos enable job seekers to showcase their personalities, something that isn’t quite as easy with your standard cover letter and resume package.

PR executive Graeme Anthony, put together a creative and engaging resume on YouTube, outlining his portfolio, skills and other details. Using YouTube Annotations, he created an intro video (embedded above) that showcases a series of other videos describing his qualifications. His methodology enables users to click through to sections they are most interested in viewing.

His project was a hit. To date, the six-video series has garnered more than 200,000 views.

To mimic Anthony’s success, it’s important that job seekers create video resumes that add value and fully utilize the video format. For a complete guide to creating a show-stopping video resume, check out Amy-Mae Elliott‘s recent post on the “Top 5 Tips for Creating Impressive Video Resumes.”
Document-Sharing Websites

You probably already have a DOC or PDF format of your resume in your job-searching arsenal. To get the most out of it, upload it to document-sharing websites such as SlideShare or Scribd.

Both sites enable viewers to download, embed and share your resume, giving it the opportunity for many more eyes to see it. As a bonus, these sites often appear at the top of search inquiries for an individual’s resume. So, the next time someone is searching on Google for your resume, it’s likely he or she will stumble upon your uploaded versions on these sites.

Both sites allow users to upload revisions of a document. As you change your resume, you can replace it on SlideShare or Scribd to keep it up-to-date. This is particularly useful because the URL never changes, so you won’t lose search cred or confuse recruiters who already have links to previous versions. Furthermore, the view count on each document never starts over, and the upload date, tags, description and document title stay the same.

Slideshare tends to have the best upload quality, because the formatting of the preview stays true to the original document. But it’s advisable to use both sites, as search rankings can vary.

I keep my resume on both document-sharing sites. Since uploading it to both sites in July 2009, I’ve experienced more that 6,000 total views and nearly 250 downloads across the two sites. And that’s just for a plain, ol’ Word document. Imagine if I would have gotten creative, like Chris Ferdinandi, a human resources professional based in Boston. His visual resume (embedded above) has nearly 29,000 views and showcases his “not-so-traditional” approach.
LinkedIn

Of course, there’s always LinkedIn, a staple of the professional’s online presence. LinkedIn has become the standard online professional network, and like Facebook and Twitter, it often appears near the top of search inquiries involving people, as a result of its high ranking across search engines. When a potential employer searches for information about you online, you’ll want some semblance of your professional life to appear in search results.

Once employers find your LinkedIn profile, you’ll want it to be flawless. For the most part, you can bling out your profile by filling in the basics, asking for meaningful recommendations, using value-added applications and becoming an expert with LinkedIn Answers. For more detailed tips on creating a picture-perfect LinkedIn profile, check out my recent post on “HOW TO: Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile.”
Share Your Online Resume

If you’ve highlighted your resume in an interesting way online, share the details with us in the comments below!
Social Media Job Listings

Every week we put out a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we post a huge range of job listings, we’ve selected some of the top social media job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!

* Associate Director, Social Media at Attention in New York, New York
* Social Media Editor at MOroch in Dallas, Texas
* VP of Community Support at MTV News in New York, New York

More Job Search Resources from Mashable:

- 10 Creative Social Media Resumes To Learn From
- 9 Dynamic Digital Resumes That Stand Out From the Crowd
- HOW TO: Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile’s New Skills Section
- 12 Ways to Use Quora For Your Job Search
- 10 Tips for Aspiring Digital Marketers

Image courtesy of Flickr, tychay

More About: job search, job search series, jobs, linkedin, resume, scribd, slideshare, trending, video resumes, youtube

For more Business & Marketing coverage:

* Follow Mashable Business & Marketing on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Business & Marketing channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


Naked Gaming Craze In New York? It’s a Hoax [VIRAL VIDEO]

Posted: 28 May 2011 08:52 AM PDT

Those crazy New Yorkers! Are they really playing video games in the nude? Yes, some probably are somewhere, but this viral video is a hoax, populated with actors and friends of adman James Percelay. [Warning: No naughty bits are visible, but the video might be disturbing for sensitive viewers.]

Percelay is a promoter for ad agency Thinkmodo (also responsible for this viral video hoax from last November), and created this video that swept across the Internet this week. When you watch it, you’ll start getting suspicious when you notice the precise delivery of each line, carefully orchestrated shots, the well-placed black boxes covering you-know-what and the unusually attractive group.

So just what is being promoted here? Notice in the hands of many of the actors the Xtendplay gaming accessory, supposedly making Xbox 360 and PlayStation controllers easier to handle during those marathon gaming sessions? That’s the company we’re supposed to remember here.

Percelay insists his hoax was never meant to be taken seriously. He told the Daily Mail, “The art form is progressing where people presume now that these videos are hoaxes,” he said. “We’re entering into an understanding that, it’s kind of the implicit agreement now where the audience just wants to figure out how we did it.”

Oh, to be a fly on the wall on that video shoot.

More About: gaming, hoax, James Percelay, naked gaming, Thinkmodo, trending, viral video, Xtendplay, youtube

For more Business & Marketing coverage:

* Follow Mashable Business & Marketing on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Business & Marketing channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week [CHART]

Posted: 28 May 2011 07:32 AM PDT

Twitter Chart Image


We really can’t add any additional jokes about The Rapture that haven’t already been made. Some of the best Twitter humor we’ve seen sent this topic to the top of the week’s trends. We can confirm that The Rapture did not, in fact, happen as scheduled, but has been postponed until October 21. We look forward to seeing if there will be similar spikes on Twitter’s Snark-o-Meter.

As we’ve seen in Twitter trend charts of yore, U.S. award shows are almost guaranteed top play. Were it not for the impending apocalypse, the Billboard Music Awards might have taken the number one spot. Appearances by American pop royalty got tweeters chatting, sending sentiment about the show to number two on our chart.

And the world’s favorite pastime, soccer, remains at the top of the trends for weeks on end, this time falling in at number three.

To see the full list, check out the chart below. Because this is a topical list, hashtag memes and games have been omitted from the chart. The aggregate is based on Twitter’s own trending algorithm, and does not necessarily reflect raw tweet volume.

You can check past Twitter trends in our Top Twitter Topics section.
Top Twitter Trends This Week: 5/20 – 5

Topic

Intensity

Description

May 21st Rapture

People shared what they wanted to do before the world ended on May 21. Most users were not surprised when the Rapture didn’t happen on schedule.


Billboard Music Awards


Ken Jeong hosted the little known Billboard Music Awards, which was heavy on musical performances. The awards show made it to the weekly top 10 thanks to fans of Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Black Eyed Peas tweeting about their appearances.


Soccer/Football

#SurvivalSunday was the top football trend and was related to the final day in the English Premier League and not about how everyone survived the rapture. Football figures discussed Jorge Valdano, José Ángel Valdés Díaz, Augustine Azuka "Jay-Jay" Okocha and Kolo Touré who tested positive for a "specified substance."


American Idol Finale

While Scotty McCreery won American Idol’s 10th season, the primary trend was "Damn Beyonce," referring to Beyonce’s single "1+1" which she performed for the first time on American Idol. Users also talked about former contestants who showed up this week as well as other guests like Marc Anthony.

Fans of the Korean band SHINee sent several members’ names into the top 10 trends as the boy band celebrated their third anniversary.


The 25th of May is a bit of a mashup. For fans of Douglas Adams and his Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the day is Towel Day. But, recently, users in Latin America, particularly Brazil, have been celebrating Towel Day as "Nerd Pride Day."


Mike Brown is the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and was recently ejected from their game against the Boston Celtics after drawing two technical foul calls. Fans also discussed player Derrick Rose and baseball player Sammy Sosa who attended the Bulls vs. Heat game but whose skin appears to be lighter.


Kim Possible was an American animated television series that ran from 2002-2007. It was about a teenage crime fighter who has the task of dealing with worldwide, family, and school issues every day. Fans were reminiscing about the show.


Former WWF and WCW Champion "Macho Man" Randy Savage died on May 20, 2011 after suffering a heart attack while driving and crashing into a tree. Fans are remembering his great wrestling career and also that he was a colorful spokesperson for Slim Jim.

Data aggregate courtesy of What the Trend.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, 123render

Interested in more Twitter resources? Check out Mashable Explore, a new way to discover information on your favorite Mashable topics.


More About: List, Lists, Top Twitter Topics, twitter, Twitter Lists, twitter trends

For more Social Media coverage:

* Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Social Media channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Mashable: Latest 25 News Updates - including “Beyond Badges: 3 Smart Ways to Gamify Your Startup”



One of the big new features in WordPress 3.2 is the introduction of the Distraction Free Writing mode. This mode allows the user to just concentrate on writing, without worrying about sidebars, modules or custom fields.

In some respects, the new writing mode harkens back to the earliest days of WordPress.


Series Supported by Rackspace

rackspace

The Web Development Series is supported by Rackspace, the better way to do hosting. No more worrying about web hosting uptime. No more spending your time, energy and resources trying to stay on top of things like patching, updating, monitoring, backing up data and the like. Learn why.
More Dev & Design Resources from Mashable:

- How the WordPress SEO Plugin Can Help Your Blog [INTERVIEW]
- Closed or Open Source: Which CMS is Right for Your Business?
- HOW TO: Get Devs to Use Your Company’s API
- HOW TO: Get Started with the Less Framework
- 4 Free Ways to Learn to Code Online

More About: blogging platforms, open source, web apps, web development series, WordPress

For more Dev & Design coverage:

* Follow Mashable Dev & Design on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Dev & Design channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


Our Favorite YouTube Videos This Week: The Cover Song Edition

Posted: 27 May 2011 09:34 PM PDT


Cover songs are undoubtedly an institution on YouTube, and, recently, music licensing service Jingle Punks has been hard at work adding to that canon with its Hipster Orchestra.

The Punks habitually cover “hipster” songs in a classical style — apparently to appeal to the aging cool kid demographic — which is why we’ve asked CEO Jared Gutstadt to curate this week’s YouTube Roundup, the theme of which is “Cover Songs.”

Check out a Jingle Punks cover, as well as a bevy of other tributes, below and share your favorite musical re-imaginings in the comments.


"Tighten Up," Jingle Punks Hipster Orchestra


Jared Gutstadt: We took songs from the American Hipster songbook (MGMT, Strokes, White Stripes) and re-imagined them as arrangements for a civilized dinner party for the transitioning adult Hipster. Introducing – The Jingle Punks Hipster Orchestra, which is our favorite "hipster approved" songs washed through the Mark Mothersbaugh filter. Check out our cover of The Black Keys "Tighten Up" here.


"Hurt," Johnny Cash


Amy-Mae Elliott: Get your hankies out...


"I Will Survive," Cake


Todd Wasserman: Easy one: Cake's "I Will Survive," though this version's not as good with the cuss words bleeped out.


"Come On Eileen," Save Ferris


Erica Swallow: Ska, baby! "Come on Eileen," covered by Save Ferris is hot. I'll hum this tune forever.


"Dazed and Confused," Aranda


Karen Hartline: The best band you've probably never heard of... Aranda! Kelly Clarkson even "covered" their songs "Whyyouwannabringmedown" and "All I Ever Wanted." (Disclosure--I went to high school with Aranda.)


"Bad Romance," Joseph Gordon-Levitt


Emily Banks: Joseph Gordon-Levitt takes on Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance." And all the ladies want his romance (see the comments on the video and you'll understand).


"Look At Me Now," Karmin


Ada Ospina: Anyone that can rap that fast is A-Ok in my books. This duo rocks! I would have equally chosen Danny Vola but his covers are a bit NSFW.


"Wonderwall," Paul Anka


Todd Wasserman: Nobody swings Oasis like Paul Anka.


"Born This Way," I Love Monsters


Jared Gutstadt: At first the song/arrangement didn't really offer me anything new, but when I got halfway through the video they hooked me with their surprise guest. Like a good card trick it took me a moment to figure out how they got Lady Gaga to appear in their viral cover. BTW, if anyone wants the answer, hit me up on Twitter @jinglejared.


"Angry Birds Theme," Pomplamoose


Jared Gutstadt: Though I've tried to resist the Angry Birds phenomenon, I too got sucked in (plus I have kids that play this non-stop, so I have no choice)!


"Home," Jorge & Alexa Narvaez


Jared Gutstadt: If you don't enjoy this clip you may have no soul.


"Be My Baby," Jorge & Alexa Narvaez


Brenna Ehrlich: I'm generally frightened of children, but any kid who can sing like that can totally be in my imaginary band.


"You Lost Me," Molly Krouse


Ben Parr: What I love about YouTube is that it can turn undiscovered talent into superstars -- it doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. This particular video is a cover of "You've Lost Me" by Christina Aguilera.

Image courtesy of Flickr, swanksalot

More About: cover songs, favorite-youtube-videos, jingle-punks, music, youtube

For more Video coverage:

* Follow Mashable Video on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Video channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad


Startup Turns Anyone’s Car Into Part Of A Zipcar-Like Fleet

Posted: 27 May 2011 07:52 PM PDT


The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: Getaround

Quick Pitch: Getaround lets you rent a car from someone nearby.

Genius Idea: Offering hourly car rentals without purchasing a single vehicle itself.

Companies like Zipcar and Hertz’s Connect have proven there is a market for alternatives to car ownership, but they fall short of meeting everyone’s price point and needs. In many markets, Zipcar charges an $82-per-day rate in addition to an annual fee, and the service isn’t offered outside of cities.

Getaround fixes both of these problems by allowing its users to rent their neighbors’ cars. It’s like an Airbnb for vehicles. Car owners choose their own hourly rental rates and schedules — all they need to do to make their cars Getaround ready is install a free “carkit,” which functions as both GPS tracker and key mechanism.

Renters can sign up free of charge. After they’re approved by the owner of the car they’d like to rent, they pick up it up using an iPhone app that unlocks it. Insurance (provided by Berkshire Hathaway) and 24-hour roadside assistance come with the rental fees, which most owners set at between $3 and $15 per hour.

Avery Lewis, Getaround head of product, says some renters have used the service as a way to safely lend their cars to roommates who don’t have insurance. At the other end of the spectrum, one woman went on vacation with her car available for rent during her abscence and then was able to extend her vacation using the proceeds.

If Getaround catches on, its number of available rentals has the potential to make Zipcar’s 8,500 cars look diminunitive. And it could reach areas that are too rural to be viable for a company like Zipcar — all while taking a 40% cut of rental fees on vehicles that it doesn’t own.

As with most good ideas, community car sharing isn’t something just one company is pursuing. A startup called RelayRides, which counts Google Ventures and August Capital among its investors, is pursing a similar idea. The company already has cars available in San Francisco and Boston.

Getaround has functioning services in San Francisco and San Diego, and it officially launched its national expansion at TechCrunch Disrupt on Tuesday. It also won the competition’s $50,000 grand prize.

The startup will add that cash to $1.25 million in funding as it courts a critical mass of car owners beyond the Bay Area.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Facebook Gets Roasted By Google, Twitter & Foursquare [VIDEO]”


Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Facebook Gets Roasted By Google, Twitter & Foursquare [VIDEO]”


* Facebook Gets Roasted By Google, Twitter & Foursquare [VIDEO]
* PayPal Sues Google & Former Execs Over Google Wallet
* Facebook Wants to Become the Web’s Central Hub for Music & Video [REPORT]
* Can Crowdsourcing Make Any Dream Come True?
* Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer Conundrum
* Organize An Offline Class With Skillshare
* Slice Creates a Home For Everything You Buy In Your Inbox
* How Social Media & Game Theory Can Motivate Students
* Amazon Launches Competitor to Apple’s Mac App Store
* Instagram Update Shows Its 4.25 Million Users the Love
* Chinese Prisoners Forced to Farm Gold in Online Games
* Logitech Alert Security System Watches Over Your Castle, Day or Night
* 4 Legal Considerations for Building a Mobile App
* Jimmy Fallon (Playing Neil Young) Sings “Party in the U.S.A.” With Crosby & Nash
* Facebook Takes Legal Aim at Man Who Claims 50% of Zuckerberg’s Shares
* Muppets Movie Teaser Parodies The Hangover: Part II [VIDEO]
* HOW TO: Talk to Children About Online Safety
* Twitter Lets You See Other Users’ Timelines
* New Gmail Widget Tells You All About the People You’re Emailing
* 10 Fascinating Facebook Facts – And What They Say About Us
* Look What a GarageBand Virtuoso Can Do With an iPad [VIDEO]
* 9 Ways To Increase Your Productivity While Working From Home
* New Bing Ads Highlight the Power of Facebook Friends [VIDEO]
* Amazon Reveals Most Well-Read Cities in the U.S.
* Google Overtakes Yahoo in Display Advertising [STATS]
* The Atlantic Launches Twitter-Based Book Club
* Boost Your Laptop’s Audio With Altec Lansing’s USB Orbit Stereo Speakers
* Will the iPad 3 Have a Futuristic OLED Screen?
* YouTube Pushes Further Into 3D Video
* Google Reveals Mobile Payment System: Google Wallet

Facebook Gets Roasted By Google, Twitter & Foursquare [VIDEO]

Posted: 27 May 2011 02:22 AM PDT

What do Twitter, Foursquare and Google have to say about Facebook? College Humor decided to enlist Gilbert Gottfried, Penn Jillette and Lisa Lampanelli to find out.

In this College Humor video, Facebook is the target of Twitter (played by Gilbert Gottfried), Google (played by Penn Jillette) and Foursquare’s (played by Lisa Lampanelli) endless barrage of jokes. Of course Friendster, Reddit, Pandora and the rest of the social media universe join in on the fun. As for MySpace… well let’s just say its jokes fall as flat as its traffic numbers.

Activate your Email Subscription to: Mashable!

Hello there,

You recently requested an email subscription to Mashable!. We can't wait to
send the updates you want via email, so please click the following link to
activate your subscription immediately:

http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailconfirm?k=_tEFFcg8Lu51NVFYqS_FZP_FT7Q

(If the link above does not appear clickable or does not open a browser
window when you click it, copy it and paste it into your web browser's
Location bar.)

Also follow Mashable on:
Twitter: @mashable
FriendFeed: Mashable
Flickr: Mashable

--
This message was sent to you by FeedBurner (feedburner.google.com)
You received this message because you requested a subscription to the feed,
Mashable: Latest ${m} News Updates - including "${latestItemTitle}".
If you received this in error, please disregard. Do not reply directly to
this email.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Social Media For Business (22) - 5 Proven Tips To Boost Your Twitter Influence Using Twitter Chats

By Aaron Eden
As the name implies, Twitter chats are special form of chats that take place on Twitter. What make Twitter chats so special is that you must adhere to Twitter's 140-characters rule. On top of that, Twitter chats are designated with special hashtags in order to distinguish them for traditional tweets.
Well, plenty of Twitter chats on various topics are scheduled on weekly, bi-weekly and monthly basis.
1. Diversify Your Chats For Maximum Exposure
You may feel tempted to limit yourself to Twitter chats related to your field or industry. I strongly recommend that you diversify your choice of chats for more visibility. (Inno. stands for innovation)
2. Prepare For The Chat Ahead
Some chats have preset topics that are announced prior to the chat. It's a good idea to use a Twitter client application that handles Twitter chats. Make sure to have it opened with the chat hashtag entered before the chat begins.
3. Target The Right People to Interact With
Popular chats tend to be very crowded! Unlike ordinary chats, Twitter chats are archived and can be easily retrieved using their hashtags.
4. Shine Like a Pro
When it comes to Twitter chats, quality is far more important than quantity. Make valuable contributions to the chat that others would want to retweet. Also, give very thoughtful replies to your target chat partners.
Whenever possible, you may offer links to relevant content but don't overdo it as people would prefer chatting than reading.
5. follow up
It's a good idea to follow the chat organizers on Twitter and send them a thank-you message after the chat. Once you learn the ropes, you may start your own Twitter chat and all the friends you made in previous chats will be happy to jump in.