Many users currently cannot change their profile picture on Twitter. Usually, the option resides under Settings – Profile, but right now it simply doesn’t exist.
The change is almost certainly not permanent, but rather a glitch; perhaps Twitter has removed the option while it works on some issues.
However, the Twitter status blog and the official blog say nothing about the issue. With Halloween around the corner, many users might want to change their picture into something more scary, and Twitter itself might soon be overwhelmed with reports from users who want to change their profile picture.
We’ve contacted Twitter about the issue but haven’t yet heard from them.
The launch of the new MySpace begins today; it marks not only the release of a completely overhauled design, but the start of fundamental shift in focus for what was once the world’s preeminent social network.
MySpace will roll out a completely revamped interface to its users starting today, but the rollout won’t be complete until the end of November. That’s because so much has changed that we can’t possibly cover every new aspect of the website and mobile experience in a single article. Everything from the homepage to the new Topic Pages focus on transforming MySpace from a social network into a “social entertainment destination.”
The site is now focused exclusively on the 13 to 35-year-old demographic — Generation Y, in other words. Its new goal is to become “the leading entertainment destination that is socially powered by te passions of fans and curators,” rather than simply be “a place for friends.” It reduces the amount of design bloat from 152 templates and 81 button styles to just seven templates and two buttons. And that’s only scratching the surface of the changes to the website, not to mention the new mobile experience that will launch next month.
We’ll be posting several deep dives into the overhauled MySpace over the next few days, but we want to start by introducing you to some of its key aspects. The following is a collection of videos and screenshots that should give you a basic idea of the look and feel of MySpace’s new interface.
What do you think of the new interface? Does the company have the right idea with its new focus and mission? Is MySpace’s new focus on social entertainment the right move? Will the website’s users revolt? Check out the media below, then let us know your thoughts.
Screenshots: The New MySpace
MySpace Homepage
This is the new MySpace homepage. Notice the focus on entertainment content as well as the website's new block format
Profile Page
The new MySpace Profile 3.0
The new Topic Pages, which help collect and display entertainment information around a specific topic. In this case, the topic is the TV show Glee.
User Homepage: Grid View
Users can view their news feeds in three ways: stream view, grid view and playback mode. This is a screenshot of the grid view.
User Homepage: Stream View
Users can view their news feeds in three ways: stream view, grid view and playback mode. This is a screenshot of the stream view.
Celebrity Hub
Since the new MySpace focuses on entertainment, the company has build Celebrity Hub pages for seeing what's hot with your favorite celebrities.
MySpace's New Logo
This is MySpace's new logo. Sometimes the blank area contains nothing, sometimes it contains images, and sometimes in includes the phrase "space."
MySpace Logo Iteration
One of the many iterations of the new MySpace logo.
Every week, Mashable puts together a calendar of upcoming social media and web events, parties and conferences. Would you like to have your conference or event listed here? If so, please contact us at least one month before your event to establish a media partnership. For more upcoming listings, check out Mashable’s Events section.
In the meantime, here are some tips on how to network, share your information and/or promote your event(s) using social media:
Mashable’s Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace.
October 25-29, 2010, Boulder, CO: Web Marketing and Social Media One-Week Certificate Program – In this one-of-a-kind program, you will be immersed into the world of web marketing from one of the smartest and most experienced experts in the industry! In one week, you’ll be introduced to proven strategies for growing your online audience with qualified traffic. You’ll learn the fundamental principals and insider tips for search engine optimization, pay-for-placement advertising, social media marketing and other more. Gain the knowledge and skills necessary to provide these immensely valuable and in-demand services for all organizations who need to grow their online audiences.
October 25-26, 2010, Northborough, MA: The Restaurant & Hospitality Social Media Marketing Bootcamp event provides the practical knowledge and insights required by restaurant and hotel operators to establish objectives and strategies for your market, properly select the social media platforms to engage guests and monitor and measure the results of these efforts for a greater ROI. This event is presented by RestaurantWorx Consulting and Inside Hospitality. Use the code MASHABLE when registering and receive VIP pricing on “Day 1″ or “Day 1 & 2 Attendance” tickets. See complete event details on the event website at www.restaurantsocialmedia.com.
October 25, 2010, San Francisco, CA: It is inevitable that every startup will encounter failures: in idea development, teamwork, hiring, design, scaling, and countless unpredictable ways. Yet most conferences only seem to feature speakers telling you what they did right – something that can be hard to learn from and near-impossible to emulate. At FailCon, join over 400 founders, investors, executives, developers, service provides, and press as we share tips to avoid, prepare for, and recover from the most common startup mistakes. Register and use the promo code 10mashable to receive 10% off the ticket price. For more information, please visit www.failcon2010.com.
October 25, 2010, Orlando, FL: IIR presents CUSTOMER WORLD, the co-location of three unique customer-centric events (NACCM, Linkage Strategies & Customer UNinterrupted) under one roof. Where the Voice of Your Industry comes together to champion and celebrate CUSTOMERS 1ST. Customer World's flagship event, NACCM, is an industry favorite. It attracts top customer-centric leaders in North America to share new and best practices for strengthening customer relationships. Content areas include customer-centric social media strategies, loyalty, customer experience, innovation, culture, engagement, leadership and more. Register with code CWORLD10MASH and save 15% off the standard rates.
October 25, 2010, New York, NY: Produced by Mediabistro, Charles Hudson, and Social Times, the Freemium Summit explores best practices for succeeding under the Freemium business model. Across all segments of the media landscape, entrepreneurs and executives are pioneering online business models that combine a free offering with a premium, paid offering. This hybrid business model is one of the most exciting areas of business model innovation affecting the world of media and business, and the Freemium Summit will explore the most important topics on the minds of leading practitioners. Speakers include Ning’s Anne Driscoll, HootSuite’s Ryan Holmes, SurveyMonkey’s Brent Chudoba, Slideshare’s Rashmi Sinha, and more. For full details and registration, visit the site. Register with the promo code MASH and save 15%!
October 26-28, 2010, Frankfurt, Germany: The Enterprise 2.0 wave has spilled over the corporations' boundaries and creates a good deal of discussion about the way businesses will be managed in the future. "Setting the path towards an open and agile E 2.0 driven organization" is therefore the topic of this year's Enterprise 2.0 Summit, the gathering of European experts and practitioners discussing technology trends and adoption topics on Enterprise 2.0. The English-language conference consists of interactive workshops, seminars, expert talks and best practices from all over Europe, e. g. BMW, Hewlett Packard, SONY, Swiss Reinsurance Company, etc. Go to www.e20summit.com and register with the promo code MASH10 and save 10%!
October 26-27, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Define the Future of Money at PayPal X Innovate 2010. There's only one conference dedicated to empowering developers and innovators as they redefine how people conduct commerce – PayPal X Innovate 2010 Developer Conference. Learn how to seamlessly integrate payments into mobile apps, ecommerce sites, gaming, and digital goods – almost anywhere you can think of. Use code INVMASH and receive 20% off. Be part of defining the future of money. Register now at https://www.x.com/innovate
October 26, 2010, San Jose, CA: Get real about social media at SocialTech 2010 — the only conference dedicated to teaching B2B high-tech marketers how to harness the power of social media. You’ll learn from B2B marketing leaders at companies like IBM, Intel, SAP, HP, Adobe and Cisco how to use social media to achieve real, measurable business results. Enjoy networking and keynotes from Guy Kawasaki, Robert Scoble and Jeremiah Owyang. Can't make it to San Jose? You can join us online. Register today and save 10% with coupon code MASH10!
October 27-28, 2010: The Caribbean Media Conference & Expo have become the Caribbean's premier regional conference on television, cable and satellite, broadband, wireless, radio, magazines, news and print media, advertising and marketing. The 2010 Caribbean New Media Expo and Conference is unique in that it seeks to strengthen the relationships with new media companies, marketers and advertisers to further capitalize on the benefits of digital, social and mobile media. Presentations and panel discussions will help marketers understand concepts such as online-display advertising, search and social networking and how the impact of new technologies has wrought consumer behavior changes.
October 27-29, 2010, Washington, DC: This event will showcase 15 federal perspectives on different strategies government agencies can implement to comply with the Obama Administration's Open Government Directive. The social media realm will be a prevailing topic of discussion as it has been the prime means federal agencies have taken to achieve compliance, but problems with its use still persist. This event will provide ADVANCED solutions and ideas to the policy, security, monitoring and measuring struggles that many agencies face on a daily-basis. Mashable subscribers will enjoy a 10% discount when they mention MASHABLE in their follow-up email to the event contact listed here: event.
October 27, 2010, New York, NY: With millions of people participating on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, brands can no longer avoid social media as an effective research and marketing channel. Social Media Bootcamp: Social Media for Research and Marketing explores best practices for using social media as a research and marketing tool. Hear case studies that identify the best tools for listening to the consumer and the best ways to use social networks to listen to and engage your consumers. Speakers include: Chris Boudreaux – Converseon, Frank Cotignola – Kraft Foods, Jeff Rosenblum – Questus, Peter Fasano and The ARF's Lynne d Johnson and Steve Rappaport. $200 discount for ARF Industry Leader Forum registrants.
October 28-30, 2010, Toronto, Canada: Today, companies recognize that Social Media is an important part of an integrated strategy that is woven into every fiber of Sales, Marketing, PR, Advertising, Customer Relations and Branding campaigns. The second unGeeked Elite three-day Retreat brings together 10 keynotes and 16 presenters who'll provide you with examples of best practices, solutions and case studies in a forum where keynotes and presenters ask you to engage, poke them in the eye with questions and get one-on-one responses in this intimate learning environment. RSVP with the promo code unGeekedMashable and save 30% off regular ticket price!
October 28-29, 2010, Chicago, IL: Your customers are more empowered than ever before with social and mobile connections. The only defense you have is to empower your own employees to solve those customers' problems. Forrester's Consumer Forum 2010 connects you with analysts, peers, and industry leaders whose expertise will help you unleash your employees and transform your company. Register with promo code CFXMSH to save 15%. Discount applies to new registrations only and cannot be combined with other offers.
October 28-29, 2010, Exeter, UK: The Like Minds Conference – Autumn 2010 is a 2 day event attended by participants from across Europe focusing upon the subject of “Creativity and Curation”. This year, we have a range of workshops, keynotes and lunch time talks from leaders in marketing, communications and media from around the world. Then, you can relax on Thursday and Friday night with the Like Movies and Like Music festivals. Details and registration at www.wearelikeminds.com.
October 28, 2010, Chicago, IL: The Startup Mixology Conference will break down every ingredient that goes into starting and running a successful business in todays economy. Entrepreneurs will share their insights on creativity, design, branding, legal, funding, bootstrapping, PR, marketing and social media, building a development team and more. Attend this full day conference on October 28, 2010 in Chicago and learn the startup, entrepreneurial approach from the pros – live the dream! Register and use the promo code StartupMixMash to save 25% on the price of admission! http://startupmixology.techcocktail.com/2010-chicago/register
October 28, 2010, New York, NY: At The ARF Industry Leader Forum: Discovering Consumer Insights, the ARF will unveil its new "Insights Value Creation Model", preliminary results from executive interviews with leading marketing and business executives about research's impact. Industry leaders will share their visions, successes and plans to address the transformation of the research profession, and attendees will learn the skills they need to translate insights into actionable organizational change and how to sustain it. Headline speakers include: Donna Goldfarb – Unilever, Beth LaPierre – Eastman Kodak, Charles Mohs – Pfizer, Drew Westen – author of The Political Brain and Susan Whiting – The Nielsen Company. Register by September 24 to save $100 with our Early Bird rate.
October 28, 2010, London, UK: The International Search Summit will focus once again on international and multilingual search marketing topics and offer delegates insight and advice on how to effectively develop and manage international online campaigns. Speakers at the event will include Eugene Lomize from Russian search engine Yandex, Omar Khaled from Arabic search Engine Ayna, as well as well-known search marketers Mikkel deMib Svendsen, Marty Weintraub, Massimo Burgio and Barry Lloyd. The Summit will be held at The British Library in London and is a must for any marketer targeting multiple markets and/or languages online. Register now with the coupon code MASH20 to receive 20% discount.
October 28, 2010, New York, NY: Join a select group of senior communications professionals in helping you build an integrated PR and marketing engagement strategy that maximizes your impact with your targeted audiences and key influencers. PR+MKTG Camp™ East limits talking head powerpoint presentations. Executives from top agencies and some of the world’s largest brands will lead HIGHLY INTERACTIVE discussions on such topics as assessing the current media landscape, building a integrated strategic engagement vision, executing an action plan, and measuring your results. Mashable readers get a 10% discount with promo code MASHABLECAMPEAST.
November 1-2, 2010, New York, NY: Are you a health marketing and communications professional? Please join us at unNiched 2010, a unique collaborative boot camp where you will actively learn and use collaboration, strategic marketing and communications skills. Using our unNiched Innovation Model, gain the tools to create and drive marketing communications success within (and without) your organization. In addition, you’ll have access to a private online group and learn from a range of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AIDS.gov, Edelman, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and the Stanford University Persuasive Technology Lab. Use the discount code Mashable and get 10% off.
November 1-2, 2010, Dubai, UAE: Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Summit at Total Marketing Discuss and debate the opportunities and challenges faced by marketers in leveraging social media as a marketing tool. Hear from leading organizations on how they managed to turn Twitter and LinkedIn amongst others into powerful communication channels! Getting in at the top of any search remains a key focus for many organizations today. Hear from leading practitioners on how best practice strategies and innovative methods to get the most out of the internet. Register and save 15% when using code MASHABLE-TM. For more information, visit www.totalmarketing2010.com.
November 2-3, 2010, Ft. Lauderdale, FL: BlueGlass FL is an online marketing conference featuring today's leaders in the Social Media, Search Marketing & Venture Capital industries. BlueGlass combines cutting edge educational seminars where high profile industry experts discuss the latest trends and strategies along with impactful networking events where attendees will build contacts, gain resources and leave with a wealth of knowledge. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino provides the perfect setting for this next generation conference where attendees will be treated to innovative seminars, networking events and forums optimal for building business relationships and exchanging new ideas and technologies that enable longevity in the marketplace. For more information, click here. Registration information can be found here.
November 3-5, 2010, San Francisco, CA: DevLearn|10 is the super-charged conference and expo for those involved in the design, development, or management of e-Learning. DevLearn|10 offers the industry's largest expo, over a hundred sessions covering the latest e-Learning tools, technologies, and strategies, plus exciting content stages like the Social Learning Camp, Mobile Learning Jam, Serious Games Zone, and Learning Media Studio . If you want to know what’s coming next in the world of e-Learning and what the top people in the field are thinking, this popular, cutting-edge conference is the place to be.
November 3-4, 2010, Scottsdale, AZ: If you’re a leading executive at your organization with questions about how social media can better optimize your customer response efforts and thus generate a higher ROI, then this year’s Social Media Customer Response Summit is a must attend. During this two-day seminar, attendees will be able to listen, learn and collaborate with prominent industry leaders such as John Belanger of Yahoo!, Steve Kaay of US Auto Parts, John Hernandez of Cisco, Craig Palmer of Cable & Wireless (UK), and Robert Lamb of AT&T,on the challenges/benefits with using a “social media customer response strategy,” and what Key Performance Indicators are being used to review effective social media customer response, plus much more. Senior VPs interested in attending can find more information about the summit’s agenda & registration at www.customerresponsesummit.com.
November 3, 2010, New York, NY: Corporate Counsel magazine’s Social Media: Risks & Rewards, being held at The Harvard Club in NYC, is a comprehensive one-day program that focuses on the cutting edge issues and challenges organizations are faced with as their clients and employees tweet, post and chat their way across the internet. We have gathered the leading Social Media champions to guide you and your organization through the murky waters and dangers you are exposed to today. Register with promo code MASH100 and save $100! Visit www.corpcounsel.com/socialmedia for more information!
November 3, 2010, Frankfurt, Germany: The viscom tec.10 conference focuses upon how to create a customer focused experience with technology. Thanks to modern technologies, consumers are now more networked and better informed than ever before. Used to finding the ideal product by making comparisons and consulting with others on a wide range of webservices. In the future the challenge for marketing and technology providers will be to reach this “always on” generation in real life. The conference will highlight the perspectives and visions of the different sectors: from traditional advertising and out-of-home possibilities to web and mobile-based communication and digital signage. Use the early bird pricing and save 200 EUR.
November 4-6, 2010, New York, NY: IMM is the leading residential training course for the brightest executives working with international brands or within the international departments of agencies, media owners and client companies. Created in the UK in 1990, the course has now trained over 2,000 executives – many now working at senior levels within US-based organizations and across the world. The two and a half day course combines presentations from leading thinkers with practical group work and mentoring. Send your most promising people to the first IMM New York, designed to help train the next generation of American advertising talent.
November 4-6, 2010, Savannah, GA: Geekend is the interactive conference phenomenon you have been waiting your whole life for. Geekend is your chance to interact with people taking the tech and creative industries by storm. Join us this November as the brightest geeks, designers, developers, artists, and social media mavericks flock to Savannah for a weekend filled with cutting edge speakers, fun-filled after parties, and amazing networking opportunities. Speakers include Noah Everett of Twitpic, Scott Stratten of Unmarketing, Margaret Francis of Lithium, and many more.
November 4-5, 2010, New York, NY: Influence People is hosting a one-day social media monitoring conference in New York on November 4, followed by a half-day training bootcamp on November 5. Monitoring Social Media (New York) will bring together leading brands, PR and marketing experts to discuss the latest ideas, trends and techniques in social media monitoring and measurement. Though a series of presentations, panels and expert-led discussions, we will explore the critical issues that marketers and PR professionals are facing in their efforts to monitor their social media interactions. Register with code mashable to get a 10% discount. Limited tickets still available at www.socialmediamarketing.co.uk.
November 5-6, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The NNew Media Film Festival brings you the Best of New Media: What’s New & What’s Next…and honors stories worth telling. Join the Producers Guild of America-Northwest (PGA-NW), NATPE, Content First, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, WGA New Media, SAG New Media, International Academy of Web TV, Motorola, IndieGoGo and more as we bring together thought leaders and content creators from across film, TV, games, publishing, web, mobile & technology for forums, screenings and networking. Register and use the promo code GOLDENGATE30 to save 30%. More information can be found at www.newmediafilmfestival.com.
November 5, 2010, New York, NY: L2 is a think tank for digital innovation. On November 5th, L2 will host its second-annual Innovation Forum at The Morgan Library. The full-day event will address innovation in digital marketing and implications for prestige brands. Described as "TED for brand marketing," the Forum is the largest gathering of prestige executives in North America. The Forum is meant to inspire, educate and entertain. Speakers this year include CEOs of Bonobos, Polyvore, MINI, Rent the Runway, Foodspotting and the Business of Fashion. Register and use the promo code Mashable_friends for 25% off.
November 5, 2010, St. Petersburg, FL: During Poynter’s Social Media Day: Finding the Future of Journalism, we will tap into the broader creativity of influential thought leaders in social media and explore its future possibilities within journalism. Scheduled speakers include Lisa Stone, co-founder and CEO, BlogHer; Charlene Li, partner, Altimeter Group; Vadim Lavrusik, community manager, Mashable; Matt Thompson, editorial product manager, Project Argo/National Public Radio; Betsy Morgan, former CEO, Huffington Post, and many more. Purchase tickets to attend the in-person event, or RSVP to our Facebook event and watch a video stream of the event on Poynter.org.
November 6, 2010, New York, NY: Join Keynote Speaker Mara Schiavocampo and more than 50 leading communications professionals for a full day of career advice, professional insights, and networking. The 2010 Student Communications Career Conference covers panel topics including Broadcast Journalism, Digital Marketing, and Magazine Writing and is a fantastic networking opportunity for students, graduates, young professionals and more! Take part in the conversation as these experts address innovation, ever-expanding opportunities, and the evolving world of communications.
November 6, 2010, Topeka, KS: PodCamp Topeka is Topeka’s annual low-cost “unconference” focused on social media, podcasting & videoblogging, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, photography, and web design, for starters. Our keynote speaker is Patrick O’Keefe, author of Managing Online Forums. Register now!
November 8-12, 2010, New York, NY: New York Entrepreneur Week (NYEW) is a semi-annual event built for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs, providing an exclusive educational experience for innovation-minded start-ups to multi-million dollar revenue generators. With over 100 speakers from 40 cities, 15 states and 3 continents, NYEW unites the state’s diverse entrepreneurial community; giving you the opportunity to connect with and learn from New York’s best and brightest entrepreneurs who are relentless, driven and dedicated to improving your business and the economy. Register with the promo code Mashable345 to receive 75% off.
November 8-11, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: PubCon, the premier search and social media conference, features the industry’s biggest names and key players shaping the future of the Web. PubCon holds cutting edge panel sessions exploring tracks dedicated to search, social media and affiliate marketing, an intensive professional search and social media training program and some of the world's top keynote speakers. PubCon Las Vegas will also hold a one day two-track slate of intensive educational training programs led by some of the industry’s most respected search professionals. PubCon makes all of this available at some of the most affordable registration rates in the industry. Please use the code ma-8201210 for 10% off the registration price.
November 8-11, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: See the latest collaboration tools and technologies at Enterprise 2.0 Santa Clara’s comprehensive conference and expo. Gain thought leadership — from strategy to execution and performance monitoring — to bring the power of collaboration to your organization, accelerate information flow, drive revenue and increase productivity. Register with the promo code CNUJES04 to save $100 off the onsite price for passes or for a free expo pass.
November 8-10, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The Open Mobile Summit & Appcelerate — The most anticipated mobile conference of the year. Meet the CEOs of Sprint, LightSquared, HTC USA, Loopt, Smule, Booyah, Shopkick and more. Explore the key mobile battlegrounds – OS wars, PC vs Phone, video, advertising, cloud – and see who is set to lead in the next phase of the open mobile revolution. Register now with VIP code MASHABLE and save $100
November 8-9, Boston, MA: The eCommunications & Online Marketing Summit is a two day conference for the pharmaceutical industry. We will be showing how to revamp your eCommunications strategy to know, reach and interact with your customer. The event will feature 20+ pharmaceutical speakers and a key note from Citi Bank . The event’s agenda will feature 14 case studies that will give you knowledge on only the most critical business issues. For our event brochure, click here. Register and use the promo code MSH200 to save £200.
November 9-10, 2010, Toronto, Canada: Take back practical strategies for integrating social media tools and measure their ROI at your company – all in just 2 days! The Canadian Institute's 4th Annual Conference on Social Media will provide you with the right tools to integrate and measure the impact of social media in your organization. Learn how to increase the number of your followers, handle negative publicity and attacks in social media, strategically leverage social media as a key tool in crisis communications and much more. Enter Mashable discount code 207AX03 to get 15% off the conference.
November 9, 2010, Atlanta, GA: Small Biz Tech Tour – Want to learn how to leverage technology as a tool to GROW your business? Want to attend the Small Business Technology Tour? target=”_blank”>http://www.smallbiztechtour.com The tour is for business owners, entrepreneurs and business professionals who want to have fun, network and learn. Whether you know nothing about technology or know a lot, the Small Business Technology Tour is for you. Bring a friend! The first 10 attendees who register with the discount code MASHABLE will receive a complimentary ticket. Use the promo code MASHABLEDISCOUNT to get 50% off!
November 9, 2010, Philadelphia, PA: BlogWell: How Big Brands Use Social Media features 8 great case studies on the best social media programs at large corporations. SAP, American Express, Johnson & Johnson, Scholastic, SunGard, The Hershey Company, Pfizer, and BlackRock 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 promo code ILoveMashable.
November 9, 2010, New York, NY: Linked Minds is an Entrepreneurial Social Networking Event to link the minds of Entrepreneurs and the Social Networking-savvy of New York City and Westchester counties. Social Media Networking Events are connecting people in the business field in ways never expected and we would like to embark on this trend with Linked Minds Events. We invite you to "link-minds", exchange ideas, and cultivate successful business relationships with NYC's most business social-savvy. Register with promo code LMEMASH1109 and receive $5 off.
November 9, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Agencies and advertising brands are invited to The Bees Awards – 1st international social media competition for marketing professionals. 20 judges from 13 different countries will gather at the Legion of Honor to grant recognition to the best industry practices. Honor will be granted in 16 different categories including: best use of social media platform, best conversation with consumers, best campaign, agency of the year, client of the year, and others. You are invited to submit your work before October 1st and join the celebrations on November 9 at www.beesawards.com.
November 11, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Social Media Prom, presented by @FunnyOrDie, is for anyone and everyone who didn’t have a chance to go to prom. Or maybe you did, but you were the wallflower, someone poured punch down your dress, or gave you a wedgy and hung you from a locker. This is your chance to shine, and relive what you may not have been able to experience from the backseat of the car or behind the bleachers. Visit www.socialmediaprom.com to get your tickets! Don’t have a date? No big deal, go stag! Tickets are $20 for couples and $15 for singles.
November 11, 2010, London, UK: The first London Social Gaming Summit is a one day event focused on the intersection of games and the social web. The event focuses on helping social games developers build, monetize, and grow their social games. We’re bringing together the leaders in free-to-play games, social networking, and payments infrastructure for a full day of panels and talks.
November 11, 2010, Buenos Aires, Argentina: ElggCamp is an event that gathers people from the developing environment with social media entrepreneurs, marketing specialists, designers and anyone who is interested on knowing how developing a social network can help them achieving their goals. The main objective of this event is to discover new possibilities and solutions this platform has to bring to everyone, and to create an environment where ideas are able to became real. This is the second time this event take place in Buenos Aires, and it promises to be a success! Register now here, or visit ElggCampBA.com.
We're proud to announce the Partners for Growth and Innovation "Innovation Summit 2010 – Creating an Innovative Ecosystem" – taking place in beautiful Healdsburg, located in Wine Country, November 12 - 14, 2010. We're stepping away from Silicon Valley, away from the hustle bustle that is a part of our everyday lives and retreating to solitude, clearing our minds, and opening them to an incredible and truly innovative weekend. With speakers including Jeremiah Owyang, Gary Chevsky, Jim Chu, Rich Reader, Victor Tsaran and many others – this is an event you will not want to miss!
November 12, 2010, Mountain View, CA: The Under the Radar Conference is a one-day showcase of carefully selected innovative startups presenting to an audience of early-adopter customers. Key audience members are responsible for leveraging innovation to help their company compete in the fast-evolving digital landscape. Join 350 decision-makers from global carriers, brands, agencies, technology companies, startups, and investors to hear from the next wave of innovators. This year’s Under the Radar conference will hear from brands, agencies retailers and media companies who are looking to improve customer engagement. Key challenges are improving their decision process, making it easier for them to get what they want, at the best price, in real-time and closest to them. The Under the Radar conference will showcase the latest startups that are addressing these challenges and influencing this behavior. Areas of focus will be on Social Commerce, Loyalty/Rewards, Social Scanning and Payment. To register, go to www.undertheradarblog.com/register.
November 12, 2010, London, UK: The first London Virtual Goods Summit is a one day event focused on the emerging market opportunity for virtual goods and economies. Once restricted to the world of online gaming, virtual goods and currencies are beginning to influence the development of social networks, community sites, and many other new and exciting markets. The market for virtual goods continues to grow – join us for engaging talks and panels designed to highlight important trends in this fast growing market. This is a must-attend event for those in the games, social media, and entertainment markets. Register now with the promo code MASHABLE010 for 15% off!
November 12, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Gamification is the most powerful way to engage and grow your consumer base. Leverage the lessons of Foursquare, Farmville and Frequent Flyer Programs in this breakthrough full-day, hands-on workshop on Gamification in SF on November 12th taught by experts Amy Jo Kim and Gabe Zichermann. Bring your product/design concerns and emerge with actionable strategies, tactics and resources at the end of the day tailored to your business needs. Space is strictly limited – register today with this discount code to save 15% off admission: MASH15. For more information, please visit http://sf.gsummit.com.
November 13, 2010, Hutchinson, KS: Twitter users everywhere are invited to help make history this November at what will be known as the first-ever UNDERGROUND tweetup. Usually cell phone service is not available underground but temporary arrangements have been made to facilitate this event. Participants in "Tweet at 650 Feet" will have the opportunity to take the Gallery Tour and Dark Ride before gathering at the underground event center for food, beverages, and social networking. A monitor will be set up so guests can see their updates, and the updates of others, in real time. Reserve your spot before November 1st and receive a free "Tweet at 650 Feet" t-shirt! Check out www.tweetat650feet.com for more information.
November 15–18, 2010, London, UK: Europe's definitive customer strategy experience. Focusing on the strategy behind the concept of loyalty, Loyalty World will provide you with the insight and tools to develop the ultimate loyalty initiative to support your business goals and add measurable value to your bottom line. Loyalty World will examine the relationship between your brand and your customers, look at what drives consumer behaviour, and help you understand how you can identify and harness new trends and tools to really drive engagement. Loyalty World attracts participants from some of the world's most reputable brands. With speakers from retail, financial services, travel, leisure, utilities and telecoms, you will gain cross-transferable loyalty insights and experiences that will help rejuvenate your loyalty strategy, attract, engage and retain customers, and strengthen your market. Register here and SAVE 10%.
November 15-17, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Web 2.0 Summit brings the intelligence, innovation, and leadership of the Internet industry together in one place at one time. Through incisive plenary sessions, cut-through-the-hype onstage conversations, rapid-fire high order bits and show me presentations, visionaries and executives across key industries present their unique perspective on the Web's future-in-flux and how the tools and principles of Web 2.0 are impacting global businesses. Connect with the business leaders and technologists redefining the potential of the Web. Don't miss the Points of Control webcast on October 27th.
November 15, 2010, New York, NY: Gamification is the most powerful way to engage and grow your consumer base. Leverage the lessons of Foursquare, Farmville and Frequent Flyer Programs in this breakthrough full-day, hands-on workshop on Gamification in NYC on November 15th taught by experts Amy Jo Kim and Gabe Zichermann. Bring your product/design concerns and emerge with actionable strategies, tactics and resources at the end of the day tailored to your business needs. Space is strictly limited – register today with this discount code to save 15% off admission: MASH15. For more information, please visit http://nyc.gsummit.com
November 15, 2010, London, UK: The Social Technology Not for Profit Summit '10 caters specifically for those that work in or on behalf of charities and not-for-profit organizations. We're bringing you answers to the big questions across the industry, discussing how to make the most of little or no budget, and how to utilize social media to turn supporters into advocates. This event will bring you practical advice with a human perspective and tangible takeaways that you can implement seamlessly into your not for profit organization. Register and use the promo code mash80 for an additional 20% off the ticket price.
November 15, 2010, London, UK: The virtual goods model is the revenue-generating sensation that is taking the world by storm, from games publishers to media companies, from social-networking sites to consumer brands. The Virtual Goods World Europe 2010 promises to be the next step for your business! Major brands will come together to discuss the opportunities presented by the rise of virtual goods. Social networking sites will participate, to learn more from the brands and create business models for the future. Games publishers and developers will learn best practice customer acquisition strategies. All participants will learn new opportunities presented by advances in alternative payment systems. Register now with the promo code VGWMASH and save 10%!
November 17-19, 2010, Loudoun County, VA: Social Media Tourism Symposium. The symposium will be a combination of destination marketing organizations, hotels, resorts, attractions and any other tourism related entities sharing ideas and learning more about how social media is effecting promotion within the travel industry. What makes this conference unique is the involvement of attendees throughout the entire process. Attendees will have a voice in everything from the location to the session topics and presenters. Register now and become a Facebook fan.
November 17-19, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: The WOMMA Summit 2010 is the pinnacle of all we’ve learned this year as well as trends to watch in 2011 and beyond. WOMMA Summit 2010 showcases the NEXT and BEST practices from some of the innovative and forward thinking brands in word of mouth and social media marketing today. Register before October 1 and save $200 off the full ticket price. Use code WOMMASummitMASH.
November 17-18, Houston, TX: Are you a CEO, owner or marketing executive wondering how you should be using social media to promote your business? Come to our Free 90-minute Social Media Boot Camp for CEOs where you will learn proven techniques and valuable tips to drive customers to your website and generate new leads. Our expert speaker, Paul Slack, will offer abundant detailed strategies you can immediately put into action.
November 17-18, 2010, Raleigh, NC: The Internet Summit 2010 will feature over 100 speakers and an audience of over 1,500 internet execs, entrepreneurs and senior marketers. Join dozens of industry leaders and innovators in the conversation on topics such as Social Media, Mobile, Cloud Computing, Geolocation, Online Advertising, Analytics, Video, Ecommerce and more. This years, keynotes are Go Daddy’s CEO Bob Parsons and Ancestry.com’s CEO Tim Sullivan, and then hear thought leaders from Foursquare, Google, Salesforce.com, Yelp, eBay, StumbleUpon, Playboy, Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, Autotrader.com, Playdom, Travelocity and many more! Register and use the promotion code MASH for 20% off.
November 17-18, 2010, London, UK: The Corporate Social Media Summit is a two-day conference focused exclusively on how big businesses can use social media to enhance their marketing/comms strategy. The conference is tailored exclusively to a corporate – not a social media – audience. It features 20+ senior executives from European corporations speaking – including Vodafone, Honda, Nokia, Cadbury, PepsiCo and more. 14 in-depth, interactive workshops deliver best practice examples and practical next steps from companies that have already experienced marketing/comms success using social media. For our brochure, click here. Register and use the promo code MSH200 to save £200 off the ticket price .
November 17, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: Girls in Tech Presents What’s Next: Tech Trends To Watch in 2011. With 2010 drawing to a close, Girls in Tech LA is proud to be hosting a diverse range of tech industry experts who will be sharing their predictions, plans and perspectives about what’s next for tech in 2011. The panel discussion will be held at the Border Stylo offices in Hollywood on November 17, and will be followed by light refreshments and networking. It will also be streamed on Ustream, and details of that stream will be available via the Girls in Tech Twitter and Facebook pages before the event. Panelists participating in the discussion include Amanda Coolong (TechZulu), Heather Meeker (Whrrl), Tony Adam (MySpace), Erin Kotecki Vest (BlogHer), Laura Weidman (Border Stylo) and Lynn Langit (Microsoft). Tickets are just $10, and space is very limited, so buy yours early to guarantee admission.
November 17, 2010, Phoenix, AZ: Fifth Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference – In the current environment, some companies will still come out stronger than before. Has your business suffered? Have you been laid off? Are you trying to grow in difficult circumstances? Here at AZEC10, we’ve got your back. Local investors, local entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley veterans will spend the day discussing the realities of business today. You MUST meet these people and learn from them during the Great Re-Set of 2010. This is the premier entrepreneurship conference in Arizona, benefitting the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation.
November 18-19, 2010, New York, NY: Get your tickets now to attend NextGen:Charity, a conference on non-profit innovation being held in New York City. Learn and network with 500+ executive-level professionals of non-profits and foundations. Featured speakers include Seth Godin, Scott Harrison, Arianna Huffington, Nancy Lublin, Randi Zuckerberg. Visit our website for more information, to learn about all our presenters and get your tickets. Click here to register now!
November 18, 2010, New York, NYFinancial Services Social Communications: Case Studies and Roundtables — Our Keynote Presenter will be Craig Pfeiffer, Chief Marketing Officer, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Case studies by MasterCard Worldwide, AllianceBernstein, and others will showcase how leading financial institutions are embracing social media and marketing to achieve business goals despite the regulated environment. The case studies will be followed by moderated interactive roundtables. Register and use promo code MASH for a discounted rate of $155.
November 18, 2010, Madrid, Spain: Stepping out of the comfort zone: Innovation & Social Media in Healthcare. Advertising in the new markets of conversations is the big challenge, and realizing that you no longer have the control of the brand is difficult to assume and scary. But wanted or not, the conversation is out there. HCPs are right now storytelling their opinions, experiences, unmet needs, therapeutic strategies and ideas via the Social Web. They are looking for connectivity and knowledge in these new ecosystems which are "common and global grounds". The word of mouth surpasses, in credibility, the traditional communication tools.
November 18, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Real-time tools are transforming business, government and non-profits. At TWTRCON SF 2010, you'll see case studies and learn best practices from leading organizations that are using the real-time web to deliver bottom-line results. Speakers from Ford, H&R Block, Wells Fargo, SAP, Southwest, Twitter, Google, stickybits, Roxy Theatre, StatusNet, OneRiot and more. New at TWTRCON SF: Hands-on workshops designed to let you learn the how-tos of real-time applications, tools and platforms. Register at http://twtrcon.com/sf10 use the promo code MASHABLE for 20% off.
November 18, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Calling all women in technology! Vator, a leading platform for innovators and entrepreneurs to connect and learn from one another, and Girls in Tech, a social network for women in technology, are holding their first event, Amplify, to recognize women-led startups. Silicon Valley legend Esther Dyson will be the keynote speaker, sharing advice on what it takes to build a company. Amplify is a day-long event and will be held on November 18 in San Francisco. To be among the 15 women-led startup presenters, be sure to enter the competition here. Register and use the promo code MashableAmplify for a 20% discount.
November 18, 2010, Kiev, Ukraine: Digital Communications of Ukraine International Conference is one of the main Ukrainian events that will feature the top professionals in the industry of Internet marketing. The main goal of the DCU is to exchange ideas and learn how to handle changes in media and marketing in day-to-day business using the latest knowledge, new technologies, best practice, and trends. Our speakers will share their experience and cases in digital communications. Companies represented by our speakers: Ukrainian Association of Internet Advertising, Yandex, Gemius, Digitas, Oxygen, Ukr.net, Brainberry and many more. Register with the promo code DCUMAS to save 15%!
November 18, 2010, San Francisco, CA: A hands-on social media and communications workshop produced by Richard Colback at BizSoMe and Robert Dickman at First Voice. This two-part workshop focuses on how to develop stories using the five elements of narrative and then guides attendees through how to adapt these stories to effectively leverage a variety of different social media platforms. The workshops have been developed for businesses and individuals who wish to move from experimenting with social media, into the development and implementation of highly effective social media communication. Register and use the discount code MASHABLE for 30% off.
November 19-21, 2010, Mexico City, Mexico: iWeekend is an intensive and innovative experience that brings together talented entrepreneurs and professionals of different profiles to select 3 ideas and bring these ideas to reality by collaboratively developing a business plan and a prototype, all in one weekend. The final outputs of the event are a prototype, a basic business plan, a product demo and a possible team. The event is ideal for entrepreneurs looking to get started and for professionals and freelancers looking to broaden their horizons while taking on a challenge and collaborating in a project they like. Register and use the code #VIVAMASHABLE on the signup form to receive a 10% discount.
November 19, 2010, New York, NY: On November 19th, 2010 THE JONATHANS (Jonathan Levy and Joanthan Rossman) will launch a fundraising campaign to benefit the New York City School System, with the goal of Beating Zuckerberg's $100 Million donation. THE JONATHANS will kick off the campaign with their joint birthday party at Good Units, a brand new event space in Manhattan's Hudson Hotel. All proceeds from the event will go to benefit New York City Schools. The event will raise funds to BEAT ZUCKERBERG! via patron and sponsor donations, the silent auction, and a portion of the bar proceeds.
November 20, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: At the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart) Social Media Training Seminars, we will clear the confusion surrounding social media marketing and give you all the information, coaching and hands-on tutoring you need to carry out an effective marketing campaign on social media – we cover Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Myspace, Blogging, scheduling and time-management, effective postings, linking, photo uploads, marketing and branding, growing your following and more! Register here: http://e-2productions.com/eventsseminar.html.
November 20, 2010, Córdoba, Argentina: Drupal Camp is a free event organized to expand, unite and improve the Drupal community in Argentina. The conference will be held Saturday, November 20, and it will take place in Córdoba. It promises to be a success! For more information and registration, please visit www.drupalcamp2010.com.ar.
November 24, 2010, London, UK: The New Brand Rules: Capitalising On The Online & Social Media Space – Following the success of our inaugural social media event in July, we will explore the issues of control, measurement and understanding of your brand's reputation online that will drive ROI and business success. This event offers marketers an unrivalled opportunity to come face-to-face with experts from a variety of brands at various points of their social media and online strategies to thrash out these and other pressing questions. Please click here for more information.
November 25, 2010, London, UK: BrightLemon Drupal Training – Introducing Drupal (London): This Drupal course quickly gets you up to speed with building dynamic database-driven websites with Drupal. It begins with a basic introduction into the main concepts behind Content Management Systems (CMS) and the types of websites they are meant to help create. We then map these concepts onto Drupal as a CMS and take you through installation to creations of a series of websites – each one adding an additional layer of functionality. Buy tickets here.
November 25, 2010, London, UK: The media and marketing industry's Global GREEN Awards 2010 recognise and reward creative work that communicates the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainable development and ethical best practice in any sector and across any marketing discipline. Now in its fifth year the GREEN AWARDS™ are going Global, this year for the first time, all the categories are opened for entry from all over the world. The Awards illustrate the crucial role that needs to be played by green marketing and sustainability communications in informing people about green issues, products and lifestyle choices, and showcase examples of excellence and best practice in communicating sustainability and green issues. The Awards are now open for entry. For more information about the 16 categories and entry process, please visit http://www.greenawards.co.uk.
November 25, 2010, London, UK: The Digital Brand Strategy Summit is designed to create a unique showcase from leading brands and industry experts on how to create, launch and implement an effective Digital Marketing Strategy for your brand. During this one day event delegates will be presented with strategic information, case studies and hot tips enabling delegates to walk away with a clear understanding of the digital concept and the knowledge and tools necessary to deliver an effective strategy.
November 30 – December 2, 2010, Boston, MA: In Todays Business Climate, Companies are under great pressure to attract and keep more customers. Corporate websites are now the most important public face of an organization and the best way to communicate with a broader customer base. Successful sales and marketing now requires Web sites with supporting content management systems that can reach a global audience, a mobile audience, and an audience familiar with social media and used to richer media. Use the promo code MASHABLE to save $200. Visit www.gilbaneboston.com for conference details.
November 30, 2010 – Dec. 2, 2010, London, UK: Online Information is the largest UK event dedicated to the information industry. Taking place in the Grand Hall at London's Olympia, the exhibition attracts more than 9,000 visitors each year from around the world. This unique, free to attend event consists of an exhibition with more than 200 international exhibitors alongside an extensive seminar programme. Online Information covers 6 core segments: Content Resources, ePublishing Solutions, Library Management, Content Management, Search Solutions and Social Media, providing an annual meeting place for this global industry. Mashable readers may register to attend here.
November 30-December 1, 2010, London, UK: Apps World aims to address the entire app ecosystem and the challenge of delivery, development and design of apps across multiple platforms. The event will bring together leading operators and app stores worldwide, and draw in parallels between the mobile & TV app platforms. Register now to receive the early-bird discount.
November 30, 2010, Paris, France: Social networks are leading us towards a new era of global interconnectedness. This exclusive one-day conference will examine why they have become so popular in the first place and how businesses are using them to enhance their marketing strategies, to leverage their HR policies and to boost their internal communications tactics. The business model of networking sites is based on the idea that people will share information. Even though most social networks already offer ways for members to restrict the information shared, they can constitute a major risk pool in terms of privacy, reputation and brand control. This exclusive event will provide invaluable strategic insights on how social networking is changing the way companies do business, a top-level speaker line-up, and an opportunity to network with peers. For more information and to register, please click here.
November 30, 2010, London, UK: Social Recruiting Conference will gather together leading employers and recruitment industry professionals, to passionately discuss and practically demonstrate the power of Social Recruiting. The conference will be unlike any other Social Media Recruiting conferences you have attended. Our aim is to take the talk from theory to practice; and shift conversations from hype and hope to reality and results. #SRCONF will focus on Social Recruiting case studies, with measurable ROIs. Save 10% when you register with the code MASH10 at http://www.srconf.com.
November 30, 2010, London, UK: Hear how 21 heavyweight brands, including Facebook, Sainsbury’s, Google-YouTube, COI, King of Shaves, Motorola, JustGiving, BBC, Volvo, M&S, FT, Jaguar, Eurostar and Santander are demonstrating real results from social media at the Social Media Results For PR & Comms Conference. Tried and tested strategies to genuinely engage audiences, fully embed and integrate social media practices and clearly demonstrate real results. Mashable readers receive a £150 discount with the promo code MASHABLE if you book before August 19. Click here to download the conference brochure.
December 1-2, 2010, Berlin, Germany: Lead generation, lead nurturing, inbound marketing, B2B social media marketing, SEO, storytelling, mobile marketing and blogging, B2B marketers are facing new challenges in building profitable marketing strategies. The first BB2B Marketing Europe event features a keynote presentation by Chris Brogan and will bring together European B2B marketers to share knowledge through real-world case studies, best practices, lessons learned and offer networking opportunities with some of the biggest brands and businesses today – Forrester Research, Google, Philips, Dassault Systemes, Accenture, HP, Honeywell, Canon, Kodak, Symantec, HubSpot, iTive and more. Register by September 30th to receive an early bird discount.
December 1, 2010, London, UK: The Mobile Cloud Computing Forum will provide a full perspective of mobile cloud computing and SaaS from business value through integration and implementation and to the emergent trends in the industry. Meet some of the best known mobile cloud computing and SaaS professionals in person and exchange your experiences. Register with promo code MCMASH20 and save 20%!
December 1, 2010, Toronto, Canada: The Canadian New Media Awards recognize the highest standards of excellence in all areas of Canadian digital media and seek to honour individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements over the past year. The CNMA gala will take place during nextMEDIA Toronto at the Design Exchange. Visit www.nextmediaevents.com/cnma for more information.
December 1, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The 3rd Annual Silicon Valley Rocks will take place on Weds., December 1, 2010 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. A fundraiser for Music in Schools Today, SVRocks will feature performances from the Valley's top tech talent from VCs and entrepreneurs to bloggers and software developers.
December 2-6, 2010, Departing from New Orleans, LA: When you attend Social Media Conferences do you get the most value out of the conversation in-between sessions? Check out the 2nd Annual Social Fresh Cruise, the best parts of a social media conference at sea. Cruise the Caribbean for four days with 90 other social media leaders and influencers. For about the same price as just the ticket to many conferences, the Social Fresh Cruise includes all meals, private cocktail parties, eight hours of high-level interactive social media sessions, unbeatable networking, and entertainment.
December 2-4, 2010, San Francisco, CA: unGeeked is a unique three-day Social Media, Marketing and Branding Retreat. During the retreat, attendees will engage in discussions involving every aspect of your internal and external branding efforts. The goal is to learn how to align the personal and corporate brands by involving, Sales, Marketing, PR, Advertising, Customer Relations, Human Resource and Legal into your SoMe integration efforts. unGeeked San Francisco includes Social Media authors, mavens and practitioners such as Brian Solis, Scott Stratten, Jason Falls, Amanda Hite Jeff Power and more. Keynotes and presenters are here to get you involved in the discussions by asking you to bring your challenges, obstacles or questions to this intimate (we limit attendance to 150 people) learning environment. Register with the promo code unGeekedMashable to save 10% off three-day ticket cost.
December 2-3, 2010, Berlin, Germany: Gone are the days of paper surveys or email questionnaires where you often get poor response rates. With the advancement of mobile technology, surveys can be seamlessly integrated into mobile apps, making it more fun for consumers to respond than traditional methods. The international conference on Market Research in the Mobile World: The Next Frontier will be held on the 2 & 3 December 2010 in Berlin. The aim of this conference is to bring together top researchers and practitioners to discuss the key challenges and opportunities of using mobile research applications for generating actionable insights. Mashable subscribers will enjoy a 20% discount off the full registration fee when they use the promo code mashable20 before November 15th.
December 6-9, 2010, Las Vegas, NV. Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 22nd Updated 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 incorporate social media into your communications and marketing plans, and leverage the latest interactive Web 2.0 tools and techniques to advance your organizational goals. Hear practical advice from: Department of State; City of Las Vegas; Army Public Affairs; Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; San Francisco Public Utilities Commission; Deloitte and more. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200!
December 6-8, 2010, New York, NY. Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 2nd Updated Forum on Social Media for Pharma: How To Develop, Execute, And Evaluate Web 2.0 Strategies To Engage Your Audiences And Drive Business Results, to learn how to incorporate social media into your communications and marketing plans, and leverage the latest interactive Web 2.0 tools and techniques to advance your organizational goals. Hear practical advice, firsthand, from leading organizations such as: Novo Nordisk; FDA; Johnson & Johnson; Kaiser Permanente; Astellas Pharma; UCB; Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals; Sanofi-Aventis; Millennium Pharmaceuticals; and more. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200!
December 6, 2010, San Francisco, CA: The SF MusicTech Summit brings together 700+ visionaries in the music and technology space, along with the brightest developers, entrepreneurs, investors, musicians, service providers, and journalists who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce. We meet to discuss the evolving music/business/technology ecosystem in a proactive environment. Register and use the promo code Mashable to receive a 10% discount off the ticket price. For more information, please visit www.sfmusictech.com.
December 6, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: The Mobile Excellence Awards offers invaluable exposure, PR, branding and networking with the who’s who in mobile entertainment, media, & technology. The event has become one of the most influential and prestigious in the industry, honoring the best in mobile entertainment, technology, marketing & media. Attendees represent the entire mobile ecosystem, including execs from all major studios, entertainment companies, brands, content providers, industry influencers & press. Deadline for submissions is September 20th!
December 7-9, 2010, Santa Clara, CA: Taking place in the heart of Silicon Valley, BIA/Kelsey's Interactive Local Media 2010 (ILM:10) is a unique, three-day mega-conference featuring the true innovators of local media, local directories, local search, local mobile, local social and local direct marketing. One highlight is a special Mobile Local SuperForum offering the deepest and most strategic dive ever presented in the mobile local space. Head's up: Local is hot, and this year's conference should be BIA/Kelsey's largest ever. Register with promo code ILMMASH and save $200!
December 7-8, 2010, Universal City, CA: The LA Mobile Entertainment Summit is brought to you by the producers of the widely acclaimed 3D Entertainment Summit, this high level strategy and networking event will explore all facets of the mobile entertainment industry. This event will be presented in association with Variety and in partnership with the Mobile Excellence Awards, the industry's most prestigious awards program for the mobile industry. Located in the heart of the entertainment industry, the summit will attract the brightest minds in the mobile ecosystem. Delivering two days of packed in-depth discussions, the summit will deliver strategies to capitalize on this rapidly changing landscape, attracting senior level decision makers, leading press and market analysts.
December 8-10, Reno, NV: Join professionals from marketing, tourism, gaming, service industries and nonprofits in Reno-Tahoe's amazing ski country for Social Media at Reno Tahoe (SM@RT), one of the best values of any similar national conference in 2010. Speakers, along with specialized breakout session presenters, include top authors, practitioners and strategist from media giant, Gannett, winter travel destinations, Vail Resorts, and many other experts in building business for professional service firms. Anchored by the University of Nevada, and its business and journalism schools, attendees get specialized instruction to return home with ways to immediately improve their social media marketing. Register now and save and an additional $100 online for the main conference with the discount code MASH.
December 9-10, 2010, Sydney, Australia: Crime and Legal Issues in Social Media II will advise and assist professionals on the utilisation of social networking without fear of the risks. Some organisations are still hesitant to maximise their use of online networking. Risks such as breach of privacy, fear of legal action, developing a negative reputation and lack of control have given way to avoidance of this important medium. The event will explore the legal implications of using social media and the policies that manage the risks. Register and use the promo code CrimeSocialMash to save 15%!
December 9, 2010, Springfield MO: Social Marketing Boot Camp with Sarah Evans: Limited tickets will be available for this unique boot camp style event with nationally renowned expert Sarah Evans. You’ll spend a full six hours of session time with Sarah, taking an in-depth look at the role of social media in marketing your business or organization. You wont just learn effective social media marketing techniques, but will look at how social media works in conjunction with traditional marketing and public relations and why that’s important, practical ways of engaging customers and prospects, case studies, help with creating a social media based marketing plan, hints and tips, ways to make your brand stand out online, effective engagement, latest trends, tools and resources, and plenty of opportunities for discussion and Q & A. This will be a very hands-on event designed to give you lots of practical experience and learning, and for you to leave with new ideas and tools you can implement in a very real way. Register and use the discount code MASHABLE to save $25 on each standard registration.
December 11, 2010, Amman, Jordan: For the past few years, the field of social media has evolved to become one of the most exciting areas of technology and business marketing. How is it different for MENA? The first Arab Social Media Forum will be the first event in the region to discuss exclusively social media topics customized to MENA. ASMF2010 will bring both clients and agencies together to share their experience in dealing with social media platforms, different social engagement approaches and case studies. Register with the promo code ASMF10MASH and save 20%.
December 13, 2010, Portland, OR: Portland State University’s Digital Marketing Conference 2010 showcases success stories in digital marketing, addressing the needs of individuals and companies as they use new technologies to engage their audiences, clients, and customers. With three tracks, a digital marketing bootcamp, speakers addressing hyperlocal to international business, two keynotes, Ignite DMC, and a post conference wrap event, attendees receive high-quality, hands on, and interactive experiences to enhance their digital marketing knowledge. Please click here to both learn more and register today using code DMCMASH10 to get the early bird price (ends November 7).
December 15-16, 2010, Austin, TX: Are you a CEO, Owner, or Marketing Executive wondering how you should be using social media to promote your business? Come to our Free 90-minute Social Media Boot Camp for CEOs where you will learn proven techniques and valuable tips to drive customers to your website and generate new leads. Our expert speaker, Paul Slack, will offer abundant detailed strategies you can immediately put into action. We are in a different city each week, so please check our listings to see when we will be in your area!
January 6-9, 2011, Lake Tahoe, NV: The worlds of digital storytelling, snowsports and technology will converge on Heavenly Mountain Resort January 6 – 9, 2011 for the Tahoe Snowcial, a winter festival celebrating the global community of enthusiasts who live their passion in the snow and tell their stories online. Snowcial ties these worlds together in a participative, collaborative intermingling of industry leaders that sparks new ideas for the future, linking networks, passions and turns. Speakers include CEOs of Gowalla, Path and Vail Resorts with performances by OK Go and MC Hammer. Register with the promo code founderfriend and get 10% off!
January 12-14, 2011, Washington, DC: Social Media Legal Risk & Strategy – Social media has proven to be a critical medium for companies who are looking to have their services and brands penetrate the public sphere. The use of social media, however, has not come with an absence of legal risk. Join 16 lead counsels from Coca-Cola North America, IBM Corporation, Wal-Mart, Chevron, T-Mobile, Capital One, Dell, Aon Corporation, CSC, Nationwide and other fortune 500 companies as they discuss strategies to address and overcome the legal risks posed by engaging in social media. Mashable subscribers will enjoy a 10% discount when they mention MASHABLE in their follow-up email to ddrey@marcusevansch.com.
January 20-22, 2011, Mumbai, India: Click Asia Summit 2011 is designed to be Asia's largest digital & mobile marketing conference and expo where industry thought leaders congregate to discuss online marketing, challenges faced by agencies, and the changing face of social media. Click Asia Summit 2011 is going to change the way you look at Digital and Mobile marketing. Please register by clicking here.
January 20-21, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The First Annual Gamification Summit brings together top thought leaders in game mechanics and engagement science for the first time. Hear what works and what doesn’t in this dynamic and fast-moving field through case studies, workshops, keynotes and panels delivered by experts such as Gabe Zichermann (author, Game-Based Marketing), Amy Jo Kim (gamification guru) and Jane McGonigal (TED fellow, debuting her new book) and network with other leaders in the space. Attend the Gamification Summit 2011 and learn how game mechanics and the new science of engagement are rewriting the rules of brand marketing, product design and customer acquisition. Know the score: Register now with the Mashable promo code GSMASH11 and save 10%.
February 7-10, 2011, Orlando, FL: ARC's 2011 World Industry Forum: Driving Innovation, Sustainability and Performance will take place at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld! This forum will focus on challenges that will help you develop winning strategies. It provides an ideal environment for industry executives to collaborate, share ideas, and find new ways to attack their most pressing problems. The event includes sessions on the major issues facing our industry, with multiple tracks that enable executives to explore these topics from different perspectives. Owner/operators, solution providers, & technical experts will all benefit while contributing to the community's body of knowledge.
February 7-9, 2011, New York, NY: Now in its 10th year, the ePharma Summit is going to be bigger than ever. We are looking ahead to new trends and opportunities in digital marketing with unparalleled insight from leading industry innovators. Join us for more novel mobile strategies, more regulatory insights, more customer perspectives, and more examples of what is really working now from the organizations you admire most. Join us February 7-9 in New York City at the most respected digital marketing event for the life sciences industry as we explore innovative e-strategies and proven techniques to drive business. Register with promo code XP1606MASH and save 10%.
February 14, 2011, Barcelona, Spain: MobilePremierAwards in Innovation – The best grassroots startup innovation chosen by their peers in partnership with MobileMonday, the event takes place during the Mobile World Congress, so the whole mobile scene will be at hand for this event. The MobileMonday chapters will vote for their local most innovative startup. An international jury of the most recognized mobile industry experts will select the 20 finalists from all the local chapter nominees to pitch at the event in Barcelona in front of investors, operators, media companies, peer entrepreneurs, and press and influential bloggers. Make sure that you do not miss the chance to see global innovation in the mobile space, where you will get a chance to get a first hand view of all the cool companies and the people behind them from all the corners of the world. There will be no place to get together and make contact with the innovators and the companies that are pushing the mobile boundaries. Register and use the promo code #BCNMASHABLE to receive a 10% discount.
February 28-March 1, 2011, Sydney, Australia: Social media marketing has rapidly evolved to the extent that it is no longer enough to just get on board the “social media marketing train.” Marketers are bombarded with tools and technologies without a real understanding of integrating social media effectively. Social Media Marketing – The Way Forward enables marketers develop and manage a sound strategy for your ongoing and future social media marketing projects, with practical and valuable insights shared by some of the most successful brands and campaign creators in both B2C & B2B social media marketing. Register with the promo code MPMASH and save 10%!
March 2-3, 2010, San Francisco, CA: EyeforTravel's Social Media Strategies for Travel Conference is North America's number one social media event for travel professionals. Now in its fourth successful year, the event brings together top travel brands to share key insights on how to maximize the impact of your social media initiatives. The two days are packed with case studies, presentations and networking opportunities. Please use the promo code MASHABLE for a $100 discount on the admission price.
March 8-9, 2011, Brussels, Belgium: Are you looking to unleash the power of social media for CRM? As new channels and strategies emerge it is increasingly important to meet face-to-face to share knowledge, challenges and experiences. Enterprise Social 2.0: CRM will bring social media marketers and CRM experts together to share knowledge through real-world case studies, best practices, lessons learned and offering networking opportunities with some of the biggest brands and businesses today. Past speakers include: Google, Kodak, L'Oreal, Philips, Nokia, Lego, Siemens, Vodafone, SWIFT, SAP, Roger Smith Hotel, Dominos Pizza, Airbus and more. To receive a special discount, register now!
March 9, 2011, Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The Cloud Computing World Forum Middle East and Africa will feature all of the key players within the Cloud Computing and SaaS market providing an introduction, discussion and look into the future for the ICT industry. Register today and get inspiration on how to address your latest issues with advice from real-life end-user case studies and practical examples. Register with the promo code MEAmash20 and save 20%!
March 28-29, 2011, Paris, France: The Marketing 2.0 Conference features leading social media experts who will discuss and learn about the social media initiatives from brands, advertisers, researchers and analysts. Hear from leading people in social media about their strategies, revenue models and how they are approaching upcoming trends in the field. The event will also examine the current market conditions, future forecasts and predictions from leading researchers. Use the promo code mash2011 to receive a discount off the registration price.
April 13-15, 2011, Singapore: The Internet Show Asia 2011 is a series of seminars and a large end-to-end showcase of the latest internet technologies and solutions. More than 10,000 attendees will be at the exhibition and conference to find new ways of doing internet business and enhancing product offerings through the internet – through case study presentations and speaking directly with solution partners. The show will aim to increase your ROI, it's all about business, not a technology show. For more details and registrations, please visit www.theinternetshows.com/2010/Singapore.
May 4-8, 2011, London, UK: Digital Shoreditch is the voice of everything happening in Shoreditch. The festival explores and celebrates digital technologies; unites the digital community; and provides a platform for sharing knowledge. The activity culminates in a series of exhibitions, parties, presentations, open studios and games.
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.
PHILO, a social media platform and iPhone app that pitches itself as Twitter and Foursquare for TV fans, will host live, virtual viewing parties for NBC’s Chuck at 8:00 p.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. PT tonight. Users will be able to “check in” to the show Foursquare-style and discuss it to win badges and more tangible prizes.
PHILO has previously offered badges or events for NBC’s Community and ABC’s Modern Family, and the service got some extra exposure when the Dancing With the Stars Facebook page encouraged its fans to check in. The Chuck Facebook and Twitter pages are also promoting this PHILO event.
Like Foursquare and other checkin services, PHILO optionally connects with your Facebook or Twitter profile so you can let your friends know what shows you’re watching, and you can win badges for checking in regularly to shows or special events. It might seem like something that would only appeal to extreme social media geeks, but we’ve made the case on two occasions that there’s real potential here.
PHILO and similar services like GetGlue and Miso actually reflect users’ viewing habits — they tend to notify their friends on social networking sites that they’re watching certain shows, then discuss them in some cases.
If you’re interested, give PHILO’s event a shot and feel free to discuss whether this is a credible fad-to-be in the comments. You can find the app in the app store [iTunes link] or visit the service’s website.
Believe it or not, Google hasn’t forgotten about Feedburner. The RSS feed service has received an experimental new interface that better matches Google Analytics and looks like it might actually integrate into other Google AdSense and Webmaster tools.
The interface doesn’t work for every component of Feedburner — if you need to access feed management or change certain settings, you can continue to use the old interface. The new interface — which is accessible via feedburner.google.com/gfb/ — shows real-time stats for clicks, views and podcast downloads from across your feeds.
This is really powerful, especially if you use the Feedburner Socialize service to auto-ping Twitter when you publish a post. This can let you track how users are referred and what RSS clients are being used to access feeds.
The stats take a lot of the information that used to be spread across multiple panels and put it into one interface. You can also view the last two hours of activity for a feed to see different waves of traffic and click-throughs.
The new Feedburner dashboard also has a new message center that displays notices if there are any problems with a feed or other things that you need to know.
We hope these new real-time tools and the improved interface are the start of some real momentum behind the Feedburner product. RSS might be going out of favor in a world of Facebook, Twitter and mobile apps, but publishers still need a central place to control and manage their content streams. Feedburner no longer does everything publishers need it to do, but there just aren’t a lot of alternatives.
Have a startup focused on helping brands improve their relationships with their customers through engagement? Want to get the attention of key influencers and Mashable’s readers? Then we want you!
Mashable is proud to once again be partnering with Under the Radar for Fast Pitch, a startup competition that will take place on November 12 at the Microsoft Conference Center in Mountain View, California.
Team Mashable and 300+ decision makers from some of the biggest and most influential brands, agencies and marketing companies will be there to listen to you make your pitch for your company’s game-changing idea. We’re opening up applications for Fast Pitch starting today.
Before you apply, though, here’s more about Fast Pitch:
Contest Format
The Fast Pitch contest will take place on November 12 at the Microsoft Conference Center in Mountain View, California. Please don’t apply if you can’t be there that day, because we need you to pitch your company or app in person. We also prefer startups that have already launched or have a usable, functional product.
The format is simple; you get two minutes to wow the audience and our panel of judges (to be announced) with your pitch. Keep it short and pithy, and focus on how you solve the big problems facing retailers, brands and media companies.
Unlike last year’s Fast Pitch competition, which focused on mobile applications, this year we are looking for any startup that helps brands better connect with their customers. There are a couple areas that we’re especially interested in seeing this year’s crop of startups tackle, including:
Social shopping and commerce
Apps for advertising and marketing
Loyalty/coupons
Social recommendations
Viral marketing
Location checkins
Publishing and infrastructure tools
Any startup that helps improve the customer decision process
Be warned, the deadline is fast approaching — applications are due by Friday, October 29 at 6:00 p.m. PT. Mashable will select approximately eight startups from the application pool for the Fast Pitch competition. All finalists will receive free passes to the Under the Radar conference.
Under the Radar is a one-day showcase of hand-selected disruptive companies in a particular sector. We take a comprehensive look at the true innovators fueling the explosion of emerging technology and new business opportunities. Each company presents their offering to a panel of active industry experts, along with an audience of more than 300-early adopter technology insiders. 64% of past presenting companies have gone on to close partnerships, raise funding or be acquired after presenting at Under the Radar. Alumni include: LinkedIn, AdMob, Flickr, Loopt, Jive, 3Tera and more.
Samsung has announced that it will unveil a new Android device on November 8. Details on the invitation are sparse, but judging from the iconography, the device will be media-heavy.
Engadget has speculated that the device will be the Samsung Continuum. Based on the funnel of stock quotes in the invitation, we’re inclined to agree. The Continuum is said to feature two OLED screens, one of which is specially designed to scroll data like a ticker.
Another factor to consider is the recent arrival of a gingerbread man on Google’s campus. He stands alongside statues of Froyo and earlier builds of Android. The arrival of the gingerbread statue can indicate only one thing: The Gingerbread Android build is coming.
Could it be that Samsung will be the first to market with a mobile device running Android 2.3 Gingerbread?
What if the one click it took to open this story could also provide enough clean drinking water for one person for an entire day?
Starting today, major consumer goods company Procter and Gamble (P&G) has launched a widget that bloggers can embed into their blogs. For each click they receive from readers, P&G will donate a day’s worth of clean drinking water (about two litres) to someone in need. The goal is to generate 100,000 days worth of clean water by the end of the year.
Started in August, the widget is part of P&G’s “Give Health Clean Water Blogivation,” which showcases the power of female bloggers to help improve the lives of people in need. The participants have already donated more than 20,000 days of water.
Bloggers can sign up this week to embed the widget on their sites. On November 1 the widgets will go live, and any user that clicks on the widget will donate one day of clean drinking water and receive a coupon from P&G. If interested, you can find the widget here. Select bloggers, or “Changents,” will be documenting their travels and efforts through the Give Health homepage.
P&G has set up the widget as a sort of fundraising competition to see how many clicks individual bloggers can accumulate. It’s an interesting spin on social good that focuses on cultivating a community rather than coercing friends (or strangers) to pay up.
Because P&G is responsible for the actual “donations,” bloggers can spend their time writing and producing great stories instead of sending out e-mails to ask for donations, which makes the contest more about helping the cause than promoting oneself.
Is this a major shift in social good campaigns? Could it be handled in a better way? Let us know what you make of the campaign — and if think you’ll participate — in the comments below.
Throughout the year we’ve spoken to many small business owners, asking them about their best practices, recommendations and success stories in the social media space.
Pulling from their experiences, we’ve learned that choosing social platforms should be based on what type of content your company produces, where your audience is already active, what your goals are, and how you plan to add value for your business’s followers.
While every social platform isn’t fit for all businesses, there are quite a few standout services that can be utilized throughout many industries. Here are our top picks for social media services for small businesses — many of these may not be surprising, but that’s because the success stories we’ve heard have proven them over and over again.
Which social media services do you recommend for small businesses? Add your thoughts in the comments below.
When you ask business owners about their social media strategies, Facebook and Twitter are generally among the first words that come up. These two platforms have become the go-to, entry-level platforms for business owners looking to get more social.
For quick, effective communication, though, our vote goes to Twitter. The micro-blogging service enables businesses to quickly and effectively enhance customer service, business development, public relations and even lead generation. Through these types of communication, businesses humanize their brands, making them seem more friendly and approachable.
Not only that, unlike many other social sites, Twitter is easy to set up due to its minimalist approach. While setup and growing a following entails a bit of a learning curve for new users, maintaining a Twitter presence is simple once you’ve got it together. In short, Twitter is a big win for small businesses.
From speeches and tours to tutorials and documentaries, small businesses are using web video in a lot of creative ways — even CEOs are getting involved. Businesses are using a number of services, but our top pick for small businesses is still the video king, YouTube.
In November 2008, YouTube surpassed Yahoo as the second largest search engine in the U.S., only next to Google. It has maintained that spot ever since. While business owners may be able to benefit from better aesthetics and revenue models on other video-hosting sites, YouTube offers visibility, familiarity and a massive audience.
Photo-sharing on Twitter can be a great way to showcase products and give a behind-the-scenes look at your business. Really, you can’t go wrong with most of the Twitter photo-sharing services out there. The majority are easy to use, only require users to sign in via Twitter oAuth, and showcase photos in a timeline. TwitPic adds the extra value of being recognizable within your Twitter stream.
Social media adoption rates among small businesses have grown dramatically this year, and location-based services are high on the list of emerging platforms of interest. While there are a handful of quality location-based services out there, including the recently launched Facebook Places, we believe that Foursquare still offers the best small business experience.
In the coming year, SCVNGR may give Foursquare a run for its money because of its innovative approach to the space, but for now, Foursquare wears the crown for being accessible to both the biggest brands and the smallest companies.
Corporate blogs are catching on with companies of all types and sizes. To build an excellent corporate blog, you need compelling content, dedicated writers and, of course, a blogging platform.
Tumblr makes blogging almost as easy as tweeting, and puts a heavier focus on the social aspects of blogging than most platforms. The interface is easy to use, there are a ton of great themes, and the re-blogging feature makes it easy for users to share content.
Dealing with multiple social media accounts across various platforms is a total downer, but luckily there are lots of social media management tools to help, and TweetDeck seems to be a top pick among small business owners that we’ve spoken to. It’s free and enables users to connect across Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Foursquare and Google Buzz.
The dashboard is clean, customizable and easy to use, allowing users to organize feeds, mentions, messages and searches across multiple columns.
For startups and small businesses looking for funding, we recommend Kickstarter, a service for crowd sourcing funds for “creative ideas and ambitious endeavors.”
Kickstarter operates on an all-or-nothing model. Project owners choose a goal and a deadline, and if the project isn’t fully funded when time expires, then no money changes hands.
Small businesses can benefit from such a site by starting projects for business goals of all sorts — the most successful projects on Kickstarter are often out-of-the-box undertakings, though, so get creative. One recent project, for example, has a goal of buying equipment to make sheep’s milk soap. The farmer already herds sheep but is looking to raise funds to pay for an expansion of her soap production business. The project has already attracted 16 backers to fulfill the $500 goal, and it still has a few weeks to go.
Which social media services does your small business use and recommend? Let us know in the comments or nominate them for the Mashable Awards.
The Mashable Awards Gala at Cirque du Soleil Zumanity (Vegas)
In partnership with Cirque du Soleil, The Mashable Awards Gala event will bring together the winners and nominees, the Mashable community, partners, media, the marketing community, consumer electronics and technology brands and attendees from the 2011 International CES Convention to Las Vegas on Thursday, January 6, 2011. Together, we will celebrate the winners and the community of the Mashable Awards at the Cirque du Soleil Zumanity stage in the beautiful New York New York Hotel. The event will include acts and performances from our partner Cirque du Soleil Zumanity. In addition, there will be special guest presenters and appearances.
Date: Thursday, January 6th, 2011 (during International CES Convention week) Time: 7:00 – 10:00 pm PT Location: Cirque du Soleil Zumanity, New York New York Hotel, Las Vegas Agenda: Networking, Open Bars, Acts, Surprises and the Mashable Awards Gala presentations Socialize: Facebook, Foursquare, Meetup, Plancast, Twitter (Hashtag: #MashableAwards)
Thanks to our sponsors:
Mashable Awards Gala Partner:
From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is now a global entertainment organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has over 5,000 employees, including more than 1,200 artists from close to 50 different countries.
Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to nearly 100 million spectators in 300 cities on five continents. In 2010 Cirque du Soleil, will present 21 shows simultaneously throughout the world, including seven in Las Vegas.
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Digg CEO Matt Williams revealed in an interview with Mashable that Digg is focused on getting healthy again by cutting costs, resetting its strategy and re-entering “startup mode.”
Earlier today, Williams announced that Digg would be laying off more than one-third of its staff. The company’s current staff of 67 will be reduced to 42 in an effort to reach profitability by 2011. Williams told me that the cuts will be all across the board, rather than focus on a specific division of Digg. Even management isn’t safe; Williams pointed to the exit of Chas Edwards, the company’s publisher and chief revenue officer, as a sign that management is being shaken up as well.
“The burn rate is simply too high,” Williams said. He says that the company has looked at all of possible ways to cut costs, but concluded that it couldn’t keep its staff of 67 and operate profitably. He emphasized the need for Digg to be more lean in its operations. “We’re in startup mode again,” he stated.
On Tuesday the entire Digg team will gather at an all-hands meeting where Williams will outline the company’s strategy for the next year. He revealed part of that plan to me in our interview. Primarily, the company will focus on increasing engagement with the Digg community, which lost many individuals during the disastrous release of the New Digg. He wants the company to “listen hard” to users in order to re-engage them.
What about the revenue side of the Digg equation? Williams’s response was simple: Diggable Ads. He believes Digg’s new ad format is an innovative and powerful ad product. The company will be “doubling down” on Diggable Ads and finding new ways they can be utilized by advertisers.
Williams was brought in to clean house and turn things around. To do so, he intends to run Digg as a lean startup. It started with today’s layoffs, but he has his work cut out for him if he’s to spark a comeback and achieve profitability for the social news website by 2011.
Group-buying service Groupon and online auction house eBay just agreed to a business relationship that will place Groupon’s regional daily deals on the pages that eBay users visit. The site will determine each user’s location and show the deals available in his or her area.
Furthermore, members of eBay’s rewards program will earn 5% of each Groupon purchase amount in eBay Bucks, which members can use to buy other things on eBay.
The deal makes sense for both companies. Groupon will gain additional exposure, and in exchange eBay will get opportunities to give its users more incentives to buy things in eBay auctions. It’s a win-win for consumers too, as long as they don’t mind having Groupon deals pitched to them when they visit eBay.
Rumor has it that Groupon is working on similar deals with Yahoo and Citysearch, but those rumors are unconfirmed and the specifics are fuzzy. We’ll keep you posted.
The folks over at the Iconfactory have just posted a teaser image from the upcoming Twitterrific 4 for Mac OS X.
Twitterrific was not only one of the first Mac Twitter clients, it was one of the first Twitter clients period. While it may be better known on the iPhone and iPad than it is on the desktop these days, the team at the Iconfactory haven’t forgotten their desktop Mac roots.
The Iconfactory posted an update about the app on its website, noting that “the app is real and it’s going to be great!”
There’s no firm release date or pricing plan, but the app will need to run on Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard because of some of its new features. As you can see from the preview, it looks a lot like the Twitterrific for iPhone and iPad releases. That’s certainly not a bad thing, as we think that Twitterrific continues to be one of the most elegant ways to use Twitter from a mobile device.
Just last week, Twitter’s Evan Williams tweeted, “Tweetie for Mac is not something [Twitter is] actively investing in at this time.” Prior to Twitter’s acquisition of Tweetie, there had been plans for a Tweetie 2 for Mac beta test.
On the one hand, it makes sense that Twitter would focus its efforts on the website and mobile clients, as opposed to the Mac desktop. On the other hand, this gives app developers like the Iconfactory, YourHead, RealMac Software and Hibari a chance to find their niche.
As we all know, social media marketing attempts to create a conversation and engage its audience with something more than just a product. It’s the notion of a lifestyle, and what it means to buy a product and then engage with its makers.
The public, having grown wary of traditional advertising, has become more difficult to convince. That’s where the brand ambassador — the person who creates a sense of credibility, likability or interest — comes in. And while “real people” acting as the face of a huge brand is nothing new, the age of social media has made a compelling case for marketers to choose this route over traditional advertising.
Here are five successful ambassador campaigns from the last 15 years that have made a big impact on their respective brands, as well as the marketing landscape. They serve to illustrate how in today’s social media world, conversations with passionate people are an excellent (an often more successful) way to sell a product.
1. Wendy Kaufman, The Snapple Lady
Wendy Kaufman began working for Snapple back in 1991 and became a brand ambassador by chance. Kaufman had been answering the company’s fan mail in her free time, since no one else in the office wanted to do it, and she recognized that there were many people trying to connect with the tea and juice maker. When Snapple’s new ad agency heard of her good-natured gesture, it developed a campaign around her — launching Kaufman into the spotlight as one of the first everyday people to advocate for a consumer brand. Before the web was mainstream, and long before social media as we know it today, the campaign was a fresh and creative way for the company to connect with fans.
The ads, featuring Kaufman reading and answering fan mail, were a success and were in part responsible for launching Snapple as a household name and boosting sales from $23 million to $750 million a year in 1995. While Snapple inevitably let her go in 1994, Kaufman returned as a spokesperson for the brand in 1997 after the company was bought by Quaker Oats.
Today, fans can turn to the web and meet Dave on the Best Stuff Web Show, who asks random people about what they think is the best stuff on earth, offering challenges and answering tweets from the company’s Twitter feed.
2. Jared Fogel, The Subway Guy
Jared Fogel became a brand ambassador for Subway in 1999 after word of his amazing 245-pound weight loss, attributed to eating almost nothing but Subway sandwiches, hit the news. In 2000, Fogel and his weight loss success were introduced to the world in a commercial for “The Subway Diet.” It was a campaign that was a huge hit for both Subway and Fogel, who starred in more than 50 TV commercials and made in-store appearances across the U.S.
Since launching Fogel’s campaign, Subway’s sales more than doubled to $8.2 billion. In 2008, the company celebrated Fogel’s maintained weight loss for a full decade by retiring his 62-inch pants, a staple of the commercials.
After Fogel took a break from Subway in 2005, the company saw a 10% drop in sales, and felt the need to bring him back — proof of how important spokespeople can be to a brand.
Today, Jared is still a Subway spokesperson, and is working with the company in new, digital ways to reach out to consumers — with Jared’s Journey, an interactive and informative guide, complete with a timeline as to how Jared has kept the extra pounds off. While the Subway Guy isn’t as prominent in commercials, he is still a staple of Subway’s website — asking fans to make a promise, like the one he made back in 1998, to start living healthier.
3. Tony Martin, Kelly Ferris and Antonio Santiago – Coca-Cola
Last year Coca-Cola plucked three people out of obscurity to travel the globe, visiting 206 countries (every place Coke is sold), making videos, taking pictures, tweeting, blogging, Facebooking, and interacting with all the world’s Coke-loving fans.
Team “The MIX” — Tony Martin, Kelly Ferris and Antonio Santiago — were named the winners via online votes from fans all over the world. All regular, everyday people with very different backgrounds — Martin, a kindergarten teacher from D.C., Ferris, a South African-born university student from Brussels, and Santiago, a university student from Mexico City — have spent the past year visiting more countries than most see in a lifetime and spreading a message of “Open Happiness.”
Since the team was chosen by consumers, their fans are more invested in their activities. Since January 1, the team has been making its own way (save for airfare) across the planet on Expedition 206. It’s their job to get their own food, find places to stay, and meet people along the way. While the team has been given a per diem for food/travel expenses, it’s up to them and the people at home interacting with them to decide what they do with it.
In the past year the team has made stops to visit the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and the World Expo in Shanghai. Currently, the trio are visiting Angola, with the Maldives next on the list, and will finish in the U.S. on December 31.
Throughout the entire trip, fans have been invited to interact with the team, offering or recommending places to stay, not-to-miss attractions, amazing places to eat, and more. The whole concept is pretty creative, inviting consumers not just to think about the product but the message of unity that Coca-Cola can bring to the world. That’s a difficult message to convey with traditional advertising.
4. Microsoft MVPs
Mircosoft MVPs are brand ambassadors, but on a smaller scale. It’s a brand ambassador program designed for sharing expertise with others. The program was originally launched within Mircosoft’s support teams as a way to recognize, reward and support users who had been the most active on Usenet forums in helping others solve their tech issues. Over the years, the MVP program has grown into a brand of its own.
As the site says: “With the MVP Award, we thank these inspiring individuals for representing the voice of thousands in the community through the powerful and independent feedback they give us, and for helping our customers maximize the potential of their software. MVPs are passionate about improving technology. From beta testing to helping Microsoft identify real-world customer needs, MVPs offer amazing contributions with great dedication. And they answer millions of questions each year from technology users around the world.”
MVPs have to earn the titular honor each year. In turn, they get to display the program’s logo on their resumes, business cards, blogs and social networking profiles. Each year, thousands make the journey to the Microsoft’s HQ in Washington for a week-long summit and celebration with the company’s execs and product teams.
A program like this serves to recognize its most engaged consumers, giving them a title that both reflects well on them and the company. It fosters a sense of community and competition that keeps people interested and distinguishes them from other brands.
Moms in search of deals are some of Walmart’s best customers, so it’s fitting that moms have become ambassadors for the retail giant, and offer “money-saving tips, budget advice, product reviews and insight on how to save money and live better.”
It’s a simple concept: “Mom” shops at Walmart the most, so she probably has a few tricks up her sleeve. Walmart has created an online community made up of moms who share their thoughts on forums about parenting, healthy living, the environment and politics. It features 20 mom bloggers who specialize in different areas that interest their consumer demographic, like Christine Young’s From Dates to Diapers, and Melissa Garcia’s Consumer Queen.
Walmart has created a group of brand ambassadors who are accessible to consumers, yet they aren’t seen as spokespeople. It’s important that the moms are viewed as regular people who are available to offer some helpful advice.
Like any large corporation, Walmart channels its social media presence through the usual platforms. But its Walmart Community Action Network on YouTube is fairly unique in the amount of consumers they talk to. The ways in which everyday consumers shop at and experience Walmart is the best promotion they can get.
Seeing as how it’s Monday, it’s likely that you’re feeling like the walking dead at present. So why not go full-on zombie with a brand new web app: Make Me Zombie?
From the same guys who brought you MakeMeBabies and In20Years, comes Make Me Zombie, a fun little diversion that shows you what you’d look like if one of George Romero’s beasties gnawed on your arm for a spell.
So take a break from staring at your monitor and upload a snap to share with your friends — Halloween is just around the corner after all.
That’s zombified me up there at the top of the story, an image that is sure to haunt my dreams since I personally find zombies to be the most terrifying addition to the horror oeuvre.
The Future of Social Media Series is supported by Gist. Gist provides a full view of the contacts in your professional network by creating a rich business profile for each one that includes the most news, status updates, and work details. See how it works here.
There has been a tenuous union between lawyers and social media. The fact that so much information and conversation is made public can deter firms from jumping on board. That same hesitancy, however, gives some clues as to how social media may be used by lawyers in the future.
Social media is a big deal. Everyone from your mom to your nephew is probably online in some way. But you might not think to look up your lawyer’s Twitter handle or read up on his or her firm’s blog.
More and more firms and individuals are coming online. To try and get a grasp on where social media is heading, we spoke with three social media savvy attorneys to help us read the tea leaves.
How Does Social Media Fit Into Law?
New technologies usually present problems for lawyers, not for their technical complexities, but because it’s tricky to figure out how to deal with them legally. “The online world is like the Wild West because nobody knows for sure how the laws apply,” said Adrian Dayton, an attorney and social media consultant for law firms. While most online behavior can be governed by common sense, there are technical issues. “How do you put a disclosure in a 140-character tweet?” Dayton added.
Because social media exists online, it is subject to individual Internet laws across each state or country where information can be accessed. This principle of universal access is partly why social media and the Internet have been so difficult to fit neatly into one field of law.
It’s likely that this confusion will be resolved by precedent. Barring any radical rethinking of Internet law, it looks like social media issues will be better understood as individual cases map out an appropriate course of action.
Social Media as Evidence
We’re starting to see social media being used as evidence or background information in cases.
It all starts with the jury. Jury selection, the process of weeding out jury candidates who may have biases, has traditionally been limited to interviews, background checks, job histories and the like, but Dayton said, “Social media is already being used to test juries.” Lawyers are pulling information from social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn to see what companies, brands, or affiliations jury members might have. It’s becoming a first step for some socially savvy legal systems.
In terms of legal evidence, social media is a lot like e-mail made public. Nearly all social media is public in some way, making it an even easier way of collecting information on plaintiffs or defendants. “It just makes sense. If you can use e-mail as evidence, why not use a Facebook post?” said Robert Algeri, a partner at Great Jakes, a marketing company aimed at bringing law firms online and into social media.
Photos and updates posted to Facebook have already been used to nab people who lied about sick days or disability work, said Walker Lawrence, an associate at Maduff & Maduff, LLC. For example, lawyers could use it against someone who falsely calls in sick and then posts photos of himself or herself partying with friends from the same day.
Activity on social media sites can also be used as an alibi, as in the case of Rodney Bradford, the Brooklyn teenager whose post to Facebook about late-night IHOP pancake cravings saved him from being charged for robbery.
“With cases we’re pursuing or defending, we are always considering the potential impact on a client of what they’re doing on Facebook,” Lawrence said. “I want to see their Twitter, what’s on their LinkedIn. That should become the norm.”
Developing Offline Relationships
There is a strangely analog solution to all this social media. All three of the lawyers we spoke with said that social media was most effective at creating offline relationships — meaning, the Internet helped them meet real people they might not have met or partnered with otherwise.
“We use it as a distribution tool,” Algeri said. “It’s a means of connecting with people we never would have met before.”
That mentality has clearly worked for Lawrence as well. After our interview, Lawrence was meeting with an attorney who he found through Twitter about a possible collaboration. “As attorneys, we’re selling ourselves and our time and our degree,” Lawrence said. “Twitter is one avenue where you can establish that relationship.”
Thought Leadership & Client Leads
Of course, social media will do all the things we already know and love. Social media can (and will) help lawyers establish a brand and identity. Those we spoke to all recommended that lawyers start blogs or create content showcasing their specialties and expertise.
Algeri has taken it one step further with a total redesign of his firm’s website. They’ve integrated social media into every bio page, essentially aggregating the social media presence of all their employees into their homepage. Algeri sees this as the next logical step for firms, where social media isn’t an outside entity but a critical part of the firm’s identity. “We see ourselves as ahead of the curve,” Algeri added. “It’s definitely where law firms will be going with their websites. It’s an absolute.”
Social media will also help find clients and create conversation. An active, genuine presence on networks like Twitter can help reach out to new clients and even new partners to collaborate in the future. The same rules will apply: Be honest, foster real conversation and create real connections. Social media sites are not sales platforms, even though they can often help your business.
Some Bright Ideas
It seems like the biggest prediction for the future of how lawyers will be using social media will be normalcy. Rather than a technology breakthrough, our gurus predicted that the things now seen as cutting edge (connecting with clients online, firm blogs, using social media in cases) will become commonplace.
This is not surprising. Most good ideas start off as cutting edge and then become commonplace as more people realize they are good ideas. It does imply, however, that lawyers already tuned into social media are not only on the right track, but will have a head start on the competition.
How have you see the legal industry utilizing social media in creative ways? Let us know in the comments below.
Series supported by Gist
The Future of Social Media Series is supported by Gist. Gist keeps you better informed with less effort by giving you a full view of your professional network in one place bringing together information from across the web for all your contacts giving you the right information at the right moment to get a meeting, deliver an amazing pitch, or just find a better way to make a connection.
Digg CEO Matt Williams has just announced a wave of new layoffs at the struggling social media company. The current staff, 67, will be downsized to 42, more than 1/3 of the total team.
According to the letter (and the phone call) we received, Digg’s current burn rate is simply too high, and the only way to reach profitability is to cut expenses. In addition to potential changes to salaries and other fixed costs, the company is laying off 25 people. It’s not clear currently whether the cuts will be from engineering, sales, business development or another department.
In addition to the announcement of layoffs, Williams also hinted at a new direction and a new strategy for the company. There will be announcements related to the company’s future plans tomorrow.
We’ve posted the letter Williams sent to the entire Digg team in its entirety below:
Team,
When I joined Digg six weeks ago, we set an immediate focus on improving the web site. We listened carefully to user feedback and started making changes to generate momentum in our business.
As I mentioned in one of our first all-hands meetings, another top priority was to take a hard look at the entire business, across product, sales, and operations. Through the time I have spent with each of you, I've been impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm you've shown. I've also learned a great deal about what is working well at Digg, and what is broken.
Many things are working well. The team is listening and acting quickly on the feedback from our passionate community. We've been able to deliver nimbly on the new platform, with over 100 bug and feature releases to the web site in the past two months. Our Diggable ads product has seen a notable increase in use by advertisers and clicks by users.
Unfortunately, to reach our goals, we have to take some difficult steps. The fact is our business has a burn rate that is too high. We must significantly cut our expenses to achieve profitability in 2011. We’ve considered all of the possible options for reduction, from salaries to fixed costs. The result is that, in addition to lowering many of our operational costs, I've made the decision to downsize our staff from 67 to 42 people.
It's been an incredibly tough decision. I wish it weren't necessary. However, I know it's the right choice for Digg's future success as a business. I'm personally committed to help find new opportunities for everyone affected by the transition. Digg's Board members have also offered to help find placements within their portfolio companies.
Let's please use today to show our sincere appreciation for our friends and colleagues who will be moving on. Tomorrow, we’ll go forward with a new strategy for Digg.
Japanese game publisher Sega is trying to recapture some of its yesteryear glory by reviving Sonic the Hedgehog, its most prestigious franchise. The 3D Sonic games released over the past couple of years have left a lot to be desired, but the bargain-priced and downloadable Sonic 4 returns to the format of the original Sega Genesis games.
As soon as you see the classic opening screens, you’ll know that Sonic 4 Episode I is a love letter to the classics some of us grew up playing. It’s just too bad you’ll find yourself wishing it was more than that. It’s a tribute, not the overdue sequel it claims to be.
The game that you can download on the Apple App Store, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live or WiiWare is just the first in a series of planned episodes that offer a brief spat of nostalgic fun for old-time Sonic fans. We don’t have a problem with the short length of the game given its price ($15, or $10 for the iOS version), but we are disappointed that the episode spends more time replicating old scenarios without adding any new experiences to the series.
Each of the five zones is directly inspired by something that appeared in earlier Sonic games, and the boss fights are exact copies with an occasional minor twist to keep veterans on their feet. There’s the quintessential Sonic green hill zone, the underwater zone, the casino zone — it’s all very familiar.
The only significant addition is a mid-air dash move that allows you to spin into enemies and objects right out of a jump or free-fall. It’s a welcome new move because the level designers creatively placed enemies and other “dash-able” objects in places that increase the flow and speed of your movement through the levels.
The game is short — it takes roughly two hours to get through — but there’s some re-playability potential for the hardcore fans since you can pick and choose which stages to play, and invest some time to gather up all the chaos emeralds.
Beyond that, all the enhancements are in the presentation. It’s a nice mix of modern-day graphical bells and whistles and the old-school art style of the earlier games. The music and visuals are the downloadable game’s strongest offerings.
There is one caveat with the presentation: The iOS version of the game is very similar to its console counterparts and it controls like a dream, but it can be choppy and slow even on the iPhone 4 and the new iPod touch models. It also doesn’t run at Retina Display resolution. We’d have gladly sacrificed a few polygons for a smoother play experience and sharper visuals.
Buy It or Skip It?
You’ll enjoy Sonic 4 if you grew up on Sonic and remember those old levels and boss fights very fondly, but don’t be misled by the game’s title. It’s not a sequel. The enhanced visuals don’t make it anything more than it is, and non-Sonic fans will be left in the dust wondering what the point is.
Buy the game if you’re up for a couple of hours of nostalgia. If you’re looking for some Sonic you haven’t played before or if you’re new to the series, you’re better off skipping it. Stay tuned, though — we might be able to recommend the next episode if it takes more chances.
If you are a major brand and you aren’t using social media, well you probably aren’t a major brand. The truth is, to stay competitive brand need to be investing in social media as a way to really extend themselves to their customers. This is 2010 and consumers have options … lots of options. Social media is one way to create unique opportunities to show your customers who you really are and what you and your products stand for. Advertising and cultivating an image is still important, but it’s interacting with your customer base that creates loyal customers. Show them that you care, and you are involved in what they say, think and feel about your products, and they’ll be grateful. The results will be in your profit margins. Like most things, some brands do it better than others. Engaging in social media is about being extremely open, creative, and extending yourself across a wide range of platforms — with depth.
We’ve comprised a list of five brands who are most engaged in social media, and the impressive lengths they’ve gone to when connecting with consumers.
Starbucks is on just about every corner in the real world, and that’s the same strategy they’ve taken online as well. When it comes to a web presence Starbucks has made their mark on Twitter, Facebook, YouTubeFoursquare, mobile apps and with their own social network My Starbucks Ideas. They have dominated the social media landscape, creating active and engaging profiles on a variety of platforms. And according to variousreports they are the most engaged brand using social media, and for a few years running.
Take a quick look at the coffee giant’s Twitter page, and you’ll see the company has just over 1 million followers. The next thing you’ll notice is there is a lot of conversation going on. Starbucks is keeping busy responding to mentions, apologizing for bad experiences, and just carrying on some interesting conversations with their followers.
Meanwhile on Facebook, more than 15 million people will admit to Liking the brand. And Starbucks is trying to make buying product as integrated and seamless as possible. Take for example the Starbucks Card Facebook application they introduced this past April, and just recently announced that customers could now “Give a Gift” and credit their friends’ cards too.
And that feature is an idea born out of their community site, My Starbucks Idea. The Seattle-based caffeine king wants to know what you want from Starbucks, and they are listening. Here consumers are asked to share their ideas, and let them know what you think of other ideas as well. Discussions are encouraged, and the community votes to see ideas become reality. The “Give a Gift” idea was suggested way back in 2008, and drew more than 42,0000 votes. It may have taken some time for the idea to become a reality, but it shows that Starbucks is listening to their customers.
Always Coca-Cola. As one of the most universally recognized brands, it’s not surprising that Coca-Cola is the second most engaged brand according to Famecount. Just like Starbucks, Coke is active on Twitter engaging in conversation with its 142,000 followers. Given that it has a world wide following it’s appropriate that many of the tweet are written in many different languages. In addition to it’s overarching brand, each drink it produces also has it’s own Twitter page.
On Facebook its kind of astounding that 14.6 million people Like the soft drink empire, but the company has done a good job of keeping things interesting and interactive. The Page is a hub of all sort of activity, from social good initiatives like Live Positively where fans voted for America’s favorite park to receive a $100,000 grant, posting fan photos, videos, and something called Expedition 206 — 365 days, 206 countries, one mission. “Happiness Ambassadors” traveled the globe looking for happiness. They blogged and posted photos and videos of their travels and fans could vote in polls on things like where they are the most happiest.
And on Coca-Cola’s YouTube channel, the soda company launched “Unlock The Secret,” a viral video campaign featuring Coke’s inventor and Doc Pemberton. By clicking on bottle links in the videos, viewers are taken to the @docpemberton Twitter page, their Ahh Giver app on Facebook that allows users to send a message to a friend delivered in video format by the Coke polar bear, and to Coke’s Smilezier a novel feature that allows you to record the sound of your own laughter and listen to other people as well. All of this ties together Coca-Cola’s brand of happiness, and they’ve done an interesting and original job engaging with consumers online.
Oh-Oh-Oreo, is the third most engaged brand according to Famecount, and for a brand that’s been around since 1912, racking up 11.7 million Likes on Facebook is a great way to prove that good products have real staying power. For Kraft, makers of the delicious black and white cookie, Facebook outreach has been their main strategy. While other brands are engaged across the board, Oreo hasn’t leveraged Twitter at all yet. So the Oreo Facebook Page is a place to find recipes, photos of fans enjoying the cookie, videos, and games like Twist To Win for a chance to win the Double Stuff Racing League (Shaquille O’Neal, Apolo Ohno, Eli Manning and Venus Williams). The DSRL’s videos are the main focus on Oreo’s YouTube channel, with videos of interview with the athletes, commercials, and behind the scenes footage.
Skittles may also sound a little weird to be making this list, but they have an amazing online presence, starting with their website — a vibrant landing page that invites you to “Experience The Rainbow” and scroll down the page. First you are met with a really strange four minute commercial featuring a intellectually-challenged fellow rambling about the little candy piece of the rainbow, and the option vote if liked it or hated it. Moving further down the page, fans are asked to upload photos and videos if they think they’re funnier than the rainbow. Keep scrolling and you’ll find fan photos and picture posted, and you’ll be asking yourself why you kept scrolling, but you probably aren’t part of the “rainbro” demographic Skittles is trying to reach with their site. On another site, Share Skittles, YouTube videos of fans eating skittles are posted.
While Skittles hasn’t quite figured out how to leverage Twitter, logging just over 6,000 followers, and producing some really weird tweets, over 11 million likes show they managed to figured out how to make use of Facebook. Features like Mob The Rainbow, another strange but really innovative effort that strives to bring fans together to create something big. The first mob was a massive outpouring of Valentine’s Day greeting to a person who doesn’t get much love — a parking enforcement officer. Fans were asked to either make a card on the site or get the address and send one on their own — 43,037 sent cards. Since the launch of Mob The Rainbow last year, fans have completed three mobs, with a fourth one to “crash” an 85-year-old grandmother’s birthday party currently underway. It’s an brilliant way to engage their audience with social good and keep their quirky image alive.
Red Bull is a brand that is associated with a lot of things — late night last minute studying, late night partying, way too early morning meetings or classes, and the ability to keep you awake during the day. With 9.9 million Likes on Facebook, it probably not just because the Austrian company is your sweet savior from the long hours of the day, but rather because it offers a really cool and interactive Facebook Page that appeals to it’s core audience. The Procrastination Station, featured on their Games page, offers high quality, engaging and interactive procrastination, like a soapbox car racing game, rock, paper, scissors, and fans can listen to “Drunkish Dials” — drunk recordings of Red Bull drinkers who called the company’s toll free number. Yep, that’s what happens if you leave them a ridiculous drunken message, they’ll put it online.
Plus, they’ve run creative contests like 2009’s Red Bull Stash, where the company hid Energy Shots all over the country, and posted clues on their Facebook wall. It was the company’s way of saying thank you to fans when they hit the 1 million mark. Currently the company has teamed up with an San Francisco Giants player Tim Lincecum, to create an ongoing scavenger hunt for 11 autographed baseballs hidden in the street of San Fran. A picture of each baseball has been uploaded at a specific location and the first fan to arrive and check in with Facebook Places and the password "San Francisco's Got Wings" wins the coveted ball.
And as the sponsor of a ton of sporting events and athletes Red Bull’s website is the place for fans to see exactly what they are sponsoring. With videos, interviews, photos, games and a feature called “Holy Shit” featuring short, extremely high quality videos of amazing moments in extreme sports.
The company has also done an impressive job on the mobile front with motor-sports game Red Bull X-Fighters, access to their web TV channel with behind-the-scenes footage of daring stunts, with the Red Bull TV app, and Red Bull BPM an app that turns your iPhone into a complete DJ set-up. All these apps are great extensions of the brands core product, creating apps that compliment the consumer’s lifestyle goes a long way.
The Social Media for Business Leaders Series is supported by The Awareness Social Marketing Hub, which builds social marketing software for marketers leveraging multiple social channels to engage with customers, build their brand, and increase revenues. Built upon Awareness' expertise deploying more than 200 communities and social media projects for the world's biggest brands including Sony, JetBlue, Kodak, ASOS.com and AIRMiles, The Awareness Social Marketing Hub is a leading enterprise-grade application for marketers struggling with the social media chaos of managing multiple social channels. With the Awareness Social Marketing Hub, marketers are now able to publish, manage and measure across all their social channels from one central location using advanced built-in permissioning, workflow and audit controls.
Google has released a new Android SDK for publishers, making AdMob interactive video and interstitial ad units available on the Android platform.
AdMob, the Google-owned mobile ad network, has been offering interactive video ads on iPhone since late 2009. The SDK’s release means select Android publishers can integrate the video ads, and advertisers can now generate cross-platform, in-app video ad campaigns to reach audiences on both iPhone and Android.
For now, it sounds as though Google will be hand selecting the Android applications that receive the new ad formats. On the advertiser front, CBS will be one of the first big brands to work with Google to extend its interstitial video ads — already active in iOS apps — to Android.
It was imperative for Google to bring these ad formats to Android, especially given that the company is directly competing with Apple’s iAds on iOS devices. The cross-platform potential is a huge perk that’s likely to resonate with big ad buyers. According to multiple reports, smartphone buyers are now choosing Android over iPhone, which makes the Google OS an even more important advertising channel.
The latest version of Facebook for BlackBerry is not only faster than previous releases, it also has a bunch of new features that make the app more on par with what the iPhone and Android clients offer: a new navigation bar, enhanced listings for friends and pages, Facebook Search and a dedicated inbox.
Here are some of the highlights of the new version:
Dedicated Inbox – You can now choose to view your Facebook messages within your BlackBerry messages inbox or in its own separate inbox just for Facebook.
Facebook Messages are also now synchronized with the inbox on the web.
Facebook Search – You can search for individuals and pages and then send a friend request to individuals or “Like” a page if you so choose.
BlackBerry 6 users can get Facebook info from the universal search widget now, too.
Updated Friends and Page Lists – Friends and pPages are now organized in tabs and include thumbnails so that you can select a friend or Page to access to see individual information or updates.
We’re glad RIM is keeping Facebook for BlackBerry updated. In a pre-iPhone universe, the Facebook app for BlackBerry was actually one of the best. It’s fallen behind the competition a bit, but we appreciate how RIM strives to keep Facebook integrated with other aspects of the OS.
BlackBerry users — do you use the official Facebook app or do you access the mobile or touch website instead? Let us know.
Today, music video site Vevo and S-Curve Records are teaming up to introduce a new artist via a very cool piece of technology: a choose-your-own adventure music video.
Andy Grammer’s new video (created by interactive video technology company Interlude) for his song “Keep Your Head Up” is a first for Vevo — basically, fans can click on the video itself to seamlessly change the outcome of the action. We’ve seen choose-your-own-adventure vids before, but usually they involve a series of linked videos. This iteration is a lot smoother, thanks to Interlude’s expertise; apparently it is also the first of its scale that the company has created stateside.
And, bonus, a lot of possible outcomes feature a cameo by Rainn Wilson from The Office.
Starting today, you can head on over to Vevo — where the vid has premiered exclusively — and play around with the video, creating hundreds of possible storylines. The most popular storyline as determined by fans will premier on VEVO, including VEVO.com, VEVO Mobile, VEVO on YouTube and VEVO syndication sites on November 15.
In our opinion, this is a genius way to get fans hip to a new artist. Draw them in with an interesting concept, get them listening to a song over and over again as they play around with the vid, and, hopefully, turn them into Andy Grammer fans.
As for the song itself, Grammer tells us: “I wrote it for myself, because I was a street performer originally for about two or three years in Santa Monica. And one day I came home and sat down at my piano and tried to cheer myself up after a slow day of CD sales on the street. We decided that this video would be really cool if anything that you chose would put me in a tough situation, and regardless of that situation I would still have a smiling face.”
As a former street performer, Grammar understands how hard it is to grow an audience, but he sees this video as a major opportunity for building a fan base. Although he’s performed on hundreds of college campuses, Grammar is still a newer artist, and this is his first video.
“People would be walking by on the street or they would be having coffee and I would sit next to them and assault them with my music,” he says. “So now to have a video, that’s kind of doing that work for me.”
Of course, the gimmick alone will not be enough to win people over — Grammer’s music will ultimately have to have staying power of its own.
Check out the video on Vevo (it was too big for us to embed here), and let us know in the comments: What do you think of using dynamic social media efforts to introduce an up-and-coming act?
Chas Edwards, Digg’s publisher and chief revenue officer, announced Monday that he will be stepping down from his role shortly.
Edwards, who plans to take up a full-time position as Pixazza’s chief revenue officer and development publisher, will remain a strategic adviser to Digg — in particular, with Digg’s ad platform strategy, he said in a personal blog post.
Edwards joined Digg in June 2009 from Federated Media.
Digg has had a tough year, following the departure of CEO Jay Adelson in April, and the delayed release of what’s proved to be a hugely unpopular site overhaul. Traffic has plummeted heavily since then. At a conference in September, Founder Kevin Rose said he was “burned out” and refused to confirm that would still be working at the company by the end of 2010.
Digg appointed a new CEO earlier this month, who immediately apologized for some of the decisions made in the redesign, and pledged to continue bringing back features that users miss.
At its MAX 2010 worldwide conference in LA this week, Adobe will unveil its Digital Publishing Suite, a set of turnkey hosted services that will allow publishers to more easily create robust, interactive digital publications. The Digital Publishing Suite has already been used to create the iPad edition of Wired and The New Yorker.
The Digital Publishing Suite will let publishers create, produce, distribute and monetize their digital magazines and content across different devices and marketplaces. The App Store is obviously the biggest target of the Digital Publishing Suite right now, but the platform is designed in such a way that it is easy to target multiple marketplaces at once.
As we reported last week, the early sales numbers from various iPad magazines are still a mixed bag. The publications that sell the best tend to be those that offer the best experiences. But unless publishers work with a company like ScrollMotion, it can be difficult to integrate interactive and digital components into an existing publishing workflow.
We spoke with Adobe about the Digital Publishing Suite to get a sense of how the platform works and what publishers and content creators can do with the toolkit.
The system is designed to integrate well into existing workflows. If a publisher or content creator already uses Creative Suite — in particular, InDesign — integration should be really simple.
The Digital Publishing Suite is an add-on that will let publishers assemble editorial and advertising pages and then preview and test complete issues, including interactive elements. Now that Apple has lifted its ban on using third-party cross-compilers, Flash-generated interactions and animations can be inserted into digital publications. At the export stage, this code — whether it was created using SVG, Flash animation or something else — will then be cross-compiled into something native for the iPad.
Issues can be previewed both in InDesign, an iPhone or iPad simulator, or on testing hardware units.
As useful as having a tool to create *.IPA files within InDesign is, where we think Adobe has a real edge for its platform is in its distribution and monetization server.
Easy to Publish and Distribute
Publishers can store and host publication files after they have been created — sending them to others for review or pushing them out “live” to an app marketplace. Files can also be pushed out across platforms, so if you are targeting a number of different marketplaces or screen sizes, you can potentially publish to multiple platforms at once.
The platform also allows publishers to make issues either available for single purchase in the store or via an in-app purchase option (the way that the Wired and The New Yorker apps work). Once an update it is pushed live, users who already have the main app installed will be notified that a new issue is available and they can then purchase and download the issue.
The system also supports subscription options — something the iPad doesn’t yet support, but that analysts expect to appear soon.
Analytics Galore
Last year, Adobe purchased analytics platform Omniture for $1.8 billion. Adobe has integrated Omniture’s analytics system into the Digital Publishing Suite, giving publishers access to real-time analytics for their digital content.
Using Omniture Online Marketing Suite, publishers and editors can look at how people are reading and interacting with their digital content. This is hugely valuable for both advertisers and from an editorial standpoint as well.
Adobe showed us a demonstration of the analytics panel and it was fascinating to see a breakdown of how users interacted with a sample piece of content — what pages were visited first or in succession, the average time spent on a page or an article, what videos were watched, and so on.
In the print world, publishers are really more in the dark. Other than mentions of specific articles or spreads in letters to the editor, it’s difficult to tell what pieces readers are engaging with most.
Publishers can also use the analytics information to determine what kinds of ads work best in certain areas of the publication. If a certain ad placement isn’t working, it can be adjusted on the fly.
Pricing and Availability
Adobe plans to commercialize these services in the second quarter of 2011. However, professional publishers can immediately start to distribute and monetize their content by joining the pre-release program. The pre-release program will let publishers create and commercially deploy their publications.
If you aren’t ready to sign on to the pre-release program, but you want to check out the toolset, Adobe has also made its production and distribution tools available in Adobe Labs. The desktop tools include two Adobe Air applets and an InDesign CS5 plug-in.
Adobe will be offering two different versions of the Digital Publishing Suite:
Professional Edition — $699 per month plus a per-issue fee. The monthly fee is charged per publisher or company, so if you publish multiple titles you don’t have to pay more than once. The per-issue fee varies on volume. For pay-as-you-go titles, it’s $0.30 an issue with no upfront commitment. That price decreases at higher annual volumes.
Enterprise Edition — This is custom quote depending on the needs of the end-user. It offers the ability to extend the Adobe Viewer via an SDK and to integrate into other third-party services.
Huge Potential
One of the real standout aspects of iOS, Android and other mobile computing platforms is the relatively low barrier of entry. Middle school students are creating hit iPhone games and tiny startups are creating apps that go on to sell millions of copies.
Thanks to desktop publishing tools, the barriers to creating professional content and layouts have really been reduced. With the App Store, and mobile devices and tablets, the distribution barrier is also breaking down, allowing more publishers — big and small — to get their content onto digital devices.
Another U.S. mobile carrier has revealed its pricing for Samsung’s Android-based tablet. At Sprint, the Galaxy Tab will cost $399.99 with a two-year service agreement.
Sprint’s 3G Tablet Mobile Broadband plan comes at two rates: a 2GB data plan with unlimited messaging for $29.99 per month, or a 5GB data plan with unlimited messaging for $59.99 per month.
Pre-orders for the device start Monday, and it will be available in Sprint stores on Sunday, November 14.
With 500 million members and growing, Facebook offers brands and marketers direct contact to the largest pool of online users on the web. After all, social media is fast becoming more popular than e-mail on mobile devices and more convenient for news consumption than the daily paper.
In recent weeks and months, Facebook has introduced and improved a number of on-site tools that sage brands and businesses can use to better market themselves. Even the simplest of tools such as “Likes” and photos could serve as a catalyst for a viral network effect. Of course, there’s also opportunity to be had with more calculated efforts around Place Pages, Questions and the New Groups.
New as these conveniences may be, they’re still rich with opportunity. What follows is a look at how these tools, mixed with a little ingenuity, can be applied to your marketing purposes.
1. Bright Lights, Big Facebook
Facebook Photos are likely a much overlooked brand utility. In recent weeks, the social network has added a slew of photo enhancements that Page owners should become keen on.
Especially of note is the ability to upload hi-res photos up to 2048 pixels wide or high. In combination with the lightbox interface and the removal of pagination (all album photos appear on a single page), photos now really pop on the world’s largest social network.
For marketers and brands, these upgrades offer huge opportunity; you can now use Facebook’s magnified photo product to better engage brand fans. Take a look at Travelocity’s Facebook photos for a prime example of this strategy done right. The brand employs its iconic Roaming Gnome in photo spreads — that are then posted straight-away to Facebook — every chance it gets.
“Thoughtful and engaging photos are a critical component to our Facebook Page,” says Joel Frey, Travelocity's senior public relations manager. “When the Roaming Gnome attends an event like the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, our social media team definitely wants our fans to chuckle at his antics, but we also want them to imagine themselves taking a balloon ride one day and, hopefully, using Travelocity to help them turn that dream into reality. So we make sure we're always taking shots that capture the entire scene and not just the Gnome mingling with his fans.”
2. Focused Group Action
Facebook recently introduce a New Groups feature for private, even secret, one-to-many communication channels. New Groups are like mini Facebooks — but with group chat and document uploading — which make them ripe for intelligent brands and marketers to employ to their advantage.
We’re not suggesting you run out and invite random Facebookers to join your group — that’s a terrible idea. But, we do see potential for several practical use cases, especially given that most social networkers call Facebook their online home.
Here’s a few that come to mind:
Consumer Review Groups: Instead of hosting customer or product feedback sessions via your own tools, invite members to participate in private group sessions via the New Groups. It’s a win-win for both parties because participants will feel more at home in a familiar environment, which may make them more likely to participate and provide higher quality feedback. These groups won’t replace market research efforts (for bigger brands anyway), but they could help you glean insight in a much faster and more intimate fashion.
Event Groups: If you host networking events, conferences or seminars, consider letting participants know prior to, or following, the event that you’ve created a group for further discussion.
Live Chats: As noted above, New Groups feature group chat. Brands and marketers that maintain groups should consider inviting company figureheads to participate with customers and fans in live group chats. You could either schedule live chats or have a recognizable personality drop in unannounced.
Any marketers or brands employing these strategies need to remember to respect the online boundaries of Facebook members. As such, we’d recommend not inviting customers to join a group without their express permission.
3. Riddle Me This
Facebook Questions is another new product from the social network that can be molded into the perfect tool for brands and marketers.
The Q&A product lends itself to Page owners, who can respond to questions as their business (versus responding as an individual). Page administrators can also post questions directly to their Pages, with the activity also showing up in the News Feeds of your Facebook fans. Clearly, Questions can be a marketing tool for soliciting organized feedback in a way that also exposes the business to larger audiences, should fans post and share their answers.
Facebook Questions should be used like any other Q&A tool out there — think LinkedIn — meaning we highly recommend a soft sell approach. If you take to Questions to explicitly sell your product, you’ll probably be met with unresponsive Facebookers. If, however, you seek out questions to answer where you can demonstrate expertise, or post questions to your Page that resonate with fans, then you’ll be working to develop better connections with these individuals.
4. “I Was Here”
If your place of business has a physical store, then your job as a marketer is to improve foot traffic. Facebook’s Places is a potential digital tool for creating a tangible connection between your online profile and your offline venue.
Your goal, by in large, should be to inspire in-store customers to share the “I was here” message with a place checkin that gets distributed to their Facebook friends and posted to your Place Page. You’ll want to start by claiming your Place Page — one is automatically created once a Facebook member checks in to a venue. You can then encourage checkins via in-store signage or special checkin-themed events.
Loopt and SCVNGR also offer deep Facebook integration with the potential to loop location activity on those services back to your Place Page, as well as bring Facebook checkins to their apps’ audiences. You’ll certainly want to explore what these apps can do for your venue, but distribution and visibility are key here.
Right now, there is a clear disconnect between Facebook Pages and Place Pages, but we suspect that the two entities will eventually merge into one single page. Once this happens, you’ll have even greater potential to turn fans into venue advocates and vice versa.
5. Just For the Like of It
“Likes” aren’t exactly new to Facebook, but they are becoming increasingly more important buttons to brands and marketers. The more you can encourage fans and would-be fans to “Like” your Page and updates, the more distribution you’ll get. Distribution is nothing to scoff at either, especially given a recent partnership between Bing and Facebook that surfaces Facebook “Likes” in search results.
There are a number of creative ways to solicit “Likes,” one of them being the more passive approach of posting stellar content that inspires action. You can also integrate “Like” buttons into your website, should you wish to complete the circle between Facebook and your business site. This might be a wise move considering “Likes” are proving great at generating referral traffic.
More aggressive “Like” tactics mixed with a little old school marketer know-how have been known to work as well.
Golden State Warriors marketing director Kyle Spencer, for example, employed an ingenious plan to up the “Like” count on the Warriors Facebook Page. Spencer took advantage of the basketball team’s preseason games and its e-mail database to engineer more “Likes.” He started an e-mail marketing campaign giving away free tickets to the team’s first two preseason games, so long as the recipients “Liked” the team’s Page.
The initiative paid off handsomely and fans even took to Twitter and Facebook to voice their disappointment when the first offer sold out. The Warriors then re-upped the campaign for the final preseason campaign. “So in total, we increased our Facebook followers over 20% (73k to 88k) with just two e-mails,” says Spencer.
Android has just rocketed past a major milestone: 100,000 applications available in the Android Marketplace.
The announcement was made with just a tweet from the Android Dev Twitter account. “One hundred thousand apps in Android Market,” was all the tweet needed to say to spread the news. The search giant recently expanded the Android Marketplace to 20+ countries in an effort to kick its developer ecosystem in high gear.
Google’s open-source mobile OS has been on a tear, but its rapid growth has come at the cost of OS fragmentation across hundreds of devices. And while Android may be flooding the market at breakneck speed, Apple’s iOS App Store is the dominant mobile store by leaps and bounds. There are over 280,000 iOS apps available, nearly triple the offerings on Android.
Join Mashable, the Verizon Wireless New York Metro team and the Samsung Galaxy Tablet team at the new Gansevoort Park Hotel on Monday, November 1, for an exclusive evening of demos, networking and prizes.
When: Monday, November 1, 2010 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Where: Gansevoort Park, Red Room, 420 Park Avenue South (at Park South and 29th St) What: Demos, prize raffles, appetizers, non-alcoholic beverages, cash bar Who: Mashable, Verizon Wireless, Samsung Galaxy Tablet Team and mobile enthusiasts RSVP: Only 50 lucky Eventbrite ticket holders will be able to attend
Sony has announced that it will drop the price of the PSP Go portable gaming system from $249 to $199 just in time for the holiday rush.
The price cut is already effective — just check out any online retailer like Gamestop or Amazon and you’ll see the device selling at its new price point.
It’s a welcome change, and it makes the device more competitive with the Nintendo DSi ($149) and the iPod touch ($229 – $399). Given the capabilities of the device, $199 seems like the perfect price point. The PSP targets the core gamer market, which is willing to pay a little bit more for impressive graphics than it would get on the DSi. Still, neither device is as dynamic as the iPod touch.
Sony boasts that the PSP has moved 61 million units since it debuted in 2004, but the various DS models have sold more than 140 million units in roughly the same time period, and the iPod touch has sold at least 45 million since its 2007 launch — and that’s not counting iPhones, which play the same games.
We see you out there — the future musicians of the world, pouring coffee, mixing drinks, designing websites for shifty moving companies, all the while dreaming of making it big: signing to a label, cutting a record, reaping the benefits that only a throng of gaping groupies can herald.
While not all of you will make the proverbial “Big Time” — we can’t all be Lady Gaga, nor should we strive to be — that doesn’t mean that you can’t reap some monetary benefits for your musical labor.
Jeff Price, founder of TuneCore, recently wrote on the company blog: “More musicians are making money off their music now [than] at any point in history… Technology has made it possible for any artist to get distribution, to get discovered, to pursue his/her dreams with no company or person out there making the editorial decision that they are not allowed ‘in.’”
We would tend to agree (with the caveat that such openness has also led to a more crowded music scene, with more bands fighting for the public’s attention — but that’s a post for another day).
If you want to start seeing some payback for all your hard work, you don’t have to wait around for a label exec to catch your jazz flute set at the local coffee shop and catapult you to stardom. There’s a ton of services out there that can help you make some cash, while also gaining exposure and experience.
Mashable spoke with folks from a quartet of such services in order to help you, the artist, devote more time to your lute than those lattes.
Note that none of the below are get-rich-quick schemes, so it might be wise to hang onto your day job — even if it is designing graphic Ts for tiny dogs.
We know, we know, the moment a song makes it into the commercial, it’s an immediate sign that a band has “sold out.” But, c’mon, guys — do you really want your favorite drummer/banjo player/keytarist working in a taco trunk in order to survive? Yeah, thin may be in when it comes to the indie scene, but musicians need to eat, after all.
That’s why services like Jingle Punks can really be a boon to bands. Jingle Punks — which is basically the Pandora of music licensing services — focuses on providing filmmakers, TV networks, media companies and ad companies with music from up-and-coming bands. Band and Punks split the earnings 50/50.
“We work in a very smart but unsexy part of the music business,” says Co-founder Jared Gutstadt. “Most artists tend to spend their time focusing on the old standards of how to ‘make it.’ They’re still thinking about record deals, pub deals, merch, touring. To really stand out and compete with this type of competition you need to be thinking about launching a music career in a much more unique way.”
Why Use This Service?
According to Gutstadt, “Music in film and television is a great way for artists to get the word out there. More importantly, you can generate money to help fund the growth of a band’s musical endeavors.”
In addition, the service makes use of the democratic nature of the web to get your music into the right hands. “In the past, the way people used to pitch music for media placements is that they would mail CDs off to as many music supes or producers they could,” Gutstadt says. “We have removed the giant pile of CDs on peoples’ desks and aggregated them into a user-friendly database organized in a dynamic way.”
What’s the ROI?
According to Gutstadt, money made runs the gamut. “It can be anywhere from $250 for a web placement all the way up to $30,000 for getting music in a commercial or motion picture,” he says. “[Mostly], you make money over time through royalties paid out by BMI and ASCAP, who are able to track usage. I always tell artists its not a get-rich-quick scheme as much as it is a way to make some money over time off your hard work.”
So Who Has Succeeded?
“We work with an artist named Mike Del Rio (see above) and his music was used in a rebranding effort by the History Channel. The channel has really embraced Mike and Jingle Punks and has a couple things in the pipeline that could do great things to really help launch Mike Del Rio’s career on a more mainstream level.
“We also work with a really great band called I Love Monsters, and their music was placed in the season premier of Entourage. This type of exposure can be great for an up-and-coming band.”
We’ve seen instances of bands forming partnerships through Twitter and the like, but wouldn’t it be easier for y’all to have everything in one place?
I mean, it’s enough of a hassle to get all your gear into a single taxi (can’t afford two) before a gig, why add 50 social media tools into the mix? That’s where services like Indaba Music — which is like the LinkedIn of music — come in.
Indaba is a platform — boasting more than 500,000 musicians — that provides musically inclined folks with a place to build a profile, promote their tunes and collaborate with other musicians from around the world.
Why Use This Service?
According to Co-founder Dan Zaccagnino, “There are many ways for musicians to make money using Indaba Music. The core of the platform is about collaboration, which can be just for fun, but can also generate income for musicians through work-for-hire sessions (where a musician is paid for his/her tracks) or collaborations where songwriters share in the ownership of the song.”
In addition, Indaba features a ton of contents, which “give both amateur and professional musicians a chance to collaborate with world-famous artists and in the process win cash or possibly participate in future royalties if the winners’ material is released,” Zaccagnino says.
What’s the ROI?
“There are incredible opportunities to gain experience on Indaba because the community is full of everyone from amateurs eager to learn, to music educators, to Grammy Award winners,” Zaccagnino says.
“Members learn from one another through contacting and communicating with people online, having music peer reviewed in sessions and contests, learning from master-artists through our Artist-in-Residence programs, taking online video lessons, and much more.
“Education is a big priority for us and it’s been amazing to see that organically happen because musicians are interested in helping one another.”
Indaba member NoBrain’s mix was included on Linkin Park's album A Thousand Suns, and got the opportunity to collaborate directly with Linkin Park front man, Mike Shinoda, through Indaba Music.
Rivers Cuomo Producer Sessions
Rivers Cuomo of Weezer started a few sessions on IndabaMusic.com and began working with members to produce rough demos that he had written with his wife. Rivers used Indaba's session platform to work collaboratively, utilizing the commenting system to engage musicians and achieve exactly what he envisioned. The producers were also paid for their work.
PBS ran a contest to source music for an upcoming show about music and the brain. They found the winner, David Minnick, to be so talented that they hired him to arrange music for one of their other shows.
Yo-Yo Ma was so impressed by the quality of musical collaborations that he picked two winners, an 18-piece hand bell choir from Denver and a speed-Metal guitarist from Canada. Yo-Yo invited them into the studio to record with him in a truly unique collaboration – both tracks were later released as bonus tracks to Yo-Yo Ma's holiday album, Songs of Joy & Peace.
At last year’s SXSW, YouTube launched a partner program for up-and-coming musicians, and, just recently, the program went from U.S.-only to international.
If you have a YouTube channel, and you’re pumping out the music vids like an A-V nerd on a sugar high, you should apply for this program post haste. Basically, it allows you to make some extra cash by adding ads to your videos, and garners you more exposure from YouTube with prime placement.
Why Use This Service?
It’s all about getting your name out there, and getting your music heard, right? So go where the people are. Every day, YouTube racks up more than 2 billion video views — that’s a lot of eyes. Still, every minute, the site sees 24 hours of video uploaded, which means your genius work could get lost in the shuffle. That’s why the partner program is a must — you get the YouTube stamp of approval, which brings more attention to your work.
What’s the ROI?
YouTube couldn’t tell us how much money you can earn from the program, but they did tell us that artists get the majority share of the revenue — not to mention access to those millions of viewers. You need to be consistent with your channel, though, and really focus on putting out lots of original content. So if you’re only down to make one vid, this might not be the option for you. In order to see ROI, you have to put in the time and effort.
So Who Has Succeeded?
YouTube has helped launch the careers of score of performers — from Justin Bieber to Pomplamoose. Kina Grannis is one such artist. “I joined YouTube three years ago when I was in a contest called Doritos Crash The Super Bowl,” Grannis told us. “I needed to get people to vote for me every day in order to get my music video played during the Super Bowl (which it did, woo!), so the hope was that by agreeing to post a new video every day, people, in exchange, would come back and vote daily. This run of putting up a video every day lasted about two months in total, and while it made me crazy and sleep deprived, it was also fun and exciting and very helpful in growing my viewers.”
“Post with consistency if possible,” Grannis advises artists. “Be genuine, talk to your supporters, be grateful”
OK, we know what you’re thinking — you hear the word “BitTorrent” and you’re about ready to rage, am I right? File sharing is the monster under the bed for many an artist — it connotes theft, basically. Still, the model — when used correctly — can really be a boon to lesser-known artists.
We spoke to Trent Reznor — who is well-known for having released his music via torrent sites in the past — who told us: “I felt furious when the record I'd worked on for a year, that my heart and soul's gone into, [leaked]. I'm pissed off at people that are listening to it. I'm mad that they're snubbing me — by what? By being excited about hearing my music? And that's wrong. I shouldn't be mad at these people. I should be glad that people are interested.”
“Easy for you to say, Trent Reznor,” you might scoff, “You’re already famous.” Well — there’s the rub, right? You’re not famous. And you want to be. Or, at the very least, you want someone other than your roommate to come to your gig — and perhaps buy a T-shirt or two. And how do you do that? By getting the attention of the masses, of course.
Last month, BitTorrent launched a Featured Artist pilot program in an effort to give musicians more exposure. Some likened such an endeavor to getting in bed with the devil, but when you really think about it, what’s the difference between applying for the program and putting your music on MySpace or SoundCloud or any other music-sharing site? Well, that would be BitTorrent’s 80 million users.
We’re not saying that file sharing is totally copacetic or anything (there are a lot of pirates in them waters), but it’s not like BitTorrent is out to ruin your career, either. “In many ways, Trent Reznor’s work inspired a lot of our work,” says CEO Eric Klinker. “We really do want to riff on a lot of what he’s done. He’s in an experimentation phase, as are we.”
Why Use This Service?
“The Featured Artists pilot program encourages musicians and filmmakers to submit creative works for the chance to be spotlighted to millions of BitTorrent users around the world,” Klinker says. “For a lot of artists it is about creating a sustainable business model that will allow them to continue their creative works. So, we are interested in working with artists to experiment with various business models that play to the strengths of the Internet while allowing them to tune into the distribution potential of BitTorrent to reach millions of consumers.”
What’s the ROI?
“In today's digital age, the traditional model does not serve artists in the same way it use to, and instead forces them all down the same funnel where only a select few ultimately receive distribution,” Klinker says. “With BitTorrent's Featured Artist Pilot Program, artists can tap into online communities and reach millions of people who might otherwise be inaccessible. These communities are powerful and provide intrinsic value for emerging artists trying to build a fan base. In doing so, these are fans that will invariably attend shows, purchase merchandise and become invested in future works.”
So Who Has Succeeded?
Since the service just launched last month, there aren’t any featured artists yet, but the site has seen some success with the musician PAZ (see above), who has been working with BitTorrent.
“Most recently, in August 2010, BitTorrent released PAZ's debut mix tape, Young Broke and Fameless,” Klinker says. “On the first day alone the release saw over 100,000 downloads, and as a result has increased his fan base and following.”
It’s been an eventful weekend in social media and technology, and we’re here to help you get caught up before an even more eventful week begins.
This weekend, Sony retired the Walkman, Groupon added self-served deals, Lady Gaga surpassed 1 billion YouTube views, Kanye West released an innovative online music video, Microsoft revealed that Windows 8 is a long ways away, Netflix started rolling out streaming-only subscriptions and WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange walked out of an interview with CNN.
As always, we also have some helpful features that you might want to check out. Thanks for reading!
Throughout the year we’ve spoken to many small business owners, asking them about their best practices, recommendations and 
There has been a tenuous union between 
If you are a major brand and you aren’t using social media, well you probably aren’t a major brand. The truth is, to stay competitive brand need to be investing in social media as a way to really extend themselves to their customers. This is 2010 and consumers have options … lots of options. Social media is one way to create unique opportunities to show your customers who you really are and what you and your products stand for. Advertising and cultivating an image is still important, but it’s interacting with your customer base that creates loyal customers. Show them that you care, and you are involved in what they say, think and feel about your products, and they’ll be grateful. The results will be in your profit margins. Like most things, some brands do it better than others. Engaging in social media is about being extremely open, creative, and extending yourself across a wide range of platforms — with depth.
