Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “He Sees You When You’re Chatting, He Knows When You’ve Been Tagged [COMIC]” |
- He Sees You When You’re Chatting, He Knows When You’ve Been Tagged [COMIC]
- Startup Brings Ecommerce Directly to Magazine Websites
- 7 Cool Digital Projects and Apps We Learned About From the Mashable Awards
- New Contract Ends Facebook Friend ‘Frape’ [VIDEO]
- Xerox Lab Founder, Tech Innovator Jacob Goldman Dies
- Google Doodles: 12 Years of Holiday Magic [PICS]
- How will Digital Change Small Business in 2012?
- TwitWipe Gives You a Fresh Start by Deleting All Your Tweets [VIDEO]
- Top 10 Apps Downloaded in 2011
- The Four Key Agency Ingredients to Inbound Marketing Success [SPONSORED]
- GoDaddy CEO: ‘We’re Not Cynical Folks’
- Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Small Business Owners
- Holiday Google Doodle Goes Live in the U.S., Plays “Jingle Bells”
- ‘Digital Christmas Song’ Celebrates Tech Life, Name-Checks Mashable [VIDEO]
- Thanks to Mashable’s Socially Savvy Supporters
- ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Trailer’s 12.5 Million Views Breaks iTunes Download Record
- BREAKING: GoDaddy No Longer Supports SOPA
- Action Movie FX App is Awesome, Free Fun
- 13 Tech Luminaries the World Lost in 2011
- Here Comes More 4G: AT&T Gets OK to Buy Huge Chunk of Wireless Spectrum
- 1976 Letter from Potential Partner Calls Steve Jobs a ‘Joker’ [VIDEO]
- Best Buy Runs Out of Goods, Cancels Some Online Orders [VIDEO]
- Top 10 Space Stories of 2011
- New Xbox Dashboard Glitch Still Preventing Some From Going Online
- The 10 Best iOS Games of 2011
- Google Doodle Lights Up for the Holidays
- In-Flight Wi-Fi Provider Gogo Files For $100M IPO
- Only 26% of Consumers Think Facebook Storefronts Secure Against Fraud [STUDY]
- Today’s Top Stories: Best Buy’s Christmas Woes, Louis CK’s $1 Million
- Amazon 2012: What the Future May Hold for the Web’s Largest Retailer
| He Sees You When You’re Chatting, He Knows When You’ve Been Tagged [COMIC] Posted: 23 Dec 2011 09:00 PM PST      Mashable Comics are illustrated by Kiersten Essenpreis, a Chicago-based artist who draws and blogs at YouFail.com. More Mashable Comics:1. The Earliest Social Network Ever Discovered
Click here to view this gallery. More About: Christmas, comics, Facebook, Holidays 2011, humor, mashable comics, Santa
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| Startup Brings Ecommerce Directly to Magazine Websites Posted: 23 Dec 2011 06:48 PM PST   The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Name: 72Lux Quick Pitch: Shop across many online retailers with a single checkout and shipping fee. Genius Idea: Bringing that service to third-party publishers.
72Lux eliminates much of the hassle by allowing you to shop from more than 900 retailers from its website, including such recognizable brands as Bloomingdales, Macy’s and Yoox. You can browse (by designer, garment type, color and size), search and select different goods from retailers, and check out only once. What’s more, you’ll pay a flat shipping fee of $15, although returns have to be addressed specifically to individual retailers. The startup takes a cut of every sale, which founder and CEO Heather Marie says is greater than the 2-3% affiliates usually receive. That’s a promising business in and of itself, but what’s even more promising is the ecommerce solution 72Lux is developing for third-party publishers. As we’ve seen, many retailers are developing content offerings on their websites to make them more like shoppable magazines. Now, certain consumer magazines — Marie declined to disclose which — are working to allow customers to shop directly from their sites, instead of referring them elsewhere to purchase. The first launch will be announced in Q1 2012, Marie says. That could open up a significant new revenue stream for publishers, although it’s not yet clear what effect that will have on magazines and their readers. Enabling readers to quickly and seamlessly purchase the goods they’re reading about is, yes, a convenience, but there’s also the risk that readers will begin to question recommendations for products that publishers have such an obvious, vested interest in. 72Lux has raised $300,000 in seed funding to date and is currently raising its next round. Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark  The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today. More About: 72lux, bizspark, content and commerce, fashion, magazines, Media, retail, spark-of-genius For more Business coverage:
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| 7 Cool Digital Projects and Apps We Learned About From the Mashable Awards Posted: 23 Dec 2011 06:00 PM PST
On Monday, we announced the winners of the 2011 Mashable Awards. While some nominees are popular and have mainstream recognition (See: Facebook, iPad 2), others have significant followings but are not quite as well known. While every Mashable Award winner and nominee should be unbelivably proud of their achievement, we’ve decided to highlight some of the our editors’ favorite lesser known digital projects and apps we’ve discovered from the Awards, both from those who were nominated, and those who won. Rise & Shine: The Jay DeMerit StoryRise and Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story, a nominee for Best Social Movie Campaign, is the true story of a young American soccer player’s journey from undrafted high school and collegiate athlete to professional soccer star. The movie was co-directed by filmmakers Ranko Tutulugdzija and Nick Lewis of Truth2Life Productions, who funded the movie through Kickstarter. They exceeded their $215,000 goal by nearly $10,000, managing to became the 3rd highest funded film of all time, and the 11th highest funded project. The movie was eventually picked up for U.S. and worldwide distribution by D&E Entertainment and was released in the U.S. on Nov. 3. FIT Radio FIT Radio was a nominee for Best Music Service or App. FIT Radio's mission is a Pandora for gym rats, with several channels to chose from such as Top 40, Electronic, and Dub Step. The app provides upbeat, workout friendly music that is arranged by a squadron of DJs. An added bonus: all of the music on this free app is streamed, even on mobile, which means it doesn’t take up a great deal of space on your phone. BanjoBanjo, a finalist for Up and Coming Social Media Service, is a social discovery app that connects people across social networks in real-time by location. It allows you to find connections nearby, even if you are not currently signed into a social network. One great part of this app is its ability to limit notifications by only sharing the locations of your ‘favorite people’ when they are close to you. That keeps the app from being a nuisance, and is useful for networking, seeing what is popular nearby, and knowing when to ping a friend to grab a cup of coffee. SifteoSifteo cubes are building blocks for the digital age. These little app-friendly boxes measure just an inch and a half on each side, and about a third of that in height. Users activate the cubes by plugging in a wireless USB dongle into a computer– the games themselves run on the computer, which also provides the sound. . After choosing a game from the app-store, users move, shake, flip, rotate and neighbor Sifteo cubes in response to cues on their displays. Sifteo was a nominee for Best New Gadget. ManillaManilla, a nominee for Breakout Startup of the Year, is a free service that helps people manage their bills and other important accounts in an easy, organized way. Manilla also lets you know when bills are due with automatic, customizable reminders. Super Junior ShakeSuper Junior is a South Korean boy band that came out with their latest album, Mr. Simple, in Aug. 2011. Their fans voted in force, gifting them with Must-Follow Musician or Band on Social Media, Best Mobile Game and Viral Video of the Year. Their mobile app, Super Junior Shake, will remind many readers of a more customized version of Guitar Hero. The Trevor ProjectThe Trevor Project is a national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. The project is determined to end suicide in this community. While the organization is well known, it is remarkable that The Trevor Project hosts their own social networking website for the LGBTQ community and its allies. TrevorSpace.org allows members aged 13 through 24 to create personal profiles, connect with peers, and find self-help resources within their communities. The 2011 Mashable Awards Are Presented by Buddy Media
More About: mashable awards 2011 For more Social Media coverage:
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| New Contract Ends Facebook Friend ‘Frape’ [VIDEO] Posted: 23 Dec 2011 05:12 PM PST The act of hijacking a Facebook friend’s account when they forget to log out of a public computer and posting embarrassing status updates or photos, known as frape (a combination of Facebook and rape), is not a new phenomenon. But now, blogger Martyn Kelly is hoping you and your close friends will sign a semi-legally binding contract stating that you won’t commit the act of frape against each other. "We the undersigned who constitute the body hereby referred to as The Inner Circle agree to refrain from … digital, physical … tricks, gags, or deceptions known in the vernacular or plebian language as 'frape,' 'fraping' or 'frapeage,'" the contract says. However, this contract — or rather the term frape in general — has some opponents who believe it makes light of the serious sex crime. Would you sign this contract with your friends or does the term frape rub you the wrong way? Let us know in the comments. More About: Facebook, facebook friends, mashable video
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| Xerox Lab Founder, Tech Innovator Jacob Goldman Dies Posted: 23 Dec 2011 04:43 PM PST
Goldman was 90 years old and died of congestive heart failure, according to news reports. A physicist by training, Goldman was Xerox’s chief scientist in the late 1960s when he convinced the company to start a laboratory dedicated purely to scientific research. The Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) was then founded in 1970 and went on to originate landmark technological breakthroughs including the first personal computer, object-oriented programming, the graphical user interface, the Ethernet network, laser printing, and the first commercial mouse (see photo). Located near Stanford University and across the country from Xerox’s corporate headquarters, the research center allowed scientists the freedom to develop ground-breaking ideas and discoveries in a research setting unfettered by business considerations. Goldman’s vision of an impending new era in the technology world was key to fostering the center’s culture of experimentation and progress. “He was the one that made sure that Xerox understood that there was a revolution coming behind them that might change their business,” Michael Hiltzik, author of the book Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age, told The New York Times. But Xerox was unable to translate most of the PARC scientists’ work into products marketed to consumers and businesses. In his biography of Steve Jobs, author Walter Isaacson recounts how the Apple co-founder marveled at PARC technology during a visit to the center in 1979. Jobs was blown away by the graphical interface, reportedly shouting, “You’re sitting on a gold mine. I can’t believe Xerox is not taking advantage of this.” The interface would become a key component of Apple’s Lisa and Macintosh products. Goldman would later rue Xerox’s inability to capitalize on PARC breakthroughs and foresight. “A big company will not make the investment to bring out a new product unless they see it makes a big difference,” he told The New Haven Advocate in 1988. “Look at the personal computer industry today. It’s a multibillion-dollar industry today. And we at Xerox could have had that industry to ourselves.” The PARC that Goldman founded now operates as an independent subsidiary of Xerox, working on new technologies for business clients. For more Tech coverage:
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| Google Doodles: 12 Years of Holiday Magic [PICS] Posted: 23 Dec 2011 04:11 PM PST 1999 Google's first ever holiday Doodle was a simple snowman. Click here to view this gallery. Google has thrilled us with some excellent Doodles this year, and it’s ending the year on a high by revealing 2011′s festive design, decked out in Christmas lights. To celebrate Google style, let’s take a look back at all the holiday Doodles since the very first simple snowman design in 2009. Take a look through our gallery, which documents the evolution of Google’s Holidays Doodles. Let us know in the comments which year’s creation is your favorite. More About: features, gallery, Google, google doodles, Holidays 2011, trending
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| How will Digital Change Small Business in 2012? Posted: 23 Dec 2011 03:37 PM PST   Over the course of 2011, we witnessed social media and location-based services really take off for small businesses — the mom and pop shops of the world continued to get more digital and more mobile. As this year wraps up, we look back at the technological advancements that small businesses have benefited from and predict how those technologies will affect entrepreneurs in 2012. We spoke with a number of small businesses to get their thoughts on how the market will continue to adapt to changing technologies as we move into the new year. Based on those discussions, here are our seven small business predictions for 2012. Read on and let us know what you'd add to the list in the comments below. 1. Businesses Mine Big DataMany of the small business owners we spoke with pinpointed 2012 as the year of big data. “Companies are realizing that they have a lot of information on their hands and will need tools to mine it, make sense of it and monetize it,” says We Are Cloud CEO Rachel Delacour. “What will really matter for SMBs in 2012 is the fact they can, for the first time, mine their own business like the big guys, and do so quickly and cheaply,” Delacour syas. “SMBs can use powerful, high-end tools delivered via their desktop browser or onto their tablet for just a few dollars per month to see what's happening with their HR, their sales, their social media engagement. Those SaaS tools give a one-man shop or a 50-person outfit almost instantly the same firepower as a whole department with its own IT staff inside a multinational.” Jeff Judge, CEO of Signal, agrees. “According to IBM, 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created daily, and 90% of the data in the world today was created within the past two years. 2012 is the year when small businesses start to bring together data from their website, customer purchase behavior, digital marketing campaigns and social media activity around their brand to drastically impact the quality of their digital marketing efforts.” 2. Websites Optimize for Tablet Commerce Forrester Research predicts mobile commerce will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 39% through 2016, and Infinite Research forecasts that tablet adoption will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 56% per year through 2015. Alex Schmelkin, co-founder and president of Alexander Interactive, believes that 2012 will bring an explosion of tablet commerce. “Widespread adoption of Apple’s iPad has made it imperative for retailers to optimize their websites for tablet usage,” he says. “While companies will continue to develop native apps for the device, web browsing is the number one activity, and most t–commerce will continue to occur in the browser. Small businesses should review their sites to optimize for touch and fix any usability issues.” Lisa A. Shorr, vice president of marketing at PC Troubleshooters, would go as far as to say that 2012 is the year that tablets take a stand in the small business arena. She explains, “Since its launch in 2010, the tablet has been used not only as a browsing mechanism, but a true mobile business tool as well…Our clients are demanding more mobility and integration of mobile devices for document sharing, emailing, social media and more.” 3. Brands Become Publishers“Content is King.” That’s an Internet mantra we’ve all heard way too many times, but there’s truth to it — and next year, small businesses will start to see the light. “2012 will mark a surge in businesses not only being the publishers of their own content, but [being] disseminators as well,” says Affect Strategies‘ president and founder Sandra Fathi. “Whether it's a company blog or a corporate e-newsletter, small businesses will focus on creating the content and developing their own publishing vehicles to get their messages to market. They will bypass traditional media outlets and go directly to their target audiences by creating branded niche media properties.” 4. Loyalty Programs Go Digital Who doesn’t love free stuff? Small businesses have been accommodating that love for decades — each year, loyalty programs just keep getting better and easier to use. In 2011, Foursquare and other location-based services were huge inflencers in taking loyalty programs digital. Small business certainly played their part in the game, making check-ins all the more fun for consumers. Next year, though, we’ll see greater adoption of digital loyalty programs. “Punchcards are a thing of the past,” says Doug Hardman, CEO of SparkBase. “Businesses will start transferring their loyalty reward programs into the digital space. This is a twofold trend to keep up with bigger businesses such as Starbucks and Subway, who have digital reward programs, and also to compete with daily deal sites. Small businesses want to differentiate themselves and offer special deals without having to work with Groupon or LivingSocial. Mobile digital loyalty programs allow them to do this.” “The shift to mobile shopping is accelerating as nearly half of all shoppers use their mobile phone to scout deals and compare prices,” says Hardman. “Mobile coupon redemption is forecasted to exceed $43 billion globally by 2016, and merchants need a way to connect with shoppers [on their mobile devices].” CEO Jeff Judge of Signal agrees. He says, “The next wave of loyalty programs for small businesses will leverage customer databases of purchase history, marketing campaign response rates and social media activity like check-ins and brand mentions to customize rewards to an individual. One only needs to look at companies like Bellyflop, Stampt and SpotOn — and Google’s acquisition of Punchd — to see this emerging already.” 5. Websites Integrate Social Login Ian Aronovich, CEO of GovernmentAuctions.org, believes that more small businesses will integrate social login on their websites in 2011. “Social login is where you can use your Facebook, Yahoo and Google IDs [among others] to login to various websites,” he says. “It’s quick and easy to use. Social login is great because people don’t need to create dozens of new usernames and passwords every time they find a site that they want to use.” Because Facebook is the most popular social network and Internet users’ top choice for social login, small businesses may want to focus initial efforts on the platform. “A study by Social Labs shows that 50% of ecommerce visitors are logged in to Facebook simultaneously,” says marketing manager Alanna Francis of Blue Fountain Media. “This means that with Facebook Open Graph integration, small businesses can show customers recommendations and Likes from their social circles. Since many retailers have shown that social reinforcement increases sales, small businesses will want to consider this strategy in 2012.” 6. Businesses Pull Back on Daily Deal SpendDaily deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial brought lots of excitement in 2011. While we saw a lot of small businesses success stories in the group buying space, we also heard of a number of disasters, including the story of a baker who almost went out of business after running a Groupon deal. For small businesses running on low margins, daily deals aren’t worth it. “The daily deals tallies on customer retention and profitability continue to be ugly for merchants,” says Tarek Pertew, co-founder of Parrut. A recent Rice University study suggests that nearly half of all merchants are making money on deals. And with Groupon's own data suggesting that only 22% of customers are coming back, we [at Parrut] assume that a significant pullback is due. That said, the daily deal business is evolving, and it'll certainly be a major outlet for lead gen spend going forward. At the same time, we think small businesses used daily deals as a 'gateway' to social marketing, but will now focus on their own content and other technologies which give them more control over sustainable growth and profit.” 7. Scheduling Continues to Go Cloud Jerry Nettuno, founder and CEO of Schedulicity, may be a little biased, but we like where his head’s at. “The appointment book is dead,” he says. “The business sector as a whole has seen a shift to automation. The success of sites like Schedulicity, OpenTable and ZocDoc only reinforce the idea that the traditional pen and paper appointment book may see its demise in 2012. The number of online appointments is growing exponentially, as Schedulicity alone has seen nearly 7 million appointments booked online since mid-2009. Over the next two to five years, the physical appointment book will be gone altogether and replaced with online counterparts.” In 2010, Seattle-based Emerson Salon, sourced 75% of its business from Twitter, Facebook and its blog, greatly due to its online booking options and social media savvy. Other small businesses should take note and move towards digital scheduling in 2012. Images courtesy of Flickr, Horia Varlan, Mykl Roventine, Nick J. Webb, KEXINO and Your Secret Admiral More About: Business, features, future, predictions, Small Business, Year End 2011 For more Business coverage:
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| TwitWipe Gives You a Fresh Start by Deleting All Your Tweets [VIDEO] Posted: 23 Dec 2011 02:52 PM PST Do you feel like everything you’ve done for the last few years is recorded by Twitter’s eternal digital record? A new service, TwitWipe, can get rid of all your carefully crafted (and less carefully crafted) 140-character messages. Rather than creating a new account, TwitWipe allows you to keep all of your followers, favorited tweets and people you’re following. If Facebook Timeline made you uncomfortable, revealing your entire past, TwitWipe might be just the service for you. Would you ever consider deleting all of your past Tweets? More About: mashable video, Social Media, trending, Twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| Top 10 Apps Downloaded in 2011 Posted: 23 Dec 2011 02:16 PM PST It was the year of Angry Birds domination. The popular game is the most-downloaded mobile app of 2011, rounding out the list of top 10 apps of the year ahead of Facebook, Twitter and Fruit Ninja. A new report from mobile analytics app company Distimo looked at data on downloads across all platforms such as iOS and Android, and also factored in the free and paid versions of the apps. Angry Birds made the list not only once, but three times, thanks to its Rio and Seasons editions. The report also revealed that although there are over a million mobile apps available for download across the top seven major app stores, the iTunes App Store is still tops. For the iPhone alone, it brings in about four times the revenue generated in the Google Android Market. Meanwhile, the App Store for the iPad rakes in more than double the revenue of the Android Market. As for which apps are the most popular overall, can you guess which rounded out the top ten? Click and see! 1. Angry Birds  
Click here to view this gallery. More About: angry birds, apps, Facebook, Fuit Ninjas, Google Maps, iBooks, Twitter
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| The Four Key Agency Ingredients to Inbound Marketing Success [SPONSORED] Posted: 23 Dec 2011 02:07 PM PST
If any one of those core services falls short or out of sync, we notice. If it continues or is too far gone, we question whether or not we'll come back. If your online agency wants to deliver inbound marketing programs aimed at blowing your clients' key growth metrics — such as marketing efficiency and sales productivity — out of the water, you'll have to make a lot happen in unison, too. The inclusion and execution of inbound marketing's Four Core Service Offerings will determine whether the program you develop succeeds and consequently, whether your agency is given a long-term deal and the opportunity to grow your client relationship. Inbound Marketing: A Gourmet Approach for Agencies Marketing dollars have shifted away from traditional outlets like PR and cold calling, as 2011 saw more than half of marketers increase their budget for inbound tactics like blogs and social media. But the skill sets of internal teams lag behind, and as a result, businesses wanting to take advantage of ROI-charged online tactics, like blogging and marketing automation, are looking to outside agencies for help. Online marketing agencies need to build out complementary service packages to accommodate the new online objectives their prospects and clients have. The four core services of inbound marketing — traffic generation, online lead generation, lead conversion, and analysis and measurement — must come together if the marketing equivalent of a perfectly cooked soufflé is going to be served up. A piecemeal approach will not suffice. Delivering anything less than a soup-to-nuts strategy will produce (by comparison) shallow results and leave money on the table. Online marketing, and especially inbound marketing, relies on a cumulative effect more than anything you've done before. Pushing out disconnected services and campaigns doesn't work online — it's money flushed down the drain. By developing and/or acquiring the skills and capabilities to satisfy all the services your clients demand with an integrated approach, you position yourself to win retainer deals, build long-term relationships and deliver a rock solid return on investment. Ingredient #1: Help Your Clients Grow Website Traffic No business can sell its goods and services, let alone survive or prosper, if no one knows it exists or where it’s located. Websites need traffic, plain and simple, and agencies that know how to optimize website pages, create remarkable content, attract inbound links and execute a social media sharing strategy are wired to deliver it. By building a traffic generation component into your online services contract and demonstrating consistent results in raising a brand’s awareness online, you lay the foundation to establish your credibility and the value you bring to the client's bottom line. Ingredient #2: Help Your Clients Generate Online Leads Having optimized your client's website using targeted, long-tail keywords, the client's search rankings are showing signs of improvement. Developing an editorial calendar that keeps the client posting three to four blog posts per week while also maintaining an active social media presence further improves traffic. But like an actual storefront, people whizzing by and not stopping in to window shop or kick the tires on their websites is not enough. Inbound leads cost 62% less than traditional outbound leads, and to drive as many of those as possible, your agency needs to help the client take the next step — generating actionable sales leads from that traffic using premium content offers and landing pages. Show your clients how to develop premium content to lure customers in, then give them the tools they need to collect the leads generated by content. Ingredient #3: Help Your Clients Convert Online Leads into Sales As an agency, you know that clients don't just call up out of the blue and ask where to sign. The same holds true for your clients. Just like you, their prospects need to be taken by the hand and engaged with meaningfully. Showing your clients how to build a steady stream of targeted content that positions them as thought leaders, and move leads through the buying cycle with targeted email campaigns and marketing automation is essential. Industry insights and how-tos work well at the top of the funnel, while more product-specific content helps close the deals toward the end. Agencies that want their efforts to be indisputably connected to sales and revenue goals need to be able to sketch how content feeds and nurtures leads at all stages of the funnel to their prospects and clients. Ingredient #4: Help Your Client Measure, Analyze and Improve Results Over Time The most important thing you can do for your clients and yourself is put the tools in place that enable you to leverage the data online marketing can generate. It will allow you to fine-tune campaigns and offerings, and replicate your successes while disposing the occasional dud as quickly as possible. As the saying goes, "Anything worth doing is worth doing right." Any online marketer worth his salt would add, "and worth doing again." Your long-term success with your clients is directly tied to the successes you help them achieve. The best way to do that is with continuous oversight of the metrics that matter, which will be different from business to business. Conclusion To succeed in today's competitive market, agencies need to get their customers' orders right. Instead of cold-calling initiatives, they need to serve up hot leads. And, in the end, the check better add up correctly — more website traffic, more leads, more conversions, and meaningful reporting and analysis. That's the recipe for long-term marketing success online, and here is what you will need to do to ensure inbound marketing breeds success for your clients:
(This post is written by Pete Caputa and is brought to you by HubSpot, an inbound marketing software company based in Cambridge, MA. Download HubSpot's Four Core Services eBook, and learn how to grow your agency by delivering what matters most to your clients. For more information on sponsored posts, read here.) More About: Sponsored Post
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| GoDaddy CEO: ‘We’re Not Cynical Folks’ Posted: 23 Dec 2011 01:32 PM PST   In an interview with Mashable shortly after GoDaddy announced its withdrawal of support for the Stop Online Piracy Act, new company CEO Warren Adelman said that the web hosting and domain registration service was acting purely in the best interest of its customers and would now “let others carry the ball forward” as the fiercely contested piece of legislation continues to make its way through Congress. “After digesting what was being said online and looking at how we got involved in the process, we came to the conclusion that it wasn’t ready in its current state and that we’d step back and let others provide leadership,” Adelman said. Adelman indicated that the vociferous public outcry this week against the House Judicial Committee’s list of supporters of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) — and against GoDaddy in particular — was the main factor in the company’s reversal. “We were seeing and hearing customers and tech leaders — many of which are our customers — talking and writing about this so we did something that was easy to do: made changes to address their needs,” Adelman said. Adelman, who took over from Bob Parsons as GoDaddy CEO last Friday, also said that, “having been in this position of CEO for exactly one week allows you to look at the issue in a different light than someone who would have been more deeply involved in this legislation.” If passed, SOPA would broadly enhance the powers of companies and the U.S. Justice Department to effectively censor websites they deem to infringe on copyright holders. Debate over the issue has been heated, with many Internet lovers calling it draconian legislation that would drastically and negatively reshape the web’s infrastructure. Many were surprised to see GoDaddy officially get behind the legislation and hundreds of customers moved or threatened to move their business elsewhere as a result. Following GoDaddy’s reversal earlier Friday, many online commentators inevitably derided the move as simply a calculated business move. But Adelman insisted that was not the case. “We’re not cynical folks,” he said. “To be honest, this company built its whole business around a core value of customer before everything else.” Pressed for further clarification on Friday, a GoDaddy spokesperson simply reiterated that the “we have withdrawn our support of SOPA,” but would not say whether the company would take an active stance against the bill in its current form — something major sites and services such as Tumblr, Firefox and Reddit have done. Adelman said that he was optimistic GoDaddy’s retraction of support for SOPA would quell the migration away from his company. The retaliatory movement by consumers picked up steam on Thursday and into Friday morning. “The reason people have been with GoDaddy historically and the reason they’ll stay with comes down to three things: great customer service, great prices and a wide array of products,” he said. “We’re giving people who are concerned a new view on this position and hope we won’t continue to see those dilemmas, because we’ve been pretty honest and we’ve listened to them.” What do you think? Is GoDaddy off the hook in your mind? Let us know in the comments. Bonus: Mashable Staff Debates SOPAMore About: congress, godaddy, Internet freedom, Internet Piracy, SOPA, stop online piracy act, trending, Warren Adelman
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| Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Small Business Owners Posted: 23 Dec 2011 01:16 PM PST   As humans, we're continually looking to improve and advance. Whether it's trying to eat better, to quit smoking once and for all, to spend less money, or to spend more time with family and friends, we formally or informally create our own goals — optimistic that we'll stick to them this year. In this light, I've assembled my top 10 New Year’s resolutions for the small business owner. 1. Go small. You want customers to support the concept of small business, right? This means you should adopt a small business mindset at your own business too. Analyze your current vendors and service providers for opportunities to “downsize.” If you find any opportunities to support a small business instead, whether virtual or brick and mortar, aim to switch at least one vendor or supplier. 2. Go mobile. By 2015, more U.S. Internet users will access the web through mobile devices than through PCs. On average, 15% of all searches on Google today are from a mobile device. How well are you catering to this mobile population? Make 2012 the year you optimize your search marketing, email marketing and website to focus on this growing mobile community. 3. Go local. These mobile users are constantly interacting with things and places that physically surround them. Microsoft reported that 53% of mobile searches on Bing have a local intent. The online world has become an essential place for businesses to connect with their local community. Make sure your business has a local listing on key search engines: Google Places, Bing maps, and Yahoo maps. 4. Learn how to delegate and do more of it. When you're just starting out and times are tough, it's natural to tighten the purse strings. However, consider what you could gain by handing over certain tasks to contractors, virtual assistants or full-time employees. By relinquishing control of administrative tasks or company blog updates, you'll free up time for what's ultimately going to keep you in business: bringing in revenue. 5. Invest in one new customer touch point. Whether it's blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, mobile coupons or QR codes, new ways to connect with customers seem to pop up daily. As a small business owner, you don't have to excel in every new technology or network that comes along, but you should try to be wherever your customers are. Ask your current customers where/how they'd like to connect with you, then spend some time in 2012 to make it happen. 6. Refresh your website. In the race to master new social media tools, don't overlook your own website. After all, social media efforts like Twitter campaigns end up driving traffic somewhere, right? It doesn’t make any sense to build a beautiful and savvy Facebook presence that funnels people to a boring, inaccurate, and out-of-date website. Keep it current and engaging! 7. Protect your assets with an LLC or corporation. While legal fine print may not be the most glamorous part of your business, forming an LLC or corporation can be critical to your business and personal financial health. These business structures protect your personal assets from any company liabilities. That is, if your business is sued or has bad debt, your personal property may be shielded from legal repercussions. Keep in mind that creditor judgments can last a total of 22 years, so you're protecting not just what you own today, but whatever assets you'll gain in the future. 8. Get your books ready for tax time early. Are you notorious for waiting until the last minute to organize and file your taxes? Do you find yourself wading through emails, or scrounging through your car to find stray business receipts? Don't wait until April to start on your 2011 tax forms. Start fresh in 2012 by organizing your books from day one (even if that means outsourcing your accounting). 9. Social network in the real world. Whether the plumber recommends a carpenter or the web designer recommends a copywriter, business is driven by referrals and connections. In 2012, put some effort into networking by signing up for an industry conference or seeking out a local meetup group. These are invaluable ways to develop relationships and share advice with fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners. 10. Put time for you on the calendar. As an entrepreneur, remember that you're solely responsible for your own motivation, productivity and well-being. There's no boss to pat you on the back or give you a raise. It's up to you to keep yourself motivated and inspired. In 2012 be sure to reward yourself for specific milestones like a big client win, meeting a tough deadline, or working “overtime” for multiple nights on end. Sticking to 10 resolutions is a lofty goal for anyone. Follow the tips that ring true for your situation, and adjust as needed. Do you have other resolutions for your business in 2012? Images courtesy of iStockphoto, Sunnybeach, Flickr, Joe Pemberton More About: Business, features, Holidays 2011, Small Business For more Business coverage:
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| Holiday Google Doodle Goes Live in the U.S., Plays “Jingle Bells” Posted: 23 Dec 2011 12:55 PM PST   Google has unveiled its holiday Google Doodle, an animated iteration that plays “Jingle Bells” and then automatically directs you to the results for a “Happy Holidays” search. As previously reported, a holiday Google Doodle went live early Friday in countries including New Zealand, South Korea and Japan, where it was already Dec. 24. The two versions are different, though. In the Doodle outside the U.S., Google has replaced its traditional four-color logo with five holiday-themed objects outlined in Christmas lights: a snowflake for the "G," a Santa Claus and a bell for each "o," a snowman for the second "g," a candle for the "l" and a wrapped present for the "e." Clicking on the logo brings up a search for "Happy Holidays." The U.S. iteration, which went live around 3 p.m. ET, features a lit up Google logo with six multi-colored squares underneath. If you run your cursor over each square, you get treated to “Jingle Bells.” Google employed a completely different type of Doodle in the 2010 holiday season that turned the Google logo into an interactive holiday card with 17 holiday scenes — ranging from Santa on a rooftop to Indian classical dancers — from around the world. The Christmas Google DoodleEach package gets larger with a mouse-over, and a click on it returns search results pertinent to a specific country or the particular items featured in a scene. This one is from December 24, 2010. Click here to view this gallery. More About: Google, google doodle, holiday 2011, trending For more Social Media coverage:
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| ‘Digital Christmas Song’ Celebrates Tech Life, Name-Checks Mashable [VIDEO] Posted: 23 Dec 2011 12:43 PM PST
It’s hard to resist a video parody that mentions your publication, particularly one that tunefully celebrates the digital life during the holidays. Ottawa Tourism, you’ve got our attention. Nick Iannitti, director of digital marketing for Ottawa Tourism, who croons the tune in the video, says he got the idea for a “carol for the digital age” a few years ago, but waited until last week to unleash it. Iannitti, a self-described “social media nerd” and theater geek says the video also subtly shows off the city of 1 million, which looks “very Christmas-y this time of year.” The song is also a plug for Ottowa’s tech-savvy community, which supports a RIM office as well as Shopify and Corel. Right back atcha, Ottawa. Happy holidays and don’t forget to buy your avatar something special, unless of course your parents’ dial up really blows. More About: Holidays 2011, Ottawa, youtube video of the day For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Thanks to Mashable’s Socially Savvy Supporters Posted: 23 Dec 2011 12:21 PM PST
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| ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Trailer’s 12.5 Million Views Breaks iTunes Download Record Posted: 23 Dec 2011 11:47 AM PST The trailer for Dark Knight Rises, the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, got 12.5 million views through the iTunes Movie Trailers site in 24 hours, breaking the previous record by 2 million. Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures released the trailer exclusively to iTunes on Monday, surpassing the record set earlier in the month by Marvel’s The Avengers. Though Dark Knight Rises doesn’t open until next summer, it’s already been part of an extensive digital campaign. In July, the studios launched the first trailer for the movie via Facebook. Despite the trailer’s supposed “exclusive” status with iTunes, copies have appeared on YouTube, including the version above, which has received close to 2.8 million views so far. More About: itunes, The Dark Knight Rises, trailers, Video, warner bros For more Entertainment coverage:
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| BREAKING: GoDaddy No Longer Supports SOPA Posted: 23 Dec 2011 11:17 AM PST   Following a maelstrom of Internet backlash, GoDaddy has withdrawn its support of the Stop Online Piracy Act, the company announced on Friday. “As a company that is all about innovation, with our own technology and in support of our customers, Go Daddy is rooted in the idea of First Amendment Rights and believes 100 percent that the Internet is a key engine for our new economy,” GoDaddy CEO Warren Adelman said in a statement. Hundreds of website operators moved or threatened to move their domains away from GoDaddy after the company’s inclusion on a list of nearly 150 backers of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) released by the United States House of Representatives judiciary committee gained widespread attention online earlier this week. The company also said that it has removed blog postings discussing areas of the bill it did suport, “in an effort to eliminate any confusion about its reversal on SOPA.” “GoDaddy has always fought to preserve the intellectual property rights of third parties, and will continue to do so in the future,” general counsel Christine Jones said in the statement. SOPA is a fervently debated piece of legislation that would greatly enhance the powers of companies and the U.S. Justice Department to effectively censor websites they deem to infringe on copyright holders. "The game changer with SOPA is that it gives private entities an enforcement mechanism that previously only existed with a court order," Ross Dannenberg of the intellectual property law firm Banner & Witcoff told Mashable on Thursday. “Fighting online piracy is of the utmost importance, which is why Go Daddy has been working to help craft revisions to this legislation — but we can clearly do better,” Adelman said. “It’s very important that all Internet stakeholders work together on this. Getting it right is worth the wait. Go Daddy will support it when and if the Internet community supports it.” More About: godaddy, Internet freedom, Internet Piracy, SOPA, stop online piracy act
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| Action Movie FX App is Awesome, Free Fun Posted: 23 Dec 2011 11:14 AM PST Admit it, you’ve always wanted to be an action star. I mean, who wouldn’t want to effortlessly dodge flying cars, helicopters and missiles? Now, thanks to action auteur J.J. Abrams’s new free app, Action Movie FX, and a little help from your iPhone, you can. The app launched in Apple‘s App Store just a day after Abrams big-screen actioner Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol hit theaters. Abram’s Bad Robot produced and Brad Bird directed (and Mashable hit the red carpet premiere). Included effects are “inspired by” the film. It’s obviously designed to appeal those who would not only love to see Tom Cruise’s latest film, but wouldn’t mind starring in it too. Action Movie FX [iTunes link] is an incredibly simple app that accomplishes an impressive feat: It puts you in the middle of the action. Here’s how it works: You open the app and select one of two free action effects: Missile Attack and Car Smash. You can purchase additional effects for 99 cents apiece. After you’ve selected the scene, you shoot a short video. The apps offers some guidance and how and where to shoot (shoot over flat surface if you want the missile to land properly). It also offers a handy screen overlay that shows you approximately where the effect will occur in your clip. It’s also helpful if you have someone else hold the camera. All they have to do is hit the big red record button, hold the camera steady and record. I’d suggest recording a minute or less since most of the effects are pretty brief. Once the video is recorded, Action Movie FX offers an effects slider that lets you adjust where in your recording to start the effect. Next, you process the film and preview. You can still go back and adjust the timing until the effect hits at just the right moment. The final product is a hoot — the effects overlay is near perfect. You can save locally to your own camera roll, email, or share via Facebook. The app requires iOS 4.3 or later and works with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (4th generation), iPad 2 Wi-Fi and iPad 2. I made my own brief effects-laden film (and could have done a better job positioning the camera), and I encourage you iPhone owners to do the same. If you do make your own video, we’ll make an exception to our “no HTML” rule if you’ll paste the link to it in the comments below, so we all can enjoy your artistry. More About: Action Movie FX, apple, apps, iphone, Movies
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| 13 Tech Luminaries the World Lost in 2011 Posted: 23 Dec 2011 10:44 AM PST This year, the world mourned the loss of technology icon Steve Jobs. But we didn’t just lose one tech luminary in 2011, we bid goodbye to a wave of the first pioneers in technology. From computer sales to software programming, the digital world that thrives today would not have existed without these innovators. Some of these first-generation tech leaders left their hard work and companies in the hands of others many years ago. However, today’s careers in engineering, programming, music, manufacturing and more would simply not exist without their original invention and leadership. We honor and appreciate those who paved the way for unprecedented technological innovation and world change. 1. Kenneth Olsen, DEC   Feb. 6, 1926 - Feb. 6, 2011 Kenneth Olsen was co-founder and engineer of the Digital Equipment Corporation, known for once being the world's second-largest computer company. Olsen is noted as someone who "helped reshape the computer industry." He died at 84. Click here to view this gallery. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, millionhope More About: 2011, features, memorial, rip, steve jobs, Tech For more Tech coverage:
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| Here Comes More 4G: AT&T Gets OK to Buy Huge Chunk of Wireless Spectrum Posted: 23 Dec 2011 10:24 AM PST   AT&T is about to get its hands on $1.9 billion worth of wireless spectrum in a deal that will let it bring faster 4G LTE wireless broadband to more than 300 million bandwidth-hungry wireless users in the U.S., AT&T announced Friday. AT&T got permission from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to buy the licenses to use this 700MHz spectrum from Qualcomm, giving AT&T an advantage it was looking for in its failed deal to buy T-Mobile: the ability to compete against Verizon with the hot new 4G LTE wireless services. That kind of speed makes smartphone data connections feel as fast as Wi-Fi and wired Internet service. The timing is fortunate for AT&T in another sense: Its arch nemesis Verizon Wireless bought a large chunk of wireless spectrum from Comcast for $3.6 billion earlier this month — 122 licenses that could reach about 259 million data users, which is about 80% of the US population. As the growing legions of enthusiastic smartphone users gobble up more and more data, it’s difficult for a company like AT&T to provide such services without the wireless spectrum on which to deliver them. The popularity of smartphones is exploding, and space on the wireless spectrum is becoming more scarce. Obviously, the regulatory approval of this large chunk of 700MHz spectrum is a huge win for AT&T. AT&T first announced the deal to buy this significant piece of the wireless spectrum from Qualcomm a year ago. Now that the FCC has finally given the go-ahead, the two companies are expected to close the deal within a few days. More About: 4G, att, LTE, wireless spectrum For more Mobile coverage:
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| 1976 Letter from Potential Partner Calls Steve Jobs a ‘Joker’ [VIDEO] Posted: 23 Dec 2011 10:11 AM PST Steve Jobs will go down in history as one of the greatest tech innovators that ever lived, but according to a letter written by a Silicon Valley advertising executive back in 1976, he was a “joker.” The letter — now archived at Stanford University — was written by Mike Rose, who headed up a small advertising agency in California. A friend of Jobs suggested he reach out to Rose to print the first-ever manual for the Apple 1 computer. Rose wrote to his own business partner informing him that Jobs would be reaching out to him.
“This joker is going to be calling you,” Rose wrote. “They are 2 guys — they build kits — operate out of a garage.” The note also alluded to Job’s notorious secrecy tactics: “Wouldn’t trust me. Told him we’d like to see what they’ve got. We’d estimate — then decide. Sounds flakey. Watch it!” According to Bloomberg, Jobs and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak sought production help with the manual, which would have a logo of Issac Newton reading a book on the cover under a tree — not the iconic Apple image we’re used to seeing with a missing bite. But Rose’s offer was too high, so Jobs declined. “The note is wonderful in part because it reveals how much Silicon Valley has changed in 35 years,” Leslie Berlin, project historian for the Silicon Valley Archives at Stanford University, wrote in the Bloomberg piece. “In 1976, two guys trying to launch a tech company from a garage in the heart of Silicon Valley were flakes. Today, someone in Rose’s position might well ask for a piece of the action — payment in the form of a small bit of stock, perhaps?” Rose donated the letter to Stanford University in 1998. Since Jobs' passing earlier this year after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, he's been awarded a Grammy for his iMusic contributions, and Barbara Walters recently named him the most fascinating person of 2011. Images courtesy of Stanford University via Bloomberg. More About: apple, mashable video, steve jobs, trending
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| Best Buy Runs Out of Goods, Cancels Some Online Orders [VIDEO] Posted: 23 Dec 2011 08:56 AM PST Best Buy will not be able to fill all of its customers' online orders before the holidays, the company has announced. "Due to overwhelming demand of hot product offerings on BestBuy.com during the November and December time period, we have encountered a situation that has affected redemption of some of our customers' online orders. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused, and we have notified the affected customers," said Best Buy in a statement. Best Buy didn't specify exactly how many orders are affected, but the incident is bound to end up in some bad publicity. Best Buy forums are already swarmed with complaints from affected customers. “A similar thing happened to me (…) the payment was complete and everything and three days later we received an e-mail from Best Buy that the item is not available. What kind of business are you running?”, asked one customer. While the company issued a public apology, it will hardly satisfy disgruntled customers. Not getting that Christmas present you’ve ordered isn’t exactly the nicest ways to start the holidays. [via AP] Bonus: Last Minute Gift Ideas You Can Send via E-mailBest Buy left you high and dry? You can order any one of these gifts right now and they can arrive in any recipient’s inbox almost instantly. 1. iTunes gift card   A good ol' standby, an iTunes gift card is always appreciated. Your recipient can download any music — from Justin Bieber to Michael Bublé — to her iTunes and subsequent mobile devices. Click here to view this gallery. More About: best buy, Christmas, mashable video, orders, shopping, trending For more Business coverage:
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| Posted: 23 Dec 2011 08:44 AM PST 1. The Space Shuttle Era Ends When Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center just before dawn on July 21, 2011, it marked the end of NASA's Space Shuttle program. The shuttle was the space agency's No. 1 space vehicle for 30 years, with numerous successes under its belt -- notably the deployment and repair of the Hubble Space Telescope and construction of the International Space Station. The shuttles themselves, however, were notoriously more complex and expensive than they were ever intended to be. They also unfortunately suffered from reliability issues, leading to the tragic destruction of two shuttles, Challenger and Columbia. Despite its issues, the shuttle continued to serve well past its sell-by date, becoming a pop-culture icon along the way. In its last year of operation, the shuttle also finished one of its key tasks: complete assembly of the International Space Station. It's certainly earned its retirement, which the orbiters spend in numerous museums throughout the country. Click here to view this gallery. 2011 will go down as a landmark year for space exploration, for a multitude of reasons. From end-of-an-era missions to incredible milestones to breathtaking discoveries, human civilization is reaching out further and more often than ever before from our pale blue dot in the universe. The vast interstellar distances suddenly looked a lot smaller this year as we were captivated with discovery after discovery of planets in other solar systems, while man-made vehicles took their first steps exiting ours. We took a moment to celebrate a half-century of manned space flight just as its torch was being passed from public to private enterprise here in the States. Through it all, NASA and others cleverly used the Web and social media to keep is informed — and enthralled. There were space stumbles, too. The promising and innovative successor to the Hubble Space Telescope was in danger of being scrapped amid budget cutbacks. For a few months there, it felt like satellites were constantly falling from the sky, a new danger the planet didn’t need. The sun entering a particularly active cycle meant renewed threats of solar flares to anything in orbit. Although humankind’s problems in space are real and need solutions, they also serve as an encouraging reminder that we’re there. Those issues are only issues because we dare to brave the final frontier regularly in our quest to better ourselves and expand our knowledge of the universe. The deeper we venture into space, the more out civilization will be affected by it. Here are Mashable‘s picks for the top space stories of 2011. More About: Hubble, ISS, James Webb, Mars rover, NASA, orion, space, Space Flight, space shuttle
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| New Xbox Dashboard Glitch Still Preventing Some From Going Online Posted: 23 Dec 2011 08:21 AM PST
The release of Microsoft’s hotly anticipated Xbox 360 dashboard update earlier this month is causing a bit of a problem for some Xbox Live members: They still can’t get their consoles online. Microsoft recently rolled out a big dashboard update to the Xbox 360 — in addition to new voice and gesture controls, Bing search, television and social options — but a glitch is keeping some consoles offline by not being able to sign into their Xbox Live profiles. “We have recently identified an Xbox Live profile data error that results in Error Code ’801540B7′ for a small number of Xbox Live members,” an Xbox spokesperson told Joystiq. “The error instructs users to attempt to re-download their Xbox Live profile and directs them to customer service support for further assistance. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused to our loyal Xbox Live members and are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.” This means that Xbox Live members are currently stripped of accessing multi-player games and buying new content through the service. The latest setback comes after a bumpy debut for Microsoft’s update. The system’s video player has been experiencing problems with its color levels, with some shots looking washed out. The update was also initially delayed — it was supposed to go live around 10 a.m. EST on Dec. 6 and as of 3 p.m. that day, the update had still not been offered. It finally made its debut around 6:30 p.m. that night, but many still reported problems signing on to Xbox Live. Xbox said it is working on fixing the issue as soon as possible. An Example of a Media Splash Page Media is front and center with the new Xbox 360 interface, as seen with the HuluPlus app. Click here to view this gallery. More About: microsoft, xbox, Xbox 360, XBox live
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| Posted: 23 Dec 2011 07:59 AM PST 1. Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery: EP While at times it proves more effective as an art project than as a game, it's an overall beautiful experience. The art and music are superb, and the story is able to provoke an emotional reaction. This was by far the finest experience on mobile this year. [Universal Download Link]Click here to view this gallery. It was another banner year for iOS gaming. With the release of more powerful devices, developers introduced games with bigger scope and better graphics than ever seen before in the mobile space. And many of them released refined gameplay concepts that were addictive and infinitely replayable. Paring this list down to just 10 games seems almost unfair to the other high-quality titles released this year, but tough decisions had to be made, and the best of the best honored. From the visceral, intense experiences to the more thoughtful, here are 2011′s finest titles on iOS. More About: apps, features, games, iOS, iphone, trending
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| Google Doodle Lights Up for the Holidays Posted: 23 Dec 2011 07:43 AM PST   It’s already Dec. 24 in some parts of the world, and the Google homepages for countries including New Zealand (above), South Korea and Japan have begun displaying a festive logo to commemorate a holiday many will be celebrating. Google has replaced its traditional four-color logo with five holiday-themed objects outlined in Christmas lights: a snowflake for the “G,” a Santa Claus and a bell for each “o,” a snowman for the second “g,” a candle for the “l” and a wrapped present for the “e.” Clicking on the logo brings up a search for “Happy Holidays.” The logo is cute, but it’s got nothing on last year’s, which turned the Google logo into an interactive holiday card with 17 holiday scenes — ranging from Santa on a rooftop to Indian classical dancers — from around the world. The Christmas Google DoodleEach package gets larger with a mouse-over, and a click on it returns search results pertinent to a specific country or the particular items featured in a scene. This one is from December 24, 2010. Click here to view this gallery. More About: Google, google doodle, Holidays 2011
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| In-Flight Wi-Fi Provider Gogo Files For $100M IPO Posted: 23 Dec 2011 07:33 AM PST   Gogo, a firm known for providing Wi-Fi to airlines including Virgin America, Delta and Air Canada, among others, has filed for an IPO that could raise as much as $100 million. The filing reveals that Gogo posted $113.8 million in revenues for the first nine months of 2011, an 89.3% increase over the same period in 2010. The company’s revenues for 2010 were $94.7 million, a 157% jump over 2009. Despite growing revenues, Gogo has yet to turn a profit; it lost $25.8 million in the first nine months of 2011. Although the company is known for its Wi-Fi service, Wi-Fi accounts for less than half of Gogo’s revenues, the filing says. The majority comes from sales of satellite or broadband equipment and services to Gulfstream, NetJets and other private plane providers. Since Gogo began offering its service in August 2008, the company has provided 15 million sessions to 4.4 million registered users, the filing says. About 42% of Gogo’s 2011 revenues are contracted under 10-year agreements, the earliest of which expires in 2018. Gogo branched out this summer with Gogo Vision, a streaming movie and TV service on American Airlines. The company also joined forces with Boingo Wireless, an airport Wi-Fi provider, in June. Boingo went public in May, raising $77.9 million. Image courtesy of Flickr, i am indisposed More About: boingo, GoGo, IPOs, wifi For more Business coverage:
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| Only 26% of Consumers Think Facebook Storefronts Secure Against Fraud [STUDY] Posted: 23 Dec 2011 07:07 AM PST   Facebook still has a long way to go when it comes to instilling trust in consumers, according to a new study that shows only 26% believe storefronts on the social network are safe against fraud. The online survey, conducted by ThreatMetrix and The Ponemon Institute of a pool of 800 consumers this fall, revealed that 53% of consumers do not believe Facebook storefronts are committed to protecting them against fraudsters. Another 23% were unsure. Alisdair Faulkner, chief products officer of ThreatMatrix, told Mashable the data reveal that “people trust the [Facebook] brand,” but not to the extent that they believe they or their friends are immune from phishing attacks and spam. Faulkner cited a few recent instances of security breaches on the network including the September “Lady Gaga is Dead” virus that enticed users with a link to a fake BBC story on that topic and a November spam attack on the network. Faulkner says that Facebook needs to respond quicker to such attacks to earn consumers’ trust. “It takes them hours,” he says, “and that’s a lifetime on the web.” Consumers surveyed viewed Facebook’s archenemy, Google, in a better light. More than half said they believed Google was more effective than Facebook in keeping them safe from online criminals. Facebook reps could not be reached for comment on the report. The study comes as so-called “F-Commerce” — transactions on Facebook — has yet to take hold with a majority of consumers. Only 32% of consumers surveyed said they have browsed a company's Facebook page and then bought something on the company's website. Only one in five said that they’ve purchased something directly within a Facebook storefront. What do you think? Do you trust Facebook storefronts? Sound off in the comments. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, malerapaso More About: F-Commerce, Facebook, security, trending
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| Today’s Top Stories: Best Buy’s Christmas Woes, Louis CK’s $1 Million Posted: 23 Dec 2011 06:47 AM PST   Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. Today, we're looking at three particularly interesting stories. Best Buy Can’t Send All Online Orders Before Christmas Best Buy said it won’t be able to fill all of its customers’ online orders before the holidays. Although Best Buy didn’t specify exactly how many and which orders are affected, the news has angered customers who are voicing their concern on various online forums and Twitter. Louis CK Earns $1 Million in 12 Days With $5 Video Comedian Louis CK has managed to earn $1 million in just 12 days, selling the video of his standup performance for $5 directly through his website. Louis, who has put various social media channels to use when promoting the video, will give some of the money to various charities, and keep only a smaller part for himself. PlayStation Vita to Launch With Biggest Software Lineup in Sony History PlayStation Vita, Sony’s hand-held gaming console which launches in the United States and Canada on Feb. 22, will come with what Sony calls the “biggest and best launch lineup across the history of PlayStation platforms.” Titles available at launch will include Escape Plan, Hot Shots Golf, UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss, wipEout 2048, EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer and Touch My Katamari. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DNY59 More About: best buy, first to know, first to know series, louis ck, morning brief, PlayStation Vita, sony For more Social Media coverage:
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| Amazon 2012: What the Future May Hold for the Web’s Largest Retailer Posted: 23 Dec 2011 06:03 AM PST   For Amazon, it’s going to be hard to top 2011. After all, this was the year the gargantuan online retailer launched a cloud storage service, opened the doors on its own Appstore, and released a tablet, the Kindle Fire, that happens to be selling like crazy. Looking at the bigger picture, this was the year Amazon moved to unify its several disparate services into a full-fledged platform in its own right. The site — though it’s not just a site anymore, is it? — already has a massive user base, and now its services are slowly turning more and more of them into something resembling loyal customers, or if Amazon’s lucky, “members.” Although the company has momentum, it’s in danger of tripping over obstacles on the road ahead. Amazon has a presence in so many digital markets now, it’s easy to lose count, which means it’s competing in one form or another with pretty much every major technology company. From Google and Apple to Barnes & Noble and Netflix, Amazon has a lot of top-caliber enemies, which says a lot about how far the company has come. What does 2012 hold for the company that businesses turn to for cheap cloud services, writers turn to for self-publishing, and everyone turns to for a cheap gift for mom? Here are Mashable‘s predictions for Amazon in 2012. 1. The Kindle Fire EvolvesThere have been many unconfirmed reports about a bigger-screen Kindle Fire coming in the new year. Although the perseverance of the rumor makes it hard to argue, a big-screen Kindle tablet feels like a bad move for the company. A larger screen robs the Kindle Fire of its most attractive quality: the cheap price. Plus, Amazon got burned a couple of years ago with “biggie size” gadgets like the E Ink Kindle DX. The smart money says a big-screen Kindle will come early in the new year, though, probably within a month or so of the iPad 3. More nebulous is what the Kindle Fire will evolve into toward the end of 2012. If Amazon learned any lessons from the early reviews of its market-upsetting tablet, it will focus more on hardware this time around, and go for a design that’s optimized for its services and software — more like the Nook than the PlayBook. 2. Amazon’s Appstore Challenges GoogleIn an embarrassing consequence for Google, the Amazon Appstore will become the biggest purveyor of Android tablet apps. This is an inevitable result from the Kindle Fire’s unprecedented grab of market share, something no other Android tablet has been able to do. Basically, if you’re an Android developer, you’ll want to be on the Kindle Fire, and that means you have to prioritize the Appstore over the Android Market. This is unfortunate for Google, which has invested much time and effort into optimizing Android for tablets with its ridiculously named “Honeycomb,” “Ice Cream Sandwich” versions. The Kindle Fire runs Android 2.3 “Gingerbread,” although Amazon’s tweaked it to look nothing like other Android interfaces. With the red-hot Fire, though, Amazon will have a lot of influence among consumers and developers, and its mutant ecosystem is on track to become the dominant species among Android tablets. 3. Amazon Prime ExplodesFueled by spiking market penetration of the Kindle Fire, Amazon Prime — the service that bestows free two-day shipping, Netflix-like access to some movies and TV shows, and a few free books — will really take off. In turn, Amazon will enhance the program with more premium services, possibly things like free access to select apps, music or magazine subscriptions. The rise of Amazon Prime, fed by the Kindle line, will be a key way Amazon extends its platform and changes its customers into users. It’ll definitely need more incentives beyond some lousy videos, but as Netflix stumbles over its attempts to separate DVD rentals from streaming, now is the perfect time. 4. Cloud Music, Done ProperlyWhen Amazon launched its cloud locker and music player earlier this year, it did so without the approval of the music labels, and as a result, the service doesn’t work anywhere near as well as Apple’s iTunes Match. Google’s recent big move into Music also gained massive label participation. Both companies spent a truckload of money getting the labels on board, but it gives their platforms an edge. Amazon will need to remove that edge in the new year. This is another opportunity to leverage Amazon Prime, though the company will probably need to consider different payment options besides the $79 annual fee, since those labels don’t come cheap. 5. The Sales Tax Issue Gets ResolvedSay what you will about Amazon’s recent tactics against brick-and-mortar retailers; the fact is its prices are often cheaper. A big factor, Amazon is typically exempt from charging sales tax since it doesn’t have the “physical presence” the law requires in many states. Retailers have long complained about the unbalanced playing field, and this past year various state governments — in dire need of more revenue — began moving to close the loophole. Amazon fought with the state of California over the issue before reaching a compromise. Amazon says it supports a broad revamping of sales tax law at the federal level, and it looks like it may get its wish in 2012. The Senate has already introduced the Marketplace Fairness Act, supported by Amazon, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Home Depot, and there’s a good chance it’ll pass next year. The new law will have wide-ranging consequences for all businesses who sell goods online, including eBay, who opposes it. Overall: Following AppleIt’s often said that with the Kindle line, Amazon is taking its cues from Apple, usually in the way the two companies launch and market their gadgets, but the comparison is more apt than that. Although Jeff Bezos is no Steve Jobs, the vision he’s given to Amazon is meant to elevate the brand beyond simply a place people go to buy stuff. Amazon is leveraging its platform to create an overall experience for customers to interact with the company and its services. With Amazon Prime, the Kindle line and its music and video services, the company is turning mere customers into “Amazon users.” In a recent open thread on Mashable, most Kindle Fire owners had good things to say about the device, despite its well-documented flaws. That’s real brand loyalty. In the longer term, Amazon could even unify its store, services and customers into something resembling a social network. Of course, then Amazon would pick up yet another chief rival, Facebook, so the company is probably not in a hurry to do that. After all, Bezos needs to leave something for 2013. More About: 2012, amazon, amazon prime, features, kindle fire, trending
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