Spun » Marketing

The Best of the Business Blogs: August 2010

admin — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:30:48 +0000

At the start of every month, we’ll be rounding up the best posts from the business network of blogs and directing you to them. Here’s the best of business in July, including articles from WorkAwesome, the Netsetter and FreelanceSwitch.

The Netsetter

An Effective Marketing Plan: Getting Started

A well-conceived and properly implemented marketing plan is… read more

10 Ecommerce Design Tips for Increasing Conversions

admin — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 11:30:32 +0000

Sometimes, web stores get too artsy with their designs. Some use flash animations that can slow down the shopper’s browser, while others use color schemes that send the wrong signals to shoppers.

There are many cases where experienced web designers might overlook usability issues, though creative elements… read more

Fight The System: Battling Bureaucracy

admin — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:13:40 +0000

If you work as part of an in-house Web team, you have my sympathy. If that in-house team is within a large organization, then doubly so. Being part of an in-house Web team sucks. Trust me, I know. I worked at IBM for three years and now spend most of… read more

HOW TO: Land a Career in Digital Public Relations

admin — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:38:37 +0000

It’s easy to slap the digital prefix on to any job title and assume the rules are more or less the same. But digital PR means living online and basically trying to stay ahead of the Internet.

There are a lot of tasks to juggle and it requires a special type… read more

35 Entertaining 404 Error Pages

admin — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 01:52:16 +0000

“404 Not Found.” These three little words can make any Internet explorer an unhappy camper. After all, who hopes to click on a broken link or stumble upon a moved or deleted page while cruising around the web?

Luckily, some web designers have chosen to end the misery of encountering a… read more

5 New Ways Small Business Can Offer Location-Based Deals

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 23:26:57 +0000

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

Location-based services, such as Foursquare and Gowalla, are proving quite popular with consumers open to sharing their locations with the world. They’re also built to be inherently… read more

Measuring Service: Quantifying Your Experience for Maximum Impact

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:30:12 +0000

As you build your freelance business, you get the satisfaction of touting the work you have already done when talking to new prospects for your services. Demonstrating that you have experience delivering the services your prospects are looking for can make all the difference in landing that next project.

Make sure… read more

How to Become a Pro Photographer: Part 2 – Getting Started

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:03:21 +0000

Image by Romain Guy

Getting started

Once you have the intention and the funds (see Part 1 of Becoming a Pro Photographer) in place it’s time to consider the legality, rules and regulations and all the red tape of what you need to do. In the UK the government provide a range… read more

Social Media Grammar: The “Checkin” Conundrum

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:35:34 +0000

Alanna Francis is a SEO Specialist and Grammar Enthusiast at the website design company Blue Fountain Media, where she specializes in e-commerce marketing. She writes for the company’s web design and SEO trends blog and you can follow her on Twitter @AlannaFrancis.

We’re thrilled that the Associated Press has recently released… read more

RIP Meme: The Double Rainbow Guy Sells Out to Microsoft

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:21:16 +0000

We were enamored of your childlike delight. We reveled in the remixes. But now, Double Rainbow Guy, we are less than amused. What’s the sure-fire way to kill a viral video? Festoon it with dollar signs.

Yup, the above video is a commercial for Windows Live Photo Gallery, and yup, the… read more

Announcing MashBash BlogWorld: Win a Free Pass [CONTEST]

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:44:28 +0000

Mashable is excited to announce MashBash BlogWorld, the opening party for this year’s BlogWorld & New Media Expo in Las Vegas on October 15-16. To kick off the Expo, we’ll be hosting the first night’s official party at Haze at Aria Hotel.

We would love for you to join us, so… read more

Keeping Clients: Ongoing Clients & Agency Work

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:30:44 +0000

By definition, the word “freelancer” implies that you are self-employed take on several projects from multiple parties. Many freelancers find this sort of a glamorous life, but in a sense I have to argue against it. In fact, there’s not too much that is desirable about scraping for food. And… read more

QR Codes Help Consumers Shop for Wine

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:02:34 +0000

Selecting the right wine for every occasion is a form of art most of us only pretend to understand. That’s why Lion Nathan Wine Group, a wine owner and importer, has put QR codes on wine bottles to help everyday wine buyers make better selections.

Cellar Key, a joint initiative between… read more

We’re Hiring! 50+ Job Vacancies in Social Media, Web Design, and More

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:47:51 +0000

If you’re seeking a job in social media, we’d like to help out. For starters, Mashable’s Job Lists section gathers together all of our resource lists, how-tos and expert guides to help you get hired. In particular, you might want to see our articles on How to Leverage… read more

Target to Sell Facebook Credits as Gift Cards in Stores

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:19:51 +0000

Target will be the first retailer to sell Facebook Credits in its stores come Sunday. The Facebook Credits gift cards will be available in $15, $25 and $50 denominations at all 1,750 Target locations and at Target.com.

The cards will soon make their way to two or three additional national retailers,… read more

Thank You Our Valued Sponsors For Being With Us In The Month Of August

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:03:34 +0000

This is a post in which we want to say a big Thank You to the SmashingApps’ fastest growing community for regularly visiting our blog. Do you want to be the first one to know the latest happenings at SmashingApps.com just subscribe to our rss feed and be the one… read more

Salesforce and Jigsaw Help Keep Business Data Up-to-Date in Real-Time

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:40:53 +0000

Enterprise cloud computing company Salesforce.com is introducing the newest component to its platform, Jigsaw for Salesforce CRM.

Jigsaw for Salesforce integrates the Salesforce CRM and Salesforce Chatter experience with Jigsaw’s crowdsourced business data service. Salesforce acquired Jigsaw in April; this is one of the first big developments from that acquisition.

4 Tips for Writing SEO-Friendly Blog Posts

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:36:07 +0000

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

In addition to writing for their human readers, web writers and bloggers have to consider the digital web crawlers employed by search engines like Google. Your business… read more

FashionStake Shifts Fashion Industry Power to the Consumer

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:16:00 +0000

Put this on your startups-to-watch list: FashionStake, a New York City-based company that allows consumers to buy a “stake” in a designer’s collection in exchange for varying degrees of perks and privileges, such as pre-order discounts and runway show tickets, has launched just ahead of New York Fashion Week.

The startup,… read more

How To Create An Effective Banner Ad Marketing Campaign: Part Two

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:00:48 +0000

How To Create An Effective Banner Ad Marketing Campaign: Part Two

Japanese Resort Caters to Men with Virtual Girlfriends

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:11:33 +0000

File this one under “only in Japan”: A beach town near Tokyo has begun catering to a specific segment of young men, ones who play the game Love Plus and have a strong desire to take their virtual “girlfriends” from this game on a romantic holiday in the real world.

Love… read more

Loopt Checkins Can Get You Two-for-One Tickets to Mexico on Virgin America

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:48:43 +0000

Social-media savvy airline Virgin America, which used Twitter to announce its expansion to Toronto, is making use of location-based rewards network Loopt Star to draw attention to its next international expansion: Mexico.

Virgin America will be running non-stop flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Cabo (SJD) and from Los Angeles… read more

Appbistro: Supermarket for Facebook Apps

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:28:26 +0000

Just like Android apps, Facebook apps are growing exponentially in number. But just like the Android platform, Facebook app platform is also bogged down by the lack of a great centralized repository from where people can find, read about & install apps and comment on the usefulness apps as well.

Enter… read more

Digital Coupon Clipping Comes to the iPad Via CardStar

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:03:59 +0000

Today, a Verizon-backed startup is releasing its iPad application and introducing a new functionality — digital coupon clipping.

CardStar makes mobile applications to digitally manage retailer club and membership cards. CardStar for iPad doubles as a personalized, digital circular for coupons. The app lets users discover coupons relevant to each of… read more

3 Winning Alternatives to Online Sweepstakes

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:21:21 +0000

Meaghan Edelstein has gained national media attention through her blog, I Kicked Cancer’s Ass, which she started to document her battle with end stage cancer. She is an attorney, the founder of the non-profit organization Spirit Jump, and works for the Real Time Marketing Group.

For some time now, companies have… read more

Know When to Stop Talking

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:30:49 +0000

I think I experienced a new first for me in my life of freelancing. I responded to a tweet looking for a copywriter to do some basic web copy.

I responded, and chatted with the client for a little bit, discussing his needs and my offerings. Things were moving in the… read more

How CEOs Will Use Social Media in the Future

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:36:54 +0000

This 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.

Today’s CEO is not social. So says Forrester… read more

HOW TO: Respond when Social Media Attacks Your Brand

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:08:49 +0000

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

For all the praise that brand advertisers have for social media, they must be aware that it’s very much a double-edged sword. And for all the free… read more

An Interview With Professional Nature Photographer Jon Cornforth

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:24:52 +0000

I was blown away the first time I saw Jon Cornforth’s images. Even more so because many of the images were taken in my native Washington State. While we have many talented photographers in our fine state, I was also impressed with how personable Jon was on Twitter and… read more

The Next “Oxford English Dictionary” Could Be Online-Only

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:43:47 +0000

Bad news for everyone out there who was eager to hold the third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (that exceedingly portable 20-volume set of wordy goodness): Thanks to the rise of the Internet, the next OED will probably be online-only.

Granted, OED3 is still about a decade in the making… read more

Writing and Web Design: Editorial Calendars and Style Guides

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:38:04 +0000

A few years ago, you might not have pointed out during a meeting with a potential client that you maintained a blog. Over time, though, blogs have evolved from the being a personal hobby to a serious work tool. In fact, today, web designers are supposed to know much more… read more

Promoting Yourself To… GASP!… Live People!

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:11:46 +0000

By Speider Schneider

A friend of mine started an organization named “Creative Connect,” a twice a month get-together for anyone in the creative field. He said it was to, “get people away from their computers and to get them talking at least twice a month.” Mostly designers, programmers, illustrators and photographers… read more

Samsung Ships 1 Million Galaxy S Smartphones in the U.S.

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:32:50 +0000

It seems that Samsung’s extensive marketing campaign for their Android-based smartphone, Samsung Galaxy S, is paying off: the company announced it has shipped one million of them in the U.S. market.

The Galaxy S is a powerful smartphone with a 1 GHz processor, 512MB of memory and a 4-inch Super AMOLED… read more

Honda Takes Social Gaming for a Test Drive

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:50:20 +0000

It’s not unusual for a large car company like Honda to advertise its newest release on a billboard — unless, of course, that billboard exists in a virtual gaming community on Facebook.

To promote the U.S. launch of its latest sport hybrid coupe, the Honda CR-Z, the company initiated a two-month… read more

6 Job Search Tips for Aspiring Programmers

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:52:34 +0000

It’s true that most programmers don’t need any help getting a job. While other professions have cut down on hiring during the recession, the number of programming jobs has shot through the roof. Demand is expected to increase by 21% between 2008 and 2018.

But not all programming jobs are created… read more

50+ Web Development, SEO, Social Media and Sales Job Opportunities

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:00:19 +0000

Multi-Website Publishing with Halogy

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:12:25 +0000

Remember that website you always wanted to create but never managed to find the time or lacked the technical expertise to get it running? Or maybe you’re a designer that loves being creative but you’ve always struggled to grasp the process of converting your designs into a theme that can… read more

Facebook Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over “Like” Buttons

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:56:05 +0000

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Facebook in a Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging that the company commercially misappropriated the names and likenesses of minors without parental consent. The plaintiffs are seeking financial restitution for revenues and profits the company and third-parties earned from the alleged charges.

In… read more

4 Beer Companies with Social Media On Tap

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:26:56 +0000

Terry Lozoff is President and CEO of Boston-based experiential and digital marketing agency Antler. He has been on the front lines of the non-traditional marketing industry for a decade and has worked with many international and forward-thinking brands including Miller Brewing Company, Liberty Mutual, Magners Irish Cider and GlobalPost.

Beer… read more

Sites of the Week #117 – Ronin App Giveaway

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:58:25 +0000

For this Sites of the Week, we have a special edition with a giveaway from Ronin App, I’m sure you’ll love it! Also we have selected some great sites such as Organizze and Spring. As usual we would love to hear from you, keep sending your suggestions and don’t forget… read more

How to Stay Simple with your Product

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:30:13 +0000

Let’s face it, we designers love to start from scratch. For example: How may times do we revamp our own portfolios? Staying simple is crucial when starting from scratch.

We hear this “staying simple” phrase a lot these days. Is it just a bunch of jargon or is there something to… read more

HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Your Business Facebook Page

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:32:01 +0000

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

So you paid attention to what everyone is saying and you created a Facebook Page for your business. You’ve got your press… read more

Eight Days in Haiti – Photos by Bobby Moon

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:39:40 +0000

Bobby Moon is one of our readers and regular Daily Inspiration contributors. Lately Bobby sent us some pretty interesting photos to feature at DI, images from a series called Eight Days in Haiti. As the images are really beautiful we decided to show more of them here to you.

Born… read more

Yelp Continues Roll Out of Daily Deals

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:46:50 +0000

Yelp has unveiled a Daily Deal for its San Diego members, offering an official glimpse at the pending service-wide Daily Deals program that the company is readying for release.

Earlier this summer, select Yelp users in the Sacramento area noticed Groupon-like deals appearing in the right-hand side of the home page…. read more

Typography as Art

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:07:20 +0000

Typography is one of the cornerstones of good graphic design. Selecting and manipulating typefaces is an art unto itself. Therefore it’s no surprise that classic typography regularly makes its way into famous paintings and sculptures.

Below are some inspirational images of typography used in the fine arts to help give you… read more

HOW TO: Handle an Employee’s Controversial Online Behavior

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:37:04 +0000

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

Even the best organizations make missteps. Whether it’s a product that doesn’t work correctly or an employee that makes an odd comment, let’s face it: Stuff… read more

Announcing Mashlanta 2.0: Mashable Returns to Atlanta

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:35:53 +0000

Ask and you shall receive. Mashable is excited to announce Mashlanta 2.0 in partnership with Regator. After an amazing event last year, we’ve gone bigger (200 to 300 more tickets), longer (an extra hour) and we’ve added a venue with ample parking.

This year, myself, Adam Ostrow, Vadim Lavrusik, Brett Petersel… read more

Unified Business Management using Zoho

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:13:40 +0000

Despite having friends who can get me all the latest business management solutions in unbelievable volume licensing prices, I have decided to keep all my operations in the cloud. It’s only logical for anyone to invest in the future rather than outdated, cumbersome software that is often disconnected from the… read more

“Old Spice Guy” Ad Wins an Emmy

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:17:34 +0000

Ad agency Wieden + Kennedy’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” TV spot for Old Spice has won the Emmy for Outstanding Commercial.

The spot starred former NFL wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa as the Old Spice Guy, a character now well-known in pop culture thanks to the TV ads and… read more

Top 5 Ways Big Brands are Using Foursquare

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:46:49 +0000

This series is supported by The Awareness Social Marketing Hub, a leading enterprise-grade application for marketers struggling with the social media chaos of managing multiple social channels. Click here to learn more.

Unlike other more mainstream social networks, the business potential of Foursquare may not be immediately apparent. At present,… read more

MTV Launches Social Dating Game on Facebook

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:57:22 +0000

MTV is adding another social game to its roster, and this one is for all you homebodies out there who can’t score a date this Saturday night: I Woo You, a new casual game from the TV network and Stone Creek Entertainment.

All right, that was a little on the sarcastic… read more

AT&T Pilots In-Store Rewards Using SCVNGR

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:59:56 +0000

AT&T has begun offering rewards for in-store interactions via SCVGNR, the mobile app that approaches location and checkins as a way to create a game layer for the real world.

The SCVNGR rewards pilot program, which launches today, extends to 50 stores across the midwest. The stores testing the initiative will… read more

Morning Brief: New Seesmic for BlackBerry, Xbox 360 Chip Detailed, TiVo’s QWERTY Remote

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:31:37 +0000

This series is brought to you by HTC EVO 4G, America’s first 4G phone. Only from Sprint. The “First to Know” series keeps you in the know on what’s happening now in the world of social media and technology.

Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in… read more

AT&T Pilots In-Store Rewards Using SCVNGR

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:59:56 +0000

AT&T has begun offering rewards for in-store interactions via SCVGNR, the mobile app that approaches location and checkins as a way to create a game layer for the real world.

The SCVNGR rewards pilot program, which launches today, extends to 50 stores across the midwest. The stores testing the initiative will… read more

Get Free, Real-Time Social Media Data and Charts from ViralHeat

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:04:11 +0000

Social media analytics company ViralHeat is giving away free access to a treasure trove of data from Twitter, Facebook and a number of other social properties, all housed within the site’s more than 4,000 topic-based profiles.

The company’s revamped ViralHeat Social Trends offering gives users a fast and simple way to… read more

Snoop Dogg Promotes “Mafia Wars” by Blowing Up a Truck [VIDEO]

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:56:32 +0000

Last week, rapper Snoop Dogg promoted the social online game Mafia Wars by blowing up an armored truck in the middle of the Nevada desert. Video of the event garnered 2 million live views on Ustream.

Las Vegas was recently added as a playable city in the social game Mafia Wars,… read more

Cubicle Spy: At Work with Steve Rubel of Edelman [PICS]

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:19:29 +0000

As part of the ongoing “Cubicle Spy” series here at Mashable, we’re taking a look inside the coolest, quirkiest, and most gadget-laden offices of people who work with social media.

For our second peek into the cube, we scoped out the office of Steve Rubel, Senior Vice President and Director of… read more

100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Conferences and Events

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:10:43 +0000

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… read more

4 Things to Consider When Creating a Business Logo

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:59:04 +0000

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

With all the noise on the web today, good branding is more important than ever. Even if your business is not a cutting edge tech startup, the… read more

Mashable Weekend Recap: 16 Stories You May Have Missed

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:19:42 +0000

We hope you had a great weekend and that you have an even better work week. To help you get into the swing of things, we’ve assembled 16 helpful or entertaining stories from Saturday and Sunday to help you start your Monday on a strong information foundation.

The big news this… read more

Seth Godin Gives Up on Traditional Book Publishing

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:19:53 +0000

Writer and marketing guru Seth Godin doesn’t plan to publish any more books – at least not in the traditional sense.

After writing 12 books, he doesn’t think the traditional publishing process is “worth the effort,” he revealed in an interview with Mediabistro. Godin, the author of bestsellers such as “Purple… read more

Beyond Foursquare: 5 Location-Based Apps for Your Small Business

admin — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 20:33:15 +0000

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

Foursquare is blowing up with megabrands like Starbucks and Jimmy Choo, but smaller businesses can find a niche with smaller location-based services, as well.

Working with location-based apps… read more

“Mafia Wars” Viral Marketing Angers San Francisco City Hall

admin — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 03:46:11 +0000

The San Francisco City Attorney wrote a letter to Zynga, makers of the online game FarmVille, accusing the company of “sidewalk vandalism” for the viral marketing campaign it used to promote the new expansion for Mafia Wars.

Zynga allegedly authorized an ad agency to plant fake $25,000 bills on the sidewalks… read more

10 Tips For Aspiring Community Managers

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 22:54:22 +0000

As the world of dominant brands becomes more fragmented, established companies and startups are hiring community managers to cultivate an engaged community in a digital world where customers’ experiences with the product is amplified through social media, whether good or bad. And it’s not just the experience that a users… read more

Email Newsletter Designs #10

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 04:25:16 +0000

This post is part of a weekly series where we take a look at the best email newsletter designs. If you do come… read more

Why Social Media Monitoring Tools Are About to Get Smarter

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:24:21 +0000

Jim Tobin is president of Ignite Social Media, where he works work with clients including Microsoft, Intel, Nature Made, The Body Shop, Disney and more implementing social media marketing strategies. He is also author of the book Social Media is a Cocktail Party: Why You Already Know the Rules of… read more

5 Huge Trends in Social Media Right Now

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:46:27 +0000

What’s the first thing young women do when they wake up? Check Facebook. How do enterprise employees pass the time at work? With social media. With so many studies highlighting ever-accelerating social media usage rates, the conclusion is obvious — social media is everywhere.

What follows are five of the hottest… read more

Designing Microsites: Factors To Consider

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:30:06 +0000

When creating a website, so many things need to be planned and considered before even beginning the design — content, audience, goals, usability, color schemes, and so much more.

The design of a microsite, on the other hand, would seem to be an easier task to execute. But… read more

Organic Blueberries to Snoop Dogg: Branded Virtual Goods Are Booming [REPORT]

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 04:43:26 +0000

Branded virtual goods are set to take off in the next five years — in a big way.

A report by social gaming platform Viximo and virtual goods platform Virtual Greats predicts that branded virtual goods (BVGs) will generate $150 million in 2013 and reach an annual revenue of $318… read more

Groupon Smashes Sales Records with Nationwide Gap Deal

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:31:52 +0000

Groupon launched its first national deal today, partnering with Gap to offer $50 worth of apparel and accessories at the low price of $25.

The site is known for its local daily deals, often offered by small businesses including restaurants, gyms and spas. With a $1 billion valuation and more than… read more

Top 5 Mobile Advertising Trends To Watch

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:16:24 +0000

The mobile trends series is supported by Samsung. Read more about the Samsung Galaxy here.

Mobile advertising is increasingly important, as cell phone adoption rates, especially smartphone adoption rates, soar. With a range of mobile advertising options, including SMS, WAP, mobile app display ads, search ads, rich media, video and push… read more

30 Creative and Inspiring Golf Logos

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:30:48 +0000

Sport logos are fantastic to work with – some of the world’s greatest brands are sport-related (think Nike, Adidas, ESPN and Everlast). Golf is a popular sport with wealthy and successful people – as such, golf businesses (such as golf clubs, golf courses and golf websites) can be extremely… read more

How Foursquare Feels About Facebook Places [VIDEO]

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:40:06 +0000

Conventional wisdom dictates that when an industry Goliath repackages and rolls out your core product, your business is in a bit of trouble.

For many location-based startups, including Foursquare, users and tech industry analysts are concerned about their chances of survival in a post-Facebook Places market. They and their investors have… read more

Location-Based Text Message Ads Get a Major Boon

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:47:24 +0000

Beginning today brands such as The North Face can reach 60% of all U.S. consumers with opt-in, location-based marketing SMS messages.

The extensive distribution possibilities are thanks to a strategic partnership between Placecast — makers of ShopAlerts — and Location Labs; the two companies have combined forces to tackle location-based mobile… read more

Facebook Application Lets Retailers Import and Sell Etsy Goods

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:02:06 +0000

Payvment’s Facebook application is designed to help retailers set up e-commerce shops on the 500-million-member social network. Today, the startup is releasing a new export tool to let Payvment users import their entire Etsy inventories and sell them via their Facebook Pages.

The Etsy-to-Facebook import tool is a product of the… read more

5 Useful Facebook Trend and Search Services

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:55:35 +0000

As the world’s largest social network, Facebook is a fascinating place to find out what’s hot, what’s news, and discover the latest meme.

Despite recent improvements, Facebook’s in-site search doesn’t necessarily offer the best way to see such data. However, there are various services that provide a dedicated way to either… read more

People Magazine iPad App Launch Stalled by Photographer Disputes

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:10:55 +0000

Publishers are clamoring to get their magazine titles onto Apple’s iPad, but many may be facing a new challenge: photographers.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Time Inc. has been forced to delay the release of its People magazine iPad app, in part because of disputes with photo agencies over licensing agreements… read more

Crazy Roger Federer Trick Shot a Viral Hit for Gillette [VIDEO]

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:23:32 +0000

A video featuring tennis star Roger Federer that plays on our collective fascination with “real or fake” hit the Web earlier this week and has quickly gone viral, accumulating more than 700,000 views as of this morning.

The video, which was part of a Gillette commercial shoot in Switzerland, features Federer… read more

10 Essential Free E-Books for Web Designers

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:27:10 +0000

While many may still prefer print for long-form reading, e-books are gaining popularity as a worthy digital alternative. Aside from all the usual benefits of digitizing a book (faster searches, less page-flipping, linked pages, additional resources, etc.), e-books are a huge help to digital and online professionals.

There are now e-books… read more

50+ Immediate Job Openings in Social Media, Web Development and More

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:00:03 +0000

A Sneak Peek at Premium for Non-members

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:57:26 +0000

Vector Premium launched in late September 2008. Since then we’ve added over 60 Premium tutorials for Premium members and hundreds of Illustrator and InDesign source files. Over 10,000 members have formed our unique Premium community. Learn more about the material and resources available to Premium members to Join Premium today.

Join… read more

Miracle Film Turns Any Surface into a Touchscreen

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 01:48:59 +0000

Here’s one for all you lovers of futuristic interfaces. An interactive hardware company called Displax has begun marketing Skin, a paper-thin, flexible film that would transform any non-metal surface into an interactive touchscreen.

You could place Skin on any surface, transparent or opaque, flat or curved, and use it to display… read more

Why the Social Gaming Biz is Just Heating Up

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:33:36 +0000

Jeremy Liew invests primarily in the Internet and mobile sectors, with a particular interest in social media, commerce, gaming, financial and methods for increasing monetization. He joined Lightspeed in early 2006.

These are interesting times in the social gaming industry. Two weeks ago Disney acquired Playdom, and last week Google acquired… read more

Recession Survival Tips For Online Businesses

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:31:15 +0000

In a recession, companies go one of two ways: either they become the cautious cat, adopting a wait-and-see attitude, spending carefully on their marketing and less overall, cutting back, or they become the ferocious lion, bold, taking advantage of their competitors’ caution to seize opportunities in the tough market.

Whatever your… read more

TV Guide Gets a Slick New iPad App

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 04:03:47 +0000

TV Guide has just released its official, free app for the iPad [iTunes link].

The application features television listings, the latest news from TVGuide.com, video clips and episode sneak peeks.

The app also has a built-in social component that lets users share what shows they are watching or are excited about seeing… read more

Target to Launch Flash Sale on Gilt for Fall Designer Lines

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:55:10 +0000

Target is partnering with the members-only Gilt Groupe flash-sale service to create an exclusive experience around its upcoming fall capsule collections.

For years, Target has worked with big name designers — think Jean-Paul Gaultier and Proenza Schouler — to produce affordable high-end lines for Target shoppers. This partnership takes previous efforts… read more

The Future of Public Relations and Social Media

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:15:24 +0000

Public relations specialists were some of the first… read more

Official Snoop Dogg Landy Challenge

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:46:22 +0000

Our aim is always to inspire you to become the greatest artist in the world. Now lets see if you are skilled enough to design Snoop Dogg’s next commercial for cognac brand Landy.

At Abduzeedo it has always been our goal to help the community get inspired, learn new techniques, educate… read more

Best Buy Launches Shopkick Automatic Checkins and Rewards at 257 Stores

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:29:59 +0000

Best Buy is readying 257 of its U.S. stores for a digital loyalty program that rewards customers who walk-in and automatically check-in via the Shopkick iPhone app and future Andriod app.

The Best Buy Shopkick initiative was announced earlier this month and will award offline shoppers with “kickbucks” — the Shopkick… read more

Why Location-Based Social Media Needs to Get “Passive” Aggressive

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:02:29 +0000

Jesse Thomas is the CEO and Founder of JESS3, a Creative Interactive Agency. JESS3 designs products and experiences for brands like Google, Nike, Facebook, MySpace, C-SPAN, Microsoft and NASA.

Ten years ago, Seth Godin predicted the demise of “interruption marketing” and the rise of “permission marketing.” His idea was that intrusive… read more

Advertisers to Spend $1.7 Billion on Social Networks in 2010

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:43:06 +0000

The latest numbers from eMarketer project that advertisers will spend nearly $1.7 billion in the U.S. on social networking sites in 2010. Worldwide, spending will hit $3.3 billion according to the report.

The numbers represent a significant bump up from estimates published by the research firm at the… read more

5 Tips for Aspiring Copywriters and Art Directors

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 03:21:14 +0000

Between high-profile awards shows and TV series like Mad Men, more and more of the American population are coming to realize the glamor of the advertising industry — and there’s perhaps no role more inspiring, frustrating and, yes, sometimes glamorous, than the role of an advertising creative.

Advertising creatives fall into… read more

5 Key Benefits of Monitoring Your Client’s Brand on Social Media

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:58:01 +0000

Lauren Fernandez is the Agency Community Manager at Radian6, the social media monitoring and engagement platform. She is @cubanalaf on Twitter, and blogs at LAF and MarketingProfs Daily Fix.

From an agency perspective, many utilize social media monitoring at the request of a client who either doesn’t know much about… read more

40 Highly Effective FaceBook Business Pages

admin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:34:10 +0000

Facebook is huge. With the average user connecting to 80 community pages, groups and events and with over 900 million (!) objects that users love to interact with (pages, groups, events and community pages), Facebook pages are massive and with a well thought layout they will prove to be a… read more

Gap Offers 25% Discount for Foursquare Checkins

admin — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 23:35:48 +0000

Gap is cutting 25% from the prices for all the clothes in its retail stores for customers who check in on Foursquare in connection with an event the chain is calling “The BlackMagic Event.” The Foursquare deal is only valid today, so you’d better grab your smartphone and head to… read more

Foursquare + Groupon = “It” Startup GroupTabs

admin — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 03:18:37 +0000

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

Name: GroupTabs

Quick Pitch: GroupTabs members check in for group deals… read more

Mashable Hosts #SummerMash in Chicago [PHOTOS]

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:53:03 +0000

The 2010 Mashable U.S. Summer Tour came to a triumphant close Wednesday at the Crystal Ballroom of Chicago’s Hyatt Regency hotel. Hundreds of guests from all over the Midwest joined us in the Windy City to cut loose, have a few drinks and put the “Chic” in Chicago. Mashable’s NYC… read more

The Best of the Business Blogs, July 2010

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:30:55 +0000

The Netsetter

50 Netsetters You Should Know About

There are thousands of… read more

15 Excellent Corporate Blogs to Learn From

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:57:58 +0000

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

Creating and maintaining a corporate blog, or a blog of any sort for that matter, isn’t always the easiest of tasks and doesn’t come naturally to most… read more

Morning Brief: Foursquare Numbers, Bieber Scam, HTC Mystery Event

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:12:07 +0000

Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in… read more

Sites of the Week #115

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:37:33 +0000

For this Sites of the Week we have selected some great sites such as The Combine 2010 and Participatory Politics. Also we’re featuring the portfolio of Tuispace and much, much more! As usual we would love to hear from you, keep sending your suggestions to us and we will be… read more

5 Tips for Dealing with Complaints on Twitter

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:00:36 +0000

Megan Berry is Marketing Manager for Klout, the standard for online influence. She also blogs at The Huffington Post and Brazen Careerist. You can follow her on Twitter at @meganberry.

Every business, blogger, and the rest of us on social media have experienced it: someone just called you out on Twitter… read more

“Paypal for Groups” Startup WePay Raises $7.5M Series B

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 01:31:00 +0000

WePay can most quickly be described as a sort of Paypal for groups. It allows users to collect, manage and send money as a group online.

Hypothetically, it works well for clubs, small organizations, roommates and other groups and could become a household name — at any rate, the VCs at… read more

Track Social Media Campaigns from Inside Microsoft Excel

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:08:08 +0000

Social media monitoring company RowFeeder has launched an analytics solution that gives marketers and brands the ability to monitor and measure social media data from inside Microsoft Excel.

The product is built on Excel, so instead of simply exporting data, RowFeeder generates native Excel files with pre-populated charts, visualizations and pivot… read more

Delta Starts Selling Flights on Facebook

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:47:44 +0000

Delta Air Lines has launched The Delta Ticket Window, a Facebook application that lets members find, book and share flights via the “Book a Trip” tab on the airline’s Facebook Page.

Delta aims to reach travelers with Facebook-happy trigger fingers when it comes to travel booking. The application was built to… read more

“Bridezillas” Explores What’s Possible With TV Show Checkins

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:59:11 +0000

Cable network WE tv has partnered with entertainment checkin service Miso to create a branded campaign around the show Bridezillas. The partnership plans to reward Miso fans who checkin to the show with extra content such as show-themed badges, exclusive photos and access to video clips.

Miso — which… read more

Photoshop Web Design Layout Tutorials from 2010

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:11:04 +0000

Web layouts are crucial for every web design. Whether it is a simple design or an advanced one, Photoshop can often come handy in creating such layouts. We have collected some really creative and helpful recent tutorials that display the process behind creating web layouts in Photoshop.

Photoshop Web Design Layouts

How… read more

What Every Photographer Needs to Know about Social Media

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:05:12 +0000

An introduction to social media for photographers by Australian Freelance Photographer Gemma Carr.

How critical is social media/marketing to your photography business?

Photographers are busy people. So too are our clients. More so than ever before we have an abundance of information available to us at the click of a mouse. It’s… read more

Ask FreelanceSwitch #17: Becoming a Web Designer, Tough Clients

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:30:35 +0000

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, Travis King and Thursday Bram look at client horror stories that make a freelancer’s blood run cold.

Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want… read more

90+ Brilliant Fresh WordPress Site Designs for Design Inspiration

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:18:09 +0000

Many of you should know that instantShift is proudly powered by WordPress, as a Blogging and CMS tool. If you are in search of good CMS or a new web tool for your projects, we strongly recommend WordPress to you. WordPress is a great tool, and best thing is free!

Now… read more

HOW TO: Get Tweetable Moments from Your Presentations

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 11:08:39 +0000

Dan Zarrella is a social media and viral marketing scientist. You can read his blog and follow him on Twitter. Please take his ReTweet Survey and spread it on to your followers (ReTweeting works well).

Twitter is here to stay but there is some science to creating a perfect, “tweetable moment”… read more

30 Effective Logo Examples Featuring Animals

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:46:40 +0000

Animals have appeared in art throughout history. Some are revered as gods in some cultures while others have been long associated with particular traits and attributes. Animals are a great symbolic tool that designers can use for inspiration. The perception of animals in regard to business identity are no longer… read more

How Starbucks Plans to Capitalize on Free Wi-Fi

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:03:24 +0000

Starbucks stores nationwide now have free Wi-Fi, but details around the second piece to the coffee retailer’s digital strategy — the Starbucks Digital Network — have been slim. Here’s how Starbucks plans to cater to digital consumers and premium content providers through its Digital Network.

The Starbucks Digital Network (SDN) will… read more

Watch #SummerMash Interviews From Chicago [LIVE]

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:50:11 +0000

The Mashable team is hosting its final stop on the U.S. Summer Tour in Chicago tonight. In case you can’t make it, you can still participate in the event via our live video and chat stream. We’ll be joined by Rachel Sklar, who will be interviewing attendees on our Watchitoo… read more

20 Killer Email Marketing and Promotion Apps

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:10:33 +0000

With so much competition in the marketplace, even a great product cannot survive by itself. Word of mouth is effective, but too slow. Print & electronic media promotions get a lot of attention but are too costly. Email marketing happens to be the middle ground with the ability to deliver… read more

Facebook Pages Get Connected to Customer Support Centers

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:45:10 +0000

As Facebook continues to balloon in size, so too do the audiences that find, “like” and engage with brands via their Facebook Pages. Tomorrow, customer service software maker Parature will release a Facebook application that will help brands enhance the quality of customer service they can provide via Facebook.

Parature for… read more

Facebook Pages Become Customer Support Centers

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:45:10 +0000

Parature for… read more

HOW TO: Pick the Right Social Media Engagement Style

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:39:12 +0000

Matthew Latkiewicz works at Zendesk.com, customer support software. He writes for and edits Zengage, Zendesk’s blog about customer engagement. He also writes about wine for McSweeney’s and imagines stuff at his own website, youwillnotbelieve.us.

What’s your customer engagement style? It’s a question reminiscent of those light-hearted quizzes that… read more

50+ Great Social Media, Web Development, and Interactive Job Openings

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:00:51 +0000

The Importance Of Packaging Design For A Successful Marketing Campaign

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:00:07 +0000

The Importance Of Packaging Design For A Successful Marketing Campaign

XKCD-Inspired Cartoon Maps the World’s Social Networks [PIC]

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:50:34 +0000

This cartoon map shows the relative sizes of social networks based on real 2010 user data, and does so in a quirky and amusing way.

The quirky and amusing aspect is hardly surprising, because this map — titled the “2010 Social Networking Map” — was inspired by geeky-yet-popular web… read more

Mashable Hosts #SummerMash in New York City [PHOTOS]

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 03:33:33 +0000

The Mashable team hosted its New York City stop on its 2010 U.S. Summer Tour Monday night. The event brought hundreds from the local community together for networking and prizes at the 92Y Tribeca. The Mashable NYC team was joined by Rachel Sklar, who interviewed event attendees and readers… read more

A Contest That Will Change Your Life [SPONSORED]

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:30:27 +0000

This post is brought to you by Kingston. For more information on sponsored posts read here.

Have you replaced your frumpy hard drive with a sexy SSD that delivers faster and more reliable performance, reduced power usage, noise and heat generation? If so, Kingston wants to know how it can change… read more

Market Your Business by Being Two-Faced!

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:30:26 +0000

I’m a great believer in targeted marketing and specialization. Focusing on particular types of clients and offering services aimed tightly at specific needs enhances your appeal to those clients at the same time it improves your efficiency, resulting in better margins on your work.

But it is possible to market your… read more

5 Funny Social Media Web Comics [PICS]

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:58:50 +0000

Satire comes in many forms, but one of our favorites here at Mashable is the cartoon.

The world of social media is a ripe target for web comics, with some talented artists turning their sights on our new online lifestyles.

Get ready to snicker, giggle, and yes, even snort your way through… read more

Targeting Kids: Various Strategies Involved in Designing heir Websites

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:53:16 +0000

Have you ever wondered, “ Children don’t read to find their identity, to free themselves from guilt, to quench the thirst for rebellion or to get rid of alienation. They have no use for psychology…. They still believe in God, the family, angels, devils, witches, goblins, logic, clarity, punctuation, and… read more

Cubicle Spy: At Work with David Berkowitz of 360i [PICS]

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:02:17 +0000

As part of the new “Cubicle Spy” series here at Mashable, we’re taking a look inside the neatest, quirkiest, and most gadget-laden offices of people who work with social media.

For our maiden voyage, we scoped the office of David Berkowitz, the Senior Director of Emerging Media and Innovation at digital… read more

Watch #SummerMash Interviews From New York City [LIVE]

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:32:06 +0000

The Mashable team is hosting its sold out U.S. Summer Tour event in New York City tonight. In case you can’t make it, you can still participate in the event via our live video and chat stream. We’ll be joined by Rachel Sklar, who will be interviewing attendees on our… read more

Gowalla Opens Up Checkin API

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:55:21 +0000

Today, Gowalla is making its checkin API available to all developers; this move will definitely lead to more and better third party applications and might help the startup challenge its top competitor in the checkin space, Foursquare.

The public Gowalla API was first announced in February. Devs built apps such as… read more

HOW TO: Avoid a Social Media Disaster

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:21:40 +0000

Clay McDaniel is the principal and co-founder of social media marketing agency Spring Creek Group. Find him via @springcreekgrp on Twitter.

If there’s one thing that keeps social media marketers up at night, it’s the ever-present threat of a PR disaster. By now, every marketer is well-aware of how quickly dissatisfied… read more

Mashable Hosts #SummerMash in Washington, D.C. [PHOTOS]

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:16:41 +0000

We hosted the third stop on our U.S. Summer Tour in Washington, D.C., Wednesday night. The event brought hundreds from the local community together for networking and prizes at the USA Today headquarters, where we also announced a syndication partnership with the publication. The Mashable NYC team was joined by… read more

How Freelancers Might Use Social Media In The Future

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:16:53 +0000

This series is supported by Gist, an online service that helps you build stronger relationships. By connecting your inbox to the web, you get business-critical information about key people and companies. See how it works here.

For freelancers, social media has been a real game changer, and brings networking to a… read more

Business Card Design Starter Kit: Showcase, Tutorials, Templates

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:11:29 +0000

Professionals in any field should always keep business cards on them because you never know when you’ll meet a potential client, partner or like-minded person. Despite their small size, business cards are one of the most powerful and handiest marketing tools. Not only do they create a link between you… read more

Stop Designing Aesthetics, Start Designing Emotions

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:30:01 +0000

Despite the somewhat provocative title, you shouldn’t really stop designing aesthetics.

Gradients and colors and contrast are all good, but there’s a more important side to web design that many people overlook most of the time: Designing emotions.

Discussing emotion in design is a bit of a hot topic at the moment,… read more

Designing Websites that Cross Cultures

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:26:18 +0000

Building a successful website is no small task, especially if you’re going into business – it takes time, effort and dedication, from working out your business plan and unique selling point (USP) through to designing and managing your website and optimizing it for search engine rankings.

So with all the effort… read more

The Pros and Cons of Giving Away Your Graphic Design

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 05:05:53 +0000

Tons of businesses and organizations are suffering in this economy, whether it’s graphic designers being laid off or nonprofits struggling to get funding. A number of my acquaintances who found themselves with extra time on their hands have turned to volunteering – some of them walk dogs at the local… read more

Samsung Galaxy S Stars In “First Globally Distributed” Web Series

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:37:18 +0000

Samsung’s new Android phone the Galaxy S will be promoted with what NBC Universal calls “the world’s first globally distributed web series.”

Definitions of “globally distributed” are grounds for debate, but there’s little argument that the series will be viewable in an unprecedented array of platforms and regions. Called FCU: Fact… read more

Linkswitch #30: Pricing Tactics, Effective Marketing Campaigns

admin — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 12:30:23 +0000

An Effective Marketing Plan: Getting Started

Effective marketing campaigns are the foundation for your business’ success. You might be the best at what you do, but if nobody knows about you and your offerings, and why they’re of value, then that shingle you hung up is going to come tumbling down.

End of iPhone Exclusivity Won’t Have Negative Impact on AT&T? Yeah, Right.

admin — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 03:23:17 +0000

AT&T’s profits rose by 26% in the last quarter to $4.01 billion. Driving that growth was 1.6 million new wireless subscribers. Guess which phone the majority of those new customers got?

If you guessed the iPhone, give yourself a round of applause. The Apple-built smartphone is selling like… read more

Thank You Our Valued Sponsors For Being With Us In The Month Of July

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:47:14 +0000

How Online Retailers Can Leverage Facebook’s Open Graph

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:07:41 +0000

Formerly a Principal Engineer at Amazon, Darren Vengroff is Chief Scientist at RichRelevance where he helps retailers like Overstock and Sears create a more personal shopping experience for consumers. You can read more from Darren on the RichRelevance blog.

Amazon and Facebook are making headlines with the launch of a new… read more

Create a Glossy High Resolution Box Art Icon with Photoshop

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:05:14 +0000

Software applications and stock art designs often need box designs to help with the marketing. We frequently use box designs on Psdtuts to promote our exclusive freebie or premium sets. There are several ways to create this sort of design. You can use software, actions, or even do this yourself…. read more

Why Hulu’s New Dance Show is a Game-Changer

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:01:24 +0000

At first it doesn’t feel like a dance show. Audiences weaned on the high jumps and theatrics of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance will immediately miss it’s flashy opening numbers and poppy dance music. The opening title of The LXD (The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers) feels like a… read more

Lessons Google Can Learn From Wave’s Failure

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:49:07 +0000

Google Wave officially fizzled yesterday, following just over a year of exaggerated hype and underwhelming performance.

From a practical standpoint, ending Wave development makes a lot of sense; why invest work hours and resources into an end product that isn’t being adopted and hasn’t met expectations? However, as we noted yesterday,… read more

Watch #SummerMash Interviews From Washington D.C. [LIVE]

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:41:11 +0000

The Mashable team is hosting its U.S. Summer Tour stop in Washington D.C. tonight. In case you can’t make it, you can still participate in the event via our live video and chat stream. We’ll be joined by Rachel Sklar, who will be interviewing attendees on our Watchitoo live stream.

We… read more

“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” + Interactive Trailer = Achievement Unlocked!

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:27:54 +0000

The interactive trailer for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World has made its debut, and we have to say: This is one of the coolest trailers we’ve ever seen.

The interactive trailer utilizes the second full-length trailer for the film, but transforms it into a game chock-full of extra information about the… read more

“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” + Interactive Trailer = Achievement Unlocked! [AUTOPLAY]

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:27:54 +0000

The interactive trailer for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World has made its debut, and we have to say: This is one of the coolest trailers we’ve ever seen.

The interactive trailer utilizes the second full-length trailer for the film, but transforms it into a game chock-full of extra information about the… read more

Craft An Irresistible Price By Focusing On Your Users

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:42:59 +0000

Price influences behavior. In order to craft an excellent user experience, the price — and how your users interact with that price — must be central to the development of the product, especially applications. No user will welcome an application if the cost is prohibitive. This makes price every bit… read more

The Ultimate Search Engine SEO Checklist

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:18:00 +0000

A comprehensive list of things from a search engine marketing perspective to check prior to setting your website live. Everything but the kitchen sink included. read more

The Most Popular Brands on Foursquare

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:27:21 +0000

More and more brands are jumping on the Foursquare bandwagon, enticing users with timed incentives, special badges and curated hot spots. But what brand is the most popular on Foursquare? According to the new Foursquare Brand Leaderboard from Osnapz, it’s foodie favorite Zagat, which boasts 48,136 followers and counting.

The new… read more

Starbucks Partners with Gilt for Exclusive Customer Deals

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:00:53 +0000

Starbucks is working with the members-only flash sale service Gilt Groupe to offer Gold level My Starbucks Rewards customers an opportunity to purchase Galápagos San Cristóbal coffee, a rare blend from the Galápagos Islands.

The Starbucks private sale, curated and hosted by Gilt, started yesterday and will run through noon ET on… read more

Run Multiple Location-Based Marketing Campaigns With One Cool App [INVITES]

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:17:26 +0000

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

Name: Geotoko

Quick Pitch: Geotoko is a simple, powerful platform for businesses, brands and agencies to run… read more

50+ Immediate Social Media, Development and Design Job Vacancies

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:10:46 +0000

30 Content Marketing Resources and Insights

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:49:00 +0000

Everybody is talking about web design, usability and SEO and takes content for granted. Without content the rest doesn’t make sense though. This is a list of 30 resources and insights about content SEO, marketing, creation, strategy etc. read more

Shopkick Kicks Off Automatic Checkins at Retail Locations

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 02:54:16 +0000

Shopkick is a dream come true for location app junkies: A mobile app that will know your whereabouts and will automatically check you in once you’ve arrived at a given location.

It’s also a great boon for brands. This kind of auto-checkin eliminates cheating and allows companies and brands to target… read more

Find the Perfect Pair of Jeans with Old Navy’s “Booty Reader”

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:47:48 +0000

From the sophomoric cauldrons of humor at Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, the same agency that brought Burger King’s Shower Babe and the Whopper Sacrifice campaign to the Internet, comes Old Navy’s “Booty Reader” web application, which asks women to upload a shot of their derrières to find the most suitable… read more

15 Twitter Lists for C-Suite Execs to Follow

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:04:04 +0000

Twitter Lists are a great way to follow a group of like-minded Twitter users. By following a List, you… read more

Canon PowerShot G11

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:13:52 +0000

SOLID COMPACT CAMERA

Canon’s G-series PowerShot cameras consist of high-end point-and-shoots. They’re often used by professional photographers as a second camera because they produce quality images, are relatively compact, and capture both RAW and JPEG formats. The G11 succeeds Canon’s popular G10. It has a new Vari-angle 2.8″ LCD and… read more

A Look Back At the Last 5 Years in Blogging

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:35:50 +0000

In honor of Mashable’s five-year anniversary, this series is supported by IDG. Customers are talking about your brand and products — find out what they are saying with IDG Social Scout.

Five years is eons in Internet time, and a lot has changed in the blogosphere since 2005. Sites have… read more

100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:28:25 +0000

Designers, “Hacks” and Professionalism: Are We Our Own Worst Enemy?

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:11:17 +0000

“The need is constant. The gratification is instant.” That’s from the American Red Cross, and it was copy that I plugged into a poster for a blood drive at a comics convention. Sitting beside an image of the sexy and well-endowed Vampirella, the words took on a different meaning. Oops!

But… read more

How 12 CEOs & Founders are Leveraging Web Video

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:05:08 +0000

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

The debate continues on whether CEOs should be fluent in social media or not, but the number of CEOs using social media to engage customers is still… read more

Great Apps to Customize Your Facebook Fan Page

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:27:43 +0000

With 500 million registered users, there’s never been an online platform with as much marketing potential as Facebook. Nowadays all the buzz around promoting your business or brand is focused towards Twitter, but Twitter is relatively small when it comes to audience size and isn’t a platform that offers much… read more

11 Free Services for Scheduling Social Media Updates

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:59:56 +0000

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

Maintaining a constant social media presence can be difficult, especially for busy entrepreneurs looking to stay in touch with their communities. Luckily, there are plenty of tools… read more

How Small Businesses Will Use Social Media in the Future

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:04:02 +0000

Short of saying we’ll all be doing business from Foursquare-fueled hover cars, the future of… read more

Marketing Your Craft: The Best Way to Create a Freelance Website

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:59:35 +0000

Marketing Your Craft: The Best Way to Create a Freelance Website

Foursquare and Gogo Form Their Own “Mile High Club”

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:12:46 +0000

Starting today, airplane passengers who check in to Foursquare via Gogo’s Inflight Internet service will be greeted with a nice surprise — the “Mile High Badge.”

The “Mile High Badge” is nothing more than a digital token you can use to celebrate your location-based conquest. But the Foursquare-Gogo team-up suggests that… read more

DesignChat Guest – Steve Hartman

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:35:57 +0000

This Wednesday, August 4th, DesignChat welcomes Steve Hartman to the conversation. Hartman is Creative Director at Falk Harrison, a branding strategy and design firm where he utilizes the power of solid design thinking for corporate and brand communications. He is also a judge this year for Archive 10, an event… read more

4 Ways BlackBerry Can Stay Relevant

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:32:13 +0000

James Citron is CEO and Co-Founder of Mogreet, the worldʼs first mobile video marketing platform. The digital entrepreneur has more than a decade of experience in the mobile industry with a proven track record for introducing successful, cutting-edge technology into the global marketplace. Follow him at @jamescitron.

Five years ago, a… read more

40 High Quality CSS and XHTML Web Layout Templates

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:58:05 +0000

Whether you download and dissect pre-built CSS templates to learn new layout techniques or if you download them to be used as easy-to-edit ready made and standalone web sites, you shouldn’t be limited to using one of the many cloned, dated and often dull templates that are freely available. Popular… read more

10 Steps for Successful Social Media Monitoring

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:57:12 +0000

Foursquare and Social CRM

admin — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:29:39 +0000

Foursquare is not only a powerful geo-location service but also a way to integrate the social dynamics triggered inside its network for a larger Social CRM strategy.

In this article we will decline Foursquare features into the seven business objectives proposed by Altimeter Social CRM framework in order to illustrate how… read more

You Know You’re a Freelancer When . . .

admin — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:30:45 +0000

Here’s a celebration of all the ways we are uniquely freelancers… set apart from our cubicle counterparts, yet aware that we are perhaps still not so different. Or are we? Enjoy!

You Know You’re a Freelancer When…

You’re starting to grumble about your 5-step commute from the bed to your computer. The… read more

Desktop Wallpaper Calendar: August 2010

admin — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:54:56 +0000

Desktop wallpapers can serve as an excellent source of inspiration. However, if you use some specific wallpaper for a long period of time, it becomes harder to draw inspiration out of it. That’s why we have decided to supply you with smashing wallpapers over 12 months. And to make them… read more

20 Startups Vie to Power PepsiCo’s Next Social Media Marketing Campaigns

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:09:54 +0000

What’s next for marketers in the realm of social media, mobile, location, and digital video?

That’s what a room full of PepsiCo executives, digital strategists and brand managers tried to figure out earlier this week at the company’s headquarters in Purchase, NY, where 20 promising tech startups presented ideas for leveraging… read more

Is Your Friend a Zombie? This App Will Tell You

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:20:13 +0000

The best selling book The Zombie Survival Guide now has its own iPhone app. The Zombie Survival Guide Scanner [iTunes link] is a free application that lets you “scan” your friends to test their level of “zombification.”

The app, which is the first from the Crown Publishing Group, uses the iPhone’s… read more

Ask FreelanceSwitch #16: Workload Management, Freelance Video Jobs

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:30:47 +0000

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, Travis King and Thursday Bram look at the drain of working two jobs and how to grab the eye of a video agency.

Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a… read more

Morning Brief: Games & Checkins Coming to Google, Facebook IPO & Spotify U.S. Delayed

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:03:08 +0000

Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in… read more

Spotlight on ZURB – One Super Awesome Interaction Design Company

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:16:01 +0000

You may have bookmarked one of their CSS or Javascript tutorials, or you could have read one of their concise and refreshing articles on Smashing Magazine, you may even use one of their web apps, or it could be that you downloaded one of the many useful development tools they… read more

25 Embossed Business Cards For Your Inspiration

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:00:21 +0000

25 Embossed Business Cards For Your Inspiration

Why You Need to Monitor and Measure Your Brand on Social Media

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:20:18 +0000

Maria Ogneva is the Director of Social Media at Attensity, a social media engagement and voice-of-customer platform that helps the social enterprise serve and collaborate with the social customer. You can follow her on Twitter at @themaria or @attensity360, or find her musings on her personal blog and her company’s… read more

How to Promote Your Design Business on the Cheap

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:35:03 +0000

Ah … the life of a freelancer. It’s not enough that you’re creative and technically savvy. No, you have to be a clever businessperson as well. No matter how talented you are, when starting out you probably won’t get clients unless you pound the pavement for them. But you likely… read more

Cisco Apes Old Spice Campaign, No One Notices [VIDEO]

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:53:45 +0000

Hey, did you guys know that Cisco tried to replicate that super popular Old Spice video campaign yesterday? Neither did we.

The other week, Old Spice launched a genius campaign in which Isaiah Mustafa, the Old Spice Guy, made personalized videos for bloggers, fans and random folk on the Internet. The… read more

Motorola Mocks Antennagate with Full-Page Ad

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:02:38 +0000

Samsung isn’t the only phone maker using the whole antennagate brouhaha to its advantage, Motorola ran an ad in today’s New York Times for its Droid X device complete with the slogan, “No Jacket Required.”

In the copy for the ad, Motorola takes a slightly passive-aggressive swipe at Apple, noting, “it’s… read more

30+ Job Opportunities in Web Development, Administration and Social Media

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:43:46 +0000

SCVNGR Launches Sophisticated Rewards Program

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:37:19 +0000

When SCVNGR CEO and founder Seth Priebatsch dropped out of Princeton to pursue his startup full time, he spent the first year of operations going after enterprise clientele. Thursday, those behind-the-scenes efforts will culminate in a significant release that introduces a rewards element to game play.

At launch, 1,000 locations across… read more

Passing The Holy Milestone: How To Meet Deadlines

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:45:14 +0000

For too many projects, there comes a time when every action taken, every decision and sacrifice made, is spurred on by pressure to finish. Tempers seem to shrink along with the available days, talk about “high standards” gives way to “good enough,” and people realize that deadlines are aptly named…. read more

Morning Brief: Social and Location-Based Media Growing, Oldest Twitter User Dies

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:15:38 +0000

Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in… read more

Behind the Scenes of AppStorm with Collis!

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:51:41 +0000

Here at Envato we’re pretty famous for building a lot of successful blogs, like this one! We’ve done quite a few now, so last year I decided other people might find our techniques and systems useful. Today I’m really happy to announce my new book How to Build a Successful… read more

Professional Photography Dreams vs Professional Photography Reality

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:29:05 +0000

Photography is one of the rare hobbies that many people can earn their investment back on and actually make money. For example, if you snowboard, it’s very unlikely that you’ll ever make back the investment in gear, lift tickets and travel from that hobby, where in photography… read more

Old Spice Sales Double With YouTube Campaign

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:04:20 +0000

You know those YouTube videos with that manly Old Spice guy and his hilarious responses to Twitter fans? Of course you do. So does everybody, it seems, because Old Spice body wash sales have increased 107% in the past month thanks to that social media marketing campaign.

We already… read more

Amazon + Facebook = A Perfect Storm of Recommendations

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:04:53 +0000

Amazon and Facebook are doing some technological partnering to bring you a new layer in product recommendations.

Now Amazon users will be able to link their Facebook account to their Amazon account. At the outset, this will allow Amazon to show you recommendations based on your Facebook interests and activity.

This integration… read more

The Time for Foursquare Marketing Is… Later? [STUDY]

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:58:52 +0000

While it’s always a good idea to look forward and broaden your marketing mix when it comes to technology, a new study shows that expecting a huge, at-scale ROI from such cutting-edge location-based services as Foursquare might be a bit premature.

Research given to us today by marketing and tech firm… read more

HOW TO: Celebrate Mashable’s Birthday with a Rhino and a Watermelon [VIDEO]

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:59:38 +0000

What do you get when you put a black rhino, a watermelon and Mashable in the same room? We didn’t know the answer either — at least until today.

As you may have heard, we’re celebrating our fifth birthday here at Mashable, and we want to thank everybody for supporting… read more

Client Follow-Up: Getting Your “Duck-Ins” in a Row

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:30:18 +0000

Sometimes, you’ve gotta be that “in your face” type of freelancer. By that, I mean client follow-up. You may have to duck in and check up on clients to make sure you’re getting the work. Especially in business, the early bird gets the worm. A client may not always think… read more

How To Brand Your Tweets With Your URL And Why You Should

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:25:09 +0000

I know for a fact that you are all web designers who use social media to market and promote yourselves.

I also know for a fact that you use Twitter to make connections with customers and learn web design tricks and techniques.

What if I told you that every one of your… read more

New eBook From Smashing Magazine: Mastering Photoshop For Web Design

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:23:40 +0000

Mastering Photoshop for Web Design is the third book in our eBook series, and it’s definitely the best eBook we’ve published so far. It was written from scratch by our regular writer Thomas Giannattasio, exclusively for Smashing Magazine and its readers. We are very proud of the result, in particular… read more

More Tickets Available for Mashable Summer Tour in D.C., NYC and Chicago

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:30:16 +0000

The West Coast stops in Seattle and San Francisco this month set the standard for the Summer Tour, but we’re confident that the East Coast will bring their “A game” for our upcoming events in Washington, D.C., New York City and Chicago. Each event will have drinks, appetizers, giveaways from our… read more

75+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:13:23 +0000

Every Monday, 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 event listings,… read more

Spun » Marketing

The Best of the Business Blogs: August 2010

10 Ecommerce Design Tips for Increasing Conversions

Fight The System: Battling Bureaucracy

HOW TO: Land a Career in Digital Public Relations

35 Entertaining 404 Error Pages

5 New Ways Small Business Can Offer Location-Based Deals

Measuring Service: Quantifying Your Experience for Maximum Impact

How to Become a Pro Photographer: Part 2 – Getting Started

Social Media Grammar: The “Checkin” Conundrum

RIP Meme: The Double Rainbow Guy Sells Out to Microsoft

Announcing MashBash BlogWorld: Win a Free Pass [CONTEST]

Keeping Clients: Ongoing Clients & Agency Work

QR Codes Help Consumers Shop for Wine

We’re Hiring! 50+ Job Vacancies in Social Media, Web Design, and More

Target to Sell Facebook Credits as Gift Cards in Stores

Thank You Our Valued Sponsors For Being With Us In The Month Of August

Salesforce and Jigsaw Help Keep Business Data Up-to-Date in Real-Time

4 Tips for Writing SEO-Friendly Blog Posts

FashionStake Shifts Fashion Industry Power to the Consumer

Top Articles On The Web Design Billboard In August’10

How To Create An Effective Banner Ad Marketing Campaign: Part Two

Japanese Resort Caters to Men with Virtual Girlfriends

Loopt Checkins Can Get You Two-for-One Tickets to Mexico on Virgin America

Appbistro: Supermarket for Facebook Apps

Digital Coupon Clipping Comes to the iPad Via CardStar

3 Winning Alternatives to Online Sweepstakes

Know When to Stop Talking

How CEOs Will Use Social Media in the Future

HOW TO: Respond when Social Media Attacks Your Brand

An Interview With Professional Nature Photographer Jon Cornforth

The Next “Oxford English Dictionary” Could Be Online-Only

Writing and Web Design: Editorial Calendars and Style Guides

Promoting Yourself To… GASP!… Live People!

Samsung Ships 1 Million Galaxy S Smartphones in the U.S.

Honda Takes Social Gaming for a Test Drive

6 Job Search Tips for Aspiring Programmers

50+ Web Development, SEO, Social Media and Sales Job Opportunities

Multi-Website Publishing with Halogy

Facebook Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over “Like” Buttons

4 Beer Companies with Social Media On Tap

Sites of the Week #117 – Ronin App Giveaway

How to Stay Simple with your Product

HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Your Business Facebook Page

Eight Days in Haiti – Photos by Bobby Moon

Yelp Continues Roll Out of Daily Deals

Typography as Art

HOW TO: Handle an Employee’s Controversial Online Behavior

Announcing Mashlanta 2.0: Mashable Returns to Atlanta

Unified Business Management using Zoho

“Old Spice Guy” Ad Wins an Emmy

Top 5 Ways Big Brands are Using Foursquare

MTV Launches Social Dating Game on Facebook

AT&T Pilots In-Store Rewards Using SCVNGR

Morning Brief: New Seesmic for BlackBerry, Xbox 360 Chip Detailed, TiVo’s QWERTY Remote

AT&T Pilots In-Store Rewards Using SCVNGR

Get Free, Real-Time Social Media Data and Charts from ViralHeat

Snoop Dogg Promotes “Mafia Wars” by Blowing Up a Truck [VIDEO]

Cubicle Spy: At Work with Steve Rubel of Edelman [PICS]

100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Conferences and Events

4 Things to Consider When Creating a Business Logo

Mashable Weekend Recap: 16 Stories You May Have Missed

Seth Godin Gives Up on Traditional Book Publishing

Beyond Foursquare: 5 Location-Based Apps for Your Small Business

“Mafia Wars” Viral Marketing Angers San Francisco City Hall

10 Tips For Aspiring Community Managers

Email Newsletter Designs #10

Why Social Media Monitoring Tools Are About to Get Smarter

5 Huge Trends in Social Media Right Now

Designing Microsites: Factors To Consider

Organic Blueberries to Snoop Dogg: Branded Virtual Goods Are Booming [REPORT]

Groupon Smashes Sales Records with Nationwide Gap Deal

Top 5 Mobile Advertising Trends To Watch

30 Creative and Inspiring Golf Logos

How Foursquare Feels About Facebook Places [VIDEO]

Location-Based Text Message Ads Get a Major Boon

Facebook Application Lets Retailers Import and Sell Etsy Goods

5 Useful Facebook Trend and Search Services

People Magazine iPad App Launch Stalled by Photographer Disputes

Crazy Roger Federer Trick Shot a Viral Hit for Gillette [VIDEO]