Mashable

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 Cow” and “The Dip,” has quite a bleak view on the paper book and the way we consume it.

One bit from the interview is particularly revealing. “I like the people, but I can’t abide the long wait, the filters, the big push at launch, the nudging to get people to go to a store they don’t usually visit to buy something they don’t usually buy, to get them to pay for an idea in a form that’s hard to spread,” says Godin.

I still like to visit a bookstore. But in general, I can’t shake the feeling that Godin is right: paper books aren’t a particularly elegant way to spread an idea in the age of blogs, e-readers, and social media.

“I really don’t think the process is worth the effort that it now takes to make it work. I can reach 10 or 50 times as many people electronically,” says Godin.

Do you agree? Is traditional book publishing really a thing of the past? Please share your opinion in the comments.

[img source: Wikipedia]

Reviews: Wikipedia

More About: book, seth godin, social media

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On Friday, controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was accused of rape. Only hours later the charges were dropped, and now Al-Jazeera has quoted Assange saying that the accusations were part of “a smear campaign.”

Assange and WikiLeaks said on Twitter that some enemy of the site was using the rape accusations as “dirty tricks.” According to The New York Times, Assange claims that even though the charges were dropped, damage has already been done because enemies of the site can use the rumors in a war of public opinion and perception.

WikiLeaks drew fire from the Pengaton and other governmental organizations for releasing more than 70,000 secret military documents about NATO’s Afghan War, and it’s clear from its Twitter updates that WikiLeaks believes those organizations are trying to prevent the site from releasing 15,000 more documents that Assange calls even “more explosive.”

Assange was reluctant to directly name the Pentagon or any other specific government or intelligence organization as the instigator of the rape charges. He has simply said, “We can have some suspicions about who would benefit, but without direct evidence I would not be willing to make a direct allegation.”

Assange was in Sweden to arrange for some of WikiLeaks’ operations to be hosted there. The country is known as a safe haven for radical freedom-of-information types like Assange and the founders of The Pirate Bay. In fact, The Pirate Bay and its loosely associated political party The Pirate Party will host some of WikiLeaks’ servers moving forward.

The Pirate Bay has spent years fending off legal actions that have threatened to take it down or control the data sharing that it facilitates with varying degrees of success and failure, so it seems to be a natural ally to WikiLeaks.

Reviews: Twitter

More About: crime, julian assange, Rape, wikileaks

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Did you know you can undo a sent e-mail in Gmail? It’s a lesser known feature, but Google just made it even better than it was before. When it first launched, you were given a 5-second window during which you could hit “undo.”

Now that’s up to 30 seconds, Google Operating System discovered.

The feature is hidden from most users who don’t know where to look, so here’s a quick guide to avoiding social and workplace faux pas with the click of a button. Be aware that the feature is part of Gmail Labs, though. That means it’s still in testing and it might not always work as intended.

Go to Gmail Labs

Since the Undo Send feature is part of Gmail Labs, you’ll have to navigate to the Gmail Labs page to activate it. Load up Gmail and look in the top-right corner of the page. Between your e-mail address and Settings you’ll see the green Labs icon. Give it a click.

Enable “Undo Send” and Save Your Changes

You’ll be presented with a list of features Google is testing in Gmail. Some are very useful and some are just fun. We’ve gone into more depth on all Gmail Labs has to offer in previous articles, but this time we’re here just for the Undo Send feature.

You’ll usually find it close to the bottom of the list. We’ve included a picture of it above so you know what you’re looking for. Just select Enable then scroll down and save your changes.

Customize Undo Send’s Duration

By default, Gmail gives you a 10-second window of time in which you may undo a sent e-mail. You can change that to five, 20 or 30 seconds by going to Settings (in the top right corner of the main Gmail page, right next to the Labs icon) and finding the Undo Send section inside the “General” tab.

There you can enable or disable Undo Send and change the duration with a drop-down selection box as pictured above.

Write and Send Your E-mail

Now that Undo Send is enabled, it works each time you send a new e-mail. You don’t have to do anything unusual beforehand to make it possible to use Undo Send with that e-mail.

Click the “Undo” Button After You Send

Now you have either five, 10, 20 or 30 seconds to undo your sent e-mail, depending on what you selected under Settings.

As soon as you hit Send, a subtle line of text will appear above your Inbox saying “Your message has been sent.” It will be accompanied by a few extra options. Among them is “Undo.” Click that within the allotted time and your faux pas will be prevented.

Note that you can hit “Z” on your keyboard, the Gmail shortcut for undo. Just don’t navigate away from or close this page, because once you do, you’ll lose the opportunity to undo your sent message forever.

“Sending Has Been Undone”

You’ll immediately be taken back to the e-mail composition page, and your e-mail will be in draft form, unsent and ready for further editing — or deletion, if writing it was ill-advised to begin with!

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, budgetstockphoto

Reviews: Gmail, Google, iStockphoto

More About: email, gmail, gmail labs, Google, google labs, Guide, how to, labs, send, trending, undo send, webmail

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Chatroulette, the random video chat website that became a minor pop culture phenomenon, has been shut down. The site now hosts a message saying “experiment #1 is over” and that a “renewed and updated version” will launch tomorrow.

But what will change? Probably a lot. Sean Parker (founder of Napster and founding president of Facebook) was working in some capacity with teen-aged Chatroulette founder Andrey Ternovskiy to work out the site’s long-term potential. However, TechCrunch has just reported an unconfirmed rumor that Parker is no longer working on the project.

Whether he’s working on it now or not, though, his original comments about the site might tell us what to expect. Parker said he believed the site could be made more interesting (and that it could avoid the incessant penis problem) by automatically directing users to people who are “nexted” the least. In theory, that could reduce the hit-and-miss nature of the experience, but it would be challenging to execute it right.

How would the site’s algorithms decide who gets the interesting users and who gets the less interesting ones? Would the site be divided into ghettos of interesting and uninteresting people, kind of like the dating site OkCupid invisibly matches users by attractiveness? We might find out tomorrow when Chatroulette relaunches.

Up to this point, only very small updates have been made to the site as it originally appeared, including channels and local matching. That hasn’t stopped it from birthing numerous viral sensations like Merton the piano guy.

Reviews: Facebook

More About: chat, chatroulette, down, downtime, relaunch, updates, video, video chat, web

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

Facebook has joined the likes of Yahoo and LinkedIn with the rollout of a new Q&A product called Facebook Questions. While the Q&A format is nothing new on the web, Facebook’s more than 500 million users add an interesting twist to the space, and potentially, create an opportunity for small businesses as the feature evolves.

Questions is still in beta, but if you have it enabled, you can see that Facebook wants to make it a major part of the site. “Ask Question” is now a feature of the Publisher, meaning Facebook places it on the same level as status updates, posting photos and sharing links. It’s also integrated on Facebook Pages, where a new “Questions” tab lets users ask questions directly on the Page that can be answered by Page admins or fans.

Much like LinkedIn Answers, where providing answers to questions that are relevant to your business can be a great way to connect with new people, Facebook Questions also has the makings of a killer networking and lead generation tool. Click on the “Questions” link that now appears in the left-hand navigation of Facebook and you’ll see questions relating to your interests as well as those asked by friends and friends of friends.
To give yourself the best shot at seeing relevant questions here, you’ll want to make sure you list interests in your personal profile that align with the business’s industry and core competencies. There are a few other ways to find questions too, including manually entering in a topic, or choosing from suggested topics or trending topics.

Once you find questions that are of interest, it’s important to note that you can answer them as a business. In other words, if you have created a Facebook Page for Acme, Inc., you can respond to Facebook Questions as Acme, Inc. instead of as John Doe. This lets the person who asked the question – and anyone else who stumbles upon it – visit your Facebook Page instead of your personal profile.

As a Page admin, you can also ask questions that are visible both on your Page and in your fans’ News Feeds on Facebook. This creates a new way to communicate with your fans aside from status updates and news links that you’re probably already used to sharing. These questions also get indexed by Facebook (Questions are visible to everyone on the site), which means other users could find them and in turn find your business. Unfortunately, these Questions don’t show up on your Wall as of yet – one of a handful of usability issues that Facebook still needs to address with the product.

It’s too early to tell how widely used Facebook Questions will be. A huge user base doesn’t guarantee that users will embrace using the product in completely new ways; a great example of that is Google Buzz, which had tens of millions of Gmail users at its disposal but has largely gone quiet in the months since its launch. Still, Q&A offers some interesting possibilities to both engage current customers and potentially reach new ones, so keep an eye on Facebook Questions for future opportunities.

Has your small business tested the waters with Facebook Questions yet? If so, let us know how you’re experimenting with the new feature in the comments below.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- 3 Social Sites for Demonstrating Your Business Acumen
- 15 Twitter Lists for C-Suite Execs to Follow
- How 12 CEOs & Founders are Leveraging Web Video
- How Small Businesses Will Use Social Media in the Future
- HOW TO: Add Multimedia to Your Blog

Reviews: Facebook, Gmail, LinkedIn, Yahoo!

More About: business, facebook, Facebook Questions, small business, smb, social networking

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You can’t block CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook. Try it. You’ll get an error message that says, “General Block failed error: Block failed.”

We don’t know whether it’s a bug or an intentional inside joke, but Facebook’s developers have created jokes and pranks in the past, so we wouldn’t put it past them. Of course, we’re also not sure why you’d want to block him; it’s not likely that he’s spamming your wall with unwanted FarmVille invitations.

Nevertheless, there’s a website called Block Zuck that acts as a sort of catharsis for people fed up with some of Facebook’s recent choices, such as allowing your friends to location-tag you in Facebook Places by default with no confirmation from you.

Maybe you’ll want to block Zuckerberg after you see the fictionalization of his early years at Facebook in the upcoming movie The Social Network just for the principle of the thing. Or maybe you’ll just laugh a little at this easter egg or bug and move on with your life.

Either way, you can verify this by going to Zuckerberg’s Facebook profile, scrolling down near the button of the left panel and clicking “Report/Block this person,” then checking “Block this person” and clicking “Submit.”

Assuming this isn’t just a bug, is it a funny easter egg, or a joke in bad taste? Let us know in the comments.

[via TechCrunch]

Reviews: Facebook

More About: block, ceo, facebook, humor, mark zuckerberg, social media, social networking

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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 will help prepare your business for the day when checkin apps are mainstream — and given that Facebook has rolled out its own checkin features, that day could be sooner than you think.

Location-based apps help you reach out to consumers in your neighborhood. They let you offer timed and targeted special offers to the people who are best-suited to respond to them. And when conducted at a small scale as part of a larger marketing mix, location-based campaigns can offer valuable insights and even some decent ROI for the bottom line-minded small business owner.

Check out these five location-based applications, and be sure to let us know in the comments about other apps you use or that you’ve noticed. We’d also love to hear how your small or medium-sized business has integrated location-based marketing.

1. Whrrl

Tagline: Are you in? Check in, unlock Societies, unleash your Footstream.

The Drill-Down: Whrrl’s main feature is Societies, real-world groups that revolve around specific passions or interests. There are Societies for gourmands, bicycle enthusiasts, parents — just about anything you can imagine. Users make recommendations to one another, and they earn points when other members take their suggestions. The more points a users earns, the more influential he or she is, and the more likely he or she is to win rewards.

Whrrl also uses checkins, but as noted, these aren’t the main part of the application.

How Businesses Can Play: Because of Whrrl’s system of recommendations and influence, word-of-mouth marketing and real-world activation of special offers are already baked into this app. Brands can offer promotions called “Society Rewards.” Essentially, these rewards constitute a loyalty program that starts with online interactions with likely fans and ends in real-world physical presence at your business.

Society owners can set up prizes and a time frame for the program’s duration. For example, if you own a restaurant and a related Society, you can set up a prize of dinner for two to be awarded by the end of the week. Users then check in to get a chance at winning the prize.

2. Brightkite

Tagline: The simple way to keep up with friends and places.

The Drill-Down: Brightkite lets users check in and post comments from just about any location. It also gives its users access to a wide range of features including photo-posting, messaging, comments, tips, tiered rewards, and group chat capabilities. It’s a perfect choice for users who want a more interactive, social experience than Foursquare.

This app’s broader set of features also makes for an interesting gamut of possibilities for creative-minded marketers.

How Businesses Can Play: No stranger to business and brand partnerships, Brightkite specializes in highly targeted, relevant, and effective media placement.

The app can target consumers by precise geography, by behavior and within a given time frame. You can choose to find people in your city or within a given radius of your business. You can choose to reach out to people in a type of location, such as a bar or a hair salon. You can target consumers who are hanging out in groups of two or more, who belong to a certain age group or who speak a certain language. And you can limit your campaign to a given week, weekend, day or even time of day. In other words, you can drill down to reach the exact people you want to find based on just about any variable Brightkite has.

The company can also help you reach out to your friends and neighbors locally, letting nearby Brightkite users know about special deals and promotions.

3. Gowalla

Tagline: Discover, capture and share places and events with your friends.

The Drill-Down: Gowalla is a checkin app that lets users leave tips and complete multi-stop trips to earn virtual items. The app has a travel/adventure theme and features passport stamps as its main currency. Some of the app’s virtual goods can be redeemed for real-world items.

This app started gaining traction around SXSW 2010 and is considered to be one of the top contenders up against Foursquare.

How Businesses Can Play: Creating Gowalla trips in your neighborhood or city is a great way to start using Gowalla and encourage interaction from local users. Many brands have also worked with Gowalla to create in-game virtual items.

For example, Missouri’s Springfield Regional Arts Council created trips around local theaters and art galleries; users earned special items by completing them. Vail Resorts in Colorado has created several trips; one highlights local attractions, and another points out specific points of interest and fun things to do at the resort. The Washington Post has made several local trips and tours around their readers’ interests, such as dancing or burgers.

A Gowalla trip or branded virtual good could be a fun way to bring more Gowalla users into your store or restaurant, especially if your business is linked to other local businesses. You can also contact Gowalla to arrange for a special promotion for your business.

4. Loopt

Tagline: Go places. Find friends. Get stuff.

The Drill-Down: Loopt actually encompasses a suite of applications, including Loopt, Loopt Mix, Loopt Pulse for the iPad, and Loopt Star, a Facebook game with special rewards and achievement perks. It uses a checkin mechanism that shares a user’s location, and helps friends connect and discover new locations. It also integrates with many other web apps and information services, including Zagat, Citysearch, Bing, TastingTable, Zvents, Metromix and SonicLiving, to give its users a really broad array of functions and features.

How Businesses Can Play: Through Loopt Star, you can create customizable rewards, both virtual and real-world. Your promos can range from free products, coupons, and upgrades to virtual goods that still help to create more foot traffic to your business. Loopt also gives businesses access to highly targeted advertising opportunities with special offers that can be directed at specific locations or venues.

5. SCVNGR

Tagline: SCVNGR is a game about doing challenges at places.

The Drill-Down: SCVNGR is a location-based social game. Users earn badges and points for checkins. Each location in SCVNGR contains a list of “challenges” and associated points: check in, snap a photo and leave a comment are among some of the most common challenges. Additionally, owners of a location or “regulars” at that location can also create their own challenges and pursuant points.

In addition to points, users earn rewards for checkins, challenge completions, and other actions.

How Businesses Can Play: This app’s rewards program is sophisticated and will help you reward customers based on progressive actions. You get to decide how many rewards to offer at your business location or locations, how many points your customers will need to earn to unlock a reward, and whether or not that reward can be redeemed more than once. You can also set expiration dates on rewards.

In addition to challenges and rewards, you can also build “treks” to connect multiple places; an example would be the Minnesota Vikings’ promo trek to get fans pumped during off-season training.

These five apps are great options for small business owners looking to explore location-based marketing. Which apps would you add to the list? Let us know in the comments below, and include some details about how small businesses can get involved.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- 3 Social Sites for Demonstrating Your Business Acumen
- 15 Twitter Lists for C-Suite Execs to Follow
- How 12 CEOs & Founders are Leveraging Web Video
- How Small Businesses Will Use Social Media in the Future
- HOW TO: Add Multimedia to Your Blog

Reviews: Bing, Brightkite, Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, Zvents, society

More About: brightkite, geolocation, gowalla, lbs, location, loopt, MARKETING, mobile app, scvngr, small business, smb, whrrl

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“Dead simple” blogging platform Posterous — which has built up a loyal following of users by allowing them to quickly and efficiently e-mail in their blog posts, no formatting required — has released a redesign highlighting the many ways users can share multimedia content on the platform besides e-mail.

At the top of the page, a new header features a rotating roster of blogs, each of which take advantage of the service in a unique way. The Chief Tshirt Officer, for instance, uses the platform to promote its products, while TheWhiteFamily finds that that Posterous is the best way for family members to keep in touch with one another.

The header helps first-time visitors to the site envision ways they could utilize the platform, and existing users expand their use of it in interesting new ways — perhaps with additional kinds of media besides text — as well as “relate to [other] existing users on a very human level,” in the words of User Experience Lead Jack Wilkinson.

Beneath the header is a prominent brown bar with a simple, three-part line illustration that shows just how easy it is to upload content from the web, e-mail or mobile devices, have it formatted and share it with the world.

Together, the new features “help [visitors] not only get a good feel for how the product works, but actually allows them to place themselves and their experiences into the scene, letting them feel how Posterous might fit into their lives,” Wilkinson explained.

The signup on the right is also new. Previously, new visitors were asked to send an e-mail to sign up; now they can do so directly on the front page with a simple web registration form, in addition to the e-mail option. The problem, Wilkinson disclosed, is that many people were hesitant to sign up via e-mail because they were used to signing up through web-based registration forms. “We still love it when people send us an e-mail to register, but if we can remove a barrier of unfamiliarity from the process, everyone wins,” he said.

The new design changes, while minor, are evidence of Posterous’s continued commitment to providing the simplest, easiest user experience possible, including options for those who would rather use a web-based application than e-mail to sign up and blog. Earlier efforts in this vein include upgrades to its web-based Post Editor and the roll-out of “dead simple” domain name registration.

What do you think of the new changes? What blogging platform do you prefer, or do you utilize several?

Reviews: Posterous

More About: blogging, posterous, web design

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Apple has applied for a patent covering various methods for identifying and disabling unauthorized use — including jailbreaking and other hacks — of electronic devices, such as its popular iPhone and iPad products.

Although the U.S. government has legally authorized the jailbreaking (i.e. running code that gives users access to extensions and themes that Apple has not approved, as well as use carriers that are not supported by Apple) of iPhones and other electronic devices for “educational purposes,” it seems that Apple is determined to gain further control over said devices.

Currently, the Cupertino, California-based tech company automatically revokes its warranty on all iPhones that have been subject to jailbreaking and other hacks.

The patent, which was filed in February and published on Thursday, primarily focuses on measures for identifying stolen devices and protecting the kinds of sensitive information, such as credit card numbers and passwords, stored on those devices. Upon learning that a customer’s iPhone has been stolen, for instance, sensitive data stored on that customer’s device could be sent to one of Apple’s remote storage servers and then erased entirely from the phone.

However, the patent also covers methods for identifying devices that have been hacked, jailbroken, unlocked or had their SIM cards removed, such as monitoring sudden increases in memory usage that could “indicate that a hacking program is being run and that an unauthorized user may be using the electronic device.” Theoretically, Apple could then wipe personal data from these devices and then alert AT&T to “shutdown any telephone service to the electronic device, shutdown the electronic device itself, or otherwise suitably extract the functions of the electronic device.”

In other words, the system described in the patent allow Apple to effectively kill jailbroken devices under the guise of protecting customers from theft, since it may not be able to determine whether a device has been stolen or if it is being willingly jailbroken by users.

[img credit: magerleagues]

[via The Register]

More About: apple, iOS4, iphone, jailbreaking, patent, trending

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It’s been a busy week here at Mashable HQ with the launch of Facebook Places. This round-up of resources from the past week or so comes jam-packed with tips and analysis, including a field guide to using (or disabling) Facebook’s new tool.

As always, there are some interesting entries across all of our coverage areas. In Social Media, check out five of the biggest emerging trends, some geeky web comics, and seven services for reserving your favorite username across the web.

Tech and Mobile offers 10 essential e-books for designers, some keyboard shortcuts for your iPhone, and an infographic on the rise of text messaging.

Business closes the round-up with a list of corporate blogs to learn from and great tips for aspiring copywriters and art directors.

Looking for even more social media resources? You can find this guide every weekend, where you can check out all of the lists-gone-by.

Social Media

• 5 Huge Trends in Social Media Right Now
  Social media is no longer just about status updates. It’s connected to our location, shopping habits, entertainment preferences, and nearly everything we do.
• The WikiLeaks Debate: Journalists Weigh In
  For better or worse, WikiLeaks has had important ramifications for journalism. We spoke to four pros for their opinions on the age of Internet whistle blowing.
• A Closer Look at the Privacy Features of Facebook Places [PICS]
  In addition to talk of what the arrival of Facebook Places means for startups like Foursquare, the aftermath of last night’s launch has given rise to a number of questions about privacy.
• A Field Guide to Using Facebook Places
  If you’re ready to start playing, here’s what you’ll need to know about Places.
• HOW TO/NOT TO: Ask Someone Out Online
  We’ve reached that point, folks: the zenith of awkwardness whereby the cables of communication are so plentiful that we are wound in a web of our own making.
• 5 Useful Facebook Trend and Search Services
  Want to know what people are saying on Facebook right now? Search the open data of the world’s largest social network with these 5 handy web apps.
• 7 Services to Find and Reserve Your Name Across the Web
  If you choose a different username for every site you’re on, it can be hard to create a consistent identity across the web. These 7 services can help streamline the process.
• 5 Trends Affecting How We Connect Through Social Media
  Social media is constantly evolving, and the conventions we use to interact and connect change all the time. Here’s a look at where we’re headed.
• The Future of Public Relations and Social Media
  We interviewed 14 PR pros on the future of public relations and how they see social media changing the industry.
• Why Location-Based Social Media Needs to Get “Passive” Aggressive
  Dropping whatever you’re doing to check-in at a new location is just lame. Here’s why the automatic, or “passive” checkin is crucial for the next level of geosocial services.
• 15 Great Geeky Web Comic Strips [PICS]
  Want to dive into the world of web comics? Here are 15 fabulous online cartoon sites and series that are perfect for geeks.

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

Tech & Mobile

• 12 Beginner Tutorials for Getting Started with Adobe Illustrator
  Illustrator is the industry-standard when it comes to vector art, but it can be incredibly intimidating to new users. Here are 12 tutorials to get you started.
• Top 5 Mobile Advertising Trends To Watch
  There’s no question that the mobile advertising market is expanding rapidly, but where’s the best value for your marketing dollars? These 5 trends may shed some light.
• 10 Useful iPhone Keyboard Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks
  Want to be faster and more productive with your iPhone’s virtual keyboard? Check out these handy hacks and features you may not even be aware of.
• HOW TO: Make Your Mobile Websites Act More Like Native Apps
  With all the different mobile platforms out there, it may be smarter to design one great mobile site that feels like a dedicated app on every device. These six frameworks can help.
• 10 Essential Free E-Books for Web Designers
  Looking to build your virtual reference shelf? Here are 10 of the best free e-books for designers, available as either PDFs or in HTML format, that will inspire and educate.
• The Rise of Text Messaging [INFOGRAPHIC]
  Did you know that 14-17 year-old girls in the U.S. send an average of 100 texts each day? Check out this infographic for more interesting SMS stats and facts.
• 10 Incredible iPhone Portrait Photographs
  These 10 gorgeous examples of mobile portraiture will change the way you think about cell phone pics.
• 10 Cool and Unusual Laptop Sleeves [PICS]
  Why not make a statement with your digital outerwear? We’ve found 10 unique laptop sleeves that will add some style and get people talking.
• 5 Open Data Apps That Are Improving Our Cities
  Here are five civic-minded apps based on the Open311 API that can help you help your city, one tweet at a time.

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

Business

• Why Social Media Monitoring Tools Are About to Get Smarter
  For a long time, social monitoring has been about tracking keywords. But recent advances have sparked an arms race in two fields: cluster analysis and semantic analysis.
• 5 Tips for Aspiring Copywriters and Art Directors
  We’ve interviewed some of the top creatives in the advertising industry to get their advice on how to break into the business.
• 5 Key Benefits of Monitoring Your Client’s Brand on Social Media
  If you’re wondering why you should invest in social media monitoring, consider these 5 advantages your business could glean from the process.
• 7 Steps to Measuring Your Brand’s Social Media Health
  Its not enough to have and execute a social media policy. You need to be able to gauge its success, measure it, and see that it remains healthy and vibrant.
• HOW TO: Make a Graceful Online Exit From Your Job
  When it comes time to kiss your cubicle goodbye, you can scamper away or you can tie up digital loose ends and depart with dignity.
• 15 Excellent Corporate Blogs to Learn From
  Although the act of blogging can be quite simple, forethought and planning must first go into the creation of a corporate blog in order to keep the processes running smoothly.

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

Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Internet, Mashable, Twitter, iPhone

More About: business, facebook, Facebook Places, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tech, technology, trend, trending, twitter, youtube

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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 of the city on its behalf. Anyone who picked one up would find the address of the Mafia Wars website, where they could get information on Mafia Wars: Las Vegas, the new expansion pack for the online social game.

The city has since had to remove the bills “at considerable expense,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

San Francisco is no stranger to viral marketing campaigns as you can probably imagine, but a city attorney spokesman said “It really is a mess; it’s worse than stenciling.”

The campaign was actually organized by an ad agency called Davis Ellen Advertising, which said in a statement, “We take full responsibility for the program, regret any inconvenience this advertising has caused to the city and its residents and are working with the city to immediately resolve the issue.”

Zynga is one of the biggest web tech companies in the world right now. It has been valued at a whopping $4 billion, and its games have millions of players on web portals and social networks like Yahoo, Facebook and MySpace. It’s rumored that the company has made a deal with Google to be a cornerstone of a coming Google Games platform or portal.

These viral marketing campaigns get a lot of attention sometimes — especially when they stir up controversy like this. It’s tough to say whether or not Zynga and Davis Ellen Advertising knew this would be a problem and were counting on it, but let’s face it, it’s more publicity. Let’s just hope it’s worth any possible fines or other legal action from the city attorney.

Reviews: Facebook, Google, MySpace

More About: attorney, Mafia Wars, mafia wars las vegas, MARKETING, online games, San Francisco-San Jose, social games, social gaming, video games, viral marketing, Zynga

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Reviews: Apps, Digg, Mashable, iStockphoto, social media

We all know Chrome is fast, but can it also be social? We’ve already brought you a list of social media extensions for Google’s Chrome browser, but here we set our sights on extensions designed specifically for Twitter.

We’ve scoured Chrome’s extensions listings and found seven free tools that we think are worth the install for anyone who uses Twitter’s web interface.

From extensions that will help you be more productive, to those that will just let you have more fun, check out our list below and let us know about any Twitter-related Chrome plug-ins that you use in the comments.

1. Twitter Share This Page

If you want a super-quick way of sharing a URL on Twitter, you can’t go wrong with the “Twitter Share This Page” extension.

Once installed, all you have to do — when you are on the page you want to share — is hit the blue “t” icon (which appears on the right-hand side of your browser bar) and the extension will load the relevant URL in your “What’s happening?” Twitter box.

If you want the link shortened, right click on the “t” icon and select the shortening option. All shared links will be pre-shrunk using Bit.ly.

2. Twitter Extender

Khaled Musaied’s “Twitter Extender” also offers tidy Bit.ly URL shortening abilities with an “add URL” option inserted just below the “What’s happening” box.

There are a ton of other enhancements offered by the extension, including old-style retweeting abilities, “reply to all” functionality, quicker direct messaging and the option to load previous tweets if the tweet is a reply.

3. TwitterWatch – Real Time Twitter Update

This tool is very useful for anyone wanting a lightweight way to watch keywords and topics, especially if they are topical memes.

Installing it will place a little blue “t” button on the right-hand side of your browser bar, which, when clicked, lets you manage your keyword phrases.

Once you’ve set up the words you want watched, a tiny number will appear on the “t” letting you know how many mentions the word has racked up. Clicking it again will let you see the mentions in full.

4. Twitter Refresh

You can make Twitter streams — whether they are your homepage stream or a search stream — refresh automatically. Tweets pour fluidly down the page, saving you from having to bother with the “X new tweets” clickable bar.

5. Twitter Creation Date

This is a fun one. Other than pure nosiness, the only real reason we could see for anyone needing this data is journalistic/research purposes. Usefulness aside, this extension will let you see the date that any user joined the micro-blogging service.

6. Twitter Photo Zoom

Ideal for the lazy Twitterer, Twitter Photo Zoom will super-size anyone’s avatar from the home screen or sidebar lists when you run your cursor over the thumbnail.

7. Twitter Symbols

Use this extension if you want to spice up your tweets with unusual symbols like stars, check marks and the like. If they’re supported by the browsers and systems on the reader’s end, they’ll appear in your tweets normally, and you won’t have to memorize any unusual codes or load up a character map outside the browser to make it happen.

More Startup Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Startup Tips From the Father of Gmail and FriendFeed
- 20 of the Best Resources to Get Your Startup Off the Ground
- 6 Ways to Recruit Talent for Startups
- 5 Lessons to Learn from Web Startups
- 40+ Essential Social Business Resource

Reviews: Chrome, Twitter

More About: browser add on, chrome, Chrome Extensions, extensions, google chrome, twitter, twitter apps, twitter tools, web apps

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A new Google Maps-based web app has placemarks for major locations mentioned in hip hop lyrics, plus the inside story behind each place and the song that named it.

It’s called “The Rap Map,” and its database is by far strongest in New York City. That’s partly because New York City is an important locale in hip hop history, but we have to admit we’re a little disappointed with the volume of entries for Los Angeles and Chicago, two other cities with incredible histories documented in rap music.

That said, the map is less than a week old and users can suggest locations, so the entries will probably expand in the future.

The app was created by Rap Genius, a website dedicated to the history, meanings and stories embedded in hip hop song lyrics. It’s a natural extension for the website’s mission, of course, and just another neat example of how web apps like Google Maps and the developer tools that come with them can be used creatively.

In the past, we’ve seen Google Maps used to aggregate Foursquare and Gowalla checkins together, help people find flu shots, map Twitter trends, show apartment listings and even help the people of Iran find embassies accepting injured people. Those are just a few examples of many, of course.

Reviews: Google Maps

More About: api, App, Chicago, Google, Google Maps, hip-hop, music, new york, rap, rap genius, the rap map

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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 users value; the relationships and connections they are able to make with companies and fellow consumers are just as important.

As a result, engaging users online and off has become evermore important for both companies big and small. That’s because social media has revolutionized the idea of word-of-mouth marketing, providing not only an opportunity for companies to expand their brands but also creating the risk of a customer service nightmare.

Community managers, who come in all shapes and sizes depending on the company and its mission, are often the online face of their companies, and more increasingly, offline as well. They’re the social strategist, community builder, storyteller, marketer, product manager, designer and evangelist rolled all into one. But most importantly, they’re responsible in projects and initiatives that strengthen the community of consumers, users and customers of the company.

Though there’s no silver bullet to being a successful community manager, for those aspiring to become one, we’ve gathered some tips from community builders on what it takes to land a job and be effective at cultivating community.

1. Be an Expert and Evangelist of Your Product or Company

Effective community managers are not only experts of the company or product they represent, but also are passionate about it. Chrysanthe Tenentes, Head of Community at Foursquare, said good community managers are ones that are genuine advocates and evangelists for their products and their users.

“The best community managers are superusers of their products and can understand the passion of the user base, whether someone is complaining or offering feedback,” Tenentes said.

This means doing your homework on the company and product. It’s important to research the relevant aspects of the company with a “fine tooth comb mentality,” said Seamus Condron, Community Manager at ReadWriteWeb. This will not only prepare you as you go into an interview for a community spot at a company. Aspiring community managers should do a thorough “social media audit” of the company they’re interviewing with, said Daniel Honigman, Social Media Manager at Sears/KMart Home Electronics. This also means knowing the competitive landscape.

2. Love The Product and Company, But Be the Users’ Advocate

Understanding the product will help you become better at engaging and understanding the customers and users as well. Mario Sundar, Senior Social Media Manager at LinkedIn, said you should love the product or company you represent, but you should also have an understanding of users’ pain points. He said a community manager should be empathetic, that will help them be better at responding to complaints (and, at times, rants).

This is particularly true of customer service teams, and companies like Zappos, he said, have set the bar high in building customer support by empathizing with consumers. “A community manager’s role is no different,” he said.

3. Work on Your Communication Skills

One of the characteristics a community manager should have is that of an engager. A good community manager can engage people in an effective dialogue, said Andres Glusman, Vice President of Strategy & Community at Meetup.com. They understand that their role is to help people and enable their community to connect with each other, he said. To do this, they have to be effective communicators and articulate themselves well.

To prepare yourself for a career as a community manager, having a background in either marketing or journalism helps, Tenentes said. Having a communications background and experience in writing will help you be an effective communicator.

4. Blog and Have a Social Presence

Part of being a good communicator is engaging customers and users with an authentic voice. Practice makes perfect. Having a voice in the community by maintaining a blog, for example, or even having a presence on various social platforms will enable you to become better at engaging, while getting the attention of employers.

“Having a blog where you write about the industry is a great way to get companies to pay attention to you, as does having an active Twitter account that indicates you know how to communicate one-to-many,” Tenentes from Foursquare said.

Sundar also got help from blogging. He said he found his job for LinkedIn because of blogging and believes taking an hour a day to blog on social media topics will help you stand out from the rest of the social media crowd.

“I’m constantly surprised by how few of those aspiring community managers actually spend time to manage a career blog where they share tips and tricks on what works and what doesn’t,” he said. “Everyone has a LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter account, but career blogs are few and far in between. Build a brand for yourself with your blog before you actually get paid to manage one.”

5. Be Authentic

It’s not just about having a voice, but having an authentic one. Condron said he tries to utilize his sense of humor when appropriate (and sometimes when it’s not). At the same time, he also does his best to be humble, and let his work speak for itself. “I hate selling myself, and that includes associating myself with silly titles like guru and expert,” he said.

Sundar points to examples like Comcast and Dell, which have shown how even big brands successfully present an authentic face while dealing with customers. The key in building trust with your user base, he said, is being authentic and more about the people behind your company rather than a faceless brand.

6. Be Multi-Skilled and Prioritize Your Platforms Strategically

Good community managers are ones that are able to multi-task and are multi-skilled. Having experience in web design, writing, and even some coding helps when you take on projects that involve site integration. It will help you know what’s possible and if you have enough skills to build out site features, it will help make integration more efficient. But, in general, the more skills you bring to the table, the more valuable you are as a candidate, especially for small companies that are looking for a one-person band that can play all the instruments and sing.

Condron also points out that the community manager role is very different for each company, and because so many companies are still hiring their first community manager, the role is often defined by your existing skill set. “The more you know, the more you have to offer,” Condron said.

Being a good multitasker and having a range of skills also includes the ability to pick your battles, said Katy Zack, Communications Manager at Howcast. She said this means looking at the platforms that are out there, and investing your time and resources based on where your audience is. This means thinking beyond the major social platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

7. Listen, Add Value and Build Relationships

It’s important to listen to the conversations taking place around your company, industry, or product. Being a good listener will enable you to gather feedback more effectively, feedback that can go towards improving the quality or experience the user has with the product. Also, although it’s important to have a voice in the space, using that voice effectively means adding value to the conversations taking place and not just adding noise to the echo chamber.

Sundar also points out that it’s important to strengthen your relationships whether or not you’re looking for a job. “Building relationships is a must for your career, especially for folks in the community space, and is more effective when you’re actually not looking for a job,” he said. This helps create authentic relationships, not just ones that are based on you trying to sell yourself for an open position. If you invest in relationships, it will open opportunities up down the road.

8. Engage Online and Off

Though online community is important, connecting with people in-person will help strengthen the relationships you build, Zack from Howcast said. Go to the places where community managers come to exchange ideas and network. “Don’t discount the real-life community,” she said. “Find your tweetups and where people with your interests are meeting in real life.”

This is also a principal to take once you land a job as a community manager. The offline community is just as important to facilitate through events, meetups and in-person meetings. Tenentes said community managers should reach out to the local tech community, go to meetups (or start their own if there is a lack of community), and meet with people in the same industry. This not only helps in building relationships, but will also help you learn from others in your industry.

9. Think Like an Entrepreneur and Be Quick to Adapt

Community managers have to be entrepreneurial and have a vision for each project, big or small. Building a community means having a strategy for it and the knowledge and drive to implement it, whether with building on a big platform or having a presence and voice on a small one. Sundar said tomorrow’s community manager should be able to adapt to the latest social media technologies. They should also be able to build measurable engagement within that user community, he said.

In many cases you have to be the driving force behind a project, with no one pushing the strategy and idea. Having an entrepreneurial spirit will enable you to get things done quickly and efficiently.

10. Empower Your Colleagues to Be Community Builders

You can’t do it on your own. Building community also includes the internal community of the company itself, and being able to empower your colleagues to engage the community will make your job easier and also help them better understand the value in what you’re doing.

“If your boss and your colleagues aren’t buying into what you’re doing, your head is going to start hitting the ceiling fast,” Condron said.

Honigman, Social Media Manager at Sears/KMart Home Electronics, said this doesn’t mean mandating social media involvement from your colleagues, because it won’t work in getting them interested or engaged. “Find a few folks within the organization you can win over and work with, and let them help you tell your story,” he said.

Bonus: DOs & DON’Ts

Here are some bonus tips and dos and don’t that some of our experts offered as you search and find a career in community management.

• Chrysanthe Tenentes, Foursquare: “Do apply to work for companies whose product you use and love. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a company that doesn’t have a job posting. A lot of young companies need a community manager but might not realize it yet.”
• Mario Sundar, LinkedIn: “Before the interview you want to research the folks you’ll be interviewing with on LinkedIn, find common connections or folks who have worked at that company, and ping them should you have relevant questions prior to the interview. Twitter lets you follow the right folks — hiring managers, fellow community and social media experts — in your space on Twitter. Create a separate Twitter list of those folks, since your master Twitter feed may be far too noisy, and set up Twitter notifications so you can better engage with them in real time.”
• Seamus Condron, RWW: “DO remember that social media and community are rooted in human interaction and relationships. If all you’re doing is promoting the company’s self-interests, you’re not a community manager. You’re a used car salesman. DON’T focus all of your time and energy on shiny tools that create a confusing user experience and de-emphasize the people. Tools are overrated. Focus on the relationships.”
• Andres Glusman, Meetup.com: “Experiment a lot. Recognize and reward the behaviors you want. Weed out behaviors that are detrimental to culture you are trying to foster.”

We hope you found these useful and we want to know what some of your tips are. In the spirit of community, please share them in the comments below!

Community Management Job Listings

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

• Community Manager at Ballywho Interactive in Wesley Chapel, FL.
• Community Manager at Ally Marketing in Redmond, WA.
• Social Community Manager at Publicis in Seattle, WA.
• Community Manager at Team One in El Segundo, CA.
• Social Media Marketer and Community Manager at Mob Mobile in Los Angeles, CA.

More Job Search Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Tips for Aspiring Copywriters and Art Directors
- Top 5 Tips for Aspiring Music Bloggers
- 5 Tips for Aspiring Social Media Marketers
- HOW TO: Score a Design Job
- 10 iPhone Apps to Manage Your Job Search on the Go

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, mattjeacock

Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Twitter, iStockphoto

More About: careers, community manager, companies, job search series, jobs, List, social media, tips, trending

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Google is testing a feature that displays live-updating search results as you type your search query, no keystroke on “Enter” or “Return” required.

When you start typing, the search box is relocated to the top of the site. Results are changed to match what you type as you go, kind of like a Firefox page search, Spotlight on the Mac, or Windows 7’s “Search programs and files” field in the start menu.

These live search results are not available to the public at large. Google regularly tests new features with very small selections of users. Some of those features never see a public launch, but some do. Google releases new search features to the public all the time; just last week it launched Google Apps Search, which searches Google’s Gmail, Docs and Sites web apps.

Google makes its money by displaying contextual ads based on your searches. You’d think this would make that more challenging, but as far as we can tell from the video, those ads are updated live along with your search results.

Blogger Rob Ousbey discovered the feature (others have confirmed it) and wrote about it. He also recorded a video of the feature in action; we’ve embedded that below.

[via Google Operating System]

Reviews: Firefox, Google, Windows, blogger

More About: Feature, Google, incremental search, live search, Search, search engine, test, trending, video

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Apple’s iPhone may mark a second golden age of computer gaming for a lot of reasons. The open marketplace means anyone can create a game; from major companies to just a couple of talented people in a garage. The result is a new boom in innovation, the likes of which we haven’t seen in about 20 years.

Even with all the potential for innovation, maybe you still want to relive that first golden age of gaming. If you’re excited for how new tech can update the classics, then this list is for you: 10 of the greatest, most influential, straight-up classic computer games ever made, all available on and completely remastered for Apple’s handset, and in most cases also playable on the iPod touch and iPad.

There are so many phenomenal PC game ports for the iPhone that we had a hard time narrowing it down to just 10. We couldn’t help but sneak in a very special bonus at the end. Flip through the gallery below for the list and be sure and tell us about your favorites too.

1. Doom Classic

The mother of all first-person shooters, this game is so iconic that it spawned a web community dedicated to getting other devices to play it. As for the iPhone, we can safely say: "It plays Doom."

Price: $6.99

2. Myst

A masterwork of interactive storytelling, this game was unlike any that came before it. Blatant imitators have been making games for more than 15 years now.

Price: $4.99

3. The Oregon Trail

An educational game that became part of an entire generation's zeitgeist, The Oregon Trail got a radical renovation for the iPhone. The graphics are improved, and there are a lot of fun mini-games to now play during your journey.

Price: $2.99

4. The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition

One of the funniest games of all time, The Secret of Monkey Island was made by the illustrious LucasArts adventure game studio. You can play the game as it originally appeared, or you can play the voiced and redrawn version. The iPhone remastering of the sequel just came out, too.

Price: $7.99

5. Plants vs. Zombies

It's not very often that a game comes out that can be called a classic just over a year after its release. Few would dispute that Plants vs. Zombies is deserving of the title. It's hard to believe that the game originated on the PC, though, because once you play it on a touchscreen, you won't want to go back.

Price: $2.99

6. Beneath a Steel Sky: Remastered

Not as well-known as The Secret of Monkey Island, Beneath a Steel Sky was a point-and-click, cult hit adventure game. Solve the mysteries and meet the strange characters of a post-apocalyptic world in this one.

Price: $2.99

7. Prince of Persia Retro

The PC wasn't known for its platform jumping games. But Prince of Persia was a uniquely PC take on the console-dominated genre. This remastered version is faithful to the original, including its unforgiving difficulty. Watch yourself.

Price: $0.99

8. Rogue

Rogue is the great grandfather of World of Warcraft. Until that hugely popular MMO hits the iPhone, this is one of your best bets. As with Monkey Island, you can play either the remastered version or the original (in this case an ASCII-text only affair). Yes, Rogue is really that old, but its influence is strongly felt even today.

Price: Free

9. Sim City Deluxe

Everyone knows SimCity. This iPhone version is basic compared to some of the later offerings in the series, but when you're playing on the go, that's probably okay.

Price: $6.99

10. Worms

Another cult hit, Worms was the final evolution of an obscure genre of games that involved calculating angles and wind speeds to deliver lethal volleys at friends. Worms was more action-oriented and hilarious, and the franchise has been a staple for gamers for a long time now.

Price: $4.99

BONUS: Frotz

Frotz isn't a game on its own, but we had to include it because it's one of the most exciting classic PC gaming apps for the iPhone.

It's kind of like an iBooks or Kindle for interactive fiction. Text-based adventure games were immensely popular in the late 70s and early 80s; if you remember those times, you won't want to miss Frotz. It runs many of your old favorites, plus new adventures made by enthusiasts who are still being creative today.

Price: Free

More entertainment resources from Mashable:

- 10 iPad Games Worth Paying For
- 10 Awesome Vintage Video Games You Can Play Online
- 10 Cool Konami Code Easter Eggs
- 10 Fun Casual Games for Android Phones
- HOW TO: Download Google Pac-Man Game for Free

More About: apple, Beneath a Steel Sky, classic games, classics, Doom, DoS, games, iOS, ipad, iphone, iPod Touch, Mobile 2.0, myst, pc, pc games, plants vs zombies, Rogue, simcity, The Oregon Trail, The Secret of Monkey Island, video games, Windows, Wolfenstein 3D, worms

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Entertainment — of the U.S. and international varieties — takes home the Twitter gold this week, in what was a fairly stable list of trends.

The new comic book-inspired film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, starring Michael Cera, jumped from #4 last week, to #1 this week, despite modest returns at the box office. Long-time Twitter trend Inception sank to #4, and the new Sylvester Stallone action flick The Expendables grabbed #6.

Brazilian politics are back, football has never left, and a handful of Indonesian trends, one related to Twitter favorite Justin Bieber, round out this week’s chart.

Check out the complete list below, compiled by our friends over at What The Trend. Because this is a topical list, hashtag memes and games have been omitted from the chart.

You can check past Twitter trends in our Top Twitter Topics section as well as read more about this past week’s trends on What The Trend.

Top Twitter Trends This Week: 8/14 – 8/20

RankTopicTop Index This WeekIntensityDescription#1Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Movie)14Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, starring Michael Cera, is a fantasy/sci-fi movie in which a boy takes on the girl of his dreams ex’s in order to win over her heart. The movie came out August 13th and so far has only done about $14M at the box office.#2Brazilian Politics13Dilma Rousseff and José Serra, both candidates for the Brazilian presidency, were the top commented-on individuals this week. People also complained about the "election propaganda" being distributed by the major candidates.#3Soccer/Football13Ana Buceta and Messut Ozil were the top stars this week, with Ozil confirming his trade to Real Madrid. The 2010 Copa Libertadores ended August 18th, with Internacional taking first place.#4Inception (Movie)33Inception is a 2010 sci-fi action thriller film written, produced and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio. Inception was released on July 16, 2010 and has international box office grosses of $564M to date.#5Dona Delma Hoax22Dona Delma was a fake persona created to reach Brazilian Trending Topics, a meme started via the popular-in-Brazil social network Orkut. People would add "Dona Delma" to the end of all tweets.#6The Expendables (Movie)24People are tweeting about the new action movie The Expendables, starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li and others, directed by Stallone. It had an opening weekend box office of $35M.#7Super Junior21SS3 stands for Super Show 3, the Super Junior Asian Concert in support of their 4th album. HeeChul, member of Korean boy group Super Junior, dressed up as Lady Gaga for their SS3 concert, and now fans call him Lady Hee.#8Indonesian Independence Day21On August, 17th 2010, Indonesia celebrated its 65th Independence Day with a flag raising ceremony at the National Palace, as well as at Indonesian Embassies all around the world.#9Justin Bieber11Pacaran is Indonesian for "in a relationship." Indonesians are tweeting about a hypothetical relationship between Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Silly Bandz are rubber or silicon bracelets that are worn and collected. They are trending today because a Justin Bieber version is coming out.#10Jonas Brothers11Joe Jonas from the Jonas Brothers celebrates his 21st birthday. Ashley Greene, who plays Alice Cullen in the Twilight saga films, is rumored to be dating Joe Jonas. Their celebrity couple name is "Jashley."

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, ricardoinfante

Reviews: Orkut, Twitter, iStockphoto, justin bieber, movie, twilight

More About: entertainment, football, inception, justin bieber, List, Lists, Movies, scott pilgrim vs the world, social media, sports, teens, Top Twitter Topics, trending, trends, twitter, twitter trends

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Update: Swedish authorities have withdrawn their warrant for Julian Assange, according to the Associated Press. “I don’t think there is reason to suspect that he has committed rape,” chief prosecutor Eva Finne said in a short statement.

—

Julian Assange, the founder of the controversial WikiLeaks website, is being accused with crimes of molestation and rape by Swedish authorities. The website is denying the allegations, saying that they are “without basis.”

Swedish authorities issued the warrant for Assange’s arrest late yesterday. While details are sparse, Sweden’s prosecutors’ office has said that Assange should contact the police “so that he can be confronted with the suspicions,” according to The Guardian.

Assange and WikiLeaks have responded though. “The charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing,” Assange stated in a tweet several hours ago.

Since then, the organization has issued an official statement:

“On Saturday 21st of August, we have been made aware of rape allegations made against Julian Assange, founder of this project and one of our spokespeople.

We are deeply concerned about the seriousness of these allegations. We the people behind WikiLeaks think highly of Julian and and he has our full support.

While Julian is focusing on his defenses and clearing his name, WikiLeaks will be continuing its regular operations.”

Swedish tabloid Expressen, which first reported the story, says the rape accusations revolve around two 20 to 30 year old women he recently met. Those reports are unconfirmed, though.

WikiLeaks rose to prominence last month when it leaked over 70,000 secret documents related to the U.S. war in Afghanistan. The leak has caused a firestorm of controversy. The Pentagon has already demanded the return of the Afghan war reports or it will find ways to “to compel them to do the right thing.” WikiLeaks recently pledged to release 15,000 more documents related to the Afghan war.

Assange was in Sweden last week to deliver a talk and to apply for a publishing certificate for WikiLeaks, according to media reports. The organization has servers in Sweden because of its laws protecting whistleblowers. It’s unclear where Assange, an Australian citizen, is currently.

[img credit: Markchew2010]

More About: julian assange, legal, Rape, sweden, trending, wikileaks

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Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen several web companies switch to freemium business models, offering free versions of their services but providing additional features and functionality at tiered prices. Hootsuite and Slideshare are just two companies that have recently switched, but there are many more turning to the freemium business model to generate revenue.

We were interested in the trend, so we made it the subject of this week’s Web Faceoff, our weekly series where we pit two opposing technology products or ideas against each other for your vote. We asked you on Monday which web business model you preferred.

Your winner: Freemium. With 36.88% of the vote (461 votes), Freemium was the preferred business model of Mashable readers. Ad-supported received a 24.4% share (305 votes), while 34.24% of you (428 votes) said it was a tie.

Our commenters made interesting points about the two business models in this week’s faceoff. “The correct balance with each model makes both acceptable to me,” said commenter Wadehammes. “When they start over doing ads or there is a HUGE gap between the free and paid version of the product (updates, feature fixes, versions, etc.), that’s when it get tricky to pick which one is better than the other.” Another commenter, Mike Weber said it was a tie because “it completely depends on the product and the upsell path / offering.”

What do you think of this week’s results? What’s your take on the business models that generate revenue for some of your favorite web applications and services? Voice your opinion in the comments.

Which web business model do you prefer: Freemium or Ad Supportedcustomer surveys

Reviews: Mashable

More About: ad, Ad Supported, business, business models, freemium, hootsuite, slideshare

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