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As it has with other countries in the Arab world, technology continues to play a role in communications between protesters in Morocco, Yemen and Syria, as well as between those protesters and the global public. It has also served as the fulcrum for the offending regimes’ attempts at hanging onto power: posting propaganda, misleading statements attributed to protestors, shutting off access to the Internet and more.

I asked people I know in the countries of the Arab Spring to tell us how they think things currently stand and what role technology continues to play there. Today we take a look at Morocco, Yemen and Syria.

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Morocco

Lbadikho is a blogger and author at Talk Morocco and one of the co-founders of Mamfakinch. In a recent article on Talk Morocco, he “tried to evaluate the role of technology as a catalyst to the (protests).”

“In the eve of the protests, more precisely in February 19th, a large call for canceling the Feb20 protests was spread through official state television and some independent Radios. Many people started believing this fake canceling, as the state media used one ex figures of the Feb20 to give credit to this call.

“Activists started to deny this state-organized rumor using social networks and blogs. At mamfakinch for example, this communiqué discredits the major Press Agency in Morocco with Snapshoots proving that the Agency is aiming by its rumors to spread information that would let people really think the protests are cancelled and not to take to the streets the day after.

“From this point of view, Feb20 was a good gauge for New Medias’ impact in Morocco : the Mamfakinch’s denial was read more than 15000 times [1] few hours after being posted, and similar denial were spread through social media, mainly facebook to let people know that there were no cancelling of the demonstrations as MSM claimed. On sunday, the number of participants was so important that orders were given to state televisions to cover the demonstrations.”

In other words, in Morocco, social media has proven a largely successful bullshit detector.

“I add to the articles,” Lbadikho told ReadWriteWeb, “the difference between Morocco and Tunisia is that in our case, the absence of Tunisian-like censorship made that we don’t have the same number of Internet-savvy activists. For example, you’ll not find a group like Takriz in Morocco, unfortunately.”

Yemen

Walid Al-Saqaf is a Yemeni activist and media researcher based in Sweden. He is the editor of the news aggregation site Yemen Portal.

“Although there has been a rapid growth in the use of the Internet in recent years, excessive power outages, diesel shortage and price hikes have caused a decline in Internet access due to high costs of operating Internet cafes. Yemen is among the poorest countries in the world and most Internet users don’t own their own computers. Yet almost all Yemenis have mobile connectivity though the government limited Internet services and international calls for users of SabaFon, the GSM company mainly owned by Hameed Al-Ahmar, a leading opposition figure calling for the end of Saleh’s regime.

“Yet when we consider the high percentage of illiteracy, lack of adequate infrastructure for telecommunication and electricity in vast areas of the country, we can say that Yemenis were able to overcome many obstacles and leverage technology in their favor. For example, there are dozens of Facebook groups supporting the revolution. Many are aggregated by my search engine Yemen Portal and are utilizing the global social network to propagate their messages and share videos of demonstrations, attacks, and other important and relevant events and activities.”

Unfortunately, I could not get an in-country source on Syria by the time of posting. I hope to feature an update on that country later.

Read the first post in this series, covering Tunisia, Egypt and Bahrain. The final post will cover the effect of these uprisings outside the Arab world.

Yemen photos by Sallam, Morocco photo by Magharebia

Discuss

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As it has with other countries in the Arab world, technology continues to play a role in communications between protesters in Morocco, Yemen and Syria, as well as between those protesters and the global public. It has also served as the fulcrum for the offending regimes’ attempts at hanging onto power: posting propaganda, misleading statements attributed to protestors, shutting off access to the Internet and more.

I asked people I know in the countries of the Arab Spring to tell us how they think things currently stand and what role technology continues to play there. Today we take a look at Morocco, Yemen and Syria.

Sponsor

Morocco

Lbadikho is a blogger and author at Talk Morocco and one of the co-founders of Mamfakinch. In a recent article on Talk Morocco, he “tried to evaluate the role of technology as a catalyst to the (protests).”

“In the eve of the protests, more precisely in February 19th, a large call for canceling the Feb20 protests was spread through official state television and some independent Radios. Many people started believing this fake canceling, as the state media used one ex figures of the Feb20 to give credit to this call.

“Activists started to deny this state-organized rumor using social networks and blogs. At mamfakinch for example, this communiqué discredits the major Press Agency in Morocco with Snapshoots proving that the Agency is aiming by its rumors to spread information that would let people really think the protests are cancelled and not to take to the streets the day after.

“From this point of view, Feb20 was a good gauge for New Medias’ impact in Morocco : the Mamfakinch’s denial was read more than 15000 times [1] few hours after being posted, and similar denial were spread through social media, mainly facebook to let people know that there were no cancelling of the demonstrations as MSM claimed. On sunday, the number of participants was so important that orders were given to state televisions to cover the demonstrations.”

In other words, in Morocco, social media has proven a largely successful bullshit detector.

“I add to the articles,” Lbadikho told ReadWriteWeb, “the difference between Morocco and Tunisia is that in our case, the absence of Tunisian-like censorship made that we don’t have the same number of Internet-savvy activists. For example, you’ll not find a group like Takriz in Morocco, unfortunately.”

Yemen

Walid Al-Saqaf is a Yemeni activist and media researcher based in Sweden. He is the editor of the news aggregation site Yemen Portal.

“Although there has been a rapid growth in the use of the Internet in recent years, excessive power outages, diesel shortage and price hikes have caused a decline in Internet access due to high costs of operating Internet cafes. Yemen is among the poorest countries in the world and most Internet users don’t own their own computers. Yet almost all Yemenis have mobile connectivity though the government limited Internet services and international calls for users of SabaFon, the GSM company mainly owned by Hameed Al-Ahmar, a leading opposition figure calling for the end of Saleh’s regime.

“Yet when we consider the high percentage of illiteracy, lack of adequate infrastructure for telecommunication and electricity in vast areas of the country, we can say that Yemenis were able to overcome many obstacles and leverage technology in their favor. For example, there are dozens of Facebook groups supporting the revolution. Many are aggregated by my search engine Yemen Portal and are utilizing the global social network to propagate their messages and share videos of demonstrations, attacks, and other important and relevant events and activities.”

Unfortunately, I could not get an in-country source on Syria by the time of posting. I hope to feature an update on that country later.

Read the first post in this series, covering Tunisia, Egypt and Bahrain. The final post will cover the effect of these uprisings outside the Arab world.

Yemen photos by Sallam, Morocco photo by Magharebia

Discuss

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When starting your own online Internet Business, there’s one very important factor that has to be determined. And while having it, won’t guarantee success, not having it will almost surely guarantee failure. It is simply a market or a hungry crowd which needs a result from your internet marketing product. If there is no one who wants what you are selling, then your online business is destined to fail.

For an online internet marketing business to succeed, it’s essential that research for any given product must be carried out first. The most popular way to carry out your research for your niche is to use Google. The key isn’t to Google your internet marketing product, but rather to Google the problem that your online business idea solves.

Find out what kind of buzz is happening in relation to your internet marketing product that you are attempting to resolve and if there aren’t any complaints about the problem, then there isn’t a need to solve it.

These days people can keep in touch with each other or find people they’ve lost contact with, by using social networks.

These are incredible networks, as they can also be used for business. When starting their own online internet marketing business. a lot of budding entrepreneurs go broke because they hire out people to help them get the necessary exposure for their online business. This does have it’s benefits long term, however these same people often overlook the value of social networking web sites and programs that can be helpful in attracting possible customers. Having a social network page to advertise your information marketing product is becoming very popular.

When you find the social network site you want to use for your online business – Facebook or Twitter, you should register your internet business with it’s professional name. Most of these social networks have a marketplace – type page to put your business onto. Ensure that you check all the options available to you within that particular network. When you register your marketing products make sure you provide accurate descriptions about your online business, which will educate and interest people.

As with Google, you should always use keywords within your social network marketing. From there you have to get connected. You need to invite as many people as you can to get invited to your site. In time your business could get connected to new clients thanks to friends or friends of other friends. Connections can spread like wildfire but only if you take the time to ignite that fire.

Finally don’t neglect your social network site, keep updating it, promote new products and keep in touch with new clients. A lot of times budding information marketers don’t do this and this can have consequences to your online business. Mixing business with pleasure is almost impossible in some realms of information marketing, but using online social networks can be great fun and can help push your online internet business to new heights.

Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources

How to Create Demand For Your Product By Using Online Social Networks

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Originally posted at The Digital Home

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What can you use the application for?


Regular people tend to be the best resource for information and recommendations, especially on a local level. InTheMO is an internet based application that takes that idea and runs with it. Users can share recommendations of their favorite local haunts. The site is designed to help people find personalized suggestions based on their individual tastes and preferences. The user can enter keywords and include a geographic location to go with it. In the Mo produces results close to the location. Users can also get recommendations from friends and family through Gmail, Facebook and Twitter. The site also highlights popular videos from all over the world, featured city hosts and an upcoming iPhone and iPad application.

What is the history and popularity of the application?


InTheMO still has a long way to go before it is officially released. The application was created by CML Media Corporation and is currently in a beta status. It was intended to give users a way to explore many areas, including some of the most popular cities from all over the world.

What are the differences to other applications?


In the Mo provides user with a way to get personalized recommendations about places to check out in a specific area. The application allows the user to search or receive recommendations from the people they know using social networks. These features make In the Mo unique although overall the application does many of the same things that other applications do. It is still worth a visit because the user could always discover something they otherwise would not have.

How does the application look and feel to use?


The In the Mo website has a very trendy feel to it that entices new users to get involved in the online community. A black header at the top of the page is contrasted by blue, purple and green elements. A majority of the website uses a white background, which really helps to prevent the trendy atmosphere from wandering into “busy” territory. The homepage features numerous videos and other highlights as well as links to some of the most popular cities throughout the world.

How does the registration process work?


A new user can join InTheMO by clicking on the green “Sign up / Login” button at the top, right hand corner of the homepage. A pop up box appears asking the user to log in. Along the right hand side, near the bottom of the box is a large blue button that gives users the option of creating an account through Facebook. Just below that is a small blue link that reads “sign up with an email address.” Clicking the link takes the user to the simple registration form, which requires a first name, last name, email address and password.

What does it cost to use the application?


InTheMO works much like a social network. Although a user can find many new things through In the Mo, the service does not really warrant a subscription fee or other charge. Doing so would only turn away users that might otherwise have joined the In the Mo community. Luckily, the creators have kept access completely cost-free. Anyone can create an account for free. There are no subscription fees and no premium membership offered at this time. In the Mo is still in an alpha status, so this may change in the future if additional content and features are added.

Who would you recommend the application to?


InTheMO is most appealing to anyone who enjoys social networks and wants to explore their community. The human element gives In the Mo an endless resource of information about businesses. Business owners can also manager their company’s profile on InTheMO, which could help them obtain new clients.

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The Movie and Tech Series is supported by DVDVideoSoft. Discover Free Studio, a full collection of free software to process video, images and audio at DVDVideoSoft.com. Clean, free and user-friendly.

From self-funded independent projects to big-name Hollywood blockbusters, the movie industry has embraced social media. Big time.

Historically, of course, this makes a lot of sense. Classical Hollywood had the star system and fan magazines. Modern Hollywood has Facebook, Twitter and mobile phones.

From creating viral alternate reality campaigns to using social networks to build awareness, the movie industry is busy leveraging social media to connect with fans and promote its products.

Let’s look at some of the ways that social media is having an impact on movie marketing and promotion.

Crowdsourced Screening Locations

In the world of the multiplex and billion dollar plus box office receipts, it’s easy to forget that not every film comes to every theater. Even films that ultimately go on to make a lot of money at the box office — like 2009’s Precious — often start out in only a few cities.

The traditional marketing strategy for these films has been to expand to more and more markets as word of mouth, press and publicity propel the films forward. In the age of social media, however, studios can use the Internet to figure out where an interest in the film exists.

One of the best examples of this strategy was for Paramount’s Paranormal Activity. The film, which was made for less than $15,000 went on to gross more than $150 million at the box office.

Paramount extensively used Facebook to promote the film, partnering with Eventful to get would-be fans to request a screening of the film in their area. The goal was to get 1 million fan requests for the film to enter wide release. That goal was met pretty quickly, but the real proof came via the box office receipts.

MGM also used Eventful to have fans request screenings of its comedy, Hot Tub Time Machine.

The cool thing about this strategy is that it lets fans have a sense of ownership of the film. It also creates a level of awareness and connection that you might not get just with running radio or TV spots.

Going Viral

One of my favorite marketing trends of the past decade has been the rise of viral alternate reality campaigns, especially at the movies.

Thanks to social media, elements of these campaigns can get really intricate and really involved. For Inception, Warner Bros. did a lot of viral marketing — including working with the location-based service SCVNGR to promote the film.

For Toy Story 3, Disney and Pixar went all out, creating vintage toy commercials for Lots-o’Huggin’ Bear, one of the new characters in the film.

Perhaps the most impressive — and expansive — campaign has been that of TRON: Legacy. Disney’s alternate reality campaign started in earnest in July 2009, just in time for Comic-Con. The film hits theaters on December 17, 2010.

Trailers & Poster Promotions

It used to be that you had to go to the theater to see the trailers for the next batch of upcoming films. Then TV shows dedicated to showcasing previews hit the scene. While watching movie previews online has been old-hat for more than a decade, the rise of social media has changed how information gets exposed to fans.

Sure, movie studios still send out press releases and have special websites that news sites and blogs can access to get the latest scoop, but more and more studios are taking to Facebook and Twitter to debut their latest trailers.

Again, Disney gets props in this department. The studio used Facebook to debut its first character posters from Alice in Wonderland and has also used Facebook to show off movie trailers.

The irony that Sony couldn’t use Facebook to directly promote The Social Network didn’t mean the studio had to abstain from social media. On the contrary, the studio was able to use Twitter, MySpace and its own social-themed site to promote the film.

The Age of the Facebook App

Facebook is a great avenue for marketers and brands to connect with consumers and would-be customers. For movie studios, Facebook also offers a way to engage audiences and even directly sell tickets.

Disney created a Facebook app for TRON: Legacy called the TRONiVerse. The app is still active; it pulls in posts, videos and photos from various social networks, displaying them in an interactive grid. This is just one example of a studio building an app specifically for a film.

Fox had a pretty in-depth Facebook campaign for Avatar, including apps and promotional tie-ins. Disney even offered movie tickets for Toy Story 3 via its Facebook Page, as pictured above.

Likewise, Sony has created its own in-house ticketing app for many of its films. The great thing about buying movie tickets via Facebook is that you can invite friends along with you.

The Future

We expect to see the movie industry embrace social media even more in the future. A look at some of the biggest hits at the box office this year proves that many of the most successful films also had strong social media campaigns.

What do you think of the way movies are promoted using social media? Let us know!

The Movies and Tech Series is supported by DVDVideoSoft, which offers a collection of safe and reliable video, audio and image freeware programs. DVDVideoSoft Free Studio is a collection of more than thirty different utilities designed to go beyond the limitations of the standard Windows operating system and provide you with new ways to enjoy music and videos the way you choose. Learn more here.

More Movie Resources from Mashable:

– 5 Mobile Apps for Finding Great Movies
– 10 Mobile Apps for Movie Addicts
– Using Film to Change the World
– Top 10 LEGO Movie Tributes on YouTube
– 10 Best Geek Movies for a Cozy Night In

Image courtesy of Flickr, brtsergio

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The survey took a look at the habits of 1,600 Internet users from the U.S., UK, Germany and Japan and found that over the past two years alone, social web use in the workplace has risen from 19% to 24%. In Germany specifically, social media use at work saw a 10% increase.

It’s still unclear whether this gradual but significant rise is being used to drive our businesses ahead, or if we’re instead wasting our companies’ time and money — a distinction that’s especially important to managers concerned with network security and productivity issues.

For workers on laptops, these numbers are even higher — 8% globally and 14% in Germany. All told, almost a third of laptop users around the world will use social websites while at work.

A company’s size also seems to make a difference whether or not employees will use social sites while at work. Especially in the U.S. and Japan, workers at larger companies are more likely to stay off social networks — perhaps due to firewalling or other forms of restricted access. In the UK and Germany, however, employees at big companies are slightly more likely to browse the social web while at the office.

Of course, many IT and project managers are concerned about loss of productivity and compromised network security due to social media use on work computers. But this increase could also be due to the rise in social media marketing and other social-based multitasking tools as much as slacking off. Remember that, once upon a time, general Internet use at work was considered frivolous; now, most of us use at least some websites to do our work every day.

We might not be the best judges, though, since our jobs involve a lot of day-to-day social media use. What’s your workday like? Do you use social media for business purposes? Is there some gray area between true productivity and pure socializing? Or are you a Facebook-using slacker while at work?

Let us know about your social media and work overlap in the comments.

[img credit: Balakov]

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Anne Berkowitch is co-founder and CEO of SelectMinds, the leading provider of networking and referral technologies and of the recently launched TalentVine referral recruiting solution. You can follow SelectMinds on Twitter at @SelectMinds.

There’s a lot of talk these days about using social networks as job search tools as well as sources for recruiters and HR executives to scout talent. Many organizations opt to build secure, private networks for their current and former employees that provide a place for people to connect and refer opportunities, contacts and information to one another. Here are some tips to get the most out of these increasingly common company networks.

1. Remember Your Resources

While it may be natural to dive into the wider web in your job search, you might be better served to take advantage of resources and people you are already connected to. Many businesses of all sizes offer networks to connect current and former employees. Check in with HR heads of former employers and find out what networking tools they offer. In the battle for great talent, it’s in their interest to keep up with you and where your career is headed.

2. Present Your Best Self

When building your identity and reputation on a company network, it’s important to remember that these networks are professional environments that are rarely anonymous. While you may have shared some drinks at the holiday party in 2007, you still want to engage with current and former colleagues on a strictly professional basis. Remember to update your information (title, company, leadership experience, etc.) regularly, perhaps every quarter, and point it out to relevant people as appropriate.

Also note that while you’re maintaining a professional presence on internal company networks, your public social profiles on Facebook, Twitter and other sites will often be checked by recruiters before they make contact with you. We’ve all heard the horror stories — for example, applicants updating their status or tweeting before and after an interview with disparaging or confidential remarks about the company. We’ve heard about recent college grads who have thousands of photos on Facebook, many of which are not work appropriate. These are lessons applicants need only learn once. Showing some personality is important, but it’s a fine line.

3. Reconnect

People are used to getting “Friended,” “Followed,” “Connected With” and more on a regular basis, so reaching out to past colleagues with whom you’ve worked should be well received. It’s a great way to share opportunities, personal and professional news, and stay up to date on happenings at your company. When you join a company network, spend some time identifying colleagues and friends within the organizations and acknowledge them on the network.

The foundation of many workplace relationships is gained in the first few days working together. A vendor my company works with recently had an influx of new hires due to business growth. The new team they assembled is full of characters and they promote camaraderie as an essential piece of their corporate culture. These employees are not just all Facebook friends but they’re neighbors, they Follow each other on Twitter, retweet each other, etc. They are connected personally and online in a way we know will continue even if one of them should make a career move.

4. Show Your Self-Motivation

As everyone knows, finding a job is work in itself. If you want to get advice from a former colleague or talk about business connections or job opportunities, you have to reach out. (Re)connect online and then consider setting up a get-together with former colleagues. Being outgoing and organized is a quick way to get recognized — a factor that’s sure to pay off in the future.

In-person meetings always go farther than a phone call ever could. For HR managers who work at large, global businesses, it’s nearly impossible to meet candidates face to face. But if you’re an executive and someone local is asking to meet up, it’s a great activity to make time for. I recently heard about a young job seeker who wanted to relocate and found out the local director at her dream firm had gone to a competing high school. That connection alone (pointed out in an e-mail she sent him when she happened to be in town) got her in the door and ultimately, the job itself.

5. It Can’t Hurt to Ask

Given the professional nature of company networks, it’s more common and expected for the topic of job openings and hiring to come up. Don’t be afraid to ask your connections how they got their newest job, why they left a company, or if they would be willing to make an introduction for you. Understand that these networks create mutual relationships, so be sure to offer connections, guidance and thoughts to others — engendering good will when it comes to a professional network goes a long way.

A woman my company works with has had previous high profile jobs in her field. As a result, many people know her and ask her for favors. The one she tells us she always obliges is giving honest answers to people who are considering going to work for her previous companies. Often these connections come through people she may need a favor from someday too, so it’s a valuable practice to help past companies find great talent, even though she’s already left.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

– How Job Seekers Are Using Social Media for Real Results
– 6 Tips for Effective Recruiting on Social Media Sites
– 5 Rules for Professional Social Networking Success
– HOW TO: Organize Your Contacts for Networking Success
– 13 Essential Tips for Landing a Job on LinkedIn

Images courtesy of studiovision, iStockphoto, Andresr

More About: business, job search, jobs, List, Lists, networking, small busines, social media, social networking, social networks, tips

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 The game, EA Sports FIFA Superstars, was developed by Playfish and will be available on additional social networks soon.

"We are leveraging our soccer expertise with the experience of our partners at Playfish to create a casual soccer game for a broader audience," said Matt Bilbey, vice president of soccer, EA Sports.

"Soccer fans have a voracious appetite for their sport so we are creating interactive soccer entertainment in new ways and on new platforms to meet the interest," continued Bilbey. "We are excited to broaden our reach from the console that touches our core audience of 10-20 million fans to the hundreds of millions of soccer fans and casual gamers using social networks."

FIFA Superstars will feature EA Sports soccer licenses for 30 leagues, 500 teams and 15,000 players. Users will be able to create a fantasy club side by collecting or trading players, challenging others in competing leagues or searching for leader boards to compete. 

Players will also be able to predict the outcomes of games in the 2010 FIFA World Cup to win in-game coins.

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Universal Studios has just released the second trailer for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World on its Facebook page. The trailer was originally going to premiere in front of the comedy, Get Him to the Greek, but the studio offered to release it online first if the film could get 100,000 Facebook fans.

Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are becoming increasingly integrated into promotional campaigns for feature films. For instance, Disney premiered the first trailer for Alice in Wonderland on Facebook and also used the social network to serve up exclusive character posters.

For the upcoming release of Toy Story 3, Disney/Pixar has gone all out, even creating faux-vintage toy commercials for YouTube.

Universal’s strategy with Scott Pilgrim is unique in that it asked users to become fans of the film before it launched the trailer. The director of the film, Edgar Wright, announced this incentive on his Twitter account.

You can check out the second trailer for the film below:

What do you think about how movie studios are using social networks to promote films and to build buzz? Let us know in the comments.

Tags: facebook, Film, Movies, scott pilgrim vs the world, trailers

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I guess just like Twitter, we all use the social medium differently. Most of the experience that you get when using social networks is still pleasant and very rewarding. When my Twitter account was suspended (wrongfully), the only reason that people knew about it was because of FaceBook. I am really grateful I was on that site.

Maybe some won’t agree with me, but I love FaceBook and here are 10 reasons why:

1. We can share personal updates with our friends and family.

2. We can reconnect with our old friends from school.

3. We can play games that keep us entertained and teach us how to strategize – Restaurant City, Hotel City, Cafe World, etc…

4. We can say hello and connect with our relatives who live far away from us.

5. We can play with applications other than games.

6. We can learn from information on links from pages we “like.”

7. We can promote articles and information that we think is shareable and relevant.

8. We can share pictures and leave comments and opinions.

9. We can meet new people.

10. We can chat with friends who are not on Skype or YM through FaceBook chat.

Maybe you enjoy FaceBook as much as me. Maybe you can share the reasons why here. We would love to hear from you.

Main Image Source - FaceBook Model

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Consumer Reports’s June 2010 State of the Net survey highlights the increased adoption of social networks like Facebook across households and also underscores some of the privacy and security hazards associated with social networking.

One of the most interesting elements of the survey was just how many users are unaware — or don’t care — about privacy settings when it comes to social networks.

Consumer Reports says that one in four households with a Facebook account have users who aren’t aware of or don’t choose to use Facebook’s built-in privacy controls. While that may give some credence to Mark Zuckerberg’s “privacy is dead” declaration, it still makes us pause, especially when you consider how basic information used on Facebook — like your full name and birthday — can be utilized in identity theft.

Another interesting tidbit from the survey — 26% of parents on Facebook posted the names and photos of their children. Now, this may be innocuous, but we have to ask: How many parents understand that unless they have that information restricted to certain user groups that it is really public information?

That’s actually one of the more interesting aspects of Facebook’s new Open Graph; it isn’t that Open Graph necessarily has any different privacy implications, it’s just more evident how public many of Facebook’s settings really are.

In addition to releasing the report, Consumer Reports hosted a panel in New York today about social networks and consumer behavior. Mashable’s Adam Ostrow was one of the panelists. You can watch the entire conversation below.

What do you think of the way that consumers are using social networks? Let us know in the comments.

image courtesy of iStockphoto, wakila

Tags: consumer reports, facebook, privacy, security

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

Name: Twitgift

Quick Pitch: Twitgift.me is a simple, social way to give real (non-virtual) gifts to your Twitter friends.

Genius Idea: Twitgift is a way to give physical gifts to others via Twitter without even having to know information like a recipient’s mailing address.

We’ve looked at a number of services that make it easy to give gifts online via text message and Facebook. Twitgift brings the same functionality to Twitter, but it has some features that make it kind of special.

This video explains how the service works:

What we like about Twitgift is that it offers more than just gift cards. The service is only shipping in the U.S. right now and its selection of items is limited, but you can send cookies, a necklace or an Android phone case to people, just using Twitter.

You don’t need to know the mailing address of your recipient — they’ll enter that in when they claim their gift. It’s a pretty nice idea that makes online gifting a little more personal.

We would like to see Twitgift expand its offerings. And while we appreciate the handmade touch, we do wonder about how well an operation like this can scale. That said, this is one of those services that makes us smile.

What do you think about using social networks for gift giving? Let us know in the comments.

Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark

BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

Entrepreneurs can take advantage of the Azure Services platform for their website hosting and storage needs. Microsoft recently announced the “new CloudApp()” contest – use the Azure Services Platform for hosting your .NET or PHP app, and you could be the lucky winner of a USD 5000* (please see website for official rules and guidelines).”

Tags: friendgiftr, gift cards, Gifts, giiv, twitgift, twitter

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"Across the board you can see a change in journalists’ behavior," said Sarah Skerik, VP of distribution services at PR Newswire.

"Journalists are doing more with less. They seem to be acting more aggressively about finding their stories, digging a bit deeper for story angles."

Journalists are using social networks to help find story ideas, with 24 percent reporting they consider sites like Facebook and Twitter an important way to connect with experts, an increase from 13 percent in 2009. In addition, 46 percent of journalists say they sometimes or always use blogs for research; 33 percent report using social networks in their research, compared to 24 percent in 2009.

The popularity of social media has impacted how media professionals are interacting with the PR industry. Overall, 43 percent of journalists have been pitched through social networks, compared to 31 percent in 2009.

"Coverage oftentimes comes from building a relationship with a journalist, and it’s becoming more frequent in the industry to establish those relationships through
social media," says Amy Prenner, founder of the LA-based Prenner Group.

Overall, 59 percent of traditional journalists are the author of a blog, either personal or professional, and 31 percent are writing a blog for their traditional outlet, an increase from 28 percent in 2009.

"Heavier workloads, shorter deadlines, and increased competition are causing journalists to seek out new sources of information to help them get their jobs done, including social networks," said Erica Iacono, executive editor of PRWeek.

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We know you’re busy. Even with every social media, web, and RSS tool at your disposal, you can occasionally miss out on some of the week’s most insightful content.

Never fear. We’ve taken a moment to round up the best Mashable resources from this past week and present them here for your weekend enjoyment.

From in-depth how-tos, to app lists, to valuable business guides, browse below for a veritable smorgasbord of value you may have passed over.

Social Media

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• The Ultimate March Madness Social Media Guide

  Everything you need to keep up with “The Big Dance” on the social web is in here. Check it out, and secretly adjust your brackets as needed.

• How Musicians Are Using Social Media to Connect with Fans

  Music sharing and distribution on the web is nothing new. But some artists, bands, and labels are going the extra social mile to get their music heard. Here’s how they’re doing it.

• 6 Ways Law Enforcement Uses Social Media to Fight Crime

  Dick Tracy’s gadgets have nothing on today’s socially-savvy police departments. Find out how they’re using social networks to catch criminals, prevent crime, and keep the public informed.

• Why User Competency Matters in Social Design

  When building a website or social platform, never forget to ask yourself, “What is the user good at?” It’s often key to success or failure.

• 4 Easy Ways to Engage Your Facebook Fans

  Is you Facebook Fan Page lacking a little engagement “oomph?” Has your fan growth leveled off? Try these four dead-simple ways to get folks sharing your brand again.

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

Mobile

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• 9 Killer Tips for Location-Based Marketing

  If your business is thinking about jumping into the location game, now is the time to do it. This post has everything you need to get started.

• 12 iPhone Apps for Surviving Conference Season

  If you’re currently at SXSW, or headed to any number of big conferences this year, keep your iPhone close, and these handy apps even closer.

• 5 Things You Need to Know About Location-Based Social Media

  Location-based social media is still relatively young, but the future is bright for users, marketers, and businesses alike. Here are 5 important lessons to take away from the current LBS landscape.

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

Business

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• 14 Essential iPhone Apps for Small Business Users

  The iPhone probably wasn’t originally made for business, but it can crunch a mean spreadsheet and more with these indispensable apps.

• 10 Essential Social Media Tips for B2B Marketers

  The B2B potential of social media is often overlooked. If you sell to fellow business owners and you’re looking for an in on the social media action, don’t miss this post.

• 4 Ways to Effectively Use Social Media as a Catalyst

  Social media is not the beginning or end of a marketing effort. It should be woven into every aspect of your business plan. Take in these four tips on how to make that happen.

• The Small Business Guide to Google Apps

  Is your business ready to make the leap into the cloud? Smart integration of Google Apps for Business can really benefit your team and workflow. See how in this post.

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

Tags: business, features, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, social media

Go to Source

Forrester’s been classifying online people as inactives, spectators, joiners, collectors, critics, and creators for quite some time, and its statistics regarding these groups have provided valuable about how the online landscape is changing.

The problem, as Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff noted earlier, is that these categories didn’t leave much room for normal Facebook and Twitter users.

So the conversationalists classification was introduced to represent Twitter users and Facebook users who make at least one status update per week.  Exactly 33 percent of online folks should fall into this grouping, and Bernoff added, "They’re 56% female, more than any other group in the ladder."

Also, "While they’re among the youngest of the groups, 70% are still 30 and up."

The above diagram pretty well shows the breakdown of other groups.  Now we just get to sit back and see how quickly people travel up the ladder as the social Web gains momentum.

Related Articles:

> Twitter Earns Itself A Candy Heart Phrase

> Employers Using Social Networks To Screen Employees

> Content Can Now Go Viral More Easily With Facebook

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That’s both a literal and a figurative question, since using those social networks is exactly what makes their founders and investors money (well, sort of), and, as the argument goes, we’re essentially a volunteer labor force creating content for these sites—an interesting point. Meanwhile, using social networks (at all, as the argument here seems to go) means sacrificing time (true), actual interactions (possibly true but not always)—and our very souls and identities.

They mean this to be a discussion on a personal level, since a central thrust of the argument is that these social networks have sacrificed so much of our privacy that we’re allowing them to steal (don’t we call that “giving” in English?) “the sole ownership of our own thoughts, emotions, personal expressions, etc.” from us (yes, if I post “I’m sad” on a social network, that means that they also own my emotion…. right….).

Of course, if you’re using Twitter and Facebook as a marketer, you’re there looking for business ROI from publicity—being public. Ad Age (you know, “Advertising” Age? About . . . could it be . . . advertising?) does acknowledge that social networks might work for these purposes, if they’re worth the sacrifice:

If you’re a brand marketer, chances are good that you’re extracting real value from investing time and energy in social media (and you’re happy to have consumers volunteering their time to be your “brand ambassadors” or whatever you want to call them); good for you. (And if you’re a consumer who gets off on connecting with big brands — or just wants to interface with customer service in a forum, like Twitter, where certain marketers seem to be hyper-responsive — well, good for you too.) In general, if you’re soft-selling something — like content or an idea — that can benefit from free publicity, Facebook and Twitter are your friends. Even if, well, they’re the two-faced sort who think nothing of riffling through your handbag or backpack when you get up to go the bathroom — you know, glad-handing “friends” (those are air quotes) who are obviously using you for something, only it’s not always entirely clear what.

Um . . . I hate to bring this up, but aren’t we as marketers just using our social networks as those same kind of “friends” (and possibly even the friends and fans we acquire on those social networks)—we’re just using them as the means to an end?

I do agree, of course, that on a personal level, excessive use of social media can rob us of time and valuable interaction with the people we care about most. It’s good to examine our relationship with the Internet and social media on a personal level and decide whether it’s really worth the time and effort we put into it, or if we might put that time to better use. While that’s the brief summary of the argument at the conclusion of the article, the main thrust is that using social networks is such a great sacrifice of ourselves (even without a time investment) that it’s not worth it.

What do you think? Do you demand ROI from personal social network use? Or are you glad that most people don’t ?

Comments

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Many businesses are even banning social media from the workplace entirely. In fact, a great deal of our readers have expressed that they feel that social media doesn’t belong in the workplace because employees are there to "work," not "goof off."

Well, that may be the case, and perhaps social media doesn’t fit into your business at all, but considering your general business goals can help you decide whether or not there is a place for social media, and whether or not your employees can fit into that puzzle.

As social media enthusiast Chris Brogan told WebProNews in a recent interview, it’s time to get over the touristy part of social media and start getting down to business.

He says it’s not "Gee whiz, it’s cool" anymore. It’s "What are we gonna do with it?"

"Great you can type. Now what?" he says.

Here are some sample goals a business owner or manager might set for social media use. Once the goal is considered, then you can look at the tools that are out there and evaluate which ones will give you the best shot of achieving those goals.

20 Possible Goals

1. I’m a content provider, and I want to expand my reach.

2. I want my customers to be able to stay updated with news about my company.

3. I want to get to know my customers.

4. I want to promote my product.

5. I want to stay abreast of current news and trends.

6. I want to share my ideas with likeminded individuals.

7. I want to increase brand awareness.

8. I want to provide customer service and support easily.

9. I want to find a job.

10. I want to recruit.

11. I want people to like my brand.

12. I want to collaborate on business projects.

13. I want to directly sell a product.

14. I want to earn respect within my industry.

15. I am getting information overload, and I want to get organized.

16. I want to drive traffic to my site.

17. I want to attract advertisers and make money.

18. I want to get more involved with local prospects.

19. I want to get more involved with people on an international and global level.

20. I want to keep up with my competitors.

There are certainly more possible goals for business social media use out there. I’ve probably not even scratched the surface. What goals do you set for your social media efforts? Discuss here.

Related Articles:

> How Big Brands Use Social Media

> Some Brands Have Good Ideas For Social Media. Do You?

> Using Facebook Traffic to Drive Brand Loyalty

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Google’s Vice-President of Search Marissa Mayer has just made a surprise announcement at the Web 2.0 Expo: a new Google Labs feature called Social Search. They just gave a quick demo of the new feature.

While the details are still sparse, here is what we currently know (and we’re still updating, so check back for more information):

- The bottom of search results will soon have social networking information from your friends, like their Flickr photos or their status updates. It’s a blended search integration, similar to seeing news or image results.

- These are pulled from social networks connected to your Google Profile. The more that are connected, the more social information that will appear in search results.

- They have also improved searching for images using social networks. Images become more relevant using social networking data.

- It will launch in Google Labs in the next few weeks.

Tags: Google, social search

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As time goes on, it may become helpful or perhaps even necessary to use these tools for actual e-commerce. The common thinking behind social media marketing is that you don’t want to be too sales-pitchy in your conversations, and in some ways that is still very true. However, while social media is largely about conversations, it’s not only about conversations.

As time progresses, social media becomes a lot of things to a lot of people. We’ve reached the point where social networks are simply "where we hang out" online. People are not only having conversations. They’re sharing pictures. They’re playing games. They’re looking for information. They’re using social networks to help them make purchase decisions. Sometimes this is through conversation. Sometimes it’s as simple as being a fan of a brand’s Facebook page and receiving timely updates.

Has social media ever led you to an online purchase? Tell us about it.

Facebook has virtual currency, and is starting to open up possibilities for transactions for physical goods. Facebook Connect has just been made easier for webmasters to implement on their sites. That’s huge. As people spend much of their time on Facebook, they are pretty much relinquishing a certain amount of trust to the social network, whether they realize it or not (and whether they should be or not, but that’s another issue).

If your site is plugged into Facebook via Facebook Connect, and they can log in to your site to make purchases just by being logged into Facebook, they may not find themselves as concerned with security issues. Security concerns have long hindered the true potential of e-commerce, and as a result, plenty of trustworthy e-commerce sites have likely missed out on tons of sales, just because of the distrust of the method of purchasing in general.

Now I’m not saying that Facebook Connect is a sign of security. In fact, some might even suggest that it damages security, simply based on the fact that Facebook is often associated with security issues. I’m just saying, users are always signed in to Facebook anyway, and if they see your site is connected with Facebook, they may have no problems signing in with their Facebook info.

"Facebook Connect would allow you to go to a Website like Dell.com and authenticate yourself using your Facebook profile, allow your identity to be known and access your friends so you could spark up a chat," says Paul Dunay, Global Managing Dir. of Services, Social Marketing with Avaya in an interview with eMarketer. "So I could say, ‘Hey, Jeff, I’m looking at this new fancy laptop or this netbook. I heard you bought something. Would you recommend this to me?’

"So you could almost take your friends shopping with you. That is the potential with this example," he adds. "We’re in a period now where we’re all starting to get comfortable with Twitter and get comfortable with using Facebook and LinkedIn and a lot of these other tools, and now we’re about to expand." 

You want to stay relevant in real-time searches to stay current in people’s minds as well. It’s simple branding. That doesn’t mean you have to send out excessive tweets promoting your product. It is information that Twitterers often seek, and by simply discussing information, you’re brand is still visible, even if that information isn’t directly related to your brand. Read this for ways to optimize for real-time search.

Also be sure to watch this video where Sheila Dahlgren of Adobe gives some predictions for the e-commerce industry, which include behavioral targeting and personalization tactics.

What role do you think social media will play in e-commerce in the future? Share your thoughts.

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"I can’t speak for the posting on Gannett Blog, but I can say that we at USA TODAY have been working extensively on our social networking efforts," says USA Today Communications Manager Alexandra Nicholson. "USA TODAY was the first national newspaper to offer reader comments, and we continue to expand our community tools by allowing readers to communicate with each other directly, add ‘friends’ through USATODAY.com and through social networking tools like Facebook Connect. Additionally USA TODAY has recently launched a series of moderated communities targeted specifically to our readers, this includes a recent MMA community launch.

Alexandra says that USA Today sees social networking as "a growing effort" on their part and one that they’re "taking on enthusiastically."

Incidentally, Alexandra found our article while doing routine "Twitter surveillance."

Original Article: The controversy never ends when it comes to newspapers and online news. It’s amazing how many debates there really are within this industry.

You’ve got the bloggers vs journalists debate, the fair use debate, and the should social media be used as a source debate to name a few. That last one is apparently even an internal debate within some news organizations.

Valleywag is pointing to a post from a blog (unofficial) about Gannett, publisher of USA Today. The post shares a memo from an editor with the company that is restricting access by employees to social networks. This example is not really about the legitimacy of social networks as credible sources. It’s more about social media in the workplace. The memo says:

It has come to my attention that some staff members are spending a lot of time on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites during work hours. Also, some staff members apparently are spending work time on Fantasy baseball research and other personal recreation activities.

This is not appropriate. It is not part of the job. Occasionally it will be necessary for staff members to visit these sites for work purposes, but please reserve social networking and recreational pursuits for your private time.

Is the editor wrong? Probably not entirely. Unless employees are using fantasy baseball research for actual stories, there is probably some misuse going on. But is restricting access to social networks the way to go?

News breaks on Twitter all the time. How would a writer get to it without spending some time on Twitter (or using some kind of Twitter app)? Then there is the fact that social networks are a way to contact potential leads and sources. They’re often easier to get through to people than by phone or email.

"As one reporter put it, ‘Facebook is a modern day Rolodex,’" says VW’s Ryan Tate. "Exactly, and if those infernal tele-phones had never been given out like candy to individual reporters, maybe newspapers would be in better shape today!"

USA Today does have a Twitter account, but seems to be primarily following other USAToday/Gannett accounts. twitter.com/gannett on the other hand has not been updated once, but is being held on to by some guy named Mike Pratt who loves the outdoors:

So where do you stand on this debate? Do social networks have a place in the newsroom, or do the negatives outweigh the positives? How about in other workplace environments? Tell us what you think.

"I can’t speak for the posting on Gannett Blog, but I can say that we at USA TODAY have been working extensively on our social networking efforts," says USA Today Communications Manager Alexandra Nicholson. "USA TODAY was the first national newspaper to offer reader comments, and we continue to expand our community tools by allowing readers to communicate with each other directly, add ‘friends’ through USATODAY.com and through social networking tools like Facebook Connect. Additionally USA TODAY has recently launched a series of moderated communities targeted specifically to our readers, this includes a recent MMA community launch.

Alexandra says that USA Today sees social networking as "a growing effort" on their part and one that they’re "taking on enthusiastically."

Incindentally, Alexandra found our article while doing routine "Twitter surveillance."

Original Article: The controversy never ends when it comes to newspapers and online news. It’s amazing how many debates there really are within this industry.

You’ve got the bloggers vs journalists debate, the fair use debate, and the should social media be used as a source debate to name a few. That last one is apparently even an internal debate within some news organizations.

Valleywag is pointing to a post from a blog (unofficial) about Gannett, publisher of USA Today. The post shares a memo from an editor with the company that is restricting access by employees to social networks. This example is not really about the legitimacy of social networks as credible sources. It’s more about social media in the workplace. The memo says:

It has come to my attention that some staff members are spending a lot of time on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites during work hours. Also, some staff members apparently are spending work time on Fantasy baseball research and other personal recreation activities.

This is not appropriate. It is not part of the job. Occasionally it will be necessary for staff members to visit these sites for work purposes, but please reserve social networking and recreational pursuits for your private time.

Is the editor wrong? Probably not entirely. Unless employees are using fantasy baseball research for actual stories, there is probably some misuse going on. But is restricting access to social networks the way to go?

News breaks on Twitter all the time. How would a writer get to it without spending some time on Twitter (or using some kind of Twitter app)? Then there is the fact that social networks are a way to contact potential leads and sources. They’re often easier to get through to people than by phone or email.

"As one reporter put it, ‘Facebook is a modern day Rolodex,’" says VW’s Ryan Tate. "Exactly, and if those infernal tele-phones had never been given out like candy to individual reporters, maybe newspapers would be in better shape today!"

USA Today does have a Twitter account, but seems to be pimarily following other USAToday/Gannett accounts. twitter.com/gannett on the other hand has not been updated once, but is being held on to by some guy named Mike Pratt who loves the outdoors:

So where do you stand on this debate? Do social networks have a place in the newsroom, or do the negatives outweigh the positives? Tell us what you think.