Yesterday, NASA was supposed to launchtheir $445 million rocket prototype, Ares I-X, but the launch was delayed due to bad weather conditions. Today, NASA is poised for a second attempt, with the launch window being 8 a.m. to noon EDT. Just like yesterday, the weather isn’t cooperating, but the launch might still happen if NASA’s experts conclude that the conditions are safe enough. You can watch the launch attempt over at NASA TVand follow the latest developments regarding the mission on the official NASA page. Tags: Ares, launch, NASA
Recently, in addition to giving you suggestions to which friends you might add to your profile, Facebookalso started enticing users to reconnect and engage less active users. The campaign has partly backfired, as some of the recommendations were dead people and ex-lovers, but I still think it’s brilliant, and a good sign that Facebook has a clear strategy laid out for the future. Facebook currently has a problem that plagues only the biggest online services out there, but a serious one nevertheless: it’s getting too big. Its growth hasn’t been spectacularin the last couple of months like it once was, but one has to wonder if it’s simply nearing the natural limit for that type of service. Once you’ve conquered a huge portion of domestic (US) users, and international users, where do you turn to?Existing users. Facebook’s algorithms, while still not perfectly tuned, recognize that some users aren’t using Facebook regularly, and entice their friends to reconnect with them; write on their wall, send them photos, and the like. It’s the perfect campaign. If a company sends you an email that says “hey, you’ve been inactive, but why not give our service another go,” you’ll probably disregard it. But if a friend posts a photo of you or some of your friends, and the only place you can get it is Facebook, you’re far more likely to log in – and get hooked – once again. I’m an active Facebook user, and this latest strategy is also working well on my end. I see suggestions for friends I already have; I’m interested in why Facebook’s suggesting them; I go check out why they haven’t been active; in the end, I really did reconnect with some of them. So, instead of simply waiting for someone to utter that dreadful sentence: “Facebook has a lot of users, but how many are active?,” Facebook is working on reengaging their inactive users, recognizing that they’re just as valuable as new users. Smart thinking. If they manage to tweak their algorithms and stop gross errors from happening, that is. Reviews: FacebookTags: facebook, reconnect
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: AppboyQuick Pitch: Social network for mobile app developers and users. Personal appstore. Add, share, comment, vote, socialize, submit app ideas, and get discovered.Genius Idea: Appboy bills itself as a social network for mobile app developers and users. It lists apps for various mobile platforms (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Palm Pre) and users can comment and rate apps and create their own custom app stores. Developer can add their own apps to the store for additional promotion and users can submit ideas for future applications.Users can create their own custom app stores that contain apps they like and earn a 5% commission based on app sales that originate from their stores.For developers, Appboy offers another avenue of promoting your product and gaining more attention.The app-idea feature is pretty intriguing. The idea is that users submit app ideas and the community votes on what ideas it likes. The best ideas will be made into actual apps (though it isn’t clear who will take on the development task or how that task will be funded) and will win $250. It’s sort of like Threadless for mobile apps.Having another avenue to find and rate mobile applications is always helpful — especially as app stores become larger and harder to navigate. Appboy’s focus on multiple platforms and the way it tries to encourage interaction from both users and developers shows the promise of a cool mobile app community.Where do you go to find out about the latest mobile apps? What do you think of the concept of custom app stores? Let us know!Spark of Genius Series Sponsored by Microsoft BizSparkBizSpark 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 platformfor 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).”Reviews: Android, PHPTags: android, app stores, appboy, blackberry, iphone
San Francisco’s famous Bay Bridge is being shut down by the California Highway Patrol in both directions. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “pieces of the cantilever section section fell during the late-afternoon commute.”Interestingly enough, Twitter was first on the scene, as the commuter Joe Marshall (@larfo) snapped this Twitpicof the Bay Bridge debris. The image, taken about two hours ago, clearly depicts the San Francisco Bay Bridge with what appears to be cables down and bridge mass spewed everywhere.The Chronicle reports:“A chunk of steel lay in the middle of the far left lane of the upper deck and an object that appeared to be a cable was on a Ryder truck dangling from the side of the span.Authorities have not said how long the closure will last.”While this is certainly not the first time that a Twitter user tweeted breaking news before mainstream media outlets — there’s plenty of incidents like the Jakarta bombingsand Hudson plane crashto reference — it certainly serves as another telling example of the power of Twitter as a communication platform.Image from wallygon FlickrReviews: Flickr, TwitterTags: bay bridge, San Francisco-San Jose, twitpic
It looks like those Going Googlebillboards are actually good for something, as the Los Angeles’ city council has just unanimously approved a Google Apps deal worth $7.2 million.According to CNET, LA would become one of the largest government agencies, outside the District of Columbia, to make the switch to using hosted Google email and application services.However, security concerns over storing information in the cloud did factor into the process and have yet to be 100% aleviated. Apparently the deal hinges around an agreement with Computer Sciences Corp, a contractor who would need to agree to pay a penalty should there be a security breach.If the deal does go through it would be quite the coup for Google and their Going Google campaign. With both the US Government supporting the initiativeand the city of Los Angeles joining the Google team, Google is building up an arsenal of large and impressive customers that should make it easier to attract more top dollar enterprise clients.Image from Peter Kaminskion FlickrReviews: Flickr, GoogleTags: going google, Los Angeles
This week marks the premiere of Michael Jackson’s This Is It, a documentary about the late singer’s final months. If you’re one of the fans getting your ticket early online, you’re not alone: according to Deadline Hollywood, This Is It has accounted for a whopping 61% of all online ticket sales this week. Of those buying, almost half reported developing a renewed interest in the artist’s work after his death in June.On the other hand, it opens this week without too much blockbuster release competition. But with Where the Wild Things Arestill fresh and a few other well-performing films in theaters now, commanding 3/5 of online ticket sales is definitely pretty impressive.What are your plans to watch This Is It, if any? Let us know in the comments.[Imagecourtesy of Kadixon Flickr.]Reviews: FlickrTags: Film, michael jackson, Movies, This Is It
Way back in April, Google relaunched Google Labs, the place where the company tests its new and experimental features. When it relaunched, it added a very interesting experimental feature to Google Image Search:
Activision adds another chapter to its already impressive music game franchise today with the release of DJ Hero. Like Guitar Hero before it, DJ Hero challenges you to “master” a virtual instrument, in this case the vinyl turntable still in use by many a DJ even in the digital age. Also like Guitar Hero, it features an easy to pick up but difficult to master type of gameplay mechanic. DJ Hero’s accessibility will appeal to enthusiasts and would-be club jockeys to plain old music fans alike.Featuring 93 original mixes and 102 total songs at launch in genres from hip-hop to rock and R&B to dance, the basic edition of the game won’t come cheap at $120 including the turntable controller. A special Renegade edition including unreleased JAY-Z and Eminem material and some other goodies will set you back a whopping $200.Still, if you’re a music fan eager to take a stab at DJ technique standards like scratching, crossfading, sampling, and applying effects, it’s cheaper than picking up a pair of Technics 1200 and building a record collection. The title is available now for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2, and Nintendo Wii.Are you thinking of picking up DJ Hero? Have you played any other music games and if so, what are your favorites?Tags: Activision Blizzard, DJ, DJ Hero, games, music games, turntables
The talks are preliminary according to AllThingsD, but they nevertheless reveal more of struggling social network MySpace’s strategy for re-inventing itself. And although MSN Musicalready has its own content network, executives are considering retooling it with MySpace’s help because of its lackluster performance. This follows MySpace’s launching of its extensive Music Videos archiveand news that it’s pursuing a partnership with Facebookin order to share its content within the rival social network. All of the above smacks of a strategy that’s far less about social networking and far more about building a compelling clearinghouse for music and music video that’s wrapped in a social layer — and hooking up with partners to get that content much wider distribution around the web.Whether the MySpace-MSN deal ends up being sealed or not, it seems like the best strategy the social network has come up with yet to try and revive its ailing trafficand make itself not only relevant but indispensable in an age that could certainly use a sort of MTV 2.0 for the internet generation.What do you think all the recent MySpace news says about its strategy moving forward? Can the waning social networking giant reposition itself as a social entertainment destination?Reviews: MySpaceTags: facebook, microsoft, msn, music, myspace, myspace music, social networking
Here’s what sounds like a recipe for PR disaster: combine a website that is a directory of lawyers with the hot button issue of illegal immigration with an ad for a fictional iPhone app for those “lost and disoriented in the desert.” But, this is exactly what LawFirms.com has done, creating an adfor an “app for that” called iCoyote that “packs all of the features of a real immigrant smuggler into the iPhone. Using GPS, navigate through the patrol packed desert without worrying about that pesky Border Patrol.”There isn’t actually an app you can download – the idea of the ad seems to be to create buzz and get people to use lawfirms.com to find an immigration lawyer who can get you into the US legally. Or, you can take the ad’s advice and get an “iWife,” because the app “will take care of finding marriage prospects for you. Aggregating and analyzing data from a variety of online sources [to] match you up with only the most promising US Citizen candidates.” The ad is filled with “features” and remarks like these:The company does subtly back peddle from the ad, writing in a disclaimer that “any potential political views conveyed on this page do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of LawFirms.com or Experthub, Inc, but rather, the tasteless sense of humor of two employees that are likely to be fired.”Whatever. The ad seems to do a good job of offending both sides of the illegal immigration issue – on one, encouraging illegal immigrants to evade border partrol, on the other, poking fun at the hundreds of people who die every year trying to sneak into the US. It’s hard to see where the win is here, unless lawfirms.com is going by the “any press is good press” mantra. It is a site, after all, for lawyers. We’ve contacted the company to ask what exactly it is they’re going for here. We’ll post an update when they respond.Tags: advertising, iphone, MARKETING
Susan Payton is the Managing Partner of Egg Marketing & Public Relations, an internet marketing firm specializing in blogger outreach, social media, and PR. She blogs at The Marketing Eggspert Blog, and teaches marketing courses at Marketing EggSchool. Follow her on Twitter @eggmarketing.Today it seems that no matter what industry you’re in, your competition is stronger than ever. How do you stand out and get that sale when people aren’t as loyal to brands as they used to be? How do you get their attention in an ever growing sea of noise when they’re so often swayed by price rather than quality? One answer is to become recognized as an expert in your industry, someone other people seek out for information.The most important part to becoming known as an expert, of course, is that you know a lot about whatever it is you do. That could be construction, public relations, HR, dogs — whatever it is, in order to gain the requisite knowledge to be regarded as a thought-leader in your field likely requires years of schooling or real-world practice, or both. In addition, when your goal is to be recognized as an expert you need to always keep learning, and to constantly share that expertise. But first let’s talk about why you might want to be an expert.Benefits of Being an ExpertBeing an expert in your field makes you the go-to person for your industry. There are many people that I trust inherently on different subjects simply because they know their stuff, and they’re not trying to sell me anything. They just want to be helpful in their own space. These are people that I learn from, but also whom I would buy from because I trust their knowledge and expertise.Being an expert helps you:- Establish yourself as an industry leader- Help others- Become a trusted resource- Get interviews and media coverage- Gain access (via conference/speaking invites, etc.)- Convert followers to salesKeep Up-to-DateOnly a fool assumes he knows everything and can’t learn any more. No matter how much you know, content and ideas are changing, especially if you work in a fast-moving industry like social media. News happens, ideas shift, people try new things. It’s important for you to stay on top of the latest updates.Though this list is by no means complete, here are some places you can turn to stay up to date on the most recent news, trends, and ideas in your industry.Blogs & News – Blogs in your industry are a great place to find out the latest tools and news. If you’re not already reading blogs, do a web search for [your industry + blogs] (like Chiropractic Blogs, for example) to locate some blogs that cover your business niche. Find ones that you like and subscribe to them by RSS so you won’t forget to read them.You can also use Technoratior PostRankto find blogs in your industry. PostRank can be used to weed out the best post from the blogs you follow, as well.It’s not a bad idea to set up a Google Alertto search for news about your industry. Paying attention to news headlines is a great way to stay abreast of changes in your field.Online Education – There’s no reason you have to enroll in college (again) to keep learning. There are a variety of online resources at which you can take free or cheap webinars or e-courses to keep the wheels churning.If you’re looking for generic business information, the US Small Business Administration has free online courses for small business owners, for example, or if you want great advice on internet marketing, look to HubSpot. Search the web and pay attention to the blogs you read to keep abreast of opportunities for online learning. Social Networks – Increasingly, social networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg, and Delicious are where people are sharing news and information that matters to them. By following the already established experts in your niche, you’ll gain access to the information they possess, which will in turn increase your knowledge.Conferences & Events – Every industry has conferences, trade shows, and other events, at which other experts in the industry gather to share their knowledge. Attending these meetings can help you in your quest to continually learn new information. You can find out about conferences by reading industry blogs, searching events sites like Upcoming.org, or finding local user groups on Meetup.Imparting Your WisdomBy sharing your knowledge with others, you’ll quickly become known for your expertise. This can translate into sales, job offers, gigs, or other opportunities, as you build your personal brand as an expert. Here are some ways you can share what you know.Blogs – The easiest way to start sharing is by creating a blog. Blogs are fantastic if you’ve got a ton of information in your head and need a place to dump it. The bonus is: you can help others through that information. Blog about what you know. Share news, offer advice, give your opinion, and make yourself the go-to resource for what you do. The key to successful blogging is to consistently put out good, original, and useful content that encourages readers to engage with you and with each other.Social Media – Social media sites are designed for experts! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a question about something, tweeted it, and gotten free advice back, later, the people who provided me with expert advice are the people I buy from when I need their services. By providing free advice on Twitter or Facebook, you will build a base of fans that both trust you and look to you for expert advice. These fans will seek you out and recommend you to others seeking advice and information — in other words, by sharing your knowledge and gaining trust, your network will grow on its own.Among the ways you can share your expertise using social media, are creating a lens on Squidoothat is home to all the great knowledge you’ve gleaned over the years, bookmarking blog posts and articles that relate to what you do on Delicious, and sharing those links on Twitter, Facebook, Digg, or Reddit, and responding to queries on Yahoo! Answers or LinkedIn Answers.Create Online Courses – The benefits to teaching online are many, says Mike Volpeof HubSpot. “Leveraging inbound marketing with educational content is more efficient and a lower cost per lead than outbound advertising. Our inbound marketing programs are 5-10 times more efficient lead gen and sales channels than our outbound marketing programs.”One way to offer an online course is through recently launched, Prfessor.com, which offers software that makes it possible for anyone to host an online school where they sell (or give away for free) courses on virtually any topic.Video – Don’t underestimate the power of video. For those who do well in front of a camera, sharing free how-to videos on sites like YouTubeor Vimeocan lead to increased awareness. It also demonstrates to television producers how well you do on camera, which means online expert videos can lead to television appearances.Speaking Up – You should already be attending industry conferences, trade shows, and user group meetings, and you should make sure to assert yourself as a knowledgeable voice in the community while at those events. Whether that means lining up formal speaking engagements — which will be easier to do the more you grow your personal brand as an expert — or just networking and sharing your expertise with other attendees, speaking up is helpful in building your expert brand.Consulting – Offering consulting services can do two things: first, it can make you a little money, and second, it can help you establish yourself among industry insiders as someone who knows their stuff. One consulting gig can lead to many based on referrals and having a list of business owners willing to give you a recommendation can be invaluable. If you plan to offer consulting services, put information about your services on your blog and in your social profiles, and consider offering phone consultations through Ether.com.Build On Your ExpertiseIt takes a while, but you will see a snowball effect as you build your brand as an expert. More people will come to you for advice or consulting, and more media types will reach out to you for interviews. Learn to leverage your knowledge and convert it to sales. Speaking at conferences, teaching courses or seminars — both online and off, and consulting for businesses will help you grow your personal brand.What other advice do you have for would-be web experts? Let us know in the comments.More business resources from Mashable:- HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn- Top 5 Business Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them- 4 Ways Social Media is Changing Business- HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on Twitter- 3 New Facebook Strategies for Building Your Personal BrandImage courtesy of iStockphoto, firebrandphotographyReviews: Delicious, Digg, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube, blog, iStockphoto, news, videoTags: experts, how to, personal brand, personal branding
Just yesterday, Androiddevelopers were discussing the fact that Android 2.0 (codenamed “Eclair”) would be out this week, but that Google hadn’t updated its SDK with 2.0 support.Today, Google is rectifying that problem by announcingthat the latest version of the Android SDK now supports Android 2.0. Along with it, Google has also released a video showing what’s new in Android 2.0.If you’re a current Android developer, you can add Android 2.0 to your SDK toolkit by using the SDK Manager. New developers first need to download the Android SDKand then use the SDK Manager to add the Android SDK Tools, revision 3. These tools include support Android 2.0 and offer Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard support for Mac-based developers. For developers who use Eclipse as their IDE of choice, ADT version 0.9.4. Meanwhile, if you’re curious about what’s new with Android 2.0, you can check Google’s highlights pageand this video:For users, some of the new Android 2.0 features include:Multiple accounts per-deviceExchange SupportAn improved virtual keyboardSupport for flash, digital zoom and white balance on the camera (provided your camera has a built-in flash)Improved web browser with HTML-5 support and better search and navigationImproved calendarThe first phone that will feature Android 2.0 is the upcoming Droidfrom Verizon and Motorola. It’s not yet clear what existing Android phones will be able to upgrade to Android 2.0, or when carriers will issue those software updates.What do you think of the next version of Android? Developers, do the new features make you more willing to invest in the platform? Users, what new features are you most excited about using? Let us know!Reviews: Android, GoogleTags: android, Android 2.0, android sdk, eclair, Google
The Motorola Droid “iDon’t” adthat went viral online last week certainly sparked a lot of conversation about the upcoming device. Thus, we had to know that an adoring Apple fanboy/girl would take to his/her Mac and Final Cut Pro to counter the critical ad, and that’s exactly what has happened.“iDon’t Care” spoofs the iDon’t style, complete with the same music and an R2D2 reference. “iDon’t Care” uses iDon’t lines with comedic effect that iPhone and Apple fans will absolutely adore. We’ll let the Android and iPhone fans duke it out in the comments, but regardless of your mobile affinities, you have to admit that “iDon’t Care” is a clever, fan-generated retort to the original spot.Watch it for yourself below and let us know what you think of the spoof.[via Digits]Image from Toasty Kenon FlickrReviews: Android, FlickrTags: android, droid does, idon't care
CNN.com officially relaunched its website this week, and we’re pleased to announce that the updated CNN.com/TECHsection now includes headlines syndicated from Mashable. This is in addition to a new column I’ll be writing on the site, going live Wednesday.We’re in the middle of an exciting transition as social media and the mainstream begin to overlap in all sorts of interesting ways: this underlines our belief that social media isn’t some marketing fad, but rather a fundamental change to the way we consume and interact with content. We’ve been covering this transition for four years, from the rise of social networking to the birth of the “social media” movement as people began to use these tools of personal connection to pass content around the web. The fact that CNN is paying close attention to social media’s rise – including the addition of far more social interaction on its site – is surely another step forward.Tags: cnn, mashable, social media
