Now open in wide theatrical release is a film that remakes one of the formative books of many a childhood. Typically that’s cause for fear that a special and rare experience hasn’t been done justice.But in this case, Where the Wild Things Are has world class director Spike Jonze going for it as well as the explicit blessing and accolades of the author Maurice Sendak. It also has a very plugged-in and intelligent social media campaign going on to promote the film.Case in point, a creative iPhone app(warning: iTunes link) and Facebook pagethat’s seen impressive growth up to at current count over 1.6 million fans.In the iPhone app you can watch trailers and view photos of the film as well as hear the soundtrack. But most notably, the creative and delightful part of the app sees the Carol monster as a creature kids (and adults!) can interact with. If put to sleep at night he’ll gobble up your contacts’ photos from your phone — a playful and yet appropriately modern element that’s true to the spirit of the Where the Wild Things Are universe.The Facebookpage is also done well, with a continuous stream of updates featuring behind the scenes information, videos, media coverage, interviews and more. It also features a custom app where users can upload images of themselves to be inserted in place of Max’s face in one of the film’s promotional images.It’s certainly not the first example of a mainstream film taking advantage of social media promotion tools, but it’s definitely an example of one done well. Did you hear about the film via its social media promotions or its more mainstream publicity campaigns?Reviews: FacebookTags: facebook, Film, iphone, promotions, social media, where the wild things are

  We’ve come to the exciting conclusion of our fourth weekly Web Faceoff, where we pit two popular social services or apps against each other in a virtual knock-down, drag-out fight. Check out all the results to date at the bottom of this post.This week was a very heated matchup between two of our favorite social networking giants: Facebook and Twitter.While it wasn’t quite as close a match as last week’s photo-finish 31 vote margin victory by last.fm over Pandora, it did feature a high 11% Tie contingent who simply couldn’t decide between the two. But in the end, there can be only one winner…… and Facebookemerged victorious in this round! Out of 5133 total votes, Facebook walked away with 2484 for 48% of the vote, while Twitter came in respectably close behind with 2061 votes (40%). A sizeable 588 of voters couldn’t decide between the two.Check out the final poll graph and previous Faceoff winners below. And be sure to tune in again on Monday for the next edition of the Web Faceoff series!Web Faceoff: Overall ResultsWeek 1:- Mozilla Firefox vs. Google Chrome- WINNER: Firefox, 4600 votes (Chrome: 3310 votes, Tie: 911 votes)Week 2:- Tumblr vs. Posterous- WINNER: Tumblr, 1809 votes (Posterous: 1496 votes, Tie: 256 votes)Week 3:- Pandora vs. Last.fm- WINNER: Last.fm, 1187 votes (Pandora: 1156 votes, Tie: 122 votes)Week 4:- Twitter vs. Facebook- WINNER: Facebook, 2484 votes (Twitter: 2061 votes, Tie: 588 votes)Reviews: Chrome, Facebook, Firefox, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Pandora, Posterous, Tumblr, TwitterTags: facebook, twitter, web faceoff

  With the MLB playoffs in full swing, it’s been hard to miss the chatter on Twitter during pivotal moments during games. MLB.com is now tracking all of that action, and compiling it in an interactive inning-by-inning timeline of each game that compiles Twitter buzz alongside video highlights.The result is MLB’s “Pulseâ€� feature which now accompanies the Wrap Up of each game. In addition to the graph for each team’s tweet volume and highlights, you can also see all of the tweets that MLB pulled in, so you can see specifically what people were saying at any point during the game.Unfortunately, Pulse is only available after games, though the team that worked on the project tells me that real-time is in the works for next season. Nonetheless, during games, MLB.com has added a Twitter feature to its GameDay view where you can both watch a pitch-by-pitch description of what’s happening, and also see all the tweets coming in about the game. There’s also an option to login and post your own updates.Overall, MLB.com has done a nice job of making the playoffs a more social experience, and could certainly stand to get users spending a lot more time on its site when the Pulse feature moves to real-time next year.Reviews: TwitterTags: Baseball, MLB, sports, twitter

  Without a doubt, social gamingis on the rise — and big business for some. With the Facebook application platform, game developers have an unprecedented opportunity to tap into existing social connections for both compelling gameplay and viral promotions for their titles.And they’re taking advantage of it in droves. Luckily for Facebook users, many of these games are mighty fun. Take a look at our 10 top picks for getting your Facebook game on.10. BiotronicOffering a biotechnological twist on the puzzle game genre, Biotronicfeatures easy mouse controls, exploding combos and artful animations.9. Restaurant CityFrom popular casual games developer Playfish Games, Restaurant Citycontinues in the venerable tradition of casual games like Diner Dash. Combining elements of time management games and virtual sims, in Restaurant City you start your own food joint, customize it, and vie against other restaurants to become the talk of the town.8. MindJolt GamesActually a collection of various titles, MindJolt Gamesincludes a number of arcade, puzzle, strategy and sports games to play solo or in challenges with friends.7. Know-It-All TriviaThis one’s for trivia buffs: Know-It-All Triviapits you against your Facebook friends to test your knowledge and show off the size of that big brain of yours.6. Zynga PokerIt’s hard to argue with at current count over 18 million active monthly players. If you’re already a Texas HoldEm fan, Zynga Pokeris probably a no-brainer. If you’re a card enthusiast looking for something fun to pick up on Facebook, you’re in good company here.5. Bejeweled BlitzInsanely addictive on almost any platform, this gem-swapping puzzle titlecomes from the highly regarded house of PopCap Games.4. YoVilleZynga’s YoVilleis a Sims-like virtual world on Facebook. You start off with your own apartment and do virtual “work” to get the money to decorate it. You can visit your friends’ virtual homes and chat with them in real-time.3. Mafia WarsPriding itself on being the “#1 Crime game for Facebook,” Mafia Warshas over 25 million Facebook users doing crime jobs for cash, vying for respect and fighting to be the ruling family in fictional New York.2. Word ChallengeHere’s one for the wordsmiths and language lovers out there. In Word Challenge, you’re given 6 letters and need to generate as many 3-6 letter words from them as quickly as possible. If you like word games like Boggle or Wordle, you’ll love Word Challenge.1. FarmvilleWith 11 million daily playersand counting, Farmville is a virtual force to be reckoned with. If you like management-type games where you build and monitor assets — or if you just love farm animals — this could be the Facebookgame for you.With several gazillion other Facebook game options out there, we’re sure we’ve omitted some of your favorites. Be sure to let us know what you play in the comments, and why others should play it too!Reviews: Facebook, YovilleTags: facebook, facebook games, games, Lists, playfish, popcap, Zynga

  Mashable’s Open Web Awards: Social Media Edition, which aims to find the very best people and apps in social media, is off to a flying start. We’ve received over 30,000 nominations for more than 13,000 unique companies, apps and individuals. Next week, we’ll begin highlighting interesting nominees here on Mashable, helping the social media leaders of 2009 get heard, regardless of whether you get through to the next round. In the meantime, be sure to submit your nominations at Mashable.com/owaAlso note that you can nominate once per category per day. Those with the most nominations will proceed to the voting round on November 18th. If you’d like to encourage people to nominate you, you can grab a custom link or “Nominate Me” button from the Promote page.GET NOMINATING!Thanks to our Partner: MOTOBLURMOTOBLURfrom Motorola was built expressly for the way people communicate today. It’s the only service that automatically delivers and organizes your conversations, contacts and content from all your favorite sites and sources in easy-to-manage streams. Whether it’s Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, text messages, Gmail or work e-mail, MOTOBLUR keeps track of it all and serves it up on a customizable home screen and integrates it through the phone. Plus, with MOTOBLUR you have peace of mind, because all of your info is backed up and secure. Discover MOTOBLUR on Motorola CLIQ available at T-Mobile. It’s time to spend less time managing life and more time living it.Reviews: Facebook, Gmail, Mashable, MySpace, TwitterTags: mashable, open web awards

  Thanks to this week’s advertisers and partners for enabling us to bring you the latest social media news and resources. We’re particularly inspired by those brands that are engaging with our readers as part of our Twitter Brand Sponsorsprogram: Mashable’s sponsors are as social media savvy as our readers!Advertise with us and get noticed.Help us to help you. Mashable is seeking out site sponsors for our large, diverse audience — social media users, venture capitalists, early adopters, developers, bloggers, and many more. You’ll receive hundreds of thousands of views a day in addition to weekly recognition to thank you as our premium sponsors. Are you interested? Contact usfor more information and to receive our media kit and rate card.This week, our valued sponsors are MOTOBLUR, Que Publishing, SynergyChat, PayPal X Innovate 2009, Conduit,

  It’s inescapable that a big part of the Twitter experience (and its allure) has been its strong mobile component. Millions of people utilize SMS, Twitter mobile, and third party apps to tweet and read status updates on-the-go. The mobile component of Twitter hasn’t arrived overnight though, especially for its international users. It was only a few days ago when Twitter via SMS became available in India, for example. Even Japanese users, which have their own native-language version of Twitter, have gone without a mobile web version. Until now, at least. According to the Associated Press, Twitter has launched a mobile version for Twitter Japan as part of its effort to make inroads into the Asian market.The new version comes as a long overdue component of tweeting in Japan. Many Japanese users utilize different apps to access Twitter via mobile currently, as the English mobile site is incompatible with a lot of the Japanese features. It seemed clear that a mobile version for Japanese users was going to be necessary to spur new growth.Twitter Japan is still small, though. It has less than one million users and is only beginning to bring Japanese celebrities and media outlets on board. Part of the problem has been cultural: Japanese users are not as open to talking with strangers, for example. Still, the microblogging service has shown promise in the island nation, and the mobile version can only help Twitter on its quest to become the world’s water cooler.Reviews: TwitterTags: japan, twitter, Twitter Japan

  It looks like AMPmight not be the only energy drink in hot water this week. This story starts last month, when the makers of the Monster energy drink sent a cease and desist letter to Rock Art Breweryin Vermont. Monster’s parent company, Hansen Beverage Co, wants Rock Art to stop using the name “Vermonsterâ€� on one of its specialty beers, because they believe it will cause confusion with the energy drink.Using his company’s website, Facebookpage, Twitteraccount, and now a YouTubevideo, brewery owner Matt Nadeau has been able to rally support, and now, talk of a Monster boycott is spreading. Users on Twitter have started using the hashtags #boycottmonsterand #monsterboycott. Meanwhile, on Facebook, the group Vermonters and Craft Beer Drinkers Against Monsteris up to nearly 10,000 members. The story has also received significant press coverage in recent days.Nadeau and the attorneys he’s contacted believe that he’s in the right here, and that Monster has no case. However, he doesn’t think he can weather the financing required to take them on in court. Hence, we’ve got the perfect David v Goliath story playing out, with David now having thousands of social media users on his side. How far will this story go? If the boycott talk grows loud enough, perhaps to the point that Monster drops what does seem like a silly and unnecessary trademark case. Watch Nadeau tell the story in the video below:Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, YouTubeTags: monster energy drink, social media

  Thanks to the web and the ubiquity of sites like YouTube, unbelievable moments caught on camera that might otherwise go unseen trickle out online for the world to behold. Case in point, this remarkable YouTube video of a mother and her 6-month old baby at a train station in Australia.The breathtaking video shows the mother lose control of the stroller, which then rolls off the platform onto the train tracks, and just seconds later, is hit head-on by an arriving train. The mother, who unsuccessfully reaches for the stroller, must then watch in horror as the stroller, with her baby inside, is dragged 30 meters. Astonishingly, the baby survives, with just a bump to the head.Video of the incident was reportedly released to local media in Australia earlier this morning and is now all over the web. It is certainly poised to be the next viral video sensation given how unbelievable it is; it’s just one of those things that you have to see to believe.Reviews: Australia, videoTags: baby stroller train video, viral video

  Over the past few months, there’s been a tremendous amount of activity in utilizing social media for charitable causes. Perhaps the most notable recent example is Drew Carey’s bid of $1 millionfor the Twitter name @drew, with all of the proceeds being donated to cancer research.Today, using the collection of hundreds of bloggers currently converged at Blog World Expo as an impetus, a social media fundraising effort is underway looking to set a Guinness Book World Record “for the distribution of the largest mass message through social mediaâ€� in a 24 hour period.The concept is rather simple. For every tweet, Facebook status update, or blog post containing the #beatcancer hashtag, eBay/PayPal and MillerCoors will be donating 1 cent to cancer research. With a captive audience of social media addicts, the hope is that the campaign will go viral and raise significant money for several charities.More details are available on the beatcancereverywhere.comwebsite, along with badges that you can embed on your blog to further expand the reach of the campaign. The site is also tracking total mentions, so you can see how the campaign is progressing throughout the day. Reviews: FacebookTags: cancer, charity, fundraising, social media

  Still looking for a use case for Google Wave(or an invitefor that matter?). Look no further than this brilliant mashup combining Samuel L. Jackson quotes with a demonstration of Google Wave functionality, including chat, wikis, and embedded videos, games, and maps. The video appears to have been created by Joe Sabia of Whirled Interactive. Be forewarned, it uses lots of adult language, so should be viewed with headphones on if you’re at the office. But, you probably could’ve already guessed that.[via Wired UK]Tags: Google Wave, videos

  From college stadiumsto newsroomsto the NFL, the establishment continues to assess how to best deal with social media. Now, Hollywood execs are moving in on Hollywood talent, imposing restrictions designed to prevent news from leaking out of celebrity Twitterand Facebookaccounts.According to The Hollywood Reporter, studios like Disney and DreamWorks are adding clauses to contracts that forbid talent from sharing confidential information or pre-empting a studio press release via social media sites.The heart of the issue, reports THR: “Until relatively recently, getting an ill-advised word out to the wider public required a TV camera or a gossip columnist; social media eliminates the middleman and enables an actor to broadcast to millions in an instant.â€�Mind you, such confidentiality is already implied in many contracts, but apparently with news being leaked via social media accounts, execs feel that specific clauses are now required. But are they? Assuming they’ll be able to quiet people whose job it is to make headlines seems naive, especially when in most cases, the talent has all the leverage. And even if Paula Abdul declaring she’s leaving American Idolor Chad Ochocinco telling fansabout his team reaching a deal with their first round pick doesn’t allow their respective organizations to put the PR spin they’d like on stories, is it such a big deal? Such events give fans a sense of connection, which makes them more likely to watch TV shows or buy football tickets. After all, we tune in for the talent, not for the executives. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, LPETTETReviews: Facebook, Twitter, iStockphotoTags: celebrities, Hollywood, social media, twitter

  Soren Gordhamerwrites and consults on ways we can more creatively and effectively use the technologies of our age, including social media. He is the author of “Wisdom 2.0″ (HarperOne, 2009). You can follow him on Twitter at @SorenG.It is hard to know sometimes how our life has changed until we stop for a moment and look at how different it is from ten or even five years ago. In recent years social media, likely more than anything else, has significantly impacted most of our daily lives. Envisioning the global conversation that has developed over the past few years because of tools like Facebook and Twitter might have been unimaginable for most people at the beginning of this decade.But social media communication tools have profoundly changed our lives and how we interact with one another and the world around us. Here are the top areas that social media has affected in our daily lives.1. Where We Get Our NewsIf you’re like me, each morning before checking Yahoo! or Google News or an online newspaper site like USA Today or CNN, you first look at the stories your friends and people that you follow are sharing via Twitter or Facebook. After all, you didn’t choose the editors at newspapers and other publications, but you did choose the people and groups that you follow on Twitter, Facebook, or other social networks. Friends on social media are increasingly becoming people’s trusted sources of information, even more than search engines. Tech blogger Mark Cuban recently noted, “For the 1st time ever, more people are finding my blog from Twitter and Facebook referrals than via Google.â€� Of course, many people still use RSS feeds to stay up-to-date on blogs and publications of interest, but our list of sources for what is worthy of our attention has expanded significantly. Furthermore, by getting our news from social media, we know who is recommending it, and can easily communicate with that person about it. News is more social than ever. 2. How We Start and Do BusinessIt is easier than ever to start and launch a business today, in great part thanks to social media. We can not only locate potential collaborators and employees through interest-focused Facebook groups, Twitter searches, and niche social networks, but perhaps more importantly, social media gives people who have time, but little money for advertising, the chance to engage with others and promote their business. A recent articlein the New York Times concluded, “For many mom-and-pop shops with no ad budget, Twitter has become their sole means of marketing.” While business in the past was generally conducted with those in one’s immediate environment, social media, including everything from blogging to tweeting to posting videos on YouTube, has opened new possibilities for both customers and clients. Who we do business with and how we promote that business has moved increasingly online, and for small business especially, social media has proved valuable. 3. How We Meet and Stay in Touch with PeoplePeople certainly still meet others at social venues like clubs and parties, but it is easier than ever to discover people who share our interests through social media, whether that means via groups on Facebook or following people on Twitter. Even if your interests lie in an obscure area, like 15th century poetry in France or Nepalese art, there is probably a Facebook group about it, and a Twitter search will likely turn up other people talking about the same subject. Of course, there is only so much communication that can happen through a social network, but via Tweetupsand other in-person events, people are expanding these online interactions to face-to-face meetings. The introductions are initially made through social networks, then people develop the relationship using phone calls and in-person meetings. Studies reveal that our time on social networks has nearly tripledin the last year, and while Facebook has always primarily centered around connecting with people and staying in touch with friends, according to a study on eMarketer, “41.6% percent of Internet users who used Twitter did so to keep in touch with their friends.â€� In other words, social media is increasingly being used to find and maintain both old and potentially new friendships. 4. What We RevealThe old paradigm in communication was that people generally revealed very little of their fears and doubts. They tried to present the image of themselves to other people as completely confident and knowledgeable. The goal was to make sure that you appeared like you were always in complete control. But this is shifting, in part, because of social media. The paradigm is now no longer to try to appear perfect, but to be more transparent with your thoughts and feelings, to reveal your humanness. We now have queens acknowledging that they get nervous at timeswhen speaking, CEOs being more honest and at times using blogs to express reservationsover past decisions, and people openly sharing personal views on social issues. Of course, what we decide to reveal and when to reveal it can be delicate, and there will always likely be items we wish to keep private. However, rather than working to hide our thoughts and feelings, social media is helping to create greater personal transparency. 5. What We Can InfluenceIt used to be a big deal that Oprah had over 20 million people watch her show every week or that the New York Times was read by millions of people, and while these large media outlets still control much of our attention, now with social media, power is increasingly more widespread. So-called mainstream media is no longer always the driving influencer of public opinion. On Twitter, some individuals now have a million or more followers, Facebook Pages can also have hundreds of thousands of fans, and YouTube videos can get millions of views when they go viral. Most of this content is coming from regular people, rather than big, corporate-owned media organizations. For example, people like occasional Mashable guest writer Brandon Mendelson, who has over 950,000 followerson Twitter, have used social media to increase their influence beyond what was possible for “regular people” in the past.Even if we have few followers on Twitter or friends on Facebook or subscribers to our blog, the average person’s influence is increasing as communication channels become more open and fluid. As the networks for sharing and amplifying information strengthen, the ability of each person to influence public opinion and policies increases. As a result, we feel much less like passive bystanders and much more like participants who have a voice in the events in our world. ConclusionIn every era, cultures go through numerous changes, and in recent years ours has been more impacted than anything else by social media. Large media companies are not likely to go away overnight, nor will the need to communicate by phone or meet people in person, but social media is providing yet one more means of engaging with people on this vast planet of ours, and if used effectively can give all of us greater choice in how we live and what happens in our world. Feel free to share below: How has social media changed your daily life?More social media resources from Mashable:- 10 Most Extraordinary Twitter Updates- 4 Ways Social Media is Changing Business- 5 Easy Social Media Wins for Your Small Business- 6 Incredible Twitter Powered Art Projects- HOW TO: Manage a Facebook GroupImage courtesy of iStockphoto, sodafishReviews: Facebook, Google, Mashable, Twitter, YouTube, iStockphoto, newsTags: change, facebook, Lists, social media, twitter

  For the last several weeks, Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien and the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker have been fighting. It started out with an O’Brien joke about Newark, and Booker using his popular Twitter accountand YouTube to counter-punch.The saga expanded to airport bans (as proclaimed by both men) and eventually bans from each man’s respective state. Even Hillary Clinton got involved. Alas, the feud is still ongoing so Mayor Booker is going to appear on the Tonight Show tonight to try to make amends. Before he does that, he’ll be chatting with Jason Pollockon Ashton Kutcher’s Ustream channelat 5pm ET today.Last month, Ashton himself and Mayor Booker talked about social media and the role it had both in Booker’s campaign and in how he leads his city. You can see the clipon Ustream.Social Media MayorLike many public figures, Mayor Booker realizes the benefits that social media can provide in helping him not only get his message across, but hear directly back from the people of Newark. He has an active Twitter and Facebookpage. Booker also has a blog, though like many of us, he probably finds it difficult to regularly update and uses the power of Twitter instead.For a rundown of the whole Booker/O’Brien feud, check out this clip from NBC.com:What do you think of the feud? Will Ashton help broker peace between the two men? Will this national nightmare finally end? How many times will “Balloon Boy”be mentioned in tonight’s show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, blog, ustreamTags: ashton kutcher, conan o'brien, cory booker