Curated Stories November 22, 2010

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” 10 words that have managed to excite people for more than three decades now and signify the opening of one of the most powerful stories ever told in cinema. Wi…

The Education Tech Series is supported by Dell The Power To Do More, where you’ll find perspectives, trends and stories that inspire Dell to create technology solutions that work harder for its customers so t…

As Facebook enters into the group deals space, should daily deals sites like Groupon and NYC-based Scoop St. be scared of impending doom? Scoop St. co-founder David Ambrose doesn’t think so.
Ambrose explains ho…

The “father” of the Web sends a plea to Facebook, Apple, and others to stop “walling off” information.

In this month’s Scientific American, out today, Tim Berners-Lee publishes a thoughtful essay a…

A couple weeks ago, we noted that WordPress was testing out a new Top Author stat area on the Site Stats page found on WordPress.com blogs. Today, they’ve rolled out the feature with a couple little bonuses….

Describing itself as “part online bookstore, part social network,” and “the world’s first truly social e-reading platform,” Copia has launched a platform designed to bring together book-buying, reading and disc…

Kelli went to Northeastern University and got loans to pay for her sociology degree. Her repayment schedule is featured in the article and it is not pretty. From the article:

I am actually forced to live with…

This cartoon — found in Mark Twain Himself: a Pictorial Biography, thanks to Macy Halford — exposes my beloved Twain as a fellow noise-intolerant freak. Evidently he rose on Thanksgiving night at the carto…

TweetLike it or not, “digital” is becoming a part of more and more marketers’ jobs. The implications of this are broader than just tacking-on another channel to an existing marketing plan – developing d…

iOS 4.2 at last unifies all of Apple’s mobile devices under the same software. Macworld picks out ten of the most welcome features in the new release.

Now that iOS 4.2 is out, we’re lauding its many great features, but it’s also time to take a look at its biggest omissions.

What are you known for? What do people say about you when you leave the room? (They are talking about you, arent they?) How can you burnish your reputation to win that promotion or land that new client? Youve d…

Foursquare is expanding its San Francisco presence and hiring a “full” team of West Coast engineers. Perhaps a response to Facebook poaching one of their engineers?Join the conversation about this story »…

If you missed it: Last week Gawker Media shared unauthorized excerpts (cache version) from Sarah Palin’s upcoming book, “America By Heart”, posting 14 partial page images that showed the dedication page a…

The eagerly anticipated AirPrint is not the feature originally promised, the one everyone was hoping would provide seamless, network-based mobile printing. But if you do have a compatible printer, it works as…

iOS 4.2 finally unifies all of Apple’s mobile devices under one software version. So, what can you expect from this one release to rule them all?

Two months ago I spoke at The Economist’s Ideas Economy conference on Human Potential. Having only 6 minutes, I decided to focus my talk on one big theme: Trust. I even used this blog to try out some of my id…

Last week, Facebook launched its new “social inbox” feature. The unified messaging system pipes the online and mobile communication functions people use — email, SMS, instant messaging, Facebook chat m…

This guest post is written by the Blog Tyrant.
Three weeks ago I wrote a guest post for a large blog that got rejected on the grounds that it contained ideas that had already been discussed at the blog. Now th…

harrymcc writes When Microsoft shipped Windows 1.0 back in November 1985 — it turned 25 on Saturday — it wasnt clear that its much-delayed windowing add-on for DOS was going to succeed. After all, it was a…

Not a day goes by where we don’t see tweets and post headlines telling us “you must” or “you need” and similar dogmatic injunctions. Is it because we like being told what to do? Is it because the auth…

For years, we’ve been hearing that the future of productivity is in the cloud. But while visions of real-time collaboration leave technophiles like me starry-eyed, it’s a prospect that means one thing to mi…

Google has transformed one of its acquisitions into Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office, a new tool that lets users simultaneously edit an Office doc via the cloud. Launching in beta today, Google Cloud…

At a recent customer in London our keynote
speaker Eric Peterson spoke about the importance of ‘people, process and
technology’ when it comes to web analytics and optimisation. It’s a sentiment that I co…

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.In the past 12 months, we’ve seen…

Last June, 980 of you organized Linchpin meetups in cities around the world, and more than 6,000 people signed up to attend.
By popular request, we’re doing it again, this time on December 7, 2010. You can sign…

About a year ago, we had a discussion about some comments made by Garry Trudeau, the creator of the comic strip Doonesbury, which has been an institution for 40 years or so. That post was in response to claims…

Amazon has released a free new price comparison app for iPhone that allows users to quickly compare in-store prices with the prices of Amazon and its affiliated merchants by snapping a photo, scanning a barcode…

Of the $447 billion in predicted U.S. holiday spending this season, $127 billion of it, or 28 percent, will be touched by some form of mobile commerce or social networking. IDC Retail Insights surveyed more tha…

The clever folks at lifehacker.com have outlined a six-step plan to dual-boot Android software on an iPhone.

With the proliferation of smart phones of varying screen sizes, flash compatibility, and most recently apple tv and google tv, many website owners are choosing to solve this problem with multiple sites and dom…

For those of you who have never watched Oprah’s “favorite things” episodes of her show, the talk show host airs an annual segment each holiday where she lists her most desired products and subsequently gi…

What Draws People to You?

I have a friend who lights up every room that she enters. People are drawn to her. They gather around her. She’s a delight and so everyone wants to spend time with her. You mig…

I’ve decided to start a series called 100 Things You Should Know about People. As in: 100 things you should know if you are going to design an effective and persuasive website, web application or software app…

As previously announced, Groupon is kicking off the holiday season today with its ‘Grouponicus’ deals. Interestingly, one of the first up is … a deal for recorded music, namely Rihanna’s fifth studio a…

Apple has released the long-awaited iOS 4.2 update for iPad today, the first major software upgrade for the iPad sine its launch earlier this year. For iPhone users, the majority of the software’s features are…

Apple has made Find My iPhone, a service that was previously limited to MobileMe subscribers, free to all owners of iOS devices with the release of iOS 4.2.Find My iPhone allows users to pinpoint their device o…

Google likes to play a little game with those of us who do business online.
The game is called “change all the rules and see who survives.” It’s often a fun and rewarding game for Google users, but it c…

As we near Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Amazon is launching a new way to comparison shop on the go. Called Price Check, the free iPhone app allows users can scan the barcode of a product, take a picture of an…

I hope this article encourages people to look at testing different AdWords strategies as it is important to trial new methodologies using parts of your campaign to ensure you clients stay ahead of the c…

We all know about the value that you can find while performing keyword research using the Google Suggest feature for regular search as well as images, videos, and more.

But let’s look beyond Google for a mom…

eBay has released version 2.0 of its primary Phone app, eBay Mobile, the company announced Monday.Version 2.0 [iTunes link], which appeared in the App Store Friday, allows users to buy and sell on eBay’s flag…

The following op-ed was published on October 27th, 2010 in USA Today.by Kevin Pho, MDWhen I ask new patients how they found me, frequently they say on the Internet through search engines such as Google.Out of c…

Jason Snell spend the weekend with an Apple TV running the new AirPlay-compatible software. Here’s his hands-on report on how this new video-sharing technology works.

Times are tough. We’re all busting our humps trying to do the work of several people and it’s all too easy to get caught up in ‘getting it done’ – and that can lead to missed opportunities to enjoy…

The past few years have been revolutionary for PR and communications. We’ve seen changes in our approach and in new technologies that allow us to share, collaborate and connect directly with our constituent…

aisle411 is today launching its iPhone application for locating products in specific aisles and sections at retails stores. The application works at more than 600 stores in the U.S. and is meant to serve as a f…

One often-overlooked tweak is to clear out the font caches and trim the number of fonts you have installed on your Mac. While it may seem like a minor thing it can actually have a big impact on how fast and…

In 2007 I said that Facebook would be the home page for your personal brand. Now it seems that Facebook is officially setting out to become your homepage period.
The other day I logged into Facebook and notice…

The Easiest Way to Create Videos Right NowThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing
Creating video for blog posts, landing and other web pages has become an important way to communicate a personal message and show…

The launch of Instant Previews has the potential to impact e-commerce site design, though much depends on how many people actually notice and click on the magnifying glass icon.
If it becomes significant, how…

With the rise of smart phone use in the US, (Google Android and iPhone are currently reporting roughly 500,000 activations a day ) it’s more important than ever to have your Google places listing up to speed…

by Josh Bernoff
In a world where you need to depend on your staff to reach out to increasingly empowered customers, you won’t get very far if your employees don’t believe in what you’re doing.
I mention this no…

More than two years ago, I discovered and wrote about a story-based assessment process that I was interested in learning more about and perhaps being trained to use.

Late last month, I underwent five days of…

“Over the next five years every product vertical will be rethought to be social. Get on the bus”
– Mark Zuckerberg
Waking up and opening your laptop on Monday mornings has become a terrifying process. Be…

Seven months after reaching the 50 million download mark, Facebook’s mobile applications have been downloaded by more than 100 million people on GetJar, the vendor and carrier neutral, platform-agnostic app s…

Today the Thoughtwrestling Ka-tet (i.e. myself and most of our contributors) are pleased to present a new free eBook for your reading pleasure!
How We Do Our Best Creative Work is a revised collection of some a…

Twitter is set to launch an analytics service allowing users to track the popularity of their tweets, their own popularity on the service, and the number of retweets, replies and faves each tweet received.In sh…

Being a digital marketing consultant, or any type of consultant for that matter, is exciting. Working for yourself offers you a lot of freedom. If you’re good … or lucky … you can make mor…

A few things you should know before you hit the “install” button.

Who has time to read books? We all should, but it’s tough to know what is worth reading. Each week, this blog will spotlight a new book relevant for marketers or people in business with ideas worth learni…

TweetJust because you CAN do something in social media, doesn’t mean you SHOULD.
This point was driven home for me recently when reading an AdAge article about CKE Restaurants (Carl’s Jr. and Hardees) launc…

Why Failing to Promote Reader Engagement and Interaction Results In Blogging Disaster
When examining common blogging mistakes, it’s easy to presume that the problems lie with the design of a…

What is the most valuable asset a business has? There are a number of
potential answers, but for most businesses today, one of them is ‘data’.Thank technology for that. Most businesses, no matter what industry…

Are your employees corporobots? If so, you’ve not only dehumanized them — you’ve stripped your company of precisely what gives it the possibility of creating an enduring advantage.
In an economy that even…

theodp writes Back in 2008, the Department of Homeland Security enacted a controversial emergency rule to allow foreign students earning tech-related degrees in the US to work for American employers for 29 mont…

Last week, I closed off WOMMA 2010 as the closing keynote, and presented Altimeter’s recent research on the Career Path of the Corporate Social Strategist (read the report) to a few hundred folks.
In the c…

Nothing says “I get it!” like seeing it done, and done well, at a professional level.
It’s impossible to turn pro at anything – and make no mistake, writing stories for publication is at the top of this…

Meaghan Edelstein has gained national media attention through her blog, I Kicked Cancer’s Ass, which she started to document her battle with end stage cancer. She is an attorney, the founder of the non-profit…

Jump into an Apple product tutorial for both new users and seasoned pros!

Appolicious – Bump Technologies, launched in 2008 and acquired by Google (GOOG) in May, enables users to transfer funds and information by bumping their smartphones together.

The Importance of Proactively Building Your Online Reputation
I recently gave a presentation on the importance of building your online reputation. I presented data from a recent CrossTab repo…

Everyone has within them the desire and the means to make life a masterpiece, it maybe hidden in the recesses of their soul or buried amongst the pain of living an existence but it is there waiting to be discov…