5 Ways to Use Google Wave for Business
Category: Technology>Mashable

Sharlyn Lauby is the president of Internal Talent Management (ITM) which specializes in employee training and human resources consulting. She authors a blog at hrbartender.com.

Remember Google Wave? Clearly, Google Buzz has recently overshadowed Google’s other hotly anticipated social communication platform, but before you ditch your Wave account, give it a second try. There are many useful business applications for Wave, especially in situations that call for collaboration with a group or managing a project. Wave can easily allow users to dispense with the formalities (and expenses) of meetings, phone calls, travel, etc. and instead make it easy to collaborate across time and space.

Here are five examples of common workplace activities that Google Wave can support.

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1. Conferences and Professional Development

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This one probably seems obvious. Departments can set up Google Waves to discuss what’s happening at a particular event. A company with limited funds could send one person to a conference and use Google Wave as a reporting mechanism. Or if several people attend, they can divide/conquer the event and post their ideas and comments in one place.

For example Chris Hoyt, author of the blog The Recruiter Guy, set up a Wave for the human resources and recruiting community during last year’s Social Recruiting Summit. Both attendees and those of us who were interested but couldn’t make it in person were able to join the Wave. It was an opportunity to gain exposure to the content and learn more about the event so people could budget to attend the following year.

One thing I could see emerging from conference Waves are “back channel” discussions. Conference organizers in particular will want to pay particular attention to this and not necessarily view it as a bad thing. If managed properly, it could bring some opportunities for improvement to light during the event.

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2. Decision Making and Problem Solving

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Using Google Wave to discuss a company challenge could be very beneficial — especially when all of the players aren’t located in the same place. That’s exactly why Troy Peterson, CEO of Nibi Software, used Wave to get the company’s development plan finalized.  He brought everyone together in a Wave and let the conversation flow. “The real-time document functionality allowed us to have ‘arguments’ and solve problems together that might otherwise have resulted in ‘back and forth’ threads that went on forever.”

Peterson did mention that adoption was an initial challenge. “Although several of my contacts immediately had Wave accounts, they weren’t necessarily the people I was collaborating with on projects.  It required some arm wrestling to get people on board.” But the results were worth it. “In the end, we have a succinct document that we have all agreed on and that we can compare short-term objectives against.”

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3. Project Management

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The same decision making philosophy applies when you have a project and need to collaborate not only with internal stakeholders, but an external supplier. Google Wave provides an opportunity for collaboration. Hopefully, consultants and/or contractors are able to tap into that dialogue by sharing their Wave account info with client companies.

Rachel Levy, Founder/CEO of the startup website WebinarListings, is using Google Wave with her developer. “We have the list of open items in the Wave, so we can discuss each one. I add an open item, and he can ask me a question about it, or mark it as done.” The main advantage to using this application was being able to track conversations.

This could also be a valuable way to manage the dreaded “scope creep.” You can lay out the entire project in a single Wave once the parameters are agreed upon. Then, you can work through each facet with each side tracking progress and those pesky project deviations. And everything gets documented along the way. New project requirements can even be moved to a new Wave for later consideration.

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4. Brainstorming and Idea Cultivation

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Brendan Gill, with the firm Staircase3, said he and his partners use Google Wave as a medium to organize and facilitate conversations and feedback. “We are a team of entrepreneurs who like to have an idea and make it happen quickly. We use Google Wave to brainstorm our ideas for new business projects.  It’s a great tool for collecting a series of conversations, and we use a different Wave for each different idea.”

Gill explained they would have traditionally used group e-mails for this purpose, but found Wave has numerous advantages, including serving as a centralized repository, and the ability to use add-on features for enhanced productivity. This was especially useful since their management team is located around the globe. “The Ribbit conferencing feature is great for staging an ad hoc conference call. Furthermore, the simple voting widget is a useful way to end each of our Waves where we can stage a vote for a given idea — whether or not we want to put the idea in motion, or just cut it loose.”

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5. Virtual Meetings and Reduced Travel

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Let’s face it. Bringing groups of people together can be expensive. Depending on the project, Google Wave could help foster dialogue without a lot of travel, phone calls, etc. Gill mentioned using Wave to make edits and adjustments on business proposals without having people travel to a central location. “Using Wave definitely reduces the need for thousand-dollar transatlantic flights and many tons of carbon emissions. Obviously without Wave, we would still use e-mails and teleconferencing, but using a better communications platform has definitely cut a number of flights out of our schedule,” he said.

Gill added that, “Collaboration can be done in real-time, if required, which is useful if you’re trying to rush out a project that has to happen quickly or not at all. Or for longer-term projects, you can take your time to think about an idea and come back to the plan at any time you like.”

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Conclusion

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If you’re looking for a way to streamline communications on your next project, Peterson suggests that you “Sign up and use the tool. It may not revolutionize your company’s communications, but it is useful and worth the effort involved in figuring out how it works for your organization.”

Remember the success of a Wave is contingent upon the active participation of the individuals involved. Waves need engagement, attention and clarity. You can’t just ask a question and walk away for a couple days. According to Levy, “The bigger the Wave gets, the slower it gets.” Managing activity and open items becomes essential for productivity.

How are you using Google Wave to improve your work life? Share your stories in the comments.

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More Google Wave resources from Mashable:

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– Google Wave: A Complete Guide
– Google Wave’s Massive Potential for Business Users
– 4 Surprising Google Wave Uses
– How Google Wave is Changing the News
– 5 Impressive Real-Life Google Wave Use Cases

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, YanC

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Reviews: Google, Google Buzz, Google Wave, iStockphoto

Tags: business, collaboration, Google, Google Wave, List, Lists, small business

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AT&T Warns Teens: Don’t Text and Drive
Category: Technology>Mashable

The growing popularity of text messaging — especially by young adults — has had a really negative impact on vehicular safety, as more and more people text while behind the wheel.

Earlier this year, it became illegal for bus drivers or truck drivers to text while driving, but the problem only continues to grow among drivers in general. AT&T is joining in the fight to educate people about the dangers of texting while operating a vehicle by launching a new texting and driving campaign with the slogan: “Txting & Driving: It Can Wait.”

The U.S.’s second largest wireless carrier has created a website that has resources and safety guides for all drivers, but it’s clear that the focus is on teens.

In addition to offering a pledge and contract for teens and parents, AT&T has a Facebook page dedicated to the cause, and even a widget you can insert into your own website to show your support.

What do you think about the campaign? How do you think wireless companies, parents and the government should attack this problem? Let us know!

Tags: att, safety, texting, texting while driving

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Pandora Could Hit $100 Million in Revenue for 2010
Category: Technology>Mashable

Online music service Pandora could hit $100 million in revenue this year, which would represent more than twice as much revenue as the company pulled in for 2009 and potentially set the stage for an IPO.

The new estimate comes from a Wall Street analyst quoted in a New York Times profile of Pandora, a company that has narrowly escaped all but certain death several times since its inception in 2000. The Times credits much of Pandora’s rise to its wildly successful iPhone app, which doubled signups for the service overnight.

Much of it also has to do, however, with the new licensing deal that the company was able to achieve last year that brought royalties down to a much more affordable level that Pandora offsets with both ads and subscription revenue.

As for whether these rising tides might lead to Pandora going public, the Times reports that nothing is imminent, but notes that the company recently hired a CFO — the same one that was at the helm of Salesforce.com when it made its Wall Street debut.

On a side note, Pandora’s success is quite the tale in perseverance. For example, the Times talks of founder Tim Westergren not scoring a venture capital investment until his 348th pitch. In a decade when we’ve seen countless music startups falter or sold off for pennies on the dollar, Pandora’s tale is an inspiring one, and the NYT’s profile is worth a read.

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Reviews: Pandora, iPhone

Tags: finance, online music, pandora

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Foursquare and SPIN Magazine Turn SXSW Into Musical Scavenger Hunt
Category: Technology>Mashable

For complete SXSW coverage, check out Mashable’s SXSW channel.

Popular music magazine SPIN is going geeky for South by Southwest’s music festival, integrating custom Foursquare badges into its event presence and rewarding the most adventurous users of the location-based game with free tickets to their annual music showcase at Stubb’s.

Festival goers who check-in at music venues can earn points and collect the four custom SPIN badges. Each badge — should you attempt to unlock it — offers a unique experience of the festival and turns the SXSW music experience into a complex scavenger hunt.

Don’t expect these badges to come easy. To earn the SPINsider badge, users will need to check out three bands that SPIN editors recommend. For the Trailblazer badge, users are tasked to see three shows outside of downtown Austin. As for the Animal Collector badge, that requires seeing three bands with an animal in their name, while the Bands on the Run challenges the most diehard of fans to see seven bands in one day.

Of course those that make the effort to unlock the badges could be gifted with a handsome reward — two free tickets to SPIN’s annual showcase SPIN@STUBB’s, which features both up-and-coming artists and more recognizable names like Hole. Unlock the badges and be one of the first ten people to present them at the SPIN loft and the tickets are yours.

SPIN’s Foursquare badge challenge is quite remarkable. From our perspective we see this partnership as a sign that Foursquare’s service transcends the techset, appeals to mainstream audiences, and can apply to any vertical.

Tags: foursquare, music, spin magazine, sxsw, sxsw2010, sxswi

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Gowalla Launches for Android
Category: Technology>Mashable

The battle for social geolocation domination has expanded to Google’s Android platform, as Gowalla, the primary competitor to Foursquare, has just made its debut on Google’s Android app store.

The new Gowalla 1.0 app isn’t some secondhand version of its iPhone counterpart — it’s completely packed with an array of features that allow you to check into locations, view friends, access details about specific locations, and check out your progress completion for trips (a Gowalla feature that lets you earn badges by checking into a set of locations).

Essentially, the app is divided into four sections: Activity (a feed of your friend’s activity stream), Spots (where you find nearby locations to check into), Trips (explained above), and Passport (your personal profile and list of achievements). Each section drills deeper, allowing you to add friends, view maps of specific locations (along with the number of check-ins and people there), or complete a trip.

Here’s the gist of it: Gowalla for Android, from first impressions, is well-designed and has many of the features of its iPhone counterpart, though as Android and Me points out, you can’t create a location within the app quite yet.

It needed to be slick and feature-rich to compete with Foursquare’s Android app (which I think in many ways is superior to its iPhone version). Whether it succeeded…well, that’ll take some time to know. Gowalla users, be sure to tell us what you think about the app in the comments.

Now here are a few screenshots, courtesy of Android and Me. You can check out a full gallery there.

Tags: android, App, apps, foursquare, gowalla, trending

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Xbox LIVE Beats PlayStation Network in Reader Vote
Category: Technology>Mashable

We had a very hotly contested matchup this week in our long-running Faceoff series, with Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE going up against Sony’s PlayStation Network for favorite online console gaming service. After an astounding 35,055 votes we’re ready to declare the winner…

… and Xbox LIVE takes the win! They’ll obviously get an achievement rather than a trophy for this victory. Just a day or so ago the polls were holding steadily even so it was definitely in the home stretch here that XBLA pulled ahead. The final tally reads 19,858 for Xbox LIVE (57%) and 14,258 for PSN (41%), with a surprisingly small tie vote of only 939 (3%).

Thanks to everyone who voted this week! Were you disappointed with the results? Sound off in the comments!

Who would win in a fight: Xbox LIVE or PlayStation Network?opinion

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Faceoff Series: Overall Results

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Week 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)

Week 5:
– WordPress vs. Typepad
– WINNER: WordPress, 2714 votes (Typepad: 267 votes, Tie: 357 votes)

Week 6:
– Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard
– WINNER: Windows 7, 3632 votes (Snow Leopard: 3278 votes, Tie: 121 votes)

Week 7:
– TweetDeck vs. Seesmic Desktop
– WINNER: TweetDeck, 3294 votes (Seesmic Desktop: 1055 votes, Tie: 260 votes)

Week 8:
– Microsoft Office vs. Google Docs
– WINNER: Microsoft Office, 1365 votes (Google Docs: 994 votes, Tie: 315 votes)

Week 9:
– Apple iPhone vs. Google Android
– WINNER: Google Android, 3323 votes (Apple iPhone: 1494 votes, Tie: 228 votes)

Week 10:
– AT&T vs. Verizon
– WINNER: Verizon, 1161 votes (AT&T: 538 votes, Tie: 118 votes)

Week 11:
– Google vs. Bing
– WINNER: Google, 2180 votes (Bing: 519 votes, Tie: 97 votes)

Week 12:
– iPod Touch/iPhone vs. Nintendo DS vs. Sony PSP
– WINNER: iPod Touch/iPhone, 704 votes (Sony PSP: 639 votes, Nintendo DS: 482 votes, Tie: 108 votes)

Week 13:
– Digg vs. Reddit vs. StumbleUpon
– WINNER: Digg, 14,762 votes (Reddit: 11,466 votes, StumbleUpon: 2507 votes, Tie: 1032 votes)

Week 14:
– Old versus new Twitter retweets
– WINNER: Old style retweets, 1625 votes (New style retweets: 699 votes, Tie: 227 votes)

Week 15:
– Gmail vs. Outlook
– WINNER: Gmail, 3684 votes (Outlook: 980 votes, Tie: 590 votes)

Week 16:
– Boxee vs. Hulu
– WINNER: Hulu, 626 votes (Boxee: 591 votes, Tie: 106 votes)

Week 17:
– Nexus One vs. iPhone 3GS
– WINNER: Nexus One, 6743 votes (iPhone 3GS: 2818 votes, Tie: 592 votes)

Week 18:
– Foursquare vs. Yelp vs. Gowalla
– WINNER: Foursquare, 1182 votes, (Yelp: 661 votes, Gowalla: 509 votes, Tie: 143 votes)

Week 19:
– AIM vs. GTalk vs. FbChat
– WINNER: GTalk, 2189 votes, (AIM: 1257 votes, FbChat: 511 votes, Tie: 203 votes)

Week 20:
– Music Ownership vs. Music Subscription
– WINNER: Ownership, 533 votes (Subscription: 299 votes, Tie: 237)

Week 21:
– Match.com vs. PlentyofFish
– WINNER: Plenty of Fish, 430 votes (Match.com: 334 votes, Tie: 187 votes)

Week 21:
– Google Buzz vs. Facebook Vs. Twitter
– WINNER: Facebook, 3353 votes (Twitter: 1828 votes, Google Buzz: 1298 votes, Tie: 651 votes)

Week 22:
– HTML5 vs. Adobe Flash
– WINNER: HTML5, 3892 votes (Adobe Flash: 1779 votes, Tie: 660 votes)

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Reviews: Bing, Boxee, Chrome, Digg, Facebook, Firefox, Foursquare, Gmail, Google, Google Buzz, Google Docs, Gowalla, Gtalk, Hulu, Pandora, Posterous, Seesmic Desktop, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, TweetDeck, Twitter, TypePad, Windows, WordPress, Yelp, aim

Tags: gaming, microsoft, playstation, playstation network, polls, PSN, sony, video games, web faceoff, xbla, xbox, XBox live

Blog contents are provided by Mashable

Pepsi Refresh Wants to Give You $50,000 for Your Digital Pro-Social Idea
Category: Technology>Mashable

Last month, Pepsi made the bold move of forgoing Super Bowl ads in favor of a $20 million social media campaign centered around the Pepsi Refresh Project.

Today we’re excited to announce that we have an opportunity to get of our reader’s ideas funded to the tune of $50,000, and it will all happen within the next couple weeks in conjunction with SXSW. We’ll also be keeping you updated about the project and letting you know how you can help here on Mashable.

Here’s how it works:

We’re asking our readers to submit their best pro-social digital ideas to us by Sunday, March 7th, at 11:59pm ET. For an idea of what we mean by “pro-social,” check out some of the submissions already on the Refresh Project site.

We’ll select our favorite, and work with the winning team to formalize an application to Pepsi. Because this is Mashable, our criteria will focus both on the idea and its proposed social media strategy.

We’ll be competing against other “digital influencers” to win the $50,000 in funding. I’ll personally be presenting our choice at SXSW along with the winning team (meaning you’ll have to be at SXSW to present) when the voting portion kicks off on March 13th. We’ll also be using Mashable’s online reach to promote our idea make sure we bring home the funding for it!

Voting will take place publicly via Twitter with a unique hashtag for our chosen team and the #PepsiRefresh hashtag. Voting will end at 11:59pm CT on March 15th.

Interested? Be sure to read Pepsi’s guidelines and eligibility requirements (a key one being this is US-only) and then submit your idea to Mashable by going here. We’ll be in touch with the winning team early on March 9th to discuss next steps. We look forward to your ideas and working with our selected team!

Disclosure: Pepsi is a previous sponsor of Mashable events.

Tags: Pepsi, pepsi refresh, social media, sxsw

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Microsoft’s “Project Pink” Mobile Project is Real and Coming Soon
Category: Technology>Mashable

When Microsoft unveiled its plans for Windows Phone 7 Series last month, one part of Microsoft’s long-rumored mobile strategy was revealed. However, the second part, Project Pink — a rumored Windows Mobile/Zune mash-up with a heavy emphasis on social networking — wasn’t mentioned at all.

Today Gizmodo is reporting that they have confirmation that Project Pink not only exists, but that it is coming to Verizon.

Gizmodo received some third-party marketing materials that discuss the roll-out plans for Project Pink and while the site didn’t publish those materials (to keep the anonymity of its source), it has confirmed that the photos are the same renderings as the Project Pink leaks it published back in September.

So that basically means that this new phone will look feature a few different shapes and feature the same sliding-keyboard design that the Palm Pre, Motorola Droid and T-Mobile Sidekick sport.

Details concerning specific specifications, price and release date information wasn’t included, but Gizmodo says that the materials indicate that a release appears to be taking place soon.

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How Does This Relate to Windows Phone 7?

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From what Gizmodo can tell (and certainly from what the timing indicates), these new Microsoft phones will not be running Windows Phone 7 Series, as the interfaces are very different. And given the statement from Microsoft that even newly released Windows Mobile 6.5 phones won’t be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 7, it sounds like this phone will operate on an entirely different platform.

Because of the big focus on social networking in the marketing materials, it seems like the phone probably has some sort of platform — whether the apps will be compatible with other Windows Phone Classic apps or if it is an entirely different platform — we just don’t know.

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A Stopgap Release or Something New?

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By announcing Windows Phone 7 Series last month and by confirming that only future devices will work with the software, Microsoft has put itself in a difficult position. On the one hand, they need to announce the new platform so that people know what is coming and so developers can be courted to start working on software. On the other hand, knowing about the future products (and that current Windows Mobile 6.5 devices won’t be upgradeable) really makes it hard to attract new customers in the next six months or so.

This is what is known as the Osborne effect and it can be very difficult for a company to overcome. When Apple famously announced its transition to Intel processors at WWDC 2005, the announcement caught many off-guard, in part because of the fear of an Osborne effect. That ended up not happening and sales of PowerPC Macs remained consistent until the Intel Macs introduction in January 2006, but more often than not, this strategy inevitably means a slow in demand for the current product.

Project Pink might just be a stopgap release — something to sell until Windows Phone 7 launches — but it could also be indicative of a completely different platform.

It appears that these new phones are not fully-fledged smartphones in the Android/iPhone/Palm/Windows Mobile motif — but instead it’s more of a “feature” phone like what Samsung, LG and Nokia offer. That is, you can get a certain selection of apps and go online and message on Twitter and Facebook, but the phone itself lacks the more sophisticated mobile OS.

If that is indeed the case, this might be an opportunity for Microsoft to attack the lower-end of the mobile market (a market that has in many ways been obliterated by smartphones), while also selling something “new” until the flagship product launches this September.

Whether or not this strategy will work will depend on pricing, phone features and how this device is targeted.

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What Do You Think?

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What do you think of Microsoft’s apparent dual-phone platforms strategy? Do you have any interest in a lower-cost social network-centric mobile phone?

Let us know!

(Photo from Gizmodo)

Tags: microsoft, Project Pink, windows mobile, windows phone, windows phone 7, windows phone classic

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How Much Are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn Worth? [REPORT]
Category: Technology>Mashable

For the moment, the valuations we have for private companies like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are based mostly on what we know from venture capital investments.

SharesPost, however, is a company that lets owners of shares in private companies sell them to prospective buyers, and they’ve just released an index detailing valuations of some of the most prominent companies in the social media space.

Here’s what they report:

Facebook: $11.5 billion

Zynga: $2.6 billion

Twitter: $1.4 billion

LinkedIn: $1.3 billion

Linden Labs (Second Life): $383 million

How close are these valuations to reality? Facebook’s most recent investment from DST valued the company at north of $10 billion, while Twitter was valued at roughly $1 billion when it took $100 million in funding back in September. In other words — likely not too far off.

SharePost also says that they’ve been involved “in the negotiations of more than $229MM worth of transactions,” so there is enough activity in their marketplace for them to make rough estimates of valuation. Their estimates also take into account venture capital investments and research reports from equity analysts.

What do you think of the valuations? Let us know in the comments!

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, tforgo

Tags: facebook, finance, linden labs, linkedin, Second Life, sharespost, twitter, Zynga

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YouTube Down for Many Users
Category: Technology>Mashable

The world’s most popular video destination is off to a shaky start today — many users are being greeted by a “Http/1.1 Service Unavailable” message upon arriving at the homepage.

We’ve also noticed that many videos embedded on third-party sites like Mashable appear to be failing to load, though both problems seem to resolve themselves after a number of browser refreshes.

Meanwhile, plenty of people are discussing the YouTube problems on Twitter. We’ll update when we know more.

Are you experiencing issues? Let us know in the comments.

Tags: youtube

Blog contents are provided by Mashable

How Companies Are Using Your Social Media Data
Category: Technology>Mashable

Companies are mining the social web to build dossiers on you. Information posted publicly on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, forums and other sites is fair game. It is yet another reminder that people need to be aware of what they are posting on social networking sites and to whom they’re connected.

Jules Polonetsky, director and co-chair of the Future of Privacy Forum, said online users have no clue that a comment they made on a blog is being added to a database for some unknown use.

“I don’t think users expect that,” he said, and if consumers think idle chatter and casual conversation can be used against them by institutions, it’s almost certain to create a backlash, according to Polonetsky. He said the Federal Trade Commission is right now re-examining the current privacy structure in the U.S.

But at the same time, he said consumers are always very comfortable with Amazon using data to recommend books they might like. “When users are in control of it, it’s a win-win — if they feel empowered.”

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How Data is Being Used

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Polonetsky said aggregators like Rapleaf Inc. will collate information about individuals and sell it to companies that want to learn about those customers and what they do online.

Personal finance reporter Erica Sandberg, who covered the issue of social media datamining in a story for CreditCards.com, said that if a data mining company turns your chatter and network into a behavioral pattern, and if they can prove it has some worth, then it’s valuable to companies. Sandberg said this is just more information anyone can use to help them make a decision.

“I don’t think there’s anything scary about it,” she said. “Why wouldn’t they look at it? It’s public.” She said she is not aware of any specific examples of those who have been negatively impacted because of it.

Entities such as airlines, politicians, and even non-profits can use this data for finding new customers or targeting products to existing ones. Financial services companies such as banks and lenders are also using the same datamining services for marketing purposes and to make lending decisions. For instance, certain types of credit products, which fit your personality, could be marketed specifically to you.

“It’s a helpful tool to identify the right customers, the best customers,” Sandberg said.

She said the immediate fear is the misconception that it affects your credit report. She stressed that companies that do social media datamining do not have access to your credit report, and the act of collecting the publicly available data has no effect on your credit score.

However, she said, “it can affect the credit you’re offered, and the credit you receive.”

Social media contacts play a role in behavioral profiles as well. “I think what’s most interesting is how those in your network have an impact,” she said.

Do you know if your Facebook friends have good credit histories? Likely not, but if you associate with people who are a good credit risk, than you’ll probably be a good credit risk, according to Sandberg. “The whole idea [is] like follows like,” she said.

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Learning About Customers to Tailor Experience

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According to a counter on their website, Rapleaf Inc. has mined social data about more than 389 million customers. They do that by crawling the Internet just like Google or Bing does, said CEO Auren Hoffman, but that they only crawl sites such as forums, social networks, review sites, newsgroups, and blogs — where information is publicly available.

He said clients they work with include car companies, airlines, hotels, banks, retailers, non-profits and politicians. If they can learn more about their customer, then they can personalize an experience for that customer, according to Hoffman. He said consumers are already expecting this high level of service, and that it’s all about the product, service, and experience that you would prefer.

“The power to personalize things is much greater,” he said.

Rapleaf’s blog links to a SmartMoney story about how banks and financial services firms limit their use of social media data to marketing departments, and not those “charged with making credit and lending decisions,” according to the post.

Sandberg said it’s up to businesses to use the information from datamining companies as they please. “This is public information. They can use it any way they want.”

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Social Data Helps to Prevent Fraud

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Lending Club, a peer-to-peer lending service that matches borrowers with investors, has been using a variety of tools and software to help them gather social media information for six months, according to Rob Garcia, the company’s senior director.

He said Lending Club uses social media data for marketing and operational purposes and stressed that Lending Club does not use any social media data for credit decisions and that it does not affect whether an applicant can get a loan. “We use this information to benefit our customers — to prevent fraud,” he said.

For operational purposes, Lending Club makes sure the user’s information checks out to try to protect his or her identity, according to Garcia. So they will compare application information from a credit file against information that’s publicly available. He said that if there’s a mismatch, it gives them more reason to go to more strict identification procedures.

“We have found a way to use this information in a positive way,” he said.

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Credit Card Companies Turn to Social Media

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Consumers might soon be seeing more credit card offers in their mailboxes. In the last quarter of 2009, the number of credit card offers mailed were up 46% from the third quarter of 2009, according to a news release on the direct mail tracking service Synovate Mail Monitor.

Anuj Shahani, director of competitive tracking services for Synovate’s Financial Services Group, told me that the number of credit card mailings is still down 40% from the fourth quarter of 2008. He said the CARD Act, which is a new federal law aimed at better disclosure and banning unfair rate hikes, and the economy were reasons for the decrease in mailings of credit card offers.

He said that because of the CARD Act, there are restrictions on spending for credit card companies. Credit card companies will have to come up with targeting models, and data companies can help them figure out those models, according to Shahani.

“Issuers will have to come up with smarter ways to target the right audience because it is so much more expensive to extend credit,” he said. “I think one of them will be social media.”

Credit card companies are alrady using social media to launch new products. Shahani pointed out that the CitiForward credit card launched in March 2009 on MySpace.  He said that in December 2009, American Express launched its new Zync card on social media sites.

Shahani said the credit card issuer’s goal is to find the right audience and go to the right people and that’s where he expects social media would come in.

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Social Media Usage Tips

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Here are some tips from Erica Sandberg on the types of content to avoid posting on the social web and handling network connections.

1. Determine whether you want to go public or private with your social media profiles. If the profiles are set to be public, then be consistent with information you are posting. “The caution lies in what you say. Be truthful,” she said. For example, don’t post a status update joking that you’re filing for bankruptcy when you’re not. “It’s the off-the-cuff remarks you’re going to want to be aware of,” she warned.

2. Eliminate people and sites from your social networks that you don’t need. “Make sure people who are around you are reflective of you as a wonderful person,” Sandberg said.

3. Pay attention to your friend, invite, and connection requests. “You don’t want random associations,” she said. Sandberg recommends first checking out that person’s profile before accepting it. “I get flooded with friend requests of people I don’t know,” she said. “You have no idea who these people are. It’s a risky thing to do.”

What if opting out of being on social media is not an option? Sandberg said she’s on there for business purposes and can’t really go private. In that case, be careful what you write. “It underscores the importance of being honest and projecting yourself in a positive way,” she said.

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More social media resources from Mashable:

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- The Science of Building Trust With Social Media
– How Twitter in the Classroom is Boosting Student Engagement
– 3 Ways Educators Are Embracing Social Technology
– 5 Ways Social Media Is Changing Our Daily Lives
– How Social Media is Taking the News Local

Images courtesy of iStockphoto, shironosov, blackred

[Image Credit: Fosforix]

Tags: credit cards, data, data mining, facebook, finance, myspace, personal finance, privacy, social media, social networks, trending, twitter

Blog contents are provided by Mashable

Apple Eyes HTC in Latest Patent Lawsuit
Category: Technology>Mashable

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, gather round for the latest round of: Patent Lawsuit Theater! The players in this round are Apple and HTC. Apple is alleging that HTC infringes on 20 of its patents related to the iPhone user interface.

As in the Nokia/Apple skirmish, Apple filed its lawsuit concurrently in both the U.S. District Court in Delaware and with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).

The ITC, as fans of this ongoing mobile patent circus may recall, is investigating Apple’s alleged patent infringement at Nokia’s behest.

We haven’t been able to pull the full lawsuit from the U.S. District Court, so it’s unclear what exact patents or claims Apple is claiming that HTC violates — although we highly doubt that it has anything to do with the Sense UI, seeing as that pre-dated the iPhone — but we’ll update this post with a link as soon as that appears.

The most interesting aspect of this particular case (for now) is actually in the announcement. In it, Apple CEO Steve Jobs says:

“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it… We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

Seriously, this whole game is getting ridiculous. I know these are multibillion-dollar companies, but perhaps their resources could be better spent, I don’t know, innovating their products rather than trying to sue one another into oblivion?

Update: Engadget has been given a statement from HTC that basically says this entire thing comes as a shock. From Engadget:

We only learned of Apple’s actions based on your stories and Apple’s press release. We have not been served yet so we are in no position to comment on the claims. We respect and value patent rights but we are committed to defending our own innovations. We have been innovating and patenting our own technology for 13 years.

Furthermore, Engadget is working on pulling the files together, but the full suit isn’t in the court’s system yet. Additionally, Engadget says that Apple has submitted over 700 pages of exhibits to District Court. 700 pages and that the ITC complaints call out virtually every HTC product that’s been on the market in the last eighteen months.

Kudos to Engadget and Nilay Patel for finding all of this stuff out.

(Thanks @nikf for the heads-up!)

What do you think?

[img credit: Thomas Roche]

Tags: apple, htc, ITC, lawsuits, patent theater

Blog contents are provided by Mashable

Twitter Timelines Frozen for Some
Category: Technology>Mashable

Not getting Twitter updates today? It’s not just you – a number of users have reported the same, with blogger Dave Winer saying his Twitter account has been stalled for 8 hours.

Popular Twitter app TweetDeck added “Apparently Twitter is having problems: No Twitter timeline updates for several hours for many users”, linking to a post by TheNextWeb which reported the same.

A Twitter search for “Twitter timeline“, meanwhile, confirms that the issue is affecting a number of users.

Are you having Twitter timeline issues today? Let us know in the comments.

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Reviews: TweetDeck, Twitter

Tags: timeline, twitter

Blog contents are provided by Mashable

5 Must-Have Geek Collectibles
Category: Technology>Mashable

While some people may amass large numbers of porcelain figurines or miniature replica cars, we’ve got five far cooler collectibles for those of a more geeky nature.

From vinyl to plush, we bring you five social media-, online- and tech-themed items that will not only show your affiliation to all things geek, but who knows, could end up being worth something in years to come.

Peruse the list below and let us know which item you’d chose to grace your desk in the comments.

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1. Ollie the Twitterrific Bird

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This adorable blue bird is a real-life representation of the Twitterrific Mac Twitter client from Iconfactory and would look super-sweet perched on your desk. Around 4 inches tall, Ollie “loves to chat about what’s going on” according to his makers. There are two Ollies available — a vinyl version for just under $20, and a flocked vinyl option for $26.95. Now all we need is a Fail Whale to complete the set.

Cost: From $19.95

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2. Android Mini Collectibles

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Android fans get not one but 12 different versions of the cute robotic logo to collect. Kicking off with the standard green effort, there’s also a “worker” version with shirt and tie, an albino option, and some “super rare chase editions” to look out for. Designed by NYC artist Andrew Bell, each vinyl figure stands 3 inches tall and features a rotating head and arms.

Cost: Approx $7.25 each

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3. Firefox Plushie

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Fans of Mozilla’s open source browser can show their love with this official plush toy. Technically, it’s actually a red panda, as that’s what a “firefox” actually is. The 9-inch stuffed toy comes with “cuteness guaranteed” according to Mozilla, and proceeds from sales benefit the Mozilla Foundation. Now can we have a big-eared Fennec fox next?

Cost: $12.08

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4. Plush Steve Jobs Doll

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The trademark black turtleneck, the jeans, the glasses; “Plush Jobs” is unmistakable in his Steve-ness, and could work equally well for Apple fanatics and haters — the latter of which could easily find some Voodoo uses. From LEGO-loving Apple fans PodBrix, Plush Jobs stands at 17 inches tall and was created because the makers “always wanted a cuddly Jobs doll” so figured “other people might want one too.” The first 500 have already sold out, but PodBrix promises to make more.

Cost: $27.99

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5. Tux the Penguin’s Gwin Army

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Tux, the logo for Linux, famously created by Larry Ewing, has seen many real-life incarnations as varied as plushies and squeezy stress toys. But we think the best is the Gwin range from October Toys that gives the little open source penguin his own “army” full of wonderful, wacky, colorful characters as designed by a variety of artists. The vinyl Gwin range stands at around 2.5 inches tall with a limited number released, so if you see one you like, you know what you need to do.

Cost: From $10 each

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More gift guide resources from Mashable:

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- Twitter Gift Guide: 15 Ways to Shop for the Twitter Obsessed
– Mac Gift Guide: 10 Buying Ideas for Apple Fans
– 10 Great Digital Gifts for Social Media Lovers
– 10 Romantic Gifts for Your Beloved Geek

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Reviews: Android, Linux, Twitterrific

Tags: android, apple, Firefox, geek, Gifts, Linux, List, Lists, nerd, shopping, shopping list, steve jobs, toys, twitterrific

Blog contents are provided by Mashable

6 Free Android Apps That Will Make You Drop Your iPhone
Category: Technology>Mashable

The Android Market may still lag behind the iPhone App Store in terms of variety and quality, but there is something to be said for the Android operating system’s extremely tight integration with existing Google products, and the wide choice of devices and carriers.

There’s no question that the iPhone has many wonderful apps, but Android’s smart syncing with existing tools, interesting Android-only experiments coming every day from Google employees, and its open marketplace model have yielded some tools that may give the average iPhone user pause.

If you’re looking for a change, or you’re in the smartphone market and still weighing the pros and cons, consider these Android-only apps and how they might fit into your work, play, and mobile lifestyle.

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1. OpenHome

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There’s no denying that the iPhone OS is a gorgeous piece software. But when it comes to the home screen, “you get what you get, and you don’t get upset,” to quote a nursery school mantra.

Android is completely open-source, which means that apps can change the functionality and appearance of the OS, if you permit them to. This isn’t always good for safety, but it’s great for customization.

OpenHome is one of the leading customization apps available on the Market. It functions as a replacement for the default home screen, into which you can load customs skins, icon packs, and fonts — many of which are freely available in the Market and created by other users.

In addition to the look and feel of your OS, OpenHome also allows for other custom tweaks including soft keyboard improvements and widget modifications.

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2. Google Voice

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Imagine a world where you never have to listen to another voicemail again. That’s almost what you get when you set up Google Voice and utilize the Android app. Google Voice lets you keep your existing mobile number, but will forward your missed calls to a generated Google number that you can check on the web, in your e-mail, or via the app.

The service automatically generates voicemail transcription that is usually accurate enough to get the gist of what the caller is saying. Instead of getting a voicemail on your phone, you’ll receive and e-mail (or text message) with the transcription.

The app then lets you scroll through your messages visually, like an e-mail inbox, and stream the audio messages from the web as needed, all without wasting precious mobile minutes.

There are certainly other great voicemail alternatives for the iPhone (and Voice is available as a web-based service), but Google Voice’s deep integration with Gmail (you can also enable audio playback within web e-mail messages) makes it a great compliment to your hand-held arsenal of communications tools.

Google Voice is still an invite-only service at the moment. You can request an invite from Google here, or hit up your friends on social networks for one.

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3. NESoid

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Classic gamers rejoice! NESoid is a Nintendo ROM emulator for Android that actually works. The app itself is software that interprets ROM files — the format of choice for hacked console games. Assuming you’re loading a worthwhile ROM file from your SD card, the gameplay is really smooth.

The lite version of NESoid is free, but prevents you from loading a “saved-state” of a game. The full version will cost you $3.49 and unlocks this feature.

Most ROMS are not exactly kosher in terms of copyright, so we’ll leave it at your discretion whether you want to actually track down the games. This is likely why console emulators have not made it through the stringent App Store approval process, but are now appearing in Android’s more liberal Market.

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4. Google Finance

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If you’ve got an eye on your stock portfolio 24/7, Google Finance can be a useful tool for getting customized, real-time quotes.

The Android app syncs directly to your Google Finance portfolios and streams live data right into your hands by way of quote updates, charts, and financial news.

Android is currently the only mobile platform with an official Google Finance app.

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5. Google Listen

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Google Listen is a unique offering from Google Labs that functions like a search engine and subscription tool for podcasts across the web. If you’re on the train and realize you’ve forgotten to download the latest episode of NPR’s This American Life, simply fire up Google Listen, search for it, and stream it immediately, from the source.

Google Listen effectively eliminates the need to download podcasts or connect your handset to your computer. And with subscription options built in, once you find a show you like, you’ll never miss an episode while you’re on the go.

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6. Gmail and Google Calendar

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Last but not least, the utility of the fully integrated Gmail and Calendar apps that come built-in to the Android OS cannot be overstated. One of the core reasons why any Gmail or Google Apps user should go Android is that the handset will complete your suite of cloud computing productivity tools.

Because of the intrinsic link between your Android phone and your Google account, the mobile functionality of Google apps like Gmail and Calendar are seamless. Draft an e-mail on your phone and it is instantly viewable in your drafts folder on the web. Update an appointment on the web Calendar, and it’s reflected on your phone seconds later.

Android users also enjoy the built-in functionality of shared calendars, Gmail labels, threaded conversations, and “Send As” accounts if it is configured in your settings.

If you live and work out of your Gmail inbox, an Android handset is the perfect extension.

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More Android resources from Mashable:

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- 7 Mind-Blowing Free Android Apps
– Free Multiplayer Android Games [3 of the Best]
– 3 News Apps for Android Compared
– The Best Free Twitter Apps for Android
– 30 Android Apps to Watch
– 8 Android Apps Worth Paying For (And Some That Aren’t)

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Reviews: Android, Gmail, Google, Google Labs, Google Voice

Tags: android, apps, gaming, gmail, Google, google apps, google finance, Google Listen, Google Voice, iphone, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0

Blog contents are provided by Mashable