Mashable: Latest 10 News Updates - including “Mashable Weekend Recap: 24 Stories You May Have Missed” |
- Mashable Weekend Recap: 24 Stories You May Have Missed
- Toshiba Thrive Now Available for Pre-Order
- HOAX: McDonald’s Official Statement Condemns Racist Sign [UPDATED]
- 10 Personal Details Revealed by Bill Gates — Including 1 Secret [UPDATED]
- 10 Instagram Tips For Bands, By Bands
- The Top 5 Nintendo Announcements at E3 [PHOTOS]
- Horrific Le Mans Crash Goes Viral on YouTube [VIDEO]
- HOW TO: Land a Job at Google
- Full-Court Press: How The NBA Scores With Digital Media
- First Gabrielle Giffords Pics Since Shooting Released on Facebook
- 51 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed
| Mashable Weekend Recap: 24 Stories You May Have Missed Posted: 13 Jun 2011 04:58 AM PDT      It was a strange weekend here at Mashable. For instance, Apple’s building a flying saucer-like HQ that we dubbed “the AppleSaucer,” but we found lots of buildings that were even weirder. A magician figured out a way to separate lies and truth using iPods, and Bill Gates revealed a little secret about Mark Zuckerberg (that, turns out, may or may not be true). Is there something about humid temperatures that encourages loose lips? Find out right here in our Weekend Recap, where we bring you up to date on the E3 gaming conference, reveal another clue about the upcoming iPhone, show you how to get hired at Google and a whole lot more. News Essentials
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| Toshiba Thrive Now Available for Pre-Order Posted: 13 Jun 2011 02:49 AM PDT   Toshiba’s tablet, Thrive, is now available for pre-order either directly from Toshiba or from Amazon and Office Depot. The device stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the upper echelon of Android tablets, with a 10.1-inch, 1280-by-800 pixel screen, a 1 GHz dual-core Tegra 2 CPU, dual cameras (a 5-megapixel one on the back and a 2-megapixel one on the front for video calls) and the latest version of Android — Honeycomb 3.1 — on board. We’ve seen all that before, but Toshiba Thrive differentiates itself from the pack with a swappable easy grip surface on the back and a slightly lower price than most competitors: The 8 GB Thrive costs $429.99, the 16 GB version costs $479.99, and the 32 GB version costs $579.99. If you choose to pre-order one now, you can expect it at your doorstep in mid-July.  [Toshiba] More About: android, honeycomb, Tablet, thrive, Toshiba, Toshiba Thrive For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
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| HOAX: McDonald’s Official Statement Condemns Racist Sign [UPDATED] Posted: 12 Jun 2011 06:13 PM PDT   Making the Twitter rounds on a super-sized scale today (under the hashtag of #seriouslymcdonalds) is this obviously fake sign that’s allegedly in a McDonald’s restaurant. It claims that “African-American customers are now required to pay an additional fee of $1.50 per transaction.” The picture originated on twitpic and has gone viral from there. A tipoff that this is a fake? We called that 800 number you see at the bottom of the sign, and it connected to the KFC Customer Satisfaction Hotline. But really, think about it: Would any McDonald’s franchisee or employee tape such a sign on the door of a McDonald’s restaurant? It would be career suicide. Further proof: On McDonald’s official Twitter account, the company says it’s a hoax:  Ultimate proof: We called the company and got an official statement from Rick Wion, McDonald’s director of social media:
More About: #seriouslyMcDonalds, McDonalds, memes, racism, seriously McDonald's, twitpic, twitter, viral For more Social Media coverage:
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| 10 Personal Details Revealed by Bill Gates — Including 1 Secret [UPDATED] Posted: 12 Jun 2011 04:13 PM PDT   In one of his most candid interviews ever, Microsoft founder Bill Gates (the world’s second-richest man) revealed personal details never heard before, along with a little tidbit that he was probably supposed to keep secret. We encourage you to read about his fascinating interview with the Daily Mail — it’s a rare look into the psyche of one of the most interesting people in the world — but if you’d like a condensed version, here are 10 key personal details and insights Gates revealed in the wide-ranging talk: 1. His kids like to tease him by singing the song “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars. 2. He’s now given $28 billion to charity. 3. His three children, currently aged 15, 12 and 9, will reportedly inherit $10 million each (although Gates wouldn’t disclose that amount in the interview), a slender sliver of his $56 billion net worth, because Gates says, “I don't think that amount of money would be good for them.” 4. Did U2 star Bono invite Gates backstage when U2 was performing in Seattle? Not necessary, because Bono was staying at Bill’s house that night. 5. Now dedicating his career to his $37.1 billion charitable foundation, Gates says when asked if he’ll return to Microsoft full-time: “No. I'm part-time involved. But this is my job now.” 6. Why try to cure malaria instead of cancer? “The world is putting massive amounts into cancer, so my wealth would have had a meaningless impact on that.” 7. He haggles for good prices on vaccines: “We are super-smart about what we pay. We get price reductions. We can track how many kids get the vaccines.” 8. People in Third World countries have no idea who he is. “They don't know who I am, because it doesn't relate to their world. I went to one place with the chief minister and someone said, ‘Who is this guy?’ and the chief minister said, ‘This is a white-skinned guy I brought with me.’ ” 9. He has a Twitter account but had a problem with Facebook: ” … Because the friend requests got out of hand.” 10. And the secret: Gates inadvertently revealed that his friend, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, is engaged to longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan. During the interview, Gates was talking about Zuckerberg and referred to Chan as Mark’s “fiancée Priscilla.” Oops. Update: On that “fiancée” slip-up, it could be that Bill was wrongly assuming the couple was engaged. According to Business Insider:
[via the Daily Mail] Graphic courtesy iStockphoto More About: bill gates, dailymail, interview, mark zuckerberg, microsoft, secrets, trending For more Social Good coverage:
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| 10 Instagram Tips For Bands, By Bands Posted: 12 Jun 2011 03:06 PM PDT   Tour diaries: They are the satisfying sustenance required by every hardcore music fan to feed a band addiction. A glimpse into the backstage, on-tour-bus life of one’s favorite band. Now, thanks to the marvels of modern technology, it’s easier than ever to create a highly visual tour diary to sate the appetite of your friends and followers. One word, my musically inclined friends: Instagram. Instagram, that increasingly popular photo app that launched near the end of 2010, has become the darling of many a news outlet and brand, but has yet to really catch on among the musician set. Still, according to Josh Riedel, head of business development at Instagram, more and more bands are getting hip to the site. The most popular is undoubtedly The National (@ntnl). Riedel, for one, hopes to see more bands joining the platform. “We see bands on stage, but most people don’t get to go backstage,” he says. “Through photos, you can let fans in on what happens when you’re not performing, which I think helps fans develop more of a personal connection with the band.” Mashable spoke with a cadre of early-adopter bands about how they use Instagram, and gathered together 10 tips to get you snapping. 1). Share Across All Social Networks Instagram may have 4.25 million users, but that doesn't mean your fans are necessarily using it yet (remember, it's only on iOS devices, not Android). That means you're going to have to spread those snaps around like that bad case of mono that everyone got during last year's "Midwestern Tour." Instagram allows users to share snaps on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, Posterous and Foursquare. If you have accounts on any of these services, hit "Connect." We recently chatted with Instagram super users Young the Giant about their experiences with the tool. Until recently, the band members all had individual accounts, but they recently launched a unified one for better recognition (@youngthegiant). Bassist Payam Doostzadeh shared a little trick with us that we were previously unaware of. Recently, Instagram added a new sharing option for Facebook: the ability to post to either your wall, or any page you are an administrator of. Basically, if Doostzadeh takes a snap using his personal Instagram account, he can either share it with his Facebook friends only, or on the wall of Young the Giant's Fan Page. To enable this option, simply go to Account/Edit sharing settings/Facebook, and you'll be given the option to post to your wall (default) or any of your Pages. This is a great way for band members to share multiple points of view with their Facebook fans, rather than just snaps from the person wielding the main Instagram account. 2). Come Up With a Photo Series People enjoy some form of regularity when it comes to content -- hence the popularity of television series -- so instead of always posting random snaps to Instagram, why not try adding a unifying principle? John Gourley of Portugal. The Man (@thefantasticthe) came up with a series that's sure to get many an animal lover going. "I've been having a lot of fun doing a series of just little animals in my hand," he says. "I don't know how this started happening on this tour, but at one point I was walking down the street and I saw these cars swerving, and there was this little baby bunny in the street, so I went up and picked it up." Hot tip, Gourley: If you start a series titled "Holding Tiny Kittens," you'd probably break the Internet. Jeremy Dawson of Shiny Toy Guns also likes the idea of tying together photos into a story. "We want to come up with something that's our own," he says. A friend's band took a toy on tour, taking pictures with it everywhere they went, and Dawson took a shine to the idea. "We can make a whole story about -- a sort of flip book or scrap book through Instagram." 3). Use Hashtags Caption on above: Daniel, @carahfaye and Jeremy doing #preproduction for one of our new songs called "stay down" Expanding upon the idea of creating a photo series, you can also include your fans in the action by using hashtags. Carah Faye Charnow from Shiny Toy Guns (@shinytoyguns) tells us that the band plans to use hashtags during its next tour. Imagine being able to get multiple perspectives of your next show, all shot through awesome, '70s-esque filters. Just take to Facebook or your website before a performance and ask your fans to take snaps during the show and post them to Instagram with a certain hashtag. You can later go on the app and search for all those snaps to share on Facebook, etc. -- or you can use a third-party app such as Extragram, which lets you search for photos via the web (it would be much easier if Instagram had its own website, huh?). Moby recently launched a microsite that pulls in fan photos using hashtags, allowing users to click through snaps on a map and listen to his new disc, connecting to the musician and each other all at the same time. 4). Use Instagram's API Instagram recently opened up its API to developers and introduced real-time support, which allows developers to grab photos around tags, locations and geographies as they're posted to the service. Moby used this API for his microsite, as did the band the Deftones, whose website features fan and band photos with the hashtag #Deftones. "They appreciate the whole participation thing," says the band's Frank Delgado of their fans. "I would say to implement the API, if it's possible, to not only use Instagram, but incorporate it into your site," he adds. "So not only are you reaching just the Instagram people, but it's also posting to your site, and the people who don't necessarily have an iPhone will still be able to interact with the band." We're not suggesting that you yourself start digging into the code, but hooking up with a talented developer with rock 'n' roll aspirations couldn't hurt. 5). Go Viral -- Get New Fans The word "marketing" sends a shiver down many a band's spine, but hear us out for a few before you start rambling about your "art." Your music may be awesome, but if no one knows who you are, it's like that proverbial tree falling in the forest -- no one's going to hear it. You have to grab potential fans' attention, and going viral is pretty much the least shilly way you can do so. "Maybe you're not big enough for people to follow you around because of your music, but you can think of super cool, kitschy things to do [on Instagram]," says Jeremy Dawson. "Because if something gets a 'ha, ha' or an 'LOL' from a fan, they're probably going to share it. [And their friends are] going to click, they're going to browse, they're going to listen, and if you have good stuff, you got a fan." So extend your art into the visual realm of Instagram. Start sharing photos and images that reflect the personality of your band, and you could expand your fanbase beyond the confines of your local open-mic night. 6). Mundane Doesn't Mean Boring Yes, it's annoying when people post snaps of every single meal they consume, but such human, mundane moments can really let fans into a band's life, making them feel closer to the music. "Post wisely and often," says Walk the Moon's Eli Maiman (@walkthemoon). "Don't be afraid to post, either, because sometimes what seems to be the most silly or everyday stuff is what gets the biggest reaction. I was watching the Weather Channel at my parents' house, and all of a sudden our name was scrolling across the bottom of the screen. So I snapped a photo of it and shared it on our Tumblr through Instagram and got a really big reaction." That's right, folks, the Weather Channel can even be rendered fascinating via Instagram. 7). Choose Your Name Wisely If you want people to follow you, they have to be able to find you. Yes, it's easy to find bands on Instagram if you already follow them on Twitter, but not everyone is on Twitter, so cover your bases. Please, please, please name your account after your band, not something nonsensical or unrelated or in reference to your latest album. Unless, you know, you want to languish in obscurity -- in which case you're probably too cool for Instagram, anyway. 8). Add Words To Your Pictures A picture may be a thousand words, but one of them should not be: "Huh?" When it comes to sharing via Instagram, "Make the caption as revealing as possible," says Will Anderson from Parachute (@parachutemusic). "Even if it's short, be really specific about what's going on so that they're not just like, 'Oh, another artsy picture from a band.'" You wouldn't want anyone thinking that you're pretentious, now would you? "The caption on the above? "Excited for June 13." "9). Check Out Some Alternatives Instagram isn't the only photo-sharing app on the scene. If you're using an Android device, you can check out PicPlz, which is pretty much the same thing. Also, there's an awesome new app out there that's perfectly suited to musicians called SoundTracking, which is basically like Instagram, but with music sharing added into the mix. Say you're at a coffee shop and a musician who really inspires you (Yanni, perhaps?) comes on the radio. You can use the app to identify the song (think Shazam), snap a photo, and share that musical memory with all your followers. Instagram -- much like the harmonium -- is not for every band, but that doesn't mean you have to forsake photo apps all together. Experiment. Isn't that what being in a band is all about? 10). Have Fun Lastly, remember this: You are in a band. That's supposed to be cool. Most people do not get to do what you do, so take advantage of it. John Gourley frequently uses Instagram as a means to leave the tour bus and explore the world around him. "Use it as an excuse to go grab some food at a place where you've never eaten before, or go for a walk, go for a hike," he says. "It's a good excuse to use your eyes to be creative, and it's just another outlet for a musician and a reason to be constantly thinking." More About: features, instagram, mobile apps, music, parachute, portugal-the-man, shiny-toy-guns, the-deftones, the-national, walk-the-moon, young-the-giant For more Media coverage:
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| The Top 5 Nintendo Announcements at E3 [PHOTOS] Posted: 12 Jun 2011 02:13 PM PDT   Nintendo closed out E3 this year with a bang, thanks to the Wii U and a slew of new game announcements. The unveiling of the Wii U was the show’s clear winner, stealing the thunder from Xbox Kinect and the PlayStation Vita. The console, designed to appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers, features 1080p graphics and a unique controller with a 6.2-inch touchscreen. The result is a two-screen gaming experience unlike anything on the market. Nintendo’s new console wasn’t the company’s only announcement, though. The Legend of Zelda, Kid Icarus, Super Mario, Star Fox and a slew of other games got plenty of attention, as did Nintendo’s 3DS portable gaming system. We’ve sifted through all of Nintendo’s announcements and boiled them down to our top five. Without further ado, here is what made headlines for Nintendo at E3: Gallery: Nintendo’s Top AnnouncementsSee below the gallery for the full list of announcements 1) Legend of Zelda Turns 25 One of Nintendo's most iconic franchises, The Legend of Zelda, turns 25 this year, and Nintendo has decided to celebrate with a bunch of new features and an orchestra. More on Legend of Zelda Yes, Nintendo actually hired an orchestra and a choir for its E3 press conference. More on Legend of Zelda A close-up shot of the choir, which sang several iconic Zelda melodies. More on Legend of Zelda More on Legend of Zelda Nintendo had the orchestra play while it showed a video tribute to 25 years of Legend of Zelda. More on Legend of Zelda Nintendo's first Zelda announcement was that it was going to have a Zelda symphony concert tour. The concert tour will come to the U.S., Europe and Japan sometime this Fall. More on Legend of Zelda The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is also available for download in the Nintendo eShop. More on Legend of Zelda Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Legend of Zelda, takes the stage. More on Legend of Zelda Nintendo has also made Legend of Zelda: Four Swords available as a free download on the DSi. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Nintendo's newest Legend of Zelda Game, Skyward Sword, will be available this holiday season with a special-edition gold Wiimote. 2) The Nintendo eShop Drops on the 3DS The online store for the 3DS, the Nintendo eStore, has finally made its debut. The store will contain classic Game Boy, NES and SNES games, as well as a few new surprises. More on the Nintendo eStore One of those surprises was a downloadable Pokédex with information on the new Pokémon in the Black and White games, as well as the ability to superimpose Pokémon into real-life photos. More on the Nintendo eStore A screenshot of the new Pokedex 3) Kid Icarus Returns Kid Icarus made its debut in 1986, but little has been with the series until now. Kid Icarus: Uprising will be released for the 3DS this year and be the first game in the series since 1991. More on Kid Icarus Kid Icarus takes down the bad guys. 4) Star Fox, Mario & More Nintendo's other iconic franchises are getting games as well. First up: Star Fox 64 3D, a revamped version of the Nintendo 64 game for the 3DS. More on Nintendo's Upcoming Games Do a barrel roll! More on Nintendo's Upcoming Games Luigi's Mansion 2 makes its debut on the 3DS this year. More on Nintendo's Upcoming Games Mario Kart 3D is on its way, as well. More on Nintendo's Upcoming Games You didn't think Nintendo would forget about Mario, would you? Super Mario 3D arrives at the end of 2011. More on Nintendo's Upcoming Games Super Mario 3D isn't a rehash of old Mario games though, but an infusion of side-scroller and 3D gameplay. More on Nintendo's Upcoming Games Classic Mario. More on Nintendo's Upcoming Games Animal Crossing is back! 5) The Nintendo Wii U The big announcement though was the unveiling of the Nintendo Wii U and its 6.2-inch touchscreen controller. More on the Nintendo Wii U The controller creates a new form of interaction with the TV. In this photo, a user is sketching with the controller and seeing her work on the TV. More on the Nintendo Wii U The controller can even stream console games if someone wants to use the TV for something else. More on the Nintendo Wii U The Wii U controller compared to the Nintendo 3DS More on the Nintendo Wii U The Nintendo Wii U will feature 1080p HD graphics on-par with the PS3 or the Xbox 360. More on the Nintendo Wii U Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime departs from the stage. Highlights: Nintendo’s Top Announcements1) Legend of Zelda Turns 25 Bonus: Hands-On With the Wii UWii U Controller This is the Wii U controller. It's 1.8-inches tall, 6.8-inches wide and 10.5-inches long. The screen is crisp and the controller is easier to hold than you might expect. Wii U in HD A Nintendo representative shows off the Wii U's HD graphics. Wii U Shield Demo A gamer is getting the tutorial on how to use the Wii U controller as a Shield Wii U Battle Demo In this game, the person with the Wii U controller flies a ship and tries to shoot players on the ground. The other players in the game control their characters with Wiimotes. Wii U with Wii Controllers A photo of me playing against a Nintendo representative in a space-themed battle game. I controlled a guy on the ground with the Wiimote and nunchuk while he flew a spaceship with the Wii U controller. Wii U Console This is the console. I didn't get to touch it, but it looks like a fatter Wii. More About: e3, gaming, Legend of Zelda, Mario, Nintendo, nintendo wii, Nintendo Wii U, super mario, Wii, Wii U, Zelda For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
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| Horrific Le Mans Crash Goes Viral on YouTube [VIDEO] Posted: 12 Jun 2011 01:17 PM PDT Watching this dramatic crash that happened early in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race on Saturday, you might wonder how 41-year-old driver Allan McNish survived such violence. As you can see in the video, McNish, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 2008, walked away from the accident. Chalk that up to a barrier lined with rubber tires, effective crash protection built into his Audi R18 TDI’s roll cage, and the numerous parts of the car designed to rip away to diffuse the energy of the impact. Even though the rest of the car virtually exploded when it hit the wall, notice how the chassis of the Audi R18 remained in one piece, thanks to its single-piece construction designed to add more rigidity, unlike previous Le Mans Audis whose chassis were built in two halves. Beyond McNish’s walkaway, surprisingly, no bystanders were hurt in the accident, according to Yahoo Sports. Early on Sunday morning, another Audi R18 won the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans race by 13 seconds. More About: 24 Hours of Le Mans, alan Mcnish, trending, viral video, youtube For more Video coverage:
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| Posted: 12 Jun 2011 11:56 AM PDT   Google is having a big hiring year — its biggest ever, in fact. This week we spoke with Bryan Power, a people operations manager at Google, for advice on getting hired by the tech giant. Power oversees sales hiring in the North and South America regions. Previously, he led recruiting for the product management and engineering groups, giving him familiarity with hiring practices in multiple areas of the company. Paint a Picture, Concisely Power suggests job seekers — at Google and elsewhere — begin by presenting a picture of what they’ve done in their careers as concisely and precisely as possible. Every word on your resume or profile should count, he says, and job applicants need to understand the difference between responsibilities and accomplishments. Too often Power receives resumes that describe their previous roles, but don’t talk about what they did in those roles that would distinguish them from the 10,000 other people in a similar role. Be precise, he says. If you were in a sales management position, don’t just say you led the sales team, talk about the amount of revenue you brought in, or the specific degree to which you surpassed your sales quota. “Too often [applicants] leave out the numbers because they’re worried they are too low, but without those specifics you don’t stand out; you look like everyone else,” he explains. “There’s also a temptation to be exhaustive when you put your resume together, but a resume that is really tightly written and represents your big accomplishments stands out more than an encyclopedia of everything you have ever done. Be judicious about what you put on there,” he advises. Talents, Not Skill Sets Unlike many other companies, Google is more focused on hiring for talent rather than focusing on specific skill sets, Power says. “Google knows the world changes quickly and we need people who can adapt and take on different challenges,” he adds. “A lot has changed in the last five years, and the next five years will [change] too. We need people who can adapt and take on different challenges.” Consequently, Google’s recruiters don’t just look at career achievements; they also are keen to know what applicants are accomplishing at school and outside of work. “We’re really looking for people who can make a big impact and do interesting things,” Power says. When asked if there was a type of person who didn’t fit in at Google, Power noted that applicants who are more concerned with their titles and the number of people they will manage — in essence, those who more concerned with what Google can do for them, rather than what they can do for Google — did not fare as well as those who are interested in the challenges the company is facing and how they can help. “Google is a very cross-functional, collaborative company. [Those who are concerned with] the territory they are going to own and manage has at times been a signal that they are not going to fit,” Power says. “We’re looking for people who are attracted to the long-term mission at Google, not a stepping stone to the next level in their careers,” he adds. The Interview Google’s interviewing process begins with a phone interview, sometimes stretching into several phone calls. Successful candidates are then invited on-site for a set of interviews with four to five members of the group they’re applying for. Google’s interviewing style is different from most other companies, in which applicants come in and expound upon their resume and experience. That’s part of the interview process at Google, Power says, but applicants should expect to have a more open dialogue about the company and its future, and to engage in intellectual debates that will illustrate their problem-solving abilities. “Some people [leave the interview] feeling like they’ve had a 45-minute conversation about where the Internet world is going, which feels different when you’re used to coming in and showing yourself,” Power explains. There’s no standard dress code for interviews. “I’ve seen people come in in board shorts and a T-shirt and blow [us] away with their intellect, and I’ve seen people dressed to the nines who were unprepared,” Power recalls. “If you come in, be prepared and dress however you feel comfortable.” If a job application is unsuccessful, Power suggests candidates continue to build relationships with recruiters. “Sometimes you might be in a conversation about a role and it doesn’t work out, but things are dynamic, and six or 12 months from now things might shift so that you’re a match,” Power says. “You’re in a better position if you maintain that relationship instead of moving on from that opportunity. [Plus] recruiters are highly networked people, and recruiters know recruiters at other companies. Building that relationship could never hurt.” Further ResourcesTo learn more about Google’s culture and available positions, and to submit an application, see google.com/jobs. You can also follow @googlejobs on Twitter to learn about new positions and engage in live chats with recruiters and other employees. Images courtesy of Google More About: Google, how to, jobs, trending For more Business & Marketing coverage:
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| Full-Court Press: How The NBA Scores With Digital Media Posted: 12 Jun 2011 10:46 AM PDT   While there’s no winner yet between the Heat and Mavericks, there’s already one W in the can: The NBA’s big win with digital. The NBA is now in its third season of working with Turner Sports to jointly manage the league’s NBA Digital properties, including NBA TV, NBA.com and NBA Mobile, and growth has been strong. This year, the NBA finals will be watched by fans on television, online or mobile devices in more than 215 countries. Mashable spoke with Bryan Perez, senior vice president and general manager of NBA Digital, about the league’s multi-faceted approach to dominating its most challenging opponent: evolving technology. NBA Game Time Application One of the league’s biggest initiatives was extending NBA Game Time, its free mobile app. The app is available on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry, in addition to connected device platforms such as Apple TV, Google TV, LG NetCast, Panasonic Viera Connect, Roku, Samsung Apps and Vizio Internet Apps, making it one of the most far-reaching sports applications. This season, there have been 2.5 million Game Time app downloads for mobile; more than 681,000 of those were downloaded since the start of the playoffs. Last season, there were one million app downloads. The quick growth is especially impressive when you consider the technical difficulties of bringing hoops into the living room via connected devices. Basketball games move so quickly and change so much — with so many cameras moving and panning — that it’s more difficult to render than other sports. “We learned a lot about the challenges of delivering video into the living room,” says Perez. “We’ve advanced our knowledge and expertise on that and seen good pickup from the consumer side.” For the playoffs, the NBA upped the ante and unveiled NBA Game Time on Microsoft Windows Phone, which provided fans with yet another way to access scores, stats and video highlights for the Mavericks-Heat series. NBA.com This season, NBA.com set all-time records for page views and videos — more than 2.5 billion videos were streamed by fans worldwide. “It’s a pretty enormous number that puts us in the upper echelon of all publishers globally, outside of your YouTubes and Hulus,” says Perez, adding that this was the second year in a row in which the site’s online video views were doubled. “It’s a reflection of the emphasis we've placed on video and the video experience on NBA.com.” NBA.com serves up diverse content, much of which is syndicated from the pre- and post-game shows and original programming on NBA TV, NBA TV. Launched in 1999, NBA TV was the first league-owned cable channel, and it’s proof that NBA has long invested in mass media platforms to provide 24/7 content to fans. The site is well integrated with the league’s social media channels, and it saw an average of 8 million unique views per day, up 78% from 2010. Half of the site’s traffic is international.  This year, NBA.com launched Stats Cube, a module in which fans can pull up detailed stats about players and teams. Want to know how LeBron’s shooting percentage varies against different teams, both at home and on the road? Stats Cube can tell you. The site can also help you dig up obscure facts about how your favorite players perform in the last minutes of a game and how they play against certain players (see above) — you can even make your own team lineups for comparison and analysis. Stats Cube helps you analyze myriad scenarios to help the most enthusiastic fans stay on top of their game, and fans have embraced the technology. During the finals, NBA.com is hosting “Mini-Movies presented by Kia,” five-minute webisodes that provide exclusive footage of the Mavs and Heat as they duke it out for the championship. The webisodes go live on NBA.com after each game in the series. NBA Social Media “We've always had a reputation for being aggressive and being first with new technologies,” says Perez. He credits that to the NBA’s primary demographic, both on the court and in the stands — men aged 18 to 34 who are tech-savvy early adopters and social networkers. Perez says the NBA goes to wherever that audience is actively engaging. “We over-index over every other [sports] league in terms of people who fall in that category, so this is really just a reflection of us understanding our audience and building products that suit their needs as much as it is an operating philosophy for us.” The bottom line, he says, is that fans should be able to access the information they want any time, anywhere. During the season — and especially during the playoffs — the NBA used social media to drive traffic to NBA.com and its video content, to answer fan questions, and of course, to encourage people to watch the game on whichever platform they use. And of course, many players have their own presence on social media platforms. Perez says players showed little resistance to social media and are excited to engage with their fans — 250 NBA players have Twitter accounts and 75 have a Facebook Page. Overall, the league, team, and players have accumulated nearly 120 million followers and fans combined across Twitter and Facebook. At the start of this season, there were 63 million fans across these platforms, so the social media fanbase has nearly doubled. When it comes to social media, the NBA likes to keep it fresh. One new initiative is the “Social MVP” on Playoff Pulse, a take on Twitter’s Trending Topics. The Social MVP is an integration within Facebook, and the player who’s generating the most activity on Facebook at any given time, based on mentions. When this post was published, LeBron James was king of the Pulse. Once you click on a player, you are presented with a new window that aggregates content about that player from NBA.com. This way, you don’t just know what’s hot, you know why it’s hot, says Perez. The Next PlayAs the league establishes a three-year plan, Perez says the major plays will take place within the digital ventures, focusing on growth, innovation and multiplatform distribution opportunities. Perez credits this year’s success to the NBA’s inherent affinity toward innovation, but he also says there’s a “rising tide of overall interest” in the NBA. “People are more interested and we're able to deliver to them in more ways than ever before,” says Perez. He looks forward to strong growth numbers next year as both the league’s investment in digital and fan interest in the sport continue to grow. More About: apps, athletes, Bryan Perez, digital media, Heat, lebron james, Mavericks, Mavs, NBA, nba game time, social media, trending For more Social Media coverage:
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| First Gabrielle Giffords Pics Since Shooting Released on Facebook Posted: 12 Jun 2011 09:41 AM PDT   You’d never know by looking at these photos that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had suffered a gunshot wound to the head five months ago. Two pictures of her were released on Facebook by her staff on Sunday, showing her with shorter, darker hair and flashing a big smile in both photos, which were taken on May 17. Giffords spokeswoman Pia Carusone says the Congresswoman has come a long way since she survived a gunshot to the left side of her forehead in an assassination attempt in which six people were killed and 13 wounded on January 8. While Giffords’ recovery has been called “miraculous,” Carusone told the Arizona Republic that Giffords is still dealing with speech difficulties:
Her doctors are pleased with her progress, and are said to be optimistic about her chances of making “a tremendously good recovery.” According to Carusone, Giffords’ doctors say she’s about halfway through the most important time for recovery from an injury such as this, where most progress is made in the first 12 to 14 months. Join us in wishing the Congresswoman all the best. More About: assassination attempt, Gabrielle Giffords, pictures, shooting, trending, tucson For more Social Media coverage:
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| 51 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed Posted: 12 Jun 2011 08:41 AM PDT   Hello and welcome back to Mashable‘s weekly roundup of tool and resources for your daily life. This week we have some cool stories on how to start marketing on SCVNGR, social media campaign case studies, top announcements from both E3 and Apple’s developer conference as well as a gallery of Google’s best animated doodles. Looking for even more social media resources? This guide appears every weekend, and you can check out all the lists-gone-by here any time. Editors’ Picks
Social Media
For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. Tech & Mobile
For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. Business & Marketing
For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. Image courtesy of Flickr, webtreats More About: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, gadgets, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, social good, social media, tech, technology, twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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