Mashable: "Star Wars Uncut: The Fan-Made Trailer [VIDEO]" plus 7 more |
- Star Wars Uncut: The Fan-Made Trailer [VIDEO]
- David Pogue Sings Steve Jobs Tribute: "Don't Cry For Me, Cupertino" [VIDEO]
- HOW TO: Find and Add Facebook Apps
- Kindle For Mac is Coming
- New CNN.com Goes Live: What Do You Think?
- Best of Twitter: 20+ Funniest #oneletteroffmovies
- Twitter Traffic: 3 Solutions to Twitter's Growth Problem
- Sponsored Post: Sacred Winds Communications Wins Shine A Light Prize!
| Star Wars Uncut: The Fan-Made Trailer [VIDEO] Posted: 24 Oct 2009 09:49 PM PDT 
The user-generated version of Star Wars: A New Hope, coordinated at Star Wars Uncut, is coming along nicely, with over 400 clips submitted so far. The project even has its own trailer, viewable below (we've included a few sample clips too). It's not just a piece of extreme geekery for your weekend enjoyment – Star Wars Uncut is a prime example of how large scale crowdsourced projects can now be coordinated with relative ease, thanks to the web. [via io9]
Star Wars: Uncut Trailer from Casey Pugh on Vimeo.
Star Wars Uncut – Scene 472 from Jim Malone on Vimeo.
Star Wars Uncut – Scene 067 from lewis sh on Vimeo.
Star Wars Uncut – Scene 372 from Philip Frey on Vimeo. Reviews: Vimeo, io9 Tags: Star Wars
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| David Pogue Sings Steve Jobs Tribute: "Don't Cry For Me, Cupertino" [VIDEO] Posted: 24 Oct 2009 07:25 PM PDT 
It's an oldie but a goodie for Pogue fans, and ranks up there with his classic "iPhone: The Music Video" (below). "Don't Cry For Me, Cupertino"
BONUS: iPhone – The Music Video
Tags: apple, cupertino, david pogue
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| HOW TO: Find and Add Facebook Apps Posted: 24 Oct 2009 06:55 PM PDT 
But Facebook is also home to over 350,000 other applications created by thousands of third-party developers across the world. With so many apps, the Facebook Application Platform can be a little bit overwhelming to navigate and finding the best apps can be difficult. This guide will show you how to find, add, and manage Facebook applications. What Are Facebook Apps?Launched in May 2007, the Facebook Platform allows outside developers to create applications — such as games or other programs — that run inside of Facebook and have access to your social data (if you grant such access). The platform has become of the most popular developer ecosystems on the Internet. For the purposes of this article, we're going to define a Facebook app as any application that runs inside of Facebook itself and can be found in the official App Directory. We're also going to focus on consumer apps, rather than those made to run on Facebook Fan Pages. The App Directory
 The main place to find Facebook applications is the site's official App Directory. You can access the directory by click on the "Applications" button in the lower left hand corner of the Facebook screen (on the bottom navigation bar), and then clicking on the "Browse More Applications" link.
 The directory also lists external web sites that connect with Facebook, mobile and desktop applications, and "prototypes," which are new features and applications that Facebook is testing out. For this guide, we're concerned mainly with the apps found "On Facebook." The App Directory lists every application available to you on the social network and offers five ways to find new applications:
When you search or browse for applications you'll see a brief overview of each app, as well as a star rating out of five, the number of monthly active users, and the number of your friends that use that application. You also may see a little green check mark next to some apps. The check mark signifies that that application is a "Verified App." Verified applications have passed through a rigorous review process by Facebook and are deemed safe and trustworthy by the site.
 Clicking on the application will bring you to its App Page, which closely resembles a Facebook Fan Page. The page will give you a lot more information about the application, including which of your friends are using it, reviews and discussions from users, as well as news and any other information about the app from its developer. The App Directory is really the best way to find new applications on Facebook, but you should also pay attention to your Facebook news feed. That section will sometimes include updates from popular apps that your friends are adding and interacting with. Further, keep an eye out for app suggestions and invitations from your friends.
 Installing an AppOnce you've selected an application to add, navigate to its App Page. From there you can add the application, block it (so that you won't get updates about it in your news feed if friends are using it), become a fan of the app, or add it to your favorites. To add an app, click on the "Go to Application" button beneath the app's logo. If you have the app installed already, clicking this button will bring you to the actual app. If you don't have it installed, you'll be directed to a page asking you to grant the application permission to access your Facebook data. Some apps may have additional steps as part of installation or set up, such as creating a character for games.
 Managing AppsOnce you have apps installed, it's a good idea to go to the Application Settings page to tweak the privacy and notification settings of your apps, or to remove an application. To access this page, click on the "Applications" button on bottom left of the Facebook screen, and then click on the "Edit Applications" link. By default, the Application Settings page will list your most recently used apps. You can change this by clicking on the "Show" drop down menu and choosing which apps to display. To see a list of all applications you have installed, choose "Authorized."
 Once you have found the application you wish to manage, you'll see three links to the right side of that application's name: Edit Settings, Profile, and an X. "Profile" will bring you to the app's Application Page (where you can leave a review or rating or discuss issues you are having with the application with the developers). "Edit Settings" will pop up a settings dialog box that has three tabs allowing you to control how the app interacts with your Facebook profile.
To remove an application, simply click on the "X" link. Facebook will ask you to confirm your decision and will allow you to optionally rate the app. You'll notice that some applications cannot be deleted; these are official Facebook apps that are vital to the core functionality of the site. While you can't delete these apps, you can effectively disable them by denying all of their permissions and setting up strict privacy rules. More Facebook Resources from Mashable
Reviews: Facebook Tags: apps, facebook, facebook apps, how to
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| Posted: 24 Oct 2009 03:23 PM PDT 
An Amazon spokesperson in contact with Fast Company told the magazine: "Yes, we are working on a Kindle app for Mac." The move is a smart one: having the Kindle software available on all PCs and Macs radically extends the range of devices that can connect to the Kindle Store. But whether this is a move towards being more open is debatable: for now, anyone switching from a Kindle to another e-reader cannot move their books over. Reviews: KIndle Tags: kindle mac
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| New CNN.com Goes Live: What Do You Think? Posted: 24 Oct 2009 11:27 AM PDT 
Not only does the homepage have a fresh design today, but CNN has posted a video overview of the new site. As we wrote of the changes this week:
What do you think? Is the new CNN a step forward, or does it miss the mark? Let us know in the comments. Disclosure: I'll be starting a new column at CNN next week. Tags: cnn
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| Best of Twitter: 20+ Funniest #oneletteroffmovies Posted: 24 Oct 2009 10:34 AM PDT 
Some attempts are hilarious, some vulgar and some just plain unfunny. Here we've picked more than 20 of our favorites for your weekend amusement: please post your favorites in the comments.
Tags: twitter
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| Twitter Traffic: 3 Solutions to Twitter's Growth Problem Posted: 24 Oct 2009 08:28 AM PDT 
At the Web 2.0 Summit earlier this week Twitter's Co-Founder and CEO, Evan Williams, openly admitted that traffic has stalled in the US. He then went on to say that new features should help solve the problem. Likely not coincidentally, the very next day Twitter announced search deals with both Bing and Google. Those deals, coupled with the new Twitter Lists, and the roll out of location-aware tweets, make up what we deem to be Twitter's trifecta traffic strategy. And we think it will work; here's why. 1. Search
 Both Bing and Google have tapped Twitter to serve up real-time tweets as a part of search results pages. Bing's product is already live, and while it's a separate web page from the Bing.com homepage, it's a really impressive web and Twitter search mashup, with constantly refreshing tweets. Soon Google too will include tweets as a part of the search experience, but their plan is to include tweets within the standard Google search experience. According to their blog post on the news, "the next time you search for something that can be aided by a real-time observation, say, snow conditions at your favorite ski resort, you'll find tweets from other users who are there and sharing the latest and greatest information." Twitter's inclusion in search results is likely to be the biggest driver of new and repeat traffic, period. Right now Twitter search tools are incredibly valuable, but they don't expose mainstream audiences to Twitter. Google is the epitome of mainstream. It's the first place most online users go when they want to find something on the web, it's where they go to find products and breaking news stories, and now this mainstream audience will be exposed to real-time tweets matching their queries, which means a likely flood of new traffic and users for Twitter. 2. Lists
 Twitter is not your average social network. One study shows that the average Twitter user is a female in her late teens. She follows 20 – 50 people, with the same number of Twitterers following her back. Another study found that 10% of active users account for 90% of all tweets. And yet another study concluded that 24% of tweets are created by bots. Clearly, Twitter has an engagement and identity crisis on their hands. Thus far, Twitter would encourage new user participation via a hand picked list of recommended Twitterers (often referred to as the Suggested User List or SUL). Now, however, Twitter is ready to kill the SUL and provide something of even greater value: user-curated Twitter Lists. As we've detailed before, Twitter Lists, which are live for some users, enable users to create and name their own curated lists of Twitterers. Your lists are public by default, which means that anyone can check out who you've added to your topical lists, and the feature also makes it easy to see which lists you've been added to by other Twitter users. As our Editor in Chief, Adam Ostrow wrote, "This is essentially taking the whole concept of "Follow Friday" and building a killer feature around it." As any addicted Twitterer knows, the key to Twitter becoming an integral part of your online life is reaching a threshold where you're consuming interesting tweets and getting responses from others who read your 140 character opinions. Without that push and pull exchange, Twitter is absolutely meaningless. That's why Twitter Lists will prove to be the key engagement tool. Lists will ensure that new users can immediately find other Twitterers who appeal to their tastes. Right now, seasoned Twitter users can create communities of their own, so engagement isn't a problem, but Lists will brings the crafted community element to new users who may be initially trepidatious or confused about the point of Twitter. 3. Location Aware Tweets
 Twitter has already started the application implementation process for attaching latitude and longitude to tweets, and has deployed the feature internally for testing. Ultimately, when it's rolled out to the entire Twittersphere, all tweets from those who have opted-in will be location-aware. This could be huge for Twitter's user retention issues, and also help with tackling traffic plateaus. If you're using a GPS-enabled phone or browser-plugin, you can already send and receive location-aware tweets through third-party apps and leverage an around-me function to see who's tweeting nearby. Once the lat/long features become ubiquitous, however, the value of location-aware tweets increases exponentially. The next time you're in a new city and you launch Twitter, you could potentially see tweets from people in the same building, on the same block, or dining at the same restaurant, let alone just in the same city. With the right application or filter, location-aware tweets could be the secret sauce that helps brand new users really understand what Twitter is about and make it relevant to their offline lives. Just knowing there are thousands of Twitterers within a few mile radius of your present location may not mean anything, but being able to have a conversation on Twitter with someone who's at the same movie as you could mean the difference between being a Twitter lover or a Twitter quitter. More Twitter resources from Mashable:
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Zemdega. Reviews: Bing, Google, Twitter, iStockphoto
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| Sponsored Post: Sacred Winds Communications Wins Shine A Light Prize! Posted: 24 Oct 2009 07:35 AM PDT 
American Express and NBC Universal are thrilled to congratulate all three finalist business owners and all the hard-working small businesses that were nominated. Tune in on Sunday morning to see the winner on the "Your Business" show on MSNBC! (This post is brought to you by American Express. For more information on sponsored posts please read here.) Tags: Sponsored Post
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With 
Amazon's Kindle software isn't going to be limited to the e-reading device: following Amazon's announcement at the Windows 7 launch that it has released a version of the Kindle Reader software for PCs ("
That was fast: 
It's hard to ignore the fact that Twitter has been overtaken this weekend with a new meme: #oneletteroffmovies takes the titles of popular flicks and changes just one letter for comedy effect. 
In the span of one up-and-down week, Twitter lost one of their most influential teen Twitterers in 
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