Christmas gifts: Money Making Websites

A chill’s setting in and everyone (in the U.S., at least) is putting away their Halloween pumpkins and skimming over their Turkey recipes. While the seasons are quickly changing, we’ve brought together another round of social media tools and resources from the past week or so.

Check out class='blippr-nobr'>Social Mediaclass="blippr-nobr">social media for tips on how to gain Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter influence, or a glimpse at the future of Foursquareclass="blippr-nobr">Foursquare. Tech & Mobile includes a thorough discussion of online privacy, A/B testing resources for developers, and website designs that blew us away. Business comes packed with tips for using Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook’s new groups, marketing to an international audience, and startup funding tips from eight investors.

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.

Social Media

Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week /> Wondering what was hot in the Twitterverse this past week? Check out our comprehensive chart of the top trends.
10 Fun Doodling Apps to Unleash Your Creativity/> The pen and paper may be on a fast track to obsolescence, but the doodle will live on forever. These 10 sites are some of our favorites.
The Future of Social Media and Politics/> With the midterm elections in their final throes, we spoke to some key players for their views on what the rise of mainstream social media has in store for the next generation of political campaigns.
HOW TO: Gain Twitter Influence/> Twitter Influencers Guy Kawasaki and Robert Scoble share their tips for earning Twitter cred.
4 People Who Let the Crowd Control Their Destiny/> We’ve taken a look at four instances of crowd sourcing one’s life — all of which launched around the same time, but include their own set of hardships and rewards.
A Glimpse at the Future of Foursquare/> CEO and co-founder Dennis Crowley discussed the future of Foursquare Wednesday, touching on customized recommendations, the instant checkin, and brand discovery.
HOW TO: Organize a Mashable Meetup/> Many of our readers have been taking the reins in getting to know each other by organizing Mashable Meetups. Here’s how to get started setting up your own.
5 Must-Follow Non-Profits Making a Difference With Social Media [Mashable Awards]/> From raising money to spreading awareness to connecting with people, social media is a boon for non-profit organizations. Here are five must-follow groups that stood out in 2010.
Social Media Weddings: 4 Tips From the Pros/> Social media can help you research vendors, communicate with guests and share your big day with your friends and family. Here’s how.
An Inside “Look” at Showtime’s New Voyeuristic Series/> Based on director Adam Rifkin’s 2007 film of the same name, “Look” was shot via security cameras and integrates social media.

For more social media news and resources, you can follow class='blippr-nobr'>Mashable’sclass="blippr-nobr">Mashable social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Tech & Mobile

10 Essential Websites for iPhone Photographers/> We’ve bookmarked 10 brilliant online resources that offer great galleries, talent showcases, app reviews, exhibition news and more, all for the iPhone photography enthusiast.
5 Website Designs That Blew Us Away [Mashable Awards]/> A beautiful website can blow you away: Here are a few of the websites we think showcased excellent design work this year, both in terms of form and function.
5 Stylish iPhone Alarm Clock Apps to Wake You Up On Time/> We’ve tried and tested five great alarm clock apps for the iPhone that can’t make getting out of bed any easier, but at least you can customize your morning.
“Def Jam Rapstar” Raises the Roof Just Short of Greatness /> The game’s creators can go on and brush their shoulders off because the limited options won’t hold those living room MCs back from personal stardom.
The Social Future of Xbox Live and “Halo” /> We spoke with “Halo” Franchise Development Director Frank O’Connor to learn more about Bungie and Microsoft’s strategy for promoting social gaming with “Halo: Reach.”
9 iPhone Apps for Managing the Recruiting Process/> Instead of creating new processes or downloading a bunch of new apps, here are some iPhone apps you might already have that can help you manage the recruiting process.
5 Media Format Flops Destined To Be Forgotten /> For every VHS, there’s a BetaMax. As consumer electronics companies do battle, the tech landscape is littered with losers. Check out the interesting stories behind 5 famous flops.
Hands-on With Logitech’s Wireless Solar Keyboard /> The K750 won’t change your life. It won’t even even help you type faster. It will, however, allow you to buy a few less batteries.
10 Intermediate and Advanced Tips from PHP Masters/> We asked class='blippr-nobr'>PHPclass="blippr-nobr">PHP experts about their top suggestions for developers on their way to becoming true masters of the art and science of PHP.
Online Behavior Tracking and Privacy: 7 Worst Case Scenarios/> If advertisers continue to self-regulate online tracking or if the government steps in, what’s the worst that could happen? We spoke to experts on both sides of the issue to find out what’s at stake.
Two Ways Developers Will Interact With Google TV Viewers/> class='blippr-nobr'>Connectedclass="blippr-nobr">Connected devices like the Google TV promise to bring the web to your living room in one of two ways: optimized websites and native applications.
12 Tech Toys for a Geeked-Out Wedding/> A wedding is no time to hide your inner geek. These 12 gadgets will spice up any lo-fi nuptial celebration.
7 A/B Testing Resources for Startups and Solo Developers/> If you need a simple, inexpensive way to figure out what’s going to make your website’s users click on that big, red button, check out these tools.
HOW TO: Start Your Own Internet Talk Show/> Do you fancy yourself a budding talk show personality? With a few inexpensive tools and a bit of planning, you can launch your own web show. Here’s how to do it.
Why Location Apps of the Future Will Do Much More Than Checkins/> class='blippr-nobr'>Sparkleclass="blippr-nobr">Sparkle is a new location platform launching today from Location Labs.
5 MP3 Players for Pumping Up Your Workouts/> Whether you’re looking for a new MP3 player or an alternative to taking your expensive phone into the danger zone, we’ve got five options that are ideal for sporty types.
The Evolution of Mobile /> We’ve certainly come a long way.

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Business

HOW TO: Score a Job Through Facebook/> While Facebook is known as a casual network of friends, with 500 million users, it has the potential to be one of the largest job hunting resources available – if used correctly.
How Online Private Sales Work and How Businesses Can Get Involved/> A look at the ins and outs of online private sales and how businesses can benefit from getting involved.
4 Things Small Businesses Should Know About Facebook’s New Groups/> Can Facebook’s new Groups feature be used for business? Here’s a rundown of what you should include in your Facebook biz strategy.
5 Tips for Marketing Online to an International Audience/> Expanding your marketing efforts to an international audience widens your brand’s reach, but it entails understanding regional cultures, laws and online behaviors.
Drupal Founder on Why Open Source is Good for Business /> Fresh off of an $8.5 million round of funding, Acquia and class='blippr-nobr'>Drupalclass="blippr-nobr">Drupal founder Dries Buytaert spoke with Mashable about the role of commercial interests in the success of open source software.
What to Consider When Building an In-House Social Media Team/> We talked to professionals who have built a social media team – from big global businesses to small companies – in order to pin down some best practices.
Essential Startup Funding Tips From 8 Seasoned Investors/> Mashable reached out to angels, seed stage investors and VC firm partners and asked them to share their best advice on how to get your big idea in front of the right people.
5 Tips for Improving Your Social Customer Service/> Companies that provide support through public channels keep customers happy and gain a reputation as consumer-focused businesses. Check out these tips for streamlining your social support model.
5 Proven Strategies for B2B Social Media Marketing/> B2B marketers can use social media to generate leads, create specialized communities, improve SEO, become knowledge sources, and strengthen marketing campaigns.
HOW TO: Calculate the ROI of Your Social Media Campaign/> If you’re not measuring your social media campaigns on an ROI basis, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Here are some tips to get you on a results-driven path.
10 Reasons Every TV Exec Needs to Start Tweeting/> Twitter offers a lot for TV execs looking for a real-time understanding of what fans want. Here’s why everyone in the TV biz should start tweeting.

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

[Image courtesy of Webtreats]

For more Social Media coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Mediaclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Media channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

TV is coming to the Web and there is nothing that can stop it. Just ask Avner Ronen, the CEO of Web TV startup Boxee. Later tonight, he will announce the general availability of his Boxee Box, a small device you hook up to your TV and the Internet so you can watch video from the Web on your TV. The videos come not only from YouTube, but also from ABC.com, NBC.com, CBS.com, Comedy Central, and many other video sites on the Web. I visited Ronen today at his New York City offices where he gave me a demo of the Boxee Box (more on that in a later post), but we also got into a very interesting discussion about how the major TV networks and media companies are reacting to seeing their Web videos increasingly turning up on large-screen TVs.

As he describes in the video below, Ronen argues that the media companies should be more consistent: either charge for videos on the Web or make it free, or go for the freemium model and offer premium video watching experiences on devices like Boxee and the iPad or an additional fee. He reveals that Boxee is working on a payments platform to support such subscription business models on the Boxee service. Furthermore, Hulu Plus will become available on Boxee as a paid option. Yup, the same Hulu that previously blocked Boxee

It is not a foregone conclusion that the media companies who control the most popular TV shows and movies will play along. Just last month, when Google launched its competing Google TV, it was almost immediately blocked by the major TV networks even though it was simply grabbing video freely available on the Web. Hulu also blocked Google TV. Effectively, the media industry is now discriminating based on device and what kind of browser you are using.

Why wouldn’t they do exactly the same thing to the Boxee Box? “I think that is a reasonable assumption to make,” admits Ronen. But he believes that eventually they will come around. “Our view is that ultimately it does not make sense for content owners to discriminate based on browsers and screen size. It is an endless battle. ”

I pointed out that what seems to be happening instead is that the TV networks and movie studios are trying to replicate the business model of cable TV on the Web, by granting access only to services which pay them hefty fees like Netflix does (to the tune of an estimated $2 billion next year).

Ronen is actually fine with making people pay for content, and in fact says that he will make one-click payments part of the Boxee service itself. Next year,” he reveals, “we will launch a payments platform on Boxee. With one click you will be able to subscribe. We think that will be part of the solution.” You can watch videos behind Web paywalls today on Boxee, but you have to enter a different username and password for each site. Boxee’s payment service would be single sign-on and manage all the subscriptions in one place.

What he suggests is a classic freemium model. If you want new shows and videos as soon as they come out in HD, you pay a few bucks a month to NBC or HBO and you can watch those shows on Boxee, your iPad, your computer or anywhere you want. Then a week or so later, it comes out free on the Web in standard definition with ads. The we-support-subscriptions argument is also one the Google TV folks are making.

The media companies are fine with Netflix streaming their movies and shows because Netflix pays them a bunch of money. But where their model breaks down is that often they offer the same TV shows on their own Websites for free. “While they are comfortable with the Netflix model, they are not comfortable with their own services online. I think it is better if they have an online business model that they believe in.”

Watch the shaky-cam video below for more of his thoughts on the matter.

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Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Money Making Websites

Social Media

Tech & Mobile

Business

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