It’s been another busy week at Mashable. We’ve hired a San Francisco Bureau Chief and sent our own Pete Cashmore to Davos. Still, the team was able to turn out another lineup of tools and resources from the past week or so for your reading pleasure.
Scroll down for infographics on the size of the web and an illustrated history of social media. We’ve also got some hands on demos and a look at some nifty LinkedIn features to help your company.
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
- 10 Premium Tumblr Themes Worth Paying For
Sometimes you’ve got to pony up some cash to get at the online goodness. These 10 Tumblr themes are worth every penny. - 15 Aspiring Musicians Who Found Fame Through YouTube [VIDEOS]
Whether you’re an indie kid, a pop princess or a rising rocker, it seems pretty clear that uploading your performances to YouTube might well pay off — it certainly did for the folk in our video gallery. - Foursquare’s Rise to 6 Million Users [INFOGRAPHIC]
Foursquare announced that it passed the 6 million-member milestone last week, and with it an infographic celebrating its impressive growth in 2010. - How “The Oatmeal” Conquered the World of Web Comics [INTERVIEW]
We caught up with Matthew Inman ahead of his book tour to talk comics, cats, and computers, and to find out if we can continue to look forward to more tasty goodness in 2011. - 3 Ways to Customize Your Food Online
Food marketers are finding new ways to let you take control of your food on the web. Here are three new ways you can customize food via a computer or mobile device. - The History of Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC]
Here’s a visually organized look at the past 30 years or so of social media history, from Usenet to AIM to Friendster and beyond. - The Staggering Size of the Internet [INFOGRAPHIC]
How big is the Internet? Try huge. Enormous. Gigantic. Mind-blowing. With hundreds of millions of sites, billions of photos, and trillions of emails, the Internet circa 2010 was mammoth. - The History of Content, From Cave Paintings to Flipboard [INFOGRAPHIC]
In a charmingly illustrated infographic, we peruse the history of content, from cave paintings to the digital era’s Flipboard. - 10 Fascinating Facts About E-mail
You may use it every day, but how much do you really know about e-mail? Quiz yourself with this list of fun factoids. - 7 Internet Sins That Could Make You Go Viral With Your Friends
Inherent in these memes and vids is an instructional manual on how not to act online — if you’re looking to avoid public humiliation, that is. - Facebook Should Offer Sponsored Stories on an Opt-in Basis [Op-Ed]
David Berkowitz, senior director of Emerging Media & Innovation at 360i, offers his views on Facebook’s Sponsored Stories. - How Videos Go Viral [INFOGRAPHIC]
This infographic, created by Brian Sieber based on insights from The Jun Group, outlines how videos get passed through social media. - Americans & TV: How Social Media Users Watch Video [INFOGRAPHIC]
Researchers at Lab42 used applications within Facebook and MySpace to do a study of social media users, surveying 400 adults earlier this month. - 4 Social Trends Impacting the Future of Online Fundraising
The social web has been a powerful force in the non-profit world, but it’s also seen its fair share of challenges. Here’s a look at the major trends, and what may be in store for the future. - INSIDE DAVOS: The World’s Elites Just Invaded This Tiny Town [PICS]
The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, referred to simply as “Davos” by attendees, turns the sleepy Swiss skiing town into a mecca for the world’s elite. - INSIDE DAVOS: What It’s Like Inside One of the World’s Most Exclusive Conferences [PICS]
We’re reporting this week from the World Economic Forum, in which the world’s top businesspeople, politicians, influencers and media gather to discuss the world’s biggest problems and how to solve them. - HOW TO: Ask and Answer Questions on Quora [VIDEO]
What is Quora and what can be gained from it? Check out this video guide to getting started. - The Real Reason No One Reads Privacy Policies [INFOGRAPHIC]
So why don’t more privacy-craving consumers read the privacy policies of the apps they use? - What Is Data Privacy Day? [INFOGRAPHIC]
Just when we thought the holiday season was over, we came across another reason to celebrate: Data Privacy Day 2011. - Visualizing Egypt’s Internet Blackout [GRAPHIC]
A scientist at network security company Arbor Networks has used data from 80 networks around the world to create an image of the Egyptian internet outages. - How WWE Conquered the Social Media Arena
Social media is a growing part of WWE’s content creation and distribution strategies. We spoke with some of the organization’s digital leaders to find out where they’re having success.
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
- 7 Pairs of Stylish 3-D Specs for Fashionable Film Fans
We’ve found seven pairs of stylin’, RealD-friendly, passive 3-D glasses suitable for movie-goers across all budgets. - HANDS ON: Wireless Charger for iPhone 4 [PICS & VIDEO]
Tired of dealing with wires to charge your mobile device? Energizer’s Inductive Charger lets you wirelessly charge your iPhone on its shiny black surface. - HANDS ON: InMotion Air Wireless Audio System Is Surprisingly Powerful [PICS]
The Altec Lansing inMotion Air Wireless Audio System is a great-sounding Bluetooth speaker that works with Macs, PCs or any Bluetooth-enabled output device. - Adaptive Bit Rate Video Streaming: Why Delivery Will Matter More Than Codec
The debate over web video formats has shifted gears with a new focus on content delivery systems. Adaptive bit rate streaming is the new battleground. Here’s what that means for the web video landscape. - 7 Hot Trends in Mobile App Design
We’ve scoured the App Store and Android Market to see what’s really going on in the world of mobile app design. - 10 Fan-Made Apple Product Concepts We Wish Were Real [PICS]
We’ve found 10 cool Apple design concepts from around the web that we think could make pretty sweet products in their own right. - Happy 1st Birthday, iPad [INFOGRAPHIC]
January 27, 2010 brought the launch of Apple’s iPad tablet device — Thursday marks its first year. - Please Touch the Art: 5 Great Gallery Apps for iPhone
Thanks to some excellent iPhone apps, you can browse a world of amazing art and even go on virtual tours through exhibitions from all around the world. - How Users in Egypt Are Bypassing Twitter & Facebook Blocks
Despite the blocks on social networks imposed by Egypt’s government, messages are still getting out to the social web. Here’s how savvy users are bypassing this censorship. - 2-D Codes: The 10 Commandments for Marketers
Thinking about testing the waters with 2-D codes? Check out these great examples and best practices for smartphone/location marketing. - Great Moments in Text Messaging [COMIC]
History is just littered with opportunities where texting would have come in handy. - Paul Frank iPod Dock Adds Some Monkey to Your Music [GALLERY]
Aesthetics seem to be the bigger aim with this dock, designed so that Julius cradles the iPod in his lap.
For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
Business
- Top 5 Online Communities for Starting Your Career
There are several career communities that focus on those initial years of your career and offer resources for you to start off strong. Here are our top five picks. - HOW TO: Engage and Mobilize Facebook Fans Beyond the “Like”
Here are four ways brands have mobilized fans and taken engagement to the next level on the world’s largest social network. - Behind the Race to Build a Better Banner Ad
A group of entrepreneurs are struggling to reduce banners’ stubbornly low click-through rates. Will anything work? - 8 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Get More Out of Twitter
Twitter: a valuable engagement tool for startups, or a huge vanity-boosting time suck? 8 successful entrepreneurs weigh in. - What to Look For When Hiring a Community Manager
Community managers are quickly becoming the secret weapon behind many brands and campaigns. Find out how this important role has evolved. - 11 Recommendations for the Entrepreneur’s Bookshelf
We asked venture capitalists and entrepreneurs for the books that they would recommend. The responses we received were as varied as they are insightful. - 10 Online Strategies for Your Next Product Launch
Read about how to integrate traditional, online, and social marketing tools to help spread the word about your next big project. - How HSN’s New Crowdsourcing Project Could Shake Up Online Retail
HSN is more than just informercials. Its new marketing and crowdsourcing project is tapping into a new generation of connected consumers. - HOW TO: Optimize Your Company’s LinkedIn Profile
Here’s a primer to help you plan and make the most of some of the powerful new features of LinkedIn company pages.
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
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