Technology

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oracle Corp has offered a job to Mark Hurd, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co who resigned amid a scandal involving inaccurate expense receipts related to a female contractor, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The new iPod touch – with Facetime, multitasking, and the Retina display – is so close to an iPhone that even Apple can sometimes get confused.

Case in point: look at this image of iPod touch from Apple’s site, and you’ll notice it has a Phone app icon, which definitely doesn’t belong there. To see the real icon layout on an iPod touch, check out this page.

We’d call it an honest mistake (and a case of lazy Photoshopping), but given how much attention Apple’s gadgets attract, it’s likely to spark conspiracy theories about the iPod really getting a phone app, and we know that’s not happening. Or is it?

[via: Engadget]

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This weekend, Craigslist removed its notorious “Adult Services” classifieds section in U.S. markets and replaced it with a black bar that read “censored,” implying that pressure from law enforcement or the legal and political systems of the country became too much to resist.

Craigslist is playing for sympathy, but will it get that sympathy from the public? We’ve put together this poll to find out.

There’s something to be said for the free flow of information on the Internet; you know we believe in that general rule. But Adult Services (formerly “Erotic Services”) has been used by prostitutes since its inception — and by at least one serial killer who hunted them. Craigslist stood to gain $36 million in revenue from the adult services classifieds in 2010 according to an estimate from the Advanced Interactive Media (AIM) Group.

Was Craigslist profiting from prostitution, or facilitating free speech and standing for the fundamental principles on which the Internet and the United States were both (supposedly) founded? Answer in our poll, and feel free to discuss your answer in the comments.

Should Craigslist’s “Adult Services” Be Censored?online surveys

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, anykeen

Reviews: Craigslist, Internet, aim, iStockphoto

More About: adult services, censored, censorship, classifieds, craigslist, erotic services, law enforcement, Opinion, politics, poll, prostitution

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Everybody loves a good watch, and the best thing about watches is that they actually serve a practical purpose. These handy, portable gadgets are more than just decoration, which means you can usually justify spending money on a decent one.

However, being geeks, we want more from our timepiece than the ability to inform us of the hour, so we’ve found 10 great watches that offer some special geek-friendly functionality too.

Whether you want to use your wristwatch to make a call, to control your iPod or record video, the gallery below has got a watch for you. Let us know your favorites in the comments.

1. Casio Databank DBC32C-3B

Casio is such a giant in the geek watch space it could easily warrant a top 10 list of its own. For now, we're bringing you news of the limited edition Databank that offers up-to-date geek functionality in a design reminiscent of Casio's classic calculator watches.

Cost: $59

2. Wifi Finder Watch

This watch will sniff out Wi-Fi at a distance of 100 meters, meaning you'll be kept abreast of when you're in a hotspot or not without the trouble of pulling out your laptop or smartphone to check. Tidy!

Cost: $65.99

3. LG GD910 Watch Phone

Available on contract in the UK and some other regions, the LG GD910 - or Watch Phone - can be purchased SIM-free in the States, if you're willing to pay the price. Arguably one of the only credible phone-watch combos to have ever hit the market, the GD910 boasts a 1.3-inch touchscreen, video as well as voice-calling capabilities. It can be used with a Bluetooth headset or for those yes-I'm-with-the-Secret-Service moments, via the built-in speakerphone.

Cost: From around $800

4. Nike Amp+ Sport Remote Control

This clever bit of gadgetry integrates with your iPod nano and Nike+ running system to offer remote control over your iPod, and voice feedback on your time, distance, calories burned and pace. Its reduced price on the Nike online store suggests it's heading towards end-of-life (it's been around since 2007), so if you are interested, you might want to grab one sooner rather than later.

Cost: Currently $39.99, down from $79

5. Spy Camera Video Watch

Want to be able to record audio and video from your wristwatch? Of course you do! No one would suspect this classic-looking mini-clock is in fact capable of such cloak-and-dagger video capture. There's a tiny lens between the hours 12 and 1 that will capture events around you in AVI format, ready to be transferred to your PC next time you're back at HQ.

Cost: $79.99

6. Sony Ericsson MBW-150 Music Edition Bluetooth Watch

Falling short of full-fat phone-watch capabilities, this Bluetooth-enabled timepiece hooks up to your phone and displays data such as the name and number of incoming callers and when a text has been received. In addition, for anyone with a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone, there are media buttons to control your music on the move.

Cost: Approx $120

7. USB Hidden Flash Drive Watch

The true geek never leaves the house without a flash drive. Concealed in the side of this watch is a teeny-weeny storage stick boasting 8 lovely gigs of flash memory.

Cost: $49.99

8. Stanley Tape Measure Watch

Part of a range of tooled-up Stanley watches released in Japan, gadget emporium Brando offers an easy way to import this item. It cunningly conceals a 3-foot tape measure behind its plastic exterior, offering a charmingly lo-fi way to geek out.

Cost: $44.50

9. Luminox Men's 3051 EVO Navy SEAL Colormark Watch

Ideal for a tough gal or guy geek, there's some cool sci-fi tech in this timepiece used by the Navy SEALs and U.S. Air Force pilots. Glowing 100 times brighter than your average luminous watch, the 24/7 luminosity comes via tiny gas lights (technically known as "borosilicate glass capsules") which are good to glow for over 25 years.

Cost: $168.99

10. InPulse BlackBerry Smart Watch

If you're a red-blooded, gadget-loving BlackBerry owner, then you're really going to want to take a look at the inPulse watch. Thanks to some Bluetooth magic, it'll hook up to your RIM-made device and offer you on-screen info on incoming e-mails, texts and calls - meaning if you're in a meeting (or otherwise socially engaged) a quick glance at your watch is all you'll need to do to stay connected.

Cost: On pre-order for $149 with a September beta release planned

Disclosure: RIM is a Mashable sponsor.

More Tech Resources from Mashable:

- Life After Google: 15 Startups Founded by Ex-Employees
- 7 Services That Will Suggest Things You Like
- HOW TO: Change the Google Logo to Your Favorite Google Doodle
- 10 Cool and Unusual Laptop Sleeves [PICS]
- 10 Entertaining eBay Facts You Might Not Know

More About: blackberry, Brando, casio, gadgets, geek, geeky, inPulse, LG, List, Lists, luminox, Nike, Sony Ericsson, Stanley, tech, thinkgeek, watches, wristwatches

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We’ve all run into someone with a new iPhone. And we’ve all learned to expect the inevitable “watch this” moment involved in this encounter.

Whether they identify the background music with Shazam, pull up a fancy screen saver, or fire up a classic PC game, it’s easy for even the most loyal BlackBerry owner to feel a slight pang of jealousy while witnessing these demonstrations. The iPhone is so shiny, so trendy, and it does so many cool tricks.

It’s better to cope with these feelings than to admit them. There’s no need to give up your BlackBerry. The following six iPhone tricks can be accomplished by BlackBerry Apps (and by the way, Shazam makes a BlackBerry app, too).

1. Cute Bubble Text Messages

crunchSMS changes BlackBerry text messages to an iPhone-like speech bubble format. All you need to do is block incoming text messages from your regular inbox, and you can use the app as an alternative.

2. Doodling

Doodle Buddy lets iPhone and iPad users finger paint all over their touch screens, drop in stamps, and even collaborate with friends over the Internet.

Doodle allows owners of the touch-screen BlackBerry Storm do the same thing for $0.99. Similarly, Make a Mess has fewer features but doesn’t charge. BlackBerry enthusiasts who prefer navigation via ball don’t need to feel left out, either. SketchIt allows them to make Etch A Sketch drawings using the scroll ball or keypad.

3. Photoshop

Adobe makes an app for the iPhone that crops, rotates, changes the color of, and draws on photos. There’s even a Soft Focus feature. Sadly this awesome app has no BlackBerry sister, but the unbranded BlackBerry version, imgEdit, accomplishes just as many editing tasks. Plus it a has “a special Warhol effect.”

4. Doppler Radar

There’s something about the weather that turns us all into geeks. The iPhone has widgets and apps specifically designed to supply live radar maps to wannabe weathermen. While there isn’t a specific radar map app available for BlackBerry users, the “maps” feature of the Weather Channel’s free app is more than adequate for backing up amateur forecasts.

5. InstaPaper

Often cited as one of the coolest apps for the iPhone, InstaPaper sends articles you find on the web directly to your phone so that you can read them later, even if your phone is offline. It turns out that the BlackBerry can do that, too. Save Web Page adds a “save PDF” option to your phone’s browser. Saved pages can be read without connecting to the Internet.

6. Remote Control Capability

iPhone users can purchase an accessory that plugs into the USB port and allows them to use their iPhone as a TV remote. The problem with this is that it changes the “where is the remote?” question to a “where is my USB accessory?” question. BlackBerry’s version of a home theater remote control, however, is a box that sits near entertainment equipment rather than connecting to a phone. The AV Shadow can use one phone to control your television, TiVo, DVD player, and satellite box. You can even use your BlackBerry to control Apple products like iPods.

Disclosure: BlackBerry is a Mashable Sponsor

More BlackBerry Resources from Mashable:

- 8 Free BlackBerry Games Worth Downloading
- A Look Back at the Last 5 Years in Mobile
- 10 Must-Have BlackBerry Apps for Small Business
- 4 Ways BlackBerry Can Stay Relevant

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, PeskyMonkey

Reviews: BlackBerry Rocks!, Internet, Shazam, Tvider Blackberry App , iStockphoto, instapaper

More About: AV Shadow, blackberry, Bubble text, crunchSMS, Doodle, Doodle Buddy, Doppler radar, imgEdit, Instapaper, iphone, Mobile 2.0, Photoshop, remote control, Save a Web Page, trending

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Former HP CEO Mark Hurd is in talks to join computer technology corporation Oracle “as a top executive,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Hurd resigned from his position at HP after an investigation into a sexual harassment claim made by a former HP contractor. The company concluded that Hurd did not violate its sexual harassment policy, but the investigation nevertheless uncovered evidence that he violated its Standards of Business Conduct, including filing inaccurate expense reports.

Announcing his resignation, Hurd stated, “I realized there were instances in which I did not live up to the standards and principles of trust, respect and integrity that I have espoused at HP and which have guided me throughout my career.”

The Wall Street Journal report says that Hurd will not replace Larry Ellison as Oracle CEO, but it didn’t reveal any details about what his new job would be. Oracle and Hurd are still in talks, and the Oracle board has to approve his appointment, so something could still go wrong.

During his short tenure Hurd reportedly oversaw HP’s development into the largest PC manufacturer, and Ellison said to The New York Times that when HP let Hurd go, it “failed to act in the best interest of [its] employees and customers,” so it’s not surprising that Oracle is interested in bringing Hurd on board.

More About: ceo, executive, Hewlett-Packard, HP, mark hurd, oracle, sex, sex scandal

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This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

Social media is becoming a great way for recruiters to announce job openings and find qualified candidates. The conversational nature of social media allows you to interact with potential applicants and learn more about their professional backgrounds, experiences, and goals. That being said, it also opens the door to learning a lot about applicants that you might not discover during a traditional interview.

Which begs the question: If a candidate applies and you don’t know a lot about them, should you do a little detective work via social media?

We talked to recruiting and legal experts about when it is and is not appropriate to search social sites for job candidates. Here are some pointers on why and when to turn to social media for applicant information.

Understand the Purpose of Your Search

Daniel Schwartz, a partner at Pullman & Comley, LLC, a law firm which provides legal and labor law advice, suggests asking yourself a few questions to decide if using social media in the recruiting process makes sense for your organization. “I hate to use the lawyerly ‘it depends,’ but it’s not a simple question to answer. If pressed, I would say ‘yes but with real limits.’” Schwartz recommends answering three questions before you begin your search:

• Why do you want to use social media?
• What information are you hoping to find?
• Is the fact that an employee uses social media a bonus or a demerit?

These three questions will help you understand the purpose of your search and perhaps shed a little bit of light on whether you should move forward. Schwartz noted, “I think too many employers think that adding social media to the hiring process will make their decision-making easier, but because of the volume and types of information available, it may only makes it more complicated.”

Andrew J. Filipowski, executive chairman and CEO at SilkRoad technology, which provides talent management tools and solutions, is an advocate of using social media during candidate searches. “Companies should search for a candidate’s info on social sites to see if the candidate is a ‘real’ person with an online presence. We all want to hire savvy employees and this is a great test to find out if they stay current and engaged.”

But he also tosses out a word of caution:

“This doesn’t mean companies should look up everything on the candidate and use those vacation pictures or personal tastes to judge if that person is a good candidate for the job. It’s important to remember our private persona is very different from our professional one. If someone writes she likes wine, that doesn’t mean she’s going to drink wine at her desk.”

Before you launch your new side job as a social media detective, make sure you are seeking candidate information on social sites for the right reasons. Otherwise, you might just be adding another complication to the process.

Focus on Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

“The only information companies should be researching is information that is pertinent to the position that the individual is or could be applying for,” says Heather McGough, a staffing consultant for Microsoft. “This could include blog forums that are related to job expertise, Facebook fan pages that are devoted to one’s applicable skills, and information regarding job history on networks such as LinkedIn.” She continued:

“When researching a candidate’s applicable skills in relation to a specific job it should not matter what they have been doing in their free time, on their vacations, or over holidays. What is important is their ability to perform the appropriate tasks in relation to the position.”

Now you might be saying to yourself, I knew that. Stick to skills and abilities. The situation becomes a little trickier when you’re not searching per se, but you happen upon some weird posts or tweets after the person applies for a job.

Schwartz reminds us to use that information in the same way that you would with other candidates. “Suppose you hear from an employee that a candidate likes to stay out late at nightclubs during the week — would you ignore that information or use it? But when you start using information that you would be prohibited from using anyways (things like race, gender, marital status, etc.), then you know you’ve crossed a line.”

Filipowski also suggests it depends on how “weird” these postings are:

“If these things are something illegal or something that indicates an angry person, you most likely can find a better candidate. But if it’s ‘weird’ in the way that they have eccentric tastes or dress-up as a superhero at conventions, that in no way means they might be a bad employee. By no longer considering them for the job, you could be losing an excellent candidate for your organization.”

During the Interview

Ultimately, candidates should be reviewed based on their qualifications. If an individual possesses the skills relevant to the position in mind, then a recruiter must evaluate them appropriately. McGough points out the importance of being non-judgmental.

“Does one really understand the entire context behind a Facebook update or a mobile uploaded photo? I would think not. It is cliché, but don’t judge a book by its cover. In my 10 years of corporate recruiting, I have been surprised more than once by what’s behind the cover. Peel back the onion a bit and use the interview to dive into relevant questions that will highlight the individual’s expertise. And finally, if the candidate is not a fit due to skills and experience, don’t gossip about what you may have seen on their MySpace site!”

If you do see something that bears some question, whatever you do, don’t ask for access to an applicant’s or employee’s social networking sites or passwords. Schwartz concurs:

“Asking for someone’s passwords seems to cross a line that most people are uncomfortable with. One way to circumvent that is to provide notice that you will conduct a background check that may include a review of any publicly-available social media sites. But we typically don’t advise snooping into an account that has its privacy settings turned to Warp 10.”

“There’s more than a little talk about privacy settings in the news,” explains McGough. “Candidates ought to be very aware of the consequences when they post information about their likes and dislikes or their abilities and inabilities. It’s only a matter of time before those comments will be common knowledge.”

After a Candidate is Hired

Even when, as a recruiter, you take all the correct steps during the interview process, unexpected things can arise after a candidate is hired. If you make a strange discovery via social media after a candidate is on board, keep calm and try not to overreact. Treat the information as you would any other type of information. Schwartz remembers, “Just like we went through an adjustment period to employee misuse of e-mail, we seem to be going through an adjustment period on social media. It may be new, but the types of issues that are being raised aren’t.” He recommends imagining how you might react if the information was surfaced in another manner, say via e-mail or during conversation with co-workers. “That will take some of the mystique away from social media,” Schwartz noted.

McGough agrees that it is important to handle unexpected and possibly harmful information about employees or candidates in the proper way:

“I often tell my clients and candidates that I am a vault. I take in a lot of interesting candidate and client information, information that is not appropriate to share with colleagues, other clients, other candidates, or anyone for that matter. If the ‘questionable’ material is not related to job performance then you need to leave it alone and lock it in the vault. However, if the information is related to lack of performance or negatively impacting the company, it is your responsibility to let your HR representative know of the situation. I would recommend feeding the information without bias or opinion and leaving it to human resources to determine appropriate action.”

Social media is an excellent way to spread the word about your company, announce job openings, and connect with potential future employees. Use it that way, not to spy on or eliminate candidates. Review a candidate’s resume and/or application for job history, qualifications, accomplishments and skills — that’s how you will find the best candidate.

Search to confirm they do, in fact, work where they claim that they work and to confirm they have experience in the fields they list as having experience in. But, as Filipowski says, “be wary of dismissing a candidate over pictures with a group of friends at a concert, because having personality and interests is what makes your employees more well-rounded individuals.”

As a recruiter, have you ever used social media to search for information about a job candidate or employee? If so, let us know why you turned to social media and how it worked out in the comments below.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- HOW TO: Respond when Social Media Attacks Your Brand
- HOW TO: Handle an Employee’s Controversial Online Behavior
- 8 Funding Contests to Kick Start Your Big Idea
- 4 Tips for Writing SEO-Friendly Blog Posts
- How CEOs Will Use Social Media in the Future

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, alexsl

Reviews: Facebook, MySpace, iStockphoto

More About: job interview, job interviews, job recruiting, social media

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It’s easy to slap the digital prefix on to any job title and assume the rules are more or less the same. But digital PR means living online and basically trying to stay ahead of the Internet.

There are a lot of tasks to juggle and it requires a special type of person. Digital PR requires social grace and the ability to think on your feet. You need to be able to develop brands, promote them across dozens of channels, and reach out to hundreds of reporters and bloggers. We spoke to some of the most innovative leaders in the industry and asked them for a few tips on how aspiring digital PR pros can land a job and break into the biz.

Education and Internships

PR may seem glamorous, but there is a lot of hard work, strategy and education that goes along with becoming a top player in the PR world. It’s a given that today’s PR program include digital and social media components, but what you learn in the classroom today could be outdated by the time you graduate. If you are still in school and dreaming of a career in digital PR, it helps to diversify your classes.

Sarah Evans, owner of Sevans Strategy, a public relations and new media consultancy, and self-described “social media freak,” suggests that current students enroll in an bachelor’s degree in communications, take any and all classes related to new media, and try to grab as many intern opportunities as possible where the role you want exists. “Create a professional portfolio to document your experience. Future employees will love it. Call, email or tweet someone with your ‘future job’ and interview them about it,” she suggests.

Likewise, Dave Levy, a senior account executive at Edelman Digital, advises PR hopefuls to take writing classes, and anything that focuses on digital. Levy said that one of the best classes he ever took was in “innovation management,” which was more about understanding the changes of the business world. “You can take a class on how to use Twitter or Facebook, but soon there will be something else to come along and replace it. So understanding technology shifts can give you some insight to how things may change. It’s about forward thinking, but understanding the history of how it happened can be a big help.”

Levy also stresses the importance of doing internships in the industry. “There are many students right out of college or grad school who have the skill set to jump into a job, but aren’t ready for the pacing or the work environment, and you want to get to know the industry.” To jump right into a job could mean making mistakes, and it’s better to make those mistakes during an internship that’s more of an educational experience.

But it’s not always about where you’ve gone to school or how many internships you can list on your resume. Chris Perry, president of digital communications at Weber Shandwick, says that landing a job in the field today is less dependent on pedigree and more about what candidates are doing. “It’s about their DNA structure and curiosity, more than an Ivy League education to a certain degree. There is a far less structured approach than we’ve had in place when trying to find traditional talent.”

Read Up, Meet Up and Tweet Up

Nowadays everyone considers themselves a digital expert. Sure you might have social accounts across the board, but it’s what you do with them that matters, not how many you can acquire.

Levy says that you need to immerse yourself in the industry you want to break into, so hopefuls should read everything. Being well-read is a competitive advantage, he says. Asking “what do you read, is a great interview question.”

Levy says interviewers can learn a lot about candidates this way. “If you read constantly, and you can discover one new blog a day and be able to talk about why it’s interesting, then that’s great. It means that you’ll have something to share, and it shows that you want to be involved.”

And don’t get too comfortable with the things you think you already know. “Always be willing to embrace innovation,” he says. “Don’t settle down because you understand Twitter, because something else is going to come along and you are going to have to think on your feet.”

Likewise, Jason Winocour, social and digital media practice leader at Hunter PR, says that job hopefuls need to be reading key industry sites every day and keeping up on what is going on in the industry even if they aren’t in it quite yet.

“Sprinkle your knowledge of cases studies throughout your interview. Everyone thinks they are an expert, but someone who can really talk the talk, and knows day to day what is happening on social media news sites, establishes credibility.”

Even if you aren’t an “expert,” show that you want to become one. Evans says that a genuine curiosity about all things new media is a plus, and that she is more likely to hire (and has hired) candidates with the passion for the job but not all the technical skills.

Perry agrees that passion is really what PR companies want when they hire. “When we look at portfolios, we like to see how they connect around a particular interest,” he says, “If they are a giant music geek and they have a blog and have built a reputation as a prominent music blogger, that is the type of thing we want to see.”

Perry says he’s less impressed with the focus on building a personal online brand, and says that the number of followers or friends you have is overrated and not actually helpful to clients. What is valuable and helpful, however, is simply common social sense. “We want people who are organizing meet-ups or tweet-ups, for whatever their specific interests are, be it sports or crafts. Taking a leadership role in a specific interest is appealing to us. It shows that they have relevant experiences, that they advocate for something rather than just being the thousandth person to retweet another link.”

Be Creative

With hundreds of thousands of hopefuls vying for the same positions you need to stand out from the crowd. Easier said than done, but a talented PR person knows how to get the right attention.

“Use an online tool like a blog or website to share insight or offer commentary on digital PR. Create a permanent ‘workshop’ blog dedicated to what you would do for specific brands and companies if you were part of their digital PR team. When it comes time for an interview you’ll have great content to share, with specific examples,” says Evans.

Creativity definitely plays a part in landing a job; in fact, it’s a requirement. “It’s important to be creative, in the same way that you use the digital space. Expertise coupled with creativity goes a long way,” says Winocour.

He offered up Alec Brownstein as an example of how being clever can get you noticed. Brownstein had the brilliant plan to set up an ad so that when top ad execs Googled themselves, the first result they got was a message from him asking for a job, along with a link to his resume. It was creative, and it showed off skills that he’d be using on the job.

Winocour says it would be a great idea to do a social media audit of the company you are applying to; audit in terms of SEO, for tonality of messaging and mentions, but he warns not to offer too many concrete suggestions. “We know what we are doing and we are on top of that, but it looks great to have an outsider perspective and it shows they took the time to really research and care.”

One thing to keep in mind, however, says Levy, is that applicants shouldn’t over prep for the interview. The person interviewing you knows the Google results better than you do, so make sure you aren’t just listing off Google factoids. “Go in there and be honest. You aren’t going to find the answer that is going to get you the job a half hour before the interview.”

Show that you know how to apply what you’ve learned not just that you know how to perform a Google search. “Top results are at the top because a lot of other people have seen it too, think about that,” reminds Levy.

Know Where to Draw The Line

While you may think you need to reach out and promote yourself to your would-be employer, understand that there are boundaries even on the Internet, and there is etiquette you should follow. You wouldn’t cold call an exec and ask if they have any job openings and the same logic applies online. While many companies will post job opportunities on Twitter, and that is definitely your cue to reach out, other platforms are not as appropriate.

“If someone is looking for a job and I don’t already have a relationship with them, or we’ve only met in passing, and tries to add me on LinkedIn — a cold LinkedIn request — that’s a little pushy,” says Winocour.

Pushy isn’t another word for determined, so be careful when trying to connect. You might think you are being social media savvy, but it could backfire as well. “I wouldn’t just friend someone on Facebook,” says Levy, “It might not be the right person, and if you reach out to the wrong person it could really throw your job search off.” Instead, he says, reach out to recruiters, who want to hear from you, especially if you have the skills they are looking for. “Reach out to recruiters, if you can identify who they are, it shows you know how to research and identify things, which is what we expect from interns and entry- to mid-level staff. We want to see that you recognize influence and who the influencers are.”

It’s a fine line, but it goes back to what Perry says about having social common sense: “I’m visible online and the way to connect with me is to use social skills to get on my radar, but not so much to say, ‘Hey, I’m looking for a job.’”

“You need to strike up a conversation,” he says, “there are a lot of people who are trying to just build a personal brand instead of using the actual tools.”

What is most important is that you research the company you are interested in. Try to gauge if they’d be impressed or annoyed with your inquires. Evans says that if you notice an opening at a desired company, find them and let them know you are out there. “We’re moving past the days where Human Resources were the gatekeepers of an organization’s hiring process. When recruiters, employees and other professionals engage via social media on behalf of the organization, it’s an open invitation for you.”

That said, striking up an authentic conversation, not just a plea for a job, is key.

Public Relations Job Listings

Every week we put out a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we post a huge range of job listings, we’ve selected some of the best computer programming jobs from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!

• Head of Public Relations and Social Media at Covestor in New York, NY.
• Digital PR Strategist at Mekanism in San Francisco, CA.
• Communications & Social Media Specialist at a St. Louis PR Agency in St. Louis, MO.
• Communications/PR Intern at Blogtalkradio in New York, NY.
• Assistant to Digital Department at ID PR in West Hollywood, CA.

More Job Search Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Tips for Aspiring Copywriters and Art Directors
- Top 5 Tips for Aspiring Music Bloggers
- 5 Tips for Aspiring Social Media Marketers
- HOW TO: Score a Design Job
- 10 Tips For Aspiring Community Managers

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, hjalmeida

Reviews: Facebook, Google, Internet, LinkedIn, Twitter, iStockphoto

More About: job search, job search series, pr, PUBLIC RELATIONS, social media

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oracle Corp has offered a job to Mark Hurd, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co who resigned amid a scandal involving inaccurate expense receipts related to a female contractor, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Normally, we assume you’ve missed a few posts here and there because you’ve been outside enjoying the last days of summer. But given the impending Hurricane and crippling heatwave, we sincerely hope you’ve been inside this past week. So what’s your excuse?

If you still have catching up to do, we’re back with another list of resources from the past week or so.

Our Social Media section can help you gear up for Fantasy Football season, Watch the US Open, or break down the news with some insightful infographics. Tech and Mobile offers a guide on making your own ringtones, using Gmail’s priority inbox, and a slew of iPhone tips and tricks. Business comes packed with SEO tips, response plans to social media attacks, and advice on incorporating your startup.

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 Fantasy Football Sites to Help You Win
  Here are 10 websites that might give you the winning edge over your fantasy football competition.
• 10 Incredibly Inspirational Moments on YouTube [VIDEOS]
  YouTube isn’t just for kittens, cute kids, and confabulating celebrities. It’s also home to some of the most inspiring historical moments ever captured on camera.
• 7 Services That Will Suggest Things You Like
  Unlimited choice (especially on the web) is not always a good thing. These 7 sites use can help narrow down the agonizing list of possibilities in a variety of areas.
• 5 Fun FarmVille Accessories
  80 million virtual farmers can’t be wrong! Show off your social gaming addiction with these 5 hilarious accessories.
• HOW TO: Follow the US Open with Social Media
  We’ve collected some easy, free and totally legal ways to watch and follow the US Open on the web and via social media.
• 10 of the Web’s Most Insightful News Infographics
  A picture is worth a thousand words. But if you include an entire database, make it interactive, and add filtering options, the word-to-picture exchange rate is even better.
• How Social Data Built a Better Health Care App
  It’s not often that the U.S. government uses social media or open source data to solve a problem, but the NIH’s recent project “Pillbox” is an exception with a lot of potential.
• HOW TO: Score the Best Fashion Deals on the Social Web
  Just because the economy is still depressed doesn’t mean your wardrobe has to be. Check out all these great discount fashion destinations on the social web.
• Social Media Grammar: The “Checkin” Conundrum
  So you want to write about Foursquare, but is it “check in,” “checkin,” or “check-in?” We have the answers, which are sure to please even the sternest grammarian.

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

• HOW TO: Make Free iPhone Ringtones
  You don’t need to spend extra money to turn your favorite song into an iPhone ringtone. You can do it right in iTunes. Here’s how.
• 6 Job Search Tips for Aspiring Programmers
  6 job search tips from the people who hire programmers about how you can land your dream job.
• 8 Free BlackBerry Games Worth Downloading
  Need a break from the e-mail influx? Sneak away and grab one of these free and fun BlackBerry games.
• Gmail Priority Inbox: 5 Tips for Better Productivity
  We’ve identified a few more complex tips for those of you looking to maximize productivity and use some of the less obvious features of Priority Inbox.
• 10 Useful iPhone Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks
  We’ve put the iPhone 4 through its paces and come up with some handy tips and tricks that will help you get more out of your Apple-flavored mobile.
• Why the Apple A4 is the iPod Touch’s Killer Feature
  The most significant addition to Apple’s new iPod is the inclusion of the same chip capably powering the iPhone 4 and the iPad — the Apple A4.
• HOW TO: Get Started with HTML5 Boilerplate
  HTML5 Boilerplate is one of the most interesting new projects aimed at giving designers and developers a template for integrating HTML5 into their sites.
• 15 Essential Back to School Podcasts
  If you need some help getting back into “learning mode,” these podcasts will open your ears to a wealth of insight on science, history, economics, literature, math and more.
• HOW TO: Track Hurricane Earl Online
  Want to know how Earl will affect your Labor Day weekend plans? Check out these resources for tracking the hurricane.

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

Business

• HOW TO: Respond when Social Media Attacks Your Brand
  Here are three examples of companies that received negative attention on social media and how you can learn from their mistakes or successes.
• How CEOs Will Use Social Media in the Future
  Whether they use it for recruiting, scouting, public engagement or social CRM, CEOs will need to have a firm grasp on social media if they want to stay ahead of the curve.
• 3 Winning Alternatives to Online Sweepstakes
  Many brands aren’t aware that running an actual sweepstakes promotion has many legal ramifications. These 3 alternatives can be just as engaging, but without the complications.
• HOW TO: Incorporate Your Startup at the Right Time
  Once you’ve decided that incorporation is right for your business, what’s the best time to do it? There are a number of paperwork and tax-related factors to consider.
• 4 Tips for Writing SEO-Friendly Blog Posts
  Search rank can be a powerful way to drive readers and customers to your site. Check out this advice on how to make your business blog more Google-friendly.
• A World Without E-mail: One Man’s Vision of a Social Workplace
  Luis Suarez has a dream: no more e-mail. He discusses working remotely from a paradise island and the benefits of keeping all his business correspondence social.
• 8 Funding Contests to Kick Start Your Big Idea
  Does your startup need an investment to get off the ground? These competitions might prove a good source of VC … if you can win.

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

Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Gmail, Google, Mashable, Twitter, YouTube, iPhone

More About: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tech, technology, trend, trending, twitter, youtube

For more Social Media coverage:

• Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to the Social Media channel
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

This week we learned how to pin an external drive to the Windows 7 taskbar, create an eBook or PDF from Wikipedia articles for offline reading, edit the hosts file, help computer users remotely with TeamViewer, minimize applications to the system tray in the simplest way, and more.

Photo by legofenris.

Weekly Feature

Enjoy this wonderful theme featuring horses in various locations during different seasons. Definitely a nice touch for your desktop.

Photo by Asian Angel.

Horses Theme for Windows 7

Random Geek Links

Photo by tramod.

• Google sticks Wave in a box, puts a bow on top
  Google plans to expand upon the open source code that it has already released to form a more complete, standalone application known as “Wave in a Box.”
• Rogue Win7 AV Copies the Microsoft Security Essentials Site
  A new fake antivirus is imitating a number of legitimate security mitigations, the Microsoft Security Essentials website, and various graphics elements from Windows in order to trick users into installing it.
• Microsoft tool for DLL vulnerability interferes with some applications
  Microsoft’s tool to protect against the DLL hijacking vulnerability results in some programs no longer working properly.
• Microsoft continues to workaround DLL vulnerability
  Microsoft has released a ‘fix-it’ solution to help with problems encountered using some programs because of the DLL protection tool.
• Compromising Twitter’s OAuth security system
  The article explores some of the problems with Twitter’s OAuth implementation and some potential pitfalls inherent to the standard.
• Backdoor discovered in QuickTime
  An undocumented parameter in QuickTime’s ActiveX plug-in could allow attackers to inject malicious code.
• India: Hand over your data Google, Skype
  India has instructed Google and Skype to allow its government to monitor their customer data or face being banned from operating in the country.
• Without a Trace: Turn Your Flash Drive into a Portable Privacy Toolkit
  See how to set up your own personal privacy toolkit with this tutorial.
• Microsoft: Silverlight still has a future in an HTML 5 world
  Brad Becker has made the case that Silverlight is the right solution for developers looking to create premium media content, as well as content/apps that can run on multiple platforms.
• Microsoft unveils shape-shifting Arc Touch Mouse
  Redmond is touting Arc Touch as “the first mouse designed to flatten for portability and pop up for comfort.”

Geek Video of the Week

Construction paper? More like DESTRUCTION paper! Watch Mortal Kombat fatalities happen in a whole new style.

Photo by CollegeHumor.

Mortal Kombat Fatalities Paper Animation

Productive Geek Tips

Photo by ginnerobot.

• How to Avoid Computer Eye Strain and Keep Your Eyes Healthy
  Does eyestrain keep you from doing your work on the computer? Take preventative measures to avoid eyestrain—and get your work done.

Sysadmin Geek Tips

Photo by Travis Isaacs.

• Replace Text in Plain Text Files from the Command Line
  A very useful function which is missing from the Windows library of command line tools is the ability to replace text in plain text files. Our solution is a VBScript which interfaces with the Visual Basic Replace function.
• Diagnose Linux Server Load Problems with a Simple Script
  If you have ever had a situation where a server spikes in CPU use or memory utilization and/or load levels & running `top` does not give you the answer, then the following script might be able to help.
• How to Prevent Yum from Updating the Kernel
  When you’re running production servers, the one thing you don’t want to do is upgrade the kernel every time a new update comes out.
• How to Change Your Linux Hostname Without Rebooting
  See how to change the hostnames on your server to match a new naming standard without incurring downtime.
• How to Setup milter-greylist Spam Blocking in Sendmail
  Learn how to set up a milter-greylist to help combat spam in Sendmail.

The Geek on Lifehacker

Your Windows PC might be designed to make your life easier, but they often have a non-stop list of problems. Today we’ll walk through some of the more common problems and how to troubleshoot them.

Photo by xkcd.

The Basic Guide to Troubleshooting Common Windows PC Problems

Random TinyHacker Links

• Create a Password Reset Disk in Windows 7
  If you’re prone to coming up with crazy passwords and then absolutely forgetting them days later, the first thing you should do with a new Windows 7 computer is create a password reset disk.
• Repair Corrupted Excel Files
  If you have a corrupt Excel file, check out the post to learn how to recover your data.
• Fix Common Task Manager Problems
  The Task Manager in Windows is a great tool to find out information but there can be times when you run into problems like the task manager being disabled or loading with no tabs or menus. Read on to learn the fixes.
• If at first the page doesn’t load, Try, Try Again (Firefox)
  Firefox extension Try Again attempts to connect repeatedly with the server when a website is down.
• Use AutoStitch to Create Cool Panoramas
  Here’s a nice tool that lets you join multiple pictures to create cool panoramic photos.

Super User Questions

Enjoy looking through this week’s batch of hot questions from Super User.

• Wireless Signal Strength
• Is there any benefit from installing Windows 7 64-bit when you have less than 4GB or RAM?
• Should I install graphics card drivers from Windows Update?
• Should I disconnect the power cable when the battery is full?
• Blocking *.example.com at the OS (Windows) level

Latest Reviews at How-To Geek

See our latest software review.

• Postbox
  Postbox is an innovative new email program that brings the best of popular webmail features and combines it with social media and content discovery features to give you the best of both in a desktop email program.

How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap

Make sure to look through our best articles of the week.

• How To Disable or Enable the Homegroup Feature in Windows 7
• Use Email to Send Text Messages (SMS) to Mobile Phones for Free
• The How-To Geek Guide to Windows 7 Media Center
• How to Transfer Your iTunes Collection from One Computer to Another
• Upgrade Your old iPod with Rockbox

One Year Ago on How-To Geek

Engage in a little bit of time traveling to enjoy these articles from last year.

• Change the Windows 7 Taskbar to Work Like Vista
• Tux Paint – A Great Image Program for Your Children
• Customize the Notification Area in Windows 7 Using Local Group Policy
• Set Up User Scripts in Opera Browser
• Keep Track of New Email with Gmail Notifier

The Geek Note

That finishes things up for this week. If you are one of the lucky people getting an extra day off for the holiday, then make certain to enjoy that extra sleep! Remember to keep those great tips coming to us at tips@howtogeek.com.

Photo by WTL photos.

Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips

• Google Wave Dies a Deadly Death
• We Have 20 Google Wave Invites. Want One?
• Export and Backup Your Data From Google Wave Before It Shuts Down
• Integrate Google Wave With Your Windows Workflow
• Windows 7 Welcome Screen Taking Forever? Here’s the Fix (Maybe)

• How to Avoid Computer Eye Strain and Keep Your Eyes Healthy
• Three Potentially Risky Ways to Save a Lot on Textbooks
• Using Microsoft Word 2010’s References Feature (for Students)
• Optimize Your Computer Screen Real Estate
• Regular Financial Monitoring Leads to Less Overspending
• How to Use Voicemail Effectively at Work

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said in an interview with the Associated Press yesterday that paid apps like those found on the iPhone, Android and iPad could help financially troubled news organizations, but he didn’t have anything positive to say about charging for content on the web.

On the other hand, he’s not optimistic about other micropayment plans wherein publications would charge users to access individual articles because at present there is not a centralized and widespread payment system as there is with Apple’s services (iTunes, iBooks and the App Store) or the Android Market.

“If I just click on my iPad, and it’s billed on my normal bill, that micropayment model makes it possible for people to have an impulse purchase,” he said. Apple already has his payment information from the get go, and the creator of each app can use Apple’s billing system for in-app purchases.

That’s one of the reasons Wales believes app stores could be beneficial for the news industry. “The apps model — the iPad app, the Kindle — does provide new and interesting opportunities for newspapers.”

We’ve heard rumors in the past that Google has a unified micropayments system in the works that could do the same for desktop content, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Wikipedia is not a commercial enterprise, but Wales’s current venture Wikia is ad-supported.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, enot-poloskun

Reviews: Android Market, App Store, Wikipedia, iStockphoto

More About: amazon, android, apple, apps, interview, ipad, iphone, Jimmy Wales, journalism, Kindle, monetization, News, paywalls, Wikia, wikipedia

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Apple makes computers, tablets, phones, portable media players, TV set-top-boxes, displays and a dozen other things, but to date, it hasn’t made a wristwatch. Oh, wait, actually, it has! It’s called “the new iPod nano.”

Sure, battery life will be a problem when you leave that screen on the whole time, but you could just act like it’s an LED watch and it’s nighttime by hitting the button to see the time.

People have dreamed of fancy computer watches for a long time, and they’ve recently become a reality in a sufficiently usable form. LG started the latest upswing trend by introducing a watch phone concept at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show.

Apple may not have intended the nano to be used this way, but the above Flickr photo from Kei Ogikubo leads us to believe that maybe tablets aren’t the only geek fantasy that Apple is recently the first to get right!

[via 9 to 5 Mac]

Reviews: Flickr

More About: apple, flickr, ipod, ipod nano, iwatch, trending, watch

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• Follow Mashable Apple on Twitter
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Dear eXist users, This is to alert you to the fact that a number of workshops of potential interest to you are held th.

“404 Not Found.” These three little words can make any Internet explorer an unhappy camper. After all, who hopes to click on a broken link or stumble upon a moved or deleted page while cruising around the web?

Luckily, some web designers have chosen to end the misery of encountering a 404 error page. Instead of letting their site readers bump heads with a nasty dead-end error message, they’ve managed to squeeze a little entertainment out of it.

Below you’ll find some of the most entertaining 404 error pages on the web. We’ve listed them alphabetically to avoid playing favorites, but they’re all worth a look. Share your favorite 404 error page designs in the comments below!

1. 501st Legion

501st Legion is a Star Wars costume organization. It only makes sense that its 404 page would play on Obiwan's famous jedi mind trick with a "weak-minded" stormtrooper.

2. Abduzeedo

Yes, Houston, a 404 is definitely a problem.

3. Apartment Home Living

A nice ol' chap comes to your assistance on ApartmentHomeLiving.com if you run across a 404 error page. Click the lovely lady peering from behind the frame for proper navigation suggestions.

4. Astuteo

"Uh-Oh! SpaghettiOs!" You know you're a part of pop culture if your jingle makes it into a 404 error page. The popular SpaghettiOs marketing jingle is here to stay.

5. Blippy

Head over to Blippy's 404 page for an adventure. Keep clicking on the boy dressed in a unicorn outfit to discover a triple rainbow! Who knew a 404 page could be so fun?

6. Factor D

In an ode to early horror films, Factor D features an appropriately horrific 404 error accompanied by a beautiful, yet terrified scream queen.

7. SureDev

Many 404 error pages apologize for the error. Not this one. It's obviously your fault.

8. Blue Daniel

This 404 error page is a beautiful depiction of "Track 404," a fictitious NYC subway line. Check it out to experience the full animation.

9. Brandstack

"You can click anywhere else, but you can't click here." Love it.

10. Center'd

Bottom line: You can't go wrong with cute kittens.

11. Chris Jennings

Most of us would like to run into a 404 error page just as much as we'd like to run into the Grim Reaper.

12. Colour Marketing & Design

When you're facing "sharks with laser beams attached to their frickin' heads," what do you expect? Definitely a 404 error.

13. CSS-Tricks

Well, that can't be good.

14. CSSscoop

Picking a 404 error page design that is consistent with your name is an appropriate move. CSSscoop chose a melting ice cream cone, with a scoop of ice cream, of course.

15. Digitalmash

Sarcasm in dire situations is always appreciated, right?

16. Good Old Games (GOG)

Try not to make any missteps on GOG, or you'll end up lost in the cosmos.

17. HomeStarRunner.com

Insulting your readers doesn't usually help, but this 404 made me chuckle.

18 Hoppermagic

Hoppermagic chose to stick to its brand imagery when creating its 404 page.

19. iFolderLinks

There's just something about a really frustrated baby that catches your attention. And if you've made it to this 404 page, you probably feel his pain.

20. Itchy Robot

If you can't think of something clever to say on your 404 page, just write exactly what your users are thinking.

21. Jackfig

Jackfig added a creative touch to its 404 error page, with an inspirational haiku.

22. Jolie Poupée

Jolie Poupée, creator of eco-friendly children's clothes, serves up an audience-appropriate 404 on its site.

23. Mark Dijkstra

This 404 error page is reminiscent of the kitschy tourist shirts that your lousy friends and relatives buy you when they visit amazing places.

24. Merge

Prithee, go medieval on your site's visitors if need be.

25. Milrayas

Imagery always makes a 404 more entertaining.

26. OrangeCoat

Some 404 error pages do a wonderful job of explaining to users exactly what caused the 404 error. OrangeCoat provides a fun decision tree for lost web surfers that is sure to help them along their merry ways.

27. Oroza

Have fun with colors, shapes and exclamations.

28. Sick Designer

Sick Designer captures the depression that a 404 can cause on its error page.

29. Student Market

How fitting that a student-centric site would feature an addition problem on its 404 page.

30. The Brand Surgery

This page just pops. We like it.

31. The North Face

For true entertainment value, why not just tell a story? The North Face does just that by creating a tale about link-eating mountain goats.

32. Tinsanity

You might have been pwned, burned, punk'd or rickrolled recently, but have you been 404'd? Click here to join the party.

33. TK Designs

Excitement! Adventure! Ahhhhh, where I am?!

34. Urban Outfitters

Our sentiments exactly.

35. Urban Pill

If, after searching for hours, you still can't find the page you were seeking, Chuck Norris probably has it.

More Web Design Resources from Mashable:

- 12 Beginner Tutorials for Getting Started With Photoshop
- Use Adobe Fonts in Your Own Web Designs
- 10 Essential Free E-Books for Web Designers
- 12 Beginner Tutorials for Getting Started with Adobe Illustrator
- 6 New Mac Apps for Designers and Developers

More About: 404, 404 error pages, error page, web design, Web Development

For more Dev & Design coverage:

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• Subscribe to the Dev & Design channel
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Angry Birds is the epitome of an Apple App Store success story and it has been the #1 paid iPhone game for ages. Now it’s also available on most Android smartphones.

The version currently available in the Android Market is actually Angry Birds Lite (a free trial with several of the chapters locked) and it’s in beta testing, so it’s not quite bug-free on all Android devices. In fact, CNET reports that it doesn’t work at all on Evo handsets.

The comparatively bug-free full version is coming soon, but in the meantime the Android users who own devices that can run the game can see what iPhone and iPad users have been going crazy about.

When you load the game up, you’re tasked with shooting red birds out of a catapult at certain angles to take out targets lodged in difficult-to-reach places. That description doesn’t really do it justice, though, so go ahead and download the app if you’re curious.

Reviews: Android, Android Market

More About: android, Android Market, angry birds, App, clickgamer.com, games, gaming, video games

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Craigslist.com has dropped its "adult services" listings, which have become the target of U.S. state attorneys general who say the much-visited online classified ad site is not doing enough to quash prostitution.

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

Location-based services, such as Foursquare and Gowalla, are proving quite popular with consumers open to sharing their locations with the world. They’re also built to be inherently business-friendly, as most allow retailers to incentivize checkins and social sharing behaviors in the hopes of attracting swarms of patrons to their businesses.

As the space continues to evolve, new platforms, technologies and services are emerging with the specific intention of helping small businesses reward their loyal patrons with deals for their in-store behaviors.

Small businesses looking for fresh and relevant ways to serve up location-based deals and stay ahead of the curve have numerous options. The following examples highlight how small businesses can leverage verified checkins, barcode scanning technology, group buying initiatives, activity-based rewards, and opt-in lists for innovative and mobile-friendly location-based deals.

1. Verified Checkin Rewards

Most checkin apps are designed so that small businesses can set up specials or rewards for checkin activity. Few, however, can truly verify that an application user is exactly where they say they are. For the small business owner to truly benefit from offering checkin rewards, verification is critical.

SCVNGR is an example of a location-sharing service built with verification in mind. The startup, which seeks to serve as a game layer for the real world, has a QR code checkin feature; businesses can display QR code decals to encourage patrons to pull out their mobile phones and scan the QR code to check in to their venues. Since the scan is tied to a specific location, the checkin is valid.

In general, QR codes present a clean way to tie a customer’s whereabouts to a physical location. Small businesses can choose to chuck the checkin app in favor of creating their own in-store QR code marketing initiatives — think scan-activated coupon codes or discounts — with the help of full-service QR code solutions such as ScanLife.

2. Social Barcodes

Small businesses sell products. Products have barcodes. New technology makes it easier than ever for consumers to create social experiences around products, and for retailers to reward them for their in-store scanning behaviors.

Bakodo is an iPhone app that can scan nearly all types of barcodes; consumers can use it to comparison shop, read reviews from friends, and make more informed purchase decisions. Stickybits has a mobile app that lets users create a social experience around products with photos, text, and videos. Even Shopkick, an automatic checkin service for retailers, has an iPhone app that supports barcode scanning activities.

As barcodes become more social in nature, small businesses have an opportunity to participate in product-driven communities and even reward consumers who scan in their stores. With Bakodo, for instance, small businesses can license a white label version of the technology to reward customers with discounts and coupons depending on what they scan.

3. Group Deals

Those following the group buying trend have no doubt noticed the growing buzz around Groupon and its many competitors. These deal-a-day sites allow small and local businesses to offer extreme discounts to new audiences. The formula has proven to appeal to customers looking for a deal, bring in new business, and create repeat business.

Interested small businesses can turn to services such as Groupon, LivingSocial, OpenTable, Yelp, or Zagat to help them facilitate a location-based deal. Better yet, there’s now a handful of do-it-yourself, deal-a-day software options. With Wildfire, for instance, businesses can offer their own group deals via their website or Facebook Page.

Another new option perfect for neighborhood bars, restaurants and coffee shops is GroupTabs. The service blends group buying with checkins, so that when a certain number of people check-in at the same place at the same time, they can unlock a pre-defined venue deal or special. GroupTabs is brand new and available in limited markets, but it hopes to expand and is accepting business requests via email.

4. Challenge-Based Rewards

In addition to QR code checkins, the mobile location-based game SCVNGR now enables any retailer to offer custom rewards to patrons who accrue points for specific behaviors — checking in, posting a photo, or completing a user-defined challenge — at their store.

The rewards platform is more flexible than those offered by Foursquare and Gowalla, and allows small businesses to decide how many rewards to offer, how many points customers need to unlock a reward, and how many times the reward in question can be redeemed. Patrons can also only attempt one reward at a time and can visually track their progress via a green status bar.

SCVNGR also sends out signage, QR code decals, table tents, and coasters to participating businesses free of charge to help facilitate the in-store behaviors. As such, the platform is perfect for small businesses looking to offer their own location-based deals.

5. Opt-in Deals

New startup Bizzy is designed to be the go-between for small businesses interested in distribution for their hyper-local deals and residents hungry for deals in their neighborhood. The service is designed with the intention of eliminating the clutter of traditional e-mail marketing campaigns by presenting deals and offers only to interested parties on their own terms.

Because Bizzy is opt-in for businesses and shoppers, it creates an ideal platform where local businesses can list deals that consumers want to find. Members can use the service to create their Bizzy List — a list of businesses they want to hear from — for a daily stream of related events and offers. Bizzy business members can create, manage, and track their deals, as well as personally engage with shoppers and build better opt-in lists.

Bizzy is accessible to consumers on the web, or via its iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch applications. Bizzy’s only downside is that it’s currently a beta service only available in Dallas, New York and San Francisco.

As location-based marketing continues to grow, there are more and more ways that small businesses can offer location-specific deals. Verified checkins, barcode scanning technology, group buying initiatives, activity-based rewards, and opt-in lists are just five new ways that small businesses can leverage location-based marketing for innovative and mobile-friendly location-based deals. Let us know how your small business is offering location-based deals in the comments below.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Small Biz Web Design Trends to Watch
- Why Social Media Monitoring Tools Are About to Get Smarter
- Why the Social Gaming Biz is Just Heating Up
- The Future of Public Relations and Social Media
- HOW TO: Pick the Right Social Media Engagement Style

[img credits: Joseph Robertson, High Museum of Art]

Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp

More About: bakodo, bizzy, checkins, foursquare, gowalla, groupon, grouptabs, LivingSocial, MARKETING, opentable, qr code, QR Codes, rewards, scanlife, scvngr, shopkick, small business, stickybits, yelp, zagat

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For much of the world, the beginning of fall means that warm, comfortable hiking weather is coming to an end. In other words, it’s time to start saving up fresh air for a winter of avoiding the outdoors.

There are people who consider their outdoor excursions a refreshing escape from technology. And then there are iPhone users, who consider the outdoors yet another perfect venue to show off their mobile tech.

If you’re with us, here are 12 great hiking apps to download before you hit the trail.

1. AccuTerra

This map comes with GPS coordinates and doesn’t need to be folded. Download your neck of the woods for $1.99 or get unlimited access to all maps for $4.99. The app tracks your trail as you hike, allowing you to place markers at significant points along the way and review your hike duration, distance, pace, and elevation gain at any point. All maps are stored in your phone’s memory, so no reception is no problem.

2. Star Walk

Scroll through a virtual copy of the sky so that you can better appreciate the real one. Star Walk maps the sky from your viewpoint. If you’re facing south, for instance, you can find the map for the constellations and planets in front of you by scrolling to the south arrow on the Star Walk map. Clicking on stars provides coordinates and more information. It’s an easy way to start learning about astronomy for $2.99.

A night mode tints the screen red and makes it easier to read on an otherwise jarringly bright screen in the dark.

3. Scats and Tracks

Some people yell, “Hey, I found a footprint!” You can be the person who yells, “Hey, I found an eastern chipmunk footprint … or maybe it’s an eastern gray squirrel!” Scats and Tracks provides everything you need to decode what animals leave behind on the trail. It includes illustrations of all footprints, animals, and yes … scat types. The backyard version is free. Guides to specific regions cost $3.99.

4. Elevation Pro

This $0.99 app is pretty simple. It tells you what your current elevation is. Of course it’s an essential component of any decent bragging tales you plan to tell after your hike. Elevation includes two different calculations. One is the ground elevation using USGS data at your current location. The other is a calculation using the GPS on your phone.

There’s also a tweet button, so you don’t need to waste any time with that bragging.

5. Park Maps

Imagine that you drove to every notable U.S. State Park and picked up a map at the entrance. And then you carried all of those maps around with you wherever you went. This app would be the paperless version of that. No bells or whistles, just every hiking map you need for $.99.

6. Army Survival

There is always a chance that you will become hopelessly and desperately lost for days. If you have the Army Survival Guide on your phone (and a bit of battery life left), you could potentially avoid the embarrassment of perishing in the wilderness alone.

More likely, you’ll find the $1.99 guide to be appropriate entertainment and conversation kindling.

7. Coleman Lantern

This free lantern is shameless advertising, but it’s also pretty cool. Choose from a selection of classic and modern-style lanterns and adjust the light for your needs. At full blast, the lantern throws out a decent amount of light. Like other flashlight-type apps, it does use a lot of battery and is probably best used as an entertaining addition to your primary light source.

8. iBird

Bird guidebooks are probably most useful when taken into the woods, but its hard to justify carrying around a huge tome when you plan to walk all day. The iBird guides are just as good as hardcovers, but much lighter.

iBird apps include detailed bird portraits, range maps, taxonomies, key factors for identification, and song and call recordings from the Macaulay Library at the Lab of Ornithology. Fifteen common birds of North America are free, but more extensive guides by region cost $9.99. The true bird fanatic can opt for the $29.99 pro version, which has info on more than 900 birds.

9. Audubon Trees

Conservation organization The National Audubon Society knows its trees. And you can too, with its tree reference app. Browse trees by family (like Maple or Beech) or by name. If you’re not sure what kind of tree you’re looking at, there’s also a quick guide that helps you identify the tree based on its shape or leaves. GPS allows you to plot your sightings, and you can use the app to file your tree photos (or enjoy the 2,000 color photographs included in the app). At $9.99, this is probably an app reserved for avid tree enthusiasts.

10. Butterfly Collection

This $1.99 app is as beautiful as it is useful. An elegant index of butterflies fills the home screen. Scroll for more index pages or tap the butterfly that you want to identify. You’ll get an animated close up of the illustrated butterfly and learn its name.

11. Wild Mushrooms of North America and Europe

When you spot something on the trail that looks like the tasty (but expensive!) Morel from last weekend’s farmer’s market, it can be tempting to snag it for your dinner. But amateur mushroom hunting can be a dangerous sport.

So dangerous, in fact, that the user agreement for this app guide to mushrooms includes an “important poisoning disclaimer.” In other words, it can’t hurt to double-check.

Roger Phillip’s guide includes a searchable database of mushrooms with photos and important details like each fungus’s location, normal size, and edibility. You can also locate the unknown mushrooms you encounter with a visual key or filtered search. The lite version is free, but considering the possible consequences of eating an unknown mushroom, it might be worth springing for the $1.99 full version, which includes more listings.

12. " target="_blank">Chirp! USA Lite

Tune in to bird songs by training yourself with this free app. Select your region to see the birds that are commonly heard there. You can sort the birds by name, how commonly they are seen, or their song style and listen to each bird’s unique tweets. The app also provides a picture of each bird to make spotting nearby tweeters easier.

Once you’re learned the calls in your area, you can test your knowledge in a challenge that asks you to match each song with the appropriate bird.

More Mobile Resources from Mashable:

- 8 Free BlackBerry Games Worth Downloading
- Why Smartphone Adoption May Not Be as Big as You Think
- 10 iPhone Apps to Get You Back to School
- Top 5 Mobile Advertising Trends to Watch
- How Mobile is Affecting the Way We E-Mail

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Saturated

Reviews: iPhone, iStockphoto

More About: Army, Army Survival Guide, Audubon, Audubon Trees, backpacking, Butterflies, butterfly collection, camping, coleman lantern, elevation pro, hiking, iChirp, Lantern, Mushrooms, national parks, Outdoors, park maps, Scats and Tracks, trees, woods

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Craigslist’s “Adult Services” section — a digital red light district that has been the subject of many controversies — has been removed in all U.S. markets. The front page link to Adult Services has been replaced with a black bar that reads “censored,” an implication that the site’s hand was forced by legal authorities.

Adult Services has been a scapegoat for the prostitution problem in the media and in politics almost since its inception. A year ago it was called “Erotic Services,” but Craigslist rebranded it and implemented new policies to manage its contents to avoid legal repercussions.

That didn’t stop prostitutes and their Johns from connecting on the site. Thanks to all the media coverage, Craigslist is seen as a sort of mecca for people who are discretely looking for sex outside the mores of society.

There’s a tune of defiance to Craigslist’s decision to not just remove Adult Services but replace it with a black “censored” bar. Craigslist has responded to criticism on its blog in the past, claiming that an attorney manually screens all of its Adult Services ads. It says that 700,000 ads were manually rejected in just one year. However, you can still find prostitutes on Craigslist if you know how to look.

The narrative Craigslist would like people to hear is one of victimization by a political establishment that must have someone to blame for prostitution, but while that may be accurate, it would be naive to believe this “censored” stunt is solely a matter of principle. The Advanced Interactive Media (AIM) Group determined that Adult Services will have generated $36 million in revenue for Craigslist in 2010.

We’ve contacted Craigslist seeking the story behind the removal of Adult Services, and we’ll update this post if we hear back.

Reviews: Craigslist, aim, blog

More About: adult services, censored, censorship, classifieds, craigslist, erotic services, law enforcement, politics, prostitution, sex

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