Monthly Archives: October 2009

AOL announced the launch of JSYK.com (Just So You Know), http://www.jsyk.com, a new tween and teen pop culture blog featuring celebrity news, photos, videos, polls, quizzes and more. The target audience of JSYK.com is 9-15 year-olds. JSYK.com is launching in conjunction with its sponsorship of The First National Tween Girl Summit 2009 being held in Washington, D.C. on October 10.

“JSYK.com allows us to serve a need within the online tween and teen market that is currently not being filled,” said Stephanie Cohen, Editorial Director, JSYK.com. “We realize the importance of the tween and teen market and want to provide the quality content AOL is known for to our younger audience. We are also delighted to sponsor The First National Tween Girl Summit, a daylong summit examining the minds, motivation and lives of tween girls.”

JSYK.com will provide the following features:

Celebs – Find out what your favorite celebrities are doing on a day-to-day basis and check out our celeb photo galleries and exclusive interviews;
Entertainment – Get the latest buzz about movies, TV, music and books;
Style – Learn how to get celeb looks on a teen’s budget and read about fashion industry news;
Tech – Watch the latest game trailers and read reviews of the hottest tech gadgets on the market;
Get Real – Read up on real issues affecting tweens and teens including politics and current events, environmental issues, online safety, school topics and tweens/teens doing good things in their communities;
Video – Watch movie trailers, music videos, celeb interviews and more.
JSYK.com adds to the growing youth offerings provided by AOL, including KOL, http://www.kol.com and KOL Jr., http://www.koljr.com.

AOL has long been a leader in creating safe and appropriate experiences for families on the Web. In addition to sites targeted at youths, AOL also has PlaySavvy.com, http://www.playsavvy.com, which helps parents of children ages 5-17 decipher the world of games, for both PC and console, while also helping them make informed decisions about buying games for their children. AOL also launched SafetyClicks.com, http://www.safetyclicks.com, an online safety education website. It also introduced an improved version of its free, downloadable parental controls software, http://parentalcontrols.aol.com, designed to give parents the tools they need to help protect their children from inappropriate or dangerous online material.

Trilibis Mobile, an innovative developer of mobile search and social networking applications, today announced Orbit™, the first cross-platform, cross-network, cross-device mobile social phonebook that cleverly organizes all of your communication channels: voice, text, e-mail and social networking.
The application has two unique differentiators that provide users with an enhanced experience. The Inner Orbit feature lets users choose which contacts to follow closely and helps users create additional orbits for each social circle. With its Social Volume control, Orbit empowers users to manage the level of communication received by allowing them to decide how often and how much information they receive from their orbits.
“In today’s hyper-connected world, we utilize several different channels and methods to access e-mail, call colleagues, text our friends, update Facebook and more. The massive amount of information in many different places creates an enormous challenge for users,” said Alex Panelli, CEO of Trilibis Mobile. “We created Orbit — the next evolution of the phonebook — to make it easy to gather, organize and communicate with your contacts and social circles. Orbit delivers a significant improvement of the essential phone book functions plus more: connect via multiple mediums with one touch, receive consolidated social network feeds and manage the flow of social information with the Social Volume control.”
Easy to Set Up, Easy to Use
Orbit was designed with a simple and fast one-step setup process. With the click of a button Orbit synchronizes with the device’s existing phonebook. The Inner Orbit feature enables users to choose and follow a select group of contacts more closely. They also have the option of creating additional orbits to follow more contacts via Facebook and Twitter as well.
Orbit offers over-the-air updates for a seamless integration of content in real time and users can be assured that the native address book will always remain on their device — so there is never any threat of losing existing contact information stored on the phone.
Summary of Key Features
— Improved Core Controls — Use your Orbit phonebook just like your
existing phonebook: make calls, send text messages and e-mails. Orbit
includes an enhanced A-to-Z scrolling feature to greatly improve the
navigation of contacts on touch screen devices.
— Orbits — Create an “Inner Orbit” for your closest friends. Add
additional Orbits such as college friends, colleagues or family members,
making it easy and convenient to keep track of everyone’s updates.
— Social Volume — With Orbit’s unique “Social Volume” control, you can
control the level of communication from your groups of contacts whether by
time of day, day of week, type of feed, birthdays, etc.
— Connected Phonebook — Rest assured! Orbit’s contact information is
always updating so you will always be “in the know.” Orbit organizes and
consolidates your contacts and auto-generates a favorites list based on the
people you communicate with the most.

Pricing and Availability
Orbit will be free of charge and will soon be available for iPhone and BlackBerry devices in Q4 2009. A version for the Android platform will be available in early 2010 and for other platforms (including feature phones) thereafter.
About Trilibis Mobile
Trilibis Mobile was founded in 2002 with the goal of enhancing social interaction using mobile devices. In 2003 Trilibis launched the first mobile social networking experience in the U.S. across several networks, including Verizon Wireless and Alltel. Soon after, Trilibis created SmartPath® Mobile Publishing Solution, which greatly simplified the process of extending the application across a broad number of technologies, networks and devices. Trilibis then brought its social networking services to additional carriers and continues to work directly with carriers on marketing and sponsorship programs like NASCAR, NFL and American Idol. Trilibis’ content partners include several well-known consumer web brands including Citysearch, Evite, Match, Ask and Yelp. For more information about Trilibis, please visit http://www.trilibis.com.
Using its in-depth knowledge of mobile consumers and their social networking and mobile search needs, Trilibis has created Orbit, the first social phonebook that puts the user in control so they get the insider knowledge on their people whenever, wherever and however they want it. To get the latest updates about Orbit, please visit http://www.launchorbit.com.

Quepasa Corporation (Pink Sheets: QPSA), one of the world’s fastest-growing Latino social networks, today announced two new initiatives with famed Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Rey. Dr. Rey, who was born in Brazil, is an accomplished surgeon, medical consultant and author, best known as the star of the hit reality series “Dr. 90210” on the E! Network.
Under an existing partnership, whereby Dr. Rey maintains his online health and beauty community comprising over 40,000 members on Quepasa.com, both parties are now extending the online community’s functionality and reach via two new initiatives:
1. Dr. Rey´s micro blog, allowing Dr. Rey to share his day-to-day experiences with all of the members of his Quepasa community; and
2. Dr. Rey´s health and beauty tips via SMS; Dr. Rey, in partnership with Quepasa, will offer mobile subscribers throughout Latin America the opportunity to subscribe to daily health and beauty tips via text. The relationship will be a revenue share arrangement with Dr. Rey where we leverage his current Quepasa community membership to kick off the service.
Both initiatives are due to be implemented during the fourth quarter of 2009.
“Over the past year, we have established an extraordinary partnership and friendship with Quepasa, through which I have been able to interact with a huge audience,” said Dr. Rey. “I am looking forward to a long term relationship with the most entertaining social network for Latinos.”
“Dr. Rey has been a critical element of our premium entertainment strategy, particularly in Brazil, where we are jointly developing additional online and offline ventures,” said John C. Abbott, Quepasa’s CEO.
About Quepasa Corporation
Quepasa Corporation (Pink Sheets: QPSA), headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL with offices in Los Angeles, CA; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Scottsdale, AZ; Miami, FL; and Hermosillo, MX, owns Quepasa.com (www.Quepasa.com), one of the world’s largest, trilingual, Latino social networks. Quepasa.com is an authentic Latino community that provides fun, interactive, and easy to use social tools, and rich multimedia content in English, Spanish and Portuguese to embrace Latinos everywhere, and empower them to connect online, compete in contests and games and share their interests, ideas, and activities.
About Dr. Robert Rey
Best known as the star of the E! Network hit series, “Dr. 90210,” Dr. Robert Rey is also an accomplished martial artist with a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a husband, and the proud father of two children. Dr. Rey has attended some of the top American educational institutions, from U.C.L.A. School of Medicine, to Tufts University School of Medicine, to Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital where he completed a plastic surgery fellowship. While Dr. Rey enjoys performing cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, he views plastic surgery as the last choice to consider. To that end, he worked with acclaimed designer Bruno Schiavi to create Dr. Rey’s Shapewear, which help provide body shaping without surgery and with the company Boom, he has developed Dr. Rey’s Sensual Solutions skin care line. Dr. Rey is also involved in charitable work in the United States and around the world, using his medical training to bring much-needed help to those in need.

AntiVirus Market, a leading reseller of antivirus and IT security software products, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to offer Armorlogic’s Profense web application firewall, the first web application firewall to support JSON based web services. The use of JSON has exploded as developers of social networking sites and web 2.0 applications select JSON for its low overhead.

Social networking sites were the most attacked web sites in the first half of 2009 with hackers
exploiting Web 2.0 features such as user generated content including Twitter posts to launch
their attacks, according to the Web Hacking Incidents Database (WHID) 2009 Bi-Annual
Report. The stakes have never been higher with sites like Facebook trying to introduce new
business models. Facebook surpassed 300 million users this year.

“With the movement of online social networking towards sustainable business models, they
are now being targeted by hackers” said Jakob Gercke, CEO and co-founder of Armorlogic.
“We introduced XML support last year and have added JSON this year to ensure web
application and web site protection is available for everyone.”

Doug Clements, Director for AntiVirus Market stated: “We are pleased to be able to offer Profense to our customers. Protecting and securing websites and web applications can be a complicated business. Profense web application firewall simplifies protection with an affordable and easy to use, feature rich solution that gives full PCI DSS 1.1 and 1.2 section 6.6 compliance. Now with the added JSON support, we feel Profense fills a larger gap than most application level firewalls.”

Armorlogic’s Profense web application firewall is used by thousands of businesses and agencies around the world to secure their websites, web applications and web services from hackers. By being the first web application firewall to support JSON based web applications and services, it confirms its status as a web application firewall of choice for social networking sites and web 2.0 applications.

About Armorlogic
Armorlogic is the developer of Profense web application firewall software solutions that provide cost effective and easily implemented proactive web security and protection for web sites and web applications. Profense provides complete OWASP Top Ten vulnerability protection and fully complies with and satisfies the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirements.

About AntiVirus Market
AntiVirus Market is one of the UK’s largest internet IT security software stores and is the one stop online shop for antivirus software products. AntiVirus Market stock’s products from the leading manufacturers including Symantec, McAfee, Kaspersky, F-Secure, ESET, BitDefender, Avast, AVG, GData, Sophos, Message Labs, Websense, PGP and many more. AntiVirus Market has offices in Godalming and Guildford in Surrey, UK and offers a vast selection of IT security products, for both businesses and consumers through its advanced e-commerce website. For further information please visit http://www.antivirusmarket.co.uk

Put Social Media To Work For Your Organization” is the topic of IABC Detroit’s breakfast meeting from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, on the University of Michigan’s Dearborn campus.
Scott Monty, global digital and multimedia communications manager at Ford Motor Company, will talk about social media as part of communications campaigns. His personal blog, scottmonty.com, shares Monty’s “perspectives on social media — the convergence of marketing, advertising and PR on the Web — for marketers, agencies, the enterprise and the individual.”
Admission is $10 for IABC members or $15 for nonmembers. Register via Pay Pal at iabcdetroit.com. A PayPal account is not needed. The event takes place in UM-Dearborn’s Fairlane Center North Building at 19000 Hubbard Dr.
IABC Detroit is one of the largest chapters within the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). IABC is a global network of more than 15,000 communications professionals and the only multidisciplinary professional association dedicated to both internal and external communications. For more information about IABC Detroit, visit iabcdetroit.com, e-mail [email protected] or phone 248-546-5490.

Ariba, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARBA), the leading spend management solutions provider, is gearing up to make a difference. The company today announced its participation in theDonorsChoose.org Social Media Challenge, a unique charity event in which the Blogosphere’s elite will compete to solicit donations from their online communities to support critical educational projects across the nation’s schools.

“The DonorsChoose.org Social Media Challenge is a fun way to involve online communities in bringing classroom wishes to life,” said Jonathan Evans, Vendor Relations Director, DonorsChoose.org. “It’s a friendly but fierce competition to find out which bloggers have the most engaged and generous readership to drive support for school projects that benefit students from low-income neighborhoods around the country.”

Ariba has long recognized the value of building online communities. In 1999, the company launched the Ariba Network to help buyers and suppliers around the world connect and do business more efficiently. In 2003, it began tapping social media outlets to fuel even greater collaboration among people and organizations, starting a blog,SupplyExcellence.com, creatingLinkedIn Groupsand establishing a presence onFacebook,TwitterandYouTube.

“The Internet has completely revolutionized the way that people and businesses connect and communicate,” said Justin Fogarty, manager, online communities, Ariba. “At Ariba, we’ve built a strong network of online communities through which professionals from around the world freely share insights, information and best practices to advance their own objectives and those of their peers. We’re now challenging these communities to
target=”_blank”>extend their supportto one of our nation’s most critical objectives – the education of our children – and a worthy charitable organization – DonorsChoose.org.”

An online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need, DonorsChoose.org enables public school teachers from every corner of America to post classroom project requests, from pencils for a poetry writing class to violins for a school recital. Donors can search requests and give any amount to projects that speak to them. Once a project reaches its funding goal, DonorsChoose.org delivers the materials to the school, and donors hear back from the classroom in the form of thank-you notes and photos.

Throughout the month of October, members of Ariba’s various communities can donate to classroom projects at DonorsChoose.org by visiting the
target=”_blank”>Ariba DonorsChoose.org Social Media Challenge site, where participants can also ask Ariba to feature specific projects or areas of interest.

Last year, more than 165 of the country’s most prominent bloggers, including Craigslist.org founder Craig Newmark, venture capitalist Fred Wilson, and Wall Street Journal reporter Kara Swisher rallied in support of DonorsChoose.org and raised over $275,000. “We’ve got some heady competition, but we’re more than up to the challenge,” Fogarty said. “With more than 25,000 unique visitors to our communities each month, we’re confident we can make a difference for DonorsChoose.org and the schools and children that they support.”

About DonorsChoose.org

DonorsChoose.orgis an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests, from pencils for a poetry writing class to violins for a school recital. Then, you can search requests and give any amount to the project that speaks to you. Once a project reaches its funding goal, we deliver the materials to the school, and you hear back from the classroom in the form of thank-you notes and photos. Learn more abouthow it works.

About Ariba, Inc.

Ariba, Inc. is the leading provider of on-demand spend management solutions. Our mission is to transform the way companies of all sizes, across all industries, and geographies operate by delivering technology, service, and network solutions that enable them to holistically source, contract, procure, pay, manage, and analyze their spend and supplier relationships. Delivered on demand, our enterprise-class offerings empower companies to achieve greater control of their spend and drive continuous improvements in financial and supply chain performance. More than 1,000 companies, including more than half of the companies on the Fortune 100, use Ariba solutions to manage their spend from sourcing and orders through invoicing and payment. For more information, visitwww.ariba.com

The Washington Post and Bloomberg will launch a global news service, The Washington Post News Service with Bloomberg News, which will offer a selection of content from The Post and BLOOMBERG NEWS® stories to newspapers, Web sites and other subscribers daily.
The Post, the leading source of news about Washington, and Bloomberg, the world’s most influential financial news organization, will also produce a co-branded Web-based business news page on washingtonpost.com, incorporating content from the Post and from the BLOOMBERG.COM® Web site.

In addition, the Post’s entire news content, including breaking-news alerts, will be available in real time as part of the BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL® service, which is the world’s leading source of data, news and analytics with more than 300,000 users.

“Professionals worldwide rely on Bloomberg News for accurate and timely perspective, while Washington’s decision-makers depend on The Post’s thorough reporting on politics and policy. As politics and economics converge on a global scale, this association will create the go-to source for news and analysis of today’s critical issues,” said Matthew Winkler, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Bloomberg News.

“This is a formidable collaboration,” said Marcus Brauchli, executive editor of The Washington Post. “It brings together The Post’s vast expertise on politics and policy news in Washington with Bloomberg’s highly regarded global financial, economic and political news franchise. It also brings together The Post’s prize-winning feature writers and columnists with Bloomberg’s team of top-notch journalistic talent.”

“Bloomberg’s incredible geographic reach and wide range of coverage topics, from business to entertainment to culture and the arts, provides a perfect complement to The Post’s content for subscribers seeking a smart, high-end, comprehensive news service,” Brauchli said.

The Washington Post News Service with Bloomberg News will be available starting January 1, 2010 to news organizations around the world. With 120 stories available daily, the service will offer an expansive selection of news across topics to subscribers along with photos, graphics and other story elements.

About The Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com)

The Washington Post provides award-winning news and understanding about the politics, policies, personalities and institutions that make Washington, D.C. the world’s seat of power, and is a critical tool and information source for those who call Washington, D.C. home. In digital form, The Washington Post combines its world-class journalism with the latest technology and tools, and encourages participation and customization across all platforms so readers can engage with The Washington Post anytime, anywhere. The Washington Post is owned by The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO), a diversified education and media company.

About Bloomberg

Bloomberg is the source of critical information and tools with which to analyze, customize and use it. The BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL® service and Bloomberg’s media services deliver data, news and analytics that create transparency and allow users to transform knowledge into success.

Bloomberg Media Services

Bloomberg’s media services cover the world with more than 2,200 news and multimedia professionals at 145 bureaus in 68 countries. Five hundred media organizations subscribe to BLOOMBERG NEWS® content, which is integrated onto the BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL service. The BLOOMBERG TELEVISION® 24-hour network reaches more than 200 million homes around the world. BLOOMBERG RADIO® services broadcast via XM, Sirius and WorldSpace satellite radio globally and on WBBR 1130AM in New York. The award-winning monthly BLOOMBERG MARKETS® magazine, the BLOOMBERG.COM® financial news and information Web site and BLOOMBERG PRESS® books provide news and insight to investors. For more information, please visit http://www.bloomberg.com.

The BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL service and data products are owned and distributed by Bloomberg Finance L.P. (BFLP) except that Bloomberg L.P. and its subsidiaries (BLP) distribute these products in Argentina, Bermuda, China, India, Japan and Korea. BFLP owns and distributes Bloomberg Markets Magazine. BLP provides BFLP with global marketing and operational support and services. Bloomberg Tradebook is distributed by Bloomberg Tradebook LLC and its subsidiaries. BLP owns and distributes Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg Radio, the Bloomberg Website and Bloomberg Press.

Organizers of the 2009 BlogWorld & New Media Expo, which will gather the leading voices of social media in Las Vegas from October 15 to 17, announced today a panel to explore the need for standards and ethics in social media, particularly in the area of public journalism and political opinion. The panel, devoted to The Future of Journalism, will feature CNN anchor Don Lemon; award-winning critic, NYU journalism professor and PressThink blog author Jay Rosen; conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt; and Current TV COO Joanna Drake Earl.
As online content, developed and published by self-described citizen journalists, has grown exponentially over the past year, it has also established itself as the originator of misinformation, distortions and accusations often picked up and given a wider audience by a mainstream media scrambling to feed a 24-hour news cycle, as well as bitterly divided partisan politicians looking to gain political traction.

“From the Obama birth certificate controversy, to rumors of FEMA concentration camps, to the death panel claims made by Sarah Palin on her Facebook account, to accusations of 9/11 cover-ups—all were spread online and then widely disseminated by mainstream media, often as substitute for serious discussion of issues such as health care reform and foreign policy that could undercut the profit motives of corporate owners and sponsors,” said Brian Solis new media analyst and architect and author of Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and the PR 2.0 blog.

“At times encouraged and supported by well-funded think tanks and then broadcast globally by television news stations or e-mailed to extensive subscriber lists, online content is disseminated faster than regulations can be legislated, and even faster than any specific corrections or examinations can be offered,” he continued.

Despite many examples of devoted and highly disciplined citizen reporters, can online content even be called journalism if it continues to lack basic standards? And given the increasing revelations of controversial and high profile inaccuracies of a press imbedded with political and corporate interests, does online content even want to be called journalism? As comedy shows become more trusted than mainstream news outlets, and newspapers suffer cutbacks and closings all over the country, what role does online content now play—and what ethical responsibilities should it abide by?

While Twitter, blogs and other platforms for self-publishing are rivaling traditional media, what is the role of journalism in the era of the real-time, “now” Web? As social media lowers the barriers to entry, empowering individuals to emerge as pundits and experts, is it also lowering the standards of investigation, fact checking and due-diligence? These far-reaching and difficult questions will be paramount at the 2009 BlogWorld & New Media Expo’s Future of News panel. Brian Solis will lead a discussion with leading authorities on the subject including Jay Rosen of NYU’s journalism department, Don Lemon of CNN, Salem Radio Network host and social conservative Hugh Hewitt, and Current TV COO Joanna Drake Earl.

“BlogWorld & New Media Expo has no interest in shying away from tough questions or heated debate,” said Rick Calvert, CEO and co-founder. “We are in uncharted territory in terms of democratized content creation and its influence, and there is no better place to have this conversation about the need for standards, accountability and ethics.”

Now in its third year, the BlogWorld & New Media Expo is dedicated to promoting and supporting the dynamic industry of blogging and new media as a mainstream news source, the most powerful and effective means of online communication and as a highly targeted and traceable advertising medium. BlogWorld attendees are aggressive technology consumers and mobile professionals, as well as the world’s most influential online content creators, citizen journalists, technology consumers, marketers and online community leaders.

In 2008, BlogWorld attendees had a combined monthly audience of more than 100 million readers, viewers and listeners. For the 2009 Expo, BlogWorld anticipates more than 3,000 attendees with a reach in excess of 200 million.

BlogWorld & New Media Expo conference sponsors include Ford, Ebay, PayPal, Johnson & Johnson, Collective Bias, Rockfish Interactive, Procopio, ShareASale, Calacles Consulting and Blame Society Productions. The Light Group is title sponsor of evening parties, with Anheuser-Busch as beverage sponsor. Media partners include Alltop, Mashable, Technorati, Fast Company, MacObserver and iPodObserver, Webgrrls, WomensRadio and more. Sched.org is social media scheduling sponsor. Yubby is the official video aggregator.

Additional information on BlogWorld & New Media Expo, including speaker topics, session descriptions and registration details, is available at www.blogworldexpo.com.”

About BlogWorld & New Media Expo

BlogWorld & New Media Expo is the first and only industry-wide tradeshow, conference, and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of new media, including: blogging, podcasting, social media, online video, music, TV, radio, gaming, entertainment and communities. In addition to the only industry-wide new media exhibition, BlogWorld & New Media Expo features the largest new media conference in the world, including more than 50 seminars, panel discussions and keynotes from iconic personalities on the leading-edge of online technology and internet-savvy business. The 2009 BlogWorld & New Media Expo is designed to give participants the crucial strategies, tools and technologies they need to leverage social media for publishing, broadcasting and growing brands and businesses through online presence and community engagement. More information can be found at www.blogworldexpo.com.