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.

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Social Media

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• 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.

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Tech & Mobile

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• 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.

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Business

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• 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.

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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

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We’ve all done it — surfed on over to the book of faces, our hearts racing and pupils dilating with excitement, let our cursors linger over those oh-so-powerful words, “Remove From Friends,” and clicked away with the maniacal glee of a serial killer.

Still, there aren’t too many among us who have the skill, nay, the expertise to cut ties without cutting deep.

At this point, some of you may be reminiscing about the sepia-tinged past, those glory days when, if you didn’t want to chill with Lucy “I Eat Paste” Smith anymore, all you had to do was ghost out of her life, letting the last tendrils of your friendship dissolve into the ether like wisps of smoke.

Well, those days are as dead as Lucy’s creepy gray front teeth. Now, every time someone exits your life, you have to decide whether to keep them in your Facebook stream or cut the lifeline.

“Friends and acquaintances come and go as we move through life stages and find the need for keeping some friends and losing others,” says Dr. Larry Rosen, author of Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn. “If you had no way to unfriend someone, then this would lose the authenticity of having a relationship.”

You hear that? Unfriending is practically doctor-approved. Still, how do you know when and how to take the pal-eviscerating plunge? Read on for our tips on handling unfriending situations.

And so begins my Netiquette column — which I write with my Stuff Hipsters Hate co-blogger, Andrea Bartz — this week over at CNN.

Check out the column at CNN.com >>

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, A1Stock

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Reviews: Facebook, iStockphoto

More About: cnn, facebook, netiquette, social media, Stuff Hipsters Hate

Serving up search results based on what your friends clicked: It’s been a hot topic lately, and one that Facebook has seen fit to claim as its own.

The social networking goliath has just won a patent covering a certain type of search algorithm, one that is largely based on the interests and clicks of a user’s friends and friends-of-friends.

Specifically, the patent is for “ranking search results based on the frequency of clicks on the search results by members of a social network who are within a predetermined degree of separation.”

The patent continues, “Search results, including sponsored links and algorithmic search results, are generated in response to a query and are marked based on frequency of clicks on the search results by members of social network who are within a predetermined degree of separation from the member who submitted the query. The markers are visual tags and comprise either a text string or an image.”

The listed inventors are Chris Lunt, Nicholas Galbreath and Jeff Winner. The patent application was filed almost six years ago; we’re uncertain how much this technology plays into Facebook’s current business and search strategies. Still, the patent calls into question whether users click — or buy, or watch, or behave in other ways — like their friends and peers do.

What we do know is that Facebook search has been a priority for the company since its redesign earlier this year. At that time, the search bar on the site was given a prominent new position, and several under-the-hood upgrades rounded out the Facebook search experience.

We’ve also seen a lot of sidebar ads and recommendations lately centering around what a user’s friends like within the site. All in all, the patent seems to line up with Facebook’s general mission to explore (and profit from) the synapses and connections within a social network.

What do you think of this patent? Do you suppose we’ll see any major changes to Facebook search or any business moves based on it?

More About: facebook, patent, Search

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Columbia Pictures has just launched the official website for The Social Network, 500MillionFriends.com. David Fincher’s take on the Facebook story is highly anticipated by film fans and social media addicts alike.

The site opens into a large-form portal with photos, videos and cast information, all arranged in a very Facebook-like collage.

The new site carries on the same theme used in the teasers, trailers and TV spots for the film.

Words such as “Punk,” “Traitor” and “Genius” are displayed either as their own or overlayed over other photographs. The site also contains access to cast information, the official synopsis and cast publicity stills.

The Social Network will be in theaters October 1, 2010 and is already garnering rave reviews from Rolling Stone and Film Comment.

What do you think of the new site? will you be going to see the movie when it comes out? Let us know!

More About: facebook, facebook movie, Film, Movies, the social network

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Meaghan Edelstein has gained national media attention through her blog, I Kicked Cancer’s Ass, which she started to document her battle with end stage cancer. She is an attorney, the founder of the non-profit organization Spirit Jump, and works for the Real Time Marketing Group.

For some time now, companies have been utilizing online promotions as a means to increase brand excitement and build a strong following. While there are many different types of promotions, sweepstakes appear to be more and more popular. What many brands fail to realize, however, is that sweepstakes can be considered illegal gaming. Unless they consult an attorney experienced in that area of law, the ramifications of running this type of promotion can be complex.

So what exactly are sweepstakes? Sweepstakes are contests that have all three of the following elements: something of value is given away, it is awarded by chance, and entrants must provide consideration for their entry.

If any one of these elements is eliminated, the promotion is not a sweepstake. For example, “Free entry” and “No purchase necessary” have proven practical as a means to eliminate consideration. However, one can avoid the complications of sweepstakes altogether by running different types of promotions.

Here are some ways to engage consumers utilizing social networks in lieu of sweepstakes. Each way removes the second element — chance — which makes the promotion no longer a sweepstake because winners are chosen based on something other than random drawings.

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1. Polls, Brand Trivia and Sharing

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Polls, brand trivia and promotions that encourage sharing can be great alternatives to sweepstakes. These options can offer a variety of incentives for participating; anything from actual prizes to sheer bragging rights. Because awards are based on skill and not chance, these types of promotions are not considered sweepstakes. Contests such as these generally focus on engagement, fun and healthy competition.

The new A&E television show The Glades created a Facebook Page four weeks ago and has been running a sharing promotion, Top Fans, for the past three weeks. To date, they have over 45,000 “Likes.” This sharing promotion encourages fans of the show to invite their friends to also Like The Glades, and those with the most referrals win bragging rights and are featured on The Glades Facebook Page.

But, sharing promotions aren’t enough. The Glades posts unique content on its social media platforms, including never-before-seen footage, teasers and other interesting insider information. The idea is to provide content people will feel excited about sharing.

Vice President of Advertising and Consumer Marketing Lori Peterzell speaks to their recent sharing promotion: “The Glades Top Fan promotion has been a powerful tool to organically increase our Likes on Facebook. We have run successful sweepstakes contests, but wanted to offer something different. Human beings are naturally competitive and our Top Fan promotion offers fun and healthy competition. We have found sharing promotions create strong emotional connections — being proud of their relationship with The Glades and sharing that with their friends. Bragging rights that one is the ultimate fan have proven to be just as worthy as prizes.”

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2. Voting

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Contests that require people to vote for winners are not considered sweepstakes because winners are not chosen at random. Instead, the majority vote decides who is victorious. Voting has become increasingly popular and brands use this type of contest in various ways.

Over the past several months, many well-known companies have executed successful voting contests. Levi’s used voting to find the future face of its company. MTV asked fans to vote for who would be the first ever Twitter Jockey, and Pepsi and Kohl’s are using voting to decide what cause should receive financial awards. The buzz that has erupted around these campaigns is enormous. This might be in part because voting allows fans to be more connected and feel important and valued.

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3. Uploading Content Promotions

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This type of contest removes the element of chance. Asking people to submit great content, whether videos, essays or photos, and awarding prizes based on submissions is a win-win for the brand and participants. The brand gets amazing content and a view into what customers are thinking, while participants are able to connect on a deeper level with brands they love.

The Radio Flyer company has manufactured little red wagons since 1917. Many of us have fond memories of being pulled around in these wagons as kids. This emotional connection has led the brand to a promotion that encourages fans to upload photos and help create the “World’s Largest Wagon Mosaic.”

Rather than offer a grand prize to one random winner, the mosaic offers weekly and monthly incentives to encourage participation. Each week, one photo is selected to be featured on their homepage and the individual who submitted the winning photo receives a commemorative mini classic wagon. At the end of each month, all submissions are entered to win a full size Classic Red Wagon. Rather than choosing winners at random, they are selected by a panel of judges.

Melissa Akers, Marketing Manager for Radio Flyer says, “We have, for many years, seen how our friends and consumers have proudly uploaded images of themselves and their families interacting and enjoying Radio Flyer products via sites such as Flickr, Ofoto and Google Images. It was therefore our desire to thank these loyal supporters while also working with them to reach the next generation of Radio Flyer fans … The mosaic provides a place for all fans of the brand to upload their photos together and be a part of something bigger.”

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Conclusion

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There is no limit to the variety of concepts that can be used to create non-sweepstakes promotions. With social media, brand managers are only limited by the scope of their imagination. Regardless of the approach, the key is to take advantage of the strengths your brand has to offer. You don’t need the complications of sweepstakes to run a competitive promotion.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to serve as legal advice. The laws around sweepstakes and contests vary from state to state. We strongly encourage you consult a qualified attorney if you have any questions about running sweepstakes on the Internet.

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More Business Resources from Mashable:

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- HOW TO: Legally Structure Your Startup
- 10 Tips For Corporate Blogging
- 5 Lessons to Learn from Web Startups
- 5 Online Tools for Answering Your Small Business Questions
- 5 Tips for Managing Your Company’s Brand on the Web
- How Lawyers Are Using Social Media for Real Results

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, KLH49

More About: brands, business, Contests, engagement, MARKETING, polls, prizes, small business, social media, sweepstakes, voting

For more Business coverage:

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A new Digg, a new school year, and a new weekly roundup of essential resources. In case you were too busy buying pencils and calculators for yourself or a young ‘un, we’ve pulled together our top posts from the past week or so.

Check out our updates on Digg, or our infographic on the state of the Geosocial Universe in Social Media. Tech’s your thing? We’ve got your back to school apps, how to figure out those pesky QR codes, or how to “unsend” e-mails in Gmail. Finally, our business section brings you tips on creating logos, alternatives to Foursquare and a peak inside the Edelman offices.

Looking for even more social media resources? You can find this guide every weekend, where you can check out all of the lists-gone-by.

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Social Media

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• 7 Cool Chrome Extensions for Twitter
  These feature-rich Chrome extensions can make Twitter’s homepage as powerful as any desktop app.
• 20 Cool Twitter Accounts for Daily Fun and Inspiration [PICS]
  In addition to real-time news, Twitter is great for daily doses of inspiration, education, entertainment, and most of all, fun.
• The State of the GeoSocial Universe [INFOGRAPHIC]
  Wondering what the big picture looks like when it comes to location features and social networks? This should put it all into perspective.
• New Digg Is Live: What It Means For Digg and For You
  After more than a month of testing its new alpha version to invite-only users, Digg’s redesigned site is live for everyone.
• A Brief History of Digg
  Just a few months shy of its sixth birthday, social news site Digg has launched its highly anticipated overhaul/redesign. Here we take a look back at site’s developments over the years.
• Facebook Privacy: 6 Years of Controversy [INFOGRAPHIC]
  The release of Facebook Places raised serious privacy concerns for users of the social network. Check out this infographic that traces the history of Facebook’s privacy snafus.
• Mayor Wars: A Battle For Foursquare Supremacy [VIDEO]
  One of the more hotly contested mayorships in New York City is that of the Chipotle restaurant on St. Marks Place, where two Foursquare developers have been battling for the title.

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

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Tech & Mobile

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• HOW TO: Change the Google Logo to Your Favorite Google Doodle
  Wish you could have those whimsical Doodles on your Google homepage every day of the year? You can, with this clever Greasemonkey script for Firefox and Chrome users.
• 10 Classic PC Games That Found New Life on the iPhone
  Check out 10 of the greatest, most influential, straight-up classic computer games ever made, all available on – and completely remastered for Apple’s handset.
• HOW TO: Undo “Send” in Gmail
  Gmail now lets you “undo” a sent e-mail within 30 seconds after you send it. Here’s how to do it.
• HOW TO: Create and Deploy Your Own QR Codes
  For anyone new to QR codes, click through our gallery for a super basic, step-by-step guide on how to create and deploy your own scannable messages.
• The Unwritten Rules of Texting [VIDEO]
  We asked New Yorkers on the street what some of the unwritten rules of texting are and what their texting habits are like. Watch their opinions here.
• 10 iPhone Apps to Get You Back to School
  Did you know that 14-17 year-old girls in the U.S. send an average of 100 texts each day? Check out this infographic for more interesting SMS stats and facts.
• Stop Being Rude and Put Away Your Phone, the Digi-World Can Wait
  Constantly perusing your phone is freaking rude — a clear signal that your reception is more important than anything going on in the here and now.
• 6 New Mac Apps for Designers and Developers
  As the end of summer approaches, we wanted to highlight six more Mac apps that have been released in the last few month for developers or designers.
• Life After Google: 15 Startups Founded by Ex-Employees
  In the process of accumulating more than 10,000 employees worldwide, Google also accumulated a lot of former employees. Many “Xooglers” have gone on to create their own startups worthy of buzz.
• Why Smartphone Adoption May Not Be as Big as You Think
  With all the talk about apps and the mobile web, you’d expect smartphone adoption to be rising faster than it is. Check out these interesting worldwide smartphone usage trends.
• Net Neutrality: 7 Worst Case Scenarios
  If net neutrality is upheld or abandoned, what’s the worst that could happen? We spoke to experts on both sides of the issue to find out what’s at stake.
• How Non-Profits are Exploring Augmented Reality Tech
  Augmented reality shows real promise in the fields of education and the arts, but cost and complexity are often prohibitive for cash-strapped non-profits.

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

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Business

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• 10 Tips For Aspiring Community Managers
  Though there’s no silver bullet to being a successful community manager, we’ve gathered some tips from community builders on what it takes to land a job.
• Beyond Foursquare: 5 Location-Based Apps for Your Small Business
  Foursquare is blowing up with brands like Starbucks and Jimmy Choo, but smaller businesses can find a niche with smaller location-based services.
• 4 Things to Consider When Creating a Business Logo
  Whether you’re going to hire a pro or put those college art electives to good use, take a moment to heed some expert advice about what makes a biz logo “sticky.”
• Cubicle Spy: At Work with Steve Rubel of Edelman [PICS]
  Though he might be a self-declared minimalist, Rubel’s workspace contains an interesting variety of toys, gadgets and military paraphenalia.
• Top 5 Ways Big Brands are Using Foursquare
  Brand engagement on Foursquare is not about linking users back to your site, but creating a new location-based product that has value for fans and followers.
• 5 Lightweight CMS Alternatives for Small Businesses
  These five lightweight alternatives might not have as many options and features as a traditional CMS, but they are built with an emphasis on making web pages easy to create and update.
• HOW TO: Handle an Employee’s Controversial Online Behavior
  You can’t control everything your employees say on social networks, but it’s important to have a plan in place in case of controversy. Here are some specific tips.
• HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Your Business Facebook Page
  Want more people to “Like” your business Fan Page? Here are some practical tips to keep the Facebook conversation going, and hopefully drive sales.

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

[img credit: Flowtown]

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Reviews: Chrome, Digg, Facebook, Firefox, Foursquare, Gmail, Google, Mashable, Twitter, social media

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

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Facebook has made its grand entrance into the geolocation space with Facebook Places. Will users embrace it and ditch Foursquare?

That’s the question we posed in this week’s Web Faceoff, our ongoing series comparing technology apps or ideas. We asked you which location-based service you preferred: Facebook Places or Foursquare?

This week’s winner: Foursquare! The contest wasn’t even close; with 57.11% of the vote (1,611 votes), Foursquare remained the king of geolocation. Facebook Places was able to muster 18.86% of the popular vote. Of our voting readers, 7.73% (218 votes) said it was a tie between the two, while 16.31% of you (460 votes) said that you preferred another location-based service.

Many of you pointed out that Facebook Places and Foursquare are likely to be used by different types of people for different purposes. “Facebook is going for the people who want to connect every part of their Facebook experience to a location, while Foursquare is going for a games-based market,” said commenter Anuj Ahooja. Others pointed out that while they preferred Foursquare, Facebook’s userbase of 500 million (and counting) will make tough competition for any startup.

What do you think this week’s poll results? How will the competition between the two companies play out? Let us know in the comments.

More About: facebook, Facebook Places, foursquare, location, poll, web faceoff

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Y Combinator, an investment firm for early stage startups, will be upgrading its relationship status with Facebook today, as Facebook has just announced a partnership with the venture company.

The Facebook-Y Combinator partnership is designed to be mutually beneficial for both companies.

Y Combinator has a reputation for producing top notch startups that go on to attract high profile investors, including Justin.tv, Reddit, Scribd and Dropbox. Under the new partnership, Facebook will gain insider access to some of the brightest ideas in the web/tech space, an advantage that will help it build better social products and cherry pick the best startups before competitors like Google have a chance.

On the flip side, Facebook will provide Y Combinator startups with a bevy of resources including priority access to Facebook Credits and other beta features, product and design support, and technical assistance for those interested in building social products or Facebook applications.

Y Combinator will use its winter 2011 class to seek out social startups looking to benefit from the Facebook partnership.

“In the near future, we think it will be hard to imagine a web experience that is not personalized. Startups that can build in these interactions from the beginning — not simply add them to existing products — will be the examples of transformative social experiences others will follow,” said Facebook Platform lead Carl Sjogreen.

The strategic initiative is an interesting maneuver by Facebook and one that’s designed to help the behemoth social network stay ahead of the curve when it comes to social technologies.

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Reviews: Dropbox, Facebook, Google, Justin.tv, reddit.com

More About: facebook, partnership, startup incubators, y combinator

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Have you seen a message on Facebook or Twitter offering a free iPad? If you have, it’s likely some of your friends there has fallen victim to the latest scam, which spreads through hacked accounts.

Twitter’s security-related account @safety recently posted the following message: “If you’ve received a message promising you a new ipad, not only is there no ipad, but also your friends have been hacked.” Twitter also said it will be “sending out password resets to hacked individuals.”

The scam is also present on Facebook, but it has affected a relatively small number of users.

The message “offering” the free iPad is similar to this one: “u have to check out this website its glitchin right now and sending out ipads to everyone for free!”

The messages usually contains a link, sending you to a web site which tries to extract personal information from unsuspecting users. If messages similar to the one above have been sent from your account, you should change the password immediately. Furthermore, you should not follow the link in such messages, and you should not give away your personal information if you’re not absolutely sure why and who you’re giving it to.

More About: facebook, ipad, scam, twitter

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