With Thanksgiving barely two days away, stores across the country are prepping for the big day. They aren’t thawing the turkey or planning the arrival of their relatives, but are instead stocking their shelves for the early morning blitz the morning after. Black Friday will soon be upon us, and with it the droves of obsessive shoppers.

Admittedly, I have a love/hate relationship with Black Friday. While my gag reflex kicks in at the very thought of waking up at 2:30 am to fight off frenzied, coffee-wired soccer moms for the last $5 sweater, one of my favorite pastimes with my mom has been to get up aroung 8 or 9 on Friday, leisurely get ready and drive to the mall, and park ourselves on a bench with a coffee in hand to watch crazed women (and men!) claw at eachother for those early-bird bargains.

But in the last few years, it seems as though stores are stretching this kick-off of the Christmas shopping season to begin earlier and earlier. I just saw a commercial saying that Target will open at 3 am on Friday, and Kohl’s will follow closely at 4. Best Buy plans to hold off the mobs until 5, but will be handing out first-come, first-served tickets at 3 for highly coveted holiday gifts like game consoles and Rock Band.

When I heard on the radio that Jordan Creek will be opening at midnight for shoppers, I thought Ok, that’s a little excessive. Is such an early time really that beneficial? Apparently so. After reading Best Buy’s opening sales, I realized that the tech store has, in fact, already begun the Black Friday sales. They have had electronrics, game systems and other merchandise on “Black Friday week” sales since Monday. Black Friday has become a week-long binge of scoring deals for your Christmas list. Don’t hold up Thanksgiving dinner for me, I’ll be at Best Buy picking up a new plasma screen in time for kick-off of the Giants/Broncos game at 8:20.

This phenomenon has got me wondering — where will consumers draw the line in their holiday shopping spree? Can we just start the savings the day after Halloween? That’s when all the stores seem to ditch the black and orange in favor of red and green anyway; why not add a 20% discount to some useless gift stuff while they’re at it? America is so focused on the commercialism of the Christmas season that they are going to drastic measures to find a good deal.

There’s even an app for that. No joke. CNN posted an article today saying that mall map apps on saying that mall map apps on iPhone are gaining popularity as the dreaded date of the 28th approaches. So you can buy that iPhone on “Black Friday” sale on Wednesday, download the mall map app on Thursday, and on Friday be all set to throw fisticuffs for that $20 pair of boots at Dillards. Happy holidays!

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With Facebook, Twitter, and other social media growing, changing, and expanding, other sites like LinkedIn have lurked at the edge of our radar.

Until now.

According to mashable.com, LinkedIn is adopting a social media platform, which opens up outside applications’ access to LinkedIn’s data. Yes, connections like these have hatched Farmville and Mafia Wars in Facebook, but LinkedIn’s generally professional feel will likely lend itself to different apps.

TweetDeck will also be launching LinkedIn integration. Finally, LinkedIn will gain a competitive edge with other social media and give journalists and other professionals yet another platform on which to network.
Like anything, people will have to learn how the new LinkedIn updates work and get used to them, hopefully adapting and thriving with the new technology.

It may be delayed, but this upgrade to a not-so-popular website will spell change in the virtual world.

Do you think that these LinkedIn changes will give people even more to do when they surf the Net? How do you think this integration will effect Facebook and Twitter? Do you think these upgrades will push LinkedIn to the forefront, or just give people one more thing to ignore?

Gifts and Free Advice image

Whether you’re a web guru or not, it may be time to brand yourself online— and outside the realm of social media. Scooping up a domain name and creating a portfolio website is highly encouraged for students like ourselves, so what does it take to get started?

1. Brainstorm a website name, and keep it short, sweet and memorable. A good domain name will let people know what to expect from the site. More often than not, it’s best to use your own name or your brand name for a portfolio site. However, if you have a popular name or a really complicated name spelling, you might want to think twice about using it.
2. Don’t fear the “com”; in fact, you should befriend it. A .com website will be more successful because most people think in .com terms. A .net or .me domain can also be used, but avoid .org unless it’s actually an organizational site.
3. The more, the merrier. Take advantage of an opportunity to buy multiple domain names. This will help with traffic stealing if another person has a domain name similar to yours, and can account for misspellings on the user’s part.
4. Scope out what’s available. GoDaddy’s bulk upload feature allows you to see what domain names are up for grabs. It’s quick and easy. The nameboy search is also a good time saver.
5. Decide where you want to purchase your domain name. There are tons of registrars online, and prices vary.
6. Choose a host. The Site Wizard has a good list of what to look for while selecting one.

Purchasing a domain name doesn’t mean you have to launch a website overnight, but it lets you have some control over what comes up when you Google yourself. It’s a way of self-branding, displaying best works and putting your information out there for potential employers.

Have you purchased a domain name? Which registrar did you go through? Do you have an online portfolio?

I’m not kidding.

This past Friday in Garden City, N. J., a record executive from Def Jam records was arrested for “not tweeting” to the fans of tween pop star Justin Bieber (yeah, I don’t know who this is either) at a mall in the city.  The vice president of Def Jam Records, Bieber’s record label, is charged with endangering the welfare of children and obstructing governmental administration, according to the AP.

Bieber didn’t even show up at the mall, being stopped by police.  Bieber  instead tweeted to his fans, saying:

Picture courtesy of G4TV

We know people have gotten into trouble for saying things on Twitter, and that us journalists need to watch what we say.  But can not tweeting be just as dangerous as tweeting?  Is this case a bit extreme for the situation?

Whether we’re reading about the same-sex marriage laws being passed in Iowa from @DMRegister or snickering at the fact that President Obama called Kanye West a “jackass,” from some ABC News employees. Twitter is keeping us on our toes–but we’re not the only ones.

As journalists are lining up in the technology race–wanting to be the quickest and most media-savvy–the law is trying to keep up as well. So @sockington the cat and @levarburton, as well as @shitmydadsays–and even you, should think twice before you Twitter. That’s right–friends don’t let friends Twitter drunk–or when they’re angry.

This advice would have been nice for rocker-girl Courtney Love to know, as fashion designer Dawn Simorangkir is now suing her for libel after she (Love) tweeted several derogatory comments about the designer. Apparently the dispute was sparked over how much Love should pay Simorangkir for her designs. Although Love’s Twitter page is now in retirement, one can understand Simorangkir being upset, especially to tweets saying she had a “history of dealing cocaine.” Love sure went for the win on that one–people, think twice before you tweet–especially if you’re a journalist.

But what if you’re just angry with your landlord and want to just vent to all of your followers? Well, think again, as this is exactly what Amanda Bonnen, a woman from Illinois decided to do when she logged on to tweet: “Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon Realty thinks it’s okay.” The result? The company is now seeking $50,000 in damages–that is one pricey tweet. Read more about these cases and the future of Internet and the law at CNN.

Just like the laws against music-sharing and illegal downloading didn’t really hit the scene until well after everyone knew about Napster, the law is racing to keep up with Twitter. What do you think about this? Have you ever been called out on a tweet?

And in other news, one of the co-creators of Twitter, Dom Sagolla, created a style guide on how to make the most out of your social media messages.

Recently, AdAge has evaluated magazines in search of the the overall best magazines. But what makes up an “A-list” magazine? Great editorial? Think again. There are many more balls in the air to juggle than you might have thought. With magazines on the brink of possible nonexistence (so excited to be a magazines major…) it is important to understand that everything from the way readers perceive magazines to the reason they pick them up is changing.

AdAge has recently reevaluated what goes into a great magazine. It turns out that it’s all about branding. They looked for magazines that were making smart licensing moves, becoming retailers in their own right, creating revenue-generating digital content, building smart cross-media content and ad platforms, or finding a way to engage and monetize their communities (take a breath…).

The good news is that it looks like our local BHG brand made No. 2, so Meredith must be doing something right! AdAge credits the success of BHG to the expansion of their brand outside of the print magazine (Walmart products, etc). What do you think is the most important part of a magazine, taking into account their uncertain future? What will keep magazines alive?

Twitter has finished an optional feature called geotagging, that allows you to show others your exact location when you tweet. You can add a link to the end of your tweet that will show a map with a pinpoint on your location. I’m not sure why you would want to use this function – sounds like a good tool for a stalker, at least on an individual basis. For bands and organizations holding events, it could be a good way to show people exactly where you are, when you want them to join you.

This new geotagging function has a more practical function too – it let’s you find what’s happening in your area. You can search for tweets in your city, and even your neighborhood. So if you want to know what people are doing in the East Village on Friday night, you can find all the tweets from people that live in the East Village.

This feature is optional, and you have to go into your settings to change it:

According to Mashable.com, Twitter changed their privacy policy to incorporate this new feature. Do you think this is a feature you will start using? Or do you think it’s sharing too much information?

Businesses and marketing teams are on a constant mission to make you do a double-take. They want to get your attention just for a second in hopes to get their sales up and their name out. Using out-there methods like these advertisements can be costly, but if done well look how successful they are. The link below shows 35 creative marketing campaigns.

http://www.businesspundit.com/35-brilliant-billboards-signs-and-outdoor-ads/

Look through the article and reply with the one you like the most. Why did it get your attention? How does it change your perception of the business or product it represents? How can we apply the same creativity to get our messages across in writing?

Today Poynter Online posted an article about the 100 things journalists should never do. They are publishing these on twitter and asking journalists to retweet them. I think this is an excellent example of what it means to start a conversation on twitter. This is something I greatly struggle with, so I am glad I found this post for some inspiration! 

The Times-Delphic staff made some tough decisions this week while reporting on the recent events involving their own peers. Reporting on such events is particularly difficult when the news involves not only fellow Drake students, but friends. As journalists we have to make difficult judgement calls on a daily basis. A general code of ethics designed by the publication and personal morality are often the only guidelines we have to go by. 

I think these retweets of the “100 Things  Journalists Should Never Do” are pertinent to every journalist who is faced with a difficult judgement call. 

• Give voice to those who cannot make themselves heard. (@paulbradshaw)
• Afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. (@lkorleski)
• Actually follow rule of “If your mother says she loves you, get a second source.” (@ddt tweets a variation on “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”)
• Don’t be a slave to any rule, including these 100. (Michael Booth)

Mobile ad firm AdMob recently released a study that illustrated the massive growth in web-capable smart phone ownership over the past year. A year ago, the Motorola Razr was the top phone in the U.S., and the iPhone was the only unit in the top ten with touchscreen capabilities. Only a year later, half the phones on the list have touchscreens, six have wi-fi capabilities, and six have app stores.

As mobile web browsers increase in popularity, the magazine and newspaper industries have no choice but to play catch-up. Many magazines now have a digital editions that you can flip through on your phone, and prominently feature downloadable apps as well, like this Better Homes and Gardens app for the Blackberry. E-readers like Kindle are also increasing as popularity. Smart phones have already become part of the fabric of journalism.

Print journalism is still trying to find a way to catch up with the traditional internet; how can it cope with yet another sea change in the way people access content? Just how important is it to own a smart phone if you’re working in the journalism industry?