Mashable: Latest 13 News Updates - including “Mashable Weekend Recap: 26 Stories You May Have Missed” |
- Mashable Weekend Recap: 26 Stories You May Have Missed
- Firefox 8 Officially Arrives November 8 But It’s Available for Download Now
- Ice Cream Sandwich Coming to a Host of HTC Smartphones in Early 2012
- 3 New Time-Saving Technologies
- How to Retain Your Startup Workforce
- 5 iPhone Battery Cases to Keep You Connected Longer
- How To Ace Your Technical Interview
- 4 Essential Facebook Page Apps to Improve Communication With Fans
- MTV Europe Music Awards Live Stream
- Comedian Louis C.K. Thinks Social Media Sucks [VIDEO]
- Social Media Users In Love: Romance Update [INFOGRAPHIC]
- 20 Life-Tracking Tools for Better Health, Wealth and Productivity
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Trailer Hits YouTube [VIDEO]
- Justin Bieber: The Ultimate Story of Social Media Fame [SORRY]
| Mashable Weekend Recap: 26 Stories You May Have Missed Posted: 07 Nov 2011 04:59 AM PST      We had a super-fun weekend here at Mashable, putting together a variety of stories that ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. Sandwiched between those two extremes were tons of help for business people, an astonishing Bluetooth speaker system we reviewed, lots of tips and even a survey about the love lives of social media users. The best news? Even if you missed our weekend coverage, we’ve bundled it together for you to see all in one place, right here. Now read these stories, then go out and make a good week. News & Opinion Essentials
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| Firefox 8 Officially Arrives November 8 But It’s Available for Download Now Posted: 07 Nov 2011 04:06 AM PST   The new major release of Mozilla’s web browser, Firefox 8, officially launches November 8. However, as usual, it’s available for download on Mozilla’s servers a bit early, meaning you can install it right now. The Windows version of Firefox 8 is here, while the Mac version can be downloaded here. The new release comes only one and a half month after Firefox 7. This is in line with Mozilla’s new rapid release strategy, under which we can expect a major new release of Firefox every 6 weeks. Besides the usual stability and performance fixes, Firefox 8 brings support for Twitter in the search bar, some additional tab options (tabs can now be loaded at user’s request after a browser restart) and improved add-on management and security. More About: Firefox, Firefox 8, mozilla, web browser
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| Ice Cream Sandwich Coming to a Host of HTC Smartphones in Early 2012 Posted: 07 Nov 2011 01:37 AM PST   HTC has published an update on its Facebook page, detailing the company’s plans for upgrading its smartphone portfolio to the latest version of Android, 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich. We don’t have an exact date just yet, but according to HTC, Ice Cream Sandwich is coming in “early 2012″ to the following devices: HTC Sensation, HTC Sensation XL, HTC Sensation XE and HTC Rezound. HTC Vivid is already upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich, says HTC. Furthermore, the HTC EVO 3D, HTC EVO Design 4G and HTC Amaze 4G will be upgraded through “close integration” with HTC’s carrier partners. HTC Rezound is slightly over a half-inch thick
Click here to view this gallery. More About: android, htc, ice cream sandwich, trending For more Mobile coverage:
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| 3 New Time-Saving Technologies Posted: 06 Nov 2011 04:11 PM PST   The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
This week we’ve focused on three startups that have created technological shortcuts to simple tasks. Manpacks lets men skip the department store with subscription underwear. Snipreel edits YouTube videos within the YouTube player, and Wishgenies sources gift recommendations from people with the same interest as the intended recipient. Manpacks: Subscription Essentials for Men Quick Pitch: Manpacks delivers men’s underwear, socks and other staples every three months. Genius Idea: Saving men time by automatically replenishing staple items. Mashable’s Take: The premise of this site is that men hate department stores. If it’s right, it’s offered a smart service. It lets men schedule shipments of essentials such as underwear, razors and socks every three months. A similar service, Hoseanna, does the same for women. But how much underwear does a guy need? 10-14 pairs on hand, helpfully suggests the site, for a laundry cycle of about 2 weeks. Snipreel: Highlight Reels From YouTube Videos Quick Pitch: SnipReel allows anybody to create a 59 second or less highlight reel from a YouTube Video. Genius Idea: An easy way to mix and match YouTube moments. Mashable’s Take: SnipReel is still in closed alpha, but it has a solid idea: Make it easy for people to create highlight reels from multiple YouTube videos or cut down a longer video to short-attention-span size. The tool either overlays the YouTube player when users hit a bookmarklet or edits videos from an editor on the site by simply copying and pasting the URL. Wishgenies: Social Gift IdeasQuick Pitch: Wishgenies is a Facebook app that recommends gifts. Genius Idea: Gift ideas recommended by users with the same interests as your recipients. Mashable’s Take: When you sign up for Wishgenies, you’ll need to tell the app the products that you enjoy or want most and what your interests are in addition to information about the gift recipient. That’s because it uses existing users’ favorite things to make gift suggestions. When somebody lists a gift recipient who matches your interests, the products that you cited might end up on their list of suggestions. It’s a smart give-and-take system, but at the moment it’s too new to be of much help. It’s not pretty, and few gift ideas have been shared. Image courtesy of istockphoto, barisonal Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark  The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today. More About: bizspark For more Business coverage:
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| How to Retain Your Startup Workforce Posted: 06 Nov 2011 03:30 PM PST   Morgan Norman is the Founder and CEO of WorkSimple, putting an end to performance reviews by providing a better way for coworkers and teams to share goals, work together, get and give feedback, and make each other shine. Connect with him and WorkSimple on Facebook and Twitter. Startups provide a unique and exciting atmosphere for employees because they have a more hands-on approach to building a company and a brand. Instead of working for an established company, startup workers have the chance to be a part of a team that shapes the brand through every part of its development and launch. The team must possess a more entrepreneurial spirit as they are not always large in size or have big budgets to fall back on. At many startups, every employee is a partner. It’s normal to help outside of the traditional role they were hired for. They get to dive into areas that aren't necessarily part of their job description, and because of this lack of titles and hierarchy, being a part of a startup is a feedback culture. Startup employees have to be flexible and knowledgeable in several different industries, and possess a variety of skills, while the employer must work even harder to hire and train the right employees because he cannot be in constant hiring mode. Entrepreneurs often fear losing employees to competitors and larger corporations. Workers today often see more job security with established companies, and if given the chance to work for a well-known Fortune 500 company, will likely accept the opportunity. So, what can employers do to retain hired talent and show the benefits of staying with their startup company? Proper Orientation and On-BoardingWhile many startups hire people who know the job, you still need to help new employees understand your vision, values, direction, gaps and product. As with a new company or product, there is a greater need for employee education and that can only come at the beginning of the job. Startups tend to have more work cut out for them (and less staff to get it done), so a new hire may not always feel comfortable asking questions or being trained on the job. Block off a few days at the start of a new hire's week and have someone teach that person the ins and outs of the company and position. Giving employees the tools to succeed from the beginning should be seen as a necessary investment. To understand how they can make good decisions on the job, startup employees need an orientation of what every team is trying to accomplish. This can help new employees assimilate into their new environment quicker and start making real contributions right away. Once you have given new hires all the tools and resources at your disposal, it will then be up to them to succeed at the job. If you do not train them, there is the risk they will feel lost and get fed-up quickly, which can lead to employee dissatisfaction and turnover.
RecognitionBeing recognized for a job well done may seem trivial and unnecessary — after all, that's what you're paying your employees for, right? Shouldn't they always go above and beyond for a project and blow everyone's expectations out of the water? Unfortunately, always expecting employees to kill it may be pushing your luck. Encourage employees to set personal goals. Start with lightweight goals with no firm end dates. Ask new workers, "What do you think we should do?" Then, work on prioritizing these goals as a team. Once these goals are set, an employer can monitor and recognize an outstanding job on an as-needed basis. This does not mean check up on your workers every day. Instead, when you do come across an exceptional project or proposal, take the time to send a quick email or stop by the worker's desk and personally thank them for their hard work and dedication. Employees appreciate recognition for their hard work and it means a lot coming from supervisors and managers.
FeedbackIn addition to recognizing achievements of candidates, offering more feedback for employees in startups is necessary. Startup workers tend to have higher responsibilities. They are expected to be self-starters, so helping them improve and learn from mistakes is important. This can only be done when sufficient feedback is given on projects and overall employee traits. Instead of simply fixing their mistakes — and not offering some light into the decisions made — tell the worker what worked and what could use improvement. Employees will have a hard time growing and becoming independent without learning where their work stands in the company. Ditch performance reviews until you have hundreds of employees. They have limited value in your startup culture, and can't keep up with the pace of the work that is going on. Instead, feedback can consist of a quick email or chat on a project-by-project basis. When offered in a constructive manner, criticism from supervisors and co-workers will be appreciated by employees as their expectations will become more clear. Professional ReputationA good employee will give 100% to work hard and fit into an organization, but also turn to outside resources for connections and learn about the industry. Being perceived as an all-star is important to most, as a strong professional reputation will open many doors for employees. Provide employees with the resources to better their professional reputation by endorsing additional reading, joining relevant groups and participating in forums to keep them informed.
Similarly, providing books about your company’s industry and general self-help or career books are also good ways to invest in employee growth. What are some things you have done to retain your startup workforce? Image courtesy of iStockphoto/Yuri Arcurs More About: hiring, how tos, Small Business, Startups For more Business coverage:
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| 5 iPhone Battery Cases to Keep You Connected Longer Posted: 06 Nov 2011 02:32 PM PST 1. PhoneSuit Elite The PhoneSuit Elite's claim to fame is its slimline dimensions and super-fast charge times. Measuring at just less than 17mm thick, it doesn't add too much bulk to your handset but more than doubles battery life. It can charge your iPhone from flat to full in two hours and offers the ability to switch between first using up the power in the case or the power in the phone. Battery Boost: Up to 15 hours talk time, up to 44 hours audio playback Cost: $79.95 Click here to view this gallery. If your biggest gripe with your iPhone is lack of battery longevity, then join the club. While we hope the iPhone 4S’s battery woes get sorted soon, in the meantime we have an alternative option. We have found five cases designed for both the iPhone 4 and the 4S — that will extend the handset’s battery life, keeping you connected for longer. Take a look through the image gallery for our selection. Let us know in the comments about any battery cases you’ve used and can recommend. More About: apple, features, Gadgets, gallery, iphone, iphone accessories, Tech
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| How To Ace Your Technical Interview Posted: 06 Nov 2011 01:52 PM PST
Job candidates have clear expectations about the work that needs to be done during the job search to ensure success. They define their career goals. Resumes are updated. Interview skills are sharpened. Yet, as a recruiter who helps job seekers find software engineering positions, I see job candidates pay too little attention to one particular aspect of the job search: the technical interview. The technical interview is an opportunity for employers to put your hard-earned skills to the test. Technical interview questions can range across disciplines and include puzzles, problems and other questions designed to make you think hard on the spot. In my experience, job candidates find technical interviews extremely time consuming and stressful. And, to be honest, many job candidates struggle through the first few technical interviews and reduce their chances of landing what may be a great job. These nine keys to success can help you when faced with a technical interview. 1. Wear What's RightThe tech industry has a unique culture, one that is in stark contrast to other fields. The majority of technology companies are very relaxed, casual, and creative. They also favor personality and fit over snappy dress. When going for the technical interview, I tell my candidates to be clean, neat and presentable – buttoned down shirt, pressed pants and clean shoes. That being said, I do not suggest suits, and ties or jackets are optional as some companies may think you are conservative (and not a good culture fit). Overall, you need to feel comfortable and relaxed as the interview process can be stressful enough. 2. Don't Wing ItThe activities that occur in most technical interviews are not practiced every day. Skills become rusty, especially if they’re ones that are different than what you do on the job. Some people decide to ignore this rust and just wing it, but this is a recipe for disaster. Practice and preparation are essential, and your recruiter should serve as your coach and guide. If not, you may need a new recruiter. 3. Communicate EffectivelyCommunication is key in the technical interview. Interviewers don't know your skill set unless you make it clear through your answers. Don't leave the interviewers with any doubts about how skilled you really are, and avoid evasive or incomplete answers. Follow up with a "Did that answer your question?" to ensure you are on the same page with the interviewer. Ask good questions throughout the interview to engage with the interviewer. Work hard with your recruitment advisor, so you can be sure to ask the best questions. 4. Sharpen Your Technical SkillsMany job candidates find their information and skills aren't fresh enough for employers. Companies assess skills in a different way now, and they expect job candidates to evolve along with the market. Job candidates need to have a technical toolbox that suits the market and can get them through a rigorous technical interview. 5. Bone Up on the FundamentalsMake sure you review the fundamentals and computer science basics. Review core concepts and theories that are essential to good practice. The interview process is designed to gauge your technical and problem-solving skills, so take the time to refresh yourself on concepts and theories. 6. Try Brain TeasersRun through some brain teasers and logic problems in advance of your interview, as you may be asked to do one. These challenges are given as a way to assess how you think and work through a problem. Oftentimes, the solution is not the main goal; they are looking for skills such as confidence, tenacity, and persistence. Websites like CodingHorror, GrokCode, and ProgrammerPuzzlers offer free online puzzles for technical practice. 7. Work with the Interview TeamInterviewers also screen your ability to interact and communicate in a team setting. Be sure to connect with the interviewer and work with them to show that you have adequate team skills. You want to remain confident and calm even if frustrated or defeated, so it’s best to keep composed and positive. 8. Know Your CloseIt is important to close the interview properly before you part ways with the interviewer. You want to express your level of interest in the job, so this is your chance to say how you feel about the position and your experience. Ask key follow-up questions to understand next steps, the process and the timeframe. 9. Continue to Create a Positive ImpressionThe interview process is still about creating strong, positive impressions. I encourage my candidates to send a thank-you email within 24 hours. Another good follow-up is to offer a solution to an unsolved problem you were given during the interview. This goes over very well and can potentially save you if you were off track in the interview because it demonstrates that you care enough to give it additional time and attention. It also allows the employer to evaluate more of your work. Technical interviews are a major challenge for job candidates searching for the best technology jobs. Too many job candidates treat them casually at the beginning of their job search. Winging it is a bad idea. Preparation is essential. Use your time to practice, learn to communicate effectively, and sharpen your technical skills. Additional resourcesWebsite: www.techinterview.org Books: Cracking the Coding Interview, Fourth Edition: 150 Programming Interview Questions and Solutions, by Gayle Laakmann; Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job, by John Mongan et al. Social Media Job ListingsEvery week we post a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we publish a huge range of job listings, we’ve selected some of the top social media job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, drewhadley More About: features, interview, job search series, mashable, recruiter, technical For more Business coverage:
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| 4 Essential Facebook Page Apps to Improve Communication With Fans Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:39 PM PST   This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. The number of Facebook applications can seem a little overwhelming at times. While Facebook doesn't share an exact number, an independent website called AppData monitors trends for over 100,000 Facebook applications, which is a lot to sift through. As a business, trying to determine which of those apps can help your organization can be daunting. To get you started, here are four essential Facebook apps that allow you to better reach and communicate with your audience, as well as save you time for all those other things you have to do. 1. Tweets to Pages — Display Your Twitter FeedTweets to Pages, which has 1.2 million monthly active users, will create a tab on your Facebook Page that displays a timeline of your company's most recent tweets. This is a great feature for providing additional, real-time information to Facebook users who don't have a Twitter account and for avoiding the annoyance your fans would feel if you were to constantly stream your tweets to Facebook as wall updates. The app is very easy to set up, and the free version allows you to adjust the number of tweets that show on the Tweets to Pages tab. If you want to upgrade to the paid version, you can better control your content limits, choose a color scheme, add a banner and allow comments on your tweets. 2. Static HTML: iframe Tabs — Create a Custom Landing Page
 Static HTML: iframe tabs, which has 61.8 million monthly users, will simplify the process of making a custom landing page by automating many of the steps. Forget about creating a developer account and your own application — this app provides copy and paste textboxes for your custom HTML, CSS and JavaScript. It also offers checkboxes to remove the scrollbars and to enable Facebook's FBML. If you want to incentivize Likes on your Page, the application enables you to “like-gate,” and show different content to those who have and haven't “liked” your page. It's worth noting that you will still need to host your own files, and you won't be able to remove the scrollbars for any design over 520 pixels wide and 800 pixels tall. 3. ContactMe — Add a Contact Form ContactMe, with 180,000 monthly active users, adds a tab on your organization's Facebook Page with a contact form. This allows anyone visiting your Facebook page to easily get in touch with you at the very moment when they're most interested. The biggest advantage of this app is its customization options. You can choose whether you'd prefer to show your company's contact information or social media icons for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Skype. You can also adjust, add, remove, reorder and require specific fields through a simple user interface on contactme.com. And of course, there's a paid option to remove the ContactMe branding, offer a custom success message and receive text message alerts when someone submits the form. 4. RSS Graffiti – Automatically Post Updates RSS Graffiti, with 1.5 million monthly users, allows you to automatically post wall updates any time there’s a new item in one of your specified feeds. For example, if you publish to a company blog every day, RSS Graffiti can automatically post an excerpt of the article with a direct link onto your Facebook page's wall. That saves you the time and effort of creating a new wall update every day to distribute your company’s content. Just like ContactMe, the customization options for this application make it stand out. You can automatically post more than one RSS feed, adjust how the post looks when published, schedule how often the feed is checked, and specify how many posts should be published per check. And most importantly, with all these options and more, the configuration interface is still easy to use and intuitive. Do you use any of these apps on your business’ Facebook Page? Do you use other ones? Let us know in the comments below. More About: contributor, Facebook, facebook apps, facebook pages, features, mashable, Small Business Resources For more Business coverage:
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| MTV Europe Music Awards Live Stream Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:06 PM PST   Twitter activity for the MTV Europe Music Awards is in full swing as the ceremony in Belfast, Northern Ireland, began at 3 p.m. ET. Tune into the live stream here to catch all the action from host Selena Gomez and performers Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Bruno Mars and David Guetta, LMFAO and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Be sure to check out the show’s Twitter Tracker, which ranks musicians on how many times they’re mentioned in tweets that include the hashtag #MTVEMA (see screenshot above for the rankings as of 2:30 p.m. ET). As of 2:50, more than 580,000 tweets about the EMAs have been posted since 1:50. You can participate even further by going to the show’s website to interact with Gomez and other viewers. More About: celebrities, mtv, Music, television, Twitter For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Comedian Louis C.K. Thinks Social Media Sucks [VIDEO] Posted: 06 Nov 2011 11:31 AM PST Comedian Louis C.K. is never at a loss for strong opinions, and that holds true for social media. He hates it, and when he visited Conan O’Brien late last week, he made some strong points about the way people are squandering their lives by watching everything through three-inch screens and social media. Is he right? I’ve noticed that any time a spectacular event is happening where a lot of people are gathered around, a large percentage of them are holding up smartphones to photograph the event, rather than directly experiencing it. Many others have their heads buried in their tiny screens, tweeting about it. Are we missing real-world experiences so we can indulge in social media? Are we taking pictures and video of spectacular occurrences, instead of simply putting our smartphones and cameras in our pockets and diving into the real world with our own eyes and ears? Maybe we need to rethink this. Discuss. More About: conan o'brien, Louis C.K., smartphones, Twitter For more Mobile coverage:
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| Social Media Users In Love: Romance Update [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 06 Nov 2011 10:46 AM PST How do you meet people you’d like to get to know better? How do you treat each other once you’re together? Social media turns out to be a great accelerator for exposing you to potential mates, but does that change the basic way people interact with each other? The infographic and research experts at Lab42 set out to take the pulse of today’s relationship hunters as well as established lovers, conducting a survey between Oct. 27 and Oct. 30 where they asked 500 social network users over age 18 some rather personal questions about meeting people, cheating, communication and more. Is your romantic life similar to that of most other social networkers, or do you play the game your own way? Find out by checking out the fresh results of this infographic:   Infographic courtesy Lab42 More About: infographic, Lab42, relationships, Social Media
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| 20 Life-Tracking Tools for Better Health, Wealth and Productivity Posted: 06 Nov 2011 09:42 AM PST Ari Meisel is co-founder at Less Doing, where he works on making every task in life and business more efficient. He used self-tracking to overcome Crohn’s Disease and compete in Ironman France. You can follow him on Twitter @liontex and read his blog at arimeisel.com. Optimizing your life can help free up time to enjoy more activities. One of the best ways to start is by figuring out exactly how you spend your time. Self-tracking has become something of a craze thanks to movements such as the Quantified Self, which allow you to track everything in your life and, in some cases, take action. Here is a list of the top 20 resources for monitoring the most salient aspects of your life. What you do with the information is only limited by your imagination. 1. FitBit   The FitBit is a tiny device that clips onto your clothes during the day, or can be worn on a wrist strap while you sleep. It tracks all your movement, all day long. At night it will determine the quality and length of your sleep. Think of it like a pedometer on steroids. Click here to view this gallery. More About: apps, contributor, efficiency, features, Gadgets, productivity, web apps
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| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Trailer Hits YouTube [VIDEO] Posted: 06 Nov 2011 08:34 AM PST
Okay gamers, the live-action trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (The Vet and the nOOb) just became available. The video is part of the buildup to the much-heralded (or depending on your point of view, overhyped) U.S. release of the game on Tuesday, Nov. 8 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Get a sneak peek at what’s in store, where this sequel that just appeared on YouTube picks up on the action from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Coming back for another round of mayhem is Task Force 141 Capt. John “Soap” MacTavish, former SAS Capt. John Price, and some new characters you haven’t seen yet — all of them fighting off those Russians who somehow have the audacity to invade the U.S. and Europe. I mean, what were they thinking? Game creator Activision brings new coolness, too, adding a free social network that lets you track your gameplay stats across all platforms, and it works on this new game, Call of Duty: Black Ops from last year and any CoD games coming in the future. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is available for preorder now, retailing for $59.99 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 — but look around, you’ll find it for a few bucks less in some online stores. More About: Call of Duty, games, Top Story, trailer, YouTube
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| Justin Bieber: The Ultimate Story of Social Media Fame [SORRY] Posted: 06 Nov 2011 07:11 AM PST Justin Bieber is mindbogglingly famous. And while it certainly helps to have major labels, TV studios and marketing agencies in support, the germination of that stardom began on the web. As legend has it, the then 14-year-old Canadian poplet was discovered in homespun YouTube videos. In 2011, Bieber, Inc. certainly hasn’t forgotten its viral roots. He is consistently among the most tweeted, shared and viewed celebrities on the social web. When he talks to his fans, they reply and follow by the millions. It’s the kind of persistent, real-time fame that would explode the heads of ye olde teen idols. In a recent visit to Mashable HQ, the folks at Crisp Social admitted they shared our fascination with the boy wonder, and created the infographic below — a breakdown of The Bieb’s astounding digital reach.   More About: features, infographics, justin bieber, Social Media For more Entertainment coverage:
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