Facebook gets it. Bummer newspapers didn’t

Today the Rocky Mountain News publishes its final edition after nearly 150 years. Elsewhere, newspaper publishers everywhere from San Francisco to Philadelphia face equally grim prospects.

The reasons have been well chronicled by others like Poynter Online and I won’t waste time rehashing familiar arguments and analyses. But one complaint about newspapers is that they increasingly are out of step with their readers, who for too long were ignored at the bottom rung of a one-way hierarchy which defined their relationship.

It was only a coincidence, but the Rocky Mountain News announcement came on the same day that Facebook declared that it would embrace a community-driven process for governing. Responding to a controversy earlier this month over changes to its terms of service, Facebook said it will henceforth put any proposed modifications to its membership up for public debate in a "notice and comment" forum.

Read the full article at Webware.

10 Best Hamburger Fantasies Become A Reality

Sushi is so 2006 and bacon is totally 2008, but what random food fad is on the cool horizon this year? Burgers. Why burgers? They’re as all-American as you can get – even more American than apple pie and baseball, which are really just variations of German and British inventions respectively. Plus, they’re a great compliment for 2008′s just passing trend, bacon.

In honor of this great American feat of food engineering, I am proud to bring you the must-have burger gizmos of the upcoming year…

Read the full article at InventorSpot.

Why Big Brands Struggle With Social Media

Social media continues to grow globally in terms of adoption, usage, interest and impact in a massive way. It’s undeniably changing the way that content and information work particularly in terms of the publishing of consumer opinion. This has transformed the way that consumers relate to brands and the way that brands should operate, driving direct interaction, transparency and a more consultative approach.

However, we still operate in a system defined by the old media world and consequently big brand involvement is still in the main tentative and sporadic. From my experience of trying to get big brands to embrace the social revolution, there are a number of reasons why they have yet to embrace the real opportunities that involvement can deliver:

1. Social Media is often viewed as just another marketing channel
2. It does not fit into current structures
3. Communities and content are global
4. Social media needs a long term approach
5. No guaranteed results
6. The metrics are new

See the full article at Mashable.

Times Square To Become Giant Pedestrian Mall

The Great White Way is on the fast track to becoming a pedestrian mall.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced experimental plans to close part of Broadway to vehicles.

But as CBS 2 HD has discovered, not everyone is on board.

“This midtown traffic mess is one of those problems everyone always talks about and you always say there’s nothing you can do about it, well, we’re going to try and do something about it,” Bloomberg said on Thursday.

The mayor announced an ambitious plan to actually close blocks of Broadway for pedestrians.

“We expect both travel times and safety to improve and in some cases substantially,” Bloomberg added.

The mayor’s plan, according to published reports, would be to close Broadway from 42nd to 47th streets and put chairs, benches and cafe tables where taxis and trucks usually go. The mayor’s vision would resemble last summer’s Broadway Boulevard Project below 42nd Street, which is still in effect.

See the full article at WCBS.

Spider-Man + U2 = Broadway Show?

Broadway’s Spidey senses are tingling.

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the hyped stage musical directed by Julie Taymor (The Lion King) with music and lyrics courtesy of U2‘s Bono and The Edge, will kick off what its producers hope will be an amazing run along the Great White Way beginning with previews on Jan. 16, 2010, and a Feb. 18, 2010, opening night.

The $40 million effort, reportedly the most expensive Broadway production ever, will make its debut in the Hilton Theatre, the only venue big enough to allow the superhero room to spin his way around the sprawling skyscraper sets while duking it out with various bad guys.

See the full article at Yahoo News.

A sommelier for every mobile device

If wine tastings can be conducted via Twitter, it should come as no surprise to find a wine-recommendation service that’s accessible by SMS. Sure enough, Hello Vino is a new wine pairing and suggestion tool that can be accessed both via the web and from any mobile device.

Users in search of wine advice merely visit Hello Vino online or text the word HELLOVINO to 368266. The tool then guides them through a simple question-and-answer process, asking first if the wine they seek is for with a meal, for an occasion, of a specific taste or style or from a particular region. Depending on their choice they are then asked a few additional questions, the ultimate result of which is a short list of specific wines that could fit the bill, including for each the vintage, region and price.

See Hello Vino via Springwise.

Robotrains take over NY's Brooklyn-Manhattan “L” line

If you ride the L train between Brooklyn and Manhattan at odd hours of the day, get ready for a little more automation in your lifestyle. As of today, the L will become the first NY subway line to be fully controlled by Communications Based Train Control, or CBTC, initially used overnights and during non-peak hours. It allows the trains to effectively run themselves, closer and faster than their meatbag conductors could otherwise, which should mean more trains more often.

Read the full article at Engadget and The NY Post.

What Don Reisinger loves about MySpace Music

As someone who spends most of his day on the computer, I need to do everything I can to keep myself entertained. Sometimes, that manifests itself in games and other times I find entertainment on the Web through online music services.

For years, I used Pandora, the song discovery service powered by the Music Genome Project, and loved every minute of it. But over the past couple months, things have changed and I’ve quickly started to dedicate all my music time to MySpace Music.

The reasons why are numerous, but I should first note that I’ve got some issue with the service. First off, it’s inundated with ads, and no matter where you go, you can bet that any MySpace Music page will be flanked by blinking advertisements or other unwelcome additions that detract somewhat from an otherwise outstanding service.

I should also mention that MySpace Music doesn’t allow its users to share playlists, which is a bit annoying. You also can’t have it "on-the-go" nearly as easily as you can with a site like Pandora, which offers a mobile app for those who want to hear music while away from their computer.

Other than that, though, I simply love MySpace Music. It’s the single reason why my love affair with Pandora is over and it’s my first destination when I want to listen to music while I work. Simply put, it’s outstanding.

See the full article at Webware.

More bands flocking to App Store: Pussycat Dolls, Soulja Boy

More artists are throwing their hats into the iPhone ring by releasing their own standalone applications that they hope will keep their fans engaged. Five groups under the Universal Music Group label have joined the party by offering fans ways to watch behind-the-scenes videos, buy music, chat with each other, and more. The approach is slightly different than the iPhone apps offered by some other bands, so we thought we would take a look to see how they vary.

The five UMG bands that joined the App Store recently are Lady Gaga, the Pussycat Dolls, Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, the All American Rejects, and Keri Hilson (via MusicAlly). The apps for all five are more or less the same, but with different content and different visual looks that are specific to each artist or group.

See the full article at Ars Technica.

EMI, Apple unveil iTunes Pass

EMI unveiled a new feature on iTunes Tuesday called iTunes Pass, which allows Depeche Mode fans access to the band’s upcoming album and other selected goodies.

Apple chose to let EMI make the announcement for iTunes Pass, a new service that will gradually release tracks until the middle of June from the album Sounds of the Universe along with exclusive remixes and videos for $18.99. This is a separate offering from the album itself, which is scheduled to be released on April 21 and can be preordered for $9.99.

At the moment, it appears EMI and Depeche Mode are the only ones trying out iTunes Pass. This appears to be an outgrowth of Apple’s decision to allow variable pricing in the iTunes Store for the first time, allowing record companies and bands to offer the digital version of a special-edition CD with extra videos and songs than the regular CD for a premium price.

See the full article at CNET News.