Six Places Online To Find Something To Do

• href="http://craigslist.org">Craigslist.   The grand daddy of all websites to help you get out of the house.  Classes? Check. Events? Check. Just friends? Check. More than friends? No problem.  I use Craigslist all the time – my favorite sections to post are “strictly platonic” when I’m looking for tennis and hiking buddies, and in the “musicians” section when looking for fellow band mates.  Whatever you’re looking for, Craigslist has you covered.  I’ve even made friends with people after purchasing used tennis rackets and guitars, and some of my best friends have been random people I’ve met on Craigslist.  I have friends in different cities through Craigslist to this day – some of whom I met as many as seven years ago!
• href="http://meetup.com">Meetup.  Meetup is awesome – they have well organized events, you can see who is attending, and you will often see the same regulars at event after event so you can build a relationship.  I’m involved in about a dozen Meetup groups, although I don’t attend many events – but I love being able to see what’s being planned and having the option of attending. Many cities have dedicated “New In Town” Meetup groups, and whenever I’ve attended I’ve found them to be welcoming – and a great place to meet people when I’ve first arrived.
• href="http://twtvite.com/">Twtvite.   A relative newcomer, Twtvite uses Twitter to publicize events and RSVPs.  You don’t even need a Twitter account to use it, you can  just show up – but you’ll want to get on Twitter so you can keep in touch with all the cool people you meet.  Just go to the site to see what’s being organized in your town and to see who’s attending.  As I was writing this I went to check it out and found an event one of my friends was organizing,  that 30 people are attending.  Instant things to do, instant Twitter followers and instant new real life friends.
• href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.bandshows">Myspace Shows. I love discovering new music, so whenever I move to a new city, this is one of the first sites I pull up. Not only does it help me find local music, it also helps me meet people, because I can find people at the concerts that likely are similar to me.  If nothing else, the people I meet have the same taste in music. It also gives me an excuse to check out bars I may not normally visit. One night when I was living in Maui, I had nothing to do so I found an acoustic musician playing a solo show in a tiny little bar in Kihei.  I decided to check it out, and I was blown away.  He was amazing, and since then we’ve remained good friends – and I’ve introduced many of my friends to his music.  I also check out Ticketmaster since they tend to have lots of concerts listed as well, but generally not as many as Myspace Shows – and I also have a harder time meeting people at large concerts compared to smaller local shows.
• href="http://www.metromix.com/">Metromix.  A  great source for club parties and local bar events, Metromix is slick and polished.  They have lots of pictures and information about the venues, so you can make a decision about where to spend your evening.  The downside is they tend to be focused on nightlife, so you may have a harder time finding daytime events.
• href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=fe">Facebook Events. This requires slightly more work which is why it’s last.  Whenever a friend invites me to an event on Facebook, I take a look at who the organizer for the event is and check out their Facebook profile.  Over time I’ve found about a dozen people – local DJs, bartenders, etc. – who constantly post new events to Facebook to get the word out.  The result is that now on any given night, there are usually one or two events I can see going on on Facebook.  Since I can see who is organizing events as well, I can often get on guest lists for free or reduced cover charge.

How about you? Are there any websites you like that help you find local events?

Sid Savara is a a lifehacking fanatic. Visit Sid’s website for more information about HREF="http://sidsavara.com/personal-development/how-to-get-motivated-tips">how to get motivated and href="http://sidsavara.com">analysis driven personal development. Sign up for his newsletter and pick up a copy of his HREF="http://sidsavara.com/motivational-quotes-book">free motivational quotes book, The Little Book Of Big Motivational Quotes.

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Six Places Online To Find Something To Do

• href="http://craigslist.org">Craigslist.   The grand daddy of all websites to help you get out of the house.  Classes? Check. Events? Check. Just friends? Check. More than friends? No problem.  I use Craigslist all the time – my favorite sections to post are “strictly platonic” when I’m looking for tennis and hiking buddies, and in the “musicians” section when looking for fellow band mates.  Whatever you’re looking for, Craigslist has you covered.  I’ve even made friends with people after purchasing used tennis rackets and guitars, and some of my best friends have been random people I’ve met on Craigslist.  I have friends in different cities through Craigslist to this day – some of whom I met as many as seven years ago!
• href="http://meetup.com">Meetup.  Meetup is awesome – they have well organized events, you can see who is attending, and you will often see the same regulars at event after event so you can build a relationship.  I’m involved in about a dozen Meetup groups, although I don’t attend many events – but I love being able to see what’s being planned and having the option of attending. Many cities have dedicated “New In Town” Meetup groups, and whenever I’ve attended I’ve found them to be welcoming – and a great place to meet people when I’ve first arrived.
• href="http://twtvite.com/">Twtvite.   A relative newcomer, Twtvite uses Twitter to publicize events and RSVPs.  You don’t even need a Twitter account to use it, you can  just show up – but you’ll want to get on Twitter so you can keep in touch with all the cool people you meet.  Just go to the site to see what’s being organized in your town and to see who’s attending.  As I was writing this I went to check it out and found an event one of my friends was organizing,  that 30 people are attending.  Instant things to do, instant Twitter followers and instant new real life friends.
• href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.bandshows">Myspace Shows. I love discovering new music, so whenever I move to a new city, this is one of the first sites I pull up. Not only does it help me find local music, it also helps me meet people, because I can find people at the concerts that likely are similar to me.  If nothing else, the people I meet have the same taste in music. It also gives me an excuse to check out bars I may not normally visit. One night when I was living in Maui, I had nothing to do so I found an acoustic musician playing a solo show in a tiny little bar in Kihei.  I decided to check it out, and I was blown away.  He was amazing, and since then we’ve remained good friends – and I’ve introduced many of my friends to his music.  I also check out Ticketmaster since they tend to have lots of concerts listed as well, but generally not as many as Myspace Shows – and I also have a harder time meeting people at large concerts compared to smaller local shows.
• href="http://www.metromix.com/">Metromix.  A  great source for club parties and local bar events, Metromix is slick and polished.  They have lots of pictures and information about the venues, so you can make a decision about where to spend your evening.  The downside is they tend to be focused on nightlife, so you may have a harder time finding daytime events.
• href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=fe">Facebook Events. This requires slightly more work which is why it’s last.  Whenever a friend invites me to an event on Facebook, I take a look at who the organizer for the event is and check out their Facebook profile.  Over time I’ve found about a dozen people – local DJs, bartenders, etc. – who constantly post new events to Facebook to get the word out.  The result is that now on any given night, there are usually one or two events I can see going on on Facebook.  Since I can see who is organizing events as well, I can often get on guest lists for free or reduced cover charge.

How about you? Are there any websites you like that help you find local events?

Sid Savara is a a lifehacking fanatic. Visit Sid’s website for more information about HREF="http://sidsavara.com/personal-development/how-to-get-motivated-tips">how to get motivated and href="http://sidsavara.com">analysis driven personal development. Sign up for his newsletter and pick up a copy of his HREF="http://sidsavara.com/motivational-quotes-book">free motivational quotes book, The Little Book Of Big Motivational Quotes.

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Yesterday we posted a video from the Teens in Tech conference, looking at how teens perceive technology. Today we’re co-launching a survey which aims to find out how children 12 years and younger use web technology. We’ve partnered with Boston research firm Latitude, who provided the survey tool and will help us analyze the data. The survey will be open for 2 weeks, after which ReadWriteWeb and Latitude will list and analyze the results.

If you’re the parent of a child 12 and under, then we invite you to participate in the survey by clicking here.

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The study is open to all children aged 12 and under.
It’s important to note that you DO NOT need to reveal the identity of your child. We’re super conscious of the privacy issues regarding children on the Web, so you may enter a nickname into the survey instead of your child’s real name.

In a nutshell, here’s how the survey works. With you (the parent) always at the controls, the survey will ask your child to draw his or her response to a question. There is a special tool for you to upload the resulting drawing, in JPEG format. The survey will then gather some general information about the child’s computer use, which should only take 5-10 minutes.

As explained in a background post by Latitude’s Kim Gaskins, the survey aims to discover how children use and understand Web technology, the environmental factors that contribute to these understandings, and the extent to which children can think ‘innovatively’ about web technology. The study also intends to deduce real-world applications from the drawings that the kids create.

Click here to begin the survey process.

Latitude is a research-driven consultancy for technology and media companies. It works with clients to discover and develop opportunities for next-generation content, software, and communications technologies through a combination of web-based applications and innovative research methods. Visit life-connected.com for other Latitude studies, or email ischulte@latd.com to learn more about working with Latitude.

Discuss

Yesterday we posted a video from the Teens in Tech conference, looking at how teens perceive technology. Today we’re co-launching a survey which aims to find out how children 12 years and younger use web technology. We’ve partnered with Boston research firm Latitude, who provided the survey tool and will help us analyze the data. The survey will be open for 2 weeks, after which ReadWriteWeb and Latitude will list and analyze the results.

If you’re the parent of a child 12 and under, then we invite you to participate in the survey by clicking here.

Sponsor

The study is open to all children aged 12 and under.
It’s important to note that you DO NOT need to reveal the identity of your child. We’re super conscious of the privacy issues regarding children on the Web, so you may enter a nickname into the survey instead of your child’s real name.

In a nutshell, here’s how the survey works. With you (the parent) always at the controls, the survey will ask your child to draw his or her response to a question. There is a special tool for you to upload the resulting drawing, in JPEG format. The survey will then gather some general information about the child’s computer use, which should only take 5-10 minutes.

As explained in a background post by Latitude’s Kim Gaskins, the survey aims to discover how children use and understand Web technology, the environmental factors that contribute to these understandings, and the extent to which children can think ‘innovatively’ about web technology. The study also intends to deduce real-world applications from the drawings that the kids create.

Click here to begin the survey process.

Latitude is a research-driven consultancy for technology and media companies. It works with clients to discover and develop opportunities for next-generation content, software, and communications technologies through a combination of web-based applications and innovative research methods. Visit life-connected.com for other Latitude studies, or email ischulte@latd.com to learn more about working with Latitude.

Discuss

Our young friends at the Teens In Tech Conference this year have all the blessings and foibles of their tender years.

They haven't learned that the sky is not, in fact, the limit - and for god's sake, don't tell them. And, like we likely felt at their age, they feel the adults are the slowest, dumbest, IE-using, fax-sending nerds imaginable. Check out this video of these great kids and the adults who admire and are inspired by them - including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who stopped by the conference to mingle with the youth and sign a few MacBooks.

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Be sure to check out our Facebook album of pics from the Teens In Tech Conference, held yesterday at the Google offices in San Francisco. You'll get to see Robert Scoble in action and Steve "The Woz" Wozinak in a giant space helmet. And if you haven't done so yet, please connect with us on Facebook while you're there!

While making this video, we were privileged to chat with Teens In Tech founder Daniel Brusilovsky, Tobias of Nimbuzz, John Ramey of isocket, Adam Helweh, the talented youngsters of SimFlecks and Alex Nichols.

In the words of legendary investor Mark Suster, "Entrepreneurs don't noodle, they do." While it's important to be analytical in your decision making, it's also important to act when opportunities arise. Yesterday over drinks with some investors and entrepreneurs, I marveled at the difference between the life of a startup founder and the life of an investor. Founders manage multiple staff and stakeholders with heavy emphasis on operational issues. Meanwhile, investors manage multiple portfolio companies across a number of industries. The common trait amongst both is decisiveness.

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Suster's recent blog post speaks to the value of being able to make a quick decision. For investors, not only are most investment pitches met with the answer "no", but investors recognize that some of their portfolio companies will not offer the anticipated returns. The ability to be decisive while also factoring in a margin of error is exactly what keeps both worlds running smoothly.

Says Suster, " The best entrepreneurs have a bias for making quick decisions and accept that at best 70% of them will be right.  They acknowledge that some decisions will be bad and they'll have to recover from them.  Building a startup might be a game of inches but you don't get timeouts to pause and analyze all of your decisions."

While it's important to lay out a product plan, create a good business strategy and study your competition, don't expect to be perfect. Leave room for a margin of error and don't be afraid to pivot quickly if your company needs it. You can't be a startup founder without taking any risks - if you were really that safe you'd be working for someone else.

Looking for conferences this month in warm locations? We've got a bunch of 'em in Florida and California. Tired of your hometown's balmy winter weather? We've got you covered, too, with events in New York City. Look at that - who says you can't make everyone happy?

How do you like your ReadWriteWeb events guide? As a world map? As a downloadable iCal (and Google Calendar-importable) file? You can even import individual events using the link beside each entry. Know of something cool taking place that should appear here? Let us know in the comments below or contact us.

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8 February 2010: Tampa, Florida

Social Fresh Tampa

This is the social media conference that comes to you. Social Fresh is a one-day, case-study-rich conference targeted for marketers. Social Fresh Tampa will have 30+ speakers, including Chris Barger of GM, Maggie Fox of Social Media Group and John Andrews of Collective Bias (formerly of Walmart).

ReadWriteWeb readers get a 15% discount with the code "RWW15".

10 February 2010: New York City

Online Community Unconference East

The Online Community Unconference East is a gathering of online community professionals - managers, developers, business people, tool providers, investors - to discuss experience and strategies in the development and growth of online communities. As we have found with our past events, the best source of information on all of these challenges is other knowledgeable practitioners. The event runs from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Digital Sandbox.

11 February 2010: New York City

NYC Venture Capital and Angel Showcase

FundingPost is hosting a VC showcase where 20-plus VC funds and angel groups will be exhibiting their firms during a great cocktail party setting. Each fund will have their own table setup for the sole purpose of meeting great new companies.

Additionally, there will be an optional pitching workshop from 2:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. The cost to participate in the workshop will be $400. This workshop includes the $125 ticket to the event, and a 1/4 page listing in the Venture Guide Magazine. This event is sponsored by Credit Suisse, and takes place at One Madison Avenue, from 6-9:15 p.m.

18 February 2010: Silicon Valley, California

Future of Funding

Active limited partners, top rated venture capitalists, and successful entrepreneurs are invited to Silicon Valley on February 18, 2010 to discuss the Future of Funding. The venture capital bubble has burst, and change is coming. Now is the time to have a constructive dialog about the future with all of the stakeholders at the table.

Don't miss the opportunity to partake in this exclusive event hosted by TheFunded. Please visit www.futureoffunding.com to see speaker and event details.

ReadWriteWeb readers use the code "RWW" and get 10% off.

22 – 24 February 2010: Miami, Florida

The Future of Web Apps Miami

The Future of Web Apps Miami is a three day event for Web application developers and entrepreneurs, and includes tutorials, inspiration and workshops taught by leading figures at the cutting edge of today's Web. Companies at the event include Twitter, Facebook, Mint.com, Palm, FreshBooks, Reddit and Mozilla. Topics include HTML5, jQuery, online marketing, funding strategies, measuring the success of your Web app, and Facebook Connect. Find more information at http://carsonified.com

ReadWriteWeb readers use the code "RWW" and get $50 off.

25 February 2010: Miami, Florida

Miami VC and Angel Event

At FundingPost's next event, a panel of investors who will focus on early-stage venture investing. We will be discussing trends in early-stage investing, sectors that these Angels and VCs look at, things that are most important to them when they are considering an investment and the best and worst things an entrepreneur can do to get their attention. Entrepreneur summaries will be given to the investor speakers and attendees - all of the investors will get your company description and contact info!

Additionally, there will be an optional pitching workshop lunch where we will completely deconstruct your elevator pitch, and work with you on formulating a clean and concise elevator pitch giving the important information that investors need to hear to make an educated decision on your company! Then you get to give your new elevator pitch in person to the panel of investors during the event! Click here for more information.

4 March 2010: Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley VC and Angel Conference

At FundingPost's next event, a panel of investors who will focus on early-stage venture investing. We will be discussing trends in early-stage investing, sectors that these Angels and VCs look at, things that are most important to them when they are considering an investment and the best and worst things an entrepreneur can do to get their attention. Entrepreneur summaries will be given to the investor speakers and attendees - all of the investors will get your company description and contact info!

Additionally, there will be an optional pitching workshop lunch where we will completely deconstruct your elevator pitch, and work with you on formulating a clean and concise elevator pitch giving the important information that investors need to hear to make an educated decision on your company! Then you get to give your new elevator pitch in person to the panel of investors during the event! Click here for more information.

11 March 2010: Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles VC and Angel Event

At FundingPost's next event, a panel of investors who will focus on early-stage venture investing. We will be discussing trends in early-stage investing, sectors that these Angels and VCs look at, things that are most important to them when they are considering an investment and the best and worst things an entrepreneur can do to get their attention. Entrepreneur summaries will be given to the investor speakers and attendees - all of the investors will get your company description and contact info!

Additionally, there will be an optional pitching workshop lunch where we will completely deconstruct your elevator pitch, and work with you on formulating a clean and concise elevator pitch giving the important information that investors need to hear to make an educated decision on your company! Then you get to give your new elevator pitch in person to the panel of investors during the event! Click here for more information.

15 – 16 March 2010: London, England

2nd Annual Social Networking World Forum — London

The 2nd Annual Social Networking World Forum takes place at the Olympia Conference Centre in London. The two-day event features four dedicated conference streams:

1. Social Networking World Forum
2. Enterprise social media
3. Social TV World Forum
4. Mobile Social Networking Forum

The event features key speakers from global brands, organizations, social networking publishers and developers, pioneering social media leaders, top agencies, content producers, and more.

• Full workshop program within exhibition area
• Evening networking reception
• Pre-show online meeting planner for delegates
• Free pass for exhibition only

7 – 9 April 2010: Sydney, Australia

ConnectNow

ConnectNow brings together international specialists and thought leaders in social media, emerging technologies and their intersection with business. Learn how the realtime web, location based services, augmented reality, ubiquitous computing and personalised services are changing marketing and communications. Understand the importance of trust in relationship marketing and what is "social currency". For more info email info@connectnow.net.au.

16 April 2010: Mountain View, California

Under the Radar: Cloud

Under the Radar: Cloud is must-attend event for dealmakers and heads of IT from large enterprises, SMBs, service providers, carriers and media companies who are responsible for helping their companies leverage new technology and innovation in the fast-evolving IT ecosystem. Join us for the 15th Under the Radar conference, featuring a hand-picked selection of the world's most innovative cloud startups among 350 top tech, media, telcom and finance executives. For ticket and more information, visit http://undertheradarblog.com.

16 – 17 April 2010: Royal Oak, Michigan

FutureMidwest

FutureMidwest is the region's largest technology and knowledge conference. Founded by Adrian Pittman, Jordan Wolfe and Zach Lipson, FutureMidwest is the fusion of two successful conferences held in Michigan in 2009 - the Module Midwest Digital Conference and TechNow.

Both conferences highlighted how technology and digital tools have dramatically changed the way we do business and the effect this transition has had on companies. FutureMidwest kicks things up a notch with presentations, group breakout sessions, relationship-building opportunities and influencers who are taking action to redefine business in the digital age. Register here.

11 May 2010: San Francisco, California

FinovateSpring

FinovateSpring 2010 will again showcase the most cutting-edge financial and banking technology innovations to Silicon Valley and the world. With Finovate's signature mix of short, fast-paced onstage demos (no slides are allowed) from handpicked companies and intimate networking time with their executives, this conference packs a ton of unique value into a single day.

Come see the cutting edge of banking and financial technology and network with hundreds of the leading financial executives, venture capitalists, press, industry analysts, bloggers and fintech entrepreneurs. Early bird registration rates are available.

5 October 2010: New York City

FinovateFall

FinovateFall will return to Manhattan on Tuesday, October 5 to showcase dozens of the biggest and most innovative new ideas in financial and banking technology from established leaders and hot young companies. The Fall event is the original and largest Finovate and features a single day packed with our special blend of short, fast-paced onstage demos (no slides are allowed) and intimate networking time with top executives from the innovative demoing companies.

FinovateFall is a unique chance to see the future of finance and banking before your competition and find the edge you need in today's market. Early bird registration rates are available.

Download this entire events calendar in iCal format.

The big news of the week was Facebook getting faster - read on for our extensive coverage and analysis of this news. We also continued our exploration of the significant Internet trends of 2010, including Real-Time Web, Mobile Web, Internet of Things and Augmented Reality.

New! We've refreshed the format for our longest running feature, the Weekly Wrapup. It now focuses more explicitly on the key trends that ReadWriteWeb is tracking in 2010, as well as giving you the highlights from the leading story of the week. Let us know your thoughts on the new format.

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Story of the Week: Facebook Gets Faster

• Facebook Gets Faster, Debuts Homegrown PHP Compiler
• Open Thread: What Do Developers Think of Facebook's HipHop?
• PHP Creator Asks, Is Facebook's HipHop Just a "Nifty Trick"?

More Facebook coverage and analysis

Mobile Web

• Location is Hot: Foursquare Traffic up 3X in 2 Months
• Mobile Ticketing Taking Off: 15 Billion Sold by 2014
• Mobile App or Browser-Based Site? Report Says The Browser Will Win on Mobile

More Mobile Web coverage

Announcing The ReadWriteWeb iPhone App

We're really excited to announce the official ReadWriteWeb iPhone app! As well as enabling you to read ReadWriteWeb while on the go or lying on the couch, we've made it easy to share ReadWriteWeb posts directly from your iPhone, on Twitter and Facebook. You can also follow the RWW team on Twitter, directly from the app. We invite you to download it now from iTunes.

Internet of Things

• Sensors to Help You Get Fit - From Nike, Adidas & Others
• Social Networks for Things

More Internet of Things coverage

Augmented Reality

• Open or Closed: What's the Best Path for Mobile Augmented Reality?
• Yahoo! Files for Patent on Geo-Located, Social, Augmented Reality
• Augmented Reality Coming to Video Conferencing

More Augmented Reality coverage. Also ReadWriteWeb is currently working on our next premium research report on the topic of AR marketing. Watch this space for that.

Real-Time Web

• Designers: Show Your Work Fast, Cross-Browser & Without Flash Using Black Tonic
• Open Thread: Dealing With Real-Time Negativity

More Real-Time Web coverage. Don't miss the next wave of opportunity on the Web supported by real-time technology! Get ReadWriteWeb's report, The Real-Time Web and its Future.

ReadWriteStart

Our channel ReadWriteStart, sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark, is dedicated to profiling startups and entrepreneurs.

• 6 Great Approaches to Public Speaking
• 3 Social Networks For Connecting With Entrepreneurs
• Freemium is Weak, Subscription is Chic

ReadWriteEnterprise

Our channel ReadWriteEnterprise is devoted to 'enterprise 2.0' and using social software inside organizations.

• Ironic? New Google Apps Security Features For All Devices Except the Nexus One
• Facebook's HipHop: Impact on the Enterprise May Go Deep into the Code

ReadWriteCloud

Our channel ReadWriteCloud, sponsored by VMware and Intel, IS dedicated to Virtualization and Cloud Computing.

• Some Pros and Cons of a Google Tablet with a Chrome OS
• Send Help: Disaster Response From The Cloud
• Walking Among Giants: Who Wins With Virtualization?

That's a wrap for another week! Enjoy your weekend everyone.

A year ago we launched the ReadWriteWeb Guide on Community Management with the knowledge that "Community Manager" would become an increasingly popular job title. Since then, the requirements of keeping your customers engaged have become more demanding. According to one report, contests are becoming increasingly popular. ReadWriteWeb caught up with Strutta CEO Ben Pickering, to find out what businesses can do to generate more participation from their contests.

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Similar to Wildfire Apps and Meme Labs, Strutta lets you collect user-generated content and showcase it in a seamless web contest experience. Users can upload videos and photos, vote on other contest content and promote entries to their Twitter and Facebook friends.

While the site has helped create success for high profile campaigns including the Crate and Barrel Ultimate Wedding contest, UN Development Programme's photo competition and Operation Gratitude, not every contest has been successful. Pickering offers some great advice to ensure your effort doesn't go unrewarded.

1. Set Goals: Contests are a great way to engage users, get customer feedback and even drive traffic to your site. Nevertheless, it's important to be realistic with your expectations and set specific goals. Some of the factors you can take into account to measure success include earned media, email opt-ins, engagement across social networks, monthly site traffic and in some cases, direct revenue.

2. Be Relevant: It would be silly to create a car contest for a community of cyclists or a meatloaf recipe contest for a community of vegetarians. One of Pickering's most successful contests is Adorama's Picture Perfect Contest. The contest invited community members to showcase the object of their passion - their photography. Pickering also suggests the barrier-to-entry was significantly reduced as participants had multiple ways to submit their work including via an iPhone app.

3. Give Them Incentive: In addition to prizes, Pickering suggests that community managers keep in mind the importance of recognition. By opening your contest to public voting, users receive public recognition and the community becomes more active in watching the competition unfold. Additionally, because Pickering's service offers integration with Twitter and Facebook, an open competition may encourage participation from those outside of the community.

4. Offer Support: Pickering points out that video contests may require some support. He suggests community managers consider setting up a blog, Twitter account and Facebook group to help answer questions and walk users through the process. In the case of New Zealand's Your Big Break Contest entrants were expected to submit a script and a short film. Tourism New Zealand set up a Facebook group to discuss the contest and by the time it was ready to launch, hundreds of filmmakers were poised to upload their submissions.

Today has been the Day of Location-Based Reporting at ReadWriteWeb, and what better way to help you end your tedious work week than by showing you this entirely speculative infographic that's recently been making the rounds in our back channels.

Now, since the Commander in Chief has admitted to not even being a Twitter user, we can also safely assume he's not big into Foursquare, either. But what if he were? What if he had the freedom to complain about bad restaurant service, gossip about his colleagues and get a hard-earned "Bender" badge just like the rest of us? Would the maps of his checkins look something like these, perhaps?

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Featuring humorous - if fictional - anecdotes and tips from the POTUS, this graphic also blends real info about hotspots the First Family has hit up in four major U.S. cities.

Perhaps one day, we'll be able to talk Obama (or one of his predecessors) into sharing the minutiae of his nightlife with the public. How do you think the Secret Service would feel about that?

Click the image below to see the full version, and let us know what you think in the comments.

The piece was inspired by the Foursquare-integrating BlackBook Guides (iTunes link), a set of cultural guides to major cities, featuring restaurants, nightlife, travel, fashion and entertainment.