Did you hear that? It’s the sound of another week coming to a close. You’re probably thinking to yourself, “How will I ever get to read all of the social media tips, app reviews, and trend analyses I’ve missed?”

Well, this is the Internet — you could search and scroll your way around in the hopes of finding the resources you’re looking for. Or, you could simply take a peek below at our handy weekly guide to all that was new on the web in the last seven days.

This week’s roundup includes some social media sleuthing tips for that upcoming job interview, the innovative ways that lawyers use the social web to advance their careers, and some Apple-themed products for baby that will have you cooing uncontrollably.

Social Media

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• Top 10 Stop Motion Videos on YouTube
  The painstaking art of stop motion video is widely honored on YouTube. Here are 10 of the best animations we’ve seen.
• Top 10 YouTube News Bloopers
  Who doesn’t love a good blooper reel, especially when it comes from those suit-and-tie-serious news anchors? For a laugh, check out these 10 greats that were just too good not to find their way to the Internet.
• 5 Things the Library of Congress is Archiving Online
  You may not think of all your social media noodlings as a historical document, but that’s what the Library of Congress aims to create with its archive of the web. Check out what their huge project of capturing our time entails.
• 6 Websites for Remembering and Honoring Veterans
  Though Memorial Day has passed, it’s never a bad time to take a moment and reflect on the sacrifices of those who defend our country. These six sites are full of important stories and resources.
• How Lawyers Are Using Social Media for Real Results
  While many attorneys and firms have been cautious around new media, some have reinvented their careers through blogging, tweeting, and sharing. Here are some examples.
• 4 Social Media Efforts to Aid the Gulf Coast
  The Gulf oil spill tragedy has left many feeling powerless to help out, but pockets of non-profits are using social media tools for grassroots action. Here’s a look at their efforts.
• HOW TO: Make a Great How-To Video
  Tom Laidlaw, the CEO of the how-to video site VideoJug.com, shares some top dos and don’ts for the instructional format.
• 4 Tips for Producing Quality Web Videos
  With the explosion of web video content, it’s harder than ever to get your productions seen and heard. Here are a few tips that will help you distinguish your videos.
• How Does Facebook View the World?
  Facebook may be the first large scale Internet company to survive a bold “shoot first and ask questions later” policy when it comes to innovation. Here’s a look at what they’ve done right, and what could be improved.

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

Tech & Mobile

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• 10 Must-Have Apps for the New iPad Owner
  With the long-awaited international launch of the iPad, thousands of folks will be app hunting in the coming weeks. We’ve highlighted 10 must-haves to start you off right.
• 10 Free Android Apps to Boost Your Productivity
  Time may be money, but these absolutely free Android apps will help you save both by boosting your productivity.
• 5 Matching iPhone and iPad Cases
  Are you a fashion-forward Apple addict? Then have we got the accessories for you. Clad your favorite phone and tablet in matching garb with these swanky cases.
• 10 Adorable Apple-Themed Baby Accessories
  Prepare for cute overload! From outfits, to hats, to toy iPhones, these “iBaby” products will start your offspring on the path to Apple fandom while they’re still highly impressionable.
• 3 Key Location Trends for Moms
  As location services become more mainstream, moms are taking advantage of related discounts, utility apps, and entertainment on-the-go. Here are 3 location trends to watch.
• What the Future Holds for the Checkin
  Location-based services, while still somewhat abstract in their usefulness, offer a wealth of social engagement opportunities that have yet to be implemented. Here are a few examples.
• 7 Awesome CSS3 Techniques You Can Start Using Right Now
  From slideshows to navigation menus, here are seven of our favorite practical CSS3 techniques that you can experiment with.

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

Business

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• 5 Small Business Social Media Success Stories
  Small businesses can always learn from the success stories of others. Here are five companies that are kicking tail and taking names while staying on top of their social media efforts.
• 3 Ways to Ace Your Job Interview with Social Media
  Social media can help you gain crucial insights about the company and people you’ll be interviewing with. Here’s how you can leverage that info for a successful meeting.
• HOW TO: Organize Your Contacts for Networking Success
  Now that you’ve accumulated so many friends and followers, learn how to gather and secure all their contact information on your desktop and phone.

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

Tags: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tech, twitter, youtube

Now you’ve gone and done it. You’ve come across a list so enormous, so useful, and so awesome, our futile attempts to describe it have been lost in the tubes of cyberspace.

We’ll just say this: No matter what you’re into — Twitter, Facebook, Mobile Apps, Business Development, or good-old-fashioned YouTube hilarity — you will find it below.

So put down your barbeque, send out another huge thanks to our men and women in uniform, and limber up your scrolling finger — it’s a big one.

If you dig the uber-list, be sure to send some comments our way down below!

Social Media

• HOW TO: Disable Facebook’s “Instant Personalization” [PRIVACY]

  New menus on the Facebook home page this week took users by surprise, and left many concerned about the privacy implications of being suddenly more “connected” to their favorite sites and interests. If you’re looking for ways to opt out of these new features, this guide will show you how.

• HOW TO: Spring Clean Your Twitter Account

  An untended Twitter feed can quickly become overgrown with useless tweets and dead weight users. These great tools will help you streamline your Twitter account in no time.

• How Freelancers are Using Social Media for Real Results

  Social media can be a boon for those who make their living gig-to-gig. Sheer networking is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to landing work via the social web. We spoke to freelancers in a variety of fields to find out how they make it happen.

• 9 Essential Social News and Bookmarking Sites for Designers
  The design community is always hungry for content, inspiration, and tutorials. These nine networks are a great place to discover and share creative resources.
• 4 Ways One Non-Profit Uses Location to Increase Engagement
  The National Wildlife Federation has been getting creative with their social media awareness campaigns, particularly when it comes to location-based technologies. This post discusses some of their innovations.
• Tim Ferriss: 7 Great Principles for Dealing with Haters
  For all the personal connections and open sharing done on social networks, you’ll always find a fair share of scathing negativity. Tim Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Work Week, gave a talk at The Next Web ‘10 event in Amsterdam, and had these seven points to share on the subject.
• Gowalla CEO Talks About the Future of Social Media [INTERVIEW]
  We sat down with Josh Williams to discuss the origins of his location-based network, and what current trends in the space mean for the future.
• 5 Free Services for Pre-Scheduling Your Twitter Updates
  Whether for marketing purposes, event promotion, or just keeping your account fresh while you’re on vacation, a tweet scheduler can be a handy tool. Check out these five great ones, all of them free.
• How Twitter’s New Media Blog Aims To Teach By Example
  Twitter’s new blog highlights news organizations with smart Twitter integration in the hope of becoming a resource for the media. We spoke with Twitter about their strategies and goals.
• Top 10 LEGO Movie Tributes on YouTube
  Those stop-motion goodies are back, this time reenacting our favorite flicks in all their colorful plastic glory.
• Top 10 YouTube Cover Songs
  For better or worse, YouTube has become the ultimate repository of musical tributes. From guys in their bedrooms, to a capella cleverness, to guitar-wielding toddlers, this hand-picked list highlights some of the best around.
• 5 Ways to Support World Malaria Day Online
  The fight to end malaria in the developing world has become a rallying cause on the social web. Check out these five easy ways you can make a difference online.
• How Non-Profits are Using Social Media for Real Results
  Social media has become an essential tool for non-profits in their efforts to spread awareness and raise funds. Check out some real-world examples of how some organizations have put the social web to good use.
• Why Content Curation Is Here to Stay
  At times, content creators and content curators have been at odds. But the sheer volume of “stuff” and noise on the web has made curation essential. This post discusses the status of the curator on today’s social web.
• Social Enterprise: 5 Tips for Getting Execs on Board
  There’s no longer much question about whether corporations need to be engaged in social media, but convincing the head honchos of the value can be challenging. We spoke to some of the top names in social strategy and got some great tips on bringing the boardroom up to speed.
• How Does Twitter’s New Social Good Initiative Stack Up?
  The recent launch of Twitter’s Hope140 campaign has already done some good for important causes, but how effective is it when compared to other social awareness and fundraising campaigns? This post discusses the pros and cons of tweet-based charity.
• 5 Ways Facebook’s Open Graph Will Impact E-commerce
  Facebook’s new Open Graph technology could dramatically change how we interact with the web, especially when it comes to online shopping. These five predictions lay out what to expect from your favorite e-commerce sites in the near future.
• Top 10 Wedding Dance Videos on YouTube
  If you think you’ve seen some crazy nuptials, check out some of these dance moves, immortalized forever in the hallowed halls of YouTube.
• HOW TO: Find Long Lost Friends on Facebook
  400 million people are using Facebook. If you’re looking for someone, chances are you can find them there. Here’s how to do it.
• HOW TO: Make the Most of Your Twitter Profile Page
  There’s a lot more to Twitter than just sharing your favorite foods in 140 characters. If you’re looking to make an impression with your profile page, check out these tips.
• 5 Ways Government Works Better With Social Media
  Social media has the potential to make government more transparent and accessible. Here are five examples of how the social web can improve public services.
• 8 Tips for a Successful Social Media Cause Campaign
  Social networks can provide unprecedented reach to non-profits and their partner companies, but there are some strategies to note before diving into the next campaign. Check out these eight tips.
• 4 Tips for Integrating Social Media Into the Classroom
  Education has long faced resistance to new technologies, but social media can be a great resource in the classroom. Here are some tips on bringing it to the fore.
• Top 5 Social Media Tips for C-Suite Execs
  While your web-savvy employees may be hip to social media, getting upper management on board can be challenging. We gathered some expert advice, and lay out the value proposition in this post.
• Why the Fashion Industry Loves Foursquare
  Lifestyle brand Diesel recently launched a fairly tacit Foursquare campaign that demonstrates the great marketing potential for location-based services. This post details where they succeeded, and where they fell short.
• Why Hasn’t Location Reached the Mainstream Yet?
  Despite all the buzz about location-based services, most people don’t use them. Here are some of the reasons why, and a few predictions about the future of the trend.
• HOW TO: Turn Slacktivists into Activists with Social Media
  Non-profit Twitter and texting campaigns may be tapping thousands of new cause contributors, but is a $10 SMS really where their engagement ends? This post speaks to how non-profits can deepen that connection through social media.
• Social Media Parenting: Raising the Digital Generation
  Who are your kids friending on Facebook, and how much online time is too much? We asked the experts to weigh in on some concrete strategies for raising the first fully digital generation.
• HOW TO: Get Notified When Someone Hacks Your Facebook
  Did you know that Facebook can alert you when someone logs into your account from an unknown computer? Follow these simple profile steps to set up this important security feature.
• In Defense of Facebook
  With all the vitriol surrounding Facebook’s latest privacy gaffs, this post takes a moment to look at the people most responsible for our online privacy — ourselves.
• How Facebook Makes Edgy Concepts Mainstream
  Two years ago, the thought of sharing your location or credit card purchase history online would have seemed ridiculous. Today, it grows ever more mainstream thanks to major social networks like Facebook that make these early-adopter trends more comfortable for the average user.
• Why Twitter Needs to Do More to Save Trending Topics
  Twitter recently amended its trending topics algorithm in the hopes of producing more relevant and newsworthy results. But is this an interference in the natural development of popular topics? And is Twitter doing enough to remain a relevant source of real-time news? This post takes a hard look.
• How the U.S. Engages the World with Social Media
  You might be surprised to learn that the U.S. Department of State and many of its embassies around the world are having great success shaping America’s image abroad through social media. We spoke with some of the diplomats and officials who are making a difference through Twitter and Facebook.
• 21 Rules for Social Media Engagement
  If you’re creating a social media policy for your business, or even your personal brand, these 21 points are a surefire way to stay on track and on message in an online world full of noise.
• 5 Innovative Websites That Could Reshape the News
  While traditional journalism remains in upheaval, a handful of startups have provided a glimpse at what the future of news gathering might look like on the social web. Whether these models are sustainable remains to be seen. Check out this post for look at some of these innovators.
• 5 Essential Facebook Privacy Tips
  If you’re not cognizant of your Facebook privacy settings, you may be broadcasting things to the world (or even certain groups of friends or family) that you may not have intended. Note these important settings to ensure you stay in control of your social data.
• How Social Media is Changing Government Agencies
  Agencies around the world are finding that social media is more than a broadcast medium. Active engagement can serve the public in important ways. Here are some examples.
• EXCLUSIVE: Behind the Scenes at the “Married on MySpace” Wedding [VIDEO]
  We got an exclusive chance to go behind the scenes at the actual wedding of winning couple Dehlia and Graeham Ford-Feliz.
• TwitPic Founder Talks About the Future of Twitter Photo Sharing [VIDEO]
  TwitPic has become one of the most popular ways to share photos on Twitter. With a recent facelift and a lot of attention from prospective buyers, the company has some big plans in the works. We spoke to the founder, Noah Everett, to get his take on TwitPic’s rapid growth and future.

Business

• 10 Killer Tips for Creating a Branded YouTube Channel
  Video is the way to go for businesses on the social web. Be sure to give these rules a run-down before embarking on a branded YouTube adventure.
• 10 Dos and Don’ts for Brands on Twitter
  People expect different things from individuals and brands on Twitter, and crossing those streams could lead to a few common mistakes. Check out this list of tips to ensure your company plays by all the right rules.
• 5 iPhone Apps to Boost Productivity
  With the right apps in tow, an iPhone can be productivity powerhouse. Check out these five recommendations.
• 5 Tips for Making Your Presentations More Social
  Social media has opened up a wealth of opportunities to make business presentations more engaging. These five tips can transform your boring set of slides into a dynamic, real-time force of nature.
• What Twitter’s New Ad Model Could Mean for Small Business
  It’s easy to see the potential for large companies like Starbucks to leverage Twitter’s new advertising model, but what about small businesses? This post discusses the options.
• 5 Simple Tools for a Paperless Office
  Many small businesses are still beholden to paper for a variety of reasons, but there are some easy changes you can make to your document systems to dramatically reduce that consumption. Check out these tools and apps that can get your business moving in a greener (and cheaper) direction.
• 4 Ways Foursquare Can Improve Your Workplace
  Though mainly thought of as a location-based social game, Foursquare is showing some big internal potential for companies. Build camaraderie, enthusiasm, and knowledge among your team. This post can show you how.
• HOW TO: Cultivate Your Brand’s Super Users
  The customers who already use and love your product could be the most influential spokespeople for your brand. This post discusses how to identify these super users, and how to make the most of their passion.
• HOW TO: Make Sure You’re Tracking the Right Data
  The flood gates are open on social data, and if marketers don’t pay attention to the right things, the volume can easily get overwhelming. Here are some tips for honing in on the data the really matters to your marketing strategy.
• What Facebook’s Open Graph Means for Your Business
  Facebook’s latest big changes have big ramifications for marketers and businesses with a presence on the network and the web at large. Find out what these developments mean for your social strategy in this post.
• 10 Essential Tips for Building Your Small Biz Team
  Your business’s most important asset is your team, and hiring the right individuals can be a challenge. Check out this advice in your hunt for that new slam dunk employee.
• 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Leverage LinkedIn’s New Features
  LinkedIn’s new social feeds mean more opportunities to share and connect on the business network. Here are 5 tips for making the most of these new features.
• HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Offline Networking Events
  While online social networking is all well and good, don’t forgo an opportunity to translate your online reach into a meaningful offline connection. This post has some great pointers.
• Why Co-Working Makes Sense for Small Businesses
  Co-working is a great way for your small business to save on overhead costs while leveraging the natural synergies between your team and other professionals working out of the same space.
• 10 Must-Have BlackBerry Apps for Small Business
  The king of business mobile devices can do a lot more than just send e-mail and make calls. These 10 apps can boost your productivity, and keep you connected on the go.
• The Local Advertising War Will Be a Clash of the Internet Titans
  Google, Facebook, Twitter, Apple, and even Foursquare are on track for a cataclysmic battle for location-based advertising dollars. Here’s a look at where we stand, and what to expect.
• 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Use Tech to Save Money
  If you’re looking to trim a few dollars from this quarter’s budget, the resources you need may be starting back at you from you from this very screen. Check out these penny-pinching tech tips.
• How Venture Capitalists are Using Social Media for Real Results
  While you probably won’t learn the nitty-gritty details of a deal on Twitter, VCs and angels use social media extensively for research, promotion and other purposes. This post explores some of their strategies.
• Which Department Owns Social Media?
  Does a company’s social media presence belong to the marketing department? Customer service? Legal? We asked the experts how they categorize the versatile medium for business.
• 13 Essential Tips for Landing a Job on LinkedIn
  Are you effectively managing your LinkedIn profile? Here are 13 tips for making yourself visible and presentable on the business network.
• HOW TO: Market Your Small Business With No Budget
  The social web makes it more cost-effective than ever to get the word out about your business, no matter what industry you’re in. We spoke to the experts for their cost-cutting tips.
• 4 Tips for B2B Marketing on Facebook
  Even if you sell to other businesses, Facebook can still be a great place to engage customers and drive sales. Check out these four strategies.
• Why Your Company Needs to Embrace Social CRM
  Social media is changing the rules of customer engagement. Your company needs to understand and embrace Social CRM to meet the needs of the new social customer. This post discusses how.
• 5 Surprising Social Media Business Success Stories
  When most think of social media for business, fun, consumer-facing brands come to mind. But what about B2B and niche products? These five success stories may surprise you.
• 5 More Simple Tools for a Paperless Office
  Looking for ways to reduce your small business’ carbon footprint and operating costs? Cut your paper consumption with these five web-based services.

Mobile

• 4 Reasons the iPhone Is a (Video)Game Changer
  The iPhone has truly taken the video game world by storm, and there’s plenty yet to explore in mobile gaming. Check out this analysis of the current trends, and what they might mean for the future of the industry.
• HOW TO: Turn Your Android Phone Into a Killer MP3 Player
  If you shun the iMusic lifestyle, you can still keep all your favorite tunes at your fingertips with an Android device. This post will show you how.
• Top 10 iPhone Apps for TV Fanatics
  Whether you’re addicted to Lost, or have taken up the guilty pleasure of Gossip Girl, there are great TV tie-in apps that will keep you up to date, and tapped into some great bonus materials.
• 8 Best Android Apps for Health and Fitness
  Whether you’re looking to get in shape or stay that way, your mobile device can help. The Android Market is full of health-minded apps that can keep you on track toward physical fitness. This post reviews eight of the best.
• 10 Free iPhone Apps To Learn A New Skill In 10 Minutes
  Have you ever wanted to learn origami, CPR, or Morse Code? There are apps for those, and many more skills, so fire up your iPhone and check out this list of freebies.
• How Mobile Technology is Affecting Local News Coverage
  The news-gathering game has changed, thanks to the ubiquity of smart, multipurpose handhelds. Whether you’re using your own device to report and disseminate the news, or you’re tapping a social web of mobile updates and Twitpics for sources, the mobile-savvy journalist is out at the front of the industry.
• 7 Ways Journalists Can Use Foursquare
  While Twitter and Facebook have been established as great places to make and break news, Foursquare’s growing popularity offers some interesting location-based opportunities for journalists.
• 8 Best Android Apps for Photo Editing
  Looking to add a few tricks to your Android’s photography bag? Check out these eight apps that will have you cropping, filtering, and snazzing up those mobile snaps in no time.
• How the Next iPhone Will Improve Your Productivity
  The upcoming release of the new iPhone and its accompanying OS upgrade means a lot of important changes for power users. Here’s a breakdown of the key features.

Tech

• HOW TO: Give Your Inbox a Master Cleanse
  If your inbox is bursting with social media notifications, useless newsletters, and unsolicited messages, you’re certainly not alone. Use these tactics to bring your unread count back into a reasonable realm.
• HOW TO: Secure Your WordPress Blog
  WordPress is certainly a secure platform right out of the proverbial box, but there are always ways to protect your blog or site from the more nefarious denizens of the web. Heed these tips for more secure blogging.
• 5 Real-Time Location Trends to Watch
  The location game is heating up faster than you may think. Keep on top of things by noting these important trends, as relayed by Joe Stump, CTO of SimpleGeo, who spoke at The Next Web ‘10 event in Amsterdam.
• Why Schools are Turning to Google Apps
  The state of Oregon has made the bold move to embrace Google Apps for its entire education system. The reasons and benefits are compelling, and could open up a wealth of possibilities for schools around the country.
• 8 Ways to Repurpose Your Old Electronics
  Why toss your obsolete gadgets in the landfill when you could transform them into art, data storage, and other useful items? Here are eight suggestions for keeping your gadget habit in the green.
• 5 Quick Tips to Solicit Useful Design Feedback
  Designers can (and should) take their work very personally, but this often makes it hard to receive constructive criticism. Here are five easy ways to get the feedback you need to keep a project moving forward.
• 5 Charities for Donating Your Old Electronics
  Just because you no longer have a use for your second generation iPod doesn’t mean it should be headed for the scap heap. Take a moment to note these charities where your old gadgets can be put to new use.
• 7 Ways to Customize Your Real Life Online
  Sometimes, a startup can offer unique products that a big retailer or e-commerce outfit just can’t. These seven websites will customize all sorts of cool stuff — from shoes, to chocolate, to pet food.
• 10 Awesome Webcam Feeds From Around the World
  Live webcams offer a real-time, remote glimpse at some interesting locations. We’ve hand picked these ten great ones for your viewing pleasure.
• How Big Live Promises Big Change for Online Music Fans
  The soon-to-be-launched service Big Live aims to bring concert enthusiasts together on a social network-style platform. This post outlines some of the offerings of this ambitious project.
• NFC Technology: 6 Ways It Could Change Our Daily Lives
  Near field communication technology, which enables data to be transferred between mobile devices at close range, has been around for some time. Recently, it has been gaining traction as a practical way to shop, do business, and more. Check out these examples that could become commonplace in the near future.
• 5 Great Ways to Find Music That Suits Your Mood
  There are plenty of ways to generate a playlist based on artist, song, or genre. But what if you just need a tune-stream for a broken heart, or an energizing workout? These five web apps can do it with a few clicks.
• Why Much of Your Favorite TV Content Still Isn’t Online
  With web video consumption growing, why has TV been so reluctant to fully embrace online viewership? We spoke to researchers and TV executives for some answers.
• HOW TO: Add Facebook “Like” Buttons to Your WordPress Blog
  This post goes over several ways to implement Facebook’s “Like” buttons and other social plugins into your hosted WordPress blog or website, so that you can hook into the Facebook social graph.
• WordPress 3.0: The 5 Most Important New Features
  The official launch of WordPress 3.0 is almost here, and it packs a host of excellent new features. Peruse this list to find out what all the hubbub is about.
• 6 Free Websites for Learning and Teaching Science
  Release your inner science nerd and check out some of the web’s wonderful free resources for the pursuit of knowledge about our world. From genetics, to robots, to the infinite cosmos, these sites abound with information for students, teachers, and the just plain curious.
• 10 Awesome Vintage Video Games You Can Play Online
  We dare you not to kill some time with these fabulous classics from gaming’s golden yesteryears. Strap in and click through to start reliving your former 8-bit glory.
• 5 Tools For Integrating HTML5 Video in Your Website
  HTML5 is coming, and with it the coded potential to displace Flash as a viable medium for web video. These tools will get you rolling with the new format.
• Five Amazing App and Gadget Demos from Google I/O [VIDEO]
  Google and its partners are rolling out some amazing new products and toys in the near future. We were on the ground at the I/O conference to get a hands-on video look at some of these developments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, M-X-K

Tags: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tech, trending, twitter, youtube

You Can Opt Out Of Applications

Facebook has now introduced a button for users to opt out from the entire Facebook Platform. That means you can block all applications, games, etc. While developers will probably not be happy about this, this means users no longer have to deal with application requests, as well as spam on their wall from applications. That means the more that developers spam, the more likely users will opt-out of the Facebook Platform all together.

You Can Hide Your Friends List

One major upgrade is that users’ friends lists can now be made private. That means applications and other third-party developers will not be able to find out who your friends are. Additionally, all friends can be made private which means anybody who found your Facebook profile through Google can be prevented from finding out who your friends are. This is a major move by Facebook in terms of giving users more control.

You Can Hide Your Interests

Facebook’s interests were recently shifted to a system called “Connections”. That means those interests, which were essentially made public when the new community pages first rolled out in April, can now be made private. This is a huge win for users who suddenly found out that a large percentage of their profile

Much Information Is Still Public By Default

When users register for the site, it appears that a lot of information will still be public by default. This is different than the more private nature of the site, which Facebook started as. However, all new users will be able to customize their privacy settings and make their information more private. Facebook believes that more users want to share more information about themselves, as society becomes more transparent, and as such their default settings reflect this.

Instant Personalization Is Still Opt-Out

One of the things that Facebook may be criticized about with the new privacy settings is that the company’s “Instant Personalization” program is still opt-out, something that we revealed would be the case on Monday. While the company has stated that opting out has now become much easier, we haven’t had a chance to interact with the new privacy settings yet. Once we do, we will be sure to provide an update.

You Can Hide Information From The Past

By shifting your information to “Friends Only” you can prevent previous status updates from being made public. This is a great feature. Many users have been confused about privacy settings over the past couple years, and by making the settings work for information that was posted in the past, and in the future, users should now be clear about what is public and what isn’t.

You Should Review Your Settings

Once the new privacy settings roll out, you should immediately check your settings. This is because your settings will be saved as they currently exist. So if you have information that was made public through Facebook’s last privacy change (via the transition tool), you can now go back and make content (including status updates) that were previously made public, private.

Privacy Now Only Takes One Click

The most significant change here is that Facebook has shifted the privacy settings to only require one-click. By selecting “Everyone”, “Friends of Friends”, “Friends Only”, or “Recommended”, users can have most of their settings configured quickly. If users decide that they want to get even more granular with their settings, each aspect of their privacy can still be configured, as was the case before.

There Is Now A Single Directories Settings Page

Your Facebook information shows up in a number of directories around the web. In order to control how that information was displayed, you previously needed to visit a number of pages. All of those settings pages have been boiled down into a new privacy directory page (pictured below). This will control how (and if) people from Google, and within Facebook search are able to access you.

Settings Will Be Rolled Out Over The Next Few Weeks

Over the next few weeks, users will see the new privacy settings rolled out to via www.facebook.com/privacy. As users get used to the settings, we will be posting more comprehensive guides that explain everything. Overall, the new settings should be much easier as they only require a single click rather than configuring 50 different things. For those users what granular control, it still exists, but the redesigned privacy settings were built for the masses and that means they should be much more simple.

Check back over the coming weeks to learn more about what these new settings mean for you and your privacy and safety.

Want to keep up to date on all Facebook security and privacy information as well as news and tips? Become a fan of AllFacebook now by liking our Facebook Page below!

Sometimes flinging a virtual cupcake at a Facebook friend just isn’t enough. As you may know, Facebook has offered the option of purchasing real gifts since last summer.

A big pro here is that you don’t need to know the person’s address to send them a physical gift. And like the Twitter gifting services we recently rounded up, the service makes it easy to integrate birthday, anniversary, and holiday shopping right into your favorite social network.

Take a look at our quick how-to guide below, and if Facebook’s in-house offering doesn’t quite do it for you, check out the three alternatives we’ve also detailed.

Buy Facebook Credits

First things first: You need to get yourself some legal Facebook currency in the form of “Facebook credits.” You can purchase this virtual currency by going to the “Payments” tab in “My Account.”

Options to pay include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover or JCB credit cards, PayPal or via cell phone. At the moment, one credit equals 10 cents, so you can buy 50 for $5, 100 for $10 and 200 for $20.

Head to the Gift Shop

Once your virtual wallet is full of money, head over to the Facebook store where you are presented with the options of “Music and MP3s,” “Virtual Gifts,” “Charity,” “E-Cards,” “Sports,” and of course, “Real Gifts.”

Enter the name of the person you want to send the gift to and you can then choose from toys, flowers, candy, baked goodies from Mrs. Fields, various items of jewelery, some smaller consumer electronic items, Fandango movie tickets, and our favorite — all sorts of geeky products from ThinkGeek.

A nice touch is the ability to choose the delivery date. If you’re super organized and know your Facebook friend has a birthday coming up in the next few weeks, you can get the gifting sorted ahead of time.

If you do know the address of the person you want the item sent to, you can add it. But the system works on the basis of the giftee confirming a delivery address once they get the wall notification (with a message personalized from you) that you want to post them a present.

And that’s it folks. And by the way, if the person refuses your gift for any reason, then the order will be canceled and Facebook will refund your credits — but not your feelings.

3 Alternative Services

1. DashGift

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This Boston-based startup offers a limited service at the moment, but is certainly one to watch if they manage to sign up more partners. The premise is quite simple: You post a gift on your friend’s wall via the Facebook app. Your friend hits a link to get a DashCode and then goes to the local store/venue to redeem it for the item.

At the moment, some elements of the service are limited to the Boston area, such as SWEET cupcakes, a beer voucher for Tommy Doyle’s Bar, and Finale Desserts. But Fandango movie tickets and the $10 global giving donation are open to all users. Expansion into other local areas is planned this summer, so be sure to bookmark this app.

2. Friendgiftr

---

Friendgiftr has had no trouble signing up partners. Its social gift card service currently works with around 150 companies, many of which are major names. You can buy a gift card from any of the stores and present it to a friend on Facebook. Your friend can then either shop online with a card code, request a hard copy version to be mailed to them, or — and this bit is cunning — swap the card for one from another retailer.

So if you send someone a Lands’ End gift card, but they’re really more of an L.L. Bean kinda guy, they can do a switcheroo without you ever knowing.

3. ParcelGenie

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ParcelGenie is a fantastic resource for small, affordable and fun gifts, such as candy, buttons, key rings and the like. Via the Facebook app, you can chose a gift, select a friend to send it to, and personalize a message that will be posted on their Facebook wall, after which they need to let ParcelGenie know where to mail the item. The app cleverly displays Facebook friends’ upcoming birthdays, so you may end up sending more than you expected to.

More Facebook resources from Mashable

- 5 Essential Facebook Privacy Tips
- HOW TO: Find Long Lost Friends on Facebook
- HOW TO: Disable Facebook’s “Instant Personalization” [PRIVACY]
- 5 Tips for Creating the Perfect Profile Pic
- 5 Ways Facebook Changed Dating (For the Worse)

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, kutaytanir

Tags: DashGift, facebook, friendgiftr, Gifts, how to, List, Lists, parcelgenie

If we had to choose one word to sum up this week’s essential resources, it would have to be “business.” If you own a business, work for a business, or even give money to businesses in exchange for goods and services, you’ll want to scroll on down and take a look at how even one week’s worth of social media news has shaped your industry.

Additionally, we we still have some good old fashioned mobile app reviews, some important Facebook privacy tips, and an interesting look at the way governments and agencies are using social media to better engage. So what exactly are you waiting for? Get started!

Social Media

---

• In Defense of Facebook
  With all the vitriol surrounding Facebook’s latest privacy gaffs, this post takes a moment to look at the people most responsible for our online privacy — ourselves.
• How Facebook Makes Edgy Concepts Mainstream
  Two years ago, the thought of sharing your location or credit card purchase history online would have seemed ridiculous. Today, it grows ever more mainstream thanks to major social networks like Facebook that make these early-adopter trends more comfortable for the average user.
• Why Twitter Needs to Do More to Save Trending Topics
  Twitter recently amended its trending topics algorithm in the hopes of producing more relevant and newsworthy results. But is this an interference in the natural development of popular topics? And is Twitter doing enough to remain a relevant source of real-time news? This post takes a hard look.
• How the U.S. Engages the World with Social Media
  You might be surprised to learn that the U.S. Department of State and many of its embassies around the world are having great success shaping America’s image abroad through social media. We spoke with some of the diplomats and officials who are making a difference through Twitter and Facebook.
• 21 Rules for Social Media Engagement
  If you’re creating a social media policy for your business, or even your personal brand, these 21 points are a surefire way to stay on track and on message in an online world full of noise.
• 5 Innovative Websites That Could Reshape the News
  While traditional journalism remains in upheaval, a handful of startups have provided a glimpse at what the future of news gathering might look like on the social web. Whether these models are sustainable remains to be seen. Check out this post for look at some of these innovators.
• 5 Essential Facebook Privacy Tips
  If you’re not cognizant of your Facebook privacy settings, you may be broadcasting things to the world (or even certain groups of friends or family) that you may not have intended. Note these important settings to ensure you stay in control of your social data.
• How Social Media is Changing Government Agencies
  Agencies around the world are finding that social media is more than a broadcast medium. Active engagement can serve the public in important ways. Here are some examples.
• EXCLUSIVE: Behind the Scenes at the “Married on MySpace” Wedding [VIDEO]
  We got an exclusive chance to go behind the scenes at the actual wedding of winning couple Dehlia and Graeham Ford-Feliz.
• TwitPic Founder Talks About the Future of Twitter Photo Sharing [VIDEO]
  TwitPic has become one of the most popular ways to share photos on Twitter. With a recent facelift and a lot of attention from prospective buyers, the company has some big plans in the works. We spoke to the founder, Noah Everett, to get his take on TwitPic’s rapid growth and future.

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

Tech & Mobile

---

• 8 Best Android Apps for Photo Editing
  Looking to add a few tricks to your Android’s photography bag? Check out these eight apps that will have you cropping, filtering, and snazzing up those mobile snaps in no time.
• 10 Awesome Vintage Video Games You Can Play Online
  We dare you not to kill some time with these fabulous classics from gaming’s golden yesteryears. Strap in and click through to start reliving your former 8-bit glory.
• 5 Tools For Integrating HTML5 Video in Your Website
  HTML5 is coming, and with it the coded potential to displace Flash as a viable medium for web video. These tools will get you rolling with the new format.
• Five Amazing App and Gadget Demos from Google I/O [VIDEO]
  Google and its partners are rolling out some amazing new products and toys in the near future. We were on the ground at the I/O conference to get a hands-on video look at some of these developments.
• How the Next iPhone Will Improve Your Productivity
  The upcoming release of the new iPhone and its accompanying OS upgrade means a lot of important changes for power users. Here’s a breakdown of the key features.

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

Business

---

• 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Use Tech to Save Money
  If you’re looking to trim a few dollars from this quarter’s budget, the resources you need may be starting back at you from you from this very screen. Check out these penny-pinching tech tips.
• How Venture Capitalists are Using Social Media for Real Results
  While you probably won’t learn the nitty-gritty details of a deal on Twitter, VCs and angels use social media extensively for research, promotion and other purposes. This post explores some of their strategies.
• Which Department Owns Social Media?
  Does a company’s social media presence belong to the marketing department? Customer service? Legal? We asked the experts how they categorize the versatile medium for business.
• 13 Essential Tips for Landing a Job on LinkedIn
  Are you effectively managing your LinkedIn profile? Here are 13 tips for making yourself visible and presentable on the business network.
• HOW TO: Market Your Small Business With No Budget
  The social web makes it more cost-effective than ever to get the word out about your business, no matter what industry you’re in. We spoke to the experts for their cost-cutting tips.
• 4 Tips for B2B Marketing on Facebook
  Even if you sell to other businesses, Facebook can still be a great place to engage customers and drive sales. Check out these four strategies.
• Why Your Company Needs to Embrace Social CRM
  Social media is changing the rules of customer engagement. Your company needs to understand and embrace Social CRM to meet the needs of the new social customer. This post discusses how.
• 5 Surprising Social Media Business Success Stories
  When most think of social media for business, fun, consumer-facing brands come to mind. But what about B2B and niche products? These five success stories may surprise you.
• 5 More Simple Tools for a Paperless Office
  Looking for ways to reduce your small business’ carbon footprint and operating costs? Cut your paper consumption with these five web-based services.

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

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, IlexImage

Tags: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tech, trending, twitter, youtube

Rick Burnes leads the content production team at HubSpot, a marketing software firm that produces the Inbound Marketing Blog and Inbound Marketing University.

Chances are, most of the businesses you interact with as a consumer are on social media. Your local restaurant is blogging, your grocery store is on Twitter — even your favorite candy is on Facebook. Companies in mainstream, consumer-facing industries are all over social media.

But how about other businesses? Manufacturers? B2B service providers? Equine dentists? Are they experimenting with social media?

You bet. Here are five examples, all at different stages of their experiments, and all indicating the breadth of business use of social media. 

1. Equine Dentist Builds Relationships With Facebook

How do you turn a regional service business into an international destination for industry thought leadership?

Facebook.

At least that’s what worked for Geoff Tucker, an equine dentist based in Palm City, FL.

In a business driven by relationships, Geoff says that Facebook allows him to build new ones. “People do business with people who they’re friends with. Period,” he says. “And Facebook is a great way to get to know people. It allows people to see that I’m a person.”

As he builds these relationships using social media, Geoff is also expanding his company’s reach. He says it was his blog, his Twitter feed, and his Facebook account that helped him win appearances on Horse Talk Radio and HorseGirl.tv.

So what’s this done for his business? Geoff says that over the last year, Facebook alone has generated about 100 leads and 10-to-15 customers.

2. Steel Building Manufacturer Taps New Verticals

As a manufacturer of prefabricated steel buildings, SteelMaster was initially hesitant to get involved in social media.

“It’s steel buildings,” explains Michelle Wickum, director of marketing for the Norfolk, VA company. “How is that going to tie to Facebook? It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but when we looked at the growth in Facebook and social media, we felt we had to get our arms around it.”

About a year ago, SteelMaster put its first toe into the social media water. The company discovered two important applications for their business. First, they found that Facebook is an excellent way to post pictures of customers’ steel buildings. Not only do the pictures engage existing customers — they also demonstrate to prospective customers the range of uses for SteelMaster buildings. “Photography for us is the hook,” Michelle explains.

Perhaps more importantly, SteelMaster found that social networks like Twitter and Facebook gives it exposure to and create demand in specific verticals where it previously had little traction. Chicken farmers and woodworkers don’t typically think to use steel buildings, but when friends and colleagues share pictures of their SteelMaster buildings on Twitter and Facebook, the farmers and woodworkers become interested.

3. Full Social Media Integration for Marketing Paint

Idea Paint is a Boston-area startup that sells paint that turns surfaces into dry-erase boards. The company uses social media throughout its sales and marketing process.

The company blog, where employees publish videos, images and stories of product installations, is the hub of Idea Paint’s social media activity. The company uses Twitter and Facebook to share content published on the blog — then to listen to, respond to, and interact with the community that content engages.

Marcus Wilson, Idea Paint’s head of marketing, says this system gives the company a level of customer intimacy and global reach and that was unheard of 10 years ago.

What’s this mean in terms of business results? Social media is now one of Idea Paint’s largest sources of leads and traffic — and it is growing steadily. Meanwhile, the company’s Twitter and Facebook reach grew 70% in Q1 2010, and is expected to grow an order of magnitude in Q2.

Idea Paint produced this video on their social media strategy, exclusively for Mashable readers:

4. Integrating Twitter Into the Paper Selling Process

One year ago, the marketing team at Neenah Paper, a manufacturer of high-quality paper products, confronted a growing problem: It was becoming harder and harder to reach new potential customers. Their traditional channels — phone conversations and in-person meetings — were not working as well. Prospects were tuning them out.

Jamie Saunders, Neenah’s marketing communications manager, noted that most of the company’s potential customers — designers, graphic artists and printers — were spending their time in front of their computers, and that social media could be a way to better engage them.

So Neenah took a step into the social media world. While the experiment started with Neenah’s marketing team, its sales team was one of the biggest beneficiaries. They discovered they could do prospecting and nurturing via Twitter. Today the company has 10 sales representatives across the country using their personal Twitter accounts on behalf of Neenah to close new business.  

Jamie says these sales reps are finding that social media is simply a more effective way of engaging with their prospects. “It’s an invitation to have a conversation. You’re getting permission to have a conversation — a conversation that used to happen in person.”

5. Leading the Online Aviation Maintenance Discussion

In November 2008, a handful of auto executives flew their private planes to Washington, DC to testify before Congress in support of federal aid for their industry. This perception of corporate excess created an outcry, and the private aviation industry’s image was damaged.

At that time, aircraft maintenance and support company Duncan Aviation had just started using social media. The company discovered that the new medium could be a way to positively shape the conversation — to add its perspective and improve the industry’s damaged reputation.

Beth Humble, now Duncan’s social media lead, explains that while social media is an important part of Duncan’s strategy, the company doesn’t aspire to create a Comcast- or Coke-like presence on the social web. Instead, the goal is simply to influence the right people.

“There are a lot of industry people that we network with that are on Twitter: Journalists, other aviation bloggers, and industry and media outlets,” Beth explains. “If you connect with the right few people, you can really get in there and connect with thousands of people.”

More business resources from Mashable:

- HOW TO: Market Your Small Business With No Budget
- 13 Essential Tips for Landing a Job on LinkedIn
- How Venture Capitalists are Using Social Media for Real Results
- Why Co-Working Makes Sense for Small Businesses
- What Facebook’s Open Graph Means for Your Business

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, FANDER09

Tags: business, facebook, List, Lists, small business, social media, social media marketing, trending, twitter

Leyl Master Black is a Managing Director at Sparkpr, one of the world’s top independent PR agencies. Leyl has more than 15 years experience driving high-impact communications programs for emerging technology companies.

A couple of months ago, we talked about ways to engage your fan base on Facebook. Several readers asked how B2B companies could take advantage of the tips we shared, and I know that some organizations are still wondering if it even makes sense to try to reach a business audience on Facebook.

In my view, Facebook presents a unique opportunity to connect with and educate your target market in a way that your website and even your blog can’t match. The trick is coming up with meaningful content that people will want to share, and that brings them back again and again.

Here are some tips for creating a powerful presence on Facebook that will engage a business audience.

1. Become an Industry Resource

Whatever business you’re in, chances are that you’re keeping up with industry news and maybe even writing about it on your blog. You’re likely running educational webinars or speaking at industry conferences. You’re also engaging with customers, helping to solve their business problems and maybe even documenting the process with case studies. This means that you probably already have a large number of resources to share. Why not funnel this content onto Facebook and make your Page the go-to place for insights and information on your particular industry?

A good example of this approach is 360i, an award-winning digital marketing agency. Tapping the deep expertise of its team, 360i keeps its Facebook Page updated with industry insights on topics that matter to the brand marketing audience, such as how businesses are taking advantage of Google Places or new trends with Foursquare.

The 360i team showcases industry research and reviews cool new technologies that marketers can use in their programs. They post a weekly summary of all the important industry news, and provide readers with astute commentary that puts the news into context. In short, they’ve positioned themselves as experts in digital marketing and become a valuable resource for their target audience on Facebook.

2. Engage the Community

In the past, your customers may have had little interaction with each other, and the outside world could only see a list of customers on your website (if you put them there). As a marketer, you wouldn’t know what all your customers were doing with your products, or even how to reach them.

Now, you can use Facebook to engage directly with your customers and make them part of your marketing efforts. For example, you can ask customers to share their successes on your wall and get feedback on new product features. You can encourage them to recognize great service people and reward them for their input with a discount or other promotion. You can also solicit customer references for case studies and media opportunities and find out who’s doing something innovative with your product.

BigCommerce, a company that offers e-commerce shopping cart software, routinely reaches out to its Facebook fan base to identify reference customers and uncover interesting use cases for the media. For example, when the company wanted to promote the success of its recently launched Facebook shopping application, they simply posted a query on their page asking which customers had seen a boost in sales from the application and who would be willing to talk to the media. Within 24 hours, the company had generated fifteen new customer references and were able to immediately turn this information into media coverage.

3. Expand Beyond Your Wall

There are now a host of different applications for Facebook that let you do more than post on your wall. If you’re selling B2B products online, you can set up a shopping tab on your page to drive traffic to your e-commerce site and encourage viral sharing of your products. Get Satisfaction, a popular social CRM and customer support platform, recently launched a Facebook version of its application so your customers can ask questions and get support right on your Facebook Page.

You can also set up a promotions tab using Fan Appz to offer special deals to your Facebook fans and even use these deals to support lead generation programs. For example, if you sell software licenses, you could offer a 20% discount on the annual fee for people who enter the promotion code at an upcoming webinar or bring the coupon to your booth at a conference.

4. Lighten Up

While many of us use Facebook in our day-to-day business, the vast majority are usually there to have fun and engage with friends. So no matter how serious your product is, inject some humor and levity into your page.

For example, if you’re selling enterprise security software, why not do a poll where people rate the most evil tech baddies in films like Hackers and The Terminator? If you’re a marketing agency, you could do a “Which Mad Men Character Are You?” quiz that assigns users an identity based on their answers, which can then be shared with their friends. Just keep it relevant to your industry and safe-for-work.

And even if your website needs to stay “all business,” Facebook is where you can give a face and personality to the company. You could do an “employee of the month” feature on the page where you profile someone who’s making a big difference at the company or who achieved a significant milestone. Include photos or even a short video.

You can highlight what the company or employees are doing in the community or in support of a particular cause, which has the added benefit of putting the weight of your fan base behind these efforts. You can also consider posting behind-the-scenes photos of engineers hard at work on the next product release, or a smiling customer service rep on the phone with a client. All of these ideas will help your fans make a stronger and more personal connection with your company.

These are just a few examples of how companies can use Facebook to engage with B2B customers, and I’m sure there are many more out there. If you’re using Facebook to market to other businesses, I’d love to hear what else has worked for you!

More business resources from Mashable:

- 10 Essential Social Media Tools for B2B Marketers
- 13 Essential Social Media Lessons for B2B Marketers from the Masters
- How Venture Capitalists are Using Social Media for Real Results
- Why Co-Working Makes Sense for Small Businesses
- What Facebook’s Open Graph Means for Your Business

Tags: b2b, business, facebook, List, Lists, MARKETING, small business, social media marketing

Leyl Master Black is a Managing Director at Sparkpr, one of the world’s top independent PR agencies. Leyl has more than 15 years experience driving high-impact communications programs for emerging technology companies.

A couple of months ago, we talked about ways to engage your fan base on Facebook. Several readers asked how B2B companies could take advantage of the tips we shared, and I know that some organizations are still wondering if it even makes sense to try to reach a business audience on Facebook.

In my view, Facebook presents a unique opportunity to connect with and educate your target market in a way that your website and even your blog can’t match. The trick is coming up with meaningful content that people will want to share, and that brings them back again and again.

Here are some tips for creating a powerful presence on Facebook that will engage a business audience.

1. Become an Industry Resource

Whatever business you’re in, chances are that you’re keeping up with industry news and maybe even writing about it on your blog. You’re likely running educational webinars or speaking at industry conferences. You’re also engaging with customers, helping to solve their business problems and maybe even documenting the process with case studies. This means that you probably already have a large number of resources to share. Why not funnel this content onto Facebook and make your Page the go-to place for insights and information on your particular industry?

A good example of this approach is 360i, an award-winning digital marketing agency. Tapping the deep expertise of its team, 360i keeps its Facebook Page updated with industry insights on topics that matter to the brand marketing audience, such as how businesses are taking advantage of Google Places or new trends with Foursquare.

The 360i team showcases industry research and reviews cool new technologies that marketers can use in their programs. They post a weekly summary of all the important industry news, and provide readers with astute commentary that puts the news into context. In short, they’ve positioned themselves as experts in digital marketing and become a valuable resource for their target audience on Facebook.

2. Engage the Community

In the past, your customers may have had little interaction with each other, and the outside world could only see a list of customers on your website (if you put them there). As a marketer, you wouldn’t know what all your customers were doing with your products, or even how to reach them.

Now, you can use Facebook to engage directly with your customers and make them part of your marketing efforts. For example, you can ask customers to share their successes on your wall and get feedback on new product features. You can encourage them to recognize great service people and reward them for their input with a discount or other promotion. You can also solicit customer references for case studies and media opportunities and find out who’s doing something innovative with your product.

BigCommerce, a company that offers e-commerce shopping cart software, routinely reaches out to its Facebook fan base to identify reference customers and uncover interesting use cases for the media. For example, when the company wanted to promote the success of its recently launched Facebook shopping application, they simply posted a query on their page asking which customers had seen a boost in sales from the application and who would be willing to talk to the media. Within 24 hours, the company had generated fifteen new customer references and were able to immediately turn this information into media coverage.

3. Expand Beyond Your Wall

There are now a host of different applications for Facebook that let you do more than post on your wall. If you’re selling B2B products online, you can set up a shopping tab on your page to drive traffic to your e-commerce site and encourage viral sharing of your products. Get Satisfaction, a popular social CRM and customer support platform, recently launched a Facebook version of its application so your customers can ask questions and get support right on your Facebook Page.

You can also set up a promotions tab using Fan Appz to offer special deals to your Facebook fans and even use these deals to support lead generation programs. For example, if you sell software licenses, you could offer a 20% discount on the annual fee for people who enter the promotion code at an upcoming webinar or bring the coupon to your booth at a conference.

4. Lighten Up

While many of us use Facebook in our day-to-day business, the vast majority are usually there to have fun and engage with friends. So no matter how serious your product is, inject some humor and levity into your page.

For example, if you’re selling enterprise security software, why not do a poll where people rate the most evil tech baddies in films like Hackers and The Terminator? If you’re a marketing agency, you could do a “Which Mad Men Character Are You?” quiz that assigns users an identity based on their answers, which can then be shared with their friends. Just keep it relevant to your industry and safe-for-work.

And even if your website needs to stay “all business,” Facebook is where you can give a face and personality to the company. You could do an “employee of the month” feature on the page where you profile someone who’s making a big difference at the company or who achieved a significant milestone. Include photos or even a short video.

You can highlight what the company or employees are doing in the community or in support of a particular cause, which has the added benefit of putting the weight of your fan base behind these efforts. You can also consider posting behind-the-scenes photos of engineers hard at work on the next product release, or a smiling customer service rep on the phone with a client. All of these ideas will help your fans make a stronger and more personal connection with your company.

These are just a few examples of how companies can use Facebook to engage with B2B customers, and I’m sure there are many more out there. If you’re using Facebook to market to other businesses, I’d love to hear what else has worked for you!

More business resources from Mashable:

- 10 Essential Social Media Tools for B2B Marketers
- 13 Essential Social Media Lessons for B2B Marketers from the Masters
- How Venture Capitalists are Using Social Media for Real Results
- Why Co-Working Makes Sense for Small Businesses
- What Facebook’s Open Graph Means for Your Business

Tags: b2b, business, facebook, List, Lists, MARKETING, small business, social media marketing

Adam Rosenberg is the Online Community Manager at Salsa Labs. Most recently, he was the New Media Manager at the Center for Democracy & Technology where his work focused on Internet privacy, data protection, cybersecurity and open government issues.

The latest changes to Facebook have seen their fair share of criticism, with many users examining more closely the definition of “public vs. private.” Some users have been turned off enough by Facebook’s envelope pushing when it comes to privacy to go so far as to contemplate a mass Facebook exodus.

Whether or not the changes become the final blow to Facebook’s tenuous relationship with privacy remains to be seen. However, protecting your privacy is important on any social network, so while you’re still on Facebook, here are a few important privacy tips to keep in mind as you navigate the site’s newest incarnation.

1. Lists: Learn to Love ‘Em

The list function seems to be one of the most underrated privacy tools on Facebook. All privacy snafus aside, the past year has seen Facebook improve the granularity of privacy control settings by leaps and bounds. Users often forget that the tiny dial in the lower-right corner next to each post they share gives them an option to make that item visible to “Everyone,” “Friends Only,” or even particular lists.

It’s important to know that “Everyone” doesn’t just mean all Facebook users anymore. According to Facebook’s own website, it means the entire Internet. This is a good thing to keep in mind if you select “Everyone” as a share setting for a post. A search for the term “soo drunk” with Facebook’s “Posts by Everyone” option reveals some openly available results that were probably not intended for public consumption.

Lists can be extremely valuable for both privacy advocates and marketing professionals. The privacy cautious may want to use lists to restrict co-workers or professional contacts from knowing their relationship status, favorite movies, political views, etc. The marketer can use lists as a way to keep groups aware of products, announcements and events. And with “likes” now a very open cluster of data on the web, the list function is a more important privacy feature than ever.

To create and edit lists:

• Go to Account
• Click Edit Friends
• Click Create New List (or Edit List if it’s for an existing list)
• Add friends to this list

To use lists:

• Go to Account
• Click Privacy Settings
• Click Personal Information and Posts
• Select different areas and click Customize

You can also use lists on every post and update you make on your profile. Just look for the “lock” symbol and follow the “customize” directions above.

2. When in Doubt, Just Log Out

While the ability to “Preview My Profile” can be used to find out what specific people in your network can see, it still doesn’t give you the full picture of what the general public will find when they come to your page.

Sharing personal information with friends is one thing, but it’s important to be aware of the content you present to the world from Facebook. A great way to check this is simply to log out of your profile, refresh your browser, and then visit your Facebook page. If you see something there that you don’t want available to the public, go back in and make the change.

Another option is to completely remove your profile’s visibility outside of Facebook. To do this, simply:

• Click Account
• Click Privacy Settings
• Click Search
• Uncheck the Public Search Results option
• This makes your profile invisible to non-Facebook users.

3. Audit Your “Likes”

Many Facebook users are eager to “Like” (previously, “Become a Fan Of”) many brands, causes, entertainers, etc. But the recent privacy changes have shined a brighter spotlight on the issue of “oversharing” information through social networks.

Unfortunately, the pages you “Like” cannot be masked through Facebook’s privacy settings, so anyone who has access to your profile can see them, and consequently make assumptions about your personality. While it may not be a big deal for people to see that I “Like” my employer’s Fan Page, or my favorite band, there may be things in your fan history that you’ve forgotten about — things you may or may not want the world to associate you with.

To combat this, it’s a good idea to edit your “Likes.” The easiest way is to do the following:

• Click Account
• Click Edit Friends
• Click Pages on the left-hand column (remember, this includes pages for things in your activities, music, and movies sections of your profile, in addition to anything you’ve “liked”)
• Go through this list and ask yourself, “Do I want this to be public?”
• Then ask yourself, “If I want it public, would I be comfortable with strangers networking with me through these channels?”
• If something doesn’t meet your criteria, click Remove Connection (click the X).

4. Spring Clean Your Third-Party Applications

One of the big changes to Facebook is the “Instant Personalization” feature, which allows several sites, including Microsoft’s docs.com, Yelp, and Pandora, to automatically connect to your feed by default.

Facebook has allowed these trusted partners access to your profile information in an effort to “create a better user experience.” Those who aren’t interested in these auto-connections, or who have privacy concerns, are required to manually opt out — and it’s not a very straightforward process. Here’s how to do it:

• Click Account
• Click Privacy Settings
• Click Applications and Websites
• Click Instant Personalization Pilot Program

While opting out will stop the flow of information to these partner sites, your Facebook friends who use them may still share information about you, unless you block the application altogether. To do that, you’ll need to visit the application pages for Docs, Yelp, and Pandora and click “block application.” It’s probably a good idea to login to your accounts on these sites to make sure you have opted out on that end as well.

Facebook organizes your applications in categories so you can easily see which ones have been granted access to your profile information. The trouble is, they also make it difficult to simply find a list of “all” applications that you can manage in one place. If you only do an audit on one “section” of applications, make it the “authorized” section, as these apps have access to more data and information than others.

It’s not that connecting to these sites through Facebook is necessarily a bad thing. It’s just important to understand how your information is being shared, and make the decision yourself about how much you want to put out there.

5. Control What Friends Can Share About You Through Applications

In December 2009, Facebook introduced a new privacy setting to control what information could be shared with friends through applications. This is a key privacy feature because it relates to not just information you post on your profile, but what your friends could offer up about you to an application or website they are using through Facebook.

For example, your friend might use the “Give a Dog” application, which can access information you have made public including your name, gender, birthday, photos, videos, etc. Your information is used and collected by the app developer, even though you were not the one to actively share it.

To manage these settings:

• Go to Account
• Click Privacy Settings
• Click Applications and Websites
• Uncheck everything you don’t want applications to share without you knowing
• Click Save Changes (Note that most Facebook settings pages will auto-save for you, but application privacy settings require this extra step)

This somewhat confusing section is really just asking you what information you want collected and shared by third-party applications using your friends’ profiles as a conduit. It will not affect how much your friends can see on your profile. If you want to be in control of all of your data, we advise that you uncheck all the boxes here.

What other privacy settings have you found useful or important on the “new” Facebook? Be sure to share them in the comments.

More Facebook resources from Mashable:

- Facebook Open Graph: What it Means for Privacy
- HOW TO: Disable Facebook’s “Instant Personalization” [PRIVACY]
- HOW TO: Find Long Lost Friends on Facebook
- HOW TO: Add Facebook “Like” Buttons to Your WordPress Blog
- What Facebook’s Open Graph Means for Your Business

Tags: facebook, List, Lists, privacy, social media, trending

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

It goes without saying that small business owners are always looking for ways to save money. And technology is a great way to do just that.

By its very nature, technology is intended to make complicated things simple and expensive things affordable. Think about sending a bill to a customer; back in the day, it took paper, correction fluid, a stamp and a trip to the mailbox to accomplish this task. These days, it can be as quick and cheap as sending an e-mail.

Here are five easy ways small businesses can save money using technology.

1. Go Paperless

Invoicing, accounting, HR and other business processes are complicated enough without mounds of paper stuffed into alphabetized files. The more paper you keep, the more work-hours you spend tracking that paper down. In most cases, it’s possible to go entirely paperless with the majority of your record-keeping while simultaneously making your data easier to organize, store and link when needed.

A paper-free system is not only more green; it’s also a huge time-saver for you and your staff, and it will save you more than a few expensive trips to the office supply store. We estimate that more than a few of your customers will appreciate the change, too.

2. Go Distributed

You can use technologies such as IM clients, VOIP calls, video chats, project management software and in-the-cloud document storage to get a lot done from remote locations. In the short term, this can save you overhead (and earn you major brownie points with your staff) if you let folks work from home on Fridays; it can also ease the pain of sick days and vacation time when urgent tasks pop up. In the long term, being able to have employees work remotely can allow you to hire offsite workers; one thing we’ve learned about Gen X and Millennial employees it that many of them are willing to take a lower salary in exchange for the ability to work from home. In cases such as this, you save on both salary and capital expenses.

3. Go Open Source

Free and open-source software (FOSS) can be far and away less expensive to obtain and maintain for a small business owner. For example, you could spend hundreds on programs like QuickBooks, Microsoft Word and Photoshop, or you could get GnuCash, OpenOffice and GIMP absolutely free of charge. The interfaces are generally of great quality, and will contain all or most of the familiar tools you’re used to using in industry-standard, professional software. In all likelihood, your clients will never know the difference, and you’ll save hundreds or even thousands of dollars in software licensing fees.

4. Go Beta

“Beta” has come to have different meanings for different kinds of software; essentially, the term means you’re working with a not-quite-there-yet product. Oftentimes, these beta products are actually quite polished — some even have fewer bugs than what you see in major proprietary software releases! If you get onboard with an early-stage software company, you might get to use their software for free while they work out the kinks.

If you hear of a new company doing work that would directly benefit your business, get in touch with them and ask to be a beta tester. Keep in mind, though: There likely will be kinks, so be prepared and back up any essential data. If you’re not “beta friendly,” this might not be the best option for you.

5. Go Social

Guess how much it costs to create a Facebook Page or Twitter account to promote your business within your local community or to your target audience? Nada. Don’t let the “social media experts” convince you that there’s some big mystery to marketing on the web. If your customers are online, be present there, too, and see what happens. Read up on social media marketing on blogs, and keep an eye out for industry experts.

Most of all, listen to what your customers are saying about you online to figure out how you can serve them better and increase your own revenues. Free tools for social media monitoring and marketing abound, and it’s up to you to use them. Many small businesses have cut marketing back to social media alone and have seen substantial returns from focusing their efforts on a medium that truly works.

Whatever you do, though, don’t adopt a new bit of technology that will increase the number of steps your team has to take to accomplish a simple task. Organization is good, but process overkill is very bad, indeed.

If you’ve got tips to share or ways you’ve used technology to cut work hours and save money, be sure to let us know about them in the comments.

More business resources from Mashable:

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- 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Leverage LinkedIn’s New Features
- How One Small Biz Turned Their Company Retreat Into Social Media Success
- Growing Your Business: 5 Tips From the Founder of Foursquare
- 5 Simple Tools for a Paperless Office
- HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Pgiam

Tags: business, facebook, List, Lists, money, open source, OpenOffice, paperless, save money, small business, social media, tech, twitter