Speakers: why internet marketing

In preparation for the 2010 Mashable Awards Gala, we’ve been gathering content related to each of the awards categories to help you, the readers, along in the voting process. The final nominees, as voted by Mashable readers, were announced earlier this month, and voting closed on December 15. Leading up to the gala, which takes place on January 6, 2011 in Las Vegas, we have more great surprises in store for you.

If you’ve already checked out the full list of finalists and the infographic to accompany it, and you’re looking to learn more about each category and the finalists, the following resources will be of interest.

If you haven’t purchased your Mashable Awards Gala tickets yet, what are you waiting for? Do it!

Social Media

The 5 Nominees for “Best Social Media Customer Service” Are… [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> The Mashable Awards announces the five finalists in the “Best Social Media Customer Service” category, supported by BlackBerry.
“Best Social Media Customer Service” Finalists Discuss Their Success /> What makes for great social media customer service? We spoke to the Mashable Awards’ “Best Social Media Service” finalists for the inside scoop.
3 Examples of Stellar Social Media Customer Service [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> Social media customer service has become a combination of troubleshooting, engagement and building community. Some companies are better at it than others.
5 Captivating Personalities From Across the Social Web [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> Whether it was shaping the news, going viral or using the class='blippr-nobr'>Internetclass="blippr-nobr">Internet to connect with fans, several personalities stood out this year for leveraging social media in irresistible ways.
5 Big Brands That Are Rocking the Social Media Space [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> In appreciation of engagement, innovation and longevity, here are five of our top picks for must-follow brands in the social media world.
Top 7 Social Media Services for Small Business [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> While every social platform isn’t fit for all businesses, there are quite a few standout services that can be utilized throughout many industries. Here are out top picks.
5 Superior Social Media Management Tools [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> So many statuses, so little time. Here are five social media management tools that can make your life or your business engagement easier.
5 Game-Changing Social Media Marketing Campaigns [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> Every so often, you come across a marketing campaign so outrageous, it might just change everything. In light of the upcoming Mashable Awards, we’ve highlighted our favs from this year.

Startup/Company

6 Promising New Companies That Emerged in 2010 [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> It’s too early to project if any of these companies will be the next Twitter or Facebook, but as 2010 comes to a close, it’s clear that these six startups had breakout years.
5 Young Entrepreneurs to Watch [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> Here are five young entrepreneurs that are making waves in the startup world and who are poised to cause disruption in multiple markets before their careers are done.
5 Website Designs That Blew Us Away [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> A beautiful website can blow you away: Here are a few of the websites we think showcased excellent design work this year, both in terms of form and function.
Top 5 Location-Based Services [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> We’ve rounded up what we believe to be the best location-based services in a list that includes predictable names and lesser known upstarts. Check out our top five.
5 Gadgets that Broke New Ground in 2010 [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> The year hasn’t been heavily focused on creating new gadgets, but major hardware revisions has kept technology interesting in 2010.

Web

The 5 Nominees for “Best Internet Meme” Are… [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> The Mashable Awards announces the five finalists in the “Best Internet Meme” category, supported by Dynadot.
Why the 5 “Best Internet Meme” Finalists Went Viral /> What made these memes so popular in 2010? We spoke to some of their creators and other “memeologists” for the inside scoop.
5 of the Best New User Experiences of 2010/> We examine five groundbreaking new UX/UIs from 2010 and discuss how each one expands our expectations of the user experience.
5 Magnificent Memes [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> A favorite meme is a very personal thing — like a perfume, a haircut, a uniquely diagnosed neurosis.
5 Innovative Uses of an API [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> APIs make it possible for developers to use platforms like Facebook to create amazing apps. Here are five apps that are utilizing social APIs in innovative ways.
10 Memorable Viral Videos of 2010 [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> We’ve collected 10 of the most popular, most bizarre and most astounding vids of the year thus far. Which one is your favorite?
5 Experiences that Redefined Online Gaming in 2010 [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> Need to satisfy an itching trigger finger or build the next virtual empire? As part of the upcoming Mashable Awards, we’ve highlighted 5 big trends in the online gaming world.

Mobile

The 5 Nominees for “Best Mobile App” Are… [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> The Mashable Awards announces the five finalists in the “Best Mobile App” category, supported by Mobile Future.
“Best Mobile App” Finalists Discuss Inspiration and the Future /> What makes for a great mobile app? We spoke to the Mashable Awards’ “Best Mobile App” finalists for the inside scoop.
3 Magnificent Mobile Apps That Ruled 2010 [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> We use and review hundreds of mobile apps here at class='blippr-nobr'>Mashableclass="blippr-nobr">Mashable, but these three really blew us away. See why they changed the game this year.
5 Mobile User Experiences That Wowed Us in 2010 [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> In the past 12 months, the line between native apps and web applications for mobile devices has started to blur. Here is our list of five mobile user experiences we loved using in 2010.
5 Groundbreaking Mobile Games That Debuted This Year [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> Each of these games made a noteworthy contribution to the exploding mobile entertainment scene. We recommend giving them all a whirl.
5 Marvelous Mobile Apps for Music Discovery [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> When you’re spending about 65% of your time crammed into someone’s armpit on the subway, it’s all about the mobile music apps that will get you through. Here are our top picks.

Social Good

The 5 Nominees for “Most Influential Social Good Champion” Are… [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> The Mashable Awards announces the five finalists in the “Most Influential Social Good Champion” category, supported by Yahoo!.
What Makes the “Most Influential Social Good Champions” Tick? /> Social good may be an ambiguous term, but one thing is very clear – online giving needs champions to help promote, galvanize, and inspire people to join in the cause.
3 Incredible Social Good Champions [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> These three individuals and their organizations are changing the way that we think of activism.
5 Must-Follow Non-Profits Making a Difference With Social Media [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> From raising money to spreading awareness to connecting with people, social media is a boon for non-profit organizations. Here are five must-follow groups that stood out in 2010.
9 Creative Social Good Campaigns Worth Recognizing [MASHABLE AWARDS]/> Many causes have leveraged the power of social media in some incredibly creative ways. In connection with the Mashable Awards nominations, we’ve highlighted the standouts.

Let us know which categories and finalists you’re most excited about in the comments below.

The Mashable Awards Gala at Cirque du Soleil Zumanity (Vegas)

In partnership with Cirque du Soleil, The Mashable Awards Gala event will bring together the winners and nominees, the Mashable community, partners, media, the marketing community, consumer electronics and technology brands, and attendees from the 2011 International CES Convention to Las Vegas on Thursday, January 6, 2011. Together, we will celebrate the winners and the community of the Mashable Awards at the Cirque du Soleil Zumanity stage in the beautiful New York New York Hotel. The event will be hosted by comedian Baratunde Thurston, The Onion’s Director of Digital, and the remix masters, Eclectic Method, will get the crowd in a party mood. The Awards Gala will also include acts and performances from our partner Cirque du Soleil Zumanity.

Date: Thursday, January 6, 2011 (during International CES Convention week)/> Time: 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. PT/> Location: Cirque du Soleil Zumanity, New York New York Hotel, Las Vegas/> Agenda: Networking, Open Bars, Acts, Surprises and the Mashable Awards Gala presentations/> Socialize: Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook, Foursquareclass="blippr-nobr">Foursquare, Meetup, Plancast, Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter (Hashtag: #MashableAwards)

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Mashable Awards Gala Partner:

From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is now a global entertainment organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has over 5,000 employees, including more than 1,200 artists from close to 50 different countries.

Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to nearly 100 million spectators in 300 cities on five continents. In 2010 Cirque du Soleil, will present 21 shows simultaneously throughout the world, including seven in Las Vegas.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.

Mashable Awards Online Partner:

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Mashable Awards Gala Premier Partner:

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 163,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands includeFord, Lincoln and Mercury, production of which has been announced by the company to be ending in the fourth quarter of 2010. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford, please visit

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

When it was first announced that IZOD IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick would be officially making her debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the 2010 season, the internet exploded with the fans blogging about what type of impact she would have on the sport.

With many unanswered questions because of her lack of experience behind the wheel of the heavier stock car, and the fact that her Indy car career was less than stellar at best.

The fans began to take sides after they realized she was serious about her attempt to try and compete in a series, which is nowhere near the types of cars she grew up racing in.

Before long, the first of many unsupportive jabs were thrown, when Kyle Petty, who is now retired, kicked it off with this rant.

"She's not Dario Franchitti and she's not Tony Stewart. She's not really shown over there [in the Indy Racing League] and won races and done stuff over there numbers-wise,” said Petty during the Sight and Sound which marked the unofficial start of the 2010 NASCAR racing season.

Petty also added, “She's just a marketing machine. Let's look at the facts and be blunt about it. If she gets in that car and doesn't win races, it's not the car, it's not the engines and it’s not the team.”

Petty finished with, “The only impact she'll have on the sport is she wasted two or three years on a car that a good driver could have been in and could have been developing.”

Janet Guthrie, who was the first woman to reach the top level of open wheel racing and NASCAR in the 1970s, along with being a member of NASCAR’s appeal panel said, "She should stay where she is in the IndyCar Series.”

Guthrie also added, "She is in the best possible situation, and in the catbird seat with one of the few teams [Andretti Autosport] that is capable of winning."

Earnhardt Ganassi driver Juan Montoya, who made his first start in 2006 coming from the open wheel ranks said, "Danica, I think she's got the talent and everything but I don't think she knows what she's getting into."

Montoya finished with, "They're so different to drive, and it's not the same feeling. I wouldn't be doing both cars, to be honest with you, that's my advice."

The fact of the matter is, the only reason she has gotten this much publicity is because she is a high profile female trying to make it in one of the most popular motorsports today.

Not only is she a female, but because in the sex-sells society that we live in, her success that she has had in the IRL falls more on the heels of selling herself as a sex symbol than a race car driver.

You can’t blame her sponsor GoDaddy.com for coupling their marketing skills with the racy commercials to sell not only their product, but Patrick as well.

"We're thrilled to expand our long-standing relationship with Danica into NASCAR,” said GoDaddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons.

Parsons also added that, “This is not only big news for NASCAR fans; it has all the ingredients for some major GoDaddy-esque marketing magic."

Parsons thrust Patrick into the limelight with his unique marketing strategy, while just about closing the door for any female to have a chance in the series unless they are willing to follow his technique with the focus pointed at teasing members of the opposite sex.

Each fan who chose to do so shared their opinion pertaining to the success that she could have in the series, and she will continue to be scrutinized until she can prove that her career is not based off her marketing power, and more on her driving abilities in NASCAR.

Skepticism ran rampant as the season progressed, and Patrick herself made it hard for the fans to gauge if indeed she had what it took to compete at this level, since her results reflected her lack of experience.

With each passing race, we heard the watered down versions of why she might become an overnight success, with most of them based on her one victory that came in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Patrick ran a total of 13 races in 2010 without a top-five, or top-10 finish, and only finished one race on the lead lap.

With all the hype and expectations that followed her into the Nationwide series, she only lead four, and completed 2040 of the 2355 laps she ran during the year, which to most was a big accomplishment given the fact she only competed on a part-time basis.

Until Patrick makes a decision to drive full-time in the NNS, or continue her career in the IZOD IndyCar Series, she will continue to be put under a microscope of uncertainty concerning her driving abilities in NASCAR.

The consensus around the internet has gone both ways, as far as how much success she could possibly have if indeed she chose the NNS over her open wheel career, with no in-betweens.

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Tuesday, 28 December 2010

why internet marketing