matt weighs in

[Each week, usually on Monday, I'll weigh in on a topic that I feel is worth your time and might introduce you to something new. It might not always be something you have been interested in before, but hopefully what I write might convince you to take a closer look on your own.]

I was probably pretty late to the game, but I started reading Mashable in early 2009. Mashable is a blog that dubs itself a “Social Media Guide,” as you will see in their heading if you visit their web site, but they do so much more. They are one of the leading blogs on the web discussing social media, new web sites and services, and keeping readers updated on what is going on on the internet and other technologies at any given time.

I have been using Twitter and Facebook more and more over the last couple months, and whenever something doesn’t look right on either site, whether updates aren’t coming through properly or I get the dreaded “Fail Whale,” Mashable is usually my first stop to see if anything is wrong. Their writers, including founder Peter Cashmore, seem to have the ear e-mail of the top people around the web, and will let you know where things stand. They were right on top of the story earlier in November when T-Mobile’s cell phone service was out for a few hours.

One of my favorite features of the site is the “News Channel” listed right at the top of their pages. It is kind of like a pre-filled search box, in that it lists popular categories for people who might visit their site looking for information. There’s Twitter, Google, Facebook, YouTube iPhone, and more. Click on one, and it takes you to a page that displays all the stories posted on Mashable related to that topic. The Mashable team stays on top of them all, so you know you’re getting the latest information if you go searching for answers on how to use a particular service.

Other features I find useful are their “Top 5 Social Media Stories of the Week” links, their weekly guide to social media conferences or webinars, their “How To” guides for people who might just be starting out using different social media services, and since we are a Wordpress blog, I check out their List for Wordpress for information on what we might want to use on CatNamedPig. Also, since Mashable has done so well in their four years, they love to inform us of others in the online community who are doing innovative things. They do this through their weekly Spark of Genius series, where they introduce a software company who is doing things a little bit different and a little bit better than their competition. The cool thing is that the companies they spotlight are fairly new with little revenue up to that point of recognition, so Mashable gives them a big boost by mentioning them.

The last thing I will mention about Mashable that I am impressed by is their annual Open Web Awards, which just finished weeks of voting at midnight Sunday night. The awards allow internet users from around the world to vote online for their favorite innovations in web technology and, this year in particular, social media. At last count, the 50 categories we could vote in had over 408,000 nominations by over 76,000 individuals. Results should be out soon, so I’ll be waiting with baited breath to see if I won Twitter User of the Year or Best TwitPic.

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Mashable on Twitter
Mashable fan page on Facebook
Another resource to keep informed of the changing social media landscape is Sociable Blog.

I should mention that the weekly “Spark of Genius” series on Mashable is sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark, a program that gives startups access to Microsoft tools at no cost to help them build their business. I just think this is a really cool way for Microsoft to spend their billions of dollars.

Finally, just to be safe, since the (FTC) Federal Trade Commission recently passed new rules regarding disclosure of freebies or financial interests by bloggers, I should mention that I and Mashable have no relationship, and I received nothing for writing about them in this Weekly Weight. If, however, Mashable would like to have a relationship in the future, I have people they can talk to.