Geekbook 1.30 | An Internet and Online Media Zeitgeist

Welcome to Geekbook —  Capturing the daily buzz in social media and online marketing & design, as well as trends, news, and cultural topics that are helping shape and inform today’s readers. Subscribe here to receive Geekbook via e-mail.

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Today — Gabby Giffords testifies at gun hearing, BlackBerry releases a new smartphone, a deeper look at bloggers breaking out of traditional media, The Times announces a startup incubator, and how journalists could use Facebook’s Graph Search.

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  Christopher Gregory/The New York Times

  Newsfeed: Gabrielle Giffords addressed the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning at a hearing on gun control, pleading for the Senate to act. – The New York Times

• RIM (Blackberry) News: RIM, which as of today is known only as ‘BlackBerry’, introduced its new smartphone, the BlackBerry 10, as well as their new spokesperson, Alicia Keys. Here are some initial thoughts from the Twittersphere – GigaOm

• Media News: Mathew Ingram looks closer at Andrew Sullivan’s recent break from his traditional media role to continue his success independently, and how this may indicate or enable similar moves in other organizations. – paidContent

• NYT Launches Startup Incubator: In an effort to seek out new ways of creating, collecting, and distributing news and information, The Times is inviting early-stage startups to its headquarters for its new ‘TimeSpace’ program. – Mashable

• Facebook Graph Search for Journalists: Facebook’s new Graph Search, allowing users to mine the vast Facebook database for information, could be a valuable resource for journalists. Here’s an early overview of the new functionality and thoughts on how it come in handy. – All Facebook

“There’s so much that’s going on in social media. By just putting out tweets … that helps on the free side. But buying the paid social ads helps that much more.” –Russ Koble of Toyota USA, as quoted by Adweek

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