I swear this must be the Year of the Awkward Non-Asked-For-Alternative-User-Interface! Google just came out with Google Reader Play – an alternative view for Google reader that allows you to flip through all of the top news you might be interested in. As you star articles, it will get smarter and suggest more articles you might like! Wait a minute… I said “flip” – there already IS something like this! It’s called Google FastFlip! Oy vey! Anyway, any new feature is exciting and shiny and new.

Here’s a screenshot:

Last week, I released a full list of Foursquare badges – something that was difficult to find before. But now, it seems, that list isn’t complete enough!

Through an apparent glitch in the Foursquaresystem,  FoursquareBadg.es have found a whole bunch of new Foursquare badges that seem to be specifically targeted at SXSW. Either that, or they’re making their debut there. Wish I could conquer all of these, but i’ll be in Israel during SXSW! Israel is the less South by Southwest than anyone can ever be! I also want to thank Varcon for pointing this out to me!

Anyway, here are the fantabulous new Foursquare badges!

This is the Groupie Foursquare badge. It appears to be related to checking-in to the same places as Foursquare team members (e.g. Naveen or Dennis).

This is the Early Adopter Badge. Awarded for checking into SXSW 2009 & SXSW 2010.

The Austin Explorer badge is given to anyone who checks in 5 times in Austin locations.

Panel Nerd: Three days at the Convention Center before noon (unconfirmed)

Tartantino Badge is awarded to anyone checkin-in at SXSW film screenings.

Swimmies is not yet confirmed. Mysterious one, this Swimmies badge!

Super Swarm! Check-in to a single location with 249+ others

Name Dropper Badge: It appears to be related to “shouting” about celeb-spottings.

Hookup Badge: Appears to be checking into lots of hotels. How this differs from the Slut Badge, I don’t know…

This, my friends, is the infamous Hangover Badge. Appears to be checking-in late one night and then early the next day.

Far Far Away badge (look familiar?) Appears to be checking in far from core SXSW area.

Porky. For checking in at BBQ places!

Karaoke RV Badge: Checking in at the Karaoke RV.

Survivor Badge: Checking into Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at the end of or a few days after SXSW.

Earlier tonight, Google announced their opening up of the Google Apps Marketplace to the public. This way, developers can create integrations for Google Apps as well as new applications for businesses to use. The concept behind the marketplace is, of course, that the developers can then sell the services to companies at a fair price. And they definitely are! Many of the services are not cheap by any means.

Anyway, the fallout of this announcement is the release of at least five other integrations made available by well-known companies. They’ve clearly been waiting for the announcement by Google!

GetSatisfaction have announced that they will be integrating Google Apps into their already robust collaboration tools. As GetSatisfaction CEO Wendy Lea said: “Now our customers can take full advantage of their existing Google Apps document-sharing practices to better leverage conversational data throughout all levels of the organization.”

Electronic fax company eFax have announced that they, too, will be integrating their service with Google Apps to allow domain admins to control eFax accounts and permissions directly from Google Apps!

Corporate Collaboration company SuccessFactors have launched their Google Apps integration as an Express version of their tool.

Two other examples of companies that have announced their Google Apps are expense-tracking companies Expensify, and Concur.

This should make for an interesting experiment. Will companies use the Marketplace to buy these products? Will they see the value in it? Are enough domain administrators using Google Apps to justify a critical mass that would render the Google Marketplace a success?

Twitter has been making changes to keep up with the very lingo that has been created around the microblogging service. The word “tweet” was already introduced into the user interface by the tweet-count changing from Updates to Tweets.

Today, Twitter has changed the button that used to say “Update” into “Tweet.” The change officially removes any mention of the 140 character posts as “updates,” and the full integration of the word “Tweet” into Twitter’s user interface.

I know it’s a minor cosmetic change, but it’s a very central location for something to change in. The change startled me when I was about to press the button! I was just so used to seeing “Update” and now it said “Tweet!” It’s a great change, but it’s just force of habit, I guess – to see the “update” button there.

Here’s a screenshot of the old Twitter Update box:

And here is the screenshot of the new “Tweet” Button:

In their announcement of their SXSW plans, Hootsuite announced their integration of location-based juggernaut Foursquare, as well as faux-social-network-turned-music-self-promotion-clusterf*** Myspace!

This, no doubt, is not a coincidental timing considering the huge amount of checkins expected at SXSW this year. The location-based service also gives special badges for specific events.

The integration of MySpace probably didn’t happen because of the slowing traffic to it, it’s non-linear layout (that makes it different to capture feeds,) and the overwhelming majority of under-15-year-olds on the site. It may have missed the social media mobile power-user demographic by a decade.

Anyway – good news all around!

Also, here’s a blurb about what Hootsuite have planned for SXSW:

Are you headed to Austin for the massive interactive media, film, and music conference? Track us down to get your hands on some collectible cultural swag. We’re also hosting Hoot-ups, giving demos and exploring the streets with the Owl in tow. Find us via the #hootsxsw hashtag plus this handy SXSW Twitter list.

You don’t have to be on the ground in Texas to enjoy the fun – just add Foursquare and MySpace to your HootSuite social networks and learn locals-only tips and/or find where your favorite band is playing next – right from your beloved dashboard.

That ain’t all – Marketing and stats enthusiasts take note that the custom URL parameters tool was enhanced in this release along with a batch of bug fixes and performance enhancements. Learn more about this release on the HootSuite blog.

You know, I hear so many people trying to figure out how to get certain badges on Foursquare, and looking for a list of all of the badges on Foursquare. So after much much research, I actually found an awesome list with a pretty up-to-date full list of Foursquare badges! Check it out below!

An earlier version had a PDF from Scribd – but I found the original source was none other than Tony Felice’s blog – it was in English, and it was in HTML format! Thanks, Tony!

For the record – I wasn’t sure if publishing this was a good idea – or if it would ruin the guessing game of Foursquare. But after crowdsourcing to see if it was worth it – I got a resounding “yes!”

id	icon	name	message	active	notes	sponsor
0		BFF	♫ The only one for me is you, and you for me ♫ 10 checkins togeeetthhherrrr! ♫		Never Activated
1		Newbie	Congrats on your first check-in!	Yes
2		Adventurer	You’ve checked into 10 different venues!	Yes
3		Explorer	You’ve checked into 25 different venues!	Yes
4		Superstar	You’ve checked into 50 different venues!	Yes
5		Bender	That’s 4+ nights in a row for you!	Yes
6		Crunked	That’s 4+ stops in one night for you!	Yes
7		Local	You’ve been at the same place 3x in one week!	Yes
8		Super User	That’s 30 checkins in a month for you!	Yes
9		Player Please!	Look at you, checking-in with 3 members of the opposite sex! Player, please!
10		School Night	Checking-in after 3am on a school night? Well done!	Yes
11		Far Far Away	Welcome to the world above 59th Street!	Yes	NY specific
12		Brooklyn 4 Life	That’s 25+ checkins in Brooklyn for you!	Yes	NY specific
13		Photogenic	You found 3 places with a photobooth!	Yes
14		Gossip Girl	Spotted: A true foursquare socialite. Chuck Bass would be impressed. xoxo		Possibly NY specific
15		Douchebag	Double pop that collar, son!	Yes
16		Animal House	Off the Wagon appreciates your business. COLLEGE!	Yes
17		Socialite	Keep this up and you’re going to end up on Valleywag with Julia Allison
23		Far Far Away	Well done escaping downtown Austin – though $5 bucks says you’re at Salt Lick		SxSW 2009
25		Panel Nerd	Three days at the Convention Center before noon! Your boss would be so proud!		SxSW 2009
26		Slut	Three different hotels! You’re like the Paris Hilton / Bret Michaels of SX!		SxSW 2009
27		Redford	Nice job sneaking off to see some films (one of the best parts of SXSWi). Gold Badges unite!		SxSW 2009
28		Porky	Oink oink, you filthy little BBQ lover!		SxSW 2009
29		Trifecta	Name-Brand Party Trifecta! You hit 3 of the big 6: Frog / Digg / Facebook / Goog / 32-Bit / The Decider		SxSW 2009
30		Entourage	Look at you, checking-in with 10 of your friends in tow! You so popular!		SxSW 2009
31		PV Bender	Three late-nights at the PV House! You working on that Slut badge?		SxSW 2009
32		Overshare	10+ checkins in 12 hours! Next up: tweeting that you unlocked this Overshare badge?	Yes
33		Survival	However-many-days you were at SX, you survived. Well played and see you next year!		SxSW 2009
34		Digg Shindigg	Welcome to the Digg Party. I bet the… OMG!!! KEVIN ROSE JUST TOUCHED MY SHIRT!!!		SxSW 2009
35		Karaoke RV!	You found the Karaoke RV! Now go queue up some GnR! “You know where you are? You’re in the jungle baby!”		SxSW 2009
36		Party Crasher	What else did you expect checking-in with foursquare at the Brightkite party? Anyone down for a dance off?		SxSW 2009
55		Thriving Ivory	You’ve checked-in at Thriving Ivory’s Fillmore show. Head to the merchandise table and show your TI badge to score some free swag!		venue & date specific
56		Internetz Week	Welcome to internet week! Five new badges for the next five days! What, wait.. no free drinks here? NEXT PARTY!		Internet Week
57		Dot Com Baller	Look at you in your fancy suit up on that fancy roof! You’re the Young Jeezy of the NY Tech scene!		Internet Week
58		Trifecta	Name-Brand Party Trifecta! You hit 3 of the big 5: Ignite / Yelp / Digg/ Thrillist / College Humor / Webutante Ball!		Internet Week
59		I’m on a Boat	♫ I’m riding a dolphin doing flips and shit / This dolphin’s splashing, getting everybody all wet / But this ain’t Seaworld, this is as real as it gets / I’m on a boat, motherfucker, don’t you ever forget! ♫		Internet Week
60		Webby	A wise microcelebrity once said: ‘I won a Webby’ is the new ‘I have a website.’ You may not have be named King or Queen tonight, but please accept this Webby as a token of just how special we think you are.		Internet Week
61		Ziggy’s Wagon	Waffles and tacos and dumplings and BBQ and… looks like you’ve found 3 of your city’s legendary food trucks. Enjoy!	Yes
62		Don’t Stop Believin’	♫ Just a small town girl / Living in a lonely world / She took the midnight train going anywhere! ♫ That’s 3 karaoke field trips in a month! Treat yourself by slaying a lil’ Bon Jovi.	Yes
63		Gym Rat	10x trips in 30 days? Go reward yourself to the nastiest double cheeseburger you can find (bonus points for cheesy fries and milkshakes). And ps: you look nice today!	Yes
64		Mr. Bill	Oh nooo! Mr. Bill! (and happy bday from Eris + team foursquare!)		venue & date specific
65		Trainspotter	Driving around SF is soooo 2008, hence the special shoutout for your 10th BART checkin. Public transportation is the new Prius!	Yes		BART
66		Boxee Fan	You took the L train to Brooklyn to attend a software party! Pretty hardcore.		venue & date specific	Boxee
67		Road Warrior	You’re making the world a mappier place one checkin at a time!	Yes		Waze
69		Intel Insider	Intel would like to welcome you to CES! Remember, what happens in Vegas ends up on Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook. Drinks on us!		CES 2010	Intel
70		Intel – All Ears	Shhhhhhhhh! Otellini speaks! Intel + CES 2010 FTW!		CES 2010	Intel
71		Intel – Work It	Thanks for joining Intel at CES! Exercise that Core!		CES 2010	Intel
72		CES 2010	Congrats! Your checkin to the Las Vegas Convention Center just unlocked the CES Badge. Welcome to the world’s largest and coolest tech show!		CES 2010
73		JetSetter	Hopping around the world one airport at a time… congrats on your 5th airport checkin and safe travels!	Yes
74		16 Candles	Treat yourself to another cupcake – that’s 5 birthday shoutouts from you!	Yes
75		Zoetrope	That brings you to 10 movie theater checkins!  Now, can you pick us up a large popcorn while you’re up?	Yes
76		Pizzaiolo	This badge is reserved only for the true pizza connoisseur: slices from 20 different pizza places. Well done!	Yes
77		Jobs	3 Apple Store checkins!  Show this badge to the hipster at the Genius Bar to redeem your new Apple Hoverboard!  (… or not)	Yes
78		Warhol	That sure is a nice collection of art gallery checkins (10 different galleries!)	Yes
79		Babysitter	Forget those “Bender” and “Crunked” badges – you’ve conquered the playground circuit!  (10 checkins!)	Yes
80		Swarm	50+ people are also checked-in here – it’s a foursquare flashmob!	Yes
83		Super Mayor	A special shoutout for holding down 10 mayorships at once!	Yes
84		I’m on a boat!	♫ This ain’t Seaworld, this is as real as it gets / I’m on a boat, MF’er, don’t you ever forget! ♫	Yes
85		Yard Bird	Congrats on mastering Harvard Yard on Foursquare! You’re looking (and acting) smarter all the time.	Yes	Cambridge	Harvard
86		Metro	Thanks for Waking up with the Metro! You’ve checked in near Metro pickup locations on 3 different mornings!	Yes		Metro News
87		Journal Métro	Merci d’être matinal avec Métro! Félicitations! Vous avez déverrouillé le badge Métro.	Yes		Metro News
88		Bravo Newbie	Congratulations! You’ve taken your first step into the BRAVO world. (It’s not as scary as it sounds!)	Yes		Bravo
89		Real Housewife	Way to drink, eat, shop, and spa like a Real Housewife!	Yes		Bravo
90		Top Chef	You wear the term “foodie” as a badge of honor, and now have BRAVO’s Top Chef Badge to prove it.	Yes		Bravo
91		Hair Aware	For trimming your tresses and loving your locks like a true follicle wiz, you’ve received BRAVO’s Shear Genius Badge.	Yes		Bravo
92		Fashionista	You’ve found the key to BRAVO’s Launch My Line insignia. Now, go find us some sales!	Yes		Bravo
93		Lookin’ for Love	You know all the hottest singles spots and can now proudly wear BRAVO’s Millionaire Matchmaker Badge of Love.	Yes		Bravo
94		Foodie	You eat the best from hot dogs to haute cuisine. That’s 5 checkins at Zagat Rated spots!	Yes		Zagat
95		Transit Champion	Holy moly transit champ, You sure know how to get around Metro Vancouver! Thanks for going green and riding with TransLink!	Yes	Vancouver	TransLink
96		On Location	Get ready for your close up! You’ve just earned the On Location badge by visiting five of Chicago’s iconic movie locations.	Yes		Explore Chicago
97		Celery Salt	Hold the ketchup & drag it through the garden! You’ve earned the Celery Salt badge for visiting 5 places that serve Chicago-style hot dogs!	Yes		Explore Chicago
98		Chicago Blues	Sweet Home Chicago! You’ve earned a Chicago Blues badge by visiting 5 stops on the History of Chicago Blues Tour (downloadchicagotours.com)	Yes		Explore Chicago
99		Valentine’s Day	Ooh la la! This is your 2nd checkin at a great date spot for Valentine’s Day. How romantic! Next up: bring your date to see “Valentine’s Day”, in theaters February 12th!	Yes		Warner Bros.
101		NY Times Olympian	You’ve just checked into a venue recommended by The New York Times during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Go for the gold!	Yes		New York Times
102		Fashion Victim	Wow! You crossed the line! Your passion for fashion knows no boundaries! Four of you will be given tickets to the MbMJ show in NYC on Tues Feb 16 (we’ll notify you by email!) – Love, Marc	Yes	Fashion Week 2010	Marc Jacobs
103		Show Hopper	5 checkins with Lucky and still going strong – you’re a NYFW machine!	Yes	Fashion Week 2010	Lucky Magazine
104		Nightlife	You stopped by 4 UrbanDaddy-approved spots, unlocked the HBO How To Make It/UD Nightlife Badge, Time to celebrate!	Yes		HBO
105		Tastemaker	You just unlocked Eater and Racked’s HBO How to Make It Tastemaker badge! That’s 3 or more check-ins from Eater or Racked approved venues.	Yes		HBO
106		Cityscape	You’ve just unlocked the Flavorpill and HBO’s How to Make It Culture badge, after scoping out the best cultural venues in the city. Movin’ on up…	Yes		HBO
107		Cocktails	You’ve hit 3 BlackBook and HBO’s How To Make It-approved hotspots — no velvet rope can stop you.	Yes		HBO
108		Shorty	Welcome to the Shorty Awards!! Extra credit if you noticed this special edition “you unlocked a badge!” text is exactly 140 characters long.	Yes		Shorty Awards
130		Global Ignite Week 2010	Thanks for supporting Global Ignite Week! Think it was all the beer that made those five minute talks so interesting?	Yes		Ignite

Please let me know if you found this helpful!

JERUSALEM, March 3 (Reuters) – The Israeli militarycalled off a raid in Palestinian territory after a soldier posted details, including the time and place, on social networking website Facebook, Israel’s Army Radio reported on Wednesday.

The soldier described in a status update how his unit planned a “clean-up” arrest raid in a West Bank area, the radio station said. Facebook friends then reported him to military authorities.

The Israeli military spokesman’s office issued a statement saying the soldier’s actions could “undermine operational success and imperil forces.”

It added that the soldier was sentenced to 10 days’ imprisonment, his combat certificate was revoked and he was relieved from his battalion.

Israel says raids in the West Bank are aimed at detaining militants suspected of planning attacks on Israelis. Palestinian officials say the incursions undermine efforts by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority to enforce law and order in the territory. (Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan; Editing by Charles Dick)

Lately, I’ve had a few people ask me about how to show more of their friend’s status updates. Here’s a screencast I did explaining exactly how to never miss what your friends are up to! This is my first experiment with screencasting. If you give me feedback, I can improve on it! Enjoy!

Mashable have had an iPhone app for a while now, but today, they’ve announced a completely new app!

The old app, which was pretty clunky and showed some non-mobile web pages. So it’s no surprise that Pete Cashmore and the Mashable team were keen on introducing a newer app.

Here are some of the features (as described on Mashable):

1. Browse by channel, category, tag or author

2. Share stories via email, Twitter and Facebook

3. Read later: save stories to read offline

4. Drag to refresh: tap and pull down to refresh story listings

5. In-App Browser : Visit external links without leaving the app

6. Price: FREE!

I’ll update this post with some thoughts on the new app later on.

Until then – make sure to download it here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable/id356202138?mt=8

Congrats, guys! It looks great!

According to YouTube, Tiger Woods will be breaking his self-imposed silence today to address the months-long unraveling of his career, and his good name.

It’s been weeks since rumors have flown around regarding his multiple (7?) affairs, his marital issues, and his  plans for the future, and sports fans around the world are likely eager to jump on YouTube and watch his press conference live. The press conference will be broadcast on YouTube at 8am PST, or 11am EST, and will be viewable via LiveStream at  youtube.com/citizentube. Below is a video with some more info on the press conference.

Will you be tuning in?