- French Connection on ChatRoulette (in a creepy promotion that rewards a random hook up arranged over webcam with a shopping spree. Meanwhile Diesel launches a more traditional social media campaign across Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Also check out this slideshow of Parsons students analyzing trends) (AdAge, reg. required) (MediaPost, reg required) (Slideshare via Tim Stock)

- Mississippi school board cancels prom over a lesbian couple (drawing fire from ACLU and inspiring an awesome social media campaign Tweeted about by Robert Ebert. Also YA author John Green gets involved calling on his league of nerdfighters to see if students would want to throw a "happy, inclusive prom") (CBS)

- M. Night Shyamalan helms 'The Last Airbender' (a live-action adaptation of Nick’s animated strip Avatar: The Last Airbender. Just one of the big announcements from the network's 2010 Upfront presentation. Also look for shows with tween appeal and co-viewing potential Cynopsis Kids has a nice rundown of the full lineup) (Variety, reg. required) (Multichannel)

- Online hangouts (a safe space where otherwise unlikely connections are made between teens. Meanwhile Facebook threatens to sue British tabloid Daily Mail for taking the more sensational spin — claiming the site allows older men to pressure teenage girls for sex. The site also [wisely] resists a call to install a literal "panic button") (MediaPost, reg. required) (The Guardian)

- Did Gen Y watch the Olympics? (Not according Nielsen ratings, but Ypulse President Dan Coates and our research panel point to some possible time-shifting and grazing at work that suggest otherwise)

- National education standards target media literacy (in the uniform education standards that a panel of experts is recommending all public schools nationwide adopt. And Gawker asks what the states were getting wrong)

- Lady Gaga premieres 'Telephone' on E! News! (after months of hype, whispers and leaked photos from the set. Plus Green Day: Rock Band coming in June) (MTV News) (ars technica)

- 'How to Train Your Dragon' (reviews are starting to roll in for Dreamworks latest.  Also Glu Mobile releases its "How to Train Your Dragon: Flight of the Night Furry" app for iPhone/iPod touch this week Plus turn down the volume for this Eclipse trailer reaction video) (Variety, reg. required) (BuzzFeed)

- Nissan sticks with geek chic (targeting techy Millennials with the "Cube Mobile Device." Yep, that's a car. Plus more on the ChaCha study on teens and young adults' brand preferences.. where Ford tops the most-queried car brands. And good news: Gen Y will end the luxury drought in 2020) (Bloomberg) (MediaPost, reg. required)

Product Manager, Community at Mr. Youth
Industry: Social media/Community Management
Location: New York, NY
Description: The Product Manager, Community will play a key role in the launch of the new company and supporting a new online community . He/She will enjoy working in a fun, fast paced, entrepreneurial environment and thrive being around creativity and excitement. He/She will combine product thinking and community management with a desire to learn and grow quickly within an organization. More

Marketing Director at NYLON Magazine
Industry: Magazine Publishing/Marketing
Location: New York, NY
Description: NYLON is seeking a candidate for a position within the Marketing Department: Marketing Director. The position calls for substantial experience in the industry with a proven track record in both brand marketing and events. We are looking for a detail-oriented, self-motivated individual to join our growing team. Please specify the position applied for in a cover letter explaining your qualifications. More (via Mediabistro, reg. required)

CRM Manager at The Disney Store
Industry: Marketing/Customer Service
Location: Pasadena, CA
Description: The CRM Manager will be a key member of the Disney Store North American marketing team. He/she will manage the engagement of various customer segments and be responsible for driving revenue through development of the appropriate contact strategy through multiple channels. This role is focused on generating value and insights across the customer lifecycle through data-driven direct marketing and testing. More

Interactive Producer at Scholastic
Industry: Book publishing/New Media
Location: New York, NY
Description: 3+ yrs. experience creating interactive content for kids; lead projects from start to finish; deep industry knowledge of kids' media. More (via Cynopsis Kids)

Marketing Communications Manager at Facebook
Industry: Marketing/Customer Relations
Location:Palo Alto, CA
Description: Seeking an experienced Marketing Communications Manager who is passionate about social media, brand positioning and effective messaging at scale. The successful candidate will have deep knowledge of concepts and technologies for online and interactive advertising and will have strong experience in developing and managing global marketing/ customer relations programs. Excellent writing skills are an absolute must, as is a passion for working directly with customers of all sizes from mom and pop stores to global brands. A keen sense of what makes a customer example an interesting story is essential. You'll also need to be able to combine creativity with the organizational skills to manage numerous projects to tight deadlines simultaneously. This is a full-time position based in our headquarters in Palo Alto, CA. More (via Mediabistro, reg. required)

What struck me as I watched Nicole and George arguing over suspicious Facebook wall posts, and Susie begging Devin to pay more attention to her and less to his phone, wasn't so much the drama component as the way these new platforms amplified preexisting issues of trust and priorities. The digital difference is the new levels of access and constant connectedness. For instance, exposure to a flirtatious post that appears on your girlfriend's Facebook wall. Or, struggling with a boyfriend who seems more concerned with checking emails and texts than engaging in dinner conversation. Just as Anastasia points out with online reputations, there's no going back. These are aspects of the new reality of managing relationships, romantic and otherwise, and to some degree we all have to deal accordingly. For young people who are simultaneously dealing with everything else that comes with growing up, these situations can become considerably more complicated and emotional.

Of course, this is why MTV and their array of nonprofit partners are launching A Thin Line and other similar initiatives around these issues. For teens and young adults to make more educated decisions about their online and mobile activity. Not just when it comes to the more extreme, headline-grabbing acts like "sexting" or "cyberbullying," but also in these everyday scenarios that crop up in the course of first loves and friendships forged during these formative years. Along with the timeless truths of establishing trust and communicating openly, these couples on "True Life" demonstrate (albeit in typically over-dramatized MTV fashion) the importance of practicing self-restraint and setting limits. Occasionally checking up on your significant other's FB page? Fine. Torturing yourself and him or her by constantly refreshing and harassing them over private messages and texts? Um, not quite the sign of a healthy relationship (and possibly time to send one of these clever but direct "That's Not Cool" call out cards). Same goes for answering the occasional urgent message vs. making sure the person you're with feels more important than that small buzzing device in your pocket (side note: an important lesson to learn for all social interactions). As Jason pointed out in our interview, this is the first generation to not only face navigating the uncharted territory of social network/mobile etiquette, but all while grappling with the typical ups and downs of adolescence. More power to brands and orgs that try to help them out.

- Top 2009 Magazine Ads (among young men and women. Ad Age, reg. required, presents a slideshow of "showstoppers" revealing a number of gender-neutral choices. Hear that, Burger King? Speaking of print… defunct teen mag CosmoGirl gets an unexpected posthumous boost from a documentary featuring young women in politics that included contest winners selected by the mag in 2004) (Ad Age, reg. required) (FishbowlNY)

- Spoiler alert (critics keep ruining the ending of new Robert Pattinson film "Remember Me." Will fans be deterred or intrigued? Or will the debut of the new Twilight trailer prevail? Also Fox releases third "Alvin and the Chipmunks" film) (Gawker) (New York Magazine) (Variety, reg. required)

- Gamechanger (the latest out of the Let's Move campaign, Michelle Obama launches a contest challenging software and video game designers to develop games and tools that get 9- to 12-year-olds excited about eating better and exercising more)

- Tackling terrorism in YA (interesting essay from YA author Zetta Elliott on handling the sensitive subject. Also check out this thought-provoking post from Colleen of Chasing Ray on racism by omission)

- Gen Y at work (values time off and salary more than Gen X according to the latest research from Jean Twenge. Maybe this is tied to the high amount of pressure they feel to pay bills and meet obligations)

- Material Girl (what else would Madonna call the new back-to-school line she designed for Macy's in collaboration with her daughter, Lourdes) (Reuters)

- OK GO leaves EMI (to start their own record label. A main point of contention? Not allowing fans to embed the amazingly viral videos. Plus Lady Gaga makes her debut on Rock Band) (Boing Boing) (Mashable)

- KISS produces kids show (for the Canadian production company E1 Television. Also Conan O'Brien officially announces 30-city tour) (New York Times, reg. required) (AV Club)

America, Meet Your Millennials
Millennials, the American teens and twenty-somethings who are making the passage into adulthood at the start of a new millennium, are confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and open to change. They are more ethnically and racially diverse than older adults. They're less religious, less likely to have served in the military, and are on track to become the most educated generation in American history. To learn more about the most-talked-about generation and gain a more granular understanding of how core values and behaviors differ by race, ethnicity, class, gender, ideology, partisanship, geography and religiosity, Pew Research Center puts forth the latest in a yearlong series of reports that hopes to provide a portrait of Generation Next. Cost: Free

For more.. read the executive summary and download the full PDF on the Pew Research Center site. Also check out our coverage (part one, two and three) from the daylong Millennials conference hosted by Pew Research.

Digital Natives vs. Digital Naives
Another study aims to set the record straight on generational reputation: growing up on digital media has not made Gen Y universally savvy with information and communication technologies. The Web Use Project report Digital Na(t)ives? Variation in Internet Skills and Uses among Members of the “Net Generation" illustrates this by drawing on data on a diverse group of young adults’ Internet uses and skills. The results posit that even when controlling for Internet access and experiences, people differ in their online abilities and activities. Additionally, findings suggest that "Internet know-how is not randomly distributed among the population, rather, higher levels of parental education, being a male, and being white or Asian American are associated with higher levels of Web-use skill. These user characteristics are also related to the extent to which young adults engage in diverse types of online activities."

For more… read the summary and download the PDF.

Mighty, Mighty Mallrats
Teenage girls—are still driving profit, despite the grinding recession, in ways that almost no one had imagined. The recently released white paper “The Teenage Girl as Consumer and Communicator” from Euro RSCG Worldwide PR explores the spending and communications habits of girls ages 13-18, who according to the study are "spending more than $200 billion each year." Social shopping sites and fashion-themed virtual worlds will be happy to hear the paper proves that a sense of intimacy with a select group of friends and family drives almost all their social interaction—including shopping, which the study characterizes as a core social activity for teenage girls. Cost: N/A

For more… see the white paper on The Sisterhood site powered by Euro RSCG Worldwide PR.

Bullying: Listening Up and Reaching Out
A new study of nearly 12,000 US students in grades 5-12 offers important insights into bullying victims' own views on what causes bullying, how it affects them, and what does and doesn't work in dealing with it. The students, surveyed by the Youth Voice Project, revealed that middle school needs particular attention, since "the majority of traumatized students are in grades 6-8." The results also point towards a need to instill tolerance, empathy, perspective-taking into students with "Looks" coming up as the focus of 55% of moderate-to-very-severe mistreatment and "Body Shape" of 37%, In terms of solutions, students reported that "being heard and acknowledged seems to help victims more than most responses by both adults and peers."

For more.. download the PDF on the Youth Voice Project page.

If Teens Let Their Thumbs Do The Shopping
Text answer service ChaCha has released a study conducted by Frost & Sullivan, to gain perspective on brand preferences of teens and young adults. Some findings — designer jean brands like True Religion and Lucky Brand are predominantly attracting questions from females — will come as less of a surprise than others like the tidbit that recent retail straggler Abercrombie & Fitch came in second (28% ) over Urban Outfitters as most-searched retail clothing store (first was surf brand Hollister, which made up 36%). Cost: N/A

For more… see the full report.

E-xtra credit: Fun With Digital Media
Conventional wisdom about young people’s use of digital technology often equates generational identity with technology identity: today’s teens seem constantly plugged in to video games, social networks sites, and text messaging. Yet there is little actual research that investigates the intricate dynamics of youth’s social and recreational use of digital media. Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out fills this gap, reporting on an ambitious three-year ethnographic investigation into how young people are living and learning with new media in varied settings-at home, in after school programs, and in online spaces.Cost: $29.92

For more… see the Scribd presentation on Barking::Robot or buy Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out on Amazon.

Teen Driving: Hazards Ahead
The Allstate Foundation recently conducted a new survey, Shifting Teen Attitudes: The State of Teen Driving 2009, as a follow up to the CHRONIC: A State of Teen Driving in 2005 survey. Shifting Teen Attitudes: The State of Teen Driving 2009 found that while today's teen drivers have similar attitudes and behaviors behind the wheel than teens in 2005, shifts have taken place in unexpected areas — revealing an increase in risky behaviors among girls with more admitting to multitasking while driving than boys – especially when it comes to socializing. Out of the kids surveyed, 50% said they have texted while driving, although researchers believe the actual number is probably much higher. Cost: N/A

For more… see highlights on the Allstate site.

The Ypulse Report – February 2010: The College Textbook Marketplace
The February Ypulse Report takes a deep dive into the textbook marketplace. In a detailed analysis of decision-making patterns, purchase channels and attitudes towards the shopping experience, we see today’s college students as an informed and subsequently frustrated breed of typical Gen Y consumers. Anxiously awaiting a cost-effective revolutionary overhaul on par with the used book explosion (a habit of more than four out of five students), Millennials are slowly, but surely starting to consider the new wave of alternatives. In the physical realm, textbook rentals are a small but growing acquisition method, currently practiced by one in ten students with Chegg.com at the front of a small, but rapidly growing pack. As for the digital frontier, as we’ve made so clear on Ypulse, the writing is on the wall. Still, it bears repeating that the race is on and becoming increasingly heated with rumblings from the textbook publishers (Macmillan) and e-reader developers (Amazon, Apple) growing louder all the time. Cost: $249

For more information.. go to the Ypulse Research page.

YAB Review: N.O.V.A.

What was the biggest draw?
I had been looking for a decent shooter for my iPod Touch for a long time with little luck. I wanted a Halo-like game that I could take on-the-go, and play at school without having to use a computer.

How'd you get the game?
I bought it from the ITunes store. It was very affordable at $7. When something is that inexpensive I don’t mind paying.

What'd you expect going in? How much did you know beforehand?
I am usually low on money, so before making any purchases I always check reviews. The game had been well received by critics as a decent Halo clone. I expected a great shooter with online multiplayer and a long story mode, just like Halo.

Describe the set up
Because it is a shooter game, N.O.V.A doesn’t really attempt to create much of a back-story. If you're looking for character development, I’d recommend checking out Final Fantasy XIII instead. However there is a brief story to give some context for the alien action. You play as Kal Wardin, a master chief-esque ex-marine coerced into protecting earth from Xenos, which are this game’s alien threat.

Of course, the gameplay more than compensates for lack of interesting (or new) ideas, in characters and setting. Classic guns such as shotguns, sniper rifles, assault rifles, and rocket launchers are all included, leaving the game with a decent amount of firepower in a small package. Ammo is usually easy to find, as it is generally lying around stages. The game includes a lengthy, and entertaining campaign mode, though more enemy variety would have been appreciated. Most enemies are common in the genre, and include elite-like snipers, and large brutish creatures. There are some great parts where you get to shoot from a turret, or use vehicles as well (though N.O.V.A lacks the variety of tanks that Halo has). This all will sound familiar to anyone who has played Halo, or most other shooters for that matter. It even steals Dead Space’s ship exterior sequences. N.O.V.A is more interested in using a formula that has proven successful, than attempting to try something new.

The controls are where the game really shines. While other iPhone/iPod Touch games’ controls have been sloppy and difficult to use, N.O.V.A’s run and gun system works well. The d-pad is responsive, and is used to move Wardin, while aiming is done by dragging a finger around the screen. The fire button is easy to find, and there is a nice aim assist system, that doesn’t do the work for you, but will give a nudge in the right direction.

The online multiplayer is also noteworthy. Five maps are included for deathmatches, and the games play out much like Halo multiplayer (with less vehicle variety). Unfortunately there aren't any private-only matches, which in annoying when you want to play with just your friends. Still, the community is great and there aren’t any hackers to spoil the fun yet.

How'd it look? Any advertising?
The graphics are simply fabulous. The environments are colorful and surprisingly realistic for an iPhone/iPod Touch game. The high tech spaceship areas are full of great texture and color, and look straight out of Halo 1. The jungle environments are bright and interesting, and everything generally looks more like a Xbox game than an iPod Touch one. Weapons look great and as high tech as they are supposed to, and the use of lighting makes the environments really pop. N.O.V.A sets a new standard for mobile game graphics. There is no in-game advertising.

What'd you think?
Although it completely steals its guns, enemy types, and characters from Halo, the formula for Halo’s success still works here. With a terrific control scheme, and a decent variety of weapons, N.O.V.A is a fantastic example of the genre. The fact that the gorgeous graphics function on a mobile device is amazing within itself. Online multiplayer is relatively good, and N.O.V.A is all in all something that any shooter fan will enjoy. I know that I am relatively addicted already.

About Julia

Julia is a freshman in high school in Claremont California. A self proclaimed Otaku (anime obsessive person) she strives to complete her immersion into the world of Japanese pop culture. In between school and homework she watches the latest Japanese anime on the internet, reads manga, plays video games, and practices Japanese. Though she is not a fabulous writer by nature, Julia does enjoy writing fan fiction related to said interests and occasionally immersing herself in online role-play sessions. In addition, she loves mashing up anime and game clips into anime music videos which she posts on YouTube, participating in her school’s debate team in novice LD, and of course reading. Julia is incredibly excited to be on the Youth Advisory Board, and able to express her opinions, which she has plenty of.

- How will the future of books look on the iPad? (Penguin gives us a glimpse in this clever video exploring the possibilities including immersive kid lit and interactive YA. Plus former Disney star Hilary Duff inks a multiple book deal for a YA series at Simon & Schuster ) (PSFK) (GalleyCat)

- Dora turns 10 (and marketers are coming from all sides looking to jump on the bandwagon. Also Nickelodeon signs 'iCarly' creator Dan Schneider up for a three-year, eight-figure production deal) (AdAge.com, reg. required) (Variety, reg. required)

- Apple, American Apparel… and Progressive Insurance (top the brands Gen Y find most authentic, according to a poll of 100 teens conducted by Premise. Also what banks can do to win back Gen Y's trust… and bank accounts) (US News & World Report)

- RIP Corey Haim (another former child star lost to drugs. Fans are paying tribute on Facebook and Twitter) (AP via Huffington Post) (Mashable)

- Activision Blizzard drops Crispin (the ad agency handling "Guitar Hero." Some suspect because they "didn't deliver the desired brand positioning for the franchise." Also Viacom cuts costs on "Rock Band 3." Plus a new mobster videogame will feature images from vintage Playboy) (Ad Age, reg. required) (Bloomberg) (Yahoo! News)

- Girls Discovered (specializes in infographics that make you think — with maps and data on the status of adolescent girls worldwide)

- Can brands leverage ChatRoulette for marketing? (Looks like we're about to find out. Plus Ypulse Mashup advisory board member danah boyd tweets "Congrats news media. In framing ChatRoulette as scary & risky, you've motivated many teens who shouldn't participate to do so. Good job." ) (Mr. Youth)

- MySpace revamp (looks to save the site by positioning it "as a repository for all things music, Avatar and Twilight for the under-35 crowd." Meanwhile at GDC a new MySpace Games homepage was relaunched. Also Facebook moves into Foursquare territory with a new location-based feature ) (USA Today) (Social Times) (New York Times, reg. required)

Now the big adult concern is over online reputation management and potential permanence of the digital trail teens (and really all of us) are leaving behind. Even as I showed ridiculous examples of what people have posted publicly and emphasized that "nothing is truly private online," I kept thinking that we're all (youth and adults) going to continue to make mistakes that could potentially follow us online. It made me think about a conversation I had with my husband [who is a psychologist] about "harm reduction." An example would be using methadone to treat heroin addicts vs. forcing them to go cold turkey. Or even a needle exchange to reduce the risk of spreading HIV among IV drug users. I know those are extreme examples, but as I was giving my standard shpiel about posting more positive information under your real name (blogging, LinkedIn profile, thoughtful comments, etc.) as a way to potentially push those indiscretions or photos someone else may have posted lower in Google search results, I thought this is — in a way — harm reduction. It just felt like as many times and ways as you could tell teenagers to "think before they post," use privacy settings and beware of what other people might post about you, there is no way to have 100 percent control over your online reputation. Just as the parents who think because they have their teen's password, they have 100 percent control over what their kids are doing online (teens can create alternate profiles…).

Celebrities and politicians have always had to do damage control when something bad got out (and in our 24/7 online news cycle, they certainly have to do a lot more of it). Now we all have to think of managing our online reputations in a similar way. This means being prepared to "live with" potential mistakes or embarrassing images you can't take back. Learning how to apologize or thoughtfully speak to past online blunders in future job interviews. Putting as much good stuff about yourself online as possible to overshadow the bad. Technology is changing our cultural norms. Welcome to the brave new world of growing up "totally wired."

P.S. The image in this post is a Facebook photo posted by former New England Patriots cheerleader Caitlin Davis who was then 18. She was drawing male genitalia and swastikas on her passed out friend. She was fired from the squad as a result.

Foursquare Turns A Fun Night Out Into A Video Game IRL
Hi, my name is Chase and I'm addicted to Foursquare. Over the last few months, Foursquare has become a key component of my adventures and has launched an all out assault on my Twitter feed. For those of you living under a rock, Foursquare is a location-based mobile social network application that allows you to "check in" to venues, share your location and see where your friends are.

Foursquare's website traffic has tripled in the first two months of 2010 – making claims like Pete Cashmore's that Foursquare will become "the new Twitter" all the more credible. Rather than call it the new x or y (cmon, how cliche is that anyway?) I would like to be the first to title it "The New Awesome."

This is the most fun I've had with social media since hijacking my roomate's computers and updating their Facebook statuses with things they didn't appreciate. Location-based services are supposedly going to be the new rage, but Foursquare is more than a service or social media outlet, it's a game. Why do I (and roughly 350,000 other people) love Foursquare so much? Let's break it down….

Ownership
One of Foursquare's features is the ability to become "mayor" of a certain venue, anything from a busy nightclub to your bathroom. Check in to a venue at least twice, only once a day counts, and have more checkins than the current mayor to take over. I've seen people wage Foursquare war with each other on Twitter (you can sync your Twitter and Facebook feeds with Foursquare checkins) over mayorships of certain venues. The idea of being the "mayor" gives users a sense of ownership, taking a stake in their communities and places they visit. In a sense it's almost like regulars staking out their "territory." Sure, I don't own Cowboy Chow in Dallas, but that doesn't stop me from parading around the place like I do – I'm the mayor!

Competition
Different actions such as checking in, adding a location, providing a tip, etc., give the user points. Every week there is a running leaderboard to see where you stand among your friends. Hey, who doesn't like a little friendly competition? Problem is that if you're with the same people you might end up with the same points! I've run across the street at a venue with friends and picked up a quick bite to eat just for the extra check in. Call it obsession if you want, I call it being a champion.

Achievement
Becoming a mayor on Foursquare is just part of the reward of using Foursquare. The best part, in my opinion, is being able to earn a multitude of badges for your efforts. Foursquare keeps the requirements for unlocking these badges hidden, so earning one is always a pleasant surprise. In New York City a couple weeks ago a friend and I unlocked a badge called "I'm on a boat." Neither of us had any clue why or how we got it, but it sure felt good! Other users can see the badges you've unlocked on your profile, so a decent collection affords bragging rights among other users.

Motivation
I've heard some say that applications like Foursquare actually detract from a night out but I couldn't disagree more. On a night where I'd usually hole up at one location, Foursquare provides a motivation to go out and explore as many places as possible. It only takes a few seconds to check in and it's hilarious to watch a bunch of Foursquare friends whip out their phones to be the first to check in. You know a night has been good when you look at your Twitter feed the next morning and see five or more check-ins.

It all really comes down to motivation doesn't it? This is a tool meant to enhance and change the way we explore and do and it does just that. Almost every feature of this application is meant to get you moving and exploring.

Some places even provide Foursquare specials that you'll unlock while out and about, guiding you to new locales. Location based mobile advertising is growing to be a contentious issue based on recent moves from Apple and Google, but scoring a deal is always fun.

On a less "nightclubbish" level, it provides motivation to check out new restaurants, coffee shops, etc. To use the Cowboy Chow example listed above, I'm going to check out other locations at lunch I haven't been to if I've already staked my ownership.

On a wider scale — will Foursquare really be the next big thing? While I'm not going to make claims to that one way or another, I will say that the application is refreshingly innovative. It's fun to play with friends and turns going through the every day motions of life into a physical videogame. Look for Foursquare to make a serious name for itself after a new version debuted today with a sleeker user interface in preparation for SXSW next week. Still relatively small, Foursquare is on the verge of breaking into the mainstream in a big way.

About Chase
Chase works for a online community management and moderation company. He recently moved to Dallas, TX and serves as Head of Community for an online virtual world for kids. A former journalism major at the University of Utah, he wrote feature articles and album reviews for a music and art magazine. He is fascinated and constantly amazed with how children create and interact online. Aside from his work, Chase is an avid gamer, blogger, live music lover and audiophile who is obsessed with discovering new music and building his already extensive collection. Oh, and he really likes pandas. (You can also find him blogging about virtual worlds on his company's blog at metaversemodsquad.com/blog)

-Dentyne gets fresh (with a series of suggestive spots and the tagline "Practice safe breath." And Diet Coke targets "next gen" consumers) (AdFreak) (Brandweek)

- NYC Teen Author Festival (Readergirlz posts the full schedule for next week! Plus Seth Grahame-Smith talks to blog talk radio show Morning Media Menu on the new monster mashup genre he helped create. And a perennial favorite: Los Angeles Times discovers adults are reading YA lit)

- Gen Y spending (will play a key role in economic recovery says a new report from PriceWaterHouseCoopers. Plus how resilient Millennials are faring after taking the hardest economic hit in Australia) (MediaPost, reg. required) (Herald Sun)

- Shaun White Shoes (designed by White himself for skaters are the latest to come out of his lucrative Target line. Also following the success of last year, Men's Wearhouse relaunches its social media platform for prom. And Vancouver-area Gap stores introduce a new customer loyalty program by literally turning the business upside-down) (MediaPost, reg. required) (Clickz) (Suite101)

- Zac gives back (the HSM star launches a TwitPic photo competition to raise money and awareness for I'm Too Young For This! Also Aeropostale and DoSomething.org's Third Annual "Teens for Jeans" drive donates 625,000 jeans to homeless youth in the US, Canada and Haiti)

- Growing up in the age of internet porn (the ongoing debate around the cost of early exposure continues. Also a British boy band is rumored to be launching their own line of condoms) (Washington Post) (Mirror)

- One Day, One Job (PSFK interviews the recent grad turned entrepreneur behind the "daily blog and newsletter highlighting desirable [and often hiring] companies and how to best apply for a position." Also Brazen Careerist launches Social Resumes, described as "the first active, live resume that highlights candidate ideas, thoughts and future plans as much their past experience.")

- Betty White to host SNL (thanks to the power of social media) (New York Magazine)