After attending several un-conferences, workshops, meet-ups and dinner parties in and around the technology scene in China, I decided that I had enough information to create a much-needed iPhone application for women in the tech industry, which often times makes up a very small percentage of the people at each tech event (we’re actively changing that through Girls in Tech, however). I entered the “Save Me!” app idea in a “build an iPhone app in 15-minutes competition” and with a glue stick, one piece of construction paper and a Sharpie, we came up with the following app:

Save Me! Ever been stuck at a bar, conference or any event getting hit on by that oh so persistent person with no escape in sight? If so, Save Me! can help you. It’s super easy to use – choose a mercifully short time delay on the app screen ranging from 5 to 15 to 30 seconds, and then press the “Save Me! heart”. In a few seconds you’ll receive a realistic fake call form your “office” allowing you to make your emergency-related excuse and exit the situation or conversation. The application ended up winning the competition by popular audience demand (and applause) so Reign Design decided to be proactive and design and develop the application in one day! It was released by Apple within a two-week period.

Save Me! is a concept application designed by Girls in Tech Founder and CEO, Adriana Gascoigne in 15-minutes and developed and published by Reign Design in one day! For more information about Save Me! visit the Reign Design website.

It’s never a dull moment. 

Today I started a new job as the director of global communications and development for SGN (SocialGamingNetwork) located in Palo Alto, California.

While, I never thought I would be working in Palo Alto, I find it to be a refreshing change from SOMA in San Francisco. If you live and work in the same vicinity, you never end up leaving. You have all of your morning meetings at Crossroads, you eat lunch at Café Central in South Park and get your nails done at Zaza. Well, maybe not all of you get your nails done, but you get the picture.

It’s exciting to be working with a fantastic group of smarty-pants and a CEO that has grander visions than just gaming. With the passion of a Bono, many SV-techies aren’t aware that Sherv built a house for homeless families in Afghanistan or  that he consistently donates to a variety of charities throughout the world.

Not to get warm and fuzzy on everyone, but I too, have a soft spot for social good and philanthropies, through my work with Girls in Tech and SmittenWithMittens. Hence, one of the main reasons I chose to work at SGN.Warm and fuzzy aside, SGN is really well-positioned to [continue to] make a huge splash in the social gaming space. Through the growth and “monetizability” of iPhone games, Facebook apps around the globe, SGN has just one place to go – UP.

Really looking forward to helping disrupt the social gaming space.

Ten Ways To Be Liked in Your Job Interview

By Jonathan Littman and Marc Hershon

The dreaded job interview. No matter your resume and talents if you mess this up you won’t get that job. In today’s tough economy you need every possible edge. As authors of the new book, I Hate People! Kick Loose from the Overbearing and Underhanded Jerks at Work and Get What you Want Out of Your Job, we see it as a simple equation: You want to be liked – not hated. 

Here are ten simple things to do that will dramatically increase your chances: from wearing the right expression, to knowing what not to say, to never ever breaking a sweat. 

1. Don’t be a Smiley Face

Excessive smiling in a job interview is seen for what it is – nervousness and a lack of confidence. A Smiley Face exudes phoniness, which will quickly be picked up by the interviewer. Instead be thoughtful and pleasant. Smile when there’s something to smile about.  Do a practice run in front of a mirror or friend.

2. Don’t be a Know-It-None

Your job is to be knowledgeable about the company for which you’re interviewing. Random facts about last night’s episode of Dancing With The Stars episode or your favorite blog will not get you the job. Never feel you have to fill an interview with small talk. Find ways to talk about serious subjects related to the industry or company. Pockets of silence are better than padding an interview with random babble.

3. Don’t Sweat

You can lose a job by wearing an undershirt or simply a little too much clothing. Sweaty palms or beads on your forehead will not impress. You are not applying to be a personal trainer. Sweat will be seen as a sign of weakness and nervousness. Do a practice run with your job interview outfit in front of friends. The job interview is one place you definitely don’t want to be hot. 

4. Put down that Stop Sign

Interviewers are seeking candidates eager to take on challenging projects and jobs. Hesitance and a nay saying mentality will be as visible as a red tie – and seen as a negative. Practice saying “yes “ to questions about your interest in tasks and work that might normally give you pause. 

5. Don’t be a Sheeple

Asking the location of the lunchroom or meeting room will clue the interviewer into your lack of preparation and initiative. Prepare. Don’t ask questions about routine elements or functions of a company: where stuff is, the size of your cube and company policy on coffee breaks.

6. Don’t be a Liar Liar

Studies show that employees lie frequently in the workplace. Lying won’t get you one. In a job interview even a slight exaggeration is lying. Don’t. Never stretch your resume or embellish accomplishments. There’s a difference between speaking with a measured confidence and engaging in BS. One lie can ruin your entire interview, and the skilled interviewer will spot the lie and show you the door.

7. Don’t Be a Bad Comedian

Humor tends to be very subjective and while it may be tempting to lead your interview with a joke you’ve got to be careful about your material. You probably will know nothing about the sensibilities of your interviewer, let alone what makes them laugh. On the other hand, nothing disarms the tension of a job interview like a little laughter, so you can probably score at least a courtesy chuckle mentioning that it’s “perfect weather for a job interview!” 

8. Don’t Be High Maintenance

If you start talking about the ideal office temperature, the perfect chair for your tricky back, and how the water cooler needs to be filled with imported mineral water, chances are you’ll be shown a polite smile and the door, regardless of your qualifications. Nobody hiring today is going to be looking for someone who’s going to be finicky about their workspace.

9. Don’t Be A Minute Man

At every job interview, the prospective hire is given the chance to ask questions. Make yours intelligent, to the point and watch the person across the desk for visual cues whether you’ve asked enough. Ask too many questions about off-target matters and you’ll be thought of as a Minute Man, destined to waste the company’s resources with insignificant and time-wasting matters.

10. Don’t Be A Switchblade

Normally the Switchblade is thought of a backstabber, often taking credit for someone else’s work. In an interview setting, the Switchblade can’t help but “trash talk” his former employer. If you make it seem like your former workplace was hell on Earth, the person interviewing you might be tempted to call them to find out who was the real devil.

©2009 Jonathan Littman and Marc Hershon, authors of I Hate People!: Kick Loose from the Overbearing and Underhanded Jerks at Work and Get What You Want Out of Your Job

Author Bios 

Jonathan Littman, is the author of I Hate People! and numerous acclaimed works of nonfiction, including The Fugitive Game, The Watchman, and The Beautiful Game. He is also the coauthor of IDEO’s The Art of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation. He is a contributing editor for Playboy and a columnist for Yahoo! Sports. 

Marc Hershon is the coauthor of  I Hate People! and a branding expert who helped to create the names for the BlackBerry, Swiffer, nüvi, and many other influential products. He is also a comedy veteran who has worked closely, with Dana Carvey, Bill Maher, and Robin Williams.

I’m excited to be a part of the inaugural Geeks on a Plane East Asia Tour. Organized by Web2Asia, The Founders Fund and Dave McClure, the tour will include international investors and tech entrepreneurs on a 10 day orientation tour of Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai’s Internet, Mobile & Gaming sector.

Through my participation, I hope to promote and meet female entrepreneurs and get to know more about their companies in Asia. We would also like to scope out potential candidates to head up the Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing chapters of Girls in Tech.

Here is a little more information about the trip:

Objectives:

• Gain insight into tech & innovation trends coming out of East Asia.
• Meet the startup & tech community in Tokyo, Beijing & Shanghai.
• Understand the current investment climate in each respective city.
• Participate in a pro-entrepreneur and pro-investment initiative during a tough global economy.

Geeks On A Plane is all about leveraging the combined cross border networks of Dave McClure, Founders Fund andWeb2Asia to offer attendees an opportunity to accelerate the process of meeting and connecting with key contacts in Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai’s tech and investment sector.

In depth crash course on Japan and China’s tech sectors. Who are the innovators? Who are the investors? What are the trends?

The opportunity to connect with high caliber people in Japan and China’s startup and investment community. In one week, you will meet with a number of great people that usually takes foreign companies, entrepreneurs and investors several years, several trips and multiple layers of relationships and introductions to connect with. Accelerate your cross border business strategies. Find local partners. Invest in new technologies.Gain first hand insight into the role that cross cultural understanding and subtle but important nuances plays in doing business in the Far East.

Itinerary:

• Tokyo, June 8th - 10th 2009
• Beijing, June 11th - 12th 2009
• Shanghai, June 13th - 16th 2009

Each tour stop in Japan and China will offer the opportunity for our tour attendees to connect with the hottest local tech companies, start ups, entrepreneurs and investors via the following formats:

• Tokyo 2.0
• Startonomics conference
• Startup2Startup dinners
• Geeks On A Wall (Great Wall of China Hike, Beijing)
• Barcamp Shanghai
• TEDxShanghai *invites limited. subject to availability.
• VIP dinners and cocktail receptions
• Break out sessions & individual appointments
• Geeks & Glamour After Party - Geeks On A Plane, TEDxShanghai and the Shanghai International Film Festival. By Invitation Only.

LimeLife, the leading women’s cross-platform digital media company, today launched the “Apps for Good” campaign, contributing 10% of profits from its popular Hollywood Hangman iPhone game within a one-month period from May 21st to June 21st to Kiva.org, the micro-lending platform that alleviates poverty one loan at a time. Available on Apple® iTunes® for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Hollywood Hangman is a best-selling game on mobile phones, and is one of the first iPhone games to offer the social and multiplayer features enabled by Facebook Connect and Multiplayer WiFi.

LimeLife realizes the importance of giving back to non-profits such as Kiva, which bolsters the opportunity for women in developing countries to cultivate an income and achieve economic independence. By encouraging consumers to download Hollywood Hangman, LimeLife will pave the way for people like Amavi Akoete, a Togoan 35 year-old mother of six to launch her jewelry-making business or Dulia Huanca, a Peruvian 23 year-old mother to launch her fruit stand.

“Bridging the gap between games and the developing world, LimeLife is excited to launch its Apps for Good Campaign by promoting a fun activity while creating a way for consumers to make a positive contribution to the world,” says Kristin McDonnell, LimeLife CEO. “By downloading Hollywood Hangman, consumers can help change the lives of many, helping to alleviate poverty one small purchase at a time.”

How consumers can participate in the Apps for Good Campaign:

1.)  Between today and June 21st, consumers can click on the following link to purchase and download Hollywood Hangman for their iPhone or iPod Touch: http://itunes.com/apps/hollywoodhangman

2.)  Consumers are encouraged to email, tweet, and update their social networking status to let their friends know how they can download Hollywood Hangman on their iPhone or iPod Touch

3.)  Consumers can use the Facebook Connect feature within the game to ping their friends to join them in playing Hollywood Hangman to support Kiva

4.)  Consumers can track the progress of LimeLife’s Apps for Good Campaign by following the LimeLife iPhone Twitter feed at: http://twitter.com/limelifeiphone