Ever wanted to Facebook friend someone you just met right on the spot?

Every week, we pit two web apps or companies against each other in our web faceoff series. In the past, we’ve put Android vs. iPhone , Digg vs

A growing number of resort and spa destinations are spreading their wings and reaching a wider customer base via social media. With the help of social networking platforms and niche bloggers, vacation spots are broadening their branding efforts from the sand to the slopes, and connecting with potential patrons they may not have reached through traditional advertising.

We’ve already shared some of the basics about how to use Facebook’s privacy settings to keep your personal updates, well, personal. Now it’s time for some more advanced techniques using the newer features Facebook implemented only a couple of months ago. If you have a lot of Facebook friends, you probably have some work friends, some family, and other groups in the mix

This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here .

Sony Ericsson’s Connected Tree answers that age-old question: “If a tree tweets in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” The tweeting, talking tree is being shown off at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and you can check out a demo video of the live and interactive orange tree in the video below.

Sony Ericsson’s Connected Tree answers that age-old question: “If a tree tweets in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” The tweeting, talking tree is being shown off at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and you can check out a demo video of the live and interactive orange tree in the video below. It may not be the first plant to master Twitter , but Connected Tree offers a unique motion-sensing interactivity with the people around it. It picks up changes in the electromagnetic field nearby as people approach or move away, and an attached analysis engine translates the tree’s “reactions” and “moods” into speech, tweets and SMS

It’s almost impossible to overstate the impact that the Internet, digital video and online distribution has had on the world of film. Filmmakers today have so many more opportunities to get their films seen and to connect with film lovers than they have in the past, even when compared to six or seven years ago. One company that is really looking to leverage the web, social media and established players, all in a bid to help filmmakers and film fans discover and share great content, is Openfilm.com

We’ve discussed how you can integrate Buzz with your other social networks , but what about integrating Buzz with your blog? If you use a self-hosted WordPress blog (sorry, WordPress.com users), there are already a variety of Google Buzz plugins and add-ons available

Steve Cunningham is the CEO of Polar Unlimited , a digital marketing agency.