Written for MyByte by: Simon Dingle

Cloud computing is somewhat of a buzzword at the moment and Gartner has pegged it as one of the next big things. It refers to the use of applications that live in the cloud – or Internet. They are hosted on a third-party company’s infrastructure and provided to you as a service. There seems to be some scepticism of this model by businesses who have trust issues, but this will dissolve with time. Cloud computing is here to stay and has a lot to offer.

The fear some have of the cloud computing model is that their data essentially leaves their own organisation and migrates onto infrastructure not in their direct control. This could be an issue, especially if the host of the cloud service is outside of your borders. For example, in the United States of America where so many of these services reside. What happens if they decide to stop providing the service? Or if international lines go down?

These are relevant questions – especially in the case of data residing in the USA. In this case it is also subject to US law – including the famous Patriot Act which allows data to be demanded from service providers.
However, precedent has been set that data is not so easy to seize in the USA. One of the most famous examples of a cloud computing service is Google’s Gmail – arguably the most popular consumer email solution in the world. Google recently defended customer data on its servers belonging to soldiers that were killed in Iraq. The soldiers’ families demanded access to the email accounts in question. Google refused. The case went to court and Google won.

This is somewhat different from the Patriot Act, however, which allows for data to be demanded if deemed relevant to an investigation. The point is that Google will defend the rights of its customers – even if they aren’t paying. If this teaches us anything it’s that one must be careful to select the right cloud computing partner.

For example, Microsoft and Google are likely to have robust infrastructure, backups and redundancy solutions – whereas “Frikkie’s Corner ISP” is likely not to. The Microsofts of the world are also less likely to provide an inferior service, or shut things down without fair warning.

Microsoft recently announced its Windows Azure platform for cloud computing and similar solutions. The Redmond software giant also provides cloud versions of its Microsoft Dynamics CRM product and makes this available via local partners. So your data doesn’t have to leave the country. And Microsoft is clearly serious about cloud computing.

The positive side of making use of cloud computing services is that it removes all aspects of server infrastructure concerns from your organisation. If you’re using a cloud service you don’t have to worry about buying your own servers and maintaining them. And when it’s time to upgrade or update, that becomes the problem of the service provider. All you worry about it using the service.
Pricing on cloud computing services is also generally structured on a subscription model, allowing you to allocate operational expenditure to software as opposed to capex spent on software licenses.

The only real challenges with cloud computing are in identifying the right service provider and finding a robust form of connectivity to keep you connected to your services – a real problem here in South Africa. But in general cloud computing has a lot to offer and companies would do well to think twice before writing it off as an option.

 

Written for MyByte by: Brett Haggard

I think the concept behind netbooks – super thin, light and inexpensive computers designed to as access mechanisms the Internet – is great.

In today’s connected world, one needs little more than a web browser and a half-decent Internet connection to get most of the day’s work done – and you shouldn’t have to pay the earth to do so.

The problem is, most of the vendors in this space have lost their direction – even the pioneer in this space, Asus with its EeePC is looking too far up the food chain.

The vendor that started this revolution is building too much complexity into its solutions and is consequently seeing the selling price of its solutions skyrocket – go back to your roots and consider what made the initial idea so great, Asus.
A netbook must do little more than connect the user to the web, allow them to knock out some changes to a word processing document or review a spreadsheet… and then e-mail it to a colleague. It should also allow the user to add features they need into the mix, not place them in a walled garden from which there’s no escape.
When these machines first became available they were introduced at a decent price. But all too soon, demand spiked and manufacturers put the prices up.

Today a decent netbook will set you back about R5000 – too much money in my opinion. We want netbooks in the R3000 price range.

At R5000, the only benefit a netbook offers over conventional entry-level notebook is size and weight.
By comparison, R5000 will buy you a far more capable hardware platform with a ton more storage – this immediately brings the value of the netbook into question when it comes to one of its major market spaces, namely the student and teacher space.
Granted, an entry-level notebook is a bulky, klunky devices – but these machines win out on price/performance and functionality at the moment.

On another note, although the operating system should be an irrelevant aspect of the netbook’s make-up, too many vendors have oversimplified the versions of Linux their machines are bundled with.

They provide for the basic functionality – like e-mail web-browsing and word processing and spreadsheet production – but don’t allow for certain vital features, like the ability to add Skype and other valuable applications, which are available for the Linux platform into the mix.

Because entry-level notebooks come bundled with Windows, albeit a version of Windows that’s entry-level in nature, I would argue they’re more open to expandability. Because let’s face it, adding software to Windows is a breeze.

I don’t think the value proposition offered by netbooks is entirely doomed however – bring the price down and preload them with an operating system that’s easy to administer and add software to, like Ubuntu, and the value can be regained.

It boggles my mind that the most popular distribution of Linux in the world doesn’t even rank on manufacturers’ radar scopes.
Ubuntu has numerous custom builds for netbooks and supports ‘netbook remix’ – the best netbook front-end GUI I’ve ever seen.
Having installed Ubuntu on a R3000 EeePC recently and absolutely loved the results, I do think it’s time for netbook manufacturers to go back to the drawing board.

But interestingly enough, I don’t think they need to rethink the concept completely – a think tank around price points and the selection of an open to expansion open source operating system will undoubtedly reap the results the market needs.
 

Seacom is on track to deliver cheap broadband to Africa by the middle of next yearJust the threat of landing a 15 000km fibre optic undersea cable on South Africa’s shores has forced down broadband prices 90%, according to Seacom’s president Brian Herlihy.He says that when Seacom announced its intention to launch the %600-million undersea cable project, operators in South Africa were pricing broadband at R8 000 per megabit per month and that prices have now dropped as low as R800 per megabit per month. “We have created competition before we even landed the cable,” said Herlihy.But Seacom plans to halve these prices again when it enters the market in June 2009 with a price of R435 per megabit per month.The Seacom cable is well into its production stage – just this week it broke ground in Maputo for the Mozambique landing station, which follows similar developments in Mombassa, Kenya.Herlihy says the project is set to begin construction of the South African landing station in Mtunzini and the Tanzanian landing station in Dar es Salaam by net month.The Seacom project will be the first undersea cable to connect to East Africa to the rest of the world through links to India, England and France. Besides South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya and Tanzania, the Seacom cable will also link to Madagascar, Ethopia and Egypt.The project is 76,25% African-owned, with South Africa’s Shanduka Group (12,5%), Venfin Limited (25%), Convergence Partners (12,5%) and Kenya’s Industrial Promotion Services (26,25%) all on board. The remaining 23,75% is owned by Herakles Telecom, a New-York-based international development group.“With only eight months to go before the system is ready for service, Seacom remains set to become the first cable to connect East and Southern Africa to the rest of the world with plentiful and inexpensive bandwidth,” says Herlihy.He says a simple calculation shows that South Africa needs about 50 gigabits of international capacity to service the one million broadband subscribers in the country, but only has 10 gigabits.“International capacity has been choking the data market in Africa for years now,” says Herlihy.Initially Seacom will deliver 80 gigabits of international capacity through its cable but can meet more demand easily because the cable has a potential capacity of 1,28 terabits (1 280 gigabits). Herlihy says Seacom managed to sell two-thirds of the initial capacity of 80 gigabits. He says that the Seacom cable could become strategically important going forward, as trade between Africa and Asian giants such as India and China increases.At present 95% of all African traffic is directed to Europe and North America, but analysts predict that in five years 25% to 35% of all African traffic will be directed to Asia and that in 10 years this figure could be as high as 45%. Nearly 90% of the Seacom cable has been manufactured and the first load of assembled cable and repeaters has been loaded on a Tyco Telecommunications ship so that installation can begin shortly. The second ship will reach Africa in early 2009.The landing station modules, which take the form of containers, have already landed in Mozambique and Kenya and the two landing stations for South Africa and Tanzania are being shipped. In South Africa Seacom has had to partner with Neotel for the landing station, as only Neotel, Telkom or Sentech are licenced to put down undersea cables.Herlihy says because of South African politics, Seacom had to work with a partner such as Neotel to land the cable, unlike in Tanzania and Kenya where it has set up licensed local subsidiaries. He says that although Neotel partnered Seacom to land the cable, the international capacity will be sold using an open-access model so that any operators can buy capacity from Seacom.Source: Mail & Guardian, Lloyd Gedye.

ICT: Enabling the FutureBy Johan Eksteen and Imraan Salojee The establishment of an environment where ICT innovation can flourish is a challenging and complex task and one that can only be achieved in partnership with all relevant players. A strong, sustainable partnership between community, industry, research and technology institutions and government is required to reach this goal. What does this task entail? To answer this question, one needs to explore a range of issues such as the impact of ICT, the role of research and development, role players and the areas for intervention and focus. A major challenge, especially for the developing world, is to ensure that the benefit of ICT experienced in the first world is not confined to these more privileged sections of our society, but spread throughout every sector and area of society. It is also not only the benefit that needs to be shared more equally. There is a need to change the developing world’s participation in the knowledge-based economy from one of pure consumption to that of a full participant, encompassing both creation and consumption activities. The need for innovation in these areas is evident. A number of international and local trends further indicate the need for a comprehensive national approach to ICT and related innovation: Technology chains are increasingly more complex. This makes it difficult for any single institution to establish a position of leadership in the domain. A national approach provides the critical mass to achieve such leadership. As global markets expand and change, ICT research and development are increasingly organised on an international scale as enterprises respond to new challenges. An important trend is the relocation of research and development activities, and a national approach will create a local market that is well suited to respond to these changes. Innovation processes are more open and ideas exchange beyond traditional enterprise boundaries is becoming commonplace. A national system of innovation that supports these knowledge flows in general, and in ICT specifically, is necessary to capitalise on this trend. The National Research and Development Strategy, describes the South African National System of Information and identifies the ICT as one of the key focus areas. - Fig. 1A number of studies, reports and strategies, least not the National Research and Development Strategy, illustrate how research and development impacts on economic growth and quality of life (see figure 1). In a similar fashion, a longer term view needs to be developed and communicated, with the aim of enabling South Africa and the region to take full advantage of ICT and to contribute significantly to the progress towards an inclusive, sustainable knowledge society for all. This goal is based on three interlinked pillars and based on the strategic framework, that is support, facilitation and contribution to wider deployment and adoption in a sustainable manner, of ICT products and services within our context; research and technological development (RTD) in ICT. This takes into account the full value network and innovation process; and strong influence and support of regulatory frameworks and initiatives to accelerate the benefit of ICT for all. We cannot build this based only on the extrapolation from the past, but need to look to the future. For example, we need to ask: “How many engineering and computer science graduates do we need in ten years to fulfil the vision?” and work backwards from this, identifying bottlenecks and opportunities to achieve these goals. We need to be firmly rooted in South Africa’s own context with all its opportunities and challenges, seeing this as a platform for building global leadership in a number of areas. In order to give substance to this plan, three areas need specific attention, that is human resource development; critical mass approaches to research and development and investment; and appropriate partnerships to realise the plan.The availability of appropriately skilled human resources is the single most important resource in developing appropriate, competitive and innovative ICT businesses, and building a world-class research and development environment. Skilled people are the lifeblood of the knowledge-based economy. A number of studies show that there is a strong positive correlation between the number of PhDs produced within a country and its competitiveness. South Africa currently produces less than 30 ICT-related PhDs per year.Appropriate interventions are necessary to address this shortfall, such as the stimulation of more postgraduate study opportunities and leveraging our international networks to access the appropriate skills in a sustainable fashion. We need to concentrate our resources in areas where there is clear potential to succeed. While concentration helps achieve critical mass of resources and people and thus increases the chances of successful outcomes, it is still important to allow a spread of projects, as new successes in ICT can come from unexpected sources. However, the general trend needs to be moving towards focus and concentration. Regardless of size or scope or area, the research and innovation that are supported must be world-class. In order for us to capitalise on the promise that ICT presents, and at the same time, ensure that the benefit accrues equitably to all areas of our society, we need to work together on the enabling environment in which this can be realised. The challenge is to act now, act in a strategic, yet pragmatic fashion with a clear view of the possible future in mind. source: http://www.dst.gov.za/publications-policies/magazine/vol5_html/vol5_9

Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s 2009 Budget speech has little in the way of mind-blowingly good news for business; except if you’re in the mining or automotive industries. These two sectors were provided relief or direct support worth around R2,6-billion. Considering the vast numbers of workers whose livelihood has been put at risk by the economic downturn, this is fully justified. On the other end of the scale, small and micro enterprises benefit from administrative-cost relief by virtue of the VAT registration threshold being raised to annual turnover of R1-million from R300 000 previously. For the rest, though, its ‘vasbyt’ time. On the upside, the minister predicted economic growth this year of 1,2%, down from 3,1% in 2008, but this is expected to strengthen sharply to 3% next year and 4% in 2011. In the context of forecasts for the US economy contracting by 1.6%, Europe by 2% and the UK by 2,8% in 2009, we are in a comparatively healthy position. Minister Manuel did caution that trading conditions are expected to be tough this year and deteriorate further in the short term, but that is hardly news to anyone. Of greater interest is his forecast for headline CPI to average 5,9% this year. Given that the index was measured at 9,5% in December last year, this would substantially ease the economic pressure that business and consumers have felt over the past 18 months. As always, Mr Manuel has peppered his Budget speech with poetry, truths and insights to bring some colour to what could certainly be a dull affair. The one that caught my eye was his reference to a request from a Mr At du Plooy for relief on whisky duties. “Please be a little more lenient on the tax on whisky for the old folks. We have so little to enjoy, you know things that used to happen after dark, no longer happen. All we have left to enjoy is a little entertainment before supper.” The minister’s response, blithely, was: “Whisky, Mr du Plooy, goes up by R3.21.” No hint of sympathy there. For access to the full speech, well-presented summaries of its contents and that actual budgets, visit: http://tinyurl.com/byez5r

As a devout Mac fanatic, it’s difficult not to pity Windows users. The rather shaky platform; the seemingly unending security loopholes; and promises from Redmond of improved performance and stability. What’s not to pity? But this isn’t about Mac vs Windows, so no further comparisons. 2009 is apparently the year in which Microsoft users’ woes will be, well, thrown out the window, with the release of Windows 7. However, there is no clear indication of when it will become available, aside from vague references by Microsoft of: “Later this year.” What we do know, from reviews of the beta version, is that it appears to be more stable than Vista originally was, which is to be expected given that Windows 7 is based on the latest, more stable Vista kernel. The other similarity to Vista is that users will have six different editions to choose from, despite Microsoft talking in pre-release publicity about a “simplified strategy”. They claim that choices have been simplified by making two ‘primary’ editions available – Home Premium and Professional. “Oh, and by the way, we also have these four other choices for you, too,” they say, once you read between the lines. For the record, the four ‘other’ Windows 7 editions are Starter, Home Basic, Enterprise, and Ultimate. Why all the smoke and mirrors about simplifying things when in fact they are releasing the exact same number of editions as with Vista? They have to assume their users are really stupid, which I’m sure they’re not. I’m not bemoaning the great variety of choice, despite Microsoft itself acknowledging that research showed users wanted fewer editions; I just don’t understand the need for the obfuscation. As a non-Windows users, this type of spin-doctoring is always going to make me skeptical about any future claims and pronouncements. Talk about crying ‘Wolf’.

With the economic downturn firmly upon us, organisations of all size and description are slashing their operational budgets in the hopes of bringing their costs in-line with the more conservative revenues the coming months hold in store.The easiest target, as can be seen by the retrenchments and job cuts that have swept the market over the past eight months, is personnel. But when companies have already been through three rounds of cutbacks on the staffing front, there’s only one easy target left. That target is marketing – and the coming year will no doubt see a substantial reduction in the CRM activities being undertaken by companies, a dearth in the number of events being planned, the virtual disappearance of advertising funds and of course, a serious cutback in the amount of effort poured into public relations.Whether or not that’s the wisest move or not, is irrelevant. Some of the largest companies in the world will go down this road, which means that the vast majority of their competitors and peers, not to mention those companies further down the food chain, will follow suit.How they deal with those cuts and make the best of what’s left is what makes all of the difference.Marketing is an enabler of communication – and I would argue that one of the most foolhardy things anyone could do in a time of economic instability is to close down their communications channels, especially those that keep them in contact with their customers. While the budget cuts are inevitable (and for that matter necessary) times such as these call for a re-alignment of communication.I’m not just talking about making marketing dollars go further – I’m talking about marketing smarter.Instead of engaging in more traditional marketing activities, your business might want to funnel money from its advertising budget and begin spending more on reputation management, or other direct, face-to-face communications mechanisms.Looking at reputation management is a great first step though; since it provides the business with a good map to the areas it can deploy its remaining funds in.Without fail, your marketing efforts in a downturn should be focused on satisfying every customer complaint (since this is one of the best ways to retain customer loyalty) and begin reacting immediately to customer issues that crop up outside of your commonly used communication channels – a good example of addressing this is opening a press office on a customer complaint site such as ‘Hello Peter’.Your marketing efforts should also support business initiatives that are focused on driving quick sales and easy wins.To use an example, let’s assume you own a hotel and are finding your occupancy rates slipping. By cutting your marketing budgets, you’re not going to solve the problem. By coming up with incentives to bring more customers to your hotel, you might well succeed. But here’s the clincher - marketing is the way that message gets to your customers.Economic downturns are also good times to look at doing things differently. And you’re no doubt going to see a ton of noise about the value that social media can bring to the table when marketing budgets go out the window.But is it worth investing what precious little of your marketing funding is left in social media and Web 2.0 initiatives when this area is still relatively uncharted? We think so, but we’d also like to hear your opinions. Let the discussion begin!

Mybyte found this article on www.mydigitallife.co.za interesting. Microsoft has unveiled its updated and revamped Windows Mobile operating system, version 6.5, and notes that it will in future be marketed as Windows Phone.Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says the mobile space is a key focus for the company and is not just another project on the side.The company, according to Ballmer, will drastically increase its R&D spend in this environment and promises to show a host of new developments within the next 12 to 18 months.A new mobile browser, focused on the touch-screen phones entering the market, has also been revealed.LG and HTC support the new Windows OS, which will run on the manufacturers` latest phones.Despite Microsoft`s improvements in the mobile arena, many analysts are still sceptical it will see fast and increased prosperity in this market. Microsoft competes against the already popular and strongly supported Symbian devices, as well as Google`s Android.Article sourced from http://www.mydigitallife.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1044450&Itemid=35

By Jonathan Hall, CEO of The Virtual Works.Web 2.0 dynamics beg the modern marketer to solve a few key challenges: How to identify ever mutating communities and member molecules – and how to engage them sufficiently well to establish and nurture a preferred relationship with your products and services. The short answer is: not easily. The first paradigm shift that marketers must make is this: In the Web 2.0 world with a plethora of search, syndication and social networking tools at the disposal of the customer, communities and community members will find and value who they choose. It’s no longer about finding. Now it’s about being found. Brands can apply some proven Marketing 2.0 techniques to thrive in this inverted, complex and networked world.1. Get micro relevant: Discern the essence that binds each community together and engineer a unique value proposition for each community.2. Get ranked and rated: You won’t find the communities. Someone in them will find you and share your existence if you’re worth something to them. To make sure your value proposition is discovered by a community, do what you need to ensure search engines find it. [SEO your site, link like crazy, blog away and tag everything!]3. Get reputable and real: Web 2.0 marketers are rapidly learning that message weary and wary communities’ value transparency and truth above all else and resist 1.0 marketing hype. Respond to publicly communicated customer dissatisfaction quickly, transparently and honestly.4. Get responsive: Inviting people to converse and not pitching up the conversation for it is fatal in an interactive world. Putting in smart systems to collaborate with customers is one thing. But making certain that resources respond is as, if not more, important. Prepare to respond to communities with agility and flexibility. If you do, there’s a good chance it will impact your reputation. If you don’t it certainly will!No matter how you define it, Web 2.0, social networking and social media is no fad. It’s big, sustainable and gaining momentum and ill prepared businesses may pay a high price for complacency. And the internationally recognised thought leaders agree. In 2007, Forrester Research forecast that social media would impact almost every role, in every company, in all parts of the world. The McKinsey Group predicted that digital?media?enabled collaboration with communities would become one of the most impactful of the 8 technology trends they identified. The Gartner Group also fingered Web 2.0 as a powerful transformative commercial force. We believe that organisations that learn to engage their communities effectively will benefit from the commitment that communities give – well into the future.

Media search engine Technorati is about to release The Technorati Attention Index, which measures the mainstream media websites with the highest number of blogs linking to them in the past 30 days. Right now it has a blog post with the inaugural list. YouTube takes the top spot with the New York Times, BBC News, CNN.com, and MSN rounding out the top five. Compared to the top non-blog sources on Techmeme’s leaderboard, which is a narrower universe of sites which tech blogs link to, the top five mainstream media sites there are CNET News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and Computerworld. (The leaderboard for sister site Memeorandum, which covers politics, more closely matches Technorati’s list).Here’s the list in its entirety from Technorati’s index: Full Story at http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/09/the-50-media-sites-bloggers-link-to-the-most/

MyByte Reviews The Palm Pre: vs. The Blackberry and The iPhone

 

 

It’s a three-way- The iPhone, The Blackberry, and The Palm Pre are battling it out for the same territory: the pockets and palms of the global techno trendy.

The iPhone is an internet-connected smartphone with multimedia functionality. It utilizes a touch screen, has a camera and is a portable media player. The popularity of the incredible little iPod has skyrocketed Apple into the category of ‘untouchables’. And considering that the iPhone is a partial fusion between an iPod, a Mac and a Phone- it was bound to be an admired machine.

The Blackberry is functional, cute and easy to use. It paved the way for Internet-friendly phones and seems to be every celebrities best friend, or worst enemy if they made the mistake of ever losing it. Blackberry‘s are convergent devices with a multitude of capabilities. They have obvious PDA functionality, Internet access, multimedia software and something the iPhone does not, the QWERTY keyboard. The Blackberry carved a niche in the market that is slowly being encroached on, but are these latecomers any threat to the Blackberry popularity?

The Palm Pre is the new kid on the block. What does it have to offer that iPhone and Blackberry don’t- and is it a worthy buy when you enter a strore brimming with all three of these marvellous devices?

It’s smooth, light and has a bright screen and handy keyboard- though the keyboard requires two handed typing and the keys are quite small.

The interface is brilliant. Setup is uncomplicated and you can connect easily to Facebook, chat, e-mail etc. The Pre focuses around contacts- not the applications. So you can use whatever mode of conversation- if you’re chatting on MSN and you lose Internet signal it switches to SMS, and you have a continuing conversation.

The hyped WebOS is truly incredible. You can shuffle through multiple applications simultaneously launched. WebOS is the best thing about the Pre, you flip through applications like you would cards, flip to the side for the next and flip up to discard. The Pre even gives the iPhone a run for it’s money in the usability department- finding applications is easy and using them- even easier.

The Pre also has universal search so you can search your phone and the web at the same time- nifty.

The Pre’s camera is better than the iPhone’s, and it has a removable battery- the iPhone does not.

So what don’t I like? The Pre has some battery issues- not long lasting if you’re on messenger. It’ not as sexy as an iPhone.  It doesn’t have the same variation of applications as the iPhone. So if you’re an avid web master who likes lots of apps- the iPhone wins. The Pre’s screen is quite small, making reading more difficult. But it has a zoom function.

So- who wins the prize for smartest smartphone?

Each phone has it’s own attributes that make it stand out. The Blackberry is the straight-talking businessman, the iPhone- a trendy web-fanatic. The Palm Pre falls somewhere in between in the two.

Have you got the new Palm Pre? What do you think of it? If you had to choose between these three phones which would you buy? Let us know by commenting below! Don't forget to join MyByte- It's quick and easy- just go to this link: http://www.mybyte.co.za/signup.php 

 

For more on these phones you can check out these articles:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/mobile-phones/5466883/Palm-Pre-review-can-it-take-on-the-iPhone.html

 

You can browse all the MyByte blogs here! http://www.mybyte.co.za/browse_blogs.php 

 

 

Written By: Natasha Chapman

 iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update Coming June 17!

 

For those of you with the sexy iPhone you should be excited. On June 17 Apple's Software Update is going to be available with some incredibly nifty new features for your iPhone! This is what you have to look forward to: 

 

  

 

 

MyByte Launches YouTube Channel!

 

MyByte has launched a YouTube channel! You can go and view our first video review to go with our blog on the new Palm Pre:

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqNAJdDcBFQ

 

You can also view our channel and subscribe here! 

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/mybytecommunity

 

Don't forget to give us feedback!

 

 

 

 

The social media buzz is difficult to ignore. With global giants cautiously stepping into the realm of the likes of Twitter and MySpace and facebook, other companies are quickly starting to realise the potential of harnessing Web 2.0 technologies and trends for their business. 

Job Listings are becoming increasingly populated with requests for individuals who understand these online tools- and how to use them in creating viral campaigns and generating global interest in a brand. Companies are searching for tech-savvy, web crawlers who know how to manipulate social media for business.

A vast number of attempts at viral campaigning and social media manipulation fall short and get lost in the over-populated world of the Internet. Others however, get lucky. With the creative use of the right social media tools, initiative, a goal in mind and the right people behind them, there have been some incredible success stories. 

A previously obscure winery in the United States- Murphy-Goode- recently launched an inventive campaign to find their next employee. The credentials required were simply someone who understands social media, web 2.0 tools and technologies and will be able to use these tools to promote their brand. However, the plot thickens, the clever winery decided that they would perform their hiring search by creating an online competition. People applying for the cushy $10,000 a month paycheck position which would require an intense amount of wine tasting- and then talking about it online, would have to create an online buzz focused on their application. A quick video, blog posts, pushing viral content. 

Obviously, this got the social media world excited. Not only was it an incredibly attractive position for someone who adores the Internet, and has an affinity for wine, it is also an exciting and exemplary use of social media. 

The winery has already created massive publicity around their brand, grabbed the attention of the exact market of people in which their future-employee interacts, whilst ensuring that they will hire the right person for the job through their competition. 

South African companies take note: social media for business must be harnessed. A bit of creative thinking can create a BIG buzz- we cannot ignore the increasing importance of understanding the online evolution, and using it to your advantage. 

 

 

Written by

Natasha Chapman

 

 

 

The death of snail mail & Sunday papers

 

 

 

 

GooGoogle Inc said it would acquire video compression software maker On2 Technologies Inc for $106.5 million, stepping up efforts to foster the spread of web video.

The stock deal, which represents a 57 percent premium to On2's Tuesday closing price, is Google's first acquisition of a publicly traded company.

 

On2's technology shrinks video files, making it easier to send video across the Internet. It has become increasingly important as more people watch and share videos online.

Google, which bought popular video sharing site YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006, could use On2's software to drive down the cost of producing and distributing Internet video.

"As you think about how important video delivery is for Google, controlling the mechanisms for compression is probably a next logical step," said Thomas Weisel Partners analyst Christa Quarles.

 

Although YouTube is the top U.S. video site, Google has lost money on it because it costs a lot to stream billions of videos, with only a tiny swathe of them being supported by advertising.

Google is also expanding into new markets such as handheld electronic devices that use its Android operating system. Last month, the company announced plans to release an operating system for PCs dubbed Chrome OS.

 

With On2's video technology, Google could field its own software that allows videos to play on PCs and mobile devices, creating a rival to Microsoft Corp's Windows Media, Apple Inc's QuickTime and Adobe Systems Inc's Flash, analysts said.

Google could also use the technology to build an application that competes with Skype, the popular Web-based voice and video calling company that parent eBay Inc plans to spin off, Merriman Curhan Ford analyst Richard Fetyko said in a note to investors.

Adobe and Skype currently license On2 technology.

 

By owning On2's video compression technology, Google could avoid paying licensing fees to shrink YouTube videos, which could save the company tens of millions of dollars a year, Fetyko said.

Shares of Google were off slightly at $451.34 in afternoon Nasdaq trade. Shares of On2, which are traded on the American Stock Exchange, rose to 58 cents on Wednesday.

 

DEAL TERMS

 

Each outstanding common share of On2 will be converted into 60 cents worth of Google Class A common stock under the deal.

On2 Technologies was founded in 1992 as the Duck Corporation, but merged with another company in 1999 and became On2. The company has lost money for the past five years and had $16.3 million in revenue in 2008.

In a blog post announcing the deal on Wednesday, Google said it would not reveal specific product plans until after the deal closes.

 

Google does not break out YouTube's financial performance, but analyst estimates of its losses this year range from $174 million to $470 million.

Google executives said in July that YouTube would be profitable in the near future.

The main alternative to On2's technology, the H.264 standard, requires companies to pay licensing fees that aren't cheap, Gartner analyst Andrew Frank said.

 

While On2 also charges fees, Frank said that Google will have the option to make the software as low-cost and as open as it feels is necessary to make Internet video proliferate.

Separately, Google has sold its Google Radio Automation business, which created software to automate broadcast radio programing, to privately held WideOrbit Inc.

 

Source: Reuters , Chillies

 

 

New users to Facebook (and probably some existing users, but not all of them yet) are getting a new search experience in Facebook starting Monday. The new interface for search makes it possible to see all public results from Facebook users (the Everyone filter), or just results from your friends. Or, as before, only Events, Groups, or Applications.

 

The Everyone filter is the key new feature. It lets Facebook users monitor the entire network for news and updates on big topics, the same way Twitter was consumed for information coming from Iran after the recent election.

Like Twitter Search, the Facebook search result page alerts you when new results come in that match your query, but it doesn't update the whole page until you ask. This is arguably the best way to keep people up to date without overwhelming them.

 

Facebook's 250 million-strong user base, and the demographic breadth of its audience, puts Twitter's geeky but growing audience to shame. However, Twitter and Facebook are not, strictly speaking, direct competitors. The standard social models for the sites are still quite different. In Twitter, by default, anyone can follow anyone else. In Facebook, however, people are accustomed to only reading updates from those people with whom they have established a two-way relationship. The new Everyone filter makes Facebook like Twitter in search, but it will take some time for people to learn to use Facebook the way they do Twitter, and it's not clear that the two models will mesh well on one social platform.

 

Source: CNET  

What's the hype about Facebook Lite?

It looks like Facebook has turned on a feature called “Facebook Lite” for some users to test out,  and the Twitterverse can't stop Tweeting about it.

So what is it?

Well, it looks to be exactly what it says it is, a lighter version of Facebook. Selected users have been invited to test it out, some report that the link isn't working- others say the message disappeared, however- there were users who had a sneak peak of 'Facebook Lite' 

 

The URL for the feature is 

http://lite.facebook.com.

Users who got the sneak preview were reporting not seeing much different about the site, if anything.

You’ll recall that MySpace launched a “lite” version for its profiles in April.

According to their tweets on the new Facebook, it appears to be a more Twitter-like. One user notes that it, “looks like a simplified version of twitter with comments enabled. On 2nd thought, it looks like simplified FriendFeed.”

That is of course very interesting since Facebook just bought FriendFeed for around $50 million yesterday.

Mashable says: 

Facebook’s clearly up to something big. 

Facebook acquired Friendfeed.

 Facebook rolled out realtime search. And now, it looks like “Facebook Lite” is coming, because thousands of Facebook users have been chosen to test out Facebook Lite, including myself. And just as quickly, the message disappeared. What it is exactly…we’re not quite sure.

Here’s the full text you see on the homepage if you were selected:

“You have been selected as a beta tester for Facebook Lite!

We are building a faster, simpler version of Facebook that we call Facebook Lite. It’s not finished yet and we have plenty of kinks to work out, but we would love to get your feedback on what we have built so far.

Check out Facebook Lite now at http://lite.facebook.com.

The link doesn’t seem to work, but this feels very much like a new and direct shot over Twitter’s bow. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more about Facebook Lite.

Click here for screenshots! 

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Texting is so wonderful.

Read that one way, and I'm a sarcastic jerk. Read it another, and I'm an earnest techophile.

Mere typed words can't convey subtext, but Nokia is looking to change that. The Finnish communicator recently filed a patent for a system that will tell your friends how you were feeling as you were leaving a text, or voice message - and it'll be done through colour. As your friend is reading your words, an LED in their phone will glow accordingly to how you feel, (or at the very least what you told the computer you were feeling at the time).

This brings about a new level of digital communication of course, involving sarcasm, passive aggressiveness, even lust. The next stage is when the computer itself will read your mood and convey your emotion without your having to tell it how you feel.

It makes me a little nervous when we start conveying all of our emotions through our gadgets. (If only you could read what I was really thinking when I typed that sentence just now...)

Nokia wants to show how you really feel.

 

Source: www.haft2know.com