A lot has happened this past week that could possibly be construed as newsworthy, so here are a couple of things that caught my attention as it was streaming past my consciousness:
- The Twittersphere ™ has been abuzz with the MacWorld Expo and Steve Jobs’ keynote clogging up the data pipes
- Africa continues to dominate the news headlines with unfortunate socio-political outcomes: Kenya’s disputed elections and the subsequent ethnic violence despite Kofi Anna’s intervention; the continuing saga in Zimbabwe: humanitarian disaster, monopoly money, runaway inflation, refugees streaming to SA
- South Africa’s own very embarrassing situation with the national power grid unable to keep the country and it’s industries running smoothly, today four gold mines shut down and loss of that production output pulled down the market; an economist interviewed for SABC3’s midday news/business program says this roughly translates into more than a billion South African rand loss to country GDP for the day and every day that the power shuts off…

Loic Le Meur, founder of Seesmic.com and Robert Scoble is at Davos in Switzerland at the World Economic Forum debating global issues and getting major scoops on their video streaming websites with notable luminaries concerned about the state of the planet and it’s people.

Techbiz was that WordPress’ parent company, Automattiq, got some nice funding from amongst others, The New York Times which is a good indication of the support there is for this popular blogging platform with the many piowerful capabilities to launch an online media empire. All New York Times blogs and all the GigaOm network blogs, amongst many other promoinent web companies, use WordPress as their web dev platform. Hogsback Media Networks itself runs on WordPress and is one of the value added services we offer clients who register and host their preferred domains with us. With 5GB of storage space and 65GB monthly data transfer quota, we specialize in offering companies and professionals the professional and robust online publishing capabilities that WordPress allows.

Problogger and doshdosh was two very serendipitious stumbles on the Twitter public timeline and I am so chuffed having found them. They both excel at showing others the nuts and bolts practical aspects of blogging, marketing your writing efforts at your blog, and how to optimally use these new information and communications technology tools to create a virtual global working village where the tech savvy early adopters share links to useful resources and little bits of glimpses into their lifestreams with whoever out there in the world care to tune in; you only need my URL baby

It also saddened me tremendously to learn of Heath Ledger’s untimely death. May his spirit rest in peace, a peace he unfortunately could not find on this planet.

As to the rest, there continues to be maiming and death and hunger and disease and poverty and natural and man made disasters and accidents; that seems to be the nature of this twirling little speck of dust on which we have chosen to become manifest at this time…

I want to end with an interesting post I stubmledUpon, the blog is Dutch and is concerned with marketing and the author looks at the cultural implications of iconic marketing gimmicks and how it must adapt to the environment in which it hopes to have a successful business presence.

I roughly translated from the original Dutch, those of you who are Dutch or Afrikaans can head over to molblog.nl and read the original post.
UPDATE: I received an e-mail from the original poster with his permission for me to translate his post, and he included a translation for me as well. How very polite, indeed, so Thank you Jos Birken from marketingscience.com

Here is my translation:

The Year of the Rat is approaching. In contrast to our own Zodiacal constellations with it’s Capricorn, Libra and all the rest, the Chinese zodiac consists entirely of animals. The Rat is the first sign in the cycle, with attributes like leadership, charisma and intelligence.
Chinese born in the Year of The Rat proudly proclaims: “”I am a Rat!” As a marketer in a Chinese environment, at the moment it is not good to ignore the Rat.

For Westerners, things are a little different. Around these parts, rats are, to put it mildly, not seen in a very charming or positive light… Unless you’re in the pest extermination business, mentioning rats as part of your marketing material is generally not a good practice!

But what is a globalized marketing professional to do in these modern times, where every day the communications barriers between cultures are eroded more and more…?

Frasers Centrepoint Malls, owner of a chain of shopping malls in Singapore (“Where Eat Meets West”), has the solution. They rename the Rat to Mouse and close a sponsorship contract with Disney. Two flies with one shot! And no, the fly is not part of the Chinese zodiac.

“What better way to usher in the Year of the Mouse than with the most celebrated mouse of all?” proclaims Frasers in page sized adverts. The biologists among us may cringe, but the marketers of Frasers are unfazed. Rat, Mouse, what’s the difference, right? 2008 becomes the year of Mickey Mouse.

Overall, marketers are increasingly confronted with this kind of cultural clash in communications. In China the Year of the Pig has just concluded, but advertising may have been subdued due to fear of offending Muslim sensibilities.

Trivial detail: in Centrepoint Mall, Fraser’s crown jewel, the festivities are ushered in with a traditional Lion Dance. The Mice won’t be too pleased about that!

And here is the mail from Jos himself for comparison

Hallo Mario,

Geen probleem hoor. Zo lang er sprake is van bronvermelding en het stukje in een niet al te dubieuze publicatie terechtkomt, heb je mijn toestemming. Ik ben altijd iets geruster als ik zelf even met de herverspreider kan communiceren, vandaar mijn verzoek om een email.

Sterker nog, het is een rustige zaterdagochtend en in ben in een goede stemming, dus hier is een vertaling. Service van de zaak. Alleen de oorspronkelijke links moet je zelf even incopieren

Globalisation ain’t always easy: the Year of the Rat

The Year of the Rat is almost upon us. Unlike the Western Zodiac, with constellations like Libra and Sagittarius, the Chinese version is an animal-only affair. The Rat is the first in the cycle, with attributes like leadership, charisma and intelligence. Chinese that were born in Rat Years will tell you proudly: “I am a Rat!” If you’re a marketer in a Chinese environment there’s no way to ignore the Rat these months.

For Westerners things are slightly different. In our parts the rat doesn’t enjoy, how shall I say this, a particularly unblemished reputation. You are well advised to leave the rat completely unmentioned in any of your marketing materials. Unless you’re in pest control, of course.

But what does a globalised marketer do in these modern times, where cross-cultural communication borders become increasingly fuzzy?

Frasers Centrepoint malls, one of the larger shopping mall operators in Singapore (“Where East Meets West”), have found a solution. We pretend the rat’s a mouse and make sure we have a sponsorship contract with Disney. Kills two birds with one stone! (Please note that no flying birds are members of the Chinese Zodiac.)

“What better way to usher in theYear of the Mouse than with the most celebrated mouse of all?” extols Frasers in full page newspaper ads. Biologists among us are now wincing, but Frasers’s marketers are undeterred. Rat, mouse, who cares? 2008’s going to be the Year of Mickey Mouse.

There’s a bit of a trend here. Marketers all over the world increasingly find themselves facing cultural communication conundrums. Exactly a year ago China banned porky imagery in ads celebrating the Year of the Pig, fearing muslim protests.

Small detail: in Centrepoint Mall, Frasers’s jewel in the crown, celebrations will start with a traditional Lion Dance. Not sure the mice will approvee.

(c) 2008 Jos. Birken

PS stuur je nog even een link tegen de tijd dat-ie er staat?

Twitter, Google, Facebook -Social Networks Join Hands to Help Make the World a Better Place | The Daily Galaxy | News from Planet Earth and Beyond

The Daily Galaxy, one of my all-time favourite websites, has a story about three big web giants, who has started an initiative where their powerful worldwide and instantaneous communications technology are going to be used to do some good. It looks like it will mostly focus on co-ordinating amongst rescue workers in the case of a humanitarian relief effort, and also as an instant news updating source about conditions and circumstances at a certain location; anywhere in the world.

This certainly is very encouraging to see, one reads in the media only of the sensationalist headline grabbing bylines; Facebook productivity drain blah blah blah; Twitter ego-boosting mundane chattering. It is unfortunate that those who lend themselves to insincere sensation does not stop and realize that there is more to life than running up hits and clicks on your website.

The majority of users of these services also will realize at some point that it can be used as more than just a toy to poke and zombie bite your buddies or letting everyone know what you just threw at the lecturer. It can be used to let everyone in a certain region know what is happening where and where to go to find help and resources. Relief workers also can stay in instant communication with each other and mission control and so be more effective and timely in cases of natural and other diasters.

One of the applications that this project will focus around is the ability that Twitter has to work between the internet and mobile phones.

Using a location detection feature, a message sent from a phone from the middle of Africa, will tie in with a layer on Google Earth, pinpointing the senders location, with the text message requesting help. Aid workers from UNICEFF or the InSTEDD’s headquarters in Palo Alto, California, could then read the message, and provide assistance.

“We can send an SMS message onto Google Earth in an emergency center, and it sees a dot with a color-coded response, with my name and date. Right underneath that, there’s a button that says reply, and (aid workers can send a note that says) we have the resources you need 2 miles north…Suddenly there’s a two-way conversation using nothing but a cell phone with one bar,” said Rasmussen, adding: “We’ve done this.

Lastly, I want to touch on the intention of users of tools. It is really a fundamental principle of the intention of any user of a tool, how that tool will be utilized and how such utilitarian use are viewed by others affected by your use of said tool.

In real life, if you use a screwdriver to fix an appliance, you’re called a technician or whatnot. Use that same screwdriver to stab someone seventeen times and society labels you a psychopathic killer and locks you up for life so you cannot be a danger and threat to people who don’t care for your issues…

In the same vein, I would like to challenge all the Facebook haters out there to actually start using the service optimally, for more serious business networking and information gathering. Use Twitter to follow the mindstreams of the pioneers in the tech business and watch and learn from them. Humble down and don’t run after the first nutcase conspiracy theory or sensationalist garbage in the media.

Use the grey matter you have been provided with and use the tools you criticize before using those same services for linkbait and SEO juice to run up the hits. That is EVIL!

17 Ways You Can Use Twitter: A Guide for Beginners, Marketers and Business Owners

This is a very nice post over at doshdosh.com. I always find it difficult to try and convey to people the benefits of using a certain tool. I think it comes mostly from the fact that there is already thousands of posts on the subject floating around there in the echo-chamber we have come to know and love/hate as the blogosphere.

So there is always a chance that you could be wrong about something, just because of the sheer impossibility of keeping up with millions of blog posts and press releases and product updates all over the world, every day. that has to be monitored and mined for little juicy nuggets to enhance your own content offering.

It is therefore always a pleasure to come upon someone else who has overcome these fears and succeeded in putting up a very nice introductory “manual” of a service or product that makes it easier for others to learn about it and start using it immediately with the minimum amount of obstacles.

It is with these thoughts in mind that I offer the link above, both because I have become totally addicted to Twitterland and the many thought leaders and A-list bloggers I have befriended and from whom I learn an amazing amount just by following their “lifestreams”.