New Media

Today is the deadline for public comment submission to the CRTC’s net neutrality hearings.

But I expect this debate is not going to go away anytime soon. Interesting that Canada seems to be going in an opposite direction to the USA and other nations, which have recognized the danger of allowing large corporations to throttle Internet access and usage.

Broken economy got you down? Worried about where you’ll be in five weeks (forget five years)? Or just about to head out into the work force for the first time? Times are tough, but technology is making the always nerve-wracking process of finding a gig a little easier.

Vancouver social media guru Monica Hamburg has put together a phenomenal compilation of social networking sites for job seekers to find that hidden job market at Me Like The InterWeb.

Just one problem, and I say this as a convert to the incredible opportunities offered by social media and as a good friend of the author: between blogging, Twittering, Facebook-friending and all the rest of these very cool ways of connecting with employers, isn’t it way too easy to get caught up with all of these fun things and neglect the brass tacks of a traditional job search (eg. researching companies, adapting and revising your resume, tracking down the person you’re supposed to talk with, submitting your credentials and following up with a phone call)?

I know from personal experience that it’s easy to get immersed in social media sites and blogging, taking significant time away from activities that would have a chance of getting me famous or making me money. There’s only so much time in the day. Where I’ve succeeded in converting my social media efforts into “real-life” opportunities, I’ve made a conscious and dedicated effort to connect in more traditional ways with people and organizations where I’ve created links in my social networks. That last step, so basic and obvious, is not always followed-up without deliberate strategy.

My advice to those just getting started with new media apps would be to make sure you’re managing your time. New media can bring you opportunities. But I’d also caution that after a certain point, unless your business is directly related to social media, a law of diminishing returns seems to come into effect.

I’ve heard a lot of talk lately about how 2009 will be the year when people focus on needs as opposed to wants. Tough times will do that. But will the rules really apply in the consumer tech sector? For instance, how many of us actually “need” an iPhone? (Full disclosure: I plan on getting an iPhone just as soon as my current cellphone contract expires in March).

I sat in on a presentation hosted by the BCTIA where some of BC’s most promising tech companies talked about the possibilities for success through creating solutions that people actually need, not just want. They also talked about how tech companies can cope with the overall economic trends, which ain’t good. Get the story in Techvibes.

But it’s been a busy week, and I haven’t just been focusing on tech for profit. A little follow up to my previous Fearless City post, you can see how Phones for Fearless is helping bridge the digital divide in Vancouver’s downtown eastside in my contribution to the Vancouver Observer. Will the experiment in social media for social change be emulated in other North American cities? I’m curious to see what happens.

When it comes to technology, you really do get what you pay for. Ever complained at the unfairness of having to pay through the nose for software while people outside of North America pick up items like Microsoft Professional Office suite for $10 (or entirely for free)? I know I have. Software if frickin’ expensive.

Turns out there was a downside for those smart fellas getting that good deal in distant lands. All this time, businesses in China and other places where intellectual property has weak protection have been setting themselves up for a disaster that will hobble the Asian economy for the foreseeable future. Pirated software means no security patches, leaving vast swathes of Asia’s corporate sector at the mercy of cyber criminals. Ah, the irony. Check out the full story in my Techvibes post, Piracy and Corruption in the Far East.

Business columnists are all abuzz with hype over the potential shift from US tech companies outsourcing overseas to near-shoring right here in Vancouver.

Somehow, the column seems a little dated. Just a few months after Microsoft’s much-talked-about expansion into our Pacific Rim metropolis, the Canada-US exchange rate has moved up to par.

One leg of the near-shoring rationale has already collapsed. The other – similarity of culture, quality of work and shorter travel times – seemed pretty wobbly to begin with. Surely there are at least as many qualified American professional geeks as Vancouver-based ones.

At this point, our one saving grace – and it’s a big one – is that Vancouver is quite possibly the nicest place in the world to live, and will likely remain so in future. Hopefully, that’s enough to ensure our high tech industry clusters have a chance to thrive.