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• 12.01.09
  Sports, celebrities, politics & recession top Google trends list Uncategorized | Comments Off

  The local Google branch, this side of Africa, have certainly been very communicative. And this time they're giving us insight into the country's Zeitgeist. As part of its year-end Zeitgeist trends results, which monitors search trends around the world, Google has released results of what South Africans have been searching for this year in the categories of politics, sport, celebrities and recession related queries. In the political arena, some of the most popular searches included firebrand ANC Youth League President, Julius Malema, who pipped Helen Zille of the Democratic Alliance and Mvume Dandala of COPE as the third most searched for politician. ...
• 09.16.09
  The model social media consultant Uncategorized | (31)

  Just when the web was starting to get boring: Along came Nadia van der Merwe. Nadia's video proclaiming herself to be a lingerie model-come-social media rockstar instantly went viral. It was a funny video, but also well put together. The world is a cynical place, and you'll find cynicism with an extra bit of nastiness and cliquishness in this small, self-promoting world people occupy when they refer to the social media and digital marketing "scene". Naturally, then, Nadia's blog and video was met with some derision on the twittersphere in particular. Have to admit that I initially didn't know ...
• 01.10.09
  How tagging enhances SEO: An example Uncategorized | (5)

  Here is a perfect example of how a comprehensive semantic tagging strategy can add to a site's SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Just did a search on Wikipedia and Mail & Guardian -- the site I used to run back in the 50s :-). The results were interesting. Instead of the Wikipedia entry showing up as the first result in the Google search, the Mail & Guardian "organisation" tag referring to Wikipedia cracked it as the first Google result. Wikipedia is known for its outrageous search engine rankings so it's pretty impressive it was pipped. There are thousands of these organisation pages, ...
• 11.17.08
  DA's online presence disappoints Uncategorized | (17)

  I had high hopes for SA's political parties and their use of the web. In an interview with Sapa on IOL my colleagues didn't share my optimism. In an Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) presentation in Pretoria this year, I urged political parties to take online seriously and demonstrated the Barack Obama website's innovative use of social media (that was before Obamamania had set in). The reason I had high hopes is that I guessed (1) many local political parties would draw inspiration from the Obama site and look to emulate at least a portion of what has been the world's leading ...
• 10.14.08
  Sequoia Capital on startups and the economic downturn Personal stuff, Uncategorized, Venture Capital news, online media business, web 2.0 | (2)

  This presentation from famous Silicon Valley Venture Capital firm, Sequoia Capital, is a must-see. It explains the effects of the economic downturn on venture capital and internet startups. The news obviously isn't good, as investors will shun typically risky online startups, unless they are entities that can turn faster, if not immediate, profits. There’s quite a bit of information on what went wrong in the economy, why the recovery is going to take some time, and what startups can do to survive. Sequoia reckon that startups without at least a year's worth of cash in the bank are in trouble. The ...
• 08.19.08
  ANC hits the campaign trail on Facebook Uncategorized | (3)

  Looks like the country's biggest party is eyeing the social media scene as a campaign ground. The ANC has a Facebook profile called "Anc Campaign" that is rapidly attracting friends. From a cursory glance it appears to be legit, but there have been so many spoof Facebook profiles, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't. If I'm not mistaken this is the first major move by the ANC into this sphere. I guess we'll see more of this, from other parties too, now that elections are around the corner. Interesting. Politicians and social media do go together. US Presidential hopeful Barack ...
• 08.15.08
  Media2.egO * Uncategorized | (3)

  Did this basic presentation at the "Advancing Web 2.0 for traditional media" conference at the Wanderers in Johannesburg (Seff Efrika), organised by Classic Events. They pulled in quite a crowd -- in fact by far one of the largest I've been to on this subject matter in this country. That's pretty good news for the industry. My presentation was on how Web 2.0 can be integrated into online media models. My design for this presentation reminds me of a sushi bar for some reason. Have to be honest, getting really bored of the word "Web 2.0" (Spitooey). Can't someone invent a ...
• 06.24.08
  Leaving on a high note Uncategorized | (33)

  It's probably been the worst kept secret in the industry, but now that it is out on Bizcommunity there is no point in not going public. I can confirm that after 8 years I am leaving the Mail & Guardian Online to pursue another opportunity. I feel that I'm leaving on a high note, with the business in excellent shape and the new website and CMS developed and launched. It's been an emotional process for me as I am entertwined with the brand and have quite a bit of loyalty to it and respect for the M&G Exco (Trevor Ncube, Ferial ...
• 06.15.08
  M&G Online relaunch pics… Uncategorized | Comments Off

  Lots of pizza and beer. Spot the mascot. Pics here.
• 06.02.08
  Internet Solutions to create new VC fund for web innovation? Uncategorized, Venture Capital news | (1)

  It looks like Internet Solutions (IS) may be creating some kind of incubator or venture capital fund to encourage local web innovation and startups. The details are sketchy at this stage, but it in fact looks like the new initiative will launch as soon as this month, possibly middle of the month, with the launch of their website. I've been promised further clarity on the new venture in the coming weeks. I am guessing there is some Ronnie Apteker influence in this, as Ronnie has been travelling the world lately looking at new online ventures to invest in. Apteker was the ...

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