Recent Entries

So finally we hit the button yesterday. It has been weeks of "I can't talk about it", with plenty of "No, I can't even reveal the name" and oodles of "The logo looks really great but I can't show you."

But it all becomes worth it when the covers come off and people get to see it fresh.

End of an era. This week marks the last time my byline (accompanied by my least favourite headshot) appears in Nett Magazine. The mag should arrive in newsagents this Friday and subscribers may already have a copy. I was presented with my copy over cider and dumplings last week by the awesome Jo-Anne Hui, deputy editor on the team I've worked so closely with for the last three years and thirty four issues.

Yesterday, Yahoo! took the decision to take a few of its less successful products and acquisitions out behind the chemical sheds to be shot. Although the list includes Yahoo Buzz, AltaVista, MyBlogLog (sniff) and a few others - the euthanaising of Delicious has sparked by far the biggest outcry among the social media brethren.

I've always been pretty strong-willed when it comes to speaking my mind and have never been much of a pack-follower. But I know my behaviour isn't necessarily the norm. My brother - and I'm sure he won't mind me saying this - was always far more likely to be led into trouble when we were kids.

I apologise in advance for the length of this post, as there is a lot I want to say. What I don't apologise for is my frustration and disappointment. I'm not OK and we need to talk about why.

Last Thursday, Reachout Australia launched the R U OK campaign, designed to raise awareness of mental health issues - particularly depression and the risk of suicide.

All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved."

Sun Tzu - The Art of War

Last night's Digital Citizens event certainly ignited a lot of discussion about what constitutes 'strategy'...

The internet has often been described as a tool for freedom by making information and knowledge available to all, unhampered by borders - unless you live in China of course. And search engines are at the heart of that quest for knowledge - providing the answers to our enquiries with as broad a cross-section of knowledge as possible.

Now here's a rant I never thought I'd need to make! Who would think we would end up with a debate on the wisdom of using embedded hyperlinks in copy?

Nicholas Carr unleashed a blog post last week positing that the wisdom of embedding hyperlinks within copy should be re-examined...

It's become way too common to compare the impact of the internet with the arrival of Johannes Gutenberg's printing press all the way back in 1440. Bloggers and conference speakers continue to argue that the web changes everything we know about marketing and business in much the same way that Gutenberg's ink-stained wooden contraption supposedly changed what it was to be a writer or publisher.

Earlier today, I was asked for my opinion on whether The Age was displaying a misunderstanding of social media by sacking Catherine Deveny for inappropriate tweets during the Logies. I'm not going to retell the whole sorry tale here; there are already way too many news items and blog posts so that if you really have been under a rock, you can follow one of these links.