NBN winner to be announced next week | Australian IT

The Australian broadband industry is waiting for the Prime Minsiter to return from OS for the announcement of the NBN winner.

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YouTube helps Not-for-Profits

Online video-sharing site YouTube has released a 'Call to Action' function to assist not-for-profits to direct Net traffic to their websites:

This week, we launched a new "Call to Action" feature for YouTube's nonprofit partners, which allows them to use InVideo overlays to drive traffic to an off-YouTube web page, where they can collect signatures, email addresses, or even donations. Already, we're seeing nonprofit organizations use this new feature with great success.

One charity raised $10k in one day - not a bad effort!

But comments on the article which appeared in Digg suggest that not everyone is happy - some suggesting:

Welcome to YouSpam

Sure, spam is an unwelcome part of the Net, but so is junk mail through snail mail. Indeed, snail mail must be disposed of and the mantra for letterbox advertisers is:

Get your message across in the time it takes to walk from the letterbox to the recycle bin

There is a big difference between junk mail (including spam) and directing Net traffic. The YouTube 'Call to Action' function lets users choose whether or not to view the content. This 'pull' rather than 'push' advertising is one of the most refreshing approaches to marketing to develop in the New Media era.

Let's face it, marketing is one of the most important business functions and as a consumer, it is much better to be an active participant in good marketing, rather than a passive recipient of junk. It can only be a good thing for civil society if not-for-profits are able to use New Media to get their message across effectively, and for free.

The new business model which is emerging focuses on marketing, but with a philanthropic bent. New Media providers such as YouTube and Google (providing free access to global information) provide the promise of change from the old, top-down approach.

Regrettably, the program is only available in the UK & the US at the moment.

Teaching 101 = Web 2.0

I am trying to change things but change happens slowly. As a lecturer, I view essay writing as a crucial skill for all university students. Essay writing is not just about the ability to communicate in writing: it is an exercise in thinking.

But is essay writing the main skill students need in the Brave New Media World? I think not.

Things are changing quickly. In the US, the public sector will be employing New Media directors to use Net applications to improve transparency. Broadband applications are being used to enhance medical services in rural areas. Twitter is being used to monitor water levels for plants and to help people get jobs. Uses for New Media technologies are 'virtually' endless.

In the New Media era, it is time for universities to re-think some of the traditional ways of assessing students. Essays will not go away; nor should they. But New Media skills have to come from somewhere. In Australia this is, for the most part, being left up to private individuals who are taking the initiative.

So-called digital natives are not as digitally-minded as the popular press would have us believe. Universities have a clear role to play, and not just in the IT disciplines. Many lecturers would agree, but it is left to New Media pioneers to take the risks to bring about change. This situation is far from satisfactory.

Next year, I intend to submit a proposal to develop a new subject in New Media politics. This will require students to prepare blogs, organise group work using social networking tools and so on. The challenge will be to ensure that organisational policies can keep up with the developments - a microcosm of national policy which is facing the same issues contemporarily.

The bottom line is that the business of teaching is changing rapidly. In the New Media era, Teaching 101 = Web 2.0.