AUTHOR ARCHIVES :

Russia’s arctic ambitions should serve as a warning to Canada

Stephen Harper deserves some credit for putting Canada’s arctic sovereignty on the policy and federal funding radar screen. However, I still question whether we’re being aggressive enough on this issue, especially in lieu of those land-grabbing Russians.

We’re probably less than 10-15 years away from the Northwest Passage being ice-free for part of the year making it a legit shipping channel and shorter alternative than the route via the Panama Canal. The ramifications both politically and financially of a viable northern passage shouldn’t be underestimated. Not to mention the vast unknown natural resources that will inevitably be discovered once the ice recedes.

I totally respect the Russians for their foresight and ambition, but Canada had better be ready to defend her territory. In disputes like this it often boils down to ‘use it or lose it’, and we have done little to strengthen and legitimize our arctic borders to date.

Canadians are replacing TV, radio with the web

CRTC released a new study, and it shows Canadians are spending less time with traditional media (radio and tv) and are replacing it with the web.

“It’s not as if TV is disappearing, it’s just that the Internet is really consuming it,”
Adam Finkelstein of Montreal’s McGill University

What is particularly interesting is how advertising dollars are still flowing (rising) for TV and radio despite dwindling usage. Having said that, while TV and radio are seeing a slight rise in annual revenues, Canadian online ad dollars hit $1 billion for 2006 which is almost double the $562 million spent on the web in 2005. Considering the online ad market in Canada is growing at approx. 35% per quarter, there can be no denying that the internet is ‘the’ growth medium in the media foodchain right now.  

Innovate or die

iTunes sales hit 3 billion songs and the record industry simultaneously screams that illegal downloading of music is now at an all-time high.

I’m not disputing either claim. Apple being the lone legit player in online music distribution is probably just as concerning for the labels as piracy. But it’s ‘innovate or die’ – and the record industry seems to have made their choice.  

Without a brand, you’ve got nothing

How important is it to build a brand? I’d argue, without a brand, you’ve got nothing. Interbrand’s most recent report shows that Google is the most improved brand over the past year, up 44%. I’m willing to bet that some of the brand juice they have working for them is a direct result of their acquisition of YouTube. Consciously or sub-consciously, YouTube has helped mature and morph Google’s brand into more of an all-purpose media brand.

Google still has a long ways to go before it can rival the leading global brands ie, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, IBM, GE etc. Mind you, those brands have been festering in the marketplace much, much longer than Google.

Facebook fatique – more friction needed?

It seems the ‘issue du jour’ in webland these days is ‘Facebook Fatigue’. I’ve never really used Facebook, so I’m by no means an authority on this. But it seems to me that based on what I do know of Facebook the major problem it faces is a lack of friction.

What do I mean by friction? Dating sites are a really good example of this. Why are most dating sites not that good for dating? Because they don’t have enough ‘friction’ built into it. Dating sites are a great example of this because in most cases women get hounded by men on these sites, and often times those are men she would never give the time of day to if she could control it. But dating sites typically don’t value a woman’s attention nearly as much as it should, and therefore attractive women get bombarded by friend requests, IM, winks etc. from guys they don’t want to date. We need friction in life. It takes courage and confidence to strike up conversation with an attractive lady in a bar, but it takes no courage or confidence to hound that lady through a web app. There is a natural, built-in friction/barrier to real-life social behaviour and dating, but if that friction isn’t somehow integrated into the web service, sooner or later people will get overwhelmed and hence burnout ensues.

It seems to me that Facebook has reaped the benefits of low-friction in the form of rapid growth, but if they don’t find ways to integrate more friction into their service soon, people could begin dropping it quickly. A really good example of a dating site that intimately understands the importance of barriers and friction, is ImInLikeWithYou.com.

Tidbit Blogging

I was trying to figure out a way to increase the frequency of my blog posts without dumbing things down to a Twitter stream, which I find in most cases to be absolutely useless. So I’ve settled on something I call ‘Tidbit blogging’ which is just a fancy way to describe short-form, more rapid-fire style of blog posts.I’m going to try this out for a little while and see how it goes. Feedback welcome, drop a comment on this post or shoot me an email james [at] jamescogan.com.

This just in…online video is a big deal.

You’re going to be shocked when you hear this – online video sharing is a big deal. According to a new study by Pew Internet, 74% of people who have broadband at work and home watch and download online video. On the sharing angle – 57% of those who watch videos online share video links, and 75% say they receive links from others. The YouTube-Google sale may be a bit stale-dated at this point, but I’m wondering if all of this talk about a $10 billion Facebook valuation is making that $1.7 billion transaction look like a bargain? You can download the (.PDF) report here.  

Steve Jobs’ Historical Day

845603-media_httpwwwjamescogancomimagesstevejobsjpg_HFIusyqkDcCrlHEOh to be Steve Jobs. Whether you love him, hate him or ignore him (pretty hard to do these days) you will be hard-pressed to find a day that compares to the one Steve Jobs will experience today in business.

Wayne Gretzky said the best and most memorable game he played was in the 1987 Canada Cup, when Canada beat the Soviet Union in Game 2 and Gretz had 5 assists in that game. I’m guessing, when/if Steve Jobs retires, June 29th, 2007 is likely to be his best, most memorable day in business.

Yes, today is the launch of the much-anticipated Apple iPhone, and by all accounts we are likely to witness the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. That alone would make June 29th a pretty special day in Steve’s books. But the iPhone is not the only launch for Steve Jobs today. Steve’s ‘other gig’, as the largest shareholder in Disney/Pixar, is also launching their big summer animation blockbuster ‘Ratatouille‘ today.

Just pause for a moment and think about this. A major Hollywood blockbuster – likely to do $100 million in opening weekend business, combined with a surefire successful electronics product launch that will catapult Apple into a massive market and likely to yield millions, and eventually billions in annual sales and perhaps change communications forever – both launches for companies he founded.

June 29th, 2007 – truly Steve Jobs’ Day.

Canadian New Media Awards Experience

The CNMA Finalist experience thus far has been everything I had hoped it would be, and so much more. We are now 2/3 of the way through the 2-day experience and have had the privilege to meet so many talented Canadians who are all doing amazing things on the web, film, gaming, arts, mobile etc.

Adam Froman founded the CNMA 7 years ago, and his passion for the Canadian interactive industry is truly infectious. Everyone involved with the CNMA has a genuine passion for celebrating Canadian new media talent, and every event is planned with the idea of maximizing the experience for the Finalists.

Our experience started on Sunday night with a BBQ at the Canadian Film Center. It was the perfect ‘casual’ kickoff event that got all of the Finalists warmed up, and introduced to one another. Previously unknown names and faces became friendly peers in just a few hours. Today (Monday) we had our second CNMA event which was at the Royal Bank Plaza on the 40th floor which sported a jaw-dropping view of Toronto and Lake Ontario. It was a bit more of a formal event, but again, the value of networking at this event was tremendous. This luncheon was clearly about bringing together the corporate sponsors of the CNMA with the Finalists.

I was incredibly impressed by the genuine interest at the corporate level for our Canadian new media industry. The companies involved with the CNMA clearly see the vast potential in the Canadian social/new media space and are eager to meet the emerging leaders in our industry, which is just another positive sign that our industry is on the rise and poised for continued growth.Tonight is the ‘big show’.

The Awards Ceremony kicks off with a networking cocktail event at 6pm which runs until 8pm, followed by the announcing of the 2007 CNMA Award winners. This may sound totally cliche, but our dailypixel Network has already won. Being a part of this event has been an incredible experience and it has already brought newfound awareness to our network from public relations, potential partnerships, creative alliances, business services and general interest from current and new users/readers. We are a big winner no matter what transpires this evening, whether our name is formally announced as a winner or not is just a total bonus to an invaluable 2-day experience.

To the Canadian new media community at large, I can highly recommend embracing this event. Get your names, companies and endeavours nominated for future CNMAs, and I promise you, it will be an experience you won’t soon forget. You will meet and share a bond with some of the most amazing Canadians that had it not been for the CNMA, you probably would not get exposed to. The Canadian New Media Awards are a win-win scenario for all who participate, whether you ‘win’ or not.

Needless to say, it has truly been an honour to be part of this year’s event.