Digital Funky – Sept 08
IT: A MAN’S GAME? THINK AGAIN. FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE IN IT
24 September 2008
According to a recent survey, almost 90 per cent of girls aged between 11 and 16 think that using technology is ‘cool’ and is a regular topic of conversation with friends. 38 per cent of girls talk about technology, including mobile downloads and social networking, on a daily basis.
However, here’s where the pattern changes. The survey also highlighted that, despite the vast interest as consumers, technology is only considered as a career choice by 28 per cent of girls – compared with 52 per cent of boys. So, where have all the good women gone? And what’s stopping you pursuing an IT Career?
The all-important pay packet
Let’s face it, you can’t open a newspaper, watch the TV or sip on an after-work Gee and Tee without somebody, somewhere banging on about the credit crunch! Yes it’s annoying but it is making us tighten our Prada purse strings – or should that be Primark purse strings…? So, it’s not surprising that more of us are looking to increase our income to keep up with the rising cost of living.
But here’s something you may not know. The IT industry is experiencing a shortage of skilled workers. So what! I hear you cry. Well, this is having a direct impact on the salaries employers are willing to pay to fill much needed gaps – with research proving that even junior level posts have incurred double-digit rises year on year. So why not, instead of looking for evening work in your local, apply for a job in IT?
From computer geek to computer chic
There’s no escaping the fact that IT has an image problem that easily rivals even some of worst dressed celebs in town. But unlike, said unnamed celebrities, IT’s awful image problem is becoming a thing of the past. Gone are the days when working in IT meant that you spent most of your week, huddled in a corner, alone, with your face pressed up against a computer monitor.
Working in technology can be fast paced, creative and requires bags of multi-tasking capabilities – ideal for the modern woman. Yet female IT workers are seriously outnumbered by their male counterparts. This vicious circle needs to be broken – it’s high time the boys made way for the women!
Brain strain..?
When we think of IT we think logic, maths, codes – all functions controlled by the right brain, universally associated with the male of the species. But this just isn’t the case. If, like many of the fairer sex, you use the creative and emotionally astute left side of your brain you could be putting it to real use in IT as a web designer or help desk support technician – and getting paid a packet in doing so! Working in IT isn’t a matter of left or right brain – it’s a no brainer!
The juggling act
The pressure on women to ‘have it all’ has never been greater. If we’re not putting in the extra hours at work for that promotion – we’re on the school run or buzzing around the house in domestic goddess mode. Why not forget the nine ’til’ five and free up some extra time by working in IT as a freelance, contractor or remote worker? The flexibility in IT will give you more time to put your feet up, crack open a box of chocolates and indulge in a bit of ‘me time’ – remember that ladies…?
Getting a foot in the door
Great, so now you know all the reason why you should be in IT – what’s stopping you? Changing career and getting a foot in the door of the IT industry doesn’t have to equal huge sacrifices. You don’t need a computer science degree to shine in IT. Transferable work and life skills will often be enough to get your foot in the door but, to get the best start, getting some industry recognised qualifications under your belt is a good plan. There’s no need to give up your current job or stress out about extra child care – distance learning is the way forward and, even before you’re qualified, employers will be snapping you up!
IMAGE SEARCH COMPANY, IMPREZZEO, LAUNCHES TO SHAKE UP SEARCH MARKET
09 September 2008
Imprezzeo, an image-based search software company backed by Independent News and Media PLC [‘INM’], launches today, in a move that will transform the image search market. Unlike other image search applications, Imprezzeo simply uses images to search for images, rather than the traditional keyword-based approach.
As a result, Imprezzeo achieves significantly better and more relevant search results because it identifies images that match what the user is really looking for – unlike keyword-based searches that frequently return totally unrelated images. Imprezzeo’s proprietary software is based on an amalgam of content-based image retrieval (CBIR) and facial recognition technologies developed at the University of Wollongong and the University of Queensland in Australia.
Imprezzeo’s technology base can be used in any number of different applications. The primary application is image search – using images to search for other images held in an online digital photo library, an internally-generated digital image collection, an online photo-sharing site or an internet search engine.
Using Imprezzeo, the user can better refine a set of returned images by selecting those that resemble what they are looking for. By analysing the characteristics of the selected sample, the Imprezzeo engine can quickly and seamlessly re-order the results, or indeed the whole image collection, to show the images that best match the sample. The user could even upload images from their own collection to use as the sample. Either way,
Imprezzeo delivers accuracy and speed, even when dealing with collections sizes running into millions of images.
This dramatically enhances the search experience for the user, saving time and producing much more relevant search results. It also benefits the content provider – a photo agency, for example – because they will be able to generate more usage and sales by delivering a wider and more relevant range of images; and it assists those agencies in promoting greater loyalty.
In using Imprezzeo, image providers need not abandon their existing search engines and don’t need to change the way they currently search. Imprezzeo has been designed to complement existing search engines by acting as a very powerful refinement tool after any initial image results set has been returned – which is invariably the point at which many users become frustrated and quit their searches.
Beyond image search, Imprezzeo is currently building a suite of further proprietary applications including image processing workflow tools – to drive cost reduction in the processing and management of image content image identification – finding where images are being re-produced online
ONLY 3% OF EDITORS SAY PR ARTICLES ARE “WELL WRITTEN”, SAYS SURVEY
08 September 2008
Only three per cent of editors believe articles contributed by PR professionals are usually well written, according to a survey for the Writing for Publication Masterclass.
“Common complaints are that articles failed to match the agreed brief, that they contain too much promotional material or that, simply, they are too boring,” said Peter Bartram, who runs the half-day Masterclass and is also the author of several books on writing skills.
Seventy-five editors from a wide range of newspapers and magazines were asked to rate the average quality of the PR articles they receive on a scale of one (well written) to five (badly written).
Nearly three-quarters of the editors (72 per cent) ranked the articles at between three and five – articles that are not good enough for publication. In fact, 13% rated the articles at the worst point on the scale.
The editor of a national finance magazine complained: “Contributed articles are always badly written – especially by writers who think they’re the funniest experts in the industry.”
But other editors said they’d received good articles to publish and would like more.
“The best article offers are perfectly aimed at my readers, arrive at the right time, tell me quickly if they are going to be relevant, and promptly back up the information with an image on request,” said the editor of a regional consumer magazine.
The survey also found that the 75 editors receive an average of 22 offers of contributed articles a week. But numbers varied widely with the editor of a Sunday newspaper receiving nearly 300 a week.
SURVEY INTO UK’S READING HABITS REVEALS INTERNET IS DRIVING GROWTH IN MAGAZINE READERSHIP
05 September 2008
•A quarter (26 per cent) say the internet encourages magazine reading and that a cuppa is tops for taking time out with a magazine
While the internet may have been viewed as a threat to magazine readership, a new survey from magazine subscription website magazinesbymail.net has revealed that a visit to the internet actually encourages people to read magazines.
Over a quarter (26 per cent) of people surveyed said that seeing an article on the internet actually makes them want to pick up a magazine to find out more on subjects viewed online. The survey by magazinesbymail.net also found that for two thirds of people (66 per cent) a magazine remains the preferred source of information on favourite hobbies and topics. In fact, only seven percent of people said that they were less likely to read a magazine as a result of the availability of information on the internet.
The results of the largest ever survey of UK magazine subscribers also revealed that when people want to read up on favourite interests and hobbies there’s no substitute for hard copy, with over half of respondents (52 per cent) describing the delivery of a favourite magazine to their door as a regular treat.
When it comes to taking time out to enjoy magazines perhaps it’s not surprising that the nation’s favourite tipple is a cup of tea, almost half of people (45 per cent) who opt for some refreshment whilst reading their magazine opted for a brew, whilst over a third (35 per cent) said that a glass of wine was the perfect accompaniment.
Nicola Rowe from magazinesbymail.net said “It seems that despite the growth and popularity of the internet, when it comes to taking time out to catch up on the latest news and views on hobbies and interests, reading a magazine is as popular as ever. Hectic lifestyles mean that we all need to make room for some ‘me-time’, and relaxing with a cup of tea and a magazine is many people’s chosen indulgence.”
To find out more about how to ensure that you never miss a copy of your favourite magazine, visit magazinesbymail.net where you can choose from hundreds of titles to subscribe to.
Note: Over 7,000 magazine subscribers took part in the reading place habits survey in June 2008
WECANDO.BIZ PROVIDES EVIDENCE OF SMALL BUSINESSES SEEING BENEFITS FROM EMBRACING SOCIAL NETWORKS
01 September 2008
UK-based start-up has members doing business just weeks after joining
WeCanDo.BIZ Limited, the online business leads and referral network, produces evidence that small business are already seeing the benefits of taking an open approach to social networks.
Since its launch at the end of May 2008, over 1,400 business people have signed up for the service, which is operated from the website http://www.wecando.biz. The site now regularly attracts over 75,000 pageviews a month, with 80% of traffic from the United Kingdom.
But more impressive are the results business owners are seeing by adding their profiles to the social network:
“I am a business consultant who is passionate about helping small and medium sized businesses grow. I have been using WeCanDo.BIZ for less than two months and have already gained paying customers. WeCanDo.BIZ is the first online business network I have used in six years to bring real financial returns,” says Edward Bodiam of SME Advice Ltd (http://www.smeadvice.co.uk) and a WeCanDo.BIZ member. ”As well as this I have been able to help several other business owners with their most urgent business needs through the site. I can see all members are like minded business owners and employees serious about growing their businesses, but also willing to help others do the same.”
Daniel Lyddon of Seraphim Pictures (http://www.seraphimpictures.com), also a WeCanDo.BIZ member, agrees: “If we get this third deal in then
WeCanDo.BIZ will have scored us more work than all of the other social networks we’re a member of put together.”
WeCanDo.BIZ is the only social network with tools to help business owners promote their businesses first. Profiles contain details of what the member’s company does, as well as a summary of their most urgent business need. Introductions are made automatically through the website to members that can help each other. A Trusted Business Directory and search facility also help broker introductions. Unlike many other social networks,
WeCanDo.BIZ gets business people networking with valuable new contacts, rather than just maintaining lists of old colleagues and existing associates.
In addition, an endorsement system helps members collect references from customers and rewards them with greater promotion on the site. Those same customer endorsements also work to win the confidence of new contacts made through WeCanDo.BIZ.
“All of our tools help real business get done – and fast,” says Chris Butler, Chief Operating Office of WeCanDo.BIZ. “More business focused social networks are starting up every day, but hype alone won’t keep business professionals coming back to them. Time and money are a business person’s most precious commodities, so any online business networking site needs to quickly broker valuable connections above all else. The novelty of pokes, videos and catching up with old friends wears off when you need to focus where the money is.”
