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Vol 1, #7, April 28, 2009
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April 28, 2009




Headlines

MobiMarketer helps optimize mobile marketing opportunities
Manage .tel from iPhones with My.tel
CIRA invests in web-dependant businesses
Radar DDB expands, opens Toronto office
Cisco offerse security for "cloud" computing
Book business travel online with new BlackBerry app
Sitebrand announces new President and CEO
Yahoo pulls the plug on underperforming services
New role key to growth for Digital Alberta
iWeb more than triples server count over three years
Fresh networking ideas for associations, non-profits

MobiMarketer helps optimize mobile marketing opportunities
MobiMarketer, a new firm dedicated to helping marketers target mobile devices, will make its debut at this week’s CMA National Convention in Toronto. Inbox Marketer, an email marketing and publishing agency is launching its new mobile marketing division, MobiMarketer, as a natural extension of its existing services.

“The fact is, most businesses are already marketing to mobile users, but they aren’t doing it right,” says Inbox president Randall Litchfield. “They may do email marketing, but they don’t test to see how messages perform on handhelds. They have websites but don’t optimize them for the small screen.”

MobiMarketer recognizes that that mobiles are a channel of choice whether businesses want to reach their customers through the web, email, social media, text, video or voice. Their new full-service, mobile messaging agency will help businesses take advantage of the opportunities smartphones provide.

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Manage .tel from iPhones with My.tel
The free and open source My.tel iPhone application, now available for download from the Apple App Store, allows .tel owners with iPhones to manage their domains without having to log on to a computer.

The My.tel application enables .tel owners to:

  • Easily publish their location through an embedded map linked with the iPhone’s GPS
  • Update their status using profiles depending on how they want to be contacted at that time
  • Add new, remove, hide or show items of contact information
  • Manage, add or remove folders and profiles which group contact information together
  • Manage privacy settings for friends and colleagues
  • Add or remove keywords that help people searching for .tel owners’ contact information

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CIRA invests in web-dependant businesses
The Canadian Internet registration Authority (CIRA) is investing $1 million over the next five years towards the development of BIND 10, the next leap forward in Domain Name Server (DNS) software.

BIND 10 will be designed to serve the needs of dynamic and growing internet-dependant businesses, with simple design goals that include a secure, flexible and resilient DNS server that integrates easily into the workflow and maintenance of the complex networks that organizations demand.

"CIRA is committed to participating in valuable and innovative, global projects that are rooted in the public interest and that will further the evolution of DNS," says Byron Holland, president and CEO of CIRA. "BIND 10 is critical to the infrastructure of the internet and essential for for CIRA to provide a robust, high-performance DNS that will ensure the availability of dot-ca domains to all Canadians." Top of Page

Radar DDB expands, opens Toronto office
A new Radar DDB office will be providing Toronto-based clients with ways to build relevant relationships between consumers and brands using an interdisciplinary approach with Web 2.0 and emerging technologies.

Launched in Vancouver in 2007, Radar DDB is a hybrid resource that combines the skill sets of a news gathering organization, a Hollywood publicity agent, an advertising agency, a guerrilla event company and a digital programming expert.

“Since Radar DDB was first introduced, we’ve seen social media communication come of age as major brands and companies have realized the value in listening to, learning from and joining the social media conversations relevant to their business,” says David Leonard, president of DDB Canada, Toronto.

Acting like an “engine room”, radar DDB ensures that DDB Canada’s clients’ brands are in-market 24/7, targeting the best prospects and taking advantage of communications opportunities as they happen. Using social media and emerging technologies, the agency identifies highly targeted on- and off-line communities and engages them through discussion, relevant brand messages and branded content. Top of Page

Cisco offers security for "cloud" computing
New network security products from Cisco Systems Inc. will help protect companies’ web-based software and services from attacks on their networks.

Large companies have begun moving more of their software and services online, a trend called “cloud computing”, to help users communicate and share information. These services, delivered through data centres, help companies minimize space and computing power but worries about viruses and external attacks on corporate data and computer systems has been an obstacle to greater adoption.

Cisco’s new security products will include software that filters through online traffic as well as services that help companies assess their overall technology security. Top of Page

Book business travel on the move with new BlackBerry app
Business travellers can now use their BlackBerry to search for and book rooms at over 230,000 hotels worldwide using the new HRS.com application on their smartphones. HRS.com, Europe's leading online hotel reservation portal has partnered with Waterloo, Ontario's Research In Motion to offer the free application.

The HRS.com application provides business travellers with a simple way to find and book a suitable hotel while they're on the move, without the need to enter large amounts of information. Thanks to the GPS capabilities of BlackBerry smartphones, accommodations can be booked based on a user's current location or the application's Organizer function. When searching and booking hotels via the Organizer, users can also choose whether to use the address of one of the contacts in their address book or the venue of an appointment noted in their calendar.

Travellers can also use the GPS function to call up a list of available accommodations on arrival at any destination worldwide. Once the booking has been made, travellers can transfer the hotel information directly into their calendar or address book or display it on a Google map. Top of Page

Sitebrand announces new President and CEO
Online marketing company Sitebrand of Gatineau, Quebec has appointed Chris Corman to serve as its new President and CEO effective immediately.

Corman, a 15 year veteran of the technology industry, most recently founded and led Shout Research Corp., a firm specializing in competitive web analysis and audience measurement research for Fortune 500 companies.

“We are very pleased that Chris Corman has accepted the role of President and CEO,” says Sitebrand Chairman John Eckert. “His recent experiences will provide exceptional opportunities for Sitebrand in the future.” Top of Page

Yahoo pulls plug on underperforming services
Yahoo Inc. is closing GeoCities, a website publishing and hosting service it bought in May 1999 at the height of the dotcom boom for around $3 billion (U.S.)in stock. The service will be shut down later this year. Visitors to the site now see a message that says new GeoCities accounts will not be available and gives them the option to sign up for Yahoo's web hosting service for $5.98 a month.

GeoCities is not the only Yahoo service to get the axe. According to the Associated press, Yahoo Briefcase, Farechase, My Web, RSS ads, Yahoo Pets, Yahoo Live, Kickstart and Yahoo for Teachers are all be eliminated as well. The search giant also recently outsourced Launchcast radio to CBS Corp.

"As part of Yahoo's ongoing effort to build products and services that deliver the best possible experiences for consumers and results for advertisers, we are increasing investment in some areas while scaling back in others," a statement from Yahoo said. Top of Page

New role key to growth for Digital Alberta
In order to meet the needs of the continued growth in Alberta’s digital and interactive media industry, Digital Alberta’s board of directors has announced that Rene Smid has accepted the position of Executive Director.

Smid brings a wealth of skills to the table, having been Digital Alberta’s program manager since the organization’s inception in 2001. She’s also had Executive Director experience with Calgary Council for Advanced Technology.

“We are grateful that Rene has accepted this position,” says Digital Alberta President Ron Thiele. “As a true professional, she has developed a key understanding of our industry and the challenges faced by our member companies.”

Backed by a strong board of directors, a solid mandate and proven programs, Thiele is confident Smid’s role will be a significant contribution to the digital media industry.

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iWeb more than triples server count over three years
Last week Montreal-based iWeb reached the 10,000 server milestone, more than tripling its server count over the last three years. The rise of media-rich applications available online, combined with demand for increased IT capacity has grown the internet hosting provider's footprint from 3,000 servers in 2006.

"The fact is that many companies today are using IP-based technologies to keep IT spending under control, or to reduce spending," says Eric Chouinard, iWeb's president and CEO. "IT budget restrictions mean that the companies that we work with are outsourcing their infrastructure to iWeb instead of financing thier servers, maintaining them and building their own data centres."

He adds that becuase customers can trust iWeb with the management of their servers, they can focus on their core business. Top of Page

Fresh networking ideas for associations, non-profits
The explosion of online social media, coupled with the implosion of many traditional businesses, is changing the game for member-driven associations and donor-dependant non-profits. As new demands are placed on these types of organizations, fresh ideas are needed to help ensure their continuing relevance. AssociationJam.org is a new website that focuses on the exchange of these types of ideas.

Similar to other social networking sites, AssociationJam.org allows community members to submit news stories, blog posts, YouTube videos or any other web content and then vote it up or down the front page. However, unlike most sites that feature a broad range of content, AssociationJam.org is strictly focused on information relevant to associations and non-profits.

Stories featured on the site include tips for the use of social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook for fundraising, how best to find and manage volunteers, and techniques to attract new members. Top of Page



Upcoming Events

April 27-29,2009
next:2009
Toronto , Ontario

Convergence 09
May 11, 2009
Vancouver , B.C.

CMA Mobile Marketing Seminar
May 27, 2009
Toronto, Ontario

MagNet
June 2-5, 2009
Toronto, Ontario

June 5-7, 2009 nextMEDIA – Banff
Alberta

CMA Social Media Seminar
June 23, 2009
Toronto, Ontario