Of Relevance

My book is almost ready to go!

2008-11-06T10:51:10Z

: Image via Wikipedia

Let me say this upfront … writing a book is not easy. It is time consuming. It’s discouraging. It’s frustrating. But on top of all of that, somehow it also manages to be fun.

So it has been a while now since I decided to write a book on Social Media, but I am happy to report that it is almost ready to go. Of course, I have been saying this for about a month now, so don’t hold your breath for the full version just yet. It is tentatively titled “Social Media made simple” and it aims to explain the concept of Social Media, and how it can best be practiced in a simple, coherent and concise way.

What I can share today is the Introduction. It’s a .pdf download, 4 pages long, and is a quick read. It outlines the path of the book, and I would really appreciate any comments you may have. You can email me at eved@ideabank.co.za for lengthy criticism (yes, I can take it) or just drop a line below.

Introduction to “Social Media made simple”

Promoting a Start-Up

2008-10-30T12:10:42Z

So I have this little online project on the side, www.click.co.za (it is a collection of user generated reviews and ratings on e-commerce shops in South Africa) and now I need to promote the site to gain maximum exposure.

The trick, of course, is to do so with minimum (or ideally zero) cost. Luckily, the venture is online and not on some street corner downtown, so in theory it shouldn’t be too difficult.Also, the audience is geographically targeted.

I am going to keep a brief log of all my ideas and the results they generate, and will gladly collect all your suggestions too.

Off the top of my head, here are some methods that are free or negligible that can be used to market online ventures.

Twitter: a good place to get initial feedback from a tech-savvy crowd. Also good for generating ideas, and creating the initial push for “viral” posts.

A blog: The foundation of any good online campaign. This can be in the form of an independent post (like this one), or a dedicated blog for the online venture (I have one of those too. You can subscribe here). You can ask others to blog about your venture for you, or guest blog it on other blogs yourself. Blog posts can be propagated using Digg and a (countless) number of other tools.

Facebook: Good for spreading news, links to blog posts, etc. Groups are quite powerful if used correctly, becasue they draw targeted eyeballs to your message. Facebook applications are also an option.

Comments on other blogs. If well written and relevant to the blog post and your online project, they can draw good traffic to your site.

SEO: Search engine optimization. Powerful way to get a completely new yet targeted audience audience. With a bit of careful planning and simple guidelines, you can ensure that your site appears in top search results (for free) when people search for relevant topics.

WOM: Simple word of mouth, propagated by the above tools.

Visual and Audio Media like Youtube, podcasts etc. These can help a message spread virally in a very short period of time.

Each of the above methods can fill a book on the exact how-to’s and when-to’s and best practice. Luckily none of it is new to me, so I can launch right into it. And of course, I am not going to limit myself to online PR only.

It has been suggested that a new online website should double its traffic every two weeks. I am not sure how correct this is, or for how long this applies. But I will be sure to keep a neat record of stats, so I can draw (and share) my own conclusions.

Any other suggestions?

Looking for Online Entrepreneurs

2008-10-30T12:45:40Z

So the Ideacamp that I am organising with Innovation Hub is going full steam ahead, and is on schedule for Monday. The GIBS MBA students are attending, and we need about 15 online “techies” to participate as well.

If you have an idea for an online venture and need money to get it going, it is worth your while to attend this!

The event is on Monday, 2pm -5 pm at the Innovation Hub, Pretoria. Sign up here.

Here is a quick synopsis:

“The Innovation Hub, together with the University of Pretoria and Ideabank, will host the first Ideacamp for online entrepreneurs on the 3rd of November from 14h00 to 20h00 at The Innovation Hub in Pretoria. Do you have an idea for the next successful online application and only need to align yourself to a killer team consisting of marketing, business and “geek” brains to make it happen?

Then you cannot miss this opportunity! The Ideacamp has been established to help make your business idea a reality.This forum will address issues relevant to launching online applications with global potential. Topics of discussion will include:

* Innovation, revenue models, African potential
* Incubation, angel funding, venture funding, developing on a shoestring
* Choosing the best development platform for your application
* Creating the right strategy and putting together the best team

The second phase of the Ideacamp, dubbed Business Beat, helps structure teams that will compile a business plan and demo model of an online application with revenue potential. Each team will then present their concept to a number of pre-approved venture capitalists to contend for funding. The best three teams will be eligible for space into The Innovation Hub’s Business Incubator to fully develop their application.

Business Beat is scheduled for the beginning of 2009; it is a prerequisite that applicants interested in Business Beat attend the Ideacamp in November 2008.

Interested parties must sign up on http://ideacamp.pbwiki.com/Sign+Up+List or contact Eve Dmochowska at eved@ideabank.co.za or visit http://ideacamp.pbwiki.com for more information or to view the programme.”

Leopard vs Snake

2008-09-04T09:15:37Z

These incredible photos arrived in my inbox this morning. Don’t know who to attribute them to, but …WOW!!

Tshirt with South Africa startup logos

2008-09-01T11:41:36Z

I recently visited Eric at Springleap, and spent a great two hours chatting about the Tshirt industry. It was a great discussion, and as an added bonus I walked away with a great T-shirt. I wore it yesterday, and was quite chuffed by the cool comments that it received. I was also thrilled with the fit and finish (which is a great improvement from the April batch). I look forward to ordering many more.

But wearing the Tshirt made me wonder whether I too could actually design one. I am not an artist, use Photoshop for the most rudimentary things, but still want to wear my creation. Hmmm.

So here is the bright idea: I am going to create a Tshirt of logos, embedded in a shape of the African continent. I obviously want to include logos of African start ups only, with a preference on South Africa.

So…if you are the founder of a ~~stratup~~ startup, and want to be included on the Tshirt, please email me your logo. I am not sure whether I am allowed to put any logo I like, or whether it is copyright protected, so we will see how the voluntary submission process goes.

I am not sure yet of how I will print these. It might be through submission to Springleap (but then it only gets printed if it gets to the Top 20, and can get pricey), or I might just print them myself, privately. Anyways, they will be available for purchase or as give aways to anyone interested.

Please spread the message!

(If this proves to be successful (as measured by fun, not money) then I will do one of the names of best blogs too.)

A helping hand for online entrepreneurs

2008-08-14T09:10:56Z

You can’t go very far in the local blogosphere without stumbling across a conversation on the lack of funds for web entrepreneurs, lack of online innovation, lack of skills etc.

I have been trying to come to grips with this problem for some time, but to not much avail. The simple fact is that South Africa lacks angel investors to seed an entrepreneur’s idea, and there is little incentive for a strong angel network to establish itself.

Part of the problem is that few people, especially the “youngsters”, have both the technical and the business skills to take an online project forward, successfully. They can develop a “killer app”, but have no idea how to take it to market. Sometimes, they’re not even sure if there is a market.

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I was discussing these issues with Dr. Jill Sawers who is the Manager of Entrepreneurship at the Innovation Hub, and she has now spearheaded an exciting initiative to bridge some of these gaps.

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The Maxum Incubator, together with University of Pretoria and IdeaBank (my company) are organising the fist pre-incubation offering for young online entrepreneurs.

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All successful applicants will receive:
•    Free plug and play shared office space for a 3 months (a R500 deposit, telephone costs and consumables will be for your own account)
•    Attending Izazi entrepreneur forums (opportunity to network with like-minded entrepreneurs)
•    Exposure to experienced business mentors and Maxum management team who will guide you in the process of deciding what is necessary to convert your proposed business concept/prototype into a real, viable business opportunity
•    An opportunity at the end of your pre-incubation period to decide whether your business idea has the potential for making money and become part of the Maxum Business Incubator programme
•    If your business opportunity is good enough, you will be introduced to venture capitalists who may be interested in investing in your business

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Basically, it is a foot in the door of a very connected Hub. You will work on your idea while utilising Maxxum’s office space and bandwith, and you will work together with MBA graduates to fine tune your business plan and prototype.

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Once you have a the foundations in place, you wil be introduced to the venture capitalists who have been identified specifically for their interest in funding online start up businesses.

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It is an ideal opportunity for someone in the Pretoria vicinity to become ingrained in both the tech and business spheres at the same time. Plus, the Innovation Hub is a great place to work (my office is across the road, so I am there often) and the energy and vibe are invigorating!

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If you are working on an online venture, if you need some guidance, help or will be needing funding to take your product to market, I strongly suggest you review this opportunity.

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Five simple application steps:
1.    Prepare a 5 slide PowerPoint concept, or a five point document, that outlines your proposition and illustrates commitment to the business enterprise (see accompanying example) and forward this, together with “Assessment of potential ICT Entrepreneurs” form, to gsetumo@theinnovationhub.com. The business idea must demonstrate technological innovation in at least one of The Innovation Hub’s focus areas: ICT, biosciences, electronics, advanced manufacturing and materials, or energy and the sustainable environment.
2.    As an IT start-up or “Techie with an idea” you will present to a group of MBA students who, if they see an opportunity of building a business around your idea, will engage in a discussion with you over a glass of wine/beer/cool drink after your presentation.
3.    If you agree that this is a business opportunity, you will put together a business proposal and submit this to Maxum for entry into the pre-incubation programme.
4.    If the plan looks viable, you will present to the Selection Advisory Panel who will discuss the feasibility of your concept.
5.    Should your application be successful you will be invited to pre-incubate your business idea and locate your business in Maxum’s pre-incubation premises at The Innovation Hub in Pretoria. And….if your business proposal is good enough, you will be linked up with Venture Capitalist who may consider investing in your business.

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Important dates to remember:

1 September 2008: Deadline for receipt of applications to be submitted to Maxum

8 October 2008: Successful applicants invited to prepare presentation forBusiness Beat Function

21 October 2008: Business Beat function at The Innovation Hub, Pretoria

17 November 2008: Deadline for receipt of proposals for Maxum’s pre-incubation programme

26 November 2008: Presentation of selected proposals to Maxum’s Selection Panel

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For more information contact Patricia Dlamini, Manager: Maxum: (012) 844 0084, pdlamini@theinnovationhub.com or visit www.maxum.co.za

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Or you can give me a shout at eved@ideabank.co.za.

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Example of presentation

Even Mugabe is entitled to freedom of expression

2008-06-30T11:33:17Z

“If we don’t believe in free expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.”

Paarl Web, a subsidiary of Naspers, printed R3 million worth of party propaganda for Mugabe after Caxton declined the deal. Business Day reported the story, and now there is some uproar about this.

We are, admittedly, dealing with a tough scenario here. I assume there are very few Mugabe supporters amongst Thought Leader readers, so it might be tempting to create our own, isolated, rules for how Freedom of Expression should be interpreted.

The written word is a strong communicator. It can be heated, biased, derogatory, inflammatory and inaccurate. But it also allows for reflection, thought, and personal introspection. It invites discussion, argument and calls for an opinion, informed or otherwise. Above all, it is passive and should be encouraged as a primary source of opinion making, especially in a country as volatile as Zimbabwe.

If publishers take away Mugabe’s right to publish pamphlets on the eve of his election, they are taking away Zimbabwe’s right to a fair and due process.

For starters, it is not the publishers’, or our right to do so. Had South Africa issued nation wide sanctions against Zimbabwe, the scenario would be different, and we would be obligated to follow our country’s stance.

[To read more, please visit Thought Leader where this post originally appeared. Some good comments there too!]

Can one man make a difference for the mood of a country?

2008-06-10T09:53:17Z

I am reading a new book, Superclass, that talks about the nature of the most powerful people on earth (there are about 6,000 of these individual super-powers), and how they affect history. Although I have just started the book, it is already obvious that power is most often aided by money or political position.

Unless you are a superb sportsperson.

Poland (my home country) and Germany played their first match of UEFA2008 on Monday. Poland lost 0 — 2, which is in line with tradition since they haven’t ever, apparently, beaten Germany (except in the world wars, and with a lot of help!).

What made this match interesting for me, though, was that the two goals for the German side were actually scored by a Pole. He has been living in Germany since the age of two, but he has a Polish surname (Podanski), and speaks the language.

So in theory, had his family not decided to emigrate, and if he was playing for Poland, the score of the match could have gone the other way. (Of course, I will concede that it is highly possible that the training he received while playing for Germany was superior to the training he would have received if he had stayed in Poland, and therefore he might not have been such a good player without his German background.)
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You can read the rest of this post on Thought Leader, where it originally appeared.

SA Blook, Chapter 9: Making the most of SA’s creative talent and abilities

2008-06-02T20:55:30Z

The greatest resource possessed by a nation is the imagination of its people

It is no secret that South Africa has high levels of unemployment, severe poverty and lack of adequate education. These shortcomings are even more evident in our rural areas. And yet, and maybe because of the extra burden of hardships that those who live outside our main hubs have to bear, they have proven themselves to be incredibly creative, passionate and dedicated to their self-honed craft.

But that, unfortunately, is where their skills end. To be able to market themselves as a destination, or to sell their goods through retailers on the domestic or international market would take resources to which most rural crafters just do not have access. Their unfamiliarity with the business environment, and limited ability to communicate professionally with distant target markets hampers their chance of maintaining a decent living from the proceeds of their work.

That is unfortunate. Craft has low entry requirements in terms of capital and skill, since it draws on the cultural heritage of the people. Most crafters are women. Craft is the only feasible option to introduce themselves to the economy. They support large families, both immediate and distant. They are good, sometimes even brilliant, at what they create with their hands and the raw materials at their disposals. Their goods would have place of pride in the homes of the relatively wealthy foreigners who are so into the “green sustainability” trend that has taken the world by storm. The crafters, with their skill, are fully equipped to provide the first part of the “produce - sell - sustain” equation.

Now we have to figure out how to do the rest.

Luckily, we do not have to start from scratch. There are strong initiatives that aim to bridge the gap. There are government sponsored programs that introduce business training, and help market the crafters to tourists. There are organizations set up by individuals who run non profit projects to uplift the disadvantaged. And markets are springing up in urban hubs that sell the wares to both South Africans and the tourists who visit our country.

Monkeybiz Bead Project is a case in point. It sells R5 million worth of beaded crafts to the international market each year. Founded as a non-profit in 2000, the initiative now allows 450 crafters to sustain themselves and their family, doing what they do best. The reason it works is because it had a great start from the three founders who identified a collective talent in a community, and matched it to a demand in the overseas market. Now, each crafter is essentially self employed: she makes beaded crafts that are unique, and sells them to the non-profit. The goods are then distributed internationally through a well honed network, and the profits are driven back to the community, which is affected by HIV.

On my bookshelf I have a gem of a book, Due-South which is an Eskom sponsored “Travel Guide to South African Craft Sites”. Throughout its 400-odd beautifully laid out pages, it introduces the reader to the direct sources of the most creative, original and simply beautiful craft work the country has to offer. Designed as a travel guide, the book encourages both tourists and locals to get into their car and explore the country, and support the talent.

Here are some typical quotes from the book:

Hlamarisa Bvuma Beads: Hlamarisa is a renowed Tsonga beader and together with her four grandchildren she works to revive the style and technique used by traditional Tsonga beaders.
Emma Gule at Rheola’s Country Collection: Emma is a multi-talented, self-taught beader who produces beautiful items from beads and copper wire. She uses her skills in design and colour to create attractive crocheted jewellery, accessories, Christmas decorations and bags.

So we are not ignorant to the need of helping our local crafters. But, of course, we can do more. For starters, we can work on the perception of what “African Craft” really is. It is not limited, as some might think, the displays of wooden masks and beaded doilies as exhibited in front of the Zoo. To draw attention to the fact that the products produced in South Africa are far more diverse than that, it has been suggested that they be sorted into five categories: home ware and décor; garden and outdoor; jewellery and fashion accessories; craft and folk art (usually culturally specific) and souvenirs. Suddenly, the marketing scope seems filled with many more possibilities.

In 2001, government introduced the idea of setting up a “Craft Trading House” that would provide a one stop opportunity for buyers to view the South African craft products, and to manage the ordering and finance aspects of the trade. Although this has not yet been established, in principle it sounds like an ideal opportunity to bridge the gap between the products and the markets.

My money, however, is on the entrepreneurial spirit of those who can act as middle men between the crafters and the markets. Nothing, it seems, is a bigger motivator than money, and I am hoping that individuals who have the right connections, good business ethics and business acumen, will be able to utilize them for the benefit of all. The biggest obstacle, after all, is that most goods that are produced in rural areas will never receive the worthy audience that they deserve. Anyone who can bridge that gap manually can be forgiven for taking a profit out of the process. Altruism is great, but we need to pump exposure, even if for a price.

And the potential is great. Africa, as a continent, exports only 0.4% of the world’s $424.4 billion creative products! (According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), 2005). And we probably have the richest collective skill level and cultural heritage to drive the exports. As the director of Inter-region Economic Network, James Shikwati said: “The creative economy can serve as the most strategic launching pad of competitiveness because culture is unique with a given people”.

I have, I must admit, a somewhat biased opinion on the matter. Although my day is spent bridging the gap between the offline and online world for corporates and start ups, my family, starting with my father as a founder, has owned an art focused business for over 25 years. It is therefore a natural progression for me to try and bridge the offline and online world in the craft / art market too. After all, there are plenty of potential customers who might never visit our country, but who would love to own a bit of African culture and heritage. And wouldn’t it be wonderful if there could be an e-commerce enabled website that offered the small crafter, living in the middle of a remote farm, the opportunity to sell her goods to people with whom she could never otherwise interact? There isn’t one yet, but I’m working on it ;-)

We might not have the solutions to all the challenges faced by the craft industry in South Africa, but we should know this: It is worth our while to give it our full support, not only because it adds economic growth, creates an uplifted and cohesive community and is a natural stepping stone to further skill acquisition, but because it represents and preserves our country’s rich cultural heritage.

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This post is a chapter of the SA Blook: A Piece of Significance, an online book
written by a diverse group of writers with strong views of our country and the reality we find ourselves living in. The other chapters in the Blook are here:

Introduction
1 . The new South Africa - is it real?
2 . Is SA rich or poor?
3 . What the world thinks of South Africa and what our global opportunities are
4 . The importance of each individual’s contribution collectively
5 . SA Inc and the business of doing business in SA
6 . The beauty and grandeur that surrounds us
7 . The importance of technology in SA’s global emergence
8 . Building brand South Africa
9 . Making the most of SA’s creative talents and abilities
10 . Innovate for a better South Africa
11 . The role of the younger generation in SA, and what we need to do to support them
12 . Connecting South Africa - Communities that transcend technology
13 . We are African - the role of collaboration in South Africa’s growth

Holy cow! Telepresence is magic

2008-05-27T10:06:09Z

The more time I spend playing online, the more innovations just blow me away. But this one takes the cake.

It’s called “telepresence”, and in this video it was used to create a 3D virtual, live, image of a presenter, who could not physically attend a conference, but presented anyway. His image was projected onto the stage, and since it was happening in real time (think teleconferencing, but on steroids) the “virtual” presenter (who was actually in India at the time) was able to speak and interact with a colleague (his boss) who was “really” on the stage.

The virtual image is not projected onto the screen, but onto the stage. You really do think you are looking at a live person. (Well, you are looking at a live person, but he happens to be thousands of miles away).

There are many possible applications to this. The video mentions doctors “visiting” remote patients. But I immediately had another idea: If my deceased father was able to make a virtual “video” of himself (prior to his death, of course!) then I could listen to a message from him after his death, and see it coming “directly from him”. My daughter could “see” her grandfather, whom she now does not remember. The potential is tremendous.

In fact, this is so awesome that I was waiting for a “April Fool’s” kind of spoiler at the end. But no, it seems the Cisco people are really pulling this off. Watch it, it really is amazing.