THIS ISSUE'S STREAM:
[-- NEWSPEAK: MULTIMEDIA INDUSTRY NEWS --]
Canadian Space Agency Adds Multimedia Payload
Finalists Announced for Canadian New Media Awards
NASDAQ and Quebec to Form NASDAQ Canada
E-Commerce Still Seen as Up-hill Battle in Canada
Nelvana Extends New Media Reach
Alliance Dresses Up Drop the Beat
Chapters and CBC Form Marketing Alliance
The Wired Classroom is in Session
24/7 Media launches E-mail division in Canada
itemus Invests in Caught in the Web
Animatics Steps out Under New Name
digIT Interactive Acquired by Quebecor Subsidiary
CMP to Honor Seumas McNally
Man Bites Dog: Webcast at 11:00
[-- PLUG: INDUSTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS --]
Canadian New Media Awards Finalists
[-- GEEKERS' CORNER: EDITORIAL --]
What if the Grass Really is Greener?
[-- DIGERATI DATEBOOK: UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS --]
newMedia 2000 Conference and Tradeshow
UpstartCanada.com
Canadian New Media Awards
[-- THE LUDDITE'S LAIR: A SKEPTIC'S VIEW --]
I Was a Teenage Hacker
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[-- NEWSPEAK: MULTIMEDIA INDUSTRY NEWS --]
Canadian Space Agency Adds Multimedia Payload
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will develop and launch a
specialized multimedia communications satellite payload in
conjunction with Telsat Canada and a variety of private
sector groups. The multimedia payload, a key part of the
$600 million ANIK F2 satellite to be launched in 2002,
will offer the promise of cheaper, faster and more highly
effective communications services, while expanding access
to tele-medicine, tele-learning, tele-working, e-commerce,
high-speed Internet and government services to citizens
living in urban, rural and remote communities throughout
Canada.
http://www.space.gc.ca/ENG/Whats_New/2000_04_14.html
Finalists Announced for Canadian New Media Awards
A total of 53 finalists will be competing in 12 categories
at the first ever Canadian New Media Awards. The winners
will be announced at a gala show and reception to be held
May 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the John Bassett Theatre, Metro
Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto. "The finalists
represent a cross-section of digital content creators and
Internet professionals from every province, and the
Northwest Territories," said Adam Froman, President and
CEO at MMSG - MultiMediator Strategy Group Inc.,
presenters of the awards. "They are the leading lights of
today's new media industry and the mentors to tomorrow's
leaders and innovators."
http://www.multimediator.com/cnma
NASDAQ and Quebec to Form NASDAQ Canada
The NASDAQ Stock Market and the Government of Quebec have
signed a memorandum of understanding that will see the
establishment of NASDAQ Canada. Under the proposed
agreement, "the parties will cooperate to facilitate the
recognition of NASDAQ Canada as a stock exchange based in
Montreal." Following government approval, NASDAQ terminals
will be placed at broker/dealers within Quebec. "The
strategy of openness on the world adopted by NASDAQ
harmonize perfectly with Quebec's openness to free trade,"
said Quebec Prime Minister Lucien Bouchard. "To date, the
results clearly show that Quebec companies have benefited
substantially from this move to freer markets. We intend
to continue in the same direction and take full advantage
of the strategic opportunity provided by NASDAQ's
arrival."
http://www.nasdaq.com/
E-Commerce Still Seen as Up-hill Battle in Canada
Everyone sing along now: We're number two! According to a
recent Angus Reid Survey, Canadians are second only to
Americans as the most active Web surfers in the world. The
1999-2000 survey of 28,000 users found that 56 percent of
Canadians had used the Internet between November and
January, compared to a rate of 59 percent for Americans.
The report, featured in The New York Times, quotes
Chapters Online chairman and chief executive Larry
Stevenson as saying that his firm has seen first-hand
proof of these numbers, but others are not so lucky. In
the interview it was reported that the owner of
Videoflicks "had so much difficulty getting a Canadian
bank to set him up with a credit card merchant account, he
went through a U.S. bank. Now, they have a Canadian store
on a U.S. Web site, selling videos in U.S. dollars." The
problem, according to the report, is that most Canadian
banks still consider e-commerce to be a "risky business."
(Source: New York Times)
Nelvana Extends New Media Reach
Nelvana recently announced plans to acquire Klutz, a
leading US children's book publisher. Klutz is said to have
pioneered the concept of packaging instructional
books with activity products, the first of which was
"Juggling for the Complete Klutz," sold replete with three
beanbags. The firm has since sold in excess of 50 million
books and related products. It is thought that the
acquisition, pegged at $74 million, will be an ideal
addition to Nelvana's plans to develop interactive
products via its recently announced new media division.
http://www.newswire.ca/releases/April2000/12/c3062.html
http://www.nelvana.com/
Alliance Dresses Up Drop the Beat
Alliance Atlantis has signed a "multi-tired e-commerce"
merchandising deal for the critically acclaimed CBC TV
series Drop the Beat. Custom Casual Group will develop a
full line of &uqot;funky apparel&uqot; said to reflect the style of
clothing seen on the show. The line will begin selling
initial products this spring, with the full line slated
for fall. The clothing will be sold exclusively via the
WebStoreCompany on the TV series' Web site. "Because one
of the major elements of hip-hop is clothing," said Sharon
Capotosto, VP Merchandising and Licensing, Alliance
Atlantis, "this line of merchandise is a natural fit for
the series."
http://www.allianceatlantis.com/
http://www.dropthebeat.com/
Chapters and CBC Form Marketing Alliance
Chapters Online and the CBC have announced a marketing and
co-promotion alliance. The deal will allow visitor to
Chapters.ca to read book-related news articles, book
reviews, interviews with authors and book readings, while
those visiting cbc.ca will be able to purchase titles via
a direct link to Chapters Online.
http://www.chapters.ca/books/cbc
http://www.cbc.ca/
The Wired Classroom is in Session
CBC Radio Syndication and CBC Radio New Media have
announced a new 10-part combination radio and Internet
series that will examine the promises and problems of
making the Internet an integral part of the Canadian
education system. The Wired Classroom began April 25th and
is currently running daily - Tuesday to Friday - for four
weeks, and then it will run once a week for the next six
weeks. The Wired Classroom Web site will feature
supplemental information to the radio broadcast with audio
reports, documentaries from CBC reporters, plus links to
other Web sites and speeches. The chat room suggestions
from visitors will also be used to generate material for
the radio segments.
http://www.cbc.ca/wiredclassroom
24/7 Media launches E-mail division in Canada
The e-mail division of Internet advertising network 24/7
has opened up shop in Canada, thereby putting the world's
largest database of opt-in e-mail names, and many of
Canada's leading online newsletters, at Canadian
marketers' fingertips. Marketers utilize the database to
reach targeted audiences by means of e-mail campaigns on
subscriber-based "opt-in" newsletters, discussion lists,
product updates and sponsored press releases. "One of the
best uses of e-mail we've seen is the sponsorship
opportunity on Canada NewsWire press releases," said Jay
Aber, President 24/7 Media (Canada). "NewsWire e-mails
over 200,000 copies of press releases weekly to investors.
A six line message at the bottom of each release with a
clickable link has been incredibly popular with marketers
trying to reach upscale investors."
http://www.247canada.com/
[If you're interested in learning more about the power of
e-mail as a marketing tool, please contact the e-mail
marketing experts at MultiMediator's parent company, MMSG.
mailto:emailmarketing@multimediator.com or call
416-364-1455 Ext. 100.]
itemus Invests in Caught in the Web
itemus and Caught in the Web, both of Toronto, have formed
a comprehensive strategic alliance designed to serve both
new and existing enterprises seeking to accelerate their
growth via the Internet. The $9 million investment
features a mix of cash and common shares in itemus.
"Caught in the Web, Inc. believes itemus is well on its
way to becoming a unique accelerator of Internet
businesses in Canada and abroad," said Bobby John, Caught
in the Web's co-founder.
http://www.citw.com/
Animatics Steps out Under New Name
The venerable Ottawa multimedia company Animatics is
stepping out under a new name, Filament Communications. It
is thought the new identity will better reflect the fact
that Animatics has "evolved from a small multimedia shop
into a mid-sized and growing digital communications
company.&uqot; Although the firm started out in animation and
entertainment, today they specialize in digital
communications with particular emphasis on customer
communications, talent market communications, partner and
channel communications and investor relations.
http://www.filamentinc.com/
digIT Interactive Acquired by Quebecor Subsidiary
Another Ottawa company, digIT Interactive, has been
acquired by Informission Group, a subsidiary of Quebecor
World. digIT, specialists in digital branding and
marketing channel management, intend to assist
Informission's clients in using the Internet to "maximize
their marketing strategies and represents an essential
component of Informission's end-to-end Web solutions
offering.&uqot; &uqot;digIT's focus on striking the optimum balance
between new and traditional marketing channels is a
perfect fit with our goal of helping clients benefit from
an integrated approach to online and traditional media,&uqot;
said Pierre Karl Peladeau, President and CEO of Quebecor
World." The deal was announced in mid-March. [Okay, we're
late in getting the news to you, but at least we did get
the news to you! - ED.]
http://www.nurun.com/en/newsevents.html
CMP to Honor Seumas McNally
The CMP Game Media Group announced recently that it is
renaming the Independent Game Festival's (IGF) Grand Prize
in honor of Seumas McNally. McNally was President and Lead
Programmer for northern Ontario's Longbow Digital Arts
before succumbing to Hodgkin's Disease on March 21 at the
age of 21. The Award will now be known as the Seumas
McNally Grand Prize. Longbow recently won the Grand Prize,
Best Game Design and the Technical Excellence awards for
its videogame project, Tread Marks, at the second annual
IGF. (see BitStream #18) &uqot;Seumas McNally impressed
everyone with his technical expertise and determination to
complete this year's winning game, Tread Marks," said Alex
Dunne, Chairman of the IGF. "He dedicated the last years
of his life to finishing the wonderful game. But even more
important, he was a caring person who was generous with
his time and knowledge." (Source: CMP Media)
http://www.longbowdigitalarts.com/
Man Bites Dog: Webcast at 11:00
Hardly a day goes by without someone somewhere warning
about the need to maintain standards for online
journalism, but as one of our readers recently noted,
mistakes do slip through. The National Post Web site
recently ran a headline informing readers that: CBC
planned to "drop ads 'as much as possible' followed by a
series of headlines that read: President plans overhaul:
Many local suppertime news shows to be killed. Closing
down the freak show." Oh dear. That freak show part was
supposed to be a heading for another story. Our faithful
reader alerted Post editors to the problem and received a
kind thank you note, but they still didn't alter the
headline! Freak show indeed.
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[-- PLUG: INDUSTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS --]
Canadian New Media Awards Finalists
Finalists for the Canadian New Media Awards were announced
on April 13. Their profiles can be viewed at the Awards
Web site at http://www.multimediator.com/cnma. You can
also tune into CTV's Digital Desk for candid profiles of
this year's finalists. And watch for more Canadian New
Media Awards news in upcoming editions of Maclean's, The
National Post, newMedia.pro, SHIFT, and Sympatico NetLife.
Winners will be announced at a gala show and reception,
Thursday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the John Bassett Theatre,
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front Street West,
Toronto.
One of the most hotly contested award categories is the
"Company of the Year" category sponsored by Bell
ActiMedia. Finalists for "Company of the Year" include:
Blast Radius, Blue Zone Entertainment, ExtendMedia Inc.,
Learnstream, and McGill Multimedia Inc.
As a leading Internet company, Bell understands the
importance of looking towards the future, utilizing the
most up to date and advanced technology. Bell's focus on
connectivity, commerce and content is strengthened through
alliances and partnerships with organizations such as
SMART Toronto, Toronto Board of Trade, New Media Village,
EDCO, Liberty Village New Media Centre and Enterprise
Toronto.
Several organizations deserve to be mentioned for their
outstanding contributions to this year's Canadian New
Media Awards, including: Canada's Digital Collections,
Onvia.com, Media Metrix, Rogers New Media, SaskFilm,
Telefilm Canada and Yellow.ca.
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[-- GEEKERS' CORNER: EDITORIAL --]
What if the Grass Really is Greener?
By Adam Froman
afroman@multimediator.com
From an outsider's perspective, those in charge of a
corporation's Internet agenda must appear to have the best
job in the world. In truth, most of these people are not
only frustrated, but are looking for a new job. Their
profile is usually about the same: middle to senior
management; bright and aggressive; great communicator;
passionate about how the Internet can help their
organization; and long-time employees who have presented
management with a long-term business case explaining why
their organization should continue to invest in Internet
activities. They are also highly respected within the
Internet industry and usually underpaid, at least relative
to the opportunities that exist south of the border.
Does it sound like they would have trouble finding work
elsewhere? Certainly not.
So, what is it that is holding these individuals at their
current organizations? When I sit down with these people I
hear a similar story. They have an unquestionable loyalty
to their current organizations and in fact enjoy the
challenge of trying to convince higher-ups to invest in
the Internet. They fear pushing the envelope too far, lest
they lose their jobs, and they generally have an
undervalued perspective regarding their skills and
experience.
From my perspective, I don't think these organizations
truly acknowledge the talent these people possess. For
many of these organizations, the Internet is still a
sideline activity, so it doesn't get the attention it
deserves. If they do understand its importance, they are
always second-guessing those leading their Internet
initiatives.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not about to suggest that
these organizations should be spending a lot of money on
Internet ventures in the absence of a clear strategy or
business model, but they continue to look at the Internet
as a separate business instead of finding ways to
integrate it into their existing business activities. What
makes things worse is that instead of feeling privileged
to employ an individual who both understands the Internet
and their existing business, they feel that they are
giving that person an opportunity to prove themselves. Boy
are they wrong!
Unfortunately for these organizations, they are beginning
to face a rude awakening. These talented -- but frustrated
-- employees are starting to explore their market value
outside of their organizations, and they are falling off
their chairs when they find out what is out there. They
are questioning their loyalty to their current
organizations and whether the challenge is really worth
it. Why not? Instead of always having to prove themselves
and justify their existence within their existing
organizations, they are getting offered opportunities to
work in an environment where people appreciate their
experience and strategic vision. They have access to
'smart money' for investment in Internet activities, and
what puts the icing on the cake is, in many instances,
they are significantly increasing their current salaries
and compensation packages. These opportunities are real
and they are walking away from existing stock options and
pension plans and lengthy careers with their existing
organization when all they wanted to do was help position
their organizations to be competitive in the future.
On a regular basis I am finding myself encouraging many of
these individuals not to lose their passion. If they are
still enjoying the challenge of trying to convince their
senior management to realize their vision, why not push
the envelope even harder, because from my point of view,
there is no downside. Either they get the chance to help
position their organizations to be competitive in the
future or they will find greener pastures elsewhere. It
will be their existing organizations who will have to
decide whether they want to keep these priceless
individuals for themselves, or let their careers flourish
elsewhere. Time will tell.
Adam Froman is President & CEO of MMSG, Canada's leading
Internet strategy and marketing firm. MMSG's team of 'E-
Sherpas' guide clients through the planning, production,
and promotion of their new media ventures.
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[-- DIGERATI DATEBOOK: UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS --]
newMedia 2000 Conference and Tradeshow
May 16-18, 2000 in Toronto, ON
newMedia2000 is an international trade show and conference
showcasing digital technology from creative applications
to delivery across all media platforms. The event connects
manufacturers, distributors and service providers with
qualified business, education and training, creative and
technical buyers from all industry sectors.
http://www.newmedia.ca/
UpstartCanada.com
May 17-18, 2000 in Toronto, ON
UpstartCanada.com is the first event of its kind in
Canada, focused at preparing Canadian entrepreneurs for
the challenges of starting and growing a successful
Internet business. This 2 day event will offer a
comprehensive breakdown of the core challenges of getting
an Internet business off the ground and keeping it growing.
http://www.upstartcanada.com/
Canadian New Media Awards
May 18, 2000 in Toronto, ON
In this, its inaugural year, the Canadian New Media
Awards will honour individuals and companies in a total of
12 diverse categories, including New Media Visionary,
Educator of the Year and Most Promising New Company.
http://www.multimediator.com/cnma/
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[-- THE LUDDITE'S LAIR: A SKEPTIC'S VIEW --]
I Was a Teenage Hacker
By Hartley Steward
mailto:hartleysteward@canoemail.com
Mafiaboy, it turns out, is just a run-of-the-mill, average
hacker.
While he has above-average skills, he is not an
exceptional hacker, according to RCMP Inspector Yves
Roussell of the commercial crime unit that investigated
the attack earlier this year on CNN.com and other major
Web sites.
"Mafiaboy is not that good, actually," the inspector
announced at a press conference recently. "He had a good
knowledge of computers, however he wasn't what we could
call a genius in that field.&uqot;
I watched the inspector talking to the press and he seems
to me, by trashing Mafiaboy's expertise, to be trying
somehow to offer us assurances that this was no big deal
and the RCMP and other law enforcement officers around the
world had this sort of thing under control.
It reminded me of the sort of bravado police forces
displayed when it became apparent that white collar crime
-- international fraud, smuggling and complex money
laundering schemes -- was out of control. The money
involved made more familiar crimes seem like kids breaking
into the piggy bank.
Despite the posturing, it quickly became obvious the know-
how and resources of international law enforcement
organizations were woefully inadequate in the face of the
'new' crime wave. It took a generation before law officers
and agents were trained to the extent they could make even
a dent in the white collar operations.
Even now, they are hard pressed to keep up with the
innovations of big business criminals and they are seldom,
if ever, ahead of them.
The police tracked down Mafiaboy the old fashioned way;
someone ratted on him.
To suggest, as they seemed to, that the youngster was not
in the same league as their guys and that they outsmarted
him easily, is pure deception. They got lucky. Even an
"average" hacker would have baffled them completely had he
refrained from bragging about his exploits in the chat
rooms.
The fact is, police forces for some time to come, will be
at the mercy of hackers. Even the non-genius variety. It
will be years before the Internet crime units of the RCMP,
the FBI and Interpol have developed and trained agents who
can match first-rate hackers.
If the law enforcement agents are far behind, imagine
where the laws and courts themselves are. You get some
idea when you read the only charges the RCMP have so far
found under which they might prosecute Mafiaboy: "mischief
pertaining to data."
It sounds like the 15-year-old used white-out on his
report card instead of bringing to a standstill a half
dozen of the biggest Web sites in cyberspace. He could get
two years.
Meantime, cells of highly skilled hackers, criminally and
politically motivated, are popping up on every corner of
the Net. They are developing programs capable of wreaking
havoc on the Net whenever they choose.
Be afraid, as they say. Be very afraid.
--
Hartley Steward is the former Publisher and CEO of the
Toronto Sun and has written for numerous other "old media"
publications, including Maclean's, Toronto Life, and The
Toronto Star.
== Obligatory Legal Disclaimer to Appease the Lawyers:
The statements and opinions expressed in The Luddite's
Lair are those of the author and not of MultiMediator or
MMSG. Neither MultiMediator nor MMSG necessarily support
or agree with the contents of The Luddite's Lair, in whole
or in part. So there.
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No electrons were harmed in the making of this newsletter.
