+++ Canadian Tire Loses Domain Name Battle
Canadian Tire has lost its bid to have the domain name
"crappytire.com" transferred to the company. The domain is
currently owned by Mick McFadden. Canadian Tire failed in
its attempt to prove that crappytire.com was identical or
similar to its other trademarks.
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///// DEALS //////////
+++ Telus to Acquire Canadian PSINet Operation
In a bold move designed to boost its ability to offer
national business Internet services, Telus has signed a
letter of intent to acquire the Canadian component of
Internet service provider PSINet. The company has 275
employees in Canada and serves most major markets in the
country. "The strong data and IP skills of the PSINet
employees and the company's impressive customer base are
consistent with TELUS' strategic growth initiatives," said
Jim Peters, executive vice-president of TELUS Corporate
Development.
http://www.telus.com
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+++ Newfoundland Company Gains Access to German Market
Design Base of St. John's has formed a strategic
partnership with BoST Interactive of Cologne, Germany,
thereby "allowing both companies to gain access into their
respective markets and broaden the number of services that
they are able to offer." As a part of this agreement, the
two companies will provide localized strategy development
so as to assist clients in accessing foreign markets.
http://www.design-base.com
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+++ Sector Communications to Acquire EnterVision
Sector Communications of Los Angeles has announced that
they have signed a letter of intent to acquire all of the
EnterVision Broadcast Product Line computer software and
hardware. EnterVision is part of Montreal's BEE Multimedia
group, known for its streaming media products.
http://www.entervision.com
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///// FACTS & FIGURES //////////
+++ Billions Said to Have No Interest in Online Culture
The Internet may still be growing by leaps and bounds, but
there are reportedly billions of people around the world
who are not surfing. And they are not surfing by choice,
according to a new survey from Ipsos-Reid. The number one
reason for not joining the craze: 40 per cent of those not
on the Internet said it is because they have no need to.
The lack of a computer keeps another 33 per cent offline
while another 25 per cent said they lacked interest. The
survey further reveals that only about six per cent of the
world's six billion people are on the Internet.
http://www.ipsos-reid.com
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[-- DIGERATI DATEBOOK: UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS --]
+++ 2001 Canadian New Media Awards Webcast
June 4, 2001 to September 4, 2001 in cyberspace
Find out what a bad-tempered ball of snot and a talking
willy have to say about the Canadian new media industry.
That's right, the Webcast of the 2001 Canadian New Media
Awards is now available! Join puppet hosts Warren Chester
Grog, Gidian, the Vulture Capitalist and others as they
poke fun at the Canadian new media industry and its
economic ups-and-downs. Between roasting the industry and
ridiculing audience members, the wise-cracking emcees find
a few moments to recognize 12 talented award winners. The
Webcast, photographs of the ceremony, and profiles of the
winners are all available at the Canadian New Media Awards
Web site.
http://www.cnma.ca
The Canadian New Media Awards would like to thank two of
its Silver Sponsors, Adobe Systems Incorporated and the
Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology:
Founded in 1982, Adobe Systems Incorporated builds award-
winning software solutions for Network Publishing,
including Web, print, video, wireless and broadband
applications. Its graphic design, imaging, dynamic media
and authoring tools enable customers to create, manage and
deliver visually-rich, reliable content. Headquartered in
San Jose, California, Adobe is the second largest PC
software company in the U.S., with annual revenues
exceeding $1 billion. For more information about Adobe,
please visit:
http://www.adobe.com
The Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology, which was
created in October 1997, leads policy development and
co-ordinates Ontario's science and technology programs to
position the province as a leading jurisdiction for
research, development and innovation. For more information,
please visit:
http://www.est.gov.on.ca
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+++ Convergence: iTV and Beyond
August 13-14, 2001 in Toronto, Ontario
Convergence: iTV and Beyond has been specifically designed
to help the media executive become informed about current
developments in this field as well as investigate and
evaluate the different directions you could take on this
new frontier. For more information, phone 416-408-2300 Ext.
495 or visit:
http://www.convergence-tv.com
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[-- GEEKER'S CORNER: GUEST COLUMN --]
+++ How to Work with a Head-hunter
By Al (Iggy) Pitt
al@pixelscout.com
In case Mel Lastman reads BitStream, I think I'll explain
what we mean by "Head-hunter." A Head-hunter is a
professional consultant that helps companies find
candidates for positions that they need filled and helps
both the candidate and the employer go through the
placement process. There are two kinds of Head-hunters,
Contingency and Retainer. Retainer consultants take a
percentage of their fee up-front and work on assignments in
an exclusive manner. They tend to work on executive
placements only. Contingency agencies only get paid if you
hire someone that they represented to you and they work on
any type of assignment.
Head-hunters can be an important facet of your HR
recruitment strategy, so it is worth taking the time to
understand how to work with them effectively. The most
important thing in dealing with a Head-hunter is for both
sides to have a clear set of expectations. Make sure that
you know how much they will charge you, whether or not they
offer a guarantee and if they do, what are the terms of
their guarantees.
Make sure that they understand exactly what your
specifications are. This starts with, but does not end
with, a clear and detailed job description. A job
description should list the skills that are necessary to do
the job, the amount of experience you want the person to
have and the day-to-day responsibilities of the job. If you
are not sure that your job description is detailed enough
ask the Head-hunter what other information they need.
In addition to the job description you need to speak with
the Head-hunter about the environment that you have and the
kind of people that are on the team this person will work
with. The more information the Head-hunter has the more
detailed their search can be. The idea is to spend time up-
front making sure there is a good understanding of your
needs so that time is not wasted later on.
Confirm with the placement consultant that your salary
range is competitive. Head-hunters deal with a number of
position and will often have a very good general sense of
whether or not your salary is close to the market rate or
not.
When the interviewing process has begun make it clear to
the Head-hunter that you expect them to do more than just
hand you a resume. Question them about what they know about
an applicant.
Work with the Head-hunter throughout the whole hiring
process. Make them the only point of contact between
yourself and the candidate. Make sure they do reference
checking if that is part of your process. Have them present
the offer to the successful candidate and if the person is
employed make sure they help the candidate resign and check
to make sure the person hasn't changed their mind due to
cold feet. Head-hunters do these activities everyday and
they become quite proficient at them so use their talents -
you are paying for them after all.
--
Al (Iggy) Pitt is the President of MultiMediator
PixelScout, a recruiting company that focuses entirely on
new media. PixelScout combines Web-based resources, the
skills of new media savvy professional recruiters and the
technical and industry knowledge of MultiMediator. For more
information, call 416-410-7704, email
info@pixelscout.com or surf
http://www.pixelscout.com.
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proper credit is given.
No Canadian tires (crappy or otherwise) were harmed in the
making of this newsletter.
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