THIS ISSUE'S STREAM:
[-- SPECIAL ALERT FROM BITSTREAM'S PUBLISHER --]
+++ Be Wary of Unsolicited Domain Name Phone Calls
[-- NEWSPEAK: MULTIMEDIA INDUSTRY NEWS --]
///// INDUSTRY //////////
+++ New Media Producer's Guide Now Available
+++ Shaw Street Productions Wins Silver Axiem Award
+++ Bell Mobility Announces New Round of R&D Funding
+++ Revisions to Ontario's Interactive Tax Credit Finalized
+++ 360networks Fighting to Survive
+++ Ontario Companies Successfully Schmooze Silicon Alley
///// CONTENT //////////
+++ Canadian Apparel Industry Gets Interactive
+++ Canadian Freelancers Watch US Copyright Ruling
+++ Ottawa Soap Opera Fan Takes Love Online
+++ Jawz Does Security Check for CBC.ca
///// MARKETING //////////
+++ Delvinia Comes to the Aid of Marketing Managers
///// INFRASTRUCTURE //////////
+++ Telus to Open Two Additional Internet Data Centres
+++ Robot Helps Build Toronto's Broadband Network
///// DEALS //////////
+++ Bell Nexxia Awards E-Government Contract to Entrust
///// FACTS & FIGURES //////////
+++ Canadians Third in World Wide Internet Usage
+++ Canadian Youth Explore Internet on Their Own
+++ DSL to Overtake Cable Modem Within Two Years in Canada
[-- DIGERATI DATEBOOK: UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS --]
+++ Convergence: iTV and Beyond
+++ Softworld 2001
[-- THE SWEET & BITTER BYTE: AN INTERACTIVE OPINION --]
+++ Speeding Up The Centre of Industry Activity
Return to Table of Contents
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[-- SPECIAL ALERT FROM BITSTREAM'S PUBLISHER --]
+++ Be Wary of Unsolicited Domain Name Phone Calls
If you, or your clients, currently own a .com domain name,
you or your clients may receive a phone call regarding the
domain name from a company purportedly affiliated with a
well known domain registration company. They may even
represent themselves as being a customer service or
customer support arm of the company. You may be asked to
call a toll-free number and quote a reference number. When
you call the number, the representative will encourage you
to register the .net or .org versions of your domain name.
Please note that they may well NOT be the customer service
or support division of the domain registration company, nor
are you under any obligation to use their registration
services. In fact, there are many other domain name
registrars available, many of whom charge less for their
registration services. There have been complaints about
such activity, so make sure you know who you are dealing
with when registering domain names as a result of
unsolicited calls.
Return to Table of Contents
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[-- NEWSPEAK: MULTIMEDIA INDUSTRY NEWS --]
///// INDUSTRY //////////
+++ New Media Producer's Guide Now Available
The Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund has announced the
publication of New Media, New Business: The Producer's
Guide, billed as a complete "how-to" business resource for
producers of new media content. The publication deals with
everything from concept development to sales with experts
from the new media industry contributing their experience,
insights, tips and advice to help producers meet the
challenges of creating new media content. The Guide is
published in association with Telefilm Canada, Liberty
Village New Media Centre and the Ontario Media Development
Corporation. It retails for $19.95 and is being sold
through the Bell Fund offices as well as various industry
associations and bookstores across the country.
http://www.bell.ca/en/about/bic/fund/preleasenewpublication.asp
Return to Table of Contents
+++ Shaw Street Productions Wins Silver Axiem Award
A silver Axiem Award was recently presented to Toronto's
Shaw Street Productions, honouring their work on the CD-ROM
business card entitled "Oasis Technology - The Future of
Payments." The US-based international competition, which
celebrates "Absolute eXcellence In Electronic Media," is
held annually to recognize companies whose work displays
innovation, creativity, and technical merit. Shaw Street's
winning entry was created for Oasis Technology as a direct
mail piece, laptop sales presentation and trade show video
presentation loop. Evaluated by 16 judges from across the
United States, the Axiem Awards received nearly 1,600
entries from companies such as DreamWorks, IBM, J. Walter
Thompson, and NASA.
http://www.shawstreetpro.com
Return to Table of Contents
+++ Bell Mobility Announces New Round of R&D Funding
Bell Mobility Investments (BMI), the corporate venture
capital arm of Bell Mobility, was recently created with the
specific goal of investing in innovative companies active
in the wireless Internet space. BMI, which uses both R&D
and equity investments to create solid partnerships with
companies, is launching its third round of R&D funding.
Aspiring wireless entrepreneurs are invited to read the R&D
section of the Bell Mobility Investment Web site for more
information on accessing these funds. Deadline for
proposals is August 1, 2001.
http://www.bellmobility.ca/about/bmi/rd
Return to Table of Contents
+++ Revisions to Ontario's Interactive Tax Credit Finalized
Several enhancements to the May, 2000 Ontario Interactive
Digital Media Tax Credit (OIDMTC) have now passed into law.
The Tax Credits Department can now administer the credit
based on these amendments for expenditures incurred after
May 2, 2000, while marketing and distribution expenditures
incurred 24 months before and 12 months after completion of
the eligible product are eligible for the OIDMTC. The
application package for the OIDMTC, including the
application form and calculation schedule, has been updated
and are available online.
http://www.omdc.on.ca
Return to Table of Contents
+++ 360networks Fighting to Survive
Vancouver's 360networks is facing what is being called an
"uncertain future" after filing for bankruptcy protection.
The fibre-optic network company has filed for shelter from
creditors in both Canada and the US, with plans for
insolvency proceedings in Europe as well. A day before the
bankruptcy-filing announcement, the Vancouver-based company
had slashed its workforce from 1,800 to 1,000. "At the
present time, the 360 group is undergoing increasing
pressure from its trade creditors and suppliers at a time
when its revenue stream from its fibre-optic network is
reducing, given the overall downturn in the
telecommunications industry," chief executive Greg Maffei
wrote in the Canadian affidavit. (Source: The Globe and
Mail)
http://www.360.net/News---Releases---Details.asp?ID=136
Return to Table of Contents
+++ Ontario Companies Successfully Schmooze Silicon Alley
[In our last issue, we wrote about a business-development
mission to New York's Silicon Alley by some Ontario
companies. Here are some additional details received after
we published our last issue. - ED.] Coordinated on behalf
of the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) by
Toronto new media firm Bitcasters, the five-day mission
delivered high-level networking opportunities with key US
producers, developers and content aggregators like BMG,
Vivendi-Universal and Miramax. Seven participating
companies, including Byte Size Media, The Digital Mill, and
SharpMedia, promoted their expertise in a variety of new
media areas including peer-to-peer technologies, online
comedy, and interactive children's programming.
http://www.omdc.on.ca
Return to Table of Contents
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Return to Table of Contents
///// CONTENT //////////
+++ Canadian Apparel Industry Gets Interactive
Some key players in Canada's apparel industry have launched
a CD-ROM and Web site they hope will attract buyers from
around the world. The CD-ROM and accompanying Web site will
feature easy access to the Canadian apparel industry by
offering links to associations, activities and events,
apparel centres and Canadian trade representatives. The
project is a joint venture of Industry Canada, the Canadian
General Consulate in New York and the Montreal Fashion
Network. "There is a huge demand from American buyers
looking for sourcing in Canada," said Leila Thibault,
Business Development Officer at the Canadian Consulate
General in New York.
http://www.aboutcanadianapparel.com
Return to Table of Contents
+++ Canadian Freelancers Watch US Copyright Ruling
Canadian freelancers are carefully watching the recent
landmark US Supreme Court ruling that "the New York Times,
Time Inc., Newsweek and other American print media
infringed the copyrights of freelance contributors by using
their work on Web sites, Internet databases and CD-ROMs
without their consent." On this side of the border a class
action suit by Heather Robertson and other writers,
photographers and illustrators could see $100 million paid
out to 10,000 writers. The writers allege that their work
appeared in various publisher's electronic databases
without the writers having received compensation. (Source:
CP)
Return to Table of Contents
+++ Ottawa Soap Opera Fan Takes Love Online
Andre Voshart is a self-confessed soapaholic. But rather
than simply pine for his beloved soap operas, the 18-year-
old Ottawa student decided to create one of his own. Not
only that, but he put it online as well. He started writing
in March 2000 and he's been uploading a weekly drama ever
since, allowing other soap fans to sign on and read the
latest news from his creations Patrick Donavon, Gillian
Evans and of course the ever-present Presence!
http://www.w3.to/presence
Return to Table of Contents
+++ Jawz Does Security Check for CBC.ca
The CBC has hired Jawz of Fairfield, New Jersey (originally
based in Calgary) to review and test the security of its
Web sites and data centres. Jawz will created a "mirror"
CBC Network in order to "attack" the site, looking for any
security flaws in the system. The tests were thought to be
expedient in light of future system demands such as digital
broadcasts. Hackers recently attacked a CNBC Web site in
the United States.
http://www.cbc.ca
Return to Table of Contents
///// MARKETING //////////
+++ Delvinia Comes to the Aid of Marketing Managers
Toronto-based Delvinia has unveiled a new service that puts
the marketing power of the Web into the hands of marketing
managers. QuickShop MicroSites, as the service is known,
can be used for driving signups for a newsletter,
distributing coupons, or closing an online transaction.
Through the service, marketing managers are provide with
the tools they need to quickly introduce new offers or
promotions or to simultaneously create different offers or
promotions to different markets, all without involving
their IT department. "We've made it easy for the marketing
department to provide surfers with the information they
want, when they want it and in a format that is simple to
understand and act upon," said Bill Sweetman, Delvinia's VP
of Interactivity.
http://www.delvinia.com/quickshop.html
Return to Table of Contents
///// INFRASTRUCTURE //////////
+++ Telus to Open Two Additional Internet Data Centres
Telus has opened two more Internet data centres as part of
the company's plan to "become Canada's leading Web hosting
service provider." Telus has committed more than $22
million to develop one data centre in Calgary and $25
million for the other in Toronto. The two new centres will
augment those already operational in Vancouver, Calgary,
Montreal, and Rimouski, Quebec. "Make no mistake, Telus is
continuing to execute on its strategy of building a
powerhouse of integrated data, IP and wireless solutions
for our customers across Canada," said Telus president and
chief executive Darren Entwistle. (Source: The Globe and Mail)
http://www.telus.com
Return to Table of Contents
+++ Robot Helps Build Toronto's Broadband Network
If you want to build it, STAR will build it for you. STAR
stands for Sewer Telecommunications Access by Robot and it
is Stream Intelligent Networks' answer to building
Toronto's high-speed Internet infrastructure for local
businesses and residents. The reason STAR is the star of
this assignment is that it will be travelling through
existing underground sewers in order to lay the fibre-optic
cable. In fact STAR is said to do so eight times faster
than previous excavation methods. The cable-laying robot,
which is about 1.8 metres long and equipped with five
television cameras, is fed into the sewer system through
manholes.
http://www.stream.ca/news.asp?id=137
Return to Table of Contents
///// DEALS //////////
+++ Bell Nexxia Awards E-Government Contract to Entrust
Bell Canada's Bell Nexxia has awarded a $27 million
contract to Entrust Technologies to help develop "secure
and confidential access to Internet-based Canadian
government services." The contact is part of its Secure
Channel project, a plan to provide Canadians federal
government services via the Internet. Nexxia recently won a
$57 million contract from the federal government to build
and manage the Secure Channel. The Dallas-based company was
recently involved in a major deployment of strong
authentication, entitlements and verification capabilities
for the government of Ontario during the first quarter of
2001.
http://www.entrust.com/news/files/07_02_01_753.htm
Return to Table of Contents
///// FACTS & FIGURES //////////
+++ Canadians Third in World Wide Internet Usage
Canada may have slipped to third in the latest United
Nations standard of living survey, but Canadians are also
the third-most frequent Internet users. The study, which
covered 36 countries, found that 60 per cent of Canadians
polled said they use the Internet, compared to 57 per cent
in the US. Canada's rate was exceeded only by Norway (63
per cent) and Denmark (62 per cent). The study of
e-commerce was conducted by Leger Marketing and Taylor
Nelson Sofres Interactive. (Source: The Globe and Mail)
http://www.legermarketing.com
Return to Table of Contents
+++ Canadian Youth Explore Internet on Their Own
A new study seems to indicate that most Canadian parents
are not fully aware of how their children are using the
Internet. The Media Awareness Network survey found that
one-half of young people surveyed feel they know more about
the Internet than their parents, while 84% say they are by
themselves when they go online at least some of the time.
It also found that 70% say their parents talk to them very
little or not at all about what they do online. Canadian
young people are active Internet users, with 99% of all
respondents saying they have used the Internet at some
point and 79% accessing the Internet from home. "This
survey is a wake-up call to parents," says Anne Taylor,
Media Awareness Network Co-Director.
http://www.media-awareness.ca
Return to Table of Contents
+++ DSL to Overtake Cable Modem Within Two Years in Canada
A new report concludes that high-speed Web access via phone
lines (DSL) will overtake cable modem services by 2003. The
report from IDC Canada concludes that in two years 55 per
cent of all broadband households in Canada will use phone
lines as their preferred high-speed Internet connection,
compared to 45 per cent who favor cable modems. IDC also
estimates that the average current broadband price of $40
will hold until 2003, after which the average monthly fee
will fall to $33 by 2005. (Source: The Toronto Star)
http://www.idc.com
Return to Table of Contents
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Return to Table of Contents
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[-- DIGERATI DATEBOOK: UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS --]
+++ Convergence: iTV and Beyond
August 13-14, 2001 in Toronto, ON
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
Return to Table of Contents
+++ Softworld 2001
November 4-6, 2001 in Vancouver, BC
Softworld 2001 is forum for technology companies to develop
strategies and forge partnerships. 800 business development
executives from more than 30 countries attend Softworld
each year to connect with innovative technology companies
and market leaders actively seeking new markets and
investments. For more information or to register, please
contact Alana at 416-926-8761, email angoh@sto.org or
visit:
http://www.softworld.org
Return to Table of Contents
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[-- THE SWEET & BITTER BYTE: AN INTERACTIVE OPINION --]
+++ Speeding Up The Centre of Industry Activity
By Kate Baggott
kbaggott@delvinia.com
Can you get motion sickness if your universe starts moving
more slowly than usual? If you've worked in the "industry"
for a while and gotten accustomed to speed, the answer is
probably yes.
While I don't believe this slow motion will last past the
end of October, I am grateful for the collective thinking
it has inspired. For the first time, the industry has
slowed down long enough for us to ask where we're actually
going.
That said, sectors with clear goals and focus haven't
slowed down at all. In particular, the "Women's content"
sector has been the centre of a flurry of industry
activity.
Recent events include: the iVillage acquisition of
Women.com; the content deal that puts a little Moxie in
CANOE's waters; and the promotional activities surrounding
the launch of Transatlantic's MochaSofa.com.
All three deals concentrate on content-driven products with
a strong community focus. iVillage and Women.com, both
networks of specialty sites, were reaching the same
demographic of American women who tend to be a more
traditional than their Canadian counterparts. The Canadian
deals concerning MochaSofa and Moxie, however, skew younger
and more diverse user groups, but both are now working
within traditional media structures.
Even the levels of investment are exciting.
Transcontinental has launched MochaSofa.com with a fanfare
that is reminiscent of the efforts behind the launch of
CANOE in 1996. The promotion includes full-page magazine
ads in Transcontinental publications combined with
broadcast spots on WTN.
The Moxie deal with CANOE's Lifewise section represents the
triumph of funky independent content over traditional media
content re-purposed for the Web. While the Sun Media outlet
that owns CANOE is renowned for its conservative voice and
expression of an outdated view of women, the Moxie network
is known for its unapologetic feminism and sex-positive
attitude.
"I can understand how some people might look at this and
raise their eyebrow," says Moxie founder Carly Milne.
"CANOE has a different feel from the print arm of the
company. Yes, some of their newspaper articles run on
CANOE, but it has more of a variation of voice than the
papers do.... But if there is controversy, that's not a bad
thing -- it means we're reaching people, making them think
and talk about what we're saying. And really, that's our
goal -- to prove that women like to read more than just
stuff about lip-gloss or firming up our asses."
Which reminds me. The attraction of speed, at least for me,
is the possibility that it provides to make real progress.
While I am now sensing a market upturn like a surfer senses
an approaching wave before seeing it come over the horizon,
I can only feel it because I know there is a new focus on
goals.
/////
Kate Baggott is a Toronto-based technology writer and
Senior Interactive Specialist for interactive brand
solutions firm Delvinia. The statements and opinions
expressed in her column are solely those of the author and
not Delvinia, BitStream's publisher, its affiliates or
advertisers.
Return to Table of Contents
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