China’s “Great Firewall” may be getting greater

It looks like the Chinese government is prepared to go to significant lengths to control its citizens’ access to the Internet – and not necessarily for the right reasons. Apparently, Chinese computer vendors have recently been asked by the government to pre-install all computers with special filtering software that will restrict online pornography content as well as undesirable ‘propaganda’ such as politically sensitive websites.

It would appear that this is an extension of current Chinese efforts to control the online information flow into, out of and within the region. At present, China heavily discourages its people from viewing and authoring websites promoting issues such as pro-Tibetan independence, as well as those that may be openly critical of the Chinese government’s approach – particularly in regard to surpressing freedom of speech. Recently, and presumably due to fears of re-ignited emotions and public scrutiny, the Chinese government blocked Twitter and Hotmailaccess in the lead-up to the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

In fact, Amnesty International reports that China “has the largest recorded number of imprisoned journalists and cyber-dissidents in the world.” Those incarcerated were targeted by Chinese authorities due to their involvement in activities such as communicating with foreign groups, opposing the persecution of the Falun Gong, signing online petitions, and calling for reform and an end to corruption.

Angry Chinese Blogger is just one example of a site that is critical of the Chinese government, and there are many others.  In fact, while the Chinese government’s actions have been swift and severe to date, its ongoing efforts to reduce the flow of information will be a big challenge due to some fundamental traits of the Internet environment – immediacy, reach and anonymity. You can email it, Blog it, Twitter it, Skype it, instant-message it and so on…the possibilities are broad and effective. That said, the Chinese Internet police hae been deployed in great numbers (approximately 30,000) to counter the threat of free speech.

Given China’s mammoth population and powerful economic status, I cannot believe that the fundamental ethos of the Internet (as an open, global information-sharing and interaction medium) is being so aggressively undermined.  I find it ironic that this globally-dominant country can be so elitist and backward in both its attitude towards, and actions against, the Internet and its users.  

As someone once said:  The desire to resist oppression is implanted in the nature of man… 

Rob

Ten iPhone applications that you shouldn’t leave home without

By now, most Aussie iPhone users will have fairly strong ideas on what their most valuable applications are.  I certainly do, and I’d like to share my top ten as of 14 June 2009.

I’ll count them down from ten to one, with number one being my most valued application:

10. iFirstAid – provides access to some useful First Aid information in case of an emergency.

9. Around Me – gives you information on what facilities (ie. restaurants, shops, cafes, carparks, etc) are nearby to your current location.  All in all, quite a handy application if you’re roaming in unfamiliar territory.

8. Wikipanion – powered by Wikipedia, this is a very useful application for quick-referencing anything.

7. IceTV – a local Australian TV guide through your iPhone!

6. Google – a very well-crafted search application from Google, featuring voice recognition!

5. Shazam – an incredibly accurate song ‘identifier’.  Whenever you hear a song on the radio or in a café and you’d like to know more about it, you can ask this program to ‘tag’ it, and it will then tell you what the song is!

4. MotionX GPS – if you’re into jogging, cycling, walking or driving, then this is a great application for tracking your routes and general performance over time.

3. ABC News – this is a brilliant application for daily Australian news and includes ABC podcasts, videos and more.

2. Oz Weather – it’s a very accurate weather application, and much better than the default iPhone ‘Weather’ application.

1. Facebook – if you have a Facebook profile and an iPhone, then this is a must-have application! It allows you to quickly check your profile, see what your friends are up to and communicate quickly with various people in your life!
 

Feel free to comment on my list, and share some of your favourites too!

Rob

The new iPhone 3Gs – really worth the upgrade?

After spending a bit of time looking over the technical specifications of the new Apple iPhone 3Gs, I’m really not that convinced that it’s worth the upgrade for those with an iPhone 3G – especially at this point in time (just on 12 months since the launch of the iPhone 3G).

If you take out the slightly better camera (3 megapixel), video recording capability, larger storage capacity (up to 32GB) and improved processor speed, there’s really not much separating the two…especially once iPhone 3G customers get their hands on the v3.0 software update on June 17.

The new v3.0 software introduces some long-awaited features like a landscape keyboard, MMS and the ability to cut, copy and paste. There’s also some neat functionality such as Bluetooth Internet Tethering, which allows users to share their iPhone’s Internet connectivity with a laptop computer. In addition, there’s enhancements to some of the standard iPhone applications (ie. Calendar and Stocks), an iPhone-wide search capability, and support for the next generation of iPhone applications such as ‘peer-to-peer’ games.

Overall, it’s a quality software upgrade which will be welcomed with open arms by iPhone owners around the world. Disappointingly, there’s still no Flash plugin for Safari (and not much in the way of a justification, either), but I think Apple have still succeeded in delivering a quality upgrade.

With this in mind, I certainly won’t be rushing out to get the new iPhone 3Gs when I’ll soon have an upgraded iPhone 3G in a week. Sure, it still can’t capture video or billboard-quality photos, but that’s not why I went with the iPhone in the first place!

In closing, let me say that, in business terms, I think Apple are making a mistake by launching the v3.0 software and the new iPhone 3Gs within a few weeks of each other. Surely, iPhone 3G users are going to be less inclined to upgrade their device if they’re about to get a nice upgrade to it?!

Happy iPhoning to you all…

The White House breaks new ground in online communications

I was reading the local newspaper last weekend, and noticed an inspirational article about the Obama administration’s innovative use of the Internet as a public engagement tool.

It’s not so much the technology that’s innovative; but rather, the decision to use the Internet as a key vehicle to maintain a dialogue with America and the world.

The initiative’s called Open for Questions (OQ), and the objective is to create a community-based online town hall where the public submits questions via email through the White House website, which are later answered by the President via Webcast.  While the busy man clearly doesn’t have time to answer all questions submitted, he is able to select the most pertinent ones to frame his video response.

President Obama’s objective is to embrace technology to “open up the White House to the American people”.  What a great initiative, and why on earth wasn’t it done sooner?!  The tools have been available for a little while now, it’s an incredibly cost effective way of mass-communication, and it is – at least for now – still considered groundbreaking in terms of large-scale government communications. 

Whether it be streamed Webcasts or pre-recorded videos, the Obama camp have latched onto a trend that I personally hope will be infectious among other organisations, agencies and administrations – particularly the government sector.

It’s time for the Internet to be appropriately credited as the mega-communications tool that it is.  Unsurprisingly, Internet usage is on the rise globally, and we all know it’s going to continue this way.  According to Nielsen Online, over 1.5 billion people are using the Internet worldwide, and world Internet usage has grown five-fold since 2000.  Of more relevance to President Obama will be the 220 million Internet users in the United States (US), which accounts for over 72% of the US population.

I notice that the Australian Prime Minister has also introduced a new website to educate the public about the government’s economic stimulus package.  A pre-recorded video introduction from Prime Minister Rudd awaits users on the site’s homepage, but I wonder whether he’ll follow Obama’s Webcasting lead?  The world’s current economic challenges – and Australia’s subsequent ‘endurance’ strategy – are certainly worthy of some continuous dialogue with the Australian public…and using the Internet would be a very responsible use of taxpayer money!

Rob

Government web teams need to hang with the communicators rather than the IT geeks

Something which has increasingly concerned me over the years has been the decision by certain government departments to position their web teams and webmasters within the IT section, rather than the communications section.

Before going any further, let me clarify what I mean by ‘web team’.  I’m essentially talking about those working at (or close to) the coalface, usually responsible for:

• managing and governing the department’s site(s)
• ensuring compliance with relevant web standards and guidelines
• carrying out web development work
• maintaining site content, and
• plotting future developments for the department’s site(s)

In addition, for the purposes of this post, I’m including the following people under the banner of ‘communications section’:

• marketing and media staff
• creative staff (i.e. graphic designers, branding specialists)
• corporate affairs and executive staff (probably to a lesser degree)

From my experience, the positioning of web teams in IT environments is a mistake.  The vast majority of government websites share a common set of objectives which usually include – at a simplistic level – the need to:

• project a professional and responsible image of the department/agency
• communicate timely and accurate information to target markets
• provide user contact and feedback mechanisms, and
• where feasible, provide interactive communication mechanisms (e.g. chat rooms, discussion forums, etc)

How are web teams supposed to achieve these objectives when they’re not working in strict harmony with the department’s communicators, marketers, executives and media people?

I’ve seen first-hand how geographic, cultural and bureaucratic barriers between different ‘enabling areas’ can cause both short and long-term problems in the workplace.  While IT and communications sections are both generally regarded as enabling services within government departments, this is about the only similarity they seem to have.  In fact, few would doubt the fundamental differences in thinking, skills and general mindset that exist between the two.

Therefore, I believe it becomes very important to understand which of the two environments is better-suited to hosting a web team, particularly when considering the objectives and purpose of the department’s Internet presence. 

I believe it has to be the communications section. 

Why?

Firstly, this section has the corporate and strategic vision to drive the department’s site(s) forward, ensuring overall consistency and alignment with peripheral communications products and initiatives (e.g. media and advertising campaigns).  In addition, this section – as a commonly centralised and key business unit of the department – will receive clear direction and backing from the senior executive (including the department head), encouraging greater financial and strategic investment in the department’s Internet presence.

Secondly, the communications section has a healthy level of creative potency among its staff, which is beneficial in challenging boundaries and conventions, and conceiving new ideas in relation to the site(s).  It’s this kind of approach which can have a significant impact on site interactivity, usability, and overall appeal.

Thirdly, it is the communications section which hosts dedicated editorial, creative and publishing expertise which has much to offer the department’s site(s).  While the editorial and publishing expertise is obviously useful for content development, the section’s graphic designers could also offer their expertise on some visual enhancements to the front-end (interface).

Finally – and following on from my first point – the communications section is responsible for carrying out a broad, holistic array of marketing and communications initiatives; many of which rely on the use of the Internet due to its superiority in terms of market reach, cost and speed.  Therefore, this section must have a high level of influence over the web team, to ensure these initiatives can be successful. 

Now, having said all of that, it’s important to acknowledge that government IT and communications sections can work together.  Of course they can, and I’m not trying to challenge this.  My point is that too much ‘communications value’ is at risk of being lost when the web team – who are meant to be driving the department’s Internet presence – are nestled-in amongst IT geeks instead of living alongside the department’s central communicators and corporate visionaries.   

Just because web teams comprise technical staff, doesn’t mean they should automatically live in the IT section.

Rob