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Vol 1, #24, Sept. 1, 2009 |
Boobs and beer not the formula at DailyXY.com XY Media Ventures Limited, the brainchild of author Russell Smith and advertising veteran, Peter Coish, has launched DailyXY.com to replace and consolidate XY Media Ventures’ websites in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. While the new site offers a wealth of new features including blogs and curated web content, it will continue XY’s focus on helping Canadian guys get the most out of life. As the site’s name suggests, every day DailyXY presents an insightful and often irreverent take on the latest, the best and the coolest stuff across the country. Topics range from food, drink and dining, to grooming and style, nightlife, health, technology, gadgets, cars, travel – and, of course – women and relationships, all from the perspective of the smart, urban Canadian man. Features include the YFive, a daily curation of the best of the web, 72-hour Weekend, the Thursday round-up of the best the weekend has to offer in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver and YBlogs contributed by experts on style, food, design and parenting. XX on XY, a weekly anonymous column by female writers explores their points of view on relationships and dating, sex and the female psyche. “DailyXY is about creating an experience that is different from traditional men’s media,” says Ben Leszcz, editor, DailyXY. “Our strategy is to engage guys with intelligent content and debate, and bring them into the brand as part of the experience.” DailyXY also incorporates the latest social media tools such as Facebook Connect. For advertisers, the site includes richer opportunities to reach XY’s affluent male readership, including video, content sponsorship and multiple positions for the most popular online advertising formats. DailyXY’s charter advertisers include Telus, BMW, Stella Artois, Cadillac, RBC and Alliance Films, among others. “Advertisers and publishers in this country have neglected men for too long,” says Peter Coish, publisher of DailyXY.com. “We aim to change that,” he adds. DailyXY.com’s new website was developed by Cloud Advertising, a new concept in advertising agencies that will be officially launched by Coish this fall. Top of Page This week, Global News unveils its redesigned comprehensive news portal, News.GlobalTV.com. Boasting the combined resources of Canada's largest news operation, the new collection of sites includes redesigned national, international and local news pages in a user-friendly multimedia design. Capturing the biggest headlines from across the newsrooms and bureaus of Global News and Canwest, News.GlobalTV.com offers users unparalleled coverage via up-to-the-minute reports, video, blogs, mobile feeds and live coverage of high-impact news events. The site is designed with users in mind, with sections devoted to Canada, World, Health, Money, Sports, Entertainment, Image Galleries and Weather. With improved search functionality and search-engine optimization, users are easily routed to News.GlobalTV.com's enhanced story pages, featuring multimedia, interactive features and a host of related items. “News.GlobalTV.com offers exhaustive 24/7 news in one expansive user-friendly site,” said Graham Moysey, SVP and General Manager of Canwest Digital Media. “Accessing all of the headline news and related content from across our news bureaus, the site offers multi-media coverage on all of the topics that matter to Canadians.” Along with News.GlobalTV.com are pages for Global National and weekly news magazine 16x9, while 10 regional sites provide the local news headlines for BC, Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. The site allows users to personalize their news experience with newsletters, breaking news alerts and homepages that automatically display the local headlines and weather. Up-to-the-minute weather forecasts are provided in partnership with MyWeather LLC, offering users weather on-demand via exclusive personalized Forecast4me emails and downloadable desktop applications. In addition, News.GlobalTV.com and its local sites are also available via mobile devices, allowing for 24-7 access to news on the go. The site also opens up the news conversation outside of the newscasts. Users can engage with News.GlobalTV.com content by commenting on and sharing stories, as well as through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. 16x9's live blog allows viewers to participate in online story meetings by offering comments and suggestions on current and future story ideas. For special events, Global News anchors, correspondents and experts will be available for live interaction. Global National, as well as 16x9 and regional news sites, will feature both audio and video podcasts. The redesigned sites also offer a significant increase in premium sales integration opportunities. The new homepages boast two leaderboards (top and bottom), two big box units and multiple sponsorable components including, weather, breaking news alerts, photo galleries and pre-roll on video. Sponsorship opportunities are also available on the video centre, live events, and Forecast4Me components. Top of Page Bringing Canadian news to mobile audiences Spreed Inc. and The Globe and Mail, Canada's are partnering to bring Canadian news to smart phones. This strategic partnership will allow the Globe and Mail to deliver its daily news and multimedia content to the Palm Pre, Apple iPhone and a number of Blackberry devices using Spreed's smart phone application platform and mobile advertising system. “We are thrilled to be working with the Globe and Mail. They are known for their deep understanding of the online space and have embraced the potential of the new mobile landscape,” said Anthony Novac, CEO of Spreed Inc.”This is a very exciting time for the mobile space and we look forward to developing new and lucrative ways for content providers to deliver content. We will continue working with content providers, like the Globe and Mail, to explore new ways of utilizing the vast array of smart phone platforms in order to enhance their value and revenue potential." The Globe and Mail is Canada's first newspaper to be offered in the Apple iTunes App Store and Palm Pre App Catalogue. It is available for free directly from the respective app stores and Spreed Inc. will be making constant updates to improve usability and functionality. Spreed Inc. will be releasing a Blackberry version of the application later this month. “Canadians are increasingly using their mobile devices to access news and the iPhone is leading the charge in that trend,” says Angus Frame, Vice President Digital for The Globe and Mail. “By combining the technological know-how of Spreed with the world-class news of The Globe and Mail we have created a one of a kind mobile product line that will help establish The Globe and Mail as a leader in the mobile space.” Top of Page Online community for software entrepreneurs The creator, Rob Walling ( www.SoftwareByRob.com), is a full-time Serial Micropreneur based in Fresno, California. Rob is the main force behind the Academy, but guest contributors include Bob Walsh, author of "Micro-ISV: From Vision to Reality", and Ian Ozsvald of ProCasts.co.uk. The academy begins with lessons that help define the goals of the Micropreneur and continues through all aspects of the product development process, ending in lessons about managing your business, accounting and legal obligations, and the process of seeking out angel and venture capital funding. Arguably the most important personal aspect of being an Entrepreneur is the ability to make connections with your peers and solicit constructive opinions about your product ideas. Member only forums promote discussions about all topics relating to developing, marketing, and launching a software product or web application. Members can discuss their products and marketing strategies. They are also encouraged to share resources about reliable freelancers for web design, development, programming, copy writing, link building, and anything else that allows a Micropreneur to 'cost-effectively' outsource their product launch and development. In just over four months the Academy has hundreds of posts to the private forums, and a number of software products and web applications built by Academy members have either launched or will be launching in the next month. Products such as social photo sharing app Pixur.me, online mind mapping tool ThoughtMuse, web based proposal software BidSketch, domain name idea engine HotNameList, foreclosure listing site flip-start, and several others. Top of Page Facebook agrees to address privacy concerns Facebook has agreed to add significant new privacy safeguards and make other changes in response to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's recent investigation into the popular social networking site's privacy policies and practices. The company's decision to implement the Privacy Commissioner's recommendations is a positive step towards bringing Facebook in line with the requirements of Canada's privacy law. “These changes mean that the privacy of 200 million Facebook users in Canada and around the world will be far better protected," says Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart. “This is extremely important. People will be able to enjoy the benefits of social networking without giving up control of their personal information. We're very pleased Facebook has been responsive to our recommendations.” Last month, the Privacy Commissioner issued a report on an in-depth investigation triggered by a complaint from the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic. While Facebook took some steps to resolve privacy concerns, the Commissioner remained dissatisfied by Facebook's response at the end of the investigation. She was particularly concerned about the risks posed by the over-sharing of personal information with third-party developers of Facebook applications such as games and quizzes. Facebook was given 30 days to respond to the Commissioner's report and explain how it would address the outstanding concerns. Following a review of Facebook's formal response and discussions with company officials, the Commissioner is now satisfied Facebook is on the right path to addressing the privacy gaps on its site. “Facebook is promising to make significant technological changes to address the issue we felt was the biggest risk for users - the relatively free flow of personal information to more than one million application developers around the world," says Assistant Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, who led the investigation on behalf of the Office. “Application developers have had virtually unrestricted access to Facebook users' personal information. The changes Facebook plans to introduce will allow users to control the types of personal information that applications can access.” An over-arching issue highlighted during the investigation was that the way in which Facebook provides privacy information to users is often confusing or incomplete. Facebook agreed to changes to help users to better understand how their personal information will be used and, ultimately, to make more informed decisions about how widely to share that information. The Commissioner has reviewed these improvements and will be following up with Facebook as the changes are implemented. Facebook has committed to a timetable for implementing all of the changes, some of which, such as the third-party application changes, are technologically complex. The company has already started to make changes and we expect them to be fully complete within a year. “It's now up to Facebook to demonstrate to us that they are living up to their commitments,” says Assistant Commissioner Denham. “With the conclusion of the Facebook investigation, our office has made clear our expectations for how social networking sites need to protect personal information. Other sites should take note - and take steps to ensure they're complying with Canadian law.” Top of Page Open Text positioned as a leader in web content managementOpen Text announced last week that it has been positioned in the Leaders quadrant of the Gartner 2009 Magic Quadrant for Web Content Management, based on an evaluation of the company's ability to execute and its completeness of vision. The Gartner report helps CIOs and business and IT leaders understand the Web content management (WCM) market and how it rates the leading vendors and their packaged products. To view the report, visit http://websolutions.opentext.com/gartner2009magicquadrant.htm. According to the report, “Leaders can, and should, drive market transformation. They are doing well and are prepared for the future with a clearly articulated vision. In the context of content management, they have strong channel partners, a presence in multiple regions, consistent financial performance, broad platform support and good customer support. In addition, they dominate in one or more technologies or vertical markets. Leaders are 'environmentally aware' of the solution 'ecosystem' into which their own offerings need to fit. Leaders can: demonstrate enterprise deployments; offer integration with other business applications and content repositories; incorporate Web 2.0 and XML capabilities; and provide a vertical-process or horizontal-solution focus.” Open Text recognizes the importance of WCM as part of the value chain within the business. WCM has grown substantially in the past year as companies turn to Web properties to enhance the brand experience, embrace the social or collaborative contribution or monetize online initiatives. As a result, there is an increased need for intuitive user interfaces that help Web site owners and contributors easily manage, update and distribute content across multiple channels. Gartner notes, “It is now the norm that the interface for internal contributors must be easy to use. More and more capabilities are becoming easier to access and use, including a vast array of modular functionalities that can be turned on or off as required.” Open Text Web Solutions, an important component of the Open Text ECM Suite, provides a flexible and easy-to-implement product that powers Web sites, intranets and extranets. Open Text released Web Solutions 10 in July, which furthers the company's commitment to the evolution of intuitive, flexible and individualized work environments for WCM. Open Text recently broadened its ECM Suite with the acquisition of Vignette, an established provider of Web content management solutions that was also included in the Gartner Magic Quadrant. The acquired solutions add a powerful Web business foundation designed for the world's most recognizable - and demanding - Web initiatives. With a continued focus on customer support and ongoing investment for both Vignette and Open Text WCM solutions, the company is introducing capabilities and products to its ECM Suite that can accommodate the ever-evolving and varied needs of a broad range of organizations and industries. Open Text will unveil a comprehensive product roadmap at its annual user conference Content World in October. Top of Page Palm Pre now available from Bell Mobility The new Palm(R) Pre(TM) phone is now exclusively available at Bell stores and retail partner locations across Canada, operating on Bell's national high-speed wireless network - the largest 3G network in the country. “ Bell is only the second carrier in the world to offer the award-winning Palm Pre, which is getting rave reviews for its uniquely attractive design and revolutionary Palm webOS(TM) mobile platform. We've seen exceptionally strong advance interest in Palm Pre and have worked closely with Palm to ensure we have sufficient stock on hand to satisfy demand,” said Wade Oosterman, President of Bell Mobility and Chief Brand Officer for Bell. Palm Pre is the first phone based on the all-new Palm webOS platform, which brings mobile applications together in a unique and intuitive multi-tasking environment that is integrated with the most popular social networking tools and powerful search functions. The Palm webOS platform takes multi-tasking to a new level. Customers will love the ability to run multiple applications such as Internet, text messaging, email and music at the same time, and move easily between them using natural finger gestures. When they no longer need the item, they can close an activity by simply flicking it off the top of the screen. Palm webOS also features Palm Synergy(TM), which brings the user's information from all the places it resides into one logical view so they don't have to worry about tracking multiple calendars, contacts, email accounts and messaging applications. The Synergy feature pulls information from a client's Outlook(3), Google and Facebook accounts, including Facebook profile pictures, into the contacts application - a compelling feature for the 85 per cent of online Canadians that have a Facebook account. Palm's unique universal search allows customers to find what they need easily - just slide open the keyboard, start typing to get instant results. Results are pulled from the device apps, contacts and popular Internet sites including Google, Google Maps, Wikipedia and Twitter. Top of Page The Omics Generation on Twitter Building on the success of their send-a-gene feature on Facebook, Genome Alberta has launched a new GenOmics Facebook application built on the NewsCloud Social Media Toolkit. The new site at http://apps.facebook.com/genomics will be a one stop source for genomics and other related 'omics' news including nutrigenomics, metabolomics, and metagenomics. With a few mouse clicks users can post stories from around the web, write their own stories or blogs, check out unfiltered science news feeds from a variety of sources, read featured stories chosen by the GenOmics Editors, find answers to questions, and share ideas. The send-a-gene feature is now part of the Facebook GenOmics application and there are 24 virtual genes for users to send to their friends. The user community can also vote up stories, subscribe to an RSS feed, and by being an active member become eligible for weekly prizes starting in September. Whether you are Gen X, Gen Y, or from the Boomer Generation you are part of the Omics generation and as part of its outreach mandate, Genome Alberta created the GenOmics application to share information about this new biology of the 21st century. With the cost of personal genetic testing now well within reach of many North Americans, advances in stem cell technology regularly making headlines, and knowledge about genetic diseases advancing rapidly, genomics and genetics touches everyone. Genome Alberta feels it is important to play an active role in helping raise awareness by finding a place where the public, industry and researchers can share information and points of view. Top of Page Follow Canadian politicians on Twitter PoliTwitter is a non-partisan service that uses Twitter to connect elected MPs and MLAs with their Canadian constituents with the goal of increasing engagement and promoting open government. Users can keep track of what politicians are saying, and what regular Canadians have to say about the issues, all in one convenient location. PoliTwitter is the first service for Canadian politics and has unparalleled functionality. Tweets can be viewed federally and provincially, or narrowed down by partisan affiliation, province, topics, and more. The site also allows for real-time updates, which is invaluable during fast-paced events like elections. PoliTwitter archives all political tweets, so there is a permanent record that can be used for statistical analysis, trending and public record. The site also tracks photos and videos posted by MPs. As demonstrated by the recent Iranian and US elections, Twitter is a valuable tool for politics and PoliTwitter an invaluable tool for Canadians. Top of Page Search restaurants, read reviews in Poynt Multiplied Media Corporation, an award-winning, Calgary-based provider of mobile local search services, is pleased to announce the addition of restaurant search for over 880,000 Poynt customers in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Poynt's restaurant search feature rounds out the already robust business, movie and people search offering, while maintaining its ease of use and outstanding graphical user interface. The section features enhanced restaurant listings and enables users to easily find nearby restaurants, read reviews and book dining reservations. To enhance the user's experience, icons are displayed when restaurant reviews or dining reservations are available for a restaurant listing. “Dining and restaurant queries comprise approximately 50 per cent of business searches in Poynt,” said Andrew Osis, CEO, Multiplied Media. “With a feature this important to our customers, it made sense to deepen their experience with a standalone restaurant module. More restaurants to search, the added functionality of restaurant reviews and the ability to book a reservation will satisfy a large segment of our customer base.” Once in the restaurant section, Poynt's customers are offered three ways to search: Restaurants Near Me, Restaurants By Name and Restaurants By Cuisine. Features that users have come to expect such as click-to-call, mapping, driving directions, integration with BlackBerry(R) Calendar, BlackBerry(R) Contacts and BlackBerry(R) Messages are all standard within the new restaurant module. As with the existing sections, all search results are based on the consumer's location - whether acquired by GPS or cell-site, or manually entered - and are sorted by distance. Top of Page |
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