Where do I start? I have so much on the go and really not a lot at the same time. I guess I’ll start with addressing some comments I received recently regarding my blog. I’ve been told I need to be more positive, that I only address negative issues and it really isn’t good. Well… to answer that, oh well. I’m not here to give anyone false hopes or promises, or to mislead. I choose topics that annoy, entertain or are of interest to me. I blog about things people tell me, stuff I hear and what I read or see. So that is all on that subject.

On to things more interesting; We have launched the TechOpen website! This is set to be one of the best events going in this region this year! Great speakers, great venue and global participation. We are bringing in speakers like Chris Brogan, Mitch Joel and the CBC’s Jesse Brown. Day one will kick off with a great forum that looks like it will spark discussion, debate and action. Day two is rounded well with workshops presented by leading organizations from around Atlantic Canada. This is a must attend event so book now at the TechOpen website.

On the business side of things we have run into some delays with the public beta release of MediaBadger. Some issues presented themselves during our testing and we are working to sort them out. We are hoping to do the beta launch before August 2008.

Also in business I have been doing some system upgrades on TechEast to improve the stability and in preparation for the launch of some social media components. We are working to improve the users experience on the site and develop a well rounded location for Atlantic Technology companies collaborate, share and learn.

Something else I’m involved in is ITANS and while I have followed this organization closely for a number of years and have my own thoughts on the organization. What I’d like to know is: What do you think, what you’d like to see done and how can they improve? Email me and let me know what your thoughts are on ITANS (I won’t be publishing or sharing peoples emails).

Lastly on a personal note i will be in Toronto in August getting sworn in as a British Citizen. I will now hold dual citizenship and I am excited. If your in Toronto and want to meet up email me!

It will be nice when the new mobile companies get up and running here in Canada and hopefully make the mobile market somewhat competitive. Eventually North America as a whole will catch up to the current state of Europe, but by the time that happens we will be a decade behind them again.

On another note, I was also reading the “Google to count clicks” and wondering about the implications to businesses. At first glance this looks like it could be a helpful service, however at the same time the increased collection and use of data by Google could possibly cause higher advertising costs to businesses. I have to agree with some people and the concerns they are voicing. Tom Cuthbert said “ Watching Google Analytics, inviting advertisers to give them conversion data to “Optimize” (meaning increase) bid prices, sharing is risky”.

And last but not least… The power of Social Networks on business and more. Just reading “Visa, Facebook swing ad deal”. Slowly more companies are recognizing the value of social media and it will continue to grow as more recognized brands jump on board. This Visa deal on face book will offer “Visa is giving a $100 advertising credit on Facebook to each of the first 20,000 U.S. businesses that download the Web application needed to join the network, which debuts Tuesday. About 80,000 small businesses already have profiles on Facebook.”

I’ll have to follow this and see if this program expands outside of the US.

Anyways thats all for my random ramblings for today.