A great turnout for Destra and Brad Howarth at The Domain

Brad Howarth and Domenic Carosa (CEO of Destra) drew quite a crowd at The Domain networking event in Melbourne, held at Digital Harbour in the Docklands. Attendees received a music CD from Destra and a copy of Australian Anthill magazine (Subscribe to Anthill for the secret bargain price here – thanks Rich).

Brad “Best Technology Industry Journalist” Howarth wrote an article in The Age which is firing up the local blogosphere. It’s web take 2.0 is creating a lot of discussion around whether Australian big business gets Web 2.0 (Brad’s full Aussie 2.0 list is here). One of my favourite quotes is from Mick Liubinskas at Tangler “So they keep chasing the users wherever they go, and the users are running away because they are sick of the corporates yelling at them”. As a Gen Y in the workforce, communication is clearly aimed at older generations. I’ve grown up as a consumer hearing the noise that is the corporate monologue, the same-again tv advertising, empty promises and not-so-hidden-agendas. This not only changes my behaviour as a consumer, it also changes what I want in communication in the workplace. I want two-way communication, input, rapid dissemination of news, subscriptions to news based on topic, a human voice, a giant repository of collective knowledge that can be searched… the list goes on. These technologies and techniques are native to me, part of how I get things done. I don’t fax, I don’t send letters and I hear blah blah blah when communication is inhuman and unnatural. Many older style companies are not connecting with their Gen X & Y employees, just as old media is not connecting with their Gen X & Y readers (if they have any). It’s a generation gap. (Rupert is one of the few who gets it)

The Global Geek Podcast recently asked Cameron Reilly “What motivates someone to walk away from the relative security of a six-figure-income corporate job to weather the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that go with running a start-up?”. Cam posted If You Start Me Up… on Startup Stories,

Creating a startup is already enticing to Gen X & Y for the seemingly unlimited challenge and job satisfaction, but I increasingly wonder whether the human voice (Naked Conversations) is going to be a greater factor in job choice for the coming decades. Money is only useful in that it leads to greater freedom. If you have freedom already, what exactly is the money for?

In other news, Scouta has released Hicks (thanks, no one else was going to) and MODM #2 is on 7th June at Federation Square. Put it in your calendar, RSVP and subscribe to the MODM rss feed. All the cool kids will be there.

BRW – Australia Online edition

BRW’s Australia Online edition covers some of the local Web 2.0 news, such as Richard Giles and Scouta (page 64), along with the big news: online advertising revenue has finally exceeded $1 billion dollars in Australia. Old media, if you don’t have a decent online revenue model by now, you should be worried, very worried.

What are you doing with your time?

During Mike Walsh’s Future of Media speech, he asked what the new generation are doing with their time.

Well Mike, my media intake is heavy on podcasts, the odd copy of AFR (if I can’t read it for free in a cafe – I only read the Information section), plenty of imported magazines (WIRED, Business 2.0, F@st Company, Technology Review and New Scientist – thankyou Borders) and a little Foxtel on the side (MegaMachines, Techknowledge, etc). I browse via Technorati and Gnoos.

What I don’t spend any of my media attention on is: radio and newspapers.

He speaks extensively on high culture vs low culture, but I disagree with his views on this.

Just so you know Mike, the “dumbing down” of media in Australia is why my old media intake has reduced to zero. I’m not interested in the ratings-prostitution of “news” TV such as Today Tonight, I’d rather read an independent journo’s blog, it contains far less FUD.

With 10 years online, I’m in the older group of the new generation (X/Y cusper to be exact) and I can tell you why old media is dying, it sucks.

I can’t get the content I want. I’m willing to pay for it, it’s just not available.
Money is not the issue, availability is the issue. There is no way to pay for something that’s not available.

I strongly disagree with Mike that the new generation is not willing to pick up the tab. More FUD. The new generation is sick of hearing the old media bartender saying “we only serve scotch, straight up, cash only”.

I want the Information section from AFR (not available every day) + blog feeds + podcasts + technology TV shows (okay, and Criminal Intent).

I want the content when it’s new, not 5 days later, 6 months later or 2 years later.

I no longer buy music CDs because I’m sick of waiting 2 years for a US album to become available in Australia. Now the only new CDs I get are gifts. Old media is simply too irritating to deal with, even with digital downloads (DRM makes me pay multiple times for content I already own). Podcasts are my replacement.

I’m re-routing around old media, as it wastes my time.

Oh and that speech could also have been distributed as audio only, a talking head adds no value. You just wasted my valuable bandwidth.

So I guess the final answer to his question is, I’m spending my time more wisely, only on the content I want. I’m trying to Get Things Done.
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