Dr. Neil Hair

You have to love the media. Especially in the UK.

Just when you think the industry of stupid have learned their lesson and are beginning to pursue alternative revenue models you get another industry equally stupid threatening legal action against YourTube for posting short snippets or my least favourite activity – football (soccer to you Americans). First salvo, Microdaft and its training videos last month, second salvo, the Japanese media companies on Friday incensed by the posting of 29,549 clips (some poor sod in Japan had to count them Im sure), third salvo – the foolish FA in the UK complaining about companies posting clips of goals online. Where and when will this madness end? When YouTube has four video's left? (My wife singing happy birthday, my playing with my cat, my saying hi to Alums, and my rather infectious rendition of Erasures 'A Little Respect'). The only real result of this will be upset consumers who are incensed by big business who aren't clever enough to realize the benefits of this new channel and the access it gives specialist groups who hold niche interests. People are not going to rush out and buy the latest dvd of this seasons goals. People are not going to forgo matches because they can watch key highlights on YouTube. Surely this sort of coverage has a VERY limited life span. Giving YouTube access to it prolongs its life. This can only be a good thing for everyone involved right? If nothing else the media companies benefit from the brand logos we're subjected to in the top or bottom corners of our screens. Wake up people, you're missing the whole point of Web 2.0 business models.

My favourite artist Banksy appears to be finally making real money from his work. Not bad for a graffiti artist. Check his site out and enjoy his work. Of course there will be critics who now criticize his work on the basis of selling out. I say good for him!

One of the things I LOVE about America was its early banning of smoking in public spaces. I remember clubbing in California back in 97 and coming home without the stale smell of ash about me. Similarly, one of the things I hate about the UK is arriving in Manchester Airport and walking through the smokers lounge areas of the terminal to get to the train station. Finally though there is an end to this practice in sight – I am proud of my fellow countrymen for banning this in all public places (the law comes into effect Jan 1 2007), and even more so that major pub chains are already enforcing the rules ahead of the Jan 1 deadline. What surprises me however is that the French (not wishing to be left behind as they so often are in cultural trends – I mean, who eats horse and little canaries for goodness sake) are following suit. I read a really interesting article on how outsiders view this change as it relates to national culture (an area that I have been intersted in for some time now). It posed an interesting question for me as a traveler who loves Paris. Can you imagine a cafe without people puffing on death sticks? I'll depart from protocol and admit that I have been an avid anti smoker since an early age but to ban smoking in France seems a little out of place. In terms of the world wide movement affecting smoking in public places I offer a number of questions that interest me as they relate to culture and national identity;

1. Will we come to define sophisticated cultures by their abstinence of smoking in public places?
2. Will we see a backlash of consumers intent on defining themselves as counter cultural?
3. Will western societies be seen as backward by others for denying the basic human right to kill onself slowly with such products?
4. Will we use less detergent in our lives?
5. Are the French seeing such attempts to ban smoking in the UK as a threat to their national security? I mean we should live longer right?

On 4 June, following the evacuation of 340,000 Allied troops from Dunkerque on the north coast of France, he tells the parliament, "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old."

The point? Never give in. Never give in.

Well thank goodness for that, someone has finally come up with a solution to film piracy. Release the films across a multitude of channels right from the get go. Not rocket science is it really? But it might just work. With more of the worlds population choosing their delivery system this move to me is simply market oriented. And those who don't care about market orientation tend not to be in business long. What is the industry waiting for and so scared of? One of the answers might well be upsetting the old guard members of their traditional distribution channel – cinemas for one and of course the dvd rental business for two. Identifying the next big winner in all of this for me is quite easy, and the picture in this blog says it all. The irony is that its actually a British politician that's promoting the idea to the UK film industry. Proof that listening to ones constituency (the market) really works?

The recent decision by the US government to ban all forms of online gambling is troubling me. Culturally I have no problem accepting the mores of another land and realized when I emigrated that gambling was not considered as 'mainstream' as it is in the UK. In the UK we have casinos in most major cities, dog tracks, horse raising, betting shops like William Hill, you'll see old men playing dominoes or cards in local pubs. I grew up in a family where my grandmother was a substantial gamer in the sense that she would bet all the time (isn't bingo a form of gambling?), play the one arm bandits and her sons on a Sunday morning for small stakes (Nap being the game de rigeur). She was also particulary fond of scratch cards. Amusingly she showed no interest in the internet until I told her she might be able to play bingo 24/7/364 instead of only on Sunday nights.

I don't gamble. I have no interest in it and never have (but youre married I hear you cry). So why do I think banning it online is a mistake? There are of course arguments about it being a freedom, a right, there are equal arguments about it being an addiction, a scourge, a wrong. Putting all of that aside for one minute (where of course I would encourage you to form your own opinion, not state mine) I have a more generic issue with it being banned wholesale in the USA. I believe it will stifle innovation in what is a highly innovative 'gaming' landscape. If we can see beyond the obvious issues of gambling addiction and minors playing with their parents money, there is underneath it a very healthy form of innovation taking place that is taking advantage of the technology of the internet. The social aspect of this phenomena was also interesting and worthy of study, pockets of micro communities that have grown from its existence with strong social bonds. As a business model one cannot deny its appeal (the gambling oases of Vegas et al must be loving the decision) but for me it was the way in which these online companies were using the net to facilitate greater experiences online that I will miss – especially as these innovations are transferable to other industries. 

As an Englishman I am also upset that British companies were instantly denied access to its largest market for online gambling – the USA (which makes up 95% of the world market). Cheer up guys, there's always China. It also raises several interesting questions about how this new law will be policed in cyber space. Will it just force it (and its tax revenues derived from it) underground? For me though it is the irony of the worlds largest capitalist system turning its back on one of the internets most profitable and innovative industries which I find upsetting. American competitiveness in this industry appears to be the main looser.

Im not going to lie to you. I love Depeche Mode. Im proud of my affinity with them, especially so now they have finally realized the potential of the internet for reaching sub communities of interest. I am of course referring to their recent decision to record and sell live versions of their concerts so concert going fans can go online and download the performance they attended. Now why hasn't everyone thought of that? Id love to know how much they've made from it, at £21.30 a pop its almost as much as they got for the tickets in the first place. Who says you cant make money from the internet? Who says the internet represents the death of the music industry? The pimps of the music industry maybe, but not the performers themselves. Good for you Dave and Martin, give people what they want and charge a fair and honest whack for it. How long before the remaining artists realize the way forward?

My students have been raving about these services for sometime now and its good to see Google finally re-brand and re-release this innovative software package. Wiki's are one thing when it comes to sharing information, but Writely is an entirely different kettle of fish. What I like about Writely is its ability for groups to simultaneously edit and comment on office documents. Another one in the eye for Microsoft it seems who – again – too little too late is about to launch its own version. My money is obviously on Google. Everyone loves Google, even the old couple next door. Competition is great in this industry and we as users are set to win. But wont it 'be easier using a Microsoft version that everyone is used to when it comes to look and feel' I hear you ask? Sure, probably, until Microsoft chickens out of it's advertising revenue model and adopts a pay per use model instead. No, my money stays with Google. Google will make the advertising revenue model work. Something Microsoft was too late getting into. Off to watch a bunch of YouTube video's and earn Google some cash…

A great success!! It's always a pleasure seeing so many interested parties converge into one area to talk about things they are passionate about. No, not the local reintegrationists (a term to describe Americans who long for a reintegration with the motherland that would be England) but Entrepreneurs! A rare breed of high octane individuals intent on making money, seeking fame and most importantly – HAVING FUN! It was great seeing so many students and former alumni at this event as well gaining from this knowledge. Several things interested me from the event;

1. The first has to be the impact that sheer luck can have on your success or failure of a new venture. Being in the right market place at the right time it seems is very important not matter how well educated you are, prepared or funded.
2. The culture of entreprenuriualism. It seems that true entrepreneurs cant stop talking about their ideas – to anyone! this is very much counter to many involved in new start ups who surround themselves in secrecy in fear that their great idea will escape them.
3. The ability to convince. Every successful entrepreneur has the deep rooted ability to promote themselves first and their ideas second. Self branding I believe is critical here and I didn't meet one of today's panelists or speakers who didn't have this ability or a deep rooted belief in their own abilities. Can we teach this? I believe so.
4. Knowing your customer – absolutely critical – not through surveys or the usual academic approaches – but through talking to people. One on one. Magical hocus pocus as one colleague recently put it. Two of the millionaires I sat next to in my panel were great at doing just that. Talking to people and identifying needs that they can fill.
5. Which comes 1st – the product/service or the customer need? A real dilemma for many entrepreneurs. Market orientation is great in theory, but what about ideas you have that just come to you one day out of the blue? Several speakers today eluded to this dilemma and a balance it seems is appropriate. Follow your instincts, but make sure customers are willing to pay for the journey.
6. You cant keep a good man or woman down. Confidence it seems is (at least at face value) bullet proof for serial entrepreneurs. Some you win, some you loose, and some you don't realize if you've won or lost. It doesn't seem to matter to them and they bounce right back. I didn't meet one entrepreneur today that sits in that old world view of them being alpha male, aggressive, poor communicators of vision or one that wasn't actually a really nice person to be around. That was certainly a positive take home for me.

If you missed the conference the good news is that the entire event has been filmed and should be available to the wider RIT audience in due course. A great day and one filled with passionate believers. Much to be learned from these events and I'm pleased it was very well attended (over capacity in fact). Congratulations friend and colleague Dr DeMartino for a fantastic day!