What do Marilyn Manson, the Testical Festival and Queen Elizabeth have in common? They’re all on YouTube. No longer only the domain of the cute, the weird and the insanely boring (think family holiday videos), YouTube is becoming a platform for information dissemination and community engagement for more serious content. Scholars, international organisations and the […]
Media
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Yes, Mr President! The media are out of touch with the society in which they exist!
Perhaps South Africa is the only democracy on the continent and the whole world that allows an oppositional press, especially print, to operate in a way that undermines the goals and gains of almost 400 years of liberation struggle. This black government (sic) is the only one that I know in contemporary history that allows […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
JZ killed the weekly newsletter
The Sunday Times has welcomed the fact that Jacob Zuma won’t continue the tradition of a weekly ANC president’s e-comment. The implication being: we no longer have to wade through screeds/screens of high-brow discourse each week. Au contraire — the change means there will be even fewer opportunities to get a handle on JZ’s thinking […]
Posted inMedia, Sport
Arriving in a war zone
Saturday January 19 — Richard Calland As you sweep into the centre of Accra, the sight is uplifting. The Black Star. It adorns the Arc de Triomphe-like building around which the traffic spins. Actually, there are four stars, facing out north, south, east and west. Which is convenient: the Ghana football team are known as […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Is Snuki not part of the mass media?
Can it be that Jacob Zuma — unlike many millions of other South Africans — never watches SABC TV news bulletins, or that he never listens to the many radio stations broadcasting in all South Africa’s official languages every day to more than 26-million South Africans? Has he ever heard of and does he sometimes […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, Tech
SA leads in gaming industry
In South Africa, you can get Springbok colours for PC, console and mobile gaming. Furthermore, the gaming industry surpassed the movie industry worldwide in terms of revenue a year ahead of analysts’ expectation. In the United States, the average age of gaming is 45. These statements are all placed right at the top of this […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, Tech
There’s no free lunch, not even online
Ever used Google? How about the Firefox browser? Or maybe you are Facebook fan? Enjoy reading Thought Leader? Or maybe you have something against using free stuff? Chances are, you love free stuff. And that is a good thing. But it is a problem for all the business suits peering over the shoulders of all […]
Posted inMedia, Sport
Cricket Australia says cricket isn’t news
When you watch sport, are you watching news or entertainment? Well, both, of course. But the distinction is becoming rather important, in one regard at least: for sport fans, cricket books may soon have far fewer photos in them. It’s like the melting ice caps: you may not care now, but just wait till all […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
I think I might be a commie bastard
If I told you that the system of capitalism depended largely on the spinelessness of the individual, I would hope that you’d take my word for it. I would hope that you wouldn’t get all technical on me and start regurgitating outmoded Economics 101 textbooks from your undergraduate days circa 1986. Capitalism depends largely on […]
Posted inBusiness, Media
The power of word-of-mouth marketing
Referrals are one of the most effective ways to market and grow a company. Many people think referrals just happen, but to take full advantage of this technique, you need a formal plan to encourage it. Some tips on how to maximise your referral business: 1. Ask for referrals. Schedule periodical feedback calls with your […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, News/Politics
No more ‘first black’ stories
Last week was a good/bad week for “first blacks”. The media made a big fuss over the appointment of South Africa’s first black Springbok rugby coach. And, of course, we have had all the troubles related to South Africa’s first black police commissioner. But the “first black” story that was the icing on the cake, […]
Posted inMedia
Why Thought Leader is early on at the crossroads
It is the unprecedented flux and ferment within the ruling ANC and its alliance partners that must encourage us to break new ground in our critical thinking and intellectual courage, tear into inflated egos, pull down the high and mighty from their pedestals and even take the bull by the horns. The recent robust debates […]