The unprecedented decision of IEEE (the world’s largest professional association) to allow its active members to access more than 220 technical ebooks through their accounts in www.ieee.org is a step in the right direction. It will provide value and encourage many professionals to sign up for IEEE memberships. By doing this, IEEE is demonstrating a commitment to uplift the professional careers of its members.
Read the complete in PDF: ieee ebook list
Something big is happening to the Internet. It is changing daily and becoming more fragmented. Standards are collapsing and individual firms and entities are creating their own structures. I have noticed that many of the new browsers do not share much in common. Google’s Chrome is unique and very different from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Between Mozilla’ Firefox and Apple’s Safari, the only commonality is that either can take you to the World Wide Web. The once standard platform for getting into the Internet is becoming history.
I am amazed at how individual entities are developing proprietary platforms to help launch their products to the web. Google, not satisfied with Windows or Linux or UNIX, is coming up with Android and Chrome. Apple’s iPhone is a new ballgame. Think about the Kindle from Amazon. I imagine that Netflix will develop an entirely new platform for online video. And very soon, Direct TV will surely provide a TV only platform for web based TV viewing experience. MySpace, Facebook, and some of the social sites are not part of the ‘main’ Internet since in most cases their contents are not searchable by search engines. They have built barriers around their contents, making those search robots that crawl the internet unwanted guests.
The big question is this? Does it make sense to be thinking about Internet the way we have usually imagined it? Internet of today is very different from the one I used in 2000. Back in 2000, I knew a cohesive internet platform, but now, all I can see is a fragmented system with increasing proprietary ‘gateways’. Under all these scenarios, I have since lost faith in any web hit statistics. I am very skeptical because I am sure that the tools used to measure the web dynamics are not catching up with these innovations. While it is possible to have a tool to notice when a particular site has been visited, I have a doubt that all the tools will actually know when based on different ways to get to the web. Some have used cache for their analytics, but I think that is primitive. This explains why none of the analytics give similar results. In some cases, they are off in millions for top websites like Google, Facebook and Yahoo. They can only count what their algorithms can detect. What if a new platform is out and they did not accommodate that in their designs? I see marketing directors smiling! You may be getting more than you paid.
Why this article? I am just curious over the African companies I have seen advertising on the web. They have to be careful and notice that the web is being redesigned. Standards, devices and platforms are evolving and if anyone asks you to lock up in a long-term contract for advertising, please do not sign. There is a major risk in this web platform fragmentation. And that risk is that advertisement will be site or device specific. In other words, if the ad is not doing well in Twitter, you cannot easily move it to MySpace because they have developed a different platform for getting to the web. That brings cost issues since you will need to redevelop that same ad for a different platform. To help you get the best for your money, do not sign ad developing contracts thinking that you can use the same for different sites or devices. And do not be deceived thinking that Google can reach any online market. It used to be, but now the online structure has changed. Proprietary platforms make it difficult for Google to have that speed to push your ad since they must first receive ‘permissions’ from owners of the platforms become their ads are hosted. This trend is expected to increase. So, know your market and figure out very well on how to reach your target.
In conclusion, I see the web becoming increasingly fragmented with devices to access the web providing niche identifications for market segments. In other words, you can reach some people based on the devices or ways they access the web. Think about it: it makes sense to buy an ad to advertise your new book if Google could help you target only those that accessed the web via Amazon Kindle. Under this process, you have a platform niche based marketing structure that gets to the people you want to reach. Welcome Web 2.0!
author/ndubuisi ekekwe
IEEE Potentials – one of the IEEE magazines – has invited Dr. N Ekekwe to join its Editorial Board. IEEE is the world’s largest technical association with up to 500,000 members around the globe. The Potentials is read by technical students around North America. One of Dr. Ekekwe’s contributions will be helping to make Potentials distributed globally, especially Africa.
Dr. N Ekekwe is the founder of Fasmicro – the parent company of tekedia. We wish him good luck in this heavy academic and technical editorial duty. African students, now is the time to join IEEE or renew your memberships. According to Dr Ekekwe, he said he will make contributions to ensure that contents will interest African students especially in designs where what is obtainable in North America may not be of interests to Africans. He gave an example where most of the FPGA tools used in U.S. are unknown in Africa because of cost. Rather, the ones made in China dominate the market. Finding that balance of giving examples with tools the students are familiar could help in educating the next generation of Africa’s technical leaders.
IEEE Potentials is the magazine dedicated to undergraduate and graduate students and young professionals. IEEE Potentials explores career strategies, the latest in research, and important technical developments. Through its articles, it also relates theories to practical applications, highlights technology?s global impact and generates international forums that foster the sharing of diverse ideas about the profession.
The Karnataka Vocational Training and Skill Development Corporation (KVTSDC), associated with the state’s Department of Labour, has announced that it has partnered with IBM to develop a Smarter Employability Platform to increase effectiveness of employment and skill-enhancement programmes in the state. Through this first-of-a-kind (FOAK) project with IBM Research – India, KVTSDC will address the challenges of reaching millions of potentially employable individuals and empowering them, especially in rural areas and in the unorganised sector.
As part of this project, IBM will create a platform to effectively connect job-seekers and job-providers along with training and certification agencies in employability marketplaces accessible through mobile phones in local and vernacular languages. Job-seekers will thus be able to find available jobs and apply for the same, while understanding job-trends, and also refer opportunities to their friends: all through mobile phones. Similarly job providers can post jobs, increase their reach, find matching candidates, connect with trainers, and track latest trends through both mobile phones and web channels.
With the signing of $650m loan with Nigerian banks, Etisalat just proved that Nigerian telecommunication industry is just starting. One way of knowing when an industry is healthy is evaluating the the loan structure in the industry. $650m is a big money especially for banks operating in Naira, but since the banks agreed to do this, it validates that the telecom market is huge and healthy. Simply, you must believe in Etisalat to compete very well in Nigeria before writing that cheque. With this, one can confirm there is a sustainable optimism and progress in the mobility and telecommunication industry in Nigeria.
Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Ltd (EMTS), trading under the name of Etisalat Nigeria today 10 March 2011 in Lagos sealed agreements for a US$650 million loan split into 2 tranches: NGN 82.5 billion and US$100 million.The loan is from a consortium of eight leading Nigerian banks, namely; First Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, Fidelity Bank, United Bank for Africa, Bank PHB, Guaranty Trust Bank and Oceanic Bank. The loan will support its expansion plan across the country.
Speaking about the loan signing, EMTS Chairman, Hakeem Belo-Osagie, noted that the loan represents a critical milestone in the growth of the company. “It is significant that Nigerian banks are availing us of a facility, which will be a boost for our long term growth and by implication growth for the sector and the wider economy. The loan underpins their belief in and support for the EMTS vision and the Management Team of the business. We are grateful for the support of all the lending banks whose contribution made this loan possible. We must also acknowledge the critical contribution of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the regulatory agencies, who have together created an enabling environment that has made our success possible.”