On Friday 19 February 2010 we celebrated the 100th episode of the ZA Tech Show with our first ever live broadcast. The show has been going since somewhere in early 2008 and we have consistently released an episode every week with the exception of a week or two over the festive season. Taking the show live was a big step, not just from a technology perspective, but also in making the switch from an audio-only podcast to a live video and audio netcast.

Sitting back and reflecting over the past two years makes me realise how lucky we are to have enjoyed the support that we have from our families, friends and fans. The show owes its survival to the support of a group of the most awesome people I’ve met – but more about them later. (more…)

At the Cisco Partner Summit in Boston in 2009 I was in attendance when the networking company revealed research it has been conducting into network traffic. Cisco predicted that by 2013 90% of all consumer IP traffic on global networks will be video. Cisco’s research suggested that a revolution is underway in video communications and IPTV. And that South Africa is missing out on it – because we simply do not have the bandwidth.

When Apple announced the iPad in January I watched live coverage of the event on my favourite online channel – TWiT. Presenter Leo Laporte and a group of US-based journalists did a better job of covering the occasion via online streaming video than any of the conventional news channels. It was raw, on-demand journalism and a clear indication of things to come. (more…)

A revolution has begun in independent online publishing that is prevalent in two new sites that have gone live in recent weeks – TechCentral and The Daily Maverick. The change is simple yet fundamental; focus is switching towards thoughtful, quality content and away from impulsive, shoddy writing. What we are learning from these sites is that quality trumps immediacy – even online.

The Daily Maverick and TechCentral are driven by content – everything else is secondary. And the content rocks. What was traditionally the domain of print is becoming embodied online with solid writing and quality photography being the staple of both these new online publications. Design is a secondary concern, unlike many other websites that use flashy layout as a disguise for slipshod content – not that there is anything wrong with the design of either The Daily Maverick or TechCentral.

And what separates these two sites from their chief competitors is that they are independent, not representative of or directly affiliated with print publications. Their content is developed for online first and foremost. And they aren’t blogs. They are online publications in the truest sense.

TechCentral is the brainchild of respected technology journalist Duncan McLeod, previously of the Financial Mail (FM). The site offers in-depth technology news focused on the South African market with multiple daily updates and a quality of journalism and writing that is rare on the ‘net.

Duncan is a master in his field and has attracted a diverse array of columnists and journalists to the TechCentral fold, including the controversial former CEO and founder of Vodacom Alan Knott-Craig, politician Patricia de Lille and internet executive Justin Spratt of Internet Solutions (IS). Lance Harris handles gaming content for the site and must be the most talented reviewer in the field. Lance can review even the most mundane of video games and have me hanging onto every word with sheer quality of prose.

The Daily Maverick, still in beta at time of writing, is the latest product from Branko Brkic, a seasoned publisher and entrepreneur who was responsible for Maverick magazine that unfortunately closed its doors last year. Maverick did not die, it formed a chrysalis to be reborn as the irreverent and intellectually sharp Daily Maverick, carrying the provocative slogan, “Still for people with brains and money”.

On the Mavrick’s roster of writers is former senior online editor at Reuters, Mark Allix along with Maverick stalwart Phillip de Wet  and Captain Controversial himself – Ivo Vegter, amongst others. The Daily Maverick presents the news right in your face. No holds barred, and nothing short of refreshing.

Whereas I used to consume online reportage and other writing in the same way I do newspapers – by glancing over headlines, blurbs and the odd paragraph – both The Daily Maverick and TechCentral have me actually reading again, and in a way that few print publications manage.

The Daily Maverick and TechCentral are pioneering a new form of publishing that makes their online counterparts look destitute. I applaud both Duncan McLeod and Branko Brkic on boldly risking it all on the ‘net and raising the bar on publishing. Period.

19 October is Media Freedom Day in South Africa. In 2009 the day came and went, again, with little besides lip-service. Even the media, which should be most vocal in celebrating the occasion, gave it mere mentions. This is disappointing and something I would like to see changed.

The media plays an integral role in any democratic society and media freedom is a right that many have devoted, and in some cases given, their lives for. It is vitally important that we celebrate and protect our media freedom while fighting for the freedom of the press in countries like Zimbabwe where the state has crippled the media.

World Press Freedom day is on 3 May and also doesn’t receive the attention it deserves, in my opinion. In South Africa we celebrate media freedom on 19 October in memory of Black Wednesday on the same day in 1977 when the apartheid government in South Africa banned publications The World , Pro Veritate and Weekend World along with 19 black-rights organisations.

As the media I think we need to get off our intellectual high horses and plan something big for Media Freedom Day in 2010. As thinking people who see media freedom as obvious in importance we tend to forget that the public is largely apathetic to rights that are taken for granted, such as media freedom. Perhaps we should introduce a practice that takes place on the day, or at least there should be a celebratory concert of some sort with the intention of keeping media freedom front of mind.

Let us remember the events of Black Wednesday with more energy in the future and ensure that media freedom in South Africa continues to be protected. More importantly, let’s use the occasion to do more to fight for media freedom in countries where the press is oppressed.

We have a year in which to plan for Media Freedom Day in 2010. I look forward to suggestions of what could be done to celebrate it more convincingly.