Veronica is now filling the applications for PhD programs in North America, and today it was the turn of the University of Toronto. When it came to filling in the academic background info, our attention was drawn to a rather interesting list of universities. First we noticed that there was no single Israeli institution on the list. There were Egyptian, Lebanese, Jordania, and Palestinian institutions on the list, but there was not a single Israeli one. But then I noticed that institutions such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, etc., are also missing. Not that I am comparing MIT and Ben-Gurion, but it did make me think what this list was about. Was it a list of institutions that generate the main pool of applicants? Or was it a list of institutions from which people have already applied this year? Anyway, there was no explanation on the website and it left both of us wondering…

You can find the complete list here.

(more…)

A couple of years ago I participated in a conference titled “Telecoms in Transition”. It was a gathering of (primarily European) telecom industry leaders who were discussing the question of the future of their industry. My talk focused on the “digital divide” and the main point was that the next big wave of users is going to come from the developing world. It seems like this idea is catching up and here is a post on “Information Policy” blog with a link to an article analyzing where the next billion of internet users will come from based on the last Internet Governance Forum.

And no, i am not claiming the authorship, but I think it is important to stress this point once again. I believe that we are at the beginning of a trend in the rhetoric (and probably action) of the telecom industry and it is nice to say “I told you so” :)

Here is an interesting interview and examples from a project called “mini laptop club” where 8 and 9 years olds were asked to draw their ultimate laptop. If anybody is listening, next generation of laptops, especially laptops for kids, will have “games” button.

Just a few month ago I was really disappointed for not being able to listen to Pandora in Canada (and got some really good suggestions for alternatives). Now it seems like it happens elsewhere. I am currently in Israel and am getting the same message: “We are deeply, deeply sorry to say that due to licensing constraints, we can no longer allow access to Pandora for most listeners located outside of the U.S. …” I wonder if it is now the case anywhere outside the US?

It looks like Facebook (FB) is looking for ways of resolving the Beacon issue and this time they decided to use their users. Recently a call for participation in the survey appeared under a nice title “What do you think”?

In fact FB doesn’t really care what you think, but it is interested in knowing more about your online shopping behavior. Here is what they got there:

1. Have you bought anything online in the past three months?
2. In total, how much have you spent online in the last three months?
3. In total, how much do you intend to spend online in the next three months?
4. Thinking about retailers you are loyal to, how important are each of the following in making you a loyal shopper to those retailers? (followed by 14 items that you can rate on a 5 point scale).
5. Have you done any of these activities while shopping at an ONLINE store in the past three months? (that’s and interesting one, because i think it is clearly aimed at looking for ways of utilizing social network website for advertising). Here are the categories for answer:
   • Sat at the computer with friend(s)
   • Talked to a friend via cell phone
   • Sent a text message to a friend via cell phone/device
   • Received a text message via cell phone/device
   • IMed a friend
   • Emailed a message to a friend
   • Emailed a link to the store to a friend
   • Took a photo and emailed it to a friend
   • Emailed a product photo to a friend
   • Emailed a cool/funny app to a friend
   • Used a general search engine
   • Shared a link with a friend on Facebook
   • None of these
   • I did not shop in an online store in the past three months
6. In the past three months, approximately how many of your purchases for each type of product were made ONLINE? (followed by 18 items that you can rate on a 5 point scale).
7. In the NEXT three months, approximately how much money will you spend on each of the following types of products? (followed by 18 items + an open field; for each one you can choose a range of sums you are willing to spend).

Now, it is pretty clear that they are trying to think about new ways of implementing and marketing Beacon. I find it actually a clever and innovative way to start thinking about online marketing (not the use of survey, but the ideas behind this specific one). But there is still somewhat weird about it, especially if you take into account that they are now trying to repair the damaged relations with the users. If you (FB) are asking me to share my opinions in clear attempt to improve your business model (= make more money on me), don’t i deserve some compensation? The least you could do is showing me the results. Otherwise, why would I fill it out?

I view it as yet another expression of arrogance and greediness. On the one hand, FB hold their users as careless enough not to think why they are presented with this survey and just answer it because it is as cool to answer surveys as it is to send a virtual beer. On the other hand, the intention here is to actually feel the $15 billion evaluation with content, but why put money into it if we can just (ab)use our users? (at this point it becomes a cyclical argument :)

Or is there something else? Something that i am missing? Or a cultural gap that i am not managing to bridge?