Digital Freedom

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Digital Freedom

• The next Africa revolution
• Robin Parker, Managing Director
• Bizcommunity.com

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Dispelling the notion

• Africa is NOT poor.........
• It just doesn t have any money!

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Moet e Chandon

• The potential for the continent is bubbling under
  the surface suppressed by the weight of
  misdirected donor funds
• Those who pride themselves in pity find firm
  ground to justify their actions, but
  implementations fall way below standard

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Pressure burst

• We need a catastrophic release of this
  energy...what I call the VESUVIUS FACTOR in
  Africa sans the consequences of that
  unfortunate event.
• Rather more benign human result and an explosive
  communications benefit.

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Steps to achievement

• PC-based communications remain expensive but
  broadband is looming large
• Laptops remain lucrative target as a mobile
  office
• Connectivity is inadequate and expensive
• BUT access is essential for business success,
  altering the dynamics of business

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F in Facebook

• Fad
• The market will narrow once again
• This will give community and commercial focus
• Databases will sharpen
• Targeted business messages and facilitated
  transfer of skill or product will become the
  order of the day through web-based services
• Business to Business online will overtake our
  traditional methods creating efficiencies in
  operation

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The dawning of a new era

• Business to business services in the Web 2.0
  environment are prospering profit is no longer
  a dirty word
• The marriage of community and commerce, carefully
  targeted, continually polled, mightily in charge
  of content, shaping the essence

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A step backwards

• Consumer benefits
• Online financial control
• Instant transactive base
• Premium content
• Research
• Rich communications
• Networking
• Freedom of expression
• Freedom from suppresion

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Consumer downside

• Content explosion
• Irrelevancy
• Anarchism
• Extremism
• And as Andrew Keen calls his book the all
  pervasive Cult of the Amateur will prevails
• Rantings and
  inanities.

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Can the web be controlled

• Certainly...in favour of business
• Collection of community
• Communication with community
• Commercial activity with community
• Ability to vlog, blog, moblog, podcast release
  new marketing opportunities and builds brand
  identity and equity
• Versatility and convergence platform wide - RSS
• Building business

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WIIFA

• 86 solution VJ Mahajan McCombs School of
  business
• Who and what are the 14 percenters
• Forget the wet dream merchants bring socially
  accepted initiatives to please their first world
  shareholders
• Strive for public/private partnerships and
  liberalisation

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Leapfrogging

• How will this happen?
• WITH THIS

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Explained

• 50 billion pledged a fortnight ago in Kigali
• Lets hope we are listening NO More Summits,
  said the Rwandese president
• I couldnt agree more
• Stop meeting to plan meetings
• Liberalise, democratise and implement

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Africa mobile boom

• Mobile boom on continent
• Hold tight watch this space
• 17 mobile buyers in world is an African
• 2010 is not that far away
• Close to 500 million mobiles in Africa
• Upgrade, low cost, energetic, versatile and fast
• 50 penetration
• Ask any media person what that means

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Africa the global village

• We will sink in size
• Grow in importance
• Facilitation will enable transaction as Web 2.0
  media prospers and access is gained via mobile
• Users add value, control and focus
• Improved databases lead to improved business

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The Final Curtain

• As the final whistle blows in Johannesburg in
  World Cup soccer 2010
• Bafana Bafana 3 Nigeria 1
• The world will be a different place.
• BE READY !

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THANK YOU

• Robin Parker
• robin_at_bizcommunity.com

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