The Difference in Gen Y, X & Boomer Communication

I saw this on http://www.themarketingstudent.com/ and thought it was very interesting. It's about the differences between communication and increasing urgency through the generations. There is an increasing lack of face to face contact and phone contact by Gen Y, and postal mail has become extinct! These are important considerations to take into account for future planning... socially and in business.

1) Baby Boomers2) Gen X
I have never used a beeper!

3) Gen Y

Farewell Bill

Bill Gates left Microsoft last Friday the 27th of June to focus solely on charitable works in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Although he has not be the CEO of Microsoft since 2000, it will be interesting to see what the future will hold for the company. For Bill however I'm sure his net worth of $58 Billion will suffice in the future.

Picture from Forbes.com

iPhone to be also sold at Telstra come July 11th

... That makes it Telstra, Vodafone and Optus who will now be stocking the handset, leaving only 3 mobile as the last remaining major carrier left out. I don't know why they couldn't have just given the rights to all in an 'all or nothing' scenario. More information can be found here:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/iphone-insider/telstra-joins-the-iphone-club/2008/06/30/1214677931987.html. 3 mobile have retaliated by launching a new website encouraging customers to register their interest "for the powers that be at Apple to see".

I have been holding out for the launch of the iPhone in Australia for some while. Having resisted the Blackberry bandwagon for some time; I will now be able to step out of the dark ages and access my emails 24/7 a la Madonna!

More info and image sourced from here:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/

Art Deco 1910–1939 NGV Exhibition

The National Gallery of Victoria (International) has an exhibit opening tomorrow that I really want to check out! It's a celebration of all things art deco, is organised by the V&A museum and has the foyer from the Strand Palace Hotel as a highlight. The NGV art after dark program looks particularly good featuring music from the period followed by a talk, flapper dancing such as The Charleston and refreshments ever Wednesday night until 9pm.

The Age had a good pull-out supplement in last weekend's paper and has a good companion site, the art deco interactive walking tour of Melbourne makes for great viewing for Melburnians who love their architecture: http://www.theage.com.au/interactive/2008/national/art_deco/intro.html. I also recommend reading this PDF of Deco Down Under: http://www.theage.com.au/interactive/2008/national/art_deco/pdf/DecoDownUnder.pdf

More information about the exhibit, running until the 5th of October can be found here: http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/artdeco/index.html

What should you do before launching your own business?

... Check that someone isn't launching one with exactly the same concept as you!

Case One: Whiteport - www.whiteport.com.au
Blurb: Whiteport was established in 2007 and is the brainchild of Jennifer McCabe. A Sydney girl who lived in London for six years, Jennifer returned home to find an overwhelming absence of quality Australian homewares stores offering online shopping.
Whiteport offers an extensive range of home decor, gifts and accessories, themed around a stylish white palette. Why white? Because white products are simple, timeless and complement any colour scheme.
Website design: Grey/white with crisp images

Case Two: White Home - www.whitehome.com.au
Blurb: White Home was launched in 2007 by Susie Rosen and Isabelle Stanton, who identified an Australian marketplace need for contemporary, high quality white linen for the bedroom and table.
The White Home brand celebrates the simplicity and timelessness of a neutral palette, particularly in the bedroom - linen cupboards overflowing with quality essentials that will stand the test of time.
Website design: Grey/white with crisp images


Did these two start-ups believe there was place for two high-quality all white online homewares e-tailers in the Australian Marketplace? Probably not... Did one rip off the other? Most likely no... Are the businesses aware of their competition? Don't think so... Finally which will preserve or perish? Only time will tell...

Five O'Clock Heroes feat. Agyness Deyn: Who

After seeing this song performed again on the Sunday Night Project, I had to revisit it as its getting stuck in my head. My preference is for the live version but Agyness is purely mesmerising in the clip. It is refreshing to see someone like her on the Model Scene, instead of the usual bunch of 15 year old tweens. I love how she is the epitome of the punk look with a dose of British attitude. There's also some images from the Spring Summer 2008 Burberry Campaign by Mario Testino that capture her vibe.