The editorial team at YOC have been analysing the feedback over the last 200 issues and it seems clear that our regular respondents are more focused on town planning issues than any other – by a wide margin.
This was not exactly a surprise since it mirrors the research findings over a number of years in all other countries who have embraced online communities and electronic publications at the local level.
Unfortunately the corresponding attribute, getting up the noses of local authorities, goes with this territory.
Council management in particular find it difficult to reconcile that expressing opinions and/or more to the point questioning public bodies about their activities is a legitimate, in fact fundamental, role of all media, including e-magazines.
The public record shows mainstream media here, as elsewhere, are usually loathe to investigate or criticise their major institutions (read major advertisers and/or providers of editorial content) no matter how compelling the case may be.
It is a real dilemma since the widespread rollout of online communities should ideally embrace local councils, and in fact be supported by them both financially and by sharing resources.
Canada, one of the leading exponents of e-democracy and an early pioneer in this field, had great difficulty securing on-going financial support from its central government who were not appreciative of funding what they perceived as dissenting voices to many of their own policies.
The new federal government seems a bit more enlightened on these types of social dilemmas and time will tell whether they can implement initiatives in the digital economy space which are demonstrably for the better of society generally but can involve some short term self-inflicted political pain.
Your Opinion Counts. CLICK HERE >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hurray for Yahoo
The online pioneer portal Yahoo is in the news at the moment for all the wrong reasons.
It has become a takeover target for Bill Gate’s Microsoft Corporation who sees it as a way to catch up with the ubiquitous Google in the ever expanding search field, now dominated by the boys at Mountain View.
But what does that all mean to the proverbial man (or PC user) in the street?
It’s probably a good thing … if the combined Microsoft Yahoo creates a viable competitor to Google, who at the moment seem to conquer and/or purchase everything they look at.
Although it must be said any loss of focus on providing innovative software, by either player, cannot be a particularly good thing in the marketplace.
Given Microsoft’s record on anti-trust matters and its well known aggressive approach to business generally it is hard to feel much sympathy for their cause, however many thinking people are also questioning the virtue of having the search field completely under the control of one non-publicly owned entity.
Yahoo seems to be becoming a helpless pawn (albiet a big one) in a massive strategic battle between two business behemoths which will take literally years to settle, given the legal tactics already initiated by Google and which no doubt will be vigorously defended in the US courts by Microsoft.
Yahoo is one of the internets pioneering companies and by any of the usual measures would be considered a great success in its own right. You would think it certainly is big enough to look after its own interests.
However, in this 21st century, the actions of a small number of incredibly powerful business leaders can affect a whole industry in ways never seen before; well certainly not for a hundred years anyway.
In the Aussie tradition of always supporting the underdog my heart tells me to say “go for it Yahoo” but my head tells me its days of being a stand-alone company are numbered.
Whether it ends up with Microsoft or Google … only time will tell.
Your Opinion Counts. CLICK HERE >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Multiple copies of e-zine
At the beginning of the year YOC commenced publishing its weekly e-magazines using a new content management system; unfortunately in some areas multiple copies are being delivered to subscribers in error – please accept our apologies.
As mentioned in previous issues we do not anticipate this will be an on-going problem and ask all readers to persevere in the meantime. If you continue to receive multiple copies please do not hesitate to email me on : andrewc@youronlinecommunity.com.au Check it out!
YOC e-magazines now have the capability of delivering VIDEO-on demand within its e-zines utilising Flash 8 technology and linking to our video sharing portal www.yoctv.com
This means readers with broadband will be able to view a video by clicking direct from the message in their Inbox – it will be displayed as a new window from the browser - but don’t try this with Dial-Up.
Check out the YOY jokes on the Flash Player Window below >>>>>>>>>>>>
As far as YOC are aware this is a first for mass distribution e-zines in Australia and we hope you all like the innovation.
Your Opinion Counts. CLICK HERE >>>>>>>>>>>>>> | 
