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Ah, my first, long overdue, Tech Leader post. To start off, thanks to Matt and team for the opportunity and the innovative “X” Leader initiatives that are certainly changing the shape of our media landscape. Thought Leader has been a great success, Tech Leader is here and, more recently, Sports Leader has hit the scene. A “big up” to the Mail & Guardian Online for this.

For my first post, I thought I’d give my initial thoughts on Tech Leader and my wishlist going forward. When the first articles started rolling in, my worst fear was that Tech Leader might need to be renamed to “Web 2.0 Leader” after the first couple of weeks. After a brief chat with Matt, he gave me a rundown on the strategy moving forward, which put my mind at ease. And it’s now evident that there is an increasingly diverse group of commentators at Tech Leader. I have nothing against Web 2.0, or anything 2.0 for that matter; it’s just a very interesting phenomenon.

My thoughts on Web 2.0: it’s strange that such a small, overhyped phrase has turned the dull, boring and almost collapsed internet as we knew it into something bright, shiny and cool, and seemingly void of any decent business models and revenue-generating opportunities other than the common “once we have the audience, we can sell advertising” pitch. Please don’t get me wrong; I enjoy the “Web 2.0″ world and keep a keen eye on it, as I do with a number of other industries. And yes, I know there are companies out there that are very successful in their new media initiatives, with good business models that make money. But, I digress …

My wish for Tech Leader is that it will become a preferred and engaging source of opinions, commentary and debate on all the various technology building blocks and industries driving innovation, business and society in the 21st century.

Let’s talk about the network technologies, data centres, server systems, storage technologies, information security practices, operating systems, application services, development methodologies and all the other technologies that form the foundation of the internet and enterprise environments, large and small, out there.

Furthermore, I would like to see how technology is, and can be, used for social upliftment and development throughout the world in the countries most affected by poverty, unemployment, tyranny and general social and economical instability.

So, that’s my wish list. Simple, isn’t it?

What would you like to see?




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2 Responses to “My Tech Leader wishlist”

I think the focus initially has been slanting on the 2.0 side, having said that there are several bloggers here that deal with a wide variety of different aspects in technology and have a refreshing view on things. Examples:
http://www.techleader.co.za/stevevosloo
http://www.techleader.co.za/tumelomphafe
http://www.techleader.co.za/nurahmadfurlong

(Report abuse)

Ismail on June 12th, 2008 at 12:20 pm

I hope that Tech Leader provides a similar quality of content to Thought Leader - most of the blogs and websites covering South Africa seem to have the same sub-standard rants and personal invective that debase argument, in the midst of which Thought Leader shines like a beacon of quality.

I must admit that I have been a bit disappointed in Tech Leader thus far, for two reasons: the content seems, as you point out, to focus a lot on Web 2.0; and the site does not refresh often enough i.e. you sign on and see the same posts for several days. Big up, as you say, though to the M&G Online for doing this.

What do I want? My main focus these days is on strategy and the integration of business and technology, so I guess that would be my main interest - I look for useful, innovative solutions rather than leaping into ERP/SAP (have been involved in SAP stuff one way or another since 1988, tired of it now). I enjoy the quirky stuff too. The biggest challenge is leadership - I’m trying to develop a culture where my IT people can really soar, where they can really enjoy what they do every day (or most days at least) so I’m looking for effective, value-centred ways of doing things that really work (been around the buzzwords and fads, looking for something real here).

Good luck to all of you, I will be watching (and participating) with interest.

(Report abuse)

Simon on June 13th, 2008 at 1:01 am

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Ryan is a strategist and technology enthusiast and a dedicated family man, always trying to perfect the art of balance between them all.
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