Weekend Tech Reading 15th July 2017
Let’s start this list with a scary tech story. It’s from Leah Lockhart called ‘‘I don’t know how to use a computer!’: the stories of our most dangerous public servants” (11/07/17) it’s a story I partially recognise. Whether it’s using a computer, awareness of how social media helps an organisation or basic tech awareness. What gets me is those very few who openly brag about their disinterest and wear it like a badge of honour. Though if you work in a organisation that provides poor technology you are inviting cynicism. Overhauling your tech offer to staff, giving support not just at the end of a phone line but in the style of an Apple Genius Bar can excite staff , going a small to way to overcoming the ‘don’t know, don’t care brigade’.
The tech space I look at more these days is Augmented Reality (AR) not as sexy as Virtual Reality (VR). However in 2018 AR will be more embedded on new smartphones. This article argues that Apple are in a strong position to lead; ‘Apple’s Billion Devices Give Its Augmented Reality the Edge Over Google’ (Ad Age, 14/07/17)
Next up a review from the Economist for this new book ‘Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing our Digital Future. By Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson. (13/07/17) This book does not look like a deep dive but for me it looks like it gives the reader enough knowledge about what the digital trends are but most important is for us all to think about where these digital trends are taking us. Reading the review this trend I know about but how it develops further will be intriguing
The second is a shift from products to platforms. Many people encounter evidence of this every day. The largest cab service owns no vehicles (Uber), the biggest hotelier has no property (Airbnb), the most comprehensive retailer holds no inventory (Alibaba) and the most valuable “media” company creates some content but not much (Facebook). There are more than 2.2m apps in Apple’s store, almost none of which the company developed itself.
I did not go but have been busy plundering the Twitter hashtag #CommsCamp and what I found is this from Steph Gray that is straight to the point: “20 things I learned at CommsCamp 2017” The discussions around Virtual reality and 360 video from afar looked really good. Out of the bunch of 20 from Steph these are my two picks, one new the other is a good reminder
6. The optimum film length for Facebook is 21 seconds; Instagram 15 seconds; YouTube 3.5 minutes. Bear in mind though that 80% of your viewers will have tuned out/scrolled past after 30 seconds of your film, so put the key info up front rather than building up to it dramatically.
7. 360 video and VR is pretty cool (it was fun seeing people experience it for the firs time) and you can make your own with a £150 camera. But it’s not really about gadgetry: it’s about really immersive and powerful experiences, in a world of flicking through feeds. Big implications for charity fundraising, media and public sector comms.
Journalism.co.uk is a great resource for picking up all sorts of hints, tips and detailed learning about creating content. Sure its aimed at journalists but the rest of us benefit as well. This piece is about how to create your own podcast using Anchor audio “How to record and publish podcasts using Anchor” (Caroline Scott, 04/07/17) I am a light user of Anchor were I mainly bang on about films and have set up a podcast via Anchor here. Or if need a break from a tech weekend go see this film. Listen to my review with soothing piano sounds -)
Have a great tech weekend.
