We've just read Jay Adelson's piece regarding the democratisation of information, care of the internet's burgeoning blogging community.  He describes the situation well - the way we assimilate knowledge is changing due to the proliferation of 'news' outlets (we're all increasing coming across information regarding new technologies from independent blogs and not from conventional news sites). 

Despite this explosion of information I think the power still lies with Google.  You can only access a fraction of what is out there without a search engine and the rules that govern SEO are constantly being rewritten.  Which really means that those complying with Google's latest guidelines get the largest amount of traffic.

Does the NHS deal with SMEs?  How would you go about reaching the key decision makers within each Trust?  How does the overarching hierarchy work?  

These were some of the many questions buzzing around my head before attending last night's BEN event entitled:  Selling to the NHS.  With the Chief Exec of North Bristol NHS Trust heading up the panel of speakers, this was an opportunity too good to pass up.

Joining Sonia Mills were three entrepreneurial clinicians, who spoke about their personal experiences in selling their own products to the NHS, along with Maria Hassard, who currently heads up NHS Innovations South West.

The key points discussed were relevant to cracking any market:  do your research,  be aware of all vested interests and - above all - sell the solution to their problems instead of emphasising potentially irrelevant features of the product.

What was interesting to hear about was the change in NHS culture and practises.  Innovation and data protection are current buzz words used in an organisation historically known for its backward approach to technology and change.  The regional innovation hubs have appeared as a result of this, while more open relationships are being sought with private industry. 

Although the amount of red tape has not abated, nor the lines of communication become any easier to charter, the health service seems to be sending out a welcome message to SMEs.  Whether this invitation will stretch to independent web developers was a question I came away with last night.  That, and some chocolate cake from the buffet!

Yahoo sniffs at Microsoft's offer, then.  Are they waiting it out for more cash or is this the end of the haggling battle?

Source:  BBC

Good news for small charities is imminent from GiftEase, the company who first designed a simple software solution enabling charities to claim tax back on donations.  GiftEase Lite is a pared down version of their first system that is designed to help make the reclamation process far easier.

This could help some of our smaller charitable clients and may have far-reaching benefits for organisations across the UK.

Source: Third sector

Just read this article that made me consider different ways of accessing the internet and what will be the most widely-used medium in another ten years' time...

The invisible computer revolution

For those of you averse to the relentless march of technology - beware!

Microsoft intends to enforce an automatic browser update from IE6 to IE7 via Windows Server Update Services from February 12th 2008.  The company explain that this move was prompted by security concerns.

Anyone wishing to stick with IE6 must take the following precautions to avoid the automatic update:

"Specifically, administrators who have set WSUS to automatically approve Update Rollups will need to disable the auto-approval rule before Feb. 12 to prevent IE7 from infiltrating their infrastructure. After that date, they must synchronize the update package with their WSUS server and then switch the autoapproval rule back on."

Source: InfoWorld

Apparently the UK is lagging behind our European counterparts in areas other than fine wine and healthy lifestyles.  Plans to give new-build homes super fast cable connections are only in the initial stages, while many existing homes can't expect to enjoy speeds similar to the continent until 2020.

Opinions are divided over the 'best' way to speed up connections and by 'best' I mean 'cheapest'.  H20 is pushing for fibre optic cables, laid through sewer networks, to produce speeds of 100Mbps at a cost of £15bn. BT are reluctant to move entirely away from DSL copper cables, as a mixture of these and fibre optics will only set them back a mere £5bn. 

Questions over who will want to use these higher speeds seem to have forgotten the impact YouTube has had in the past few years, ignored the increase of online TV consumption and played down the increasing numbers of online gamers demanding higher definition gaming services.  Every time a provider has offered larger bandwidth and faster connections we lap it up and I can't see this trend abating...