This is a great post by Brian Solis at Techcrunch on rising influence of micro-blogging and “status” services like Twitter and Facebook in today’s journalism. Ultimately, it concludes, its not the mediums but rather the quality of content and how its received by the social community. Enjoy reading here.
Monthly Archive for April, 2009
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Never, ever, under estimate Microsoft. In true win at all costs focus, Microsoft is re-packaging its online search service as “Kumo”, a word meaning spider and/or cloud in Japanese. This is hardly news since the announcement was made in early March 2009. But, couple this news with the fact that Yahoo! and Microsoft have re-started discussions on partnering in their respective search and online advertising businesses and you start to see the strategic alignments coming into focus. This could be a reality check moment for Google if Yahoo! and Microsoft (actually) find a way forward.
This is a great post by Sunny Bindra on his Sunwords Blog. When everyone is speaking about the merits of the soon to be operational high speed undersea cables in Kenya, what are the risks and challenges ahead? Enjoy his views here.
Outsourcing is the process of an organization or person contracting a company or person to do a particular function that is considered non-core. Outsourcing has emerged as one of the world’s fastest growing business sectors with countries like India leading the pack by having between 5-6% global market share and generating revenues of US$ 10.9 Billion from offshore outsourcing and US$ 30 Billion from IT and total outsourcing in 2008. The success of countries such as India, China and the Philippines in outsourcing has led to many countries, including Kenya, investing substantial resources to develop their outsourcing potential.
Although Kenya already has a growing outsourcing sector with over 50 registered companies operational, a boom is expected from this year. The main reason is that in June 2009, the first of three high-speed undersea fiber-optic cables will become operational in Kenya. The first to go live will be the SEACOM cable, followed by the TEAMS cable later this year and EASSy cable in the second quarter of 2010.
The cables, once operational, will give Kenya significantly faster, more reliable and less expensive telecommunications connectivity to the rest of the world. One report suggests that the Internet costs could drop by as much as 70% which means that a far larger number of Kenyans will be able to go online as it becomes much more affordable. Ultimately, all these factors will make Kenya much more competitive in offering outsourcing services in the global marketplace.
Apart from the much improved telecommunications that the high-speed undersea fiber-optic cables will provide the emerging outsourcing sector, Kenya has an abundant English speaking population who are highly literate and IT skills competent with clear accents that are ideal for call centers. It also has the advantage of a skilled and cost-effective workforce that has over 20,000 young graduates coming into the job market every year.
The Kenyan Government has also introduced a raft of incentives to make investing in outsourcing businesses a very attractive proposition. In fact, Outsourcing is underscored in Kenya’s recently unveiled Vision 2030 initiative as a key pillar and driver of social and economic improvement through job and wealth creation. Some of the key organizations that are driving the Kenya outsourcing agenda include the Kenya ICT Board, Kenya Business Processing and Contact Center Society , Export Processing Zones Authority, Communications Commission of Kenya and the Ministry of Information and Communications.
In the outsourcing sector of the Kenyan economy, the largest amount of attention has been centered on call centers. Companies such as Kencall, Skyweb Evans and Ken-Tech Data are some of the better established and successful call centers in Kenya. Setting up a call center requires large financial resources, technical expertise and international business development. For these reasons, this may not be most ideal of the outsourcing opportunities.
However, there are many low-cost entry points into the outsourcing sector. One of these is by leveraging online marketplaces that enable individuals and businesses alike to bid for outsourced assignments. Some of the largest online outsourcing marketplaces include eLance , RentACoder , and Guru which enable anyone from a software developer to an accountant to create their service profiles and then bid against competing bidders for assignments from practically every corner of the world.
Outsourcing is generally broken down into two distinct focus areas, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO):
BPO, fundamentally, is the contracting of operations and responsibilities of a specific business function to a third-party service provider. Examples of BPO services include information technology systems management, multimedia and animation, bookkeeping and financial services, business consulting, computer assisted design, call centers, data entry, desktop publishing, typesetting, Handwriting services, human resources services, internet marketing, legal services, medical billing, proofreading, editing, software & technology, transcription, web design and web development, writing and translation.
KPO, on the other hand is outsourcing in which knowledge-related and information-related work is carried out by workers in a different company or by a subsidiary of the same organization. Examples of KPO services include knowledge processing services, intellectual property research, animation and simulation services, data research and analytics, litigation services, medical content and services, pharmaceuticals services, writing/content development services and database development services.
This article was written by Moses Kemibaro and published in the April 2009 edition of Adam Magazine.
The following audio files are recordings of a forum on the impact and relevance of new media on brands, especially in Kenya and the broader Pan-African region.
The forum was organised by the Brandscape Foundation and held at the Palacina Hotel in Nairobi on evening of Tuesday the 7th April 2009. In addition to myself representing Dotsavvy, we had Tom Sitati of the Brandscape Foundation, Al Kags of the Kenya ICT Board, Benda Kithaka and Mary Chege of Toyota East Africa, and Joram Mwinamo of Wylde International Enjoy listening!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The last couple of weeks have been nothing short of hectic! Therefore, my blog has been somewhat silent! In that time, I have been trying balance lots of work whilst catching up on all the news and events. Therefore, this posting is something of a “summary” of the interesting bits and pieces I have picked up in Kenya’s Internet and Telecoms areas. Its surprising just how much is happening in such a short span of time – things are really on a tear! Here is what I have managed to pick out, thus far:
- Orange Kenya this week has launched its “Internet Everywhere” offering. The service is being marketed as “fast, easy, plug and play internet access”. The interesting aspects of this service include affordable tariffs of as low as Kes. 1.00 per megabyte and modem prices of only Kes. 4,400.00. In addition to the Internet Everywhere service, Orange Kenya has also massively reduced its pricing for the iPhone 3G to Kes. 19,999.00 which its licensed to market in Kenya. The iPhone 3G offer also includes 9 hours of talk time across all national networks, 300 SMS’s plus 300 megabytes of data all free, every month.
- YU, Kenya’s fourth mobile network has introduced what can only be described as the most inexpensive SMS offer in Kenya. In fact, its not even inexpensive, its FREE! As of this past week, YU has launched free SMS services on its network for YU to YU messages, all day and all night. The free SMS model is a first in Kenya and its bound to drive increased uptake of YU’s services which currently have the smallest subscriber base in Kenya.
- Zain Kenya, obviously in response to Safaricom’s massive 3G internet push, has launched its own special bundle. The main difference is that the Zain offer has unlimited monthly internet access as well as a free USB modem for only Kes. 3,999.00 per month. However, the caveat is that a deposit of Kes. 10,000.00 is required upfront as well as personal paperwork.
http://maps.google.keNairobi 31st March 2009
As of today new detailed maps of many Kenyan towns including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru are accessible on Google Maps through any web browser or via Google Maps for mobile on data enabled handsets. The new service means that Google Maps users will now be able to search up to date online maps, look up businesses, advertise for free via Google Maps Local Business Centre, create their own maps and even check locations while they’re on the move.
The map data includes a substantial amount of user generated content provided via Google Map Maker as well as thousands of business listings for the wider Nairobi area including more than 50 favorite spots of a number of Kenyan celebrities including Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize Winner), Julie Gichuru (TV Presenter), Churchill (Comedian) and Humphrey Kayange (Kenya Rugby 7′s Team Captain).
Google Maps in Kenya can be viewed in several ways. The Map button shows the traditional map view, ideal for finding an address or planning directions from A to B. To explore in more detail users can choose the Satellite button, which includes satellite and aerial photographs. The Terrain view shows the physical geography of a place (the hills and mountains). This button is a great choice if you’re heading out to the countryside.
Joe Mucheru, Google’s East Africa Lead said:
‘We’re very excited about the launch today and we hope this is just the beginning for Google Maps in Kenya. Google Maps isn’t just searchable digitized maps helping you to find a local place, service or product – our goal is to make information with a geographical dimension available to everyone and to allow users to update the maps and develop on top of them. We believe more accurate, representative local information can greatly improve the breadth of information available about a given area and in turn can help efforts to bolster tourism and business investment.’
Julie Gichuru, TV Presenter who created one of the first My Maps in Kenya showing her favorite places, commented:
‘Google Maps in Kenya is a real leap ahead for us. It will open up the country by creating greater understanding of the socio economic situation in the different regions.’
KenyaBuzz is already making use of the Google Maps API on their website. Marta Anna Gloserova from Kenyabuzz said:
“KenyaBuzz provides an online resource for local event information and business listings in Kenya. Google Maps serves as a great platform helping us to provide accurate, comprehensive location-based information for our audience.”
Mr. Kimosop from the Mid-Rift Tourism Forum added:
“The Mid-Rift Tourism Forum strives to promote tourism in Kenya and seeks to contribute to increased employment and incomes for host communities. Adding tourism locations on Google Maps creates a free marketing channel and will drive more people to our website and ultimately to the tourist locations”
Google Maps in your pocket:
Information on streets, addresses and local businesses and services will now be accessible via your mobile phone when you’re on the road or in places you don’t know. Google Maps for mobile can be downloaded for free at www.google.co.ke/ With this tool, users will be able to access detailed maps of Kenya and the world on the go.
Advertising free online without the need for a web site:
Google Maps is the perfect product for local businesses: information is available to users and customers who are currently seeking products or services in your area. Companies can now enter for free information about their business, including their address, hours of operation, phone number and photo, and they can also place ads on Google Maps even if they don’t have their own website. Users have the option to make searches for companies with similar business in a neighborhood, both via PC or mobile phone – and then they can access provided links and contact details to the respective services.
Update the Map yourself:
A substantial amount of data in Kenya has been provided via our Map Maker product. Google Map Maker allows users to locate, draw, label and provide attributes for local map features, such as roads, parks, or rivers, turning local users into “citizen cartographers.” You can join in and update the map yourself by visiting http://www.google.com/mapmaker
Build and share your own My Maps:
Create personalized, annotated, customized maps using the My Maps feature on Google Maps. My maps can contain placemarks, lines, shapes, text, photos or videos enabling users to share diverse information with family and friends – from favorite campsites to photos and videos of a holiday or roadtrip. To construct the maps you can also use more sophisticated methods such as maps with advanced content (mapplet) using JavaScript or Google Maps. Check out some My Maps created by Kenyan celebrities:
Julie Gichuru:
http://maps.google.commapsmshl=en&ie=UTF8&view=map&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108510776484643278820.000466198e07948753e21
Humphrey Kayange: http://maps.google.com/maps/msie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=101714549577099808720.0004661a2387c1eb43550
Churchill: http://maps.google.com/maps/msie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110797188130150736442.00046619c72aced8832be
Wangari Maathai: http://maps.google.com/maps/msie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108947990450612042163.0004661a342fe04a0b0ef >
Maps for Developers:
Google also provides APIs for Google Maps to help programmers, webmasters and designers to incorporate the functionality of Google Maps on their sites and develop new services based on local information. Today Google will be holding workshops for students and developers at Nairobi University.
About Google:
Google’s mission is to make the world’s information universally available and useful. By 2010, there will be over 1 billion people in Africa and we are committed to helping increase the flow of information throughout Africa by getting businesses online and by providing relevant online services platforms that enable local content development and innovation. We established our office in Kenya in 2007 so that we can better understand the market and offer products that meet the needs of local users.