*hyperLINK***hyperLINK***hyperLINK***hyperLINK***hyperLINK* Here is this week's hyperLINK, your window on the local, national and international IT sector, brought to you by Canterbury Software Inc and editor Carol Webb. It includes news on the next CSI Tech BBQ and other CSI events, as part of promoting success through connections for IT products, services and people.
See the full version at http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/current.htm Sign-up options at http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/news.htm + Please forward this newsletter. You can freely re-use the feature stories, provided you acknowledge the credited feature story writer and hyperLINK as source. ############### FRIDAY TECH BBQ NOVEMBER 7: At Cii (Canterbury Innovation Incubator, 200 Armagh St) following the November Elevator Cafe which starts at 5.30. ELEVATOR CAFE Come along tomorrow to the CSI's November Elevator Cafe - you may learn a thing or two about presenting a product or service, you may find a potential business partner, and you'll certainly find out about the broad range of opportunities Canterbury's software companies are involved with. It's happening at 5.30pm at the Canterbury Innovation Incubator (200 Armagh St). It's free to all, and will be followed by the Tech BBQ afterwards (6pm-ish, BYO). NOVEMBER 13: THURSDAY at 5.45pm (Note change of day due to Friday being Show Day), Computer Science Department, University of Canterbury. Chance to mingle with departing students. Sausages will be provided, but BYO drinks. It may be an idea to bring your own extra snacks, since the students don't get to eat all that often. The event will be outside the Maths, Stats and and Computer Science building, with plenty of free parking in the adjacent car park, off Ilam Road. For directions see http://www.cosc.canterbury.ac.nz/Images/cmap.gif For further information (and to see who got snapped by the CSI paparazzi at recent events) go to the Tech BBQ page at http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/bbq.htm ############### hyperLINK contents: Issue 27, November 6 2003 + Alchemy group taps into TXT power + Electronics global update + Tech Newsbytes from all around + Incredibly useful website of the week + Online with CSI + Hot topics at the forum + Contact us, subscribe/unsubscribe etc ############### *FEATURE* ALCHEMY GROUP TAPS INTO TXT POWER By CAROL WEBB In today's hot property market potential buyers want information just as quickly as they can get it, and Christchurch software engineering firm Alchemy Group has tapped into the potential of SMS (short message service) to deliver the data buyers need straight to their cellphones. [more here http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/current.htm#feature1 ] ------------------------------ *FEATURE* AUST STATE SPENDING LURE FOR NZ ICT PLAYERS New Zealand companies are advised to work with major service players such as EDS and Telstra to provide components of a round of pending Australian state government deals, says NZ Trade and Enterprise in its new telecommunications and electronics global update report. [ http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/current.htm#feature2 ] ------------------------------ *NEWSBYTES* TESTING TIMES: Software testing issues, tools and techniques will be in the spotlight at a two-day conference in Wellington on November 24 and 25. Software Education Associates' Software Testing Australia/New Zealand Conference, or STANZ, will run case studies and workshops with speakers including US testing specialists Ross Collard, Rex Black and Bret Pettichord, New Zealand's Don Mills and Australia�s Kelvin Ross. CONTRACTING RISE: A 25 per cent rise in Australian IT contract jobs since July is shown in a new survey with biggest demand for specialists in Visual Basic and stored procedures developers, .NET developers, third-level network engineers, and consultants in business objects and Cognos. Despite the growth in contracting, contract rates and full-time rates are similar with only the most experienced IT contractors receiving premiums of up to 20 per cent. - Australian IT SEARCH BREAKTHROUGH: Amazon.com has added a groundbreaking new feature to its website called Search Inside the Book, which allows users to search about 33 million digitised book pages for specific terms. Search results give the page numbers and excerpts containing the search term. CONFERENCE COMING: The Asia Pacific Computer-Human Interaction will be held in Rotorua next year. Hosted by the Waikato University Computer Science department, APCHI 2004 will run from June 29 to July 2 and will focus on emerging new technologies such as handheld devices and wearable computers, as well as looking at designing in ease of use. Details at http://www.apchi2004.org.nz. IT SKILLS CALL: Nearly 60% of British employers believe their staff must improve their IT skills, according to research by E-skills UK, the government/private sector partnership for IT training. The figure, which represents an 11% increase since 2002, highlights the growing importance of IT to businesses despite the general downturn in IT spending. ------------------------------ *EXPORT FOCUS* INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT Large exporters can afford to set up branches in distant markets and thereby handle their own distribution. Most other exporters must rely upon an independent distributor to buy and then distribute their products. A distribution agreement is the basic legal contract that an exporter has with a distributor. Use this checklist to avoid misunderstandings and set expectations with distributor. http://www.marketnewzealand.com/common/files/auerbach- intdistribution.pdf +From a series of checklists prepared by NZ Trade and Enterprise to help companies work through the export planning process. NEXT WEEK: JOINT VENTURE ------------------------------ *WEBSITE OF THE WEEK* ENTREWORLD.COM http://www.entreworld.org Resources for entrepreneurs developed by the Kaufmann Foundations, with key sections including upporting your business, growing your business, supporting entrepreneurship. ------------------------------ *CSI WEBSITE HAPPENINGS* TECH BBQ Find out what's coming up at the world famous Christchurch Friday Tech BBQ, and check out the paparazzi record of BBQs-that-were. You can also sign up to host a BBQ at your premises (a great opportunity to let people know about your business and its products). Wherever it's held, the Tech BBQ gives members of the tech community a chance to meet other similar people in a relaxed environment, talk shop, network and get to know each other better. http://www.canterburysoftware.org.nz/bbq.htm ------------------------------ *MEANWHILE, AT THE FORUM* The Forum is your online community, where you can: + air your problems and concerns about marketing your software internationally + get rapid and effective suggestions from others like you, who've already done it + raise and discuss subjects of general concern to members Go to http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/forum.htm ------------------------------ CONTACT US ... SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE hyperLINK email options: http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/news.htm Contact the editor, Carol Webb: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------ --> via Canterbury Software email forum: Success through Connections Email your messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Searchable list archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] Leave or rejoin the list: http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/forum.htm
