Are you an enterprise 2.0?… Uni kids like Apple, Facebook and Grey’s Anatomy… Chance for SMEs to go…Wales?…

• Are you an enterprise 2.0?
• Uni kids like Apple, Facebook and Grey’s Anatomy
• Win export support to go to … Wales

Are you an enterprise 2.0?

Businesses are increasingly using the tools of Web 2.0 – wikis, blogs, profiles, tagging and social networking – to increase productivity within their businesses, according to Ovum IT research director Dr Steve Hodgkinson.

The use of Web 2.0 tools to make contact with clients through customer forums and the like is relatively common, but there is an increasing awareness of their intra-business uses, Hodgkinson says.

Within businesses, enterprise 2.0 tools help lubricate social networking to stimulate knowledge sharing, idea exploitation and innovation.

There are dangers associated with the introduction of these tools, however, including network penetration, problems with the authentication of the identity of contributors, assuring data ownership, accidental disclosure of sensitive data and inadvertent publication of unauthorised corporate positions.

Uni kids like Apple, Facebook and Grey’s Anatomy

American uni students love Apple computers, like to watch Grey’s Anatomy and prefer Facebook over MySpace, according to an Anderson Analytics survey of more than 1000 US university students reported by the Advertising Age.

Facebook was the most popular website for students, with 11.6% saying it’s their favourite ahead of MySpace (7.2%) and Google/Gmail (5.9%). This is a reversal from last year’s result, when MySpace came out on top; this year MySpace’s popularity fell 45%, allowing Facebook to take over.

Not surprisingly, the brand that ruled with this group was Apple. It ranked as the No. 2 overall best brand by 17% of the students; ranked Nos. 1 and 2 as most anticipated products with iPhone and new iPod versions; ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in product recommendations, with iPod followed by Apple products in general; and ranked No. 6 in most popular commercials.

The top TV shows were Grey’s Anatomy, preferred by 7.2%, followed by the US version of The Office on 6.8%. Favourite magazines were Comsopolitan and People, and favourite books were the all conquering Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code.

Win export support to go to … Wales

The Welsh equivalent of Austrade, International Business Wales, is calling on Australian companies to enter this year’s Wales’ International Technium Challenge, a competition for SMEs in which the winner gets to set up a post in Wales free of charge for a year.

The International Technium Challenge is a business planning competition open to SMEs from Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Japan, Korea, South Africa, France and the US. The competition is open to businesses in any sector, although they tend to have a technology orientation. The key to winning the prize, however, is showing how you plan to succeed and grow your business in sunny Wales.

One finalist from each region will fly to Wales for one-on-one advice sessions with legal and business experts, then present their business plans to the judging panel before the overall winner is selected.

Not only will the winner receive a year’s free desk space within a Technium centre but they will also be afforded an extensive support network, receive advice from UK solicitors, UK patent & trademark attorneys and receive PR coverage in UK media.

Entries must be submitted by March 2008 for review by a local judging panel, where five successful applicants will then be short-listed by early April 2008.