Reaching out to the techless generation

In this world of iPads and memes it’s easy to forget that there are people out there who have never used a computer.

No, not babies. Weekend Reads is referring to certain members of the older demographic, which your business ignores at its peril.

To get an insight into that techless world read this account of a 60-year-old using a computer for the first time.

The importance of embracing new technology is clear, especially now that one-third of US smartphones serve as the primary internet connection for Americans.

But even established businesses can’t always be smug about their digital savviness. Check out these 10 common mistakes when designing emails blasts for touch devices and read this analysis on how Hollywood is set to make the same online mistakes as the music industry.

Bored by the carbon tax yet? Of course you are. But this article should provide new food for thought on the heavily debated issue.

“Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution,” said tech author and entrepreneur Clay Shirky. Does your business suffer from the Shirky principle?

Start-up investments continue to gather pace in the US, with Wall Street baddy JP Morgan set to do a good turn for new ventures by putting its massive $1.2 billion digital growth fund to work.

Meanwhile it appears that Dropbox is set to raise some serious money and the next generation of mobile-hugging entrepreneurs will be flocking to the new $200,000 Tandem incubator.

Finally, this week has seen a couple of major brands skewered by online videos that take a jab at their environmental records. Thankfully Get Up! are too busy with Harvey Norman to worry about smaller fry, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t jump on the sustainability bandwagon.