Standard Class

The world of work is changing, the rise in individuals working as freelance professionals is growing fast however the support structures which have been lagging behind are beginning to catch up. Trendwatching.com points to The village quill and Two rooms as two examples in New York of an office away from home. These physical locations are growing quickly in major cities around the world as individuals demand more than perching in an armchair in Starbucks. What is really needed however is a co-operative style outsourcing operation, a network of resources for independent operators, which would provide services such as tax, invoices, receptionists, mailboxes, legal support, it, server space, email, software, travel booking etc in time even a global network of physical locations. The buying power of such a group would be huge and if benefits were passed on to members the incentives to join would grow. It might be the difference between being able to jump the corporate ship to go it alone and being tied to the grindstone.

I am not sure why, but I was surprised to find Flickr blocked when I tried to access it from Dubai. Everything about the country is trying to move forward at pace. I am sure that the nature of some of the images are "inconsistent with the religious, cultural, political and moral values of the United Arab Emirates" and it is their responsibility to do what they feel is right for their citizens but is it really worth the opportunity cost of preventing what could be a breakthrough tool and others like it, on the back of which some of their citizens could be creating interesting, innovative and profitable companies which could be the future of the UAE?

Twenty-five years ago it was estimated that just five TV advertising spots would reach 80% of the audience, while today more than 300 such spots would be needed for a similar reach.

Content owners take 70% of the revenue from Google Video , even in these fast changing times content is still king.