Have design conferences grown so big, and expensive, that they have outlived their usefulness? An interesting essay by Alissa Walker on planning and executing design conferences. If you're really hankering to plan some kind of get-together, don't! In all likelihood what you think you need to say can be accomplished in the form of a blog, a film, a book, a social network. If you want to make a ... Read full entry

... it would have to be the From Freelance to Agency: Start Small, Stay Small panel. The web has always attracted mavericks and entrepreneurs, and a rocky economy makes the freelance life more desirable (or at least more inevitable) than ever. So what happens when your freelance business starts to grow? How big can you get without getting bad? How can freelancers and small teams compete with traditional agencies? ... Read full entry

If you thought social network hi5 was a has-been, think again. In the six months from December 2007 to June 2008, hi5 experienced almost 80 per cent growth, twice as much as Facebook, and is now ranked the world's third most popular social network. hi5 enjoys a large membership across Latin American, European, Asian and African countries. Facebook and hi5 are winning the vast majority of new users coming ... Read full entry

And talking of networking, what did I spot when flicking through my Twitter page just now... a tweet about the Sydney OpenCoffee Meetup, a group especially for entrepreneurs and those interested in Tech start ups. The group's next meeting is tomorrow morning, 7 August, in downtown Sydney. OpenCoffee is based on a similar, successful idea introduced in London, and is about creating a regular, informal, meeting place for ... Read full entry

43 per cent of small business owners seem to be reluctant to go to networking gigs more than two or three times a year, according a survey conducted by the crew at Flying Solo. Networking can give me that feeling I had as a kid, when I got dragged in front of a distant cousin at a family function and told to ‘go off and play.’ This forced ... Read full entry

Don't leave home without your... calling cards. I'm not entirely sure of the exact difference between calling cards and business cards (which I do sometimes forget to take when I leave home), but the former are apparently making a comeback. In the 1800s, there was a certain logic - and a cool distance - to the formal calling card. Those who were part of, or sought a place among, ... Read full entry

The launch of The Dark Room in Sydney on Friday 1 August promises a night of art, live music, and networking, until sunrise the next morning. Artists Beastman, Ears, Luke Taaffee, and Max Berry, will be exhibiting work. Facebook members can RSVP here for the event. Are you looking for a night that is different, Where you can talk to Sydney's biggest artists, bands and ... Read full entry

Joining social networks and linking up with all your friends and associates is a lot of fun. What happens though when you want to migrate to a new social network? Isn't there a way to re-establish contact with everyone you knew before, without having to "be-friend" everyone again, one by one, at your new social networking home? The answer may be in the form of the Distributed Social Network, which, ... Read full entry

Brad Howarth interviews Dan Fill, Head of Multiplatform Production at ABC TV, at Port 1010 Digital Harbour, in Melbourne for The Domain Networking Night, next Thursday, 13th March. As The Head of Multiplatform Production, Dan is responsible for strategizing ABC TV's movement into Multiplatform Broadcasting; The Distribution of ABC TV services onto emerging digital platforms; Overseeing production of innovative inherently cross media television programs; the acquisitions of ... Read full entry

Digital kids ditch homework for networking A recent report by British research firm Entertainment Media Research has found (surprise, surprise) that 15 to 19 year olds are ditching homework time in favour of hanging out on social networks. The report also has some bad news for television advertisers: While teachers and parents will be dismayed, the 2008 Digital Entertainment Survey also makes uncomfortable reading for commercial TV executives. It shows ... Read full entry