Entries by Ross Dawson

List of the top 100 Twitter influencers in Australia

One of the key facets of the rise of the reputation economy is that reputation and influence can increasingly be measured. The rise of tools that measure people’s influence in social media channels, such as PeerIndex, Klout, and Twitter Grader, is just the beginning of a far broader shift to metrics of influence and reputation. […]

Launch of Digital Sydney: Ideas, energy, success stories, and massive potential

I am at the launch of Digital Sydney, part of the Vivid Sydney and Creative Sydney festivals. The reality is that for much of the last decade and more, the New South Wales government has been among the least supportive of the Australia states for the digital and creative industries, with in contrast Victoria, Queensland, […]

6 critical issues: Why the super injunction story represents a major social turning point

Much ink and many pixels had already been shed on Britain’s super injunction laws before the last week, but the Ryan Giggs case has pushed this into the stratosphere. In case you’ve been hiding in a closet, Manchester United star Ryan Giggs was awarded a “super injunction” from British courts, forbidding the press to report […]

The role of a futurist is to help people gain perspective and transcend boundaries

Yesterday I was interviewed by fellow futurist Eric Garland for a podcast series which was also featured on the World Future Society website. You can listen to the podcast on those sites or below (note that I have had some problems with the plug-in). Our discussion ranged across global demographics, shifts in manufacturing, robotics, and […]

Music videos are the new journalism: learn about fracking!

After watching the documentary Gasland my wife Victoria has become incensed about the practice of fracking, as hydraulic fracturing is commonly known. The issue has received global attention, but is also being practised close to home for us near Sydney’s water supplies. Victoria has been wondering why people don’t seem to be paying attention to […]

Scoop: Corporate directors understand change and embrace governance for transformation

I gave my keynote on How Technology is Transforming Business for Australian Institute of Company Directors this morning here in Beijing. Based on the responses of the 500+ company directors in the audience, they absolutely understand the need for change. Here are their answers on audience response units to questions I posed during my presentation. […]

Notes from the Australian Institute of Company Directors in Beijing

I am at the annual conference of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, held this year in Beijing. It is fantastic that Australian company directors are choosing to meet here rather than at home, broadening vistas and opportunities. The Grand Ballroom at China World Hotel is full, with around 500 people here. While I don’t […]

A story about Connected: The Film and why you must see it

I saw Connected: The Film by Tiffany Shlain last night at its Australian premiere, organized by Annalie Killian. The first thing I have to say is that the film is absolutely fantastic. It nails how we as humans live an intensely interdependent world, and how our recognition of and response to that will determine our […]