Newsletter: April 2004

In this issue:

Studio Director's Note: The Pervasive Web

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The web really has penetrated our lives. I recall a phone conversation I had six months ago. The caller didnít really know much about the web, or e-commerce, and mentioned how he had told his wife that they should "get into it." She informed him that she had been buying all the family Christmas presents online for two years, and that they were already "into it." Even if you think youíre offline, youíre online.

Jeremy Spinks, Studio Director

Feature: Creative Commons

In these days of file sharing and weblogging, the laws of copyright are becoming increasingly useless to a growing number of people who want to collaborate online. This situation has given rise to a new way of looking at copyright.

Creative Commons (www.creativecommons.org) is providing a new mechanism that protects originators while enabling collaboration. US law dictates that the instant something is created (written, recorded, filmed) it is copyrighted. Copyrighted means "All rights reserved," or "Ask permission." Creative Commons has established new copyright licenses for art, music and film that stand for "Some rights reserved." Content issued with a Creative Commons license can generally be copied, distributed or altered providing that you: attribute the original author; don't sell it; and perpetuate the same license agreement in any new work you create from it.

So what is the big deal here? Why should we care if artists let each other sample their music? Similar to the way open source software has become mainstream (IBM adopting Linux, for example), a new economy is growing around these licensed works. Success stories abound: one author shared over 300,000 copies of his book and went on to make more money from his new reputation than he did from the original sales of the 8,500 printed copies. There are over one million works covered by a CC license. With the success of legitimate sharing software such as Apple's iTunes, we can expect the concept to continue to gain acceptance. It is just another example of how the web is changing modern life.

Launch News: GradTrak

Bob Knight Photo has launched GradTrak in a new marketing campaign that highlights the technology behind their business. As a leading photographer of graduation ceremonies, Bob Knight Photo routinely handles thousands of photographs a day. Through an evolution of business processes, they arrived at GradTrak, a unique image management system that is fast, accurate and convenient. Kidd Tucker Group, in conjunction with 3W Studios, provided the system with a brand image, logo, printed collateral, public relations and a web presence.

Learn more about the over one hundred steps integral to the GradTrak process at www.gradtrak.com or visit www.bobknightphoto.com.

 Grad Trak

Web News: Denmark Tops E-Readiness List

New research finds that Denmark is the best place in the world for e-commerce. The rankings, developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit, show Scandinavia taking four of the top five places. The US ranked sixth, dropping from third last year. The rankings consider infrastructure, investment and business environment. Scandinaviaís success in outpacing early adopters like the US is credited to the permeation of technology into society and everyday life, and to the leadership of progressive government.

EIU Press Release

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TOP 10 E-READY COUNTRIES

Denmark (2)
UK (=3)
Sweden (1)
Norway (7)
Finland (6)
US (=3)
Singapore (12)
Netherlands (=3)
Hong Kong (10)
Switzerland (8)

2003 rankings in brackets

Other News: Soccer Results

Congratulations to the 3W Studios soccer team, who recorded a winning season this year. Finishing fourth with a 4-3-1 record, they lost 2-1 in the first round of the play-offs, but won their consolation game 7-0, underlining a successful season. The team plays in the Warner Soccer Super Six league (over 30s division) here in Tallahassee.