Nominations for candidates are closed for the Australian Marketing Institute’s 2010/11 State Council elections scheduled for the 14^th September 2010. If you are a member that means you get a say in who runs your Institute and by way of this privilege you also get a say about how your Institute is run.

So, as a member, I want to exercise this privilege by calling for an open debate on reforming the current decision-making structure and governance of the Australian Marketing Institute.

In particular, I’d like to see the Institute move away from its current state and territory council structure that is geared towards people who mostly live or work in the inner areas of our capital cities and to move to a more inclusive structure that allows marketers who live in the outer metropolitan, regional or rural areas to take part.

And if we are to prepare marketers for the boardroom of the future, we’ll also need to construct an Institute that mirrors the corporate world, a world that has undergone enormous structural and governance changes over the last decade.

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Surrounded by Sunday newspapers with articles on London’s new cycle hire scheme while debating NSW’s horrendous transport problems and solutions to save the current NSW’s Labor government – well I have an idea.

Let’s start replacing on road parking meters with London style cycle docking stations and cycle hire scheme. On road parking meters have no use other than clogging our city streets with parked cars and raising money for councils. Yes, we still need parking spaces, but let’s get the majority of the parking spaces off road.

Sydney has already invested $76 million in new cycle ways with the Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore claiming it will transform the city into a cyclists’ paradise. Imagine if the state government had invested the half a billion dollars it wasted on the recently scrapped Sydney metro plan on state wide cycle ways and hire scheme. That’s a lot of push bikes.

In London, cycling is now back in style. It now has up to 5,000 bikes at 300 “docking stations” available for hire to combat the out of control traffic congestion and overcrowding on London’s commuter network.

There is even smartphone apps out there for finding the closest dock location:

• www.cyclehireapp.com
• www.londoncycleapp.com

So why can’t our state government embrace a vision of turning every city in NSW into another Amsterdam?

With pollution, traffic congestion and obesity problems – to me, it’s a no brainer.

The Lunaticks Society of Newcastle invites you to its next event on the benefits of the new national broadband network to the people of Newcastle.

Our aim is to provide a unique neutral forum for frank discussion on how the advancements of this technology will transform every aspect of business, health, education and government services in Newcastle and regional Australia.

We’ve asked, pleaded and enticed some of the major players in the local digital economy to share their wisdom and reveal their secrets on the economic benefits to the people of Newcastle.

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If you build it, they will come. I am talking about the simple concept of link building. Surprisingly, even with significant coverage to the importance and complexities of link building, people just don’t get it. Link building is simply a popularity contest.

The more popular your website the more inbound links will point to your website. The more links pointing to your website the more likely your website will rank higher on Google. The higher your website ranks on Google the more likely people will visit your website.

Still struggling with the concept?

Well, the image and explanation by Linkbuilding.nl may help you.

Click this image to enlarge.

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Looking for a new medium to actively engage your consumers with a unique one to one experience?

Lunaticks Society of Newcastle has enticed some of the leading names in Newcastle’s digital and social media world to share their wisdom and reveal their social media secrets for The Lunaticks Guide to Social Media for Business.

Whether you’re in senior management, marketing and advertising, technology, retail, music and arts, finance or you merely want to stay abreast of the latest social media trends and strategies, then this an event you won’t want to miss.

LOCATION & DATE

The Delany Hotel scheduled for Tuesday 6^th July.

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