Digital Workshop

Interested to know how everyone is feeling about the current economic climate - whether it is sounding as bad where you are and how you think it might affect your business?

We seem to do well in recessions as companies look for ways to save money and individuals look for other ways to make money and we have noticed new business developing in the Far East in particular. The digital signage market seems to be expanding too, and company training - especially due diligence for corporate governance purposes. But some of the conversations I am having here in the UK suggest people are concerned.

What do you think? (Remember to tell us where you're based as we have customers all over the world.)

Paul Harris

We live in pounds but have to price in dollars, as that's where most of our customers are, so the last couple of years have been a bit troublesome.

With the current free-fall of the pound against the dollar things are, paradoxically, looking rosy.

Not sure how long it'll last, though... The "experts" and our inadequate politicians seem to be making everything up as they go along at the moment and it surely can't be long before they are taxing air....

We (Interaktiv) would have to agree with the change from an educational perspective. Having previously worked in schools and still very much in touch with colleagues in the profession - it's evident that money is no longer being thrown at IT projects and that software choices are becoming more refined.

Both from the software that we sell directly to schools and the software we help produce for other Opus users, it seems that the market has clearer ideas of what is required. Some customers are focusing on the emerging Interactive Whiteboard market - converting traditional ideas into electronic concepts whilst others are mixing software with a physical on site presence to supply a more holistic learning environment.

Likewise the work we have done for the business sector seems to be supporting a lot more in-house development with Interaktiv supplying scripted solutions to enhance companies' own projects. This will be partly due to fact that more Opus users are becoming aware of the services we now offer, but it does seem that businesses and professionals are developing more bespoke materials and realising that whilst they have a good understanding of the graphic development side of Opus, that they can benefit from pushing their ideas to the next stage.

The last twelve months have been a really exciting time for Interaktiv. We have been pushed to produce some really wonderful and challenging products by our customers and it must be said that every idea has been achieved because Opus simply is an amazing tool in the right hands. The next twelve months is already looking to be more exciting and more challenging as more people realise that their ideas can become reality and it doesn't have to cost the earth.

Mack (UK based with global customers)

Well, that must have been my problem, Mack. I have two left hands.

Mine is two left feet - which is why I spend so much time sat down programming instead of out dancing with Mrs Mack

Seriously though - looking through some of the examples posted by people like Paul and Linda, you release that Opus is an amazing product with or without scripting but the thing I love most about the product is the ideas that it brings out in people. It doesn't make any difference if your new to it or an old hack, you have an idea - you get bits working, you develop that idea, get another bit working until you've actually built a computer program. There's something very satisfying about it.

Mack

Well I got laid off, my company claiming it wasn't interested in eLearning at the moment. So soon as I can afford it, I'll purchase my own copy at home, this is the first time I have logged in, in weeks. Glad to see things are still humming along!

regards, kurt

Kurt,

Commiserations on the redundancy - all the predictions suggest you won't be alone. However, we're finding e-learning is gaining more momentum, especially with the major corporates as they realise the cost-benefits and concern about evidencing corporate governance grows.
I think that will only increase IMO as the budgets get constrained. I know one customer who shaved two days off an engineer's induction course by providing them with CD Roms to learn at home and a comms company is undertaking an initial evaluation via an online course which then brings everyone up to a basic level before their proper training begins.

Opus can usually ensure you can be much more cost-effective than competitors with other products and that is going to become a key benefit in pitching for business in the future.

Paul

Paul, thanks - as lady luck would have it, I now have a job at a local school as an IT tech, and have just purchased Opus Pro for myself. I've been singing it's praises already!

I can't help but wonder though, how different the economy would be if we didn't have all the media scaremongering?


Regards, Kurt

Interesting post Paul

I've been teaching in Shanghai, China at one of their many universities since mid September. The Australian teaching staff here subscribe to both the English language China Daily and Shanghai Daily newspapers to stay in touch with China and the rest of then world.

The papers are reporting that growth has slowed quite a lot in the second half of this year. The Chinese say are expecting moderate growth in 2009 apparently.

There have reportedly been quite a few factory closures in recent months and there are reports of an early exodus of Chinese people traveling back to their home provinces in preparation for Chinese New Year which occurs at the end of January 2009. This seems to suggest that employers don't require as many people as they once did.

The Chinese Government reportedly has gone on a infrastructure spending spree with particular emphasis on transport and communication. Construction of the high speed 800 odd mile Shanghai to Beijing Railway started in April this year which when finished will cut the traveling time between the two cities to about 5 hours.

In Shanghai, building and construction is at a frenzy because Expo 2010 is rapidly approaching. The Expo site is over 5 square kilometres and is almost adjacent to the city centre area. Over 220 countries and exhibitors have already signed up for Expo, so the event will be huge.

How the economic slowdown will affect China is anyone's guess.

Interestingly, all Chinese students begin learning English in schools from about 8 years of age, I'm told. This means that there will be a vast number of people here who will use English as their second language and so the demand for English publications here will probably rise.

One issue for multimedia developers wanting to tap into the Chinese market is the gap between Chinese rates of pay for work done and the rates of pay in other countries such as the UK, USA and Australia - Oh all right, before I get yelled at, and New Zealand too.

I don't think China will be affected too much because they have very strong domestic consumption and it seems that their Government is not shy about making decisions that are in China's long term economic interests.

Cheers

Graham

18 Dec. Shanghai Daily is reporting that between 5 and 10 million migrant workers have lost their jobs since September 2008. Normal migrant workforce is around 150 million, so this is a significant slowdown.
In addition to that, over 6 million students will be finishing school / university in 2009 and will be looking for work. Some 60 of these will be my own 3rd year Uni students.