Six hours on social media? That’s $2K for Christchurch, thanks

Just six hours of social media marketing lead to a Christchurch fundraising haul of $2000 last Tuesday.
A Twitter message at about noon read:
“Our staff are hosting a charity event at 6pm tonight at the Pioneer Womens hall, cnr of High St & Fryberg Plc, lots of cool prizes Plz RT”

About 60 employees planned the event [...]

AUT net access should be free, says student union co-president

Students at AUT are being disadvantaged by internet charges, says co-president of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations David Do.
AUT students pay for internet as they use it, but major New Zealand universities charge a flat fee each year.
In fact, internet access should be free because it is essential to student learning, says Do.
“You [...]

The downside of social media

Social media has changed the way the world interacts in recent years. Not only has it cut geographical distance between a communicative event, it has enabled people to communicate with whomever they wish with a click of a button.
Social networking websites such as “Twitter” allow people from around the globe to  send direct messages to [...]

More people going online for help

E-counselling, or internet therapy, is gaining popularity in New Zealand, and online counselling service AskChris.co.nz is at the forefront of this emerging trend.
The founder of AskChris, Chris Hight, says giving people easier access to counselling was her main motivation for establishing the online service.
“As I’ve gone on, [I’ve] recognised that people want to access counselling [...]

Brits getting lonelier despite the net keeping them in touch

A New Zealand technology expert says social media is “gluing us” together and people have never had less excuse to feel lonely.
Kiwi internet pioneer Nigel Horrocks is bewildered by a British survey which found almost half (48 per cent) of respondents feel society is getting lonelier, despite 62 per cent believing technology is helping them [...]

‘Fibre to the door’ won’t benefit residential customers

Installing fibre optic cables may not increase internet speeds or decrease overall broadband prices, according to industry experts.
The companies vying for ownership of a new, government-backed fibre optic network say “fibre to the door” would make broadband internet significantly faster than the current copper cables New Zealand internet providers are using to supply broadband to [...]

Facebook group starts huge BP boycott

A Facebook event page has been successfully encouraging people worldwide to boycott BP until the massive Gulf of Mexico oil leak is plugged.
The event page, NO BP GAS UNTIL THE LEAK IS STOPPED, was set to close on August 20, but will now run until the oil leak is stopped.
US resident Justin Bell started the [...]

Kiwis click onto internet sales trend

Bargain-savvy Kiwi shoppers are catching onto the phenomenon of one-day-only sales websites, fuelling an increase in the number of these sites based in New Zealand.
One-day-only websites offer a small product range, often just one item, for a limited period of time at prices the promoters hope many will find too tempting to turn away from.
Shoppers [...]

Technology gives global exposure to Kiwi concert

A global audience will have the chance to see emerging Kiwi talent when a multicultural concert is streamed live over the web on May 8.
The People in Your Neighbourhood (PIYN) Project is an opportunity for some of Auckland’s most talented ethnic artists to gain exposure to the music industry and work alongside British artists Charlie [...]

Experts agree – NZ net must get up to speed

Experts have welcomed the Government’s injection of $1.5 billion into high speed broadband.
The Government has committed the money to replacing copper with fibre to bring New Zealand internet up to speed.
NZ is “lagging behind” the rest of the world, said vector external communications manager Philippa White.
Gill Dobbie, head of the computer science department at [...]