The Information Age as we know it has probably only really exploded in the last 10 years or so with the advent of social media, better search engines and mobile devices – yet in the same breath computer science and its associated activities have been around for 50-60 years. The ENIAC was the first computer back in 1946 – which makes it 64 years old. Why do I bring this point up? Well in my current organisation it seems as if the organisational, leadership and value models are based on ‘theoretical’ schools of thought – almost traditional, and I sense that to be a leader in an IT environment leans itself to a different type of leadership. Why do I say this? Programmers, for instance, are a breed apart from any other type employee because they are usually bright and they tend to learn about the business side of things along with plying their trade (which is to write code). The majority of programmers learn about the business they are in AND they write code that applies to that business and in some instances I would dare to say their knowledge is equal or greater than those who are in a non-programming role for a particular area of knowledge relating to the business. Programmers also tend to have a very different outlook in life and their sense of humour is a clear indication of this – I mean how many normal people love Dilbert (ok maybe there are a few), but the humour that Dilbert portrays tends to be better appreciated by geeks and programmers.

I also get the sense that the leaders within my organisation do not look up to the same type of industry leaders that I do. Leaders, as John Maxwell says, are influencers and there are quite a few influencers that I know about that the leaders in my company don’t seem to know. If I ask any of the leaders in my company who the current CEO of Microsoft is, I’m not sure they would know. Would they know who Larry Ellison is? Larry Page? Sergei Brin? Linus Torvalds? They would know who Bill Gates is mostly because he was/is the richest guy in the world. Do they understand that people such as Bill Gates or Sergei Brin have shaped the the technological landscape – beyond simply being super rich? They are true influencers – game changers.

The leadership within an IT context is very different because of the nature of software projects. If your team uses agile you will not be able to apply the same traditional leadership style to the team – simply because software development as a practise is different.

1. Humans have this tendency to be conformists when it suits them. We are always striving to standardise or fence everyone in on a single way of thinking or on how we do things. It seems that the only thing any person seems to care about is their own opinion and if you don’t agree with that opinion you start to conform somewhere on your own and if you are lucky you find some unlucky sod to join you in your crazy ways – eventually though even your little group will split because people can never really agree. There is a joke about three Afrikaners that go to the moon – only to start three churches, three schools and three political parties. My solution: Teach leadership principles at a school level and focus on things such as servant leadership. Teach listening skills as well, because we don’t have enough people doing it enough.
2. My church. Yep I go to church, but I’m not always sure where to draw the line between the religious and the human element. The sad truth is that the people in my church are more concerned about being connected somewhere with the ones with the money or status. I’m not sure my pastor would do what he does for free. You got to ask  and wonder about that question. It seems unfair but religion is one of those things that seem to require total selfless belief and commitment, so then money would not be an issue. I don’t socialise with the people from my church for a few reasons, but the primary one I guess is class and social stature. When I go to church there is always a clear distinction between the human element in ‘our’ church and the religious element, because in our church it does not really seem about congregation. I have also on occasion attended social gatherings with a pastor and to be honest I have never felt so uncomfortable in my life, simply because of I am not of a certain class, or whatever standing it is that they expected. I also dislike the fact that people think they can place me in a box and think they know my internal state of mind. My solution: Find peace within myself and find people who I can feel comfortable with.
3. Over-opinionated people. You know the type who think their opinion and their absence will make the world shed a tear? Yes those. Solution: Lets ignore them and only focus on the people that are important to us.
4. I think we spend way too much time trying to fit in with those that seem to dislike us – forgetting that we should be spending time with those that really know us and care for us. I mean people will dislike you regardless of what you do or how you say it. The people that really care for you will still love you regardless of what you say. And disliking someone is a two way street – if you can show your apparent dislike for me so can I, and don’t expect any favours. Solution: Harden up to the world by not taking what people say seriously.

If someone who knew little or nothing about IT stood in front of you and you were tasked to explain an “IT Career” to them, how would you do it? I must admit that I personally dislike the term IT because I get so many people asking me if I am “in IT” when I am a .NET developer and not a techie and for some reason people that don’t know the difference assume the two are related. Yet it is an easy enough term for people to associate to and remember.

So back to defining an IT Career. Where would you start? Lets assume that the person you are explaining it too has no previous experience, and has no knowledge beyond switching on a computer and typing on a keyboard of “IT”. Where would you start then? Would you start from a theoretical perspective whereby you explain to them what IT is by quoting a few definitions off the web? Would you rather explain it to them by showing them a trend in current careers and aligning those careers to a lifestyle or a monetary value?

Defining an IT Career in theoretical terms

This approach involves defining Information Technology, or rather using an existing (trusted) definition and using it as a base to delve into more detail. So if I were to use a search engine to define “Information Technology” I could use any of these definitions and expand on them:

the branch of engineering that deals with the use of computers and telecommunications to retrieve and store and transmit information

Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware. …

the practice of creating and/or studying computer systems and applications; (Can we verify this sense?) the computing department of an organization

technology tasked with processing, storing and communication of information eg computers, mobile phones, PDAs. Geographical effects have been widespread as the advances in IT have begun to dramatically change behaviour eg working from home, reducing business trips, shopping from home. …

The term "IT" encompasses the methods and techniques used in information handling and retrieval by automatic means. The means include computers, telecommunications and office systems or any combination of these elements.

Includes both hardware and software. Use this term when the use of information technology is the underlying driver of the "interesting" feature or of the organization’s profitability or productivity. …

The policies and procedures that the entity implements and the IT infrastructure (hardware, operating systems, etc.) and application software that it uses to support business operations and achieve business strategies.

broad term that can refer to anything from mainframes to PDAs; any technology that moves information (voice, video, or data)

The industry or discipline involving the collection, dissemination, and management of data, typically through the use of computers.

Subjects taught at all levels from school to university concerned with all aspects of programming and operating computers or using data and systems generated by the use of computers for business or technical developments.

the industry or discipline that develops, installs and implements computer and network systems and applications.

(IT): The exchange of ideas and information.

manages the company’ computer and data assets.

A broad term used to refer to any form of technology used to create, transfer, or store information in all it’s various forms (text, images, sound, multimedia files).

a term that encompasses technologies in the field of telecommunication and computing (everything related to processing and transfer of data).

I started using ASP.NET around 2003/2004 for the first time and at the time I had no real clue as to what it really was and how it worked. I think we often do things in a haphazard way and mature in our method(s) of doing things. The same goes for learning ASP.NET and I honestly feel that learning ASP.NET means that you are willing to learn about the rest of the .NET framework, not just the web development framework.

The reason I am writing this blog post is because I started watching some videos on Tekpub and in particular Rob Conery and Steve Sanderson’s video series and I asked myself where my current knowledge of ASP.NET is at. Notice that I am not referring to classic ASP – something I have not really bothered to learn since ASP.NET could do everything classic ASP could and more. Its strange that some people seem to still revert to classic ASP in some instances.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about ASP.NET is that it is a Microsoft product and runs mostly on one of the many Microsoft Windows operating systems. ASP.NET is a web development framework that also runs on IIS (internet information services), which is a web server built by Microsoft and included with most Windows versions. ASP.NET also runs on the .NET framework which is built on top of the CLR (Common Language Runtime) which in turn allows developers to target the .NET framework with any programming language that can target the framework.
In its most basic form an HTTP server handles request and sends responses to a client, and with IIS and ASP.NET it is no different. Its important to note that ASP.NET is not automatically enabled for IIS and often requires that you run aspnet_regiis which you can find in your WINDOWS directory under Microsoft.NET > Framework > Vx.x (where x can be a framework number). You are essentially attaching the ASP.NET runtime to IIS, which in turn is a process that runs in Windows. IIS sometimes makes me think of the SQL Server tool that allows you to attach jobs to it, because SQL Server is also a long running process in Windows you can attach processes or components to it.

Africhic and Quirk eMarketing have devised a way to give Web Design hopefuls a shot at a year’s paid internship at Africa’s largest full service digital agency and the chance to shine by designing the winning new skin for the online shop, Africhic.com. You’ll find the full brief here.

Africhic was the winner of the Africa Fashion Awards Retailer of the Year 2010, a worthy honour as Africhic.com does far more for aspirant young African designers than flog their fashion on the Internet. Rather it gives South African fashion designers and increasingly, designers from the rest of the continent a platform to showcase their work, philosophy and passion for African design to a global market.
Quirk eMarketing and Africhic are offering students in the creative fields an opportunity to showcase their own take on African creativity by redesigning the look and feel of the Africhic website. Fashion legend, Robyn Cooke will be on the panel of judges. Robyn is a long time player in the local fashion scene and is respected as a stylist, as the editor of Styleguide Cape Town and as Fashion Editor for O Magazine.

Submissions close 30 September 2010 and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter and will see their artwork come to life on the new Africhic website, as well as R5000 in online credit for their shopping pleasure on Africhic.com.The winner will also be able to pursue a career in the digital creative arts, kick started by a coveted internship at Quirk eMarketing. 

Quirk has a passion for creativity in Africa and is promoting this competition with Africhic by offering the winner a Web design internship. The Quirk internship programme is a year’s paid apprenticeship under the watch of some of the best minds in marketing and technology in South Africa. Quirk is a leading digital agency with branches in London, Cape Town and Johannesburg, and Quirk’s interns have the unrivalled opportunity to glean the latest knowledge in the new media and digital fields, and to contribute their minds and talents to the development and implementation of exciting digital campaigns for clients such as DStv, Distell, Sun International and SA Tourism.

The Ethical Fashion Movement
Fashionistas of the world are currently spending in the region of US$1trilion every year on clothes, while ethical fashion is a growing trend with 27 percent of British consumers surveyed saying they are willing to pay a premium for fashion, footwear and accessories produced in a socially and environmentally sustainable way.

Clothing and textiles represent seven percent of the world’s exports, and in light of the current demand for sustainable sourcing, innovation in skills, recycling, and organic fabrics, all practices that African designers have been promoting for years, there is a bright opportunity for African fashion businesses to successfully compete in the international market for fashion.

“Quirk instantly took a liking to Africhic because of the evident pride the website takes in African innovation, a passion Quirk shares,” says Emma Carpenter, Creative Director at Quirk eMarketing.

“Africhic’s advocacy on behalf of local, aspirant talent and promotion of ethical fashion are values Quirk can stand by. The skin design competition we are supporting should work to further strengthen the image of South Africa as a source of creative talent, including digital talent, and to make people aware of the wealth of creativity Africa has to offer,” says Carpenter.

To Enter:
Submissions should reflect high fashion with a global appeal, while remaining true to the spirit of Africa, both urban and ethnic. The winning submission will add a new and fresh layer of meaning to outdated and over-used notions of African fashion and culture. Think Shack chic, modern versions of Africa and let the creative juices flow. The deliverables on this project are in the brief.

About Africhic:
Africhic.com is an online luxury fashion retailer for African designer fashion. It boasts a virtual catwalk on which local designers Suzaan Heyns, Undacova, Stiaan Louw, Lunar, Michelle Ludek, Kenyan designer, Lalesso and others showcase their talent, giving fashionistas all over the world the chance to buy unique designer fashion that is 100 percent African and 100 percent ethically sourced. Our vision and goal is to increase our stable of designers to 50 by the end 2010 and to advance the local industry and African fashion more generally through increased exposure and access to these products.

What the Quirk?
Quirk eMarketing is strategy-led full service digital agency with branches in London, Cape Town and Johannesburg. Quirk was born in March 1999 with the sole purpose of providing innovative digital services to the global business community. Known for being smart and creative, we have a passion for digital and are constantly updating our skills and services in the belief that enough is never enough. Using our unique knowledge and abilities, we apply the fusion of marketing and technology for the benefit of your business. Today, Quirk is an ever-growing agency with a loyal client base that includes brands like Capitec Bank, DStv, MWEB, Distell, Sun International, The Financial Times and Warner Bros.