China takes broadcasting gold

Daily online traffic on the website of China’s largest broadcaster surpassed that of the leading US broadcaster and online channel during the Olympics. Spurred by national pride and massive growth in Internet adoption in China, CCTV.com, the site run by national broadcaster China Central TV, drew more than 100 million unique visitors during the 2008 Olympic Games. An average of more than 6 million unique visitors were documented each day. In comparison, NBC, which maintained broadcast rights to the Games in the US, reported an average of 4.3 million unique users a day on its Olympics website. Yahoo!, which also featured extensive online video from the Olympics, averaged 4.7 million, according to media accounts.

CCTV.com offered more than 3,800 hours of live Olympics webcasts and more than 20,000 additional hours of news, replays and video-on-demand programs throughout the Olympics. WebTrends Analytics noted the opening ceremonies and other activities on Aug. 8 generated the most traffic on any single day, nearly 8.5 million visits.

It’s the economy

_A report from IDC, “Taking the Temperatures of SMBs Worldwide: Regional Attitudes and Technology Interests, Mid-Year 2008,” finds more concern about the economy among SMBs worldwide than interest in the most potentially innovative new technology. For the study, IDC’s regional SMB analysts assessed the current level of interest or concern in five different areas. This “temperature taking” focused on: (1) future economic growth and business conditions, (2) “green” technology, (3) software-as-a-service (SaaS), (4) virtualization, and (5) use of the Internet as a key business resource.

While there are differences across regions, SMBs in general are currently cold (or showing little interest/concern) when it comes to new and emerging technologies but are considerably warmer (or showing a great deal of interest/concern) when the discussion turns to economic issues. However, there are a myriad of factors that could raise, or in some cases lower, the future level of interest/concern among small and midsize business owners when it comes to the economy as well as new technologies. In general, smaller companies across regions are more tactical and near-term in their concerns, but this view is increasingly shared by mid-sized firms as times grow more challenging.

Among the four key technologies examined by IDC analysts, use of the Internet as a key business resource was considered having the greatest upside potential in terms of future interest among SMBs. Virtualization and green technology are not yet registering with SMB owners except in more advanced medium-sized businesses across regions. Software-as-a-service (SaaS), in contrast, has a somewhat higher level of current visibility, although interest is still at an early stage. IDC expects temperature increases in virtualization and SaaS in the next 12-24 months as vendor promotions gain traction. Going green will be a much tougher sell, especially in underdeveloped regions, and IDC analysts do not expect temperature readings in this area to change much in the future.

Online private high school

Parents of high school students in the Kingdom, especially those living outside major cities, find that they have few options when it comes to providing a quality education for their teenagers. A new online program offers a solution. Kaplan Virtual Education has launched a new virtual private high school —- Kaplan High School (www.kaplanhighschool.com ) which focuses on students in grades 9 through 12.

Students are able to access their coursework and class discussions from virtually anywhere, at any time, as long as there is an Internet connection. The courses are embedded with audio, video and other engaging teaching tools. Certified teachers use white boards —- the equivalent of a real-time online blackboard —- to demonstrate course work, and will be available to answer student questions via telephone, instant message and e-mail.

Students select from more than 75 core, honors and Advanced Placement courses. Kaplan High School is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA). The school offers rolling admissions so students may continue to enroll throughout the fall.