17 minute read
Hub 2.0
The Web is driven by communities and without them it's basically a gigantic strip•mall with infinite parking. Considering this, we've designed the new hubcanada.com with tools and functionality to provide you with the best online experience and allow you to share and interact with our community and our editors. Welcome to our community and the Hub Canada team! While we can't supply you with free donuts or coffee (we're working on eDanish), we definitely do want you to help us make hubcanada.com the best digital living online community anywhere! Let's take a walk through the site and go over the fantastic features we are certain will help you help us continue to be the best at what we do and ensure you always find the information you need here at hubcanada.com.
Forums
The hubcanada.com forums are to communication what a Swiss army knife is to camping. They're the cornerstone of our community, where you can express opinions on features or issues and engage other Hub community members in lively discussions on any number of digital living related topics. On the forums, you can directly interact with our editors and columnists regarding past, current and future features. We want your input on any number of issues and carefully consider your suggestions for the site and our magazines.
Having forums means a feature is no longer a linear process where we write it, edit it and then toss it up and walk down to the pub to celebrate our creative genius. Now, a good feature is only the beginning — it will generate discussion in our forums and will often inspire a writer or editor for their next subject. A really thought provoking piece caul(' generate discussion for some time and might (at the discretion of the community) literally become a "never ending story." Another really beautiful thing about the Hub Canada forums is how they allow people to nelp each other with digital lifestyle issues and interests. If you are new to our forums, you'll be amazed at how quickly you can get excellent answers to questions on any number of technology issues. From digital photography tips to understanding why Vista is doing the voodoo that it does, the hubcanada.com forums will certainly become one of your most important online resources.
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Merchant Directory
=NT:X=4:-. .-732"..1?-•^X:r.7.1=1:71111::.!:::::C.Z.Z.You have to love how on the Web you can find just about any product — if you know where to look. This can get rather prArs=4.72*.14 challenging if your search has certain geographical r_31.447. _ 1 limitations. Sure, geography isn't as important nowadays with the coming of the Internet, but maybe you need to find it locally because of time constraints, customs issues or you just plain prefer to do business in your own neck of the woods. Ploughing through a mountain of Web search results and separating the wheat from "I think it's a good thing that there the chaff can still be time consuming. If you happen to be looking for a Canadian retailer are bloggers out there watching or service related to digital living, the place to find it is the hubcanada.com merchant directory. Fast, very closely and holding people comprehensive and relevant describe it best. accountable. Everyone in the news Of course, you don't have to rush through it because it's just as much fun to take a slow should be able to hold up to that browse for that gadget you didn't know you had to have. kind of scrutiny. I'm for as much transparency in the newsgathering Blogs There's an old saying about how process as possible." everyone has one — an opinion, that is. The challenge has Anderson Cooper - CNN always been the ability to influence other's opinions with yours. With the coming of the Web, this is now much easier for the average person to Merchant Directory page accomplish. Blogs allow just about everyone who wants a voice to have one and pretty much make it impossible for ,.tvio 01111M1 Merchant Directory anyone to have the last word." .1.11.1M Blogs here at hubcanada.com allow our
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editors to share opinions, discussions, me•opeg, news and technology developments with our community. More importantly, you are able to respond and share your opinions with the editors and our community. Generating open and public discussion is the primary objective here. Along with user reviews, comments, email and forums, blogs give you direct access to our editors and allow you to become a virtual member of our editorial department. tilscanatla.ctom
Interactive, Informative, Immediate
You certainly won't always agree with what we have to say, but you will always be able to offer our editors and community your perspective on the issues at hand; that's a huge leap above what most Canadians have been used to up until now, in regards to the media in general.
Product List
According to Stats Canada, almost half of Canadians browse the Web for product information and comparison shopping. It makes sense when you consider that we probably spend far more time driving to, and then finding, a parking spot at the mall than actually shopping. Being a practical lot, we Canucks naturally see the sense in doing some homework and then walking into a store and simply stating what we want. The Hub Canada product list covers everything from blank optical disks to video cards, and it's constantly being updated. If you notice a product we've missed, then just drop me a line and let me know. Certainly, the highlight of our product list is the user reviews. Community members can review items from our products list and share their good and bad experiences, along with their suggestions about how to use or even improve a product. Make no mistake, vendors and pAerchant plectory manufacturers read these comments and that means your suggestions carry weight.
Reviews
We've got more reviews than Las Vegas — I'm here all week folks...try the fish! Get the lowdown on the latest and greatest from the world's leading experts on digital living products, games, music and movies.
Remember, you are part of our team! You can add your comments, observations or suggestions to reviews and columns. When it comes to technology, we may be the kids in the candy store, but you are playing the role of Willy Wonka.
Trust me when I say that the day I get so jaded that I don't appreciate someone
Stats
In 2005, about Gn of home Internet users - or 38% of Canadian adults overall - went online to view news or sports information.
While on the flip side, heavy Internet users did more than just stare at a PC:
82.9% listen to music on CDs, cassettes, DVDs, records (at least once a week)
72.6% watch a video (at least once a month)
75.79 read a magazine as a leisure activity (at least once a month)
63.31; read a newspaper as a leisure activity (at least 3 times a week)
48.2% read a book as a leisure activity (at least 1 book a month)
18.9 use library services as a leisure activity (at least once every month)
- Source: Stats Canada (200S)
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taking time from their busy day to read something we've written and offer feedback will be the day I retire and take up lawn bowling.
Newsletter
Our objective with the hubcanada.com newsletter is to keep people up to date on what's going en at the site and in our publications. Think of it as digital lifestule 'takeout" for the brain. Signing up is easy, and you can rest assured we will treat your email and personal information as if it were cur own.
Contests
You've come to expect great contests and prizes from Hub Canada and now well kick that up a notch! Watch for lots of fun contests with great prizes at hubcanada.com.
Breaking News
Each day. we'll keep you up to speed on the latest digital living news from every corner of the globe. We know your time is tight, so we'll present the information you need quickly and concisely.
Multimedia Podcasts
Hubcanada.com Podcasts feature Canada's leading digital living gurus, such as Labrats TV and Get Connected TV, and we are expanding the line up constantly. Now you can feed your digital need all at one place. If you have a favourite digital living podcast you'd like to see us carry, then we'd love to hear from you.
Lab Rats TV
Lab Rats is a weekly technology show that demystifies technology for technology enthusiasts with unique humor and a bit of wackiness. Show hosts Andy Walker and Sean Carruthers present informative how-tos, technology 101 segments, and on-the-spot coverage of hot technology conferences. Get Connected is the ultimate guide to getting your business connected with technology. Each week, host Mike Agerbo and co-hosts AJ Vickery and Yolande Lougheed look at what's hot and why.
Neo•Fight TV
Neo-Fight.tv is the weekly technology show for the "not-so-geeky." Hosts Ben Freedman and Tiffany Young rarely agree on whether a new computer or gadget is actually worth the money or just geek-fodder. The end result is an honest and fun look at some of the hottest new gadgets on the market, as well as a few duds.
commandN TV
commandN is a top-rated weekly web news video production that covers technology trends online and offline, as well as providing tech tips, product reviews and more. commandN is hosted by TV personality Amber MacArthur, along with Will Pate, Jeff MacArthur and Brian McKechnie.
muzikDEN
Hosted by Jeff MacArthur, muzikDEN is about enabling the music community. Teaching and learning. Creating and sharing. muzikDEN is a half hour bi-monthly video podcast from the creators of commandN - one of the web's most popular technology-oriented video podcasts — and is broken into segments covering the entire gamut of musical interests.
Wrapping it up
As editor, I'm not so much excited about what we will do with hubcanada.com 2.0, but what you will do with it! The foundation has been set and now, together, we'll build a dynamic and vibrant community based on the foundation of a common interest regarding all things related to digital living. After all, it's not about what technology can do. It's about what we can do with it.
By Jim Oucharme
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