HERE’S A QUICK test: Do you know what a blog is? What does RSS stands for? Are podcasts a part of your daily news-scanning routine?

If you answered no to any of these questions, technology futurist Ken Rutkowski says you had better catch up with the hundreds of business leaders in Nova Scotia’s thriving IT industry already taking advantage of these opportunities.

The California native and broadcast-industry commentator told guests at the recent 2007 ITANS annual dinner that innovations in the media, entertainment and technology market are changing the way the world does business and that they need to embrace new media or be left behind

"If you were to ask an old-school media company, ‘What is your product?’ they would tell you they produce shows, articles and content," says Rutkowski.

"Ask a new-school media company the same question, and they’ll tell you their products are their viewers, audience and community."

This small but powerful change to the business model is the reason that free websites such as YouTube and Facebook have built up millions of regular users solely by creating a place to connect with friends, family or like-minded individuals from around the world.

The company remains focused on the movement, management and measurement of their audience, leaving the users to create the content.

But content continues to be the driving force behind online traffic and business...

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