The Future of Business – Visa & Mastercard Will Not Be Cards
Somethings just seem more and more obvious, I ask this question all the time, can you imagine a day when we will no longer use money? I mean coins & paper money. It’s coming and much sooner than you think, it’s all because of Chip Technology or whatever name you decide to give it. We….all of us, are being traced by our cell phones, by our Debt Cards, or Credit Cards, whether we like it or not, so why do we even need them?
The truth is, the smart phone is all we will ever need until technology and humans merge. Visa & MasterCard have already started changing they’re model to be accessed by smart phones for all purchases or payment methods. Smart phones will be the wireless Visa & MasterCard debit machine, it already is in some parts of the world. Imagine not carrying 15 plastic cards around in your wallet, no debt cards, no credit cards, no nothing cards! But also imagine if it became law that you had to have a smart phone in order to live, buy food, buy clothes, then what?
Some day we will merge with technology, but until then, we will still have to deal with these clunky systems to pay for our purchases, not too mention making deposits to our bank accounts. This shift is expected to begin in 2011, yep, it’s coming and coming fast….what’s interesting though, my bank hasn’t even released their debt card with a chip in it yet….that’s how fast this is happening, they may not have too!
Just think, Visa & MasterCard will no longer be plastic cards, they will be an application in your smart phone. That to me is progress I would like to see.
What do you think?
Get 25% OFF Headway Themes – Here's How
I thought I would share this deal with you, Today Billyhost.com launched a promotion of Headway Themes, you get 25% OFF Headway with any purchase of webhosting from Billyhost.com. Headway is the Premier Theme for WordPress, I use it here on Owengreaves.com and I love it! In fact, I also started a list of sites using Headway Themes, see Headway in action, here is the list of almost 300 sites.
Here’s glimpse of the promotion, be sure to go to Billyhost.com for more information:
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The Annual Tourism Abbotsford Christmas Breakfast
I took in the Annual Tourism Abbotsford Christmas Breakfast Wednesday Dec 8th at the TRADEX, it’s located at the Abbotsford International Airport. I have to admit I was extremely surprised at how this event was presented, I walked in expecting the typical bare bones type of breakfast, but my hat goes off to the organizers for what I thought was a posh event. It was top drawer. I had the privilege of sitting with some very special people in our community, I am providing a few pics for you, they were taken by Rick Rake (known as THE UNGURU) and now the new media called TNN (Twitter News Network), he is everywhere. You can find Rick on Twitter by the handle: @rickrake
As I mentioned, I was fortunate enough to sit with these two beautiful roses, Wendy Schultz (General Manager) & Michelle Lalonde (Marketing Director) of Seven Oaks Mall . Seven Oaks Mall Twitter handle is: @shopsevenoaks
Also seated at my table was Rick & Kathleen Rake of Click Media Works, Gary Dickinson Owner of Abbotsford DUTY FREE, Ronald A. Kelly of Baker Newby.
A number of dignitaries were on hand and I was caught hobnobbing:
Here I am with Deb Lowell (Public Relations Director for The Salvation Army) & Mayor of Abbotsford George Peary : )
One of the key people who make Tourism Abbotsford run smoothly is Yvonne Hayden, she is the Visitor Services Manager, and the Head Tweeter on Twitter. Gotta love The Twitter. I’m flanked by Jodie Jacobsen & Yvonne in this picture:
This next picture was unexpected but what fun it was to meet Dan Stefanson, he happens to be the Executive Director of Tourism Abbotsford, and next to him is the honorable JohnVan Dongen, MLA for Abbotsford South. Thanks to TNN (Rick Rake) for this great photo.
A good time was had by all and frankly I was very impressed with this event and highly recommend attending next year, well done!
It Was Fun At #ChilliTweep In Chilliwack
I had the pleasure of attending #ChilliTweep in Chilliwack, B.C., Canada and I want to share some photo’s of this fun evening. This is was the second attempt in a few years to have a TweetUp in that community, and I have to say, the venue came to the table with great food! The Best Western Rainbow Country Inn hosted the event, and this time the turn out was great, well done to those involved in organizing #ChilliTweep!
Here are a few pics from this fun evening.
Here’s the gang early in the evening:
Here is Jenna Viere who pulled together #ChilliTweep, The Twitter handle is @BWRCI (Best Western Rainbow Country Inn) – Well Done and I look forward to future #ChilliTweep Events.
Up next, the very active Social Media maven in Chilliwack, not only is she pretty, she is very smart and can help you big time, here she is listening contently, Jamie Billingham. Jamie sees the future of business and does her best to help those who don’t see it, keep up the great work Jamie!
It was great fun to meet a new friend from Australia, Myles Harris, a sharp young man with wisdom beyond his years when it comes to the future of business, a like-minded man in my books. : )
A great time was had by all, it is my hope that next time an event is held in Chilliwack that you could be there to enjoy good food and great people.
You will notice I am strategically out of every picture : ) I was the man behind the Camera WOOT!
Quote Of The Day By Gerd Leonhard
Have you ever come across someone who articulates your thoughts better than you do? I am flabbergasted by Gerd Leonhard, it’s like he is reading my mind, and then puts it in words I could never have thought of, or deliver it in such a powerful way, it is a special treat to follow his work. I hope you pay attention, we share the same message differently.
He spoke recently at ictQATAR’s Connected Speakers Series, and the greatest description, the best quote I have heard to date to describe The Future of Business & Media. Please read it slowly and ponder the depth of his words.
“The future of business and media is all about interconnected business models that generate mutual benefits for everyone. The era of ‘egosystems’ such as walled, controlled, centralized and RoI-obsessed businesses, is rapidly closing. Now it’s all about creating powerful ecosystems that are built on openness, standards, transparency, trust and decentralization. Think Google versus AT&T, or Twitter versus FoxNews.”
Much change is coming, it’s impossible to prepare for all that is coming, but you can at least be aware and then make changes to lessen the blow. What Gerd is talking about here is a complete reversal of what we believe business is and should remain. As I have said many times, this paradigm shift is not about technology, it’s not about skill set, it’s about how we think. How we look at business as it really is in a digital world.
Please share your thoughts.