Read all about it!
In a departure from tradition, instead of ending the year with our last official newsletters, we've gone one better this year... with this Festive Mailer. We've included Bizcom's 'Best of...' lists - our most-read articles, most commented, and so on - but also a range of more durable material, and some 'that's strange' pieces, from tech flops, marketing flops, and bizarre Christmas traditions, to the most viral videos and the 50 best music albums of 2013, and all points between.
We hope you enjoy the read and take this opportunity to wish you all, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, a restful and enjoyable end-of-year and an even better 2014.
We'll still be updating our portals while you're taking a well-deserved rest, so look out for our first 'official' newsletters of 2014 on 7 January 2014.
The Bizcom Team
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 | Sindy Peters Everyone's sauntered off for the holidays and you're left at the office posing for selfies and trawling the web for entertainment. Don't waste all that extra bandwidth on Twerking for Dummies or Babies Taste Lemons, rather be inspired by Steve Jobs et al in some of the top-rated TED Talks on success.
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 | Evan-Lee Courie Let's face it, we've just about wrapped up 2013 and we're ready to take some time out to spend with family and friends over the festive season, but that doesn't mean you have to turn a blind eye on the social media tools your business has been using - or should be using. Read more >>
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 | Kirsten Morgendaal Depending on your industry sector, you may or may not be gearing up to an especially hectic year-end. But whatever the nature of your work, doing business during the festive season can be tricky. Read more >>
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 | Beverley Klein Public speaking truly is a daunting task for anyone, yet some people are just naturally good at it. If you're not one of these people, here are some tips to help give an impactful speech. Read more >>
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 | Ilse van den Berg Time management is something that I often associate with that little red monkey-monster from the Chicken Licken ad. It creeps up on you from behind, and before you know it sits on your shoulder and demands your attention... Read more >>
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 | The New Year is on the horizon and you're looking to hit out on your own, but find the whole process of starting your own business a daunting one. Then perhaps opening a franchise is just what you're looking for. Here is our A - Z to starting, running and owning a franchise, compiled from Bizcommunity's own articles. Read more >>
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 | Juliette Attwell As 2013 draws to a close, there seems to be a general sigh of relief as a year filled with emotional ups and downs comes to a close. Read more >>
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| Here they are, Bizcommunity.com's 2013 lists of most popular content. Read more >>
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 | Beverley Klein This year has been full of videos going viral, here are some of the most viewed and most memorable of 2013. (videos) Read more >>
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 | Beverley Klein This year truly has been the year of the app. With iPhone, Android and tablets becoming the gadgets of the future, apps have exploded onto the scene with pretty much everything you could ask for. Read more >>
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 | Evan-Lee Courie As we approach the end of the year, we begin to reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly, and we look into how we can improve in the new year. With regards to advertising, Millward Brown's Best Liked Ads list celebrates South Africa's favourite TV commercials as chosen by the most important critic, they believe, the consumer. Read more >>
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 | Google has released its annual Year End Zeitgeist, a look at 2013 through the collective eyes of the world on the web, offering a unique perspective on the year's major events and hottest trends based on searches conducted in South Africa. (video) Read more >>
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 | Ilse van den Berg The exciting thing about the digital world is that it's ever-evolving... You never know who is going to come up with what next, and it's quite scary to look back and see how much innovation has taken place over the past decade. All I'm still waiting for is a self-driving car... (video) Read more >>
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 | Rod Baker A light-hearted look at some of the biggest consumer tech failures during 2013. Read more >>
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 | Rod Baker The world of advertising is no stranger to adverts that those who commissioned and created them... wish they hadn't. Read more >>
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 | Rod Baker OK, each to their own, but some of these traditions might seem a bit weird... Read more >>
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 | With a crazy year on the music scene behind us, Rolling Stone has compiled a list of the best music albums of 2013. Here is the top 50 list... Read more >>
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 | Here they are, Bizcommunity.com Lifestyle's 2013 lists of most popular articles, those that drew the most comment, our most-read contributors and galleries. Read more >>
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 | Issued by Knowledge Resources Learn about the latest in immersive marketing, social strategy and neuro-marketing, content marketing, cross-channel strategies, real-time automated marketing, mobile and more! Read more >>
|  | Issued by GetSmarter Online education company, GetSmarter, has launched its 2014 Career Guide. This annual publication is a practical guide in support of life-long learning and career growth, available for free download at www.getsmarter.co.za. Read more >>
|  | Judith Middleton and Nicola Byers, Issued by Duo Marketing Whether you are in marketing or IT or frankly any kind of business at all, technology is likely to disrupt your way of doing things in a profound way in the next year. Read more >>
|  | Michael Wood, Issued by Aperio Michael Wood, co-founder and director of Aperio, a business consulting company focused on accelerating growth of FMCG brands in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, looks back on 2013 to identify key learnings for brands. Read more >>
|  | Kris Jarzebowski, Issued by CareerJunction Before unpacking the realities of the job market for 2014, one of the many questions we should be asking ourselves is whether the 2013 economy has recovered from the recession? Read more >>
|  | Deana Heslop-Mthembu, Issued by Blue Moon The term 'economic crush' still dictates the tone and nature of the eventing industry in South Africa. But it's not all bad news: the events industry is just being called on to conceptualise and execute more smartly, ensure ROI and find new ways to maximise tailored budgets. Enthusiasm for the industry and the call to entertain and inform still prevail. Read more >>
|  | Issued by DQ&A Media Group As a leading digital marketing company, DQ&A is at the forefront of new and exciting developments in their ever changing branch of industry. They are seeing rapid developments in the possibility of media trading and are convinced that finally the silos will merge. Read more >>
|  | Issued by XZIBIT XZIBIT is challenging 1,000 people to donate R50 a month for 12 months to the One Child At A Time Trust, a subsidy programme offered to disadvantaged children for education by Ambleside school of Hout Bay in Cape Town. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Litha Communications As part of its skills upliftment training programmes, Litha Communications will reward one of its delegates on its events management training courses with a three-night stay at the Heritage Awali Mauritius for two people, valued at R25,000. Read more >>
|  | Issued by BrandsRock Great news to wrap up 2013 at amp ACTIVATIONS! Victoria Williams joined the company in November 2013 as head of activations and brings with her a wealth of brand activation and eventing experience, as well as a sparkling personality that fits the company profile perfectly. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Milpark Education Milpark Education has been structured into a number of schools, each streamlined to provide the best education within its area of specialisation. This is in line with best practice at other higher education institutions both locally and internationally. Read more >>
|  | Issued by GraphicMail This time of year the urge to give back to those less fortunate arises, and at GraphicMail, the feeling is no different. The South African email service provider (ESP) has come up with a way to help those less fortunate, and what better way to lend a helping hand through something an ESP knows best? Emails. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Open Window It has been a busy and productive time at The Open Window and we are proud to say that we have had another year filled with great success and amazing work being produced by our students and staff. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Random House Struik Open your mind with these ground breaking non-fiction books. From current affairs to history and autobiographies to business from local and international bestselling authors, take your pick. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Ole! Media Three South African digital companies have combined forces to help Africa's media businesses make money from online and mobile publishing, and create better ROI for advertisers. Read more >>
|  | Issued by iKineo iKineo, the business which describes itself as a "customer engagement firm", has made waves after an impressive performance at the local creative awards. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Red Cherry Media In 2013, Red Cherry Media's Interactive TV brands, namely Ads Up, Wot'z Up and Spot On TV, as well as their 2-5min customised TV shows, were incorporated into several brand campaigns and achieved increased sales for those brands. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Matrix While filling the car with luggage, toys, eats and drinks, please don't forget to pack what's most important - the car seat or booster seat, to protect what matters most - in case of a real emergency. Read more >>
|  | Issued by PocketMedia As a gesture of appreciation to all of our clients for their support during 2013 and in lieu of purchasing year-end gifts for you, PocketMedia Solutions has donated R20,000 to Cotlands in your name. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Right Stuff As the year draws to a close, we would like to thank our loyal customers for their support throughout 2013. Our offices will close on the 20th of December and we will reopen on the 14th of January 2014. We look forward to dealing with you in the new year and wish you and your families a wonderful festive season. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Exhibitions SA While South Africa's economic growth slows to a four-year low and one reflects on the concerning business trends of 2013 and forecasts of 2014, it takes an innovative and fresh approach to realise that the negative climate presents opportunities to rise above it. Reducing running costs, increasing value and consolidating efforts are the way forward. Read more >>
|  | Issued by USB-ED At USB-ED, our ongoing vision is to see leaders across Africa and beyond serving others with wisdom and courage. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Garmin Garmin, a global leader in satellite navigation, has expanded its horizons with the introduction of its first high definition action camera series. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Gentlemen Every December, the South African National Blood Service makes a plea for donations. The problem is that most people are on holiday and have other things on their mind. Read more >>
|  | Issued by DigitLab The DigitLab team decided that rather than having a last team building for 2013, they would spend a day helping a worthy cause. They identified a charity called The Nyusa Project, which was recently launched and based at Kwadinabakubo School in Molweni KZN. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Alliance Media 2013 has been another successful year for Alliance Media. This could not have been done without the hard work of the company's dedicated teams across five time zones in Africa. Read more >>
|  | Issued by Janine Lazarus Media Consultancy From the extravagant wedding of the President's friends, to the questionable excess of our leader's lodgings. From the loud birth of EFF's Red Beret Brigade, to the decidedly unwelcome roll-out of highway tolls. There's one sure thing: 2013 has been one heck of a ride! Read more >>
|  | Issued by BitCo BitCo has selected Ciena to upgrade its network to provide high-performance, cost-effective and scalable carrier-class Ethernet managed bandwidth services for enterprise and wholesale mobile backhaul connectivity. Read more >>
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"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." - Hamilton Wright Mabie
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