Does It Matter If The Future Isn’t Available in Canada?

Vito Pilieci has written an interesting rebuttal to Macleans’ “You can’t buy that here” article - an article which mirrors many of the concerns I raised in my own “Borders Keep Out Innovation, Too” post. I can’t fault Vito’s logic - yes, Canadian developers could create iPhone applications using the SDK even before the device arrived in Canada; yes, Canadians can technically read e-books on iPhones, netbooks, laptops, or other devices without waiting for Amazon’s Kindle device; and yes, Canada is no more disadvantaged with respect to services like Hulu than countries like Japan, Korea, or even the entirety of Europe.

And yet, despite such a resounding thumping, there is still a ring of truth to the original article. A niggling, unsettling je ne sais quoi that speaks to a core injustice that unsettles Canadian technophiles. It’s not that Vito’s arguments aren’t sound – it’s just that they’re so unsatisfying.

Sure, you could develop iPhone applications in the simulator - but you would miss the experience of using the device in your daily life, of truly understanding the implications, applications, and untapped potential of the device. And yes, you could curl up with an ebook on your laptop or smartphone - despite the fact that the form factor is completely uncomfortable, and the screen technology strains your eyes. And yes, you could take comfort in the fact that you’re no worse off than consumers in any other country outside the US.

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How To Pitch Techvibes (or Anyone)

What Do You Do Here?With the Angel Forum coming up next week and New Ventures BC well underway, we're starting to get contacted by a lot of bright-eyed bushy-tailed entrepreneurs looking to score some coverage. And that's fantastic. Kinda.

Here's the thing: it appears you guys can't pitch to save your lives, never mind your business. So how do you get our attention? A few tips:

Get to the point: Irritable technology bloggers, like angel investors and venture capitalists, have much more glamorous things to be doing than hearing you recount your startup's epic narrative as a one-man play performed in three acts. Less Shakespeare, more Coles' Notes.

Communicate the essentials: Answer the key questions that anyone would have about your company - what problem do you solve, who needs that problem solved, why is it important to them that they solve the problem, and why are you different from other solutions out there? If you haven't figured out how to do this in 30 seconds, what chance do we have?

Make our lives easy: We are, by our own admission, lazy people. Your chances of positive press are greatly increased if you provide something that we can cut, paste, and edit easily. Don't make us think, don't make us search. (Super Duper Secret Hint: Your email would really stand out if you included key links to the company's web site and online demo screencasts, as well as a screenshot or company logo on a white background.)

And if you really want us to hold your hand, then fine – here's a template you can use to address the first two points outlined above when describing your product:

[Product name] is a [type of product/product category] that delivers [statement of benefit] to [target customer]. Unlike [specific competitor/competitive category], [product name] provides [statement of differentiation].

Bottom line: we're here to help, but we're not really that enthusiastic about doing much work in the process.

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