Google China, DIT goes digital and Cybercom want a meeja head

Big news this morning is that Google looks to be squaring up to the Chinese government's meddlesome ways when it comes to censoring search. Their full release is here. It seems that they're already losing market share in China, down from 19% to 17% in Q4 2009. Baidu, the state controlled search behemoth, hogs over 75% of the market. Still, 17% of the Chinese market is not something to leave lightly. I don't believe Google are being 100% transparent here with their release, and something big is obviously coming down the tracks for their business model in that part of the world, but it's still a little chilling to read between the lines as they attempt to protect their China-based employees in the last para here, from David Drummond, one of their senior Corporate Development and legal beaks.

The decision to review our business operations in China has been incredibly hard, and we know that it will have potentially far-reaching consequences. We want to make clear that this move was driven by our executives in the United States, without the knowledge or involvement of our employees in China who have worked incredibly hard to make Google.cn the success it is today. We are committed to working responsibly to resolve the very difficult issues raised.

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More on this one later, but for now an overview. Dublin Institute of Technology and the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland have teamed up at last to recognise that digital upskilling in adland is most definitely needed on the curriculum. This neglected area will hopefully begin to benefit from a brand spanking new course, the Postgraduate Diploma in Advertising and Digital Communications. It's a part-time evening course run from Aungier Street and is heavily skewed towards digital communications but still incorporates much of the trad side of how things are done. It is practically geared, being run by professionals at work full-time in marketing communications (myself included).
If you're interested in doing it or signing up some of your staff there may still be places. It's due to start in the next couple of weeks. Talk to IAPI's Aisling Conlon at advertisingpostgrad@gmail.com.

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Down by the river in Ringsend Cybercom continue to build their comprehensive digital offering. Rob Reid wants a Media Account Director to head up their Media Department. They'll have five people under them. Impressive for a digital ad agency, not great for stage diving. Full details here or email rob.reid@cybercom.ie.

Happy Wednesday all.