“Fifty-year-olds are still perceived as being past their used-by- date in the workforce,” says AIIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Sheryle Moon.

“At the same time, the latest census data reveals that 11 per cent of Australia’s population is between 55 and 64.  It is these people that the ICT industry needs to do more to attract, retain and retrain.”

Ms Moon points to a survey released last week by career management firm, Linkme.com.au, which found almost three-quarters of Australians believe that finding new employment – across all industries - after 50 is almost impossible.

Join the Who’s Who of the Australian ICT industry in Canberra on Wednesday 15 August.

Meet and mingle with the ICT industry’s leading lights and up-and-coming stars, politicians and policy makers at AIIA’s annual Board of Directors dinner.

Speaking at the ICT Factor 07 conference in Queensland last Wednesday, AIIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Sheryle Moon predicted that Second Life would transform business for small-to-medium enterprises in Australia.

“In the future, every business will be an e-business, and software agents and avatars will play an important role. Agents will help us navigate commerce, find information, negotiate deals and even keep us company.

“So you think this is far fetched?  IBM is already ramping up its push into virtual worlds with an investment of roughly US$30 million including an expanded presence within Second Life and the development of its own 3D intranet.

“Chairman and Chief Executive Sam Palmisano used a Second Life avatar last year to speak with the more than 250 in-world IBM employees on one of the company’s private islands. This month they are inducting new staff using Second Life as the forum.  One of these islands is named after and mimics its Almaden Research Center near San Jose, California.

“Big Blue has established the biggest Second Life presence of any Fortune 500 company.  Telstra and the ABC are two of the top 5 most visited sites and AIIA, too, has its own Second Life presence and is encouraging members to join us for online forums in our virtual AIIA headquarters.  The first will be hosted by AIIA's Victorian Branch next week.

So what is Second Life?  It is an online community, an electronic universe where people's virtual representations, called avatars, can chat, fly, teleport, browse stores and purchase goods. So far it has signed up 7.9 million members – and growing at an exponential rate.

It is not a game and its significance long term is that it represents an alternative vision for how to interact with information and conduct business over the Internet, Ms Moon said.

“World of Warcraft and Everquest are other examples where the lines between the physical and the virtual are blurring. Accessories and characters from each game are traded on eBay for real money.  There are more people playing World of Warcraft in the U.S. today (two million) than had indoor plumbing 100 years ago."

If IBM is putting money into such a metaverse - a phrase coined to describe these virtual worlds - then they have moved beyond game status and constitute a vision of how a virtual reality-based marketplace will evolve, Ms Moon said, arguing that SMEs have to 'think like the big guys'.

“Virtual reality connects directly with the human mind - there is something very human about visual interfaces. I almost think of text-based interfaces, including browsers, as 'narrowband' into our brains, whereas visual interfaces are 'broadband' into our brains.

"Many over 35 year olds continue to say they do not have the time to understand the new technologies. My view is that they cannot afford not to understand what is available and how it might be used.

"Let me return to me earlier example of TV. When TV was introduced lots of people said they did not have the time to watch it in their already busy days. They did find the time.  So when will you find the time to look at what is happening online? And understand the opportunities for business growth?  To survive, companies must enter the world of cyberspace.  The real game is going online."

Emerging marketing technologies and trends such as blogs, RSS, Web 2.0, virtual worlds: what are they and how can marketers leverage them?

Join your peers in ICT marketing on Wednesday 25 July to learn from and be inspired by thought leaders in our industry as they uncover and discuss digital marketing trends for 2008.

• Make a difference
• Dynamic industry
• Committed team

Are you looking for a more rewarding role? Ready to move into a role where you really make a difference to the people you interact with?

The team at AIIA is looking for a smart, technology savvy, team player with a 'can do' attitude.

Working with the Victorian team, you will be responsible for the smooth running of the local committee, including taking and circulating minutes, following up on action points and working with a team of extremely committed senior level and executive volunteers. You will also assist with the implementation of Victorian Government grants.

AIIA's Chief Executive Officer, Sheryle Moon, will be the guest speaker at the IT Gold Coast Breakfast on Tuesday 24 July.  The event starts at 6.45am at the Bistro Restaurant at the Ashmore Gold Coast Tafe.  Find out more and register online.

AIIA is continuing to monitor the progress of various free trade agreements (FTAs) under negotiation with China, Japan, ASEAN, Malaysia, Chile and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

For ICT companies, the outcomes on intellectual property, government procurement and some e-commerce issues, such as privacy, can make a significant difference to market access in those territories. For example, the level of copyright protection afforded to software, the extent to which governments agree to use only legitimate software and the applicable technical standards can all affect your business.

If you have done business in any of these territories, we are keen to hear your experiences and concerns - this will help inform DFAT's negotiations and ensure that the Australian ICT industry's interests can benefit from this important process. Further details on the status of each of these FTAs are online.  Please direct any comments to Bridget Larsen.

Australian Government agencies are required to complete their annual procurement plans (APPs) by July each year. In the last few weeks, most FMA and CAC agencies have updated their APPs and these are now available from Austender.

These provide a rich source of information for suppliers on ICT opportunities for the forthcoming 12 months. AIIA member company, Intermedium, has already analysed the plans in detail and on 7 August, will provide suppliers with insights into technological and procurement trends, likely 'hot spots' for the year and information that will help you ensure that sales efforts are directed to real opportunities. AIIA and Intermedium are pleased to be able to offer AIIA members a discounted rate. Find out more.  To register, contact Fleur Bayley on (02) 9817 5757.

On Tuesday 31 July, Telstra's CEO, Sol Trujillo, will share his thoughts about how life is changing in the Web 2.0 world.