The easiest way to force the hand of the resolute Swiss government to change their position on client account secrecy, was to play nasty, and by that I mean, to declare a repatriation tax amnesty on Swiss neighbours Italy and Germany. To declare a taxation amnesty on monies repatriated from whence they had come. Under the straightened current economic climate with the spotlight on the formally discrete and “safe as houses” Swiss banking establishment, this is making bankers and investors squirm and cringe across Europe.

Should all those rich Italians driving beaten-up cars and posing as middle class poverini to avoid highjackings, bring their money back home into the Italian banking system? Switzerland was the safe haven of the Savoia family, when they were kicked off the throne in a referendum and run out of Italy, Switzerland took them in.

It is the place where famous Italians like “Berlo” go to have face lifts and give birth to their babies, escaping the rabid Italian paparazzi. Ticino, speaks the language they love, so it’s the perfect utopia. A mere 30 minute drive from Milan just across the border. Clean, organised and safe, where you can gamble to your heart’s content and the police can and will protect you, Everything they wish they had control over in Italy. How will they change, why should they indeed?

Will the steel curtain of Swiss banking secrecy be torn asunder? Can America make them pay for not actively assisting them with tax evaders?

Have an opinion on the crisis, send us a comment, we’d like to hear it.

Donna Jackson
Social Communications Specialist
Wisequeen

Got something to say? a question maybe? leave us a comment
Donna Jackson
Social Communications Specialist
Wisequeen

The Poken video will tell you how to highfive people and get rid of all those business cards on your desk that you can’t remember where you got,or who they belong to. Just buy a poken a bee, panda, monster or skull and start smart networking. Then register online and take your contacts with you wherever you go. The corporate version will be released soon, a slick USB pen size. The Poken conference badge was launched at #LIFT09 and will soon make interactive conference badges the smart choice.
So do you Poken? Interview with Stéphane Doutriaux
If you’re in Ticino Switzerland or Italy, tweet me or mail me at wisequeenmail (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll get you one. If in the USA You can buy them online at www.gotpoken.com or in UK at www.firebox.com

Swiss start-up Camp Basel Poken Team

Leave us a comment and let us know what you think
Donna Jackson
Social Communications Specialist
Wisequeen

Industry leaders, social networking, technology brands and media gathered at the two day event held at Olympia London and organized by Mark Johnstone and his team at Six Degrees.com. The gold sponsors were Xing, Reality Digital, Buongiorno, Blinko and Social go, but everyone who was anyone was there.

There were excellent speakers from every sector of business and every continent from Ogilvy PR to Cadburys, BMW, Sapient,Tempero, Endemol UK, Colibria, WebJam, Adknowledge, Vodacom, Proctor and Gamble Qube, Cisco Media, Linkedin, MTV, CocaCola, MySpace, Nixon McInnes, Ecademy, INSEAD, Omnifuse, Lithium. The list is long and the presentations are now online at the link above. WileyBooks (who were promoting “throwing sheep in the boardroom” among other books).

This was the conference not to be missed, and the press were out in force. The evening networking Reception in association with Mashable, was held at Sugar Reef.
Next year’s date has been set for 15th-16th March 2010, so mark it down.
I attended at Olympia London and brought back a taste of the conference for you to enjoy. Leave us a comment or tag yourself in the photos.
CLICK ON PHOTOS TO VIEW

Donna Jackson
Social Communications Specialist

They certainly buy cell phones and tech gadgets like crazy, so here it is, the list. Italians love Facebook too.
1. GOOGLE
2. FACEBOOK
3. WINDOWS LIVE
4. YOUTUBE
5. YAHOO
6. GOOGLE.COM
7. LIBERO.IT
8. MSN
9. EBAY
10. WIKIPEDIA
There’s no news site listed in the top fifteen even, these are beaten by pornsites like YOUPorn, surprise surprise.
IlCorriereDellaSera (Major newspaper) and even Microsoft and Wordpress can’t beat this.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Gazzetta dello Sport was at 25.
According to Alexa.
Got something to say? send us a comment

matt-hamm-media-bandwagon

matt-hamm-media-bandwagon

1. Not engaging before driving off.
Why do you think anyone would follow you if you don’t contribute? Top of the pile in this crime are those who say they are passionate about social media and put three hearts of exclamation after it, and yet follow 20 people, are followed by 3, and protect their updates.
Now, unless you are Bill Gates or Barak Obama and have top secret stuff to protect, don’t do this.
If you want people to follow you, why would they if they can’t see what you have to say?

2. Don’t go to the party if you don’t want to mix.
Yes this is for you … the guy with the cocktail in his hand checking out the crowd and rating them all beneath him. You have no idea where your most dedicated followers and enablers will come from.
Does this mean you must follow everyone who follows you? No, but would you go to a cocktail party and snub 99% of the people there who greeted you? If so, you’re much better off picking the fluff out of your navel.

3. Asking bloggers for guest posts and then not posting them.
Now this may be one of the tricks to get more people to read your blog or tweets, but where I come from it’s fraud. If you want someone to write for you based on their content which you like, then at least pay them in traffic.

4. When someone interviews you, or features your product in a post and then tells you when its up, LINK to it!
You’re getting free press, that doesn’t happen easily. In my experience, and I’ve interviewed quite a number of startups and established people, the higher the influence, the more likely to link. It doesn’t make sense if youre Mr. nearly-nobody and someone writes on your company, to not link to them, especially when they have three times the traffic you do…DOH!……

5. Playing policeman on Twitter, FB or anywhere else.
Now if someone’s link is broken, sure be nice and send them a DM. But, these boring people leap out at you to correct your spelling on an abbreviated tweet written at a precarious angle on an iphone with a tiny keyboard, while holding your handbag and running for a train. I have two words to say to them, and they are both short!

6. If someone expresses an opinion that may differ from yours, that’s their right.
It’s called democracy , freedom of speech, or whatever other name you want to give it. It’s a conversation, not a legal document. Attack them and you will probably get blocked, and not benefit from the network of the person you where following. Get over yourself!

7. If you are building your social media empire see the post here, then don’t copy other peoples content and shadow them in every follow. RT them and always give credit where credit is due. There’s lots of it to go round.

8. Don’t send auto DM’s nothing gets peoples’ goat more than being spammed.
Twitter is not passive, why would I ever want to open the DM of another affiliate spammer who never reads my tweets? Bots will be outed.

9. Twitter, Facebook, blogging, writing content, it’s a community, a very big community 200 million plus, so give and take.
Find your niche and then give something. People are writing amazing things for free always respect that and give back.

10. So you want comment but you don’t give comment?
This is the easiest way to contribute even if you’re a boring git whose never written anything original in a lifetime. Bloggers ,tweeters give out vital information, they entertain you for free. You print out their content to go and buy that new smart phone or camera, you go to that site to see your pic which they took and uploaded for free and you can’t even write a comment.
Do you steal books from your library, read magazines for free or slip them in your bag when no one’s watching?
Bloggers entertain you, the least you can do is leave a comment.
Small businesses are catching on to Twitter
Now, bloggers go and leave comments everywhere on other blogs, it’s the best way to build a presence. I comment on at least five blogs a day.

So there you are, have you committed any of these crimes? Are you ready for rehab?
Go forth and multiply the love and information.
Donna Jackson
Social Communications Specialist.
Wisequeen

I got involved, at the request of Dorette @metameerKat @capetown, the cape organizer, at the 11th hr, for a city very dear to my heart, CapeTown and assisted in raising the profile of their event on the twitterverse by tweeting my followers 155 times about the event CAPETWESTIVAL. They had a good evening at Doppio Zero Cape Town with local perfomers who put on a great show. South African startup Zoopy has recently lit up the start up scene with their innovative site where video clips and photos can be shared.
I really enjoyed tweeting up a storm and look forward to the next CapeTwestival.
The twestival was a resounding success worldwide and is testament to the fact that Twitter can motivate and bring together people in a cause globally quickly and very effectively. Thanks to @amanda for her innitative in raising the bar high at a $million plus. The events were put together in a mere 2 weeks.

Dorette - metaMeerkat (online) says: it was a good experience… all in all.. and many of the who’s who in social media in Cape Town was there, even though it was not a big crowd - I think it was important that we did it! sleep well!!!
[13/02/2009 00:08:06] Dorette - metaMeerkat (online) says: i look at the map of the twestivals and i am glad Cape Town is on it.
Me too, glad I could help and that I could make a donation via tipjoy.
Today on Valentines day its not too late to support Water the charity that gives life. Donate in the name of your lover.
Keep donating
Donna Jackson,
Social Communications Specialist
Wisequeen

Last night Techies,developers and startups came together at the 5th webmonday held in Zurich to listen to two informal presentations. One given by Hannes Gassert of LIIP, who hosted the evening, with snacks beer and wine, and another by Jani Penttinen on his Finish start up -XIHA Life a mutilingual lifestyle site. Great exchange of ideas took place among the forty or so people there.
Ideas take wings at events like these, so thanks to Amazee for arranging the webmonday nights in Zurich.
The photos above show my journey to #webmonday from arrival in Zurich to departure by train into big snow at St Gottard.

Wisequeen's carriage 1st class Swiss