business & innovation

This Autumn could be a testing time for some of the 400,000 graduates looking for a digital career, with the number of vacancies taking a dip, competition will be hotter than ever.

Internships and work placements, when well executed well, can be a fast-track way to getting a dream job as well as providing employers with seasoned recruits.

We're big fans at Chinwag with two interns currently learning about the industry and providing valued help in a busy environment.

News of another great scheme has reached Chinwag Towers. Creative digital support agency Northwest Vision and Media are working to help make the region’s new talent make the right start - and partnering with agencies keen to find them.

It's official, the final date on the Digital Mission UK Tour is completely full, sorry.

It promises to be an interesting evening, with a run-down of last year's Digital Mission trips to the US, experiences from previous mission attendees, info and insight from UK Trade & Investment. Not forgetting a word or two from the Sun Startup Essentials colourful-shirted, Stewart Townsend, one of the legendary Bootlaw-duo, Barry Vitou from Winston & Strawn, who are generously supporting this year's Digital Missions.

Oh yes, we're all a flutter about the new iPhone 3GS. Well, we would be if a shiny new one appeared in the office. Anyone? No, oh well.

Failing that, what about an informal get-together to talk about iPhone apps? In the last week or so, there's been a bunch of posts on the uk-netmarketing email list suggesting a group pow-wow to talk iPhone.

Turns out that lots of folks on the list are considering or are actually taking the plunge in the heady world of app development. And well, they're a talkative bunch and would like to share.

As I've been putting together the next Chinwag Live event (Music - who pays the piper? next week on 15th July, if you're around), it's becoming clear that the music industry provides one of the most dynamic and challenging environments for marketers, but despite the popularity of radio's online cousin, business models are still in a state of flux.

Online music consumption is growing rapidly through an almost endless number of channels, some legal, some paid-for, some ad-funded whilst illegal file sharing still represents the lion's share of listening and sharing.