I learned an important lesson yesterday: Sometimes, it’s about what you DON’T say.

The big consumer-tech news this week is that Rogers has finally reached an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in Canada. The technologist in me thinks this is neat, and I’ve been chatting with journalists - including Canadian Press, CTV NewsNet and AM640 - about what this means.

Although we can chat for days about the iPhone’s impending arrival, what sticks out is what Rogers didn’t say:

• When it would be available
• How much it would cost to buy
• How much subscriptions would cost
• Which device it would be (old, slow iPhone or snazzy new 3G iPhone)

So, essentially, Rogers had nothing to say yesterday. But they released their "news" anyway. And got tons of free media coverage in the process.

The lesson? Sometimes, you don’t need to wait until all your ducks are in a row before you go public. Sometimes, saying nothing is enough to get people to start talking about your product or service. Of course, it helps if your product or service is buzzworthy to begin with - and you need to eventually deliver on what you’ve promised, otherwise all that great buzz will go sour pretty quickly. But there’s a nugget of truth in the Rogers experience that’s applicable in a lot of business marketing scenarios.

Nice job, Ted.

We are often approached to share our thoughts on leading edge technology and its impact on business. The results appear fairly regularly in mainstream media and trade publications, as well as electronic and online media across Canada. (See our Insight & Commentary page for a few past links.)

The Globe and Mail is running an article we wrote that shares additional insight into the top technology trends for small and mid-sized businesses in 2008:

Business technology trends to watch in 2008

Oh, while you’re learning all there is to know about the technologies to watch, click on over here to reserve your spot for even more insight and wisdom. We’re excited about our new Technology Market Advisory offering and we hope you will be, too. We’re kicking things off with a complimentary teleseminar on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. Drop by, virtually, and you might win a decidedly real iPod. Click here for more.

Fascinating things are happening in the world of social networking. While the MySpaces and Facebooks have attracted legions of younger-demographic users, they have been viewed with a certain sense of detachment by mainstream business.

Until now, apparently.

Canada’s TD Bank and Royal Bank have initiated their own initiatives on Facebook. I spoke with Toronto Star business reporter Rita Trichur about what motivates them and what it means for the banking industry. The article, TD reaches out with Facebook group, was published in yesterday’s paper.

The use of social networking resources as marketing tools will only grow as businesses in all sectors begin to realize the value of reaching out to clients and potential clients through these non-traditional avenues.

Is there a Facebook plan in your future business plans?

From time to time, journalists call us looking for our expert opinion on issues that matter to today’s businesses. We do this because we feel it’s important to be acknowledged experts in the topic areas that matter to our clients.

Today, I spoke with Pat Bolland from Canada’s Business News Network (BNN, formerly known as Report on Business Television, or ROBTv). I shared my perspectives on what drove Nortel’s just-announced quarterly results, and where I think the company is headed in the near future.

To see the interview, please click here.

We’ll continue to work with major media to touch on the business-related issues that matter to you. As always, we invite your feedback - one way or the other.