Are the Mayor’s technology firm tax incentives not enough?

It’s been a few weeks now since Mayor Michael Nutter announced a tax incentive pilot for technology firms aimed at decreasing sales tax for service-based tech companies and, ultimately, attracting more businesses to Philadelphia.

For as much as we’ve heard support for the decision to eliminate taxes on sales outside of Philadelphia, there’s been criticism from local entrepreneurs that maybe the tax pilot isn’t much of an incentive at all, but it will help retain companies that are already here, some say.

Damon Alberts, whom with the Videogame Growth Initiative has helped lobby city and state government officials for the last year to create more opportunities for small video game studios in the city, praised the decision but said more work needed to be done. It’s by no means an end result, but a “step in the right direction,” he says.

“I wouldn’t call it an incentive, because really they’re removing a barrier. Now I don’t have to pay a tax that I shouldn’t have to pay anyway,” he told Technically Philly in a telephone interview in early March. Alberts was gearing up for a trip to Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, a popular annual gathering for the industry.

“It’s a step in the right direction because video game firms are on the Mayor’s radar,” he says.

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This week on our Jobs Board

Technically Philly’s Jobs Board is becoming a go-to resource for employers and job-seekers hoping to connect. We recently launched the board with new technology to better serve you, or customer, and hope that it will continue to be a go-to resource for technology-focused positions in the region. Check out the dozen jobs currently posted!

Each week, we’ll highlight the some of the postings that you, your friends or family might have missed.

• The City of Philadelphia is looking for a Senior Application Developer. Two of them, in fact.
• The artists formally known as Avencia need a .NET or Java ninja.

If you’re a company looking to affordably connect with our audience of 16,000 technologists in the region, be sure to post your job openings here. Over 1,000 people checked out our Jobs Board in the past month, and each job is tweeted out to our 1,750 Twitter followers.

Every Monday, Technically Philly will highlight three jobs on our Jobs Board.

Event Highlights for March 22-28, 2010

Philadelphia in the spring time: the sun, the birds OHMYGOD ITS A FLASH MOB.

Social media has been getting a bad rap lately thanks to Twitter-organized mobs, but that shouldn’t stop you from attending our social media-heavy event schedule this week.

First, learn about the intricacy of social media law, then take advantage of our wonderful weather of late by searching around Old City for charity. Lastly, spend an easy Sunday morning learning how to install Linux.

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Thanks to our weekly sponsors

Technically Philly is made possible by advertisers and sponsors that are important to Philadelphia’s technology community. This week we’d like to thank:

Alex Hillman – IndyHall‘s Alex Hillman has signed on as Technically Philly’s first “Philanthropist” sponsor. Be sure to check out his blog.

Nonprofit Technology Resources – Fairmount-based NTR refurbishes used computers and peripherals for families and individuals in Philadelphia who may not otherwise be able to afford to buy a computer. We urge you to donate to this great local cause.

Chariot Solutions – Long-time Technically Philly advertiser Chariot Solutions is host of the annual Emerging Technology for the Enterprise conference. This month, the developer and training partner is promoting the popular conference, which takes place April 8-9.

Springboard Media – Springboard Media is a certified Apple Specialist and retailer based in Center City and now, in Exton. They’ve got a ton of accessories and a great trade-in program that can score you up to $1,500 when you’re ready to upgrade.

Interested in joining these organizations and individuals in supporting Technically Philly? Check out our ad packages and contact our Ad Sales Manager. Can’t find something that fits? We’ll customize a package for you.

Friday Q&A: Dr. Jarret Brachman talks JihadJane and al-Qaida online media strategy

al-Qaida's official media arm al-Sahab distributes its video on sites like YouTube

Colleen LaRose, known more infamously as JihadJane, appeared before federal court in Philadelphia Thursday and pleaded not guilty to charges that she allegedly plotted to kill a Swedish cartoonist and recruited supporters online using social networking sites.

According to documents unsealed by the Department of Justice last week, the suburban Philadelphia woman is alleged to have posted jihadist video messages on YouTube. Folks at grassroots counterterrorism Web sites like The Jawa Report say that LaRose had dozens of accounts suspended on the site and would open new accounts to repost video content. The case raises important questions about al-Qaida’s online media strategy and its move to more public social networking sites for recruitment.

Dr. Jarret Brachman, a professor at the North Dakota State University, tracks terrorism efforts online as an academic and as a senior consultant to federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, offering advice about al-Qaida’s media strategies. Brachman pens a blog about the work he does and issues around terrorism and counterterrorism.

We spoke to Brachman about al-Qaida’s increasing presence on more public social networking sites, after the jump.

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Seven Philadelphia revolutions, Baltimore Google Czar and More: Links

DEFINITE READS

Inquirer columnist Dan Rubin has a column on the seven Philadelphia revolutions, reminding us just what a legacy of innovation this city can recapture.

The Inquirer reports that the University of Pennsylvania boasts ties to 50 of the world’s 1,011 billionaires.

Below, Baltimore’s ‘Google Czar,’ the region’s job market turn-around and more.

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Drexel uses Twitter to notify accepted students, build community

If you went to college, it is likely you know what it’s like to anxiously check the mailbox everyday, waiting for your college acceptance letter.

However the rite of passage is about to be added to the list of things Twitter could change forever.

At Drexel, the school has begun using the microblogging tool to not only follow up on students who have shown interest in the university, but @DrexelAdmission will even notify them of their acceptance (Disclaimer: as you can see in the tweet, my brother was the inspiration for this post.)

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Prize for best Google Gigabit Philly idea announced, $8,000 and growing

It’s not often that one is monetarily rewarded simply for an idea. But the prospect of Google building its ultra-high speed broadband Internet here is raising the stakes.

This morning, Philly Startup Leaders announced that it will award a prize of $5,000 - donated from the organization’s own coffer – for the best idea submitted to Gigabit Philly supporting the city’s grassroots effort to convince Google to build ultra-high speed fiber in Philadelphia.

In a matter of hours, six individuals and organizations have pledged to donate to the prize offering, bringing the award to more than $8,000, Startup Leaders founder Blake Jennelle told Technically Philly in a phone interview this morning. Startup Leaders hopes that the prize will continue to increase as Google’s deadline on Mar. 26 quickly approaches.

“We’ll consider this a victory if it shines a light on the grassroots movement in Philadelphia. We take things into our hands, step up to the plate, move quickly and rally together,” Jennelle says.

Only ideas submitted at GigabitPhilly.com will be included in the contest. Organizers are urging folks to spread the word on Twitter with the hashtag #gigabitphilly.

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Comcast Roundup: Won’t tie rates to inflation, chasing BitTorrent users and More

Every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in�the Comcast Roundup. Get�an e-mail subscription for our Comcast news updates.

Update: edited title, updated TV Everywhere link

DEFINITE READS

• The Washington Post reports that the FCC has begun a review of the “rules governing how broadcasters and pay television services negotiate transmission fees,” prompted by disputes surrounding the Comcast-NBC deal. The Post also reports that the FCC commissioner blasted Internet service providers, like Comcast, for raising prices (as the company did) as the agency has moved to provide more affordable Web access.
• The Inquirer’s Bob Fernandez reports that Comcast won’t tie their rates to inflation, a proposed condition to its merger with NBC. Fernandez also reports that Comcast founder Ralph Roberts celebrated his 90th birthday.
• Businessweek reports that Comcast and TimeWarner, among others, helped fight off a once prevalent trend toward free TV.

Below, how Comcast is chasing down some BitTorrent users, NBC executives learning Comcast culture and a dozen more stories.

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Startup Roundup: ‘X’ is the only city in which to start a Web company

Introducing Technically Philly’s Startup Roundup. Here, we’ll parse out the small pieces that make our greater Startup ecosystem thrive. We want to keep you in touch with the innovations that we can’t quite get to covering, but that deserve highlight. Follow along with the Startup Roundup’s dedicated RSS feed. If you’ve got news to share, get in touch.

DEFINITE READS

Coverage of city technology scenes continues to dominate startup and entrepreneurial conversations across the country, leading to an important question: Is “X” City’s scene better than others?

You know well that we cheer on the Philly technology community, for good reason. But given a handful of articles that we’ve come across recently and featured in this roundup we can’t help but raise a question that we’ve asked before: Does it matter whether or not we receive national recognition for our startup scene?

American Express’s OPEN forum for small businesses, just, well, completes us. The site asks that very question: For Web entrepreneurs, does location matter?

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