Seven Days launches tonight and is Channel 4’s new documentary series which is claims will break down the old rules of reality TV and which it no doubts hopes will do for the next decade what Big Brother did for the last. There are 25 ‘contributors’ to the documentary/reality show who represent the ‘ordinary’ people living and working in Notting Hill. The contributors will be filmed over the course of seven days and on the final day an hour long show airing the preceding week’s activities will broadcast on Wednesday night.

So far, so what right? Well, here comes the social media bit…

Members of the public will be encouraged to interact with all the stars using an online service called ChatNav. ChatNav will collate social media conversations about the show (Twitter, Facebook and YouTube channels are already up and running) to determine which characters the producers will focus on over the next seven days – popularity will be represented by the increasing (or decreasing) size of the characters image on the screen. For those with the smallest images, being eliminated from future filming is a very real possibility. In addition to determining the focus over the show, viewers will also have the power to comment on decisions the characters need to make in relation to their personal, social and work lives. According to Channel 4, this makes the viewer not just an editor, but an active participant.

Sounds like an interesting proposition and if it can mirror even a tenth of the popularity of Big Brother, it will do very well indeed. Let the experiment commence…

IT budgets are being focused on maintaining old systems, rather than implementing new ones, according to a new report from Forrester.

Computer Weekly – More young people vote on Big Brother than in a general election

Three-quarters of young people would engage in politics if they could vote by text message or social media, according to a survey of 1,082 UK citizens. The survey, which was carried out by mobile phone price comparison website Right Mobile Phone, found that over one-third of young voters would not vote in the election.

CBR – New virus targets corporate networks, credentials

Internet security firm NetWitness has discovered a new type of computer virus that has affected 75,000 systems in 2,500 organisations around the world. According to the security firm, the newly-discovered virus, known as ‘Kneber botnet’ gathers login credentials to online financial systems, social networking sites and email systems from infested computers and reports the information to miscreants who can use it to break into accounts, steal corporate and government information, and replicate personal, online and financial identities.

Computing – Government CIO starts blogging
Government CIO John Suffolk has started a blog outlining his views and ideas on IT in the public and private sectors. Suffolk works in the Cabinet Office and is responsible for enabling public service transformation through the strategic deployment of technology, driving the development of shared services and implementing the cross-government green IT agenda.

The Guardian – Is Big Brother following you? Government’s guide to using Twitter
The Government releases a 20-page guide to Twitter.

Computer Weekly – UK IT industry will lose out in era of ‘deglobalisation’
Britain’s technology industry stands to lose out in the aftermath of the financial crisis as countries reject globalisation to help get their economies back on their feet.

BBC News – Broadband rates ‘not up to speed’
Broadband users are not getting the speeds they are paying for, according to the largest survey of its kind ever undertaken by telecoms regulator Ofcom.