In scanning the article, "What 2010 Has In Store for SMEs," published in the Times LIVE (South Africa), I found it refreshingly bizarre. How so?

He (Stanlib economist Kevin Lings) says that recent data from the United States shows that this powerhouse is recovering, and adds that global manufacturing has turned the corner.

It is also worth noting that South Africa takes about three to four months to react to global trends, so our recovery will come after a worldwide upturn.

"We are nowhere close to normal but it seems the worst is over. It is going to take a long time to recover, but the numbers look better."

Mike believes that the world's economic growth will stay muted for the next two or three years, so it will take some time to see significant growth on local soil.

Rode & Associates CEO Erwin Rode echoes these sentiments, saying that a conservative approach to 2010 is probably the best advice for SME decision-makers.

"For planning purposes, I would rather be a pessimist than an optimist. Don't expose yourself to great risks," he says.

This really cracked me up, "I would rather be a pessimist than an optimist." Anyone else feel that way? It seems so opposite of how American SMEs perceive their outlook on business!

Yet the article closes with:

Nevertheless, Mike is fairly optimistic about the prospects for SMEs, saying because of their lean and streamlined nature, they will be able to take up opportunities presented in 2010 much quicker than their large counterparts.

Read more here.

Part Facebook, part Flickr, and a dash of Twitter combined with a GPS-type navigation system, The Grid -- a mobile social network that allows users to chat and share stuff in a mobile location-based matrix with all of their friends and locate them on a map -- is a first for the African continent.

Call it, if you will, socializing on the go. If users want to have a soda with a friend, they log into The Grid to see which friends are nearby and tag the location of a nearby hangout. Then they send a soda invitation with directions to entice their pal to stop in. If the soda group wants more friends to join them, they can log in again and type up a blog, message or record a quick video and invite everyone who’s free and happens to be nearby.

Everyone can easily see where friends are and what they are doing due to The Grid displaying the user’s approximate position on a street map. Users from any network can join in the experience because The Grid was developed to showcase innovative new technologies to all South Africans.

Learn more here at the Brand Channel and stop in at The Grid.