From my friend Jon, Director of the Confederation Centre Art Gallery and Museum, comes the following note:

This year the Cultural Human Resource Council of Canada commissioned a survey of the new media field. The idea was to look at patterns in the field from the broadest range of new media workers, from writers, to designers to code geeks. The resulting survey will eventually lead to public policy decision in Ottawa related to the field. The research firms conducted to do the study are EKOS Research and Delvinia Interactive both based in Ontario.

Based on their claims, there are only 81 new media workers in all of Atlantic Canada. When I questioned this number they told me that based on their experience and the replies they received back from their on line survey this was an accurate number. I don’t think it is, based admittedly on my highly inaccurate and subjective personal experience.

In order to shut me up they have agreed to put the survey back on line until July 5 and if we can find any additional new media workers to fill it out by then they would include it in their survey.

Ottawa will likely use the results of this survey to set in place programs and policies that will have an impact on the new media field. If these studies only reflect the reality of what is the conditions in Ontario then again we will have programs put in place the will benefit those in that province. Please take the time and fill it out.

Emphasis is mine. As much as I think studies like this are a folly, it does seem absurd for anyone to conclude that there are only 81 new media workers in Atlantic Canada. Heck, I could probably name you 81 off the top of my head, most of them working within shouting distance of where I type this.

To assist in correcting this inaccuracy, perhaps the new media workers in the readership could fill out the survey. The survey is, like most surveys, somewhat insane. But the cause is just.

Please spread the word to your new media colleagues.