There is nothing worse than arriving at work on a Monday morning ready to take on the week and all of a sudden you're faced with a speed-bump in your daily routine - like not being able to upload content for your readers. Working in an online environment has its advantages, and it also has its disadvantages.

Here at Bizcommunity, and I'm sure like many other online businesses, we suffer the same blunders - like we did this morning. Some of us react by muttering expletives, while others hang around calmly waiting for the green light.

This is the misery of online businesses - especially when you have deadlines to meet, and let me not get started on the topic of a slow internet connection.

With that said, regarding all things internet related, we still have many things to be grateful for. Consider that we have been allowed the right to access of information, it has also enabled freedom of expression for the most part of it, it has allowed us to connect with old friends, even connecting us to new ones, it has allowed us to connect with families across the globe and it has even brought strangers together for good causes.

However, one of the greatest uses of the internet is that it has made communication easier and faster. Not forgeting that news is almost immediately available!

So next time you are unable to go online or you have a slow internet connection, be thankful for the advantages of this digital era.

In news this week: the Malawian government scrapes off VAT on newspapers; MetropolitanRepublic Uganda wins Google account; the African Virtual University and the iHub Research partner to strengthen research on mobile learning in Africa; and contributor, Banele Rewo tackles the issue of brands behaving badly on social media.

Have a great week!

Evan-Lee Courie @evan1985

Responses to this column welcomed in our online editor's column archive. Send all your Africa marketing news to africanews@bizcommunity.com and opinion pieces to contributors-africa@bizcommunity.com, also take a look at our guide "How to contribute to Bizcommunity, from op-ed pieces to news". Follow Bizcommunity on Twitter @Biz_Africa and join our Facebook page.