Posts filed under 'blogs'
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May 14th, 2008, 06:23pm
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I was having dinner last night with Nokia’s Business Capability Manager, Matthew Hanwell. We got to talking about blogging in the enterprise and Matt suggested that the real problem with blogging was the term “blog.” It sounds too geeky and doesn’t convey the business value of the technology. It’s a nomenclature issue; “thoughts” is a much better way to sell it, says Matt. Perhaps if we simply asked companies and employees if they wanted to share their thoughts or ideas online they would be more amenable to the idea of corporate “blogging.” It’s a good point. What organization would want to hamper idea sharing? What employee would pass up the opportunity to share their thoughts?
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May 10th, 2008, 10:25pm
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Next week, I’m delighted to moderate a panel that includes some of my favourite bloggers…and Denis. Also featured on the panel are Mathew Ingram, Anastasia Goodstein, Leigh Himel, and Sean Moffitt. I’ve added all the links to the blogroll on the bottom right of this page.
Here are some interesting recent posts from each. Mathew teaches us an important lesson about “accepting changes” before sending your business plan to a VC. You know, to avoid the people you want money from to read stuff like:
- “Segal used to work for Microsoft so skip the name dropping, save it for the afternoon meeting, they are clueless about Redmond.”
- “When you talk through this point on your slides, make Chanukah jokes, he is Jewish and will get them”
- “I’d delete this section since we don’t have these features on the roadmap and haven’t figured out how to code this unless you believe the investors won’t catch this.”
- “VCs are typically stupid when it comes to this section so be prepared for a dumb question blizzard.”
Read More »
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May 2nd, 2008, 05:23pm
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Since Fidel’s (Castro) departure from office and his brother Raul’s succession, bans on Cubans buying consumer electronics, cell phones and staying in luxury hotels have been lifted. But these activities which used to be illegal were common place – the difference is that now, they’re legalized. Many Cubans have been buying these technologies on the black market. Internet access is still tightly restricted by government, but that hasn’t stopped people from getting online.
While this definitely isn’t the case in a communist regime, many democratic countries are looking at using Web 2.0 technologies to facilitate collaboration and engagement with its citizens:
1. Citizens as consumers of government services
2. Citizens as employees of the public service
3. Citizens as stakeholders in the policy making process.
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April 29th, 2008, 04:00pm
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Another in our ongoing series highlighting the folks who are doing interesting things with or thinking interesting things about Wikinomics out there in the blogosphere.
A very thorough wiki-based definition of the Web 2.0.
A piece by Thomas Hoffman, on whether or not corporate inertia prevents mass collaboration.
Nicola Morelli’s thoughts on design policy - contains some interesting thoughts on the impact of peer production in this space.
An interview with Don and some thoughts on Government 2.0
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April 22nd, 2008, 10:02am
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Continuing with our ongoing meander through blogosphere, here a few more folks applying wikinomics in interesting ways. Thanks to our new website, you can find these linked on the right hand side of the page under the title, “Wikinomics in the blogosphere” which will be refreshed often.
Here’s a link to Don’s keynote address to the Horizon Foundation and some discussion they had following it.
An interesting post on the future of corporations and interactivity. I particularly the interactivity matrix.
Some thoughts on motivation through peer production.
Parts 1 and 2 of a post on how wikinomics can impact the future of public media.
Selling the value of blogs and wikis to organizations.
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April 8th, 2008, 12:10am
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In the 24/7 world of the blogosphere, where the action never stops and the best scoop could be just around the next virtual corner, the life of a top blogger can be one full of Google, Technorati and endless caffeinated beverages with sleep and sometimes even food coming as a distant afterthought. With 112 million active blogs being tracked by blog search engine Technorati, the blogosphere has become an extremely important part of the web 2.0 world and the allure of becoming an elite blogger has attracted tens of thousands of full time bloggers worldwide.
Many bloggers are paid by the post (and the number of hits their post gets), leading to what some critics label the new virtual sweatshop. While the life of a blogger can often feature the ultimate in flexibility - where working from home and “on your own schedule” is the norm, it can be precisely this flexibility that can lead to unhealthy work practices and overburdening stress for those unable to maintain a healthy median between work and play. Read More »
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April 1st, 2008, 07:37pm
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Recently Mark Cuban, a rather outspoken NBA owner and well known blogger, got into the disagreement with the NBA over allowing bloggers into the locker room. When he was pushed to give bloggers the same access as traditional reporters he took it to the extreme. As a blogger he felt that just because someone was paid doesn’t mean that they have more of a right to be in the looker room. “Now that my ban on bloggers in the locker room has been lifted by the NBA , the “Joes” of the blogger world will have the same access as the “Pros”. Those that get paid. I can’t wait to see the results.” As much as this latest event is grandstanding by Cuban, I think we are moving closer to a time when bloggers and reporters are both seen members of the media, full stop.
Blogging has been making inroads into the reputable media world for some time now, and it is at the point that in some circles we are seeing traditional media become the underdog. In many of these cases I feel the reason for the shift has more to do with the way in with the message is delivered online than the fact that the content is digital. It makes sense, Web 2.0 is more than just the medium (digital) its how you are able to ‘interact with the message’. It use to be that readers would follow certain authors or reporters because they can share their perspective. Blogs not only allow you to follow the perspective of the author but also become part of a community of like minded readers who you communicate with via comments.
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April 1st, 2008, 12:29am
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Sadly, we received word that one of our regular readers and contributors has decided not to visit us anymore. I was planning on linking to the post that turned him off, but sadly, it had the same effect on the project manager of the wikinomics blog who irreversibly deleted it. Ben has been a thoughtful reader for a while and we always enjoyed his comments; see here, here , here and here for examples.
In 1960, Mad Magazine had but a single subscriber in Haiti. When he advised them that he was not going to renew, the entire editorial staff went to Haiti to pay him a suprise visit and convinced him not to cancel. Now, Ben we know you live in Toronto (because you told us, not because we did any creepy URL tracing). Our head office is in Toronto, and we want you back.
Here are some bribes ideas of how we can court you:
- an invite to one of our staff beer nights
- a spot on the guest list at our friend Lenni Jabour’s stage show
- a “gently used” copy of the Wikinomics audiobook. It was narrated by this guy…who is very cool. You should have the sound on when you visit his site.
The blog is enjoying an upward swing…please come along for the ride.
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March 29th, 2008, 08:37am
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Denis Hancock previously posted about “The death of the newspaper: murder or suicide?” and referenced an interesting article in the Washington Post by David Simon (the creator of the HBO series The Wire). In the past week there have been a number of events that have reminded me just how much things are changing.
This clip below from the The Simpsons provides a humorous view of what I think most people are already noticing. Nelson makes fun of a panelist at a political debate because he is a “print journalist from the Washington Post” and goes on to point out “HAHA, your medium is dying”.
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March 27th, 2008, 01:48pm
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Not to be confused with the Wikinomics Blogroll report, this is just a quick tour around some of the place wikinomics is popping up around the blogosphere. Think of it as moving a little further down the long tail to see how people are applying wikinomics to whatever it is they do. Here are just a few from the last week or so:
A nice wikipage on Shifting the notion of what it means to teach by Will Richardson.
Gerd Leonhard on The End of Control Essays.
Spicy IP on how the wikinomics model has already made a difference for Bent and tens of thousands of African families.
Read More »
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March 18th, 2008, 05:24pm
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Reported today in the New York Times, Hu Jia, a Chinese rights activitist was convicted of subversion for posting critical comments about the government’s treatment of peasants on his blog. Here is an example of his account of how he has been treated. From the article:
One of the most prominent human rights advocates in China stood trial on Tuesday morning on subversion charges in a proceeding that lasted three hours and centered on whether his public criticism of the ruling Communist Party represented a threat to the state. A verdict is possible within a week.
The case of the advocate, Hu Jia, has become an international cause célèbre for many human rights groups that contend the Communist Party is rounding up dissidents to silence criticism of the government before the Olympics in Beijing in August.
On Monday, the European Union presidency called on China to release Mr. Hu and said his arrest undermined the principle of free speech enshrined in the Chinese Constitution.
Mr. Hu, 34, has publicly condemned the Communist Party for failing to fulfill its promises to improve its rights record before the Olympic Games. His lawyer said that prosecutors presented as evidence six unspecified essays written by Mr. Hu and two interviews he conducted with foreign radio outlets.
“We believe his articles are expressing peaceful views that do not concern state security but that represent criticism of the current system,” his lawyer, Li Fangping, said after the trial.
Mr. Li acknowledged that some of Mr. Hu’s comments have been “pungent,” but argued that the government should not ban speech.
There is a discussion underway at the Wall St. Journal Law Blog.
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March 17th, 2008, 02:12pm
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OK, first of all, let’s dispense with the myth that companies lose millions of dollars of productivity because their employees are too busy monitoring their pools (and trash talking) to do their work. It doesn’t make sense because it assumes that in absence of March Madness, said folks would be diligently filling out TPS reports instead of posting on Facebook or browsing Wikipedia (not to mention that most of the games take place outside of office hours). Speaking of basketball urban myths, Snopes does a good job of bursting the bubble on Lebron’s Powerade commerical…still, if you haven’t seen it, check out the video.
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is the best sporting event of the year, IMO for a couple of reasons:
- single elimination so every team has a chance with no do-overs
- vast majority of players will never play a professional game
- there is nothing better than cheering for an underdog, especially a team that you have never heard of before
- a 12 seed always beats a 5 seed (uh, except for last year)
- for most of the small schools (all champions from admittedly weaker leagues) a single victory is the greatest thing that can happen
- 2006 George Mason and 1985 Villanova
The event is also perfect for the blogosphere. Stats and predictions (some backed by some pretty serious management science) far too geeky and detailed for the popular press are abound. Some of my favorites are here, here, and here. Also, here is a great article that scientifically tells you if a lead is safe.
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March 17th, 2008, 11:28am
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On the heels of fallout over the “Civil Serf” affair, the UK Cabinet Office is putting together a new set of guidelines on how civil servants should interacts in the Web 2.0 space, in particular with respect to blogging, social networks and Wikipedia.
The need for policy, regulation and in this case, limits as to whom can and cannot post, presents an interesting discussion for government organizations unsure as to what path to follow in the realm of Web 2.0 communications. We’ve had several conversations over the past couple of weeks that speak to this uncertainty. Perhaps the most interesting was with a government official who noted, “We’ve opened up and we’ve done away with the spin and communicate only facts. But people still don’t believe it’s real.”
One way to recreate that trust is by having employees throughout the hierarchy blog. But evidently that means trusting them…
Read More »
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March 12th, 2008, 06:00am
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For those that have somehow not heard about it for now, Sarah Lacy interviewed Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg recently. Many people were really looking forward to it (Mark doesn’t seem to talk much so it was a rare chance), and when all was said and done the usual descriptions of the interview were along the lines of “trainwreck“, “crumbles into chaos“, and “benchmark for remarkable badness“. The fingers weren’t pointing at Mark. Ouch. Read More »
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March 11th, 2008, 03:54pm
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Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is relatively well known on the web thanks to his ever-entertaining and informative blog. Given this reputation, many people were taken by surprise when they heard Mark Cuban had banned full-time bloggers from the Dallas Mavericks lockerroom, as reported in the Dallas news. Is is true, as Deadspin quipped, that “Mark Cuban dislikes bloggers who aren’t him?”
Well, no. But we’ll get to that in a second. Read More »
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March 7th, 2008, 03:49pm
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“We don’t have a monopoly on baseball knowledge,” says Sig Mejdal, the Cardinals’ senior quantitative analyst who helped create the contest. “Just looking at the fan sites and posting boards, you see an amazing amount of energy. Why not harness it?”
Why not indeed! So what this senior quantitative analyst has done (as reported in the WSJ) is create a “One for the Birds” contest, where fans are invited to file 300-word recommendations for players at small, non Division 1 schools. The fan who sends in the most compelling recommendation, whether the player ends up being drafted or not, gets a tip to St.Louis and a couple of sets of ball tickets.
I have to thank Joseph P. at River Ave Blues for pointing this story out, and catching me up on a couple of other wikinomics-related stories tied to baseball that I had missed or forgotten. Read More »
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February 19th, 2008, 02:17pm
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This past weekend, the National Basketball Association held it’s 57th annual all-star game and with it came some very creative uses of Web2.0, from which the rest of the sporting world could take some strong cues. Leading up to the game, a number of players, including the Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Rudy Gay, had created YouTube videos, in an effort to gain fan support and even solicit challenges for the upcoming Slam Dunk Competition.
Chris Bosh’s campaign began months ago with his CBTV campaign, in which he took on the role of everything from an Oxford-schooled reporter to a used car salesman in an effort to encourage fan voting for his all-star appearance. While unsuccessful in gaining enough votes to become an all-star starter, Bosh gets the award for most creative player with his series of videos that have attracted well over half a million views and landed him the respect of many fans who appreciate his authentic and unpolished approach.
Read More »
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January 31st, 2008, 06:13pm
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As I was sifting through all of the RSS feeds that had accumulated over the holiday season and I came across an interesting post by Bob Warfield, which conveniently was titled New Year’s Resolution: Keeping Head Above Water With RSS Feeds. The post gives readers 8 tips to help them manage what can at times seem like an overwhelming amount of information.
The reality is that for both new and veteran users alike it is easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of information that flows into your RSS reader. The great advantage of RSS is supposed to be that unlike email, users can control what information is delivered to them by selecting feeds. So really you can only blame yourself for becoming buried in 1,000s of blog posts, but it’s a trap that many of us fall into.
I have highlighted his 8 points below, but you should definitely read the post as he goes into more detail.
- Develop a Triage Mentality
- Scan First for Low Hanging Fruit
- Relegate Whole Categories to Low Hanging Fruit
- Create a Few Tags for Your Major Interests
- Zap The Oldies
- Learn to Quickly Triage the Biggest Posters
- Dump Your Least Favorite Bloggers - note: this rule does not apply to the Wikinomics Blog
- Put a Time Limit on Your Blog Reading
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January 25th, 2008, 03:39pm
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I’m enjoying blogging from Davos. But a colleague here, Robert Scoble, is taking blogging to a whole new level. You may remember “the Scobleizer” — his blog as an employee of Microsoft. He was sometimes critical of his own employer — but his following was so huge (and perhaps for other reasons) Microsoft never fired him.
So I’m standing here in a foyer in Davos talking to some people and Robert walks up, points his little Nokia phone PDA towards us and starts doing a live video interview. He points the camera at my badge, then at me asking for comments on a topic and then goes out to his live audience who ask questions or comments on the interview. In the TV world this is called doing a “double ender” but it normally take a few million dollars of equipment and a team with a truck to execute. But here’s Scoble being a one man mobile television station using a cell phone! Actually it’s better than a TV show because it’s interactive.
I’m reminded of my November speech to the Canadian broadcasting industry that broadcasting won’t be “broad and it won’t be casting.”
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January 24th, 2008, 06:12pm
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Sounds pretty ridiculous, doesn’t it? Remember the good ol’ days? I sure do, and so does my “favourite” organization – the MPAA, for they seem to still be living in this fabled period of time…
This post was inspired by the coincidence of two pieces of related news that really got my attention yesterday – the admission of a very significant error by the MPAA and a blog post that I read, highlighting the potential for an increasingly affected Net Generation to exert their influence in the next Canadian federal election.
In a report released Tuesday, the MPAA revealed that a major statistic from its groundbreaking 2005 study proclaiming that college students were stealing nearly half of their industry’s revenue was wrong – nearly 300% wrong. The original report claimed that 44% of the motion picture industry’s domestic revenue losses were a result of illegal downloading over campuses’ high speed networks. While skeptics knew that 44% seemed quite high, students were an easy target, and the study was used to encourage (and almost legally mandate) that colleges across the US beef up their anti-piracy efforts. Yesterday’s release proves that the skeptics were right and that such gaping losses were NOT caused by student downloads (but rather by a stone-aged business model – sorry, I couldn’t resist interjecting my two cents) and that the true figure is actually closer to 15%, with “human error” to blame for the discrepancy.
While the MPAA data are based on US figures, the issue of campus downloading and piracy is also hotly-contested in Canada, and it has the potential to significantly influence the next federal election, as Michael Geist points out in his recent post. Geist highlights what he calls the Copyright MPs (Members of Parliament) – MPs who won their last election by a margin of less than 10% and whose riding is home to a university. The table below illustrates the ten closest such MPs:
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