Play Money November 25, 2007

In Play Money- Or, How I Quit My Day Job and Millions Trading Virtual Loot, Julian Dibbell explores the world of virtual reality gaming. Julian starts out as a technology writer who is curious to learn more about the Ultima gaming world. As he uncovers the secret lives various interviewees he is intrigued to give the game a chance. The book takes you on a wild journey as Julian is slowly sucked into the gaming lifestyle. He finds himself spending more and more time online late at night growing his characters and developing their skills. It is this growing addiction that leads him to create the Play Money proposition:

THE PROPOSITION
On April 15, 2004, I will truthfully report to the IRS that my primary source of income is the sale of imaginary goods — and that I earn more from it, on a monthly basis, than I have ever earned as a professional writer. –Julian Dibbell

As the book plays out the reader goes through the emotions of possible failure and success. You find yourself both feeling sorry for Julian and excited for him to fruitfully complete his next virtual business venture/alliance. In the end, Julian ends up coming very close to reaching his goal but falls just short. His project reads as an obsession with destructive tendencies– neglecting his family and doing business in truck stops in order to complete his goal.

I found myself engaged by the text and struggled at first to understand the addictive nature of investing so much time and energy into a computer game. It becomes a second life for many of its users. I was troubled by one conversation Julian has with a teen who is selling virtual gold to buy drugs for his birthday. It was situations like these that made me think of Dibbell as an addict struggling to hit bottom. Not to say that understanding the intricacies of this world were not interesting but at the same time I began to feel sorry for him. Other readers of his blog noted a shift in his personality and a change in his demeanor. He even notes that when the project was over he was depressed and needed to take Zoloft. You read of stock brokers being addicted to the rush of the job and I guess for Dibbell being a virtual wares trader provided this rush.

It was interesting to me that Dibbell sought out the IRS at the end of the project. It was as if he were searching for validation. He had spent a year trying to make a career out of a game. A game that the government does not recognize as a profitable profession. In the end convincing Mrs. Clardy and her team of the value of his gaming work seemed to validate Dibbell enough to let the dream go.

Another aspect of the book that caught my eye was the notion that their are factories of gaming schemers in China and Mexico, just full of people trying to beat the system. This strange under world is puzzling to me, but then again I don’t think I will ever be sucked into the Ultima or Second Life craze.

The Net Generation and Weapons of Mass Collaboration November 12, 2007

Chapter 6 of Wikinomics addresses what the authors call “The New Alexandrians.” Using the historical account of the first library established by the Alexandrian Greeks, Tapscott and Williams argue that information sharing has been around for thousands of years. They believe that through the Internet and online community the culture of the world can benefit from collaborative knowledge. New Alexandrians are defined as “individuals, companies, and organizations that recognize the power and importance of openness in today’s economy.” (p.157) They go on to say “They are building rich collaborative environments and open knowledge infrastructures of all kinds, including open standards, open-content initiatives, open scientific networks, and open research-and-development consortiums,” all of which Tapscott and Williams compare to the ancient Greeks’ quest to learn from on another. The credit the web with helping to transform the realm of science into an “increasingly open and collaborative endeavor.” (p. 156)

Chapter 7 explores the profitability of collaborative products. The chapter begins with the story of the “mashup” or combining of two existing web tools to form a new useful web product. For instance, combing google maps with the listings found on craigslist. This mashup allowed for users to see a map of a neighborhood combined with the current listings of houses available in the area. Through the evolution of the web and application programming interface (API) new web services are able to be more easily created. I found myself very interested in this chapter as it relates to a project I am currently involved int. As mentioned in earlier posts, ISupportThisMessage.com is a video based web platform that incorporates social networking, polling and blog features to political messages. The evolution of this project has allowed for us to develop API technology that can take the ISTM platform and apply it to any other topic or existing website. The ASP model of business has been exciting for the ISTM brand. We are working to help Washington DC based associations, coalitions, and corporations upgrade to Web 2.0 technology using this interface. ISTM is an evolution from the YouTube model in that it also for content control. In a sense YouTube is the wild west of video technology. You put your message out there and have no control over what happens next. ISTM allows you to control who views it, whether or not you want comments and polling. ISTM leaves you in charge. Examples:

• Essential Worker Immigration Coalition
• American Moving & Storage Association

Chapter 8 explores the business adoption of out sourcing. Tapscott and Williams detail the stories of BMW and Boeing, both of which combine strengths of partner companies to produce superior products. Using BMW and Boeing technology and design, these companies work with outside resources to complete the task of constructing their brand products. Tapscott and Williams provide the following lessons:
• Focus on critical drivers (p.235)
• Add value through orchestration (p.236)
• Instill rapid, iterative design processes (p.236)
• Harness modular architectures (p.237)
• Create a transparent and egalitarian ecosystem (p.237)
• Share cost and risk (p.238)
• Keep a keen futures watch (p.238)
Chapter 9 uses the story of the Geek Squad and Best Buy to detail the importance and adoption of technology in the workplace. Geek Squad is able to harness the energy of their employees to advance business with Best Buy. Peer production in the workplace consists of the following:
• Teams
• Time Allocation
• Decision Making
• Resource Allocation
• Corporate Communications
• Peer to Peer Collaboration
Tapscott and Williams predict the following changes to the modern workplace as a result of wiki technology:
• New workplace environments
• New economics of work
• New sources of identity and security
• New intermediaries in the talent market

Chapter 10 summarizes the power of collaborative minds. “These new forms of peer production enable firms to harvest external knowledge, resources, and talent on a scale that was previously impossible.” (pp. 269-270) Tapscott and Williams point out several design principles:

• Taking cues from your lead users
• Building a critical mass
• Supplying an infrastructure for collaboration
• Take your time to get the structures and governance right
• Make sure all participants can harvest some value
• Abide by community norms
• Let the process evolve
• Hone your collaborative mind

Using new technology allows for people socialize, entertain, innovate and transact with their peers in new ways. This form of mass collaboration allows for more opportunities.

Smart Mobs and Wikinomics November 5, 2007

Smart Mobs pt. 2:

In Smart Mobs chapter 6, Howard Rheingold analyzes the three challenges of wireless technology and risks we face moving forward as a WiFi community.

WiFi Security, Radiation and Interference problems

Rheingold highlights the potential risks of living and doing business in a wireless world. He states that many businesses have installed “un-secure, wide-open wireless networks” that any roving laptop can tap into. (p.142) This puts a network at risk to face “borrowing” or monitoring by unauthorized users. The confidential information communicated across these networks is also at risk of exposure. This poses to be an intriguing problem in the internet community. Users like the ability to get online from anywhere, but they also want to know that their personal information is safe. Where do you draw the line in the sand? I personally have “borrowed” internet signal from my neighbors when my connection was down. I knowingly put myself at risk and assumed that I don’t have a super hacker living next door preying on my trust in his or her network. Rheingold points out that this “borrowing” may also be considered stealing– based on the contract provided by the ISP.

Rheingold discusses legal internet sharing as well with NYCWireless– a group that shares commercial grade internet with hundreds of people and divides the cost among them, thus making it more economical. I think this is a fantastic solution. The internet should be a unifying tool that helps all people. Many ISPs put a high cost on their services and make it difficult for low income communities to have access. The internet does not need to be a pricey gate kept item.

Rheingold’s next risk is a public health concern: Radiation. He states that WiFi technology operates off of radio technology that gives off the same radiation levels as a microwave oven. With people installing WiFi beacons all over the world it is something to be mindful of. I wouldn’t say that it is a big enough risk to stop using WiFi all together, but more important to be aware of.

The third concern Rheingold raises is that of electromagnetic frequency interference. This risk carries political consequences. The FCC regulates the WiFi frequencies. As people try to improve WiFi frequency and signal strength they run the risk of violating government regulation. As with much of the government it takes time to find the right solution and in the mean time people will continue to crack the code so to speak to improve the Internet’s use-ability and function.

Rheingold’s Questions for the Future:

Howard Rheingold presents some interesting food for thought items in chapter 8 of Smart Mobs. In knowing that the smart mob mentality exists and will continue to grow and shape our societies we must learn how to deal with and harness the power of their existence. In order to do so we must examine the following issues (p. 202):

• How to regulate the mobile Internet in ways that free innovation and promote competition without undermining the foundation of democratic societies
• The interdisciplinary dynamics of cooperation systems natural and artificial
• The cognitive, interpersonal, and social effects of mobile, pervasive alway-on media
• How ubiquitous mobile Internet access and information embedded in places might reshape cities.

Wikinomics:

Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams’ book Wikinomics is a very interesting read. In the first 5 chapters the authors focus on the following principles of web 2.0:

• being open
• peering
• sharing
• acting globally

These four principles are changing the “old tenets of business” (p.20) Using examples from the Business Industry Tapscott and Williams show how people and organizations are innovating their workplaces, communities and industries.

Being Open

This practice refers to being flexible to new forms of technology and incorporating new business practices. Being Open helps businesses keep up with the growth and progress of the internet. Wikinomics sites examples of companies opening their doors to outsiders for help with R&D projects.

Peering 

Peering relates to open source technology. Groups are working together to solve problems and build software and platforms rather than working in secret. This allows for faster growth and modification.

Key Benefits of Peer Production:

1. Businesses are able to harness external talent and advance their projects faster than ever before.
2. This allows a business to keep up with its users– users can contribute to the code.
3. Boost demand for complimentary offerings– grow a reputation and user base that sticks.
4. Reduce Costs.
5. Shift the locus of competition.
6. Taking the friction out of collaboration–open source takes away ownership conflicts over code.
7. Develops Social Capital–learn from your peers free of cost.

Sharing 

The section about sharing in Wikinomics relates to intellectual property or IP. Companies are no longer hording their patents, but licensing them to other organizations that can fully utilize their capabilities. This helps pad the IP patent owner’s bottom line– creating greater revenue for the company.

Acting Globally

Businesses are thinking and acting globally. They are utilizing the world’s resources and tapping into the larger global talent pool. This allows for global alliances, human capital marketplaces, and peer production communities to provide access to new markets, ideas, and technologies. (p.29)

A thought provoking idea: 

I was most drawn into the discussion regarding Proctor & Gamble. P&G learned that they could earn extra revenue of their R&D patents. The company was only using 10 percent of the thousands of patents they owned, so why not put these expensive tools to work. The company is able to license these patents to other groups who in turn fully utilize and make money off P&G’s technology. Interestingly enough I had recently heard of a scheme P&G was using to take advantage of these resources. The United States Government was in a Civil Tax suit with P&G regarding their IPs. P&G had given away some of the licenses to take a tax right off and keep/get back some of the money they pay to the government. They were valuing their IPs at astronomically high prices in order to claim more tax money. Reading Wikinomics provided me with a clear understanding of the case.

Experiencing the Bazaar first hand… October 29, 2007

This week’s readings included the first five chapters of Howard Rheingold’s Smart Mobs and Eric Raymond’s story on The Cathedral & the Bazaar.

Smart Mobs details the technological journey the world has departed on as communication devices evolve and become incorporated into every aspect of daily life. Rheingold begins his book with a look at the vast use of text messaging and cell phones in Asia, virtual reality and internet in Helsinki, and SMS messaging in Stockholm. He goes on to discuss the creation of social networks in our virtual world of online communications. Rheingold identifies the social impacts created by the use of this emerging technology as they pertain to the “social, economic, and psychological contexts of the observed cultures.” (p. 24) He believes that the forms of collective behavior enabled or changed by smart mob technology goes beyond individual groups and can affect entire societies. (p. 28) It is apparent that most common form of technology incorporation into society begins with adolescents. They are generally the first segment of the population to adopt new methods of communications, as seen with text messaging in Japan. (Chapter 1)

Rheingold continues his analysis of modern communications by examining the corporations that develop these technologies. In chapter 2 he visits the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington, where he interviews Marc Smith, Microsoft’s research sociologist. He questions Smith on what keeps people engaged in virtual communities. What do they gain? Smith describes the “social network capital, knowledge capital, and communion– people can put a little of what they know and how they feel into the online network and draw out larger amounts of knowledge and opportunities for sociability than they put in.” (p.30) In interviewing Smith, Rheingold relates their discussion to game theory and the ways in which humans interact with one another. He continues to explore this relationship throughout chapter 2 by explaining Mutual Aid, the Prisoner’s Dilemma, among others.

In chapter 3, Rheingold begins to discuss open-source technology (which is the premise of Raymond’s book). Open-source technology revolves around the idea that many people share in the creation of great programming, as opposed to closed source technology that is developed by a single entity and does not allow for outside input. Chapter 3 begins with the discussion of peer to peer network computers and the use of idle computers in various locations to help complete ongoing projects (ex: SETI@home project). By using the power of idle computers these type of projects are able to utilized the computer strength needed to perform intricate analysis of vast quantities of information. In a way they are creating a virtual bond and relationship to reach a common goal.

Smart Mobs chapter 4 outlines the possible future of computer technology and its adaptation into our daily life. This chapter scares me a little due to the societal and privacy implications it could have. Rheingold interviews people like Scott Fisher and Jim Spohrer who both see ways to further incorporate computer technology into everyday life from wearable computer chips to virtual reality. These technology supporters visual the future with everything and everyone being wired. Thinking of the world in these terms reminds me of films like Minority Report and Enemy of the State, where privacy does not exist. The world will be controlled by computers which in itself is not that scary, but who controls those computers? The vast amounts of personal information stored in a world like that seems to be risky.

In chapter 5 Rheingold discusses the evolution of reputation and brings to light common aspects of life we take for-granted. For instance, the amount of personal information that is stored on a credit card. One’s financial livelihood is stored on that magnetic strip. Rheingold discusses the evolution of paper banking to online banking and the creation of e-commerce. Each of these technologies rely on trust and reputation.

The Cathedral & The Bazaar

Eric Raymond discusses the evolution of computer programming as it relates to the creation of open source technology. Open source technology is more flexible, adaptable and editable than the traditional closed source programming. As Raymond describes his accidental take over and development of Fetchmail, I am reminded of a current project at my job that has evolved much like his. At Global Vision Communications we take on the task, sometimes monumental, of redesigning various organizations web presence. With a recent project near completion, I have had the joys and the pains of working with open source technology. I find myself in the role Raymond describes on page 57. As a project manager with my company I am responsible for the following:

• to define goals and keep everybody pointed in the same direction
• to monitor and make sure crucial details don’t get skipped
• to motivate people to do boring but necessary drudgework
• to organize the deployment of people for best productivity
• to marshal resources needed to sustain the project

Each of these goals Raymond describes relate to my client’s project. We are using open source technology to perform Content Management for a website (CMS). The open source programming is called Drupal. This CMS has been a godsend and also a lynch pin in our project development. It is a very robust CMS that meets the needs my client has specified. It has handled the challenges we set out to concur and produced a functioning website. However, as we learned one of the drawbacks of open source technology is that when you do find a bug you are sent into a holding pattern– not exactly easy to explain to a deadline and budget oriented client. We are at the mercy of drupal’s developers and online community of open source contributors. We are waiting for them to finish testing and implementing a module of the CMS that our client needs.

The upside of this open source technology is that when we do encounter a bug we are quickly able to find a solution. The online community offers the support and ease of use that traditional closed source purchased in the box technology doesn’t offer.

At the same time we have been using Drupal, I have also been getting familiar with Joomla, a less robust open source CMS. Which I feel is easier to use, but does not offer as many features as Drupal.

I would say overall my experience using open source programming has been successful and well worth it.

It wasn’t always easy for Google… October 21, 2007

In the second half of John Battelle’s The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed our Culture, Battelle explores some of the tribulations that the then multi-million dollar company faced and triumphed through. The implications of Google’s success have contributed to Battelle’s idea of the “Database of Intentions” and influence of the search application to the world.

In chapter 7, Battelle details the influence Google had on small business. Neil Moncrief’s online shoe store, 2bigfeet.com is used as the example of how Google can give and take away. Google’s search features helped to build Moncrief’s customer base and provided him a free source of advertising that helped his business to thrive. As Google began to grow and gain strength, the company had to fight against abusers of the system and help retain their organic ranking function which resulted in a change in their search algorithms. This change drastically affected many small businesses, such as 2bigfeet.com. No longer were these small companies at the top of their search terms and this lack of accessibility hurt their business income. They quickly learned that in order to survive they would need to purchase Google’s AdWords—the company’s highly profitable advertising machine. This was only one of the first battles Google would have to face in its continued rise to the top.

As Google’s AdWords gained popularity, the money making arm of Google also faced a battle with its users. Battelle tells the story of American Blinds, a window covering company that subscribed to various search terms through AdWords. American Blinds argued that their trademarked name should belong to their company in AdWords not its competitors who figured out a way to combat the company online. They purchased rights to advertise their competing window covering companies on American Blinds searches. This battle went to court and caused Google to address its licensing and trademarking policies. In the end, Google was not required to keep track of all trademarked search terms.

Battelle discusses user’s concern over Google and privacy invasion in Chapter 8. Using the idea of “vanity searching” or googling one’s self, The Search explores the increased access to information on the Internet. People are now able to access a lot of public and private information over the web, the in the past required more effort to find. This scared many users and as a part of their fear they blamed Google.

Google only compounded this fear when people began to realize the way GMail (Google’s email tool) and Google Desktop functioned. The Google computers are able to scan information available in email and share online documents for keywords that are used by AdWords. Users began to fear that Google was reading their email, when in fact, Battelle makes the point that only humans can read. Computers are not evil or malicious creatures trying to hurt the user. This clarification helps to prove the point that internet users learn to develop a trust with their ISP (Internet Service Provider).

The issue of trust and the internet was also affected by the introduction of the US Patriot Act (p.198) which gave the government the ability to access personal information found in telecommunications devices, computers, and other technology in order to ensure the safety of US citizens. This act was established after the events of September 11, 2001.

Battelle addresses another challenge Google faced internationally with China. The Chinese government highly censored its businesses and public information found on the Chinese Internet. This posed a problem for Google who began forming subsidiary companies in other countries. Google faced the question of becoming the morality police for the global economy (p.210). As of 2005 Google had not opened up business in China for fear of having to obey China’s strict laws on censorship.

Battelle shifted gears in Chapter 9 to address the challenge Google faced when becoming a publicly traded IPO. Google was forced to go public due to an SEC regulation that required the company to report as a public company after giving stock options to over 1000 of their employees. When Google’s financials went public, financial analysts were stunned by the different business practices Google used to become the Super Power in the Search Industry. Google struggled during this change in business structure during the filing of their S1. They had predicted their opening shares would sell at a much higher value than the $85 dollar shares when Google opened to the market.

In Chapter 10 Google’s core business competencies are analyzed: Advertising and Search Functionality. Battelle compares Google and Yahoo’s corporate cultures and leadership practices. Google’s leadership has been historically criticized by former employees, competition and industry insiders. Brin and Page are said to rule with an iron fist where as Yahoo’s leadership is much more open and flexible to others’ input. However, Brin and Page have a different mission with Google than other companies such as Yahoo. Google prizes itself as a setting out with mission to organize the world’s information. This broad stroke allows for the business to grow and take on more than just Search Functionality. If you examine Google’s arsenal of applications, they really have set out to make internet functionality that is easy for the user to employ.

Finally in Chapter 11, Battelle examines the future of the search and database of intentions. We are becoming a culture with a network aware search (p.253). We are utilizing all technology—cell phones, cars, tv, radio, PDAs, computers—to contribute to the database of intentions. Battelle explores ways to improve upon the search looking at Clickstreams(p.255), platforms like Webfoutain (p.270) and GlobalSpec (p.275) to streamline the search process and help the user meet its expectations.

After finishing The Search I realized that while Google has brought the use of the search a long way we have endless ways to improve upon our technology tools. If Google continues with their broad mission, they have the ability to transform many daily practices. I don’t see the Google empire disappearing anytime soon. It would take a lot of money and innovation to top this machine.

Interesting Sites Related to Google:

The Official Google Blog 

Who Needs Google?

Working for Google:

A Google Revolution…The Search Part 1 October 15, 2007

In The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture, John Battelle describes how the evolution of a search engine has changed the way we view the human culture. In the first half of his book, Battelle sets the stage to tell the annecdotal version of Google’s birth and rise to become a super power of the Internet.

Battelle begins his tale with an overview of the evolution of the search engine and the factors that led to Larry Page and Sergey Brin to redefine its use. Throughout the reading, I was drawn into the more personal story of Google’s creation. Battelle weaves in the history of other dot coms to dot gones, like Alta Vista and Lycos, both of which did not and do not have the Internet celebrity of Google. The Search draws the reader into the Google story, and I found myself rooting for the super giant to prevail.

Beginning as a project for Graduate School at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, Page and Brin brought Google to life. Battelle details their journey from begging and borrowing computer hardware and Stanford’s bandwidth. Little did they know, but Google would take on a life of its own. As their ideas became the Google Ideology, Page and Brin’s thesis project became a company.

Their idea began with a simple idea of the link structure of the web. Page was curious to track how webpages linked together, and Brin was lured into the complexity and scale the idea could have. Originally called BackRub, the pair set out to develope a system that would track backlinks on the Internet.

As with any good idea, it evolves over time and Google is no different. As Brin and Page worked on BackRub, they pondered more uses for the information stored on the Internet. The invented PageRank, an algorithm that “managesto take into account both the number of linksinto a particular site, and the number of links into each of the linking sites.” (p. 75) They compared this simple technology to academic citation counting.

Just as they stumbled into developing their technology, users began to stumble upon its practical uses. John Battelle details how users caught on to using Google’s early information. Other search engines only randomly listed results and often returned irrelevant sites (think AltaVist and Excite). PageRank which became Google was/is far superior and became the company’s “secret sauce.” PageRank was built to evolve and grown as the Internet did. As their “crawl” creeped through the Internet and users started to test the system, loyal users caught on and began to understand the implications of “SEARCH.”

As Google grew, Brin and Page had to make a decision about their futures. They could stay at Stanford and finish their graduate school or take a risk and for Google Inc. Lucky for us they took the risk. Starting out small in a friend’s house, Google Inc. became a garage company. Google picked up pace and quickly evolved into a venture backed business and later into a multi-million dollar empire.

One true principle resonates with Google’s creation “Google would never put advertisers ahead of its users.” (p. 92) And to this day, I believe it is this ideology that has allowed Google to become a super giant to rival Microsoft in market share. Google has forged a path in the business world that is different from the traditional roads. Brin and Page have led their brainchild down a more friendly yet saavy path. They did not stick to the useual profit triggered goals, but fought to ensure that their product is built for the consumer. It is this loyalty that helps to create customers for life.

John Battelle details Google’s history in a manner that plays out like a movie. I found myself drawn into the company’s success and cheering for Brin and Page’s risk taking spirit. My one criticism of Battelle’s story is that his depiction of Google predecessors and competitors does not read with the same passion as the main characters of his book, which may have been a concious decision to emphasis the power of Google. I am intrigued to keep reading for next week.

Interesting Development:

Ask.com has decided to go head to head with Google for a position as a leader in the “Search” industry. They have put out a television commercial that puts them in head to head competition with Google. I wonder if the consumer will bite? It seems to be an up hill battle to sway a users’ loyalty to a brand like Google.

Talking and Listening October 5, 2007

In the second half of Naked Conversations: How blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers, Robert Scoble and Shel Israel begin by covering the negative aspects of blogging. They address the situation in which some companies should not blog. Various factors that affect whether or not a company should blog include:

1. Culture of a company: the policies and nature of a company’s dynamic dictate whether the organization is open to blogging, or if it just does not fit into the way a company works. Culture is very slow to change in a business and usually only occurs when it is forced to in order to survive.
   
   
2. The “echo chamber” or the illusion of amplification: blogging can be deceptive- one might think they are reaching a broad audience when in reality only a select group are participating in the conversation.
   
   
3. FUD- Fear, uncertainty and doubt: These are the factors that lead companies to believe that they should not blog. Fear of what could happen, Uncertainty of what will happen, and Doubt that it will offer anything to the company
   
   

Scoble and Israel also address the type of people who should not blog:

1. Genuinely bad people: The authors use the example of Saddam Hussein—a leader who prefers to be the sole voice of his tyranny rather than creating a dialogue with his people. Readers do not want read what he has to say and Saddam would not respond well to their criticism.
   
   
2. Cheesy People/ Bad employers: “cheesy companies with cheesy products and disdain or contempt for their customers should not blog” (p.136). Companies well aware that they have a terrible product, treat their employees badly or have something to hide should not open themselves up to the dialogue of blogging.

 

1. Companies with highly sensitive and confidential information: this just opens them up for unnecessary risk. These are good secrets to keep.
   
   
2. Dull people- enough said.

 

Exploring FUD

A term coined by Gene Amdahl (p.140) addresses the resistance of corporations to change existing systems. The following list of concerns in relationship to blogging is addressed by Scoble and Isreal:

1. Negative Comments
2. Disclosing Confidential information
3. No ROI
4. Loss of Message Control
5. Competitive Disadvantages
6. Too much time- so few in the audience
7. Employee misbehavior

 

The Unwritten Rules

 

Scoble and Israel point out there are no blogging police (p.149) and a blogger can do anything he or she wants, but there are some simple rules of the game that will lead to a successful blog. Authenticity is the name of the game- readers relate to what is real; Scoble and Israel offer case studies of people who violated this rule and failed:

 

1. Mazda vs. Vespa—Mazda seeded their blog with fake customer experiences while Vespa used the real thing.
2. McDonalds and the Lincoln French Fry—example of a “lame” marketing idea.
3. Vichy and Captain Morgan—“character blogs are all lame” (p.153).

à Each of these examples point to one fact—blog visitors want authenticity.

 

A good blog should build trust, interest, awareness, and enthusiasm.( p.154)

Tips for Good blogging:

1. Picking the right nameà increase your search engine results
2. RSS
3. Find your focus

4/5. Passion and Authority

6. Commenting

7. Be accessible to your readers.

8. Tell your story.

9. Link to other blogs.

10. Meet face to face, not just screen to screen.

11. using the referrer log

 

Dooced? The Danger Zones of blogging

 

Scoble and Israel address the various “dangers” that are associated with blogging, as identified from executives, PR people and lawyers—all of which are pretty self-explanatory and obvious: (p. 182)

· Not matching the public image of the company

· Leaking confidential information

· Angering co-workers

· Breaking news before the PR team

· Airing dirty laundry

· Damaging company relationships

 

In relationship to these dangers Scoble and Israel present a set of questions every blogger should ask before exposing themselves. Scoble also provides his Corporate Weblog Manifesto—a long list of guidelines to blogging.

 

In a crisis? Write a blog

 

Scoble and Israel discuss the use of the blog in times of crisis. They assert that it can be a powerful tool in reaching the public in urgent times. Often the traditional PR methods can take days and weeks to be approved, when in reality time is of the essence. The leader of a company needs to respond in the fastest and most personal way—so why not the blog? Opinions form rapidly and it’s important for the image and sake of the company to get to the audience first.

 

Technology changes daily

 

The authors acknowledge that technology is always revitalizing itself. In chapter 14 they discuss the incorporation of Syndication through RSS, the evolution to the Podcast and internet broadcasting, easy to use video technology, and tagging. Each of these advancements changes the way we consume information. The tools give us greater flexibility and further use of technology.

 

Practical Consumption:

 

In this week’s reading I was particularly intrigued with the limited discussion on the evolution of video and its application online. In the short time since this book was published in 2006, the use of video on the internet, specifically in blogging has skyrocketed. The drawbacks addressed by Scoble and Israel, expensive and difficult to produce, have been remedied. Computers have built in webcams these days, or you can purchase a webcam for very little money. Even cell phones are equipped with digital still and video cameras. As the technology is incorporated into everyday life, the uses for video become infinite. Scoble and Israel also rationalize that video is less convenient than audio for people on the go, but I argue that audio and video are both accessible to people on the go. Ipods feature videos, as do PDAs and phones. The technology is changing the use at rapid rates.

 

I would argue that video is now the preferred method of communication. People gravitate to the personal connection and what better way to establish this than through VISUAL and AUDIO. This is the closest method to face to face interaction. Popular technology is paving the way, through the use of Skype—people can stay in touch across the globe and interact as if they were in the same room through the use of video conferencing. Even Facebook has added video sharing technology—users can post their favorite video clips and even leave messages on each other’s walls in video format. And don’t foget the use of online video during the YouTube Presidential debates.

 

As I have mentioned previously, my company’s brainchild ISupportThisMessage.com has evolved as a political video sharing platform. The CEO of the company has a traditional blog that he updates regularly and his next phase is to incorporate the vlog—as it is important to utilize the format we are promoting.

 

In relationship to the video format there are areas of business that are much slower to evolve that our social culture. At Global Vision Communications, we work with associations as part of our business. We advise these groups on their communications strategies and often we find they are behind the times. Several groups we work with have not even integrated HTML newsletters that link back to their websites. They send dated PDF documents to a distribution list. One of my current projects is to help them integrate video platforms to their websites and utilize our ASP model (see our ASP in action, visit capnews.net) to ISupportThisMessage.com. The technology is scary to them, but with very little training we have helped some to adopt a relatively easy to use production studio— a.k.a. their webcam and computer.

 

The Conversational Era

 

Scoble and Israel closed their discussion appropriately at the end of Naked Conversations. They realized our conversation is continually emerging. They addressed the short lifespan of “current” technology. We are moving at a rapid pace and making leaps and bounds at improving online communications. We can no longer put messages out there and hope for the best—we have to engage in dialogue to succeed. Its important to talk AND listen.

Scoble and Israel, Naked Conversations October 1, 2007

 

Reading Summary:

In their book, Naked Conversations, Robert Scoble and Shel Israel explore the effects of blogging on communications in the business community. The authors detail the nuts and bolts of what a blog is and how it functions, as well as the evolution of the technology. The main goal of their work is to inform the public of a very practical and useful technology tool that can be employed in any business. Scoble and Israel detail the positive results corporations, such as Microsoft, have had in putting a human face to a giant machine. They provide anecdotal evidence of how blogging can transform an image and create trustworthy marketing for various companies.

On page 28, Scoble and Israel discuss the reasons why businesspeople should blog and the differences between blogging and any other communications channel—they call these the Six Pillars of Blogging

* Publishable—anyone can do it
* Findable—easy to find with search engines
* Social—the blogosphere is one big conversation
* Viral—Information spreads very quickly
* Syndicatable—“home delivery” through RSS
* Linkable—each blog can link to another blog

These new features of communications have as much as or more power than traditional communications and are much more economical. Scoble and Israel define the key advantages of blogging as “blogging lets you listen to what people are saying about your product, company, or category and gives them the opportunity to respond. The result is that your business becomes connected to a new kind of smarter, more efficient word-of-mouth network.” (p. 44)

To demonstrate the power of blogging, Scoble and Israel provide case studies of big businesses, such as Microsoft, General Motors, Mark Cuban, Dave Winer, along with small businesses like English Cut, ActiveWords, Fellowship Church, Treonauts, and Stonyfield Farms. In each of these case studies blogging had a dramatic effect on these businesses allowing it to either solve a communications problem or allow the company to reach a new audience. In either case blogging improved these businesses.

Scoble and Israel detail the continuities that make blogging successful by offering tips from successful business bloggers (p. 79):

* Talk, don’t sell.
* Post often and interesting
* Write on issues you know and care about.
* Blogging saves money but costs time.

The authors also argue that while blogging should be an additional marketing tool, Scoble and Israel do not see this tool trying to fit into a typical marketing department. Blogging should take on a personal perspective to be successful. Readers do not want to be bombarded with sales pitches but rather find that human connection with the company. Traditional marketing can be left to the press releases and advertisements, while the blog should tap into the community within an organization.

Scoble and Israel also address the fundamental differences blogging has on various cultures outside of the United States. They explore blogging in Europe—France, Germany and Spain, as well as Asia—China and Japan.

Practical Analysis:

While I found the anecdotes Scoble and Israel depicted very interesting and intriguing several thoughts and questions plagued me as I read. If everyone is blogging, who is reading these blogs? I understand the intrigue to read what Microsoft employees have to say about the inner-workings of a giant powerhouse of a company, and I see the interest in reading what a powerful business mogul like Mark Cuban has to say, but it’s the rest of the world I am curious about. For example, my boss has two blogs one for his own personal musings about starting his own company, www.neilhare.com, and another, http://www.isupportthismessage.com/blog/ that is related to his brain-child project www.ISupportThisMessage.com– a political activism site. Now Scoble and Israel discuss the fact that many other small companies blog and reach a broader audience through finding niche sections of the population online and they offer examples of a few. But I am curious if this is the norm? In speaking with my boss, he has had mixed results with his two blogs. His personal blog has not had any direct correlation of influence on his business, but his blog for the political platform has helped drive traffic. However, I think this second success is in part due to his use of company resources and programmers to help with link building on other sites. So my question remains, if everyone is blogging will there be enough readers to put the eyeballs on each of these sites to make them a success?

Another thought:

One of my all time favorite guilty pleasures is a blog called PerezHilton.com. This blog was started by an unemployed actor by the name of Mario Lavandeira. Perez Hilton details Hollywood gossip, often times scooping many tabloids of their stories. The site features stories, pictures, and videos that can be controversial at times. This site has garnered so much attention and popularity that is has become a business in itself for Mario. The site gets millions of hits each day and has allowed Perez Hilton to become its own venture. Mario is now appearing on television as a gossip commentator; he also has been a contestant on a celeb-reality program and has become a celebrity himself. I feel he is a great example of the power of a blog, as he has never advertised the site and his readers have grown though word of mouth. Mario is both revered and hated in Hollywood. He has created a niche in the online community that many would love and are trying to tap into. I think PerezHilton.com is an example of the inquisitive nature of our society and people’s interest in putting a human touch on our celebrity culture. It is evident that celebrities want to be discussed by everyday people, while at the same time dismissing the tabloid culture.

Engaging our culture in information sharing September 24, 2007

Reading Summary:

In Chapters 7-12, Dan Gillmor addresses the evolution of the user on the internet. He discusses the inclusion of traditional media activists and the creation of the professional internet journalist. With each user becoming a consumer and producer of content through the creation of technology such as wiki media, Gillmor describes the incorporation and adoption of journalist values– accuracy, fairness, and ethical standards. It is this discussion that leads to the exploration of the boundaries of trust on the internet, thus incorporating the laws and regulations that dictate the protection of property and ideas on the internet. Gillmor then leaves us with a call to action, reminding us that each voice matters and to create your own news.

Practical Analysis and Exploration:

Dan Gillmor, author of We the Media, describes two guiding principles of news and technology: “The first is a belief in basic journalistic values, including accuracy, fairness, and ethical standards. The second is rooted in the very nature of technology: it’s relentless and unstoppable.” (p. 158) Gillmor uses these assumptions to help describe the “governing forces” behind the Internet in relationship to journalism. Earlier in We the Media, he describes “The Wiki Media Phenonmenon,” and the interesting relationship between users and creators. (p.148) As a society we have come to expect that our news sources have accurate and highly reliable information, and I believe that it is this accountability that has led us as a society to hold informal information sources to similar standards.

Wikipedia has become a community as Gillmor describes “that has the right tools to take care of itself.” (p.149) With its popularity it has grown more journalistic integrity. According to an article in the Washington Post on 9/17/2007, Wikipedia is one of the 10 most visited sites on the internet with 6 billion page views per month. When entering topics of interest in Google, Wikipedia almost always appears on the first page of search results.

Whether or not rigorous journalistic standards apply relies on the users and contributors interest in the topic. David Weinberger is quoted as saying “As a culture, we don’t agree. We just don’t. And what’s fascinating about Wikipedia is that it only works if there’s consensus.” Gillmor addresses this fact in We the Media, describing the survival of an article posted on the site when it is neutral in tone and when the “diametircal opposite can agree with it.” (p.149) I find this as a phenonmenon quite interesting, as a whole people are holding each other to higher standards of journalistic integrity rather than out-right self promotion. The Washington Post article describes an electronic debate that is waging over the integrity of information versus the implications it presents to presidential candidates in the 2008 eleciton. People want to know the facts straight and simple; while they form opinions to either side, they want to be able to find reliable information without a slant.

In many academic settings, Wikipedia is not seen as a “trusted” source of information, but at the same time it is probably one of the most up-to-date sources available online. The site’s popularity and engagement of contributors to record an “accurate” history of society is very interesting. We as a culture are not relying on professional journalists to record life, but rather we are contributing to its record on our own, thus creating a much closer to realistic perspective. Gillmor describes this interaction and its value on page 161 of We the Media, “When billions or even trillion of people and things are connected, the value of the network will transcend calculation.” The Internet has become a common ground for all users, thus demonstrating Wikipedia’s founding principle: “Everyone has something to contribute.”

We The Media September 13, 2007

Reading Summary:

Dan Gillmor begins his book, We the Media, by detailing the history of evolution of the internet and its acceptance into everyday life. Gillmor describes the powerful tools created by the world wide web to give everyday people a chance to join an “emerging conversation” (p. 14). We have gone from simple brochure websites to having a web 2.0 arsenal of tools. These tools are considered new technology and include wikis, blogs, text messaging, chatting, RSS, SMS just to name a few. These advancements in technology and their role in journalism have led to the creation of the “citizen journalist”– meaning that we as readers are now both consumers and producers of news through the use of this technology. Gillmor details the use of new media in politics to demonstrate his points. He chronicles the use of the internet in campaigns such as Howard Dean in 2004, and marks this campaign has a turning point in traditional campaigning.

Points of Interest and Practical Application:

In reading the first chapters (Introduction through Chapter 6) of We the Media: Grassrots Journalism By the People For the People by Dan Gillmor, I was most interested in his commentary on the influence of the internet on politics. My attention was most likely drawn to his ideas on this topic based on my own projects at work.

Gillmor discusses the need for campaigns to “improve the mechanics of getting out the vote” (p. 102) and he emphasizes technology’s role in this web 2.0 shift. I work for an interactive strategy PR firm and we have developed a new platform that aims to change the current political format. We have developed a site www.ISupportThisMessage.com (ISTM) that frames itself as an online polling station for political messages. But in reality it is and has the potential to be so much more. Gillmor mentions BBC’s ICan project and discusses the need to create a linked network on the issues; he specifically mentions the role journalists play in this network:
“The link to news articles that a)contain candidates’ statements, b)offer context to the topic, and c)can help your reader understand the overall issue better.” –page 104
In my opinion ISTM takes this concept to the next level. ISTM features political messages in the video format, both on the highly organized campaign level and the individual “homemade” user level. Anyone can post a video and ISTM provides the framework to support or oppose and offer feedback on that message. The data is then captured and presented in a report (if requested) that breaks down the information first by zip code/congressional district, and then also the framework is there to track other like minded individuals by interest, political affiliation, issue, and the list goes on.

The impact of this platform goes to support Jeff Jarvis’ statement that “the Internet is the first medium owned by the audience, the first medium to give the audience a voice.” –page 111.

The “Emerging Conversation” in Our Politics:

With the upcoming 2008 Presidential election, the incorporation of web 2.0 technology has already begun to play an important role in the candidates raising funds and reaching out to the voters. They all appear on sites like YouTube and are integrating social networking platforms such as Facebook and MySpace. It would be interesting to get Gillmor’s perspective on the influence of this technology, as it appears its incorporation into society seems to grow at light speed.