More thoughts on Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us

Got my speakers going and checked the sound on the link for the last post.
Then I stumbled on this similarly produced pencil and paper reply. I just had to share it.

I’m thinking here about conversation and growth of ideas.

The original Wesch video Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us explained something, the follow-up by CoryTheRaven questioned the thought. It reminded me that some time ago I saw this post from ResourceShelf about a Webcast Online: Why Large Companies Should Out-Innovate Small Ones

They referenced a weblecture by Dan Hesse where he suggested that big companies “make it impossible for the smaller guys to compete.”

But the fact of the matter is this: Ideas don’t come from teams. Ideas come from individuals. It is key to growth of the idea that others participate in the development of the full concept. But the idea has to start someplace.

Somebody has to ask that first question. Somebody has to say — out loud — in a meeting, “The Emperor has no clothes.” Somebody has to say, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we didn’t need to use candle light to see?”

Or perhaps better put, someone has to first imagine that there is a question. Ask it and begin to find the answer.

So
Happy viewing. Happy thinking. Happy writing.
Share your thoughts or ideas, or no one gets the benefit.

Tell me what you think.

What is Web 2.0?

Web2_0
Have you been hearing references to Web 2.0 and don’t quite get what that means… No, it’s not a new programing language. If you want the whole magilla on it, check out this piece over at O’Reilly Media for more information than you could possibly need, unless, of course, you DO need it. (BTW, you should know, there is more than one O’Reilly in the world)

But if you just want to get the basic idea so you can sound smart at parties, check out this great video hosted over on YouTube explaining Web 2.0 by Michael Wesch, associate professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University.

I have to tell you that the new set up of my machine is not quite complete and has left me without speakers… but I didn’t want to wait to tell you about great video. It easily gets the message across even in silence. My apologies if the sound is weird… but I’m betting it’s not.

I don’t know how many people might notice that the beginning of this short flick looks an awful lot like “Why Man Creates” the 1968 classic short film by Saul Bass.

I must have seen that movie 20 times while I was in college. Art professors showed it as well as my favorite Math King, Marvin Brubaker, who retired last year from Messiah College in Grantham, PA. (He once told me he was the only democrat there… OK, maybe one of a very few.) But they honored him at a great retirement gig that I was pleased to attend.

Funny how your favorite professor, who you thought really liked you best, really seemed to like everyone best? How cool is that? How fortunate for those of us who felt special … even if it was less than we really imagined.

How to get up in the morning?

%(*^ alarm clock
Try practice.

I know that final push to actually be awake in the morning is a struggle for lots of people. My DearHusband hits that snooze alarm the first time at about 5:15 am finally finds himself on the way to the shower between 6:15 and 6:30 (Yes, I KNOW, that’s a lot of snoozes!)

I’m glad my oldest son finally moved out. It was time; he was 20 something. I was tired of trying to set off a nuclear bomb under his bed every morning to get him moving.

Some people with ADHD take their meds an hour before they really have to get up and then, thanks to the better living with chemicals, they can just get up.

But when I saw this suggestion by David Seah over at Better Living Through New Media . He was talking about his experiment to get up every day at 6 am. He’s trying practicing getting up… Well, it boggles my mind. He sourced StevePavlina.com
 who suggests:

This is going to sound really stupid, but it works. Practice getting up as soon as your alarm goes off. That’s right — practice. But don’t do it in the morning. Do it during the day when you’re wide awake.

Steve has a couple of articles about getting up and getting going like How to be an early riser and this one that my father would have just loved called Bear Bombing (You just gotta read that! But don’t call children’s services on me.. I only laughed and IMAGINED it would work.) They all sound pretty logical, but I wonder if a mother could make a kid practice? THAT’s the time to get this straight, when the kids are small and require only a shake or two and not a neutron bomb!

I’m not sure it would work. If you’ve tried it an it worked for you, I’d sure like to know about it.

Happy waking.

Kerch

Cool Stuff Being Made

Thank you very much to the librarians and researchers over at the ResourceShelf for once again showing me more fascinating ways to waste time!

They did warn me. Cool Stuff Being Made requires a “time sink alert.”

Ah yes.. This morning I watched a video on how Silly Putty is made and my hero, Red Green narrated one on how Duct Tape is made.. And there are so many more to go!

Thanks to the National Association of Manufacturers for this on demand learning stuff!
Oh the hours I can flick away with THIS great info!

kerch

Networking or building relationships

I really hate the whole networking thing. I hate going to events and shoving cards into as many hands as I can. (Although, I do kinda like taking the cards home and writing postcards to the people I met. But more and more people don’t bother to include street addresses. So that just frustrates me.)

In the fall I took the assessment associated with the book Now, Discover Your Strengths.

One of my top five strengths is “Relator.” That means I prefer spending time with people I already know. I’m not shy. I don’t dislike meeting new people. But mostly I prefer to build relationships. I want to understand the dreams and goals, fears and pleasures of the people I know.

To me, relationships only have value if they’re genuine. I have a very low tolerance for political games and BS. I know there is a risk to say this out loud. (And perhaps more of one to publish it on the web where it will live forever. There goes my shot at a supreme court judgeship!)

I know there is a risk involved in starting my kind of relationships with people. At the outset, I can never know if the other person is on the same page as me. Maybe I’ll put a lot into the relationship and find out that the other person just wants something from me – not necessarily a sharing thing. But when the connection works, it’s a beautiful thing.

Before I knew about this relator part of me, I thought I was some how flawed because I had such a hard time making myself attend more networking events and shoving more cards into more people’s hands. But now I’m thinking, as a relator, I have to find other ways to connect to new people.

I stumbled on this post in the blog, Addicted to the Hustle, written by Fredd Kambo

I don’t bother “networking” anymore, instead, I try to build relationships with people I find interesting, and who I think are doing interesting things. And I make it my mission to help them in any way I can to achieve their mission. I find this much more satisfying, much more honorable, and much more fun. And this is the cool thing about people….When you help them out in this way, they help you out. Not because it’s a tit for tat deal, but because both parties are engaged in a mutually beneficial relationship that extends beyond the next favor.


Hey, I was a math major, I can put two and two together
I add Fredd’s idea to what I’ve learned from Ellen Bristol at the Bristol Strategy Group about Selling the Smart Way® and finding my “ideal client.” And I’m thinking I just have to get more clear about just who are the people I really want to work with. When I know who they are it should be easier to find them. Personally, I’d rather talk to four people and get three new clients than groaning under the prospect of having to talk to 100 people in order to find 5. (Besides, I have ADHD. I’ll forget the plan way before I hit 32 contacts)

So maybe I’ll just put it out here:

  • I love to work with people who own their own companies. There is so much happening so quickly when you’re the top dog. If you’re not careful you’ll miss enjoying the ride on that pony you started down the mountain.
  • I “get” IT types and engineers and they fascinate me. Maybe because they are so much about “fixing things” and that feels like a commitment to progress. I love to work with other coaches who get the process.
  • I want people who will commit to at least three months of work and then keep going. I don’t really care what the schedule of appointments is, but I love it when it’s consistent. It’s really a rush for me when clients come to the call having thought about what they said the last time they’d do by this time, and then have made some progress on that… even just a little.
  • I don’t like to feel like I’m taking my client’s last dollar. I don’t like working with people who always seem to know whose fault it is that their in a certain position, who never take responsibility for their own situation. (You might need therapy) I don’t write resumes, but I will look at them and give you my opinion of you from the page. I’m not a professional organizer. I know some I can recommend. I can talk to you about how your stuff is working for, or against you, and help you decide what you really want to do with the stuff. But I’m probably not going to sit on the floor with you while you go through boxes of files.
  • But most of all: I love people with too many ideas — people who can always think of another way to do something are never boring. Sometimes I have to hang on tight to the string of their kite as they soar to new heights and see new sights. (OK, maybe that was a really lame attempt at literary something or other, but you get the idea.) I love to help work out the details of that plan when they come back down to earth.

Call me if you’re ready for a coach. Let’s see if I’m the one for you right now.

Call me if you were a client and are ready, or thinking about coming back. I love connecting with old friends.

Call me if you want more information. I’m happy to be a resource.
And if you’re working on some marketing plan of your own, just who are your ideal clients? Can you name them? Can you figure out how to get more? Want some help?

Call me or send me a note.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

Kerch