Web-Tones

Is the medium more than the message?

Link: Poll: US Attitudes About Internet Are Insane. I am not sure what to think of these results other than this "thing" we call the medium is perhaps more powerful than what we have previously attributed to it.

The absolute obsession with search, social networks, and all things digital on college campuses (and elsewhere) is startling--even for those of us who have been long time netizens and observers of this space.

There is something transformative happening that is perhaps more fundamental and profound than even what a credible futurist (e.g. Alvin Toffler) might acknowledge. Perhaps a "singularity" of sorts is starting to manifest?

The Wiz Kids Are Coming (again)

Paul Graham writes about how easy it is to start a web business here. But this phenomenon applies to all sorts of businesses. The "wired generation" is not likely to buy the "climb the corporate ladder BS" when they can better secure their futures by "taking it to the street."

Large law firms are already feeling the "brain drain" crunch and are starting to get concerned that they are losing their best talent. Really? You mean that the "kids" are not excited about working 2000 to 2500 hours a year so that maybe they can make partner?

OK, not all of them are going to make it on their own, but the "best and brightest" among them certainly are. And there is no shortage of organizations that are poised to help them "cross the chasm." Suffice it to say that the long tail  works in their favor.

The CIO is Here to Stay!

Link: Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: Twilight of the CIO. As much as I enjoy reading Nick's blog, from time to time he will post something so utterly absurd that it makes me question whether or not he simply looks for data that fits neatly into his IT vision or his next book?

What is it that will make the CIO disappear? Some executive that has learned to use a browser and a couple of Web 2.0 apps suddenly is tech savvy enough to understand enterprise messaging  (even if outsourced), data warehousing, knowledge management, disaster recovery, application development, anywhere/anytime access, security and a host of additional "stuff" that CIO's worry about on a daily basis?

This is the danger of "pure punditry" --credibility in  a particular space all of a sudden turns into a license to pontificate about matters wherein they know very little.

I can assure you that any CIO worth his salt (and CEO for that matter) does not believe that CIO's will be disappearing anytime soon. The job, despite often under appreciated, is becoming more important not less!

Embrace and Extend

Link: Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: Microsoft: the cloud as feature. If anyone believes that Microsoft will be shut out of the Web 2.0 space, or even marginalized to a significant degree, they don't really understand how the "boys from Redmond" work. MS has always been more of a "fast follower" than an innovator.

Embrace, extend and integrate has been the mantra since the early versions of Office. The integration piece was, and remains, MS' greatest innovation--and no small feat. Once this vision was in place, at a company with the market clout to deliver on the promise, the rest was inevitable. MS is not likely to lose its franchise because it will continue to ride Bill's legacy into the foreseeable future (and beyond).

The next obvious extension will be to the cloud. Most of its existing user base will follow it there. As interesting as some of the Web 2.0 office suites look, they pale in comparison to the addiction to MS Office by the masses.

Sure, the monopoly has some serious competition this time, and the marketplace will benefit because of it, but the MS Office franchise is secure--not only is it alive and well, but it will continue to thrive. The real innovation lies elsewhere, and may in fact come from innovative uses of technology than from technology itself.