Web-Tones

Marketing is not evil (revisited):

Link: Doc Searls Weblog � Go from hell. I am a big fan of the "good doctor" and "the cluetrain manifesto" was a major part of the inspiration behind "Silicon Stories" but I do not understand Doc's obsession with the "evil that is marketing."

Sure, I don't necessarily want to be marketed to 24/7 on each and every connected device that I own and over the telephone at dinner, or most other times, but that does not lead me to the conclusion that "marketing is evil." Doc may not be going this far, but his rants are pretty damn close.

Our (as in "us Americans") ability to market has led to one of the greatest standards of living the world has ever known. Yeah, there are no perfect economic systems, but this one has managed to work quite well, thank you very much, despite the fact it often abuses the least of those among us and over compensates the rest.

Even the non-marketing "buy side movement" will require marketing if it is to succeed!

Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: Adblock Plus: what would Jesus do?

Link: Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: Adblock Plus: what would Jesus do?. While I agree with most of Nick's analysis I am not necessarily convinced that Jesus would be anti-market or anti-advertising. The hidden premise here being that Jesus was the "original socialist." A more plausible argument is that Jesus might have believed in a "less Darwinian market" but the basic workings of supply and demand and a free and open marketplace are not necessarily, or even probably, inconsistent with the kind of Christianity espoused by Lord himself--including marketing and advertising (i.e. marketing and advertising are NOT evil). Granted I am far from an expert on these matters, so consider the source.

Can't Buy You Love?

Link: The angst of Silicon Valley (Scripting News). We die. Those were the two words that made the cluetrain manifesto the great read that it was/is--markets as conversations yes, but within the context of our own mortality. It is only through recognizing our own mortality that we begin to get a perspective on the important issues in life, only a subset of which have to do with what we do for a living and the benefits we derive therefrom.

If you believe, as I do, that all good things in the universe happen through divine grace, then you will have no problem understanding why those among us (see link above) with north of a million dollars (or several million) in net worth do not feel secure with such a pittance. There is no amount of net worth that will make people feel secure. Security, if it can be had at all given the "heartaches and the thousand natural shocks the flesh is heir to," comes from what we believe in and the way that we live.

There is nothing wrong with material wealth, only a fool would believe that there is. However, the Beatles had it right: "I don't care too much for money, because money can't buy me love" nor much of anything that is really worth having! I would rather spend my days doing what I love and earn a modest living than to be a "fat man in the eye of a needle."

The Good 'Ole Days Weren't All That Good

Link: New Freedom Destroys Old Culture: A response to Nick Carr. Many-to-Many: I love Clay's piece and I also enjoyed Nick's, despite the fact that they (presumably) take different sides of this argument. Nick's piece did not strike me as nostalgic when I read it (it has been awhile) and I will have to revisit it in light of what Clay has written. It just appeared to be a well researched and eloquently articulated post. His argument appeared plausible and, like I said, I enjoyed reading it. I seriously doubt that re-reading it will change that, even if I find it to be "nostalgic."

That said, I have little patience for the kind of nostalgia that Clay describes. I wrote about it in What Comes After What Comes Next? When someone waxes nostalgic about the "good 'ole days" (e.g. the 1950's), the first thing that comes to mind is "good for whom?" Change happens, deal with it.

Talent Wars: The Song Remains the Same

I have written on this topic in the past here and the more things change the more they remain the same. In a skills based economy, talent trumps! However, it is not clear that the majority of knowledge-based enterprises (which aren't?) "get it." But, even those that do, have the enormous challenge of growing, finding and retaining their fair share of talent.

Formerly, in the technology space, it was "superior technical skills" that were highly sought after. These remain important, but more important is the combination of "hard and soft skills" required to compete in the new economy. It is all about relationships and effective communications. It is all about story telling. But the billion dollar question is "where are the combination of these skills taught?"

Companies are forced to consistently find the "needle in the haystack" or create a learning environment where a constant supply of needles are "manufactured" over time. The latter is the ultimate differentiator but it is difficult to do in a hyper-competitive economic environment. The former (i.e. recruiting) will continue play a significant role. The right combination of the two is the challenge in the short run--that and ensuring you retain the talent once you acquire it.

e-Commerce Growth Slowing, What Gives?

Link: Online Sales Lose Steam as Buyers Grow Web-Weary - New York Times. The data for e-Commerce sales going forward is not a rosy as it has been in the past. The "data collectors" have been predicting this for some time now and there are many factors contributing to the slowdown. The interesting phenomenon that is emerging is not "clicks versus bricks" but "clicks & bricks." The so called hybrid models may be the e-Commerce winners going forward. Why? Because we do not live in the on-line world as opposed to the off-line world, we simply live and work in the world, which is a world of bits and of atoms. What we want is the integration of the two. The companies that can provide a "seamless integrated experience" are likely to get our attention.

The takeaway is that face time still matters; personal relationships still matter; service from a human being that we know and trust still matters. Yeah the bits still matter, but you cannot hide behind the faceless facade of the network.

Authors of Each Other

I like this post by Doc Searls. We are all "authors of each other." Why? Because  everyone once in a while, when  the "good doctor" is not busy ranting about VRM, a topic no doubt important but for whatever reason my interests don't go there, he will post something  "Cluetrainesque." Here he addresses how we all get caught up in the sound of our own wheels turning with "social media this" and "web 2.0 that" (guilty as charged) but in reality the best of the web is grounded in our humanity and when we inform (as opposed to delivering information) we "enlarge" these ties that bond, something writers (of all stripes) have been doing now for thousands of years...

Law School Question (sort of)

Link: Chuck Newton: How To Choose A Law School. I really enjoy Chuck Newton's (or Mr. Chuck, or Mr Chuck Newton, or well never mind it is just "an 'ole Texas thing") writing style/voice as well as that of my good friend Rick "Saint" Georges not only because they inform,  but primarily because they also entertain. It is a rare gift to be able to do both. It seems to me that they both just love to write and it shows...

BTW Chuck, I really believe that your post on choosing a law school is really "on point," especially that part about it being "all about the karma dude." Strange that Chuck would use the word "dude" (from Texas and all). I lived in Houston for 20 years and the only time I heard "dude" was when I said it--so Mr. Newton (sir), I appreciate you being both brilliant, Texan and west coast hip at the same time!

Face Time & Video

There is a danger/paradox of becoming disconnected when we spend a large part of our time in the "online world." Being online is obviously becoming more and more a requirement in the western world and everywhere else as well. Here's a podcast about the importance of "face time" in business and here why "face time" is an absolute requirement in China.

The importance of seeing and hearing to our "lizard brains" is one of the reasons that Internet video is quickly becoming the "next killer app" (best way to describe it despite the cliche). But even this is no substitution for the real thing.

I often go to the spa as a way of "social networking"--not because I am looking for professional contacts but simply because I enjoy sitting in a coed sauna and chatting with the "old timers" (read retirees) about everyday stuff. It makes me feel "plugged in" socially in a much more profound way...
 

Liberal Arts Geeks

Link: Dealing_with_Darwin: Dateline Davos: The Shifting Power Equation. Geoff doesn't post often but when he does it is usually quite insightful. Here he comments on many different kinds of power shifts but particularly on the shift from those that don't communicate well to those that do. This idea is also captured in a manifesto by Steve Hardy entitled "The Creative Generalist" here. It is, according to Geoff, the antithesis of the "revenge of the nerds."

While I agree with this for the most part (i.e. a shift to the liberal arts enabled) I would qualify that and say that the shift is to the "geeky liberal arts enabled"--a kind of techno literacy is still required but it is much less engineering centric.