Friday, August 1, 2008
How Our Tech Helps Us Get Along - or Not
We are more likely to cooperate in a group when those who don’t get punished. “Darwin had a blind spot. It wasn’t that he didn’t see the role of cooperation in evolution. He just didn’t see how important it is.” Little has changed until relatively recently.
We were raised to compete because we were taught it was a matter of survival of the fittest. Yet, as David Brooks noted, even today, some believe in upfront combat and some in consensus.
Speaking of working together (or not), in many situations experts are not as accurate as a large group can be. “In fact, large groups, structured properly, can be smarter than the smartest member of a group.”
Want more insights on when and how we will act to accomplish something better together than apart? Explore The Cooperation Commons, a project co-sponsored by The Institute for the Future and today’s interviewee, the ever colorful, Howard Rheingold.
Last February this somewhat unconventional Stanford professor won a MacArthur Foundation grant to create a social media virtual classroom, “to show use how and why to use social media. What’s worked and what hasn’t, so far, in this experiment – and how can we learn from his experience, to hone our use of social media? Unlike many other academics, as Rheingold has written, “Talking about public opinion making is a richer experience if you’ve tried to do it.”
A veteran commentator on participatory and social media, he covers Second Life, flash mobs and group swarming that inspired Improv Everywhere, our instinctive desire to participate in a compatible group, ways the faces of political candidates influence voting, civic participation and the proliferation of uses for cell phones to riot, buy, protest, protect and play together.
Following up on how cell phone use is changing us, read the new book, by sociologist Rich Ling: New Tech, New Ties: How Mobile Communication Is Reshaping Social Cohesion.
See links at http://www.movingfrommetowe.com/2008/06/27/how-our-tech-helps-us-get-along-or-not/#more-709
We were raised to compete because we were taught it was a matter of survival of the fittest. Yet, as David Brooks noted, even today, some believe in upfront combat and some in consensus.
Speaking of working together (or not), in many situations experts are not as accurate as a large group can be. “In fact, large groups, structured properly, can be smarter than the smartest member of a group.”
Want more insights on when and how we will act to accomplish something better together than apart? Explore The Cooperation Commons, a project co-sponsored by The Institute for the Future and today’s interviewee, the ever colorful, Howard Rheingold.
Last February this somewhat unconventional Stanford professor won a MacArthur Foundation grant to create a social media virtual classroom, “to show use how and why to use social media. What’s worked and what hasn’t, so far, in this experiment – and how can we learn from his experience, to hone our use of social media? Unlike many other academics, as Rheingold has written, “Talking about public opinion making is a richer experience if you’ve tried to do it.”
A veteran commentator on participatory and social media, he covers Second Life, flash mobs and group swarming that inspired Improv Everywhere, our instinctive desire to participate in a compatible group, ways the faces of political candidates influence voting, civic participation and the proliferation of uses for cell phones to riot, buy, protest, protect and play together.
Following up on how cell phone use is changing us, read the new book, by sociologist Rich Ling: New Tech, New Ties: How Mobile Communication Is Reshaping Social Cohesion.
See links at http://www.movingfrommetowe.com/2008/06/27/how-our-tech-helps-us-get-along-or-not/#more-709
“Even You Can Draw It So They Quickly Understand, Kare”
n art class we were asked to draw a familiar object. I picked something simple. A tire. No one could recognize it. And yet, after reading The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures I was able to draw a description of SmartPartnering and another on storyboarding.
Let people literally see your idea to adopt it faster or to buy. Read this fun book by Dan Roam. Dan gives you a method based on our six ways of seeing:1. who/what 2. how much 3. where 4. when 5. how 6. why. These ways affect each step in our visually thinking/creating process:
1. Identify the topic/issue
2. Develop an idea/approach, to
3. Express a solution.
Herb Kelleher intuited this approach when he used a bar napkin to show investors how Southwest Airlines could beat competitors.
I thought of Dan’s book when Ellen spoke to me after my session at the IABC conference in New York last week. Her firm, Cognac shows that even complex topics can be understood in ten minutes or less – with the right “big picture” image. Since our brains retain visual information much better (David Melcher says 89% more) than text, this is mighty good news.
Even better, hear Dan lead a teleseminar on July 9th. It’s free. And he’ll be joined by several bright minds: Seth Godin, Anil Dash and Rich Sloan.
Also hear my interviews with two other gurus in the fast-growing field of visual thinking, Lee LeFever and David Sibbet. Here’s Carl Gude’s visual shorthand for politics.
Ok. If you are still not comfortable drawing your own explanation, to illustrate your text, here’s some free resources for drawings, clipart and photos suggested by Meryl Evans.
Or discover simple ways to make and distribute “how to” videos.
By the way you can hear BlogTalkRadio’s John Havens interview me at IABC.
Let people literally see your idea to adopt it faster or to buy. Read this fun book by Dan Roam. Dan gives you a method based on our six ways of seeing:1. who/what 2. how much 3. where 4. when 5. how 6. why. These ways affect each step in our visually thinking/creating process:
1. Identify the topic/issue
2. Develop an idea/approach, to
3. Express a solution.
Herb Kelleher intuited this approach when he used a bar napkin to show investors how Southwest Airlines could beat competitors.
I thought of Dan’s book when Ellen spoke to me after my session at the IABC conference in New York last week. Her firm, Cognac shows that even complex topics can be understood in ten minutes or less – with the right “big picture” image. Since our brains retain visual information much better (David Melcher says 89% more) than text, this is mighty good news.
Even better, hear Dan lead a teleseminar on July 9th. It’s free. And he’ll be joined by several bright minds: Seth Godin, Anil Dash and Rich Sloan.
Also hear my interviews with two other gurus in the fast-growing field of visual thinking, Lee LeFever and David Sibbet. Here’s Carl Gude’s visual shorthand for politics.
Ok. If you are still not comfortable drawing your own explanation, to illustrate your text, here’s some free resources for drawings, clipart and photos suggested by Meryl Evans.
Or discover simple ways to make and distribute “how to” videos.
By the way you can hear BlogTalkRadio’s John Havens interview me at IABC.
Got a Loafer on Your Team or Committee?
Is someone not pulling their weight yet expecting to enjoy the fruits of your group’s hard work? Here are five tips to prevent freeloading. Avoid the unattractive, energy-sucking role of the nag. Instead increase the chances of bringing out the best talents and temperament in everyone. That makes work more productive and life more fun.
1. Meet in person at least once
Face-to-face meetings are more likely to build relationships than meeting virtually, by phone or online. After making a connection in person we are inclined to bond with the group and want to follow through.
2. Establish rules of engagement
As a group create ground rules that involve rewards and penalties. If, for example, someone doesn’t meet a deadline and doesn’t explain in advance, offering an alternative to make up for the loss, will the group drop that person?
3. Agree on a few vital commitments
As a group, prioritize top goals and tasks. Rather than agreeing to many assignments, settle on a few that are important to each member. Success begets more success – and group esprit de corps. Over-committing then missing goals makes one feel guilty and avoid teammates. It brings down the whole team.
4. Create a visible task tracking system
Create a way that all committee members must record their progress on a task and view others’ progress. Such transparency affects each member’s reputation with others on the team. The most successful self-managed teams have a specific top goal and a short, prioritized list of concretely-described tasks – each with a lead person and timetable. All these elements are easily viewable by all members.
5. Provide an automatic reminder system
Create a way that members receive reminders for key deadlines, perhaps by email. This system may also include notification when other team members have completed tasks or provided information that’s needed for a member to take the next step.
This is my lightly-adapted version of Ken Thompson’s tips for “stopping team freeriding.” As the author of Bioteams and an expert on team dynamics and virtual collaboration Thompson has a treasure trove of Me2We tips including two of my favorites, Five tips for a perfect meeting and The seven beliefs of high performing teams. Hear Ken’s interview and discover more about the power of self-organizing (Peer2Peer) groups.
See links here http://www.movingfrommetowe.com/2008/07/25/got-a-loafer-on-your-team-or-committee/
1. Meet in person at least once
Face-to-face meetings are more likely to build relationships than meeting virtually, by phone or online. After making a connection in person we are inclined to bond with the group and want to follow through.
2. Establish rules of engagement
As a group create ground rules that involve rewards and penalties. If, for example, someone doesn’t meet a deadline and doesn’t explain in advance, offering an alternative to make up for the loss, will the group drop that person?
3. Agree on a few vital commitments
As a group, prioritize top goals and tasks. Rather than agreeing to many assignments, settle on a few that are important to each member. Success begets more success – and group esprit de corps. Over-committing then missing goals makes one feel guilty and avoid teammates. It brings down the whole team.
4. Create a visible task tracking system
Create a way that all committee members must record their progress on a task and view others’ progress. Such transparency affects each member’s reputation with others on the team. The most successful self-managed teams have a specific top goal and a short, prioritized list of concretely-described tasks – each with a lead person and timetable. All these elements are easily viewable by all members.
5. Provide an automatic reminder system
Create a way that members receive reminders for key deadlines, perhaps by email. This system may also include notification when other team members have completed tasks or provided information that’s needed for a member to take the next step.
This is my lightly-adapted version of Ken Thompson’s tips for “stopping team freeriding.” As the author of Bioteams and an expert on team dynamics and virtual collaboration Thompson has a treasure trove of Me2We tips including two of my favorites, Five tips for a perfect meeting and The seven beliefs of high performing teams. Hear Ken’s interview and discover more about the power of self-organizing (Peer2Peer) groups.
See links here http://www.movingfrommetowe.com/2008/07/25/got-a-loafer-on-your-team-or-committee/
Send a singing telegram via email.
Share your own lyrics. Make them up right now at your computer. It’s simple. Honest.
Ask Humphrey or Gina to sing them for you. (They’re rather eccentric yet fun.) Then make your friends laugh, smile … (or cry?) when they receive your singing telegram. Go ahead. It’s free at kakomessenger.
Sitting all by yourself in front of your computer too long? Here’s another musical vacation you
can take right now. Hear Bill Withers sing Lean on Me - just for you. He’s waiting over at songza and at last.fm, along with a legion of other legendary musicians.
After all, “music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life” or, uh, conjures up new ways of seeing the world.
Ask Humphrey or Gina to sing them for you. (They’re rather eccentric yet fun.) Then make your friends laugh, smile … (or cry?) when they receive your singing telegram. Go ahead. It’s free at kakomessenger.
Sitting all by yourself in front of your computer too long? Here’s another musical vacation you
can take right now. Hear Bill Withers sing Lean on Me - just for you. He’s waiting over at songza and at last.fm, along with a legion of other legendary musicians.
After all, “music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life” or, uh, conjures up new ways of seeing the world.
Attract Fans & Sales With Your Own Book Club
Authors’ alert: Try your version of Seth Godin’s newest crowd attractor that rocketed his book to the top ten bestsellers at Amazon. And the book isn’t even out yet.
Here’s what happened. About two months ago, he offered his fans the chance to be on the cover of his next book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us. Those who were quick to act might (might!) be among the crowd of faces on the book.
Note: “Quick” evokes “scarcity,” which spurs us to act, according to Influence author, Robert Cialdini.
To further stoke his visibility and his advance sales of the book, yesterday Godin invited community-builders and marketers to meet each other over at his “private,” subscriber-based social network site, aka an online book club. Of course, even these ostensibly key influencers had to provide electronic proof that they’d pre-ordered a copy of the book at Amazon. That membership requirement certainly cements a SmartPartnership between the author and Amazon. Also, Seth’s social network site, aka book club was launched off the free provider, Ning.
Some are offended by Seth’s approach.
Yet, as Ron Hogan at Mediabistro suggests, it is a super quick way for an author to start and grow a book club and boost sales. Even less famous authors (such as the rest of us) can adapt this approach to entice our kind of readers to buy early, tell others and get to know each other online – thus building an active fan community to buy our future books.
(If politicans and pet stores can start book clubs, why not authors?) Finally, to cover your bases, create a book club page at Mahalo and Squidoo - and a write up at the still ungainly “steamroller” of an author-credited, wiki service, Knol.
See more at http://www.movingfrommetowe.com/2008/07/30/jumpstart-sales-with-your-own-book-club/
Here’s what happened. About two months ago, he offered his fans the chance to be on the cover of his next book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us. Those who were quick to act might (might!) be among the crowd of faces on the book.
Note: “Quick” evokes “scarcity,” which spurs us to act, according to Influence author, Robert Cialdini.
To further stoke his visibility and his advance sales of the book, yesterday Godin invited community-builders and marketers to meet each other over at his “private,” subscriber-based social network site, aka an online book club. Of course, even these ostensibly key influencers had to provide electronic proof that they’d pre-ordered a copy of the book at Amazon. That membership requirement certainly cements a SmartPartnership between the author and Amazon. Also, Seth’s social network site, aka book club was launched off the free provider, Ning.
Some are offended by Seth’s approach.
Yet, as Ron Hogan at Mediabistro suggests, it is a super quick way for an author to start and grow a book club and boost sales. Even less famous authors (such as the rest of us) can adapt this approach to entice our kind of readers to buy early, tell others and get to know each other online – thus building an active fan community to buy our future books.
(If politicans and pet stores can start book clubs, why not authors?) Finally, to cover your bases, create a book club page at Mahalo and Squidoo - and a write up at the still ungainly “steamroller” of an author-credited, wiki service, Knol.
See more at http://www.movingfrommetowe.com/2008/07/30/jumpstart-sales-with-your-own-book-club/
Thoughtful Ways to Use LinkedIn
Want to ask your colleagues a question as you research a project or when you need a recommendation? Have a strong aversion to the spamlike behavior that can happen at Facebook and other social media sites?
Find over 100 tips for tapping the Wisdom of the Crowds (people you know) - using LinkedIn - a “professional” rather than “social” site. Of course, the tips were collected in the same way.
LinkedIn and networking expert, Scott Allen recruited others to share their favorite methods in a group writing project he called “Smart Ways to Use LinkedIn.” Ideas poured in.
My favorite is Guy Kawasaki’s Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn. Here’s others I found especially helpful. Andrew Shaindlin discusses the Pros and Cons of LinkedIn for Alumni Groups. Diane K. Danielson offered ways for “Getting More Than Just Answers.” Jason Calacanis and Loren Baker describe how to use it for market research.
As a former journalist I appreciated Penelope Trunk’s 10 Ways Journalists Can Use LinkedIn. Elsewhere Leo Babauta shows how it can help your productivity. Allson Doyle notes it aids job hunting, and eHow shows how to create a great profile, find people you know and more.
There’s even way for public officials to use it. See the blog and brand new book, “I’m On LinkedIn - Now What? by Jason Alba. It was only last December when LinkedIn opened up to partner with other firms to generate more value for members.
How? By allowing companies to add LinkedIn features to their websites.
Here’s reassuring news. If people in your network do not live up to your values you can break the connection. How do you use LinkedIn? In this podcast hear Scott Allen offer fresh ways to succeed through partnering.
Find over 100 tips for tapping the Wisdom of the Crowds (people you know) - using LinkedIn - a “professional” rather than “social” site. Of course, the tips were collected in the same way.
LinkedIn and networking expert, Scott Allen recruited others to share their favorite methods in a group writing project he called “Smart Ways to Use LinkedIn.” Ideas poured in.
My favorite is Guy Kawasaki’s Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn. Here’s others I found especially helpful. Andrew Shaindlin discusses the Pros and Cons of LinkedIn for Alumni Groups. Diane K. Danielson offered ways for “Getting More Than Just Answers.” Jason Calacanis and Loren Baker describe how to use it for market research.
As a former journalist I appreciated Penelope Trunk’s 10 Ways Journalists Can Use LinkedIn. Elsewhere Leo Babauta shows how it can help your productivity. Allson Doyle notes it aids job hunting, and eHow shows how to create a great profile, find people you know and more.
There’s even way for public officials to use it. See the blog and brand new book, “I’m On LinkedIn - Now What? by Jason Alba. It was only last December when LinkedIn opened up to partner with other firms to generate more value for members.
How? By allowing companies to add LinkedIn features to their websites.
Here’s reassuring news. If people in your network do not live up to your values you can break the connection. How do you use LinkedIn? In this podcast hear Scott Allen offer fresh ways to succeed through partnering.
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