Bird's Eye View

More Inner Circle Comments

Yesterday's blog mentioned the recent Inner Circle gathering I facilitated among an extraordinary group of senior executives, over breakfast at the New York Stock Exchange. Our topic was "New Media" and it's safe to say there is no consensus on where "new media" is headed, thus what the sure fire investments are and which will turn out to be duds. So everyone was keen to learn others' perspectives, hoping to find a possible new concept on which to build a strategy.

Here are some random observations and new items/services shared by attendees.

One mentioned Text Eagle. Have you heard of it? Provides proofreading and copy editing services over your cell phone. Amazing! 

Inner Circle - June 2009

How about cellbazaar.com. Some call it the Craig's List of Bangladesh. Here's how that works: "Imagine you're in Bangladesh and you want to buy a cow. You pull your mobile phone out of your pocket and start sending text messages to 3838, the shortcode for CellBazaar, a mobile phone marketplace which some have called the "Craigslist of Bangladesh." You look through the relevant ads and look at the ages, locations, and number of teeth of the 187 cows that are currently for sale. After another SMS, you are connected with the phone number of the the seller, ready to make your new purchase. What could have taken days to coordinate was made easy by a series of simple text messages."

One thing on which our gathered experts did agree is that clarity and simplicity are key to success in building community.  Tina Brown, the genius behind The Daily Beast, is credited for doing that about as well as it gets, at least thus far.  Her strategy appears to be that she'll build the community first (and, by all accounts, it appears to be growing exponentially), then add the revenue model. 

Inner Circle - June 2009

Others talked of the challenge marketers have to use the web to sell merchandise and services since now their competition is not only other vendors, but it is sometimes an individual selling stuff out of her closet...or garage, who captivates an interested clientèle, with no retail establishment in site. 

Someone mentioned "massive intimacy," the phenomenon of feeling close to lots of people... or at least having some connection with lots of people. But there is arguably little depth to these relationships. Think Ashton Kutcher and his million Twitter followers. 

The argument that it is most necessary to build community, and worry about making money later was challenged.  At least one investor said she wants to see the business model from the get go, rather than hope that enough people will find a site interesting to warrant creating a business model after the fact. Yet others feel strongly that one of the differentiating factors of our current world is that more and more people are doing things that are not economically motivated. This is a special time in history where the business model may not be the first thing out of the chute in building a new business.

More later...

Inner Circle Comments

Our Inner Circle met last Friday at the New York Stock Exchange, co-hosted by Scott Cutler, EVP of the NYSE, and me.  The topic was the impact of new media on business, communities, the world, and the group of 15 we gathered to discuss it represented a breadth of expertise seldom seen in one place at the same time.  It was great fun--and thrillingly instructive--to facilitate this group: Tina Brown, the genius behind TheDailyBeast.com; Kenny Miller, EVP and Digital Creative Director of MTV; Esther Dyson, investor extraordinaire and Board Director of an impressive array of companies, all cutting edge; Lucas Watson, Global Head of Digital Business Strategy at P&G; June Cohen, the genius behind TED's growth into a media organization like none other...and others.  Amazing. 

 

Inner Circle - June 2009

Laurie Coots, Global Chief Marketing Officer for TBWA\Chiat Day, introduced a way to consider the fundamental change that's taken place in the marketing/media business.  As she described it, what's important in the creation and dissemination of messaging for brands and more importantly the role of media, is the shift from managing "inventory" to creating "meaning."  People around the table picked up her phrase "inventory to meaning" to touch off a kaleidoscope of thoughtful perspectives on just where the "new" media is going—what it means for the traditional agency business (assuming there is still a traditional agency business!) and how we can formulate strategy around the trajectory(ies).

Inner Circle - June 2009

It was generally agreed that Chan Suh, CEO of Agency.com is right: this age of new media is as exciting a time as "when the Internet was brand new."  New media has many authors of a plethora of concepts and it's still up for grabs where it's all going.  Whether Twitter will be a blip on the screen, or will dominate communication as a commercial juggernaut, who knows? 

When I facilitate Inner Circle gatherings, I remind participants that our hope is that rather than formulate a consensus among the group, we raise questions that provoke people into leaving the room with more perspectives around the topic than they had when they walked in the room.  No question about it: that happened last Friday.  We're still exchanging reflections with participants about it...

 

Inner Circle - June 2009

Stay tuned.  I'll share some other thoughts with you re this amazing group and their take on the direction(s) and opportunities of new media.

Governor Guilt

OK, it's probable just me. But I can't help it.  First the shocking news about the poor judgment (understatement in the extreme) of Governor Mark Sanford of South Caroline in not only disappearing for days without notifying his staff of his whereabouts, then revelation that he was in fact not hiking in the Adirondacks as his staff first announced, but rather visiting his mistress in Buenos Aires.  And now news that his trip to Argentina was paid for with state funds.

 Mark Sanford

But what really gets me crazy is the statement issued be his office that reveals the greatest sin of them all (well, OK, not the greatest, but right up there)...the sentence that conclude with a preposition.  Horrors!  Is this the best we can expect from the leaders of the great state of South Carolina?

Here's the statement:. "I made a mistake while I was there in meeting with the woman who I was unfaithful to my wife with."

Other things can be forgiven by some. But I'm hanging on for serious punishment for that mangling of the beloved English language.

Drive him out of office if you must. But for heaven's sake, send him to a remedial grammar course. Please.

Governor Guilt

 

Global Experience - Final Part

Hi, it’s me again, Matthew, the intern from Wf360. Today I will follow up my blog from last week, which was called “Global Experiences Part II”. I think I already told you a lot about the comparison with New York City and China, Shenzhen, nevertheless this will be the final one, even though there are much more topics to write about. I will be sharing my living experiences in New York and Shenzhen, China. This blog will cover another exciting topic, so brace yourself!

 Guest Family House - Baldwin

Here during my time in NY, I live in Baldwin, a small town on Long Island, not far away from Manhattan. You can take the train, Long Island Rail Road, which is clean and quick (you can be in the heart of Manhattan in about 50min). In Baldwin I live in a big house with two other roommates and our host mother, an old retired, warmhearted woman. It is a small but nice town with a beautiful residential area and cute little shops. My two roommates are lovely and nice, one is from Japan and the other one is from Taiwan. Unfortunately my Taiwanese roommate left last Thursday and is now back in Taiwan.

Nevertheless, the advantage of a guest family is the direct contact with other people and the constant interaction with them in the normal life. You can improve your social skills and learn so much about other countries and cultures. I most definitely recommend this, as I have learned a great deal about the Japanese and the Taiwanese. The other part is the fact that you live in a native speaking family and so you can improve your English everyday, especially in normal life situations. This is a nice experience and a good way to spend my months in New York.

 Youth Hostel - Shenzhen

Compared to this, I want to share something about my accommodation in Shenzhen, which was also nice but completely different. The company I was working for during my stay in Shenzhen told me that it would be nice and cheap to stay in a youth hostel. I had no experience in that field and a hotel for 3 months was too expensive, so I decided to take their advice. I shared my room and bathroom with 5 other people.  If you want privacy then a hostel is definitely the wrong place to stay but on the other hand this is a good opportunity to meet new people and make new contacts. It was absolutely a good place to live with WiFi, good food, lockers, clean rooms as well as a laundry room and a library, which is not common for a youth hostel.

To be honest, I would recommend both accommodation possibilities as I’ve had positive experience with both. However you want to stay in a foreign country, the best outcome is meeting new people and learning new cultures.

Guest Family Dinner - Baldwin

High Talk About New York's High Line

This past weekend I walked for first time along the newly opened High Line in downtown Manhattan.
For those not familiar with the High Line project, it represents a major achievement of a group of people passionately committed to the cause of renovating the unsightly elevated railroad tracks that stretch from the now-popular Meatpacking District north through the Chelsea district and beyond.

The High Line Project

Open now is the first of three sections, the second portion scheduled for opening in Summer 2010.

The walk is glorious. Planted with flowers and grasses selected both for their hardiness and wild beauty, it celebrates the High Line's origin by keeping railroad ties midst the walkways and plantings. 

Places to sit, even sunbathe around.  And the understated lighting fixtures suggest it must be wonderfully romantic at night.

Although the High Line rises only two floors or so above street level, it provides surprisingly broad views of the Hudson River as well as the neighborhoods that grace each side of the walkway.

The High Line Navigator

Walking along this pedestrian boulevard that is already a gift to the City, I couldn't help but think of all the conversations the High Line will foster. It's a gritty, urban version of a walkway providing a quiet respite from the clamor of the City.  I can imagine suggesting "Let's take a walk on the High Line and talk about that..."

Trust me on this: the High Line is a conversation catalyst.  Come to New York and we'll have a chat...on the High Line.

TV And Baby Talk

Oh, if my Dad were alive today he would feel vindicated. 

My sister and I almost ran away from home (OK, not really, but we were ticked off to the extreme) over the fact that my Father refused to have a television set in our house when we were growing up.  No matter that absolutely every single one of our friends lived in homes with not one but multiple television sets.  We felt like outcasts.  The only TV shows with which we had even a smidgen of familiarity were those we got to watch at friends' houses.  We were the kind of kids that at the mere mention of a slumber party, we were there.

 

No Television

(There is an obvious parallel to the fact that we were also refused comic books in our house...so the only ones we got to read were those at friends' homes.  We did a lot of visiting...but that's another story.)

So, today's New York Times has a piece of special interest to me.  Forget all the positive influence of Einstein baby stuff.  Read this piece by Eric Nagourney:  

"Conversations between children and their caregivers decrease measurably when a television is on nearby, even if no one seems to be watching it, a new study says.

Researchers came to the conclusion after equipping children with small tape recorders that kept track of everything they said and heard during day-to-day life.

The study, which was led by Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis of the University of Washington medical school and the Seattle Children's Research Institute, may help explain why early exposure to television has been associated with language and cognitive delays, the researchers said. The study appears in The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

For the study, more than 300 children, ages 2 months to 48 months, wore the recorders for an entire day once a month for up to two years. A software program then reviewed the recording.

For each hour a television was on, the researchers found, the children on average heard 770 fewer words from an adult — a 7 percent decrease. They also spoke less themselves.

Kids and Television

'Some of these reductions are likely due to children being left in front of the television screen,” the study said, “but others likely reflect situations in which adults, though present, are distracted by the screen and not interacting with their infant in a discernible manner.' "

How about at your workplace?  Are junior newbies encouraged to engage in conversation with more senior executives?  I believe they should be.  Not because it will impact the younger employees' ability to take in knowledge; that pattern is already in place.  But it could have lots to do with their overall engagement in the company's mission and their loyalty to their work team. 

In any event, turn off the TV set at the office, if you have one.  Unless you need to follow what's happening on the NYSE's trading floor or keep up with the latest C-Span hearings, it will simply interfere with the conversational flow of things in your workplace.  And that freeflowing conversational exchange is the lifeblood of a vital organization.

Articulation And Language

On an NPR program recently, I heard Scott Simon interviewing Hugh McIlvanney, recently inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. McIlvanney has been voted the United Kingdom's Sports Writer of the year seven times and is the only sportswriter ever named British Journalist of the Year. Simon asked several questions that led to fascinating response from McIlvanney, not the least of which was his question that reflected the way I've long felt about boxing: how can one justify be a fan of a sport that is so primal in nature, so bloodthirsty, so ultimately cruel?

   Hugh McIlvanney

McIlvanney answered that he has wrestled with that question since he first came to know--and grow to love---the sport of boxing.  He said that he formulated some time ago his position that as abhorrent as boxing can be, it is nonetheless a terrific spectator sport and when one watches gifted boxers do at it in the ring, it is, as he said, irresistible  He said, in referring to the young Welsh boxer Johnny Owen, who was killed in the ring, that Owen's tragedy is that he "was articulate in a dangerous language."

Boxing

I suppose that is also true of those skilled in inciting others to riot, those like Mark Antony who was able to stir up a crowd to attack Caesar's assassins even after it appeared that the crowd had confirmed its approval of Caesar's murder. His calling Brutus "honorable" in a way that positioned Brutus as anything but honorable is a study in the power of words and context.

The fact that language can be employed as a weapon is not new. How often, for example, have we experienced someone hiding behind the mask of truth when intending to inflict pain with words. That use of "honesty" as a weapon is an old art.  The person who pretends to be a friend but in telling us the "truth" simply hurts our feelings or, worse, crushes us in psychic pain. 

Articulation and Language

The next time you think of saying something that, although technically true, is intended simply to hurt, consider whether the skill of being articulate in a dangerous language is one for which you wish to be known. Might be better to leave that kind of blood sport to the boxing ring.

Bang Bang Bests Tweet Tweet

Thomas Friedman, in his column in today's New York Times, reminds us that when the Iranian militia starts shooting citizens in earnest (seven have already been killed), they will probably succeed in silencing the current country-wide protests over likely fraud in the recent election of Iran's readership. 

Thomas Friedman

He's right, of course, on the face of things. But the conversation has already gone global: the world is now engaged in watching events unfold. Whatever crackdown takes place, the talk -- at least outside Iran -- won't stop unless we let it.  At least that's my hope. I fervently pray that somehow, some way the protesters will continue to find ways to get their messages on to the Internet and out to the world.

Who knew...that Twitter could have an impact on historical events? We know now. 

Keep talking, folks. Keep talking.

Global Conversation

Stories And Democracy

In a fascinating piece in the New York Times op-ed page today, Colum McCann tells of how his reading of James Joyce's Ullyses (today is the 105th anniversary of the events in that novel), connected him emotionally with his long dead grandfather.

  Colum McCann

McCann says, "Stories are the best democracy we have.  We are allowed to become the other we never dreamed we could be."

In this age of texting and twittering, are such stories being told?  Are there stories in your family, in your company, that serve to tie the group together?  Do such stories get used to move the conversation to new heights...or depth?

 Stories

Global Language

I experienced an amazing slice of theatre last night.  At the charmingly cozy Peter B. Lewis Theater in the Guggenheim Museum, the New York Theatre Workshop staged a reading of the new "Documentary Play" called Aftermath: The Iraqi Refugee Project.  It will be staged  for the general public off-Broadway starting September 1 this year, at the New York Theatre Workshop. 

Last night's performance was interspersed with an audience Q and A, led by Mark Russell, with the play's writers and directors, Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen.

   Jessica Blank & Eric Jensen

Remarkable enterprise. It's the result of intensive interviews Blank and Jensen conducted in Aman, Jordan last year, with 9 Iraqis, all of whom fled to Jordan from the war in their homeland.  It's a diverse group, each with  unique and powerful story to tell.

A fascinating aspect of the program is that, as Blank and Jensen described it, once they returned from Jordan they transcribed the conversations carefully, making sure the detail and nuance of the original language was preserved,  when actors read the raw transcripts aloud-- without hearing recordings of the interviews an reading detailed descriptions of the subjects-- all of them "organically took on the gestures and mannerisms of the original speakers. "  The experience revealed "how much psychology is contained in the specificities of language."  The immediacy of the stories and their impact on the individuals telling them is conveyed to the audience in a powerful way.  For the time I sat there I felt I, too, was a refugee.  Never had considered that deeply what that can mean to a life, a family, a community, a nation.

    Global Language

It's all about the words.  Some conversations--so basically descriptive of human experience-- are universally understood, no matter in which language they are first conveyed.

If nothing else, "Aftermath" is strong evidence of the need for us all to keep talking with one another...keep listening to each other's stories.