I’m Back!

File me under the millions who have neglected their blogs! Yup, I’ve had other committments so I won’t apologize for the lack of posts in the past months. While I’ve neglected this blog my web 2.0 experiments have been continuing and I’m ready to pick up where I left off with this blog. I’m not sure how many posts I’ll be doing per week or month. I don’t believe in posting for the sake of posting.

I’m going to use this blog to provide behind the scenes experiments using web 2.0 apps (or whatever you want to call them) so we can learn together. I can’t find blogs, squidoos, wikis, SaaS (and the web 2.0 list groooooooooooooooooooows), facebook…….etc. that gives you in-depth overviews of how best to USE them. They list the apps but I want to know how to USE them to be productive, knowledgeable, connect and collaborate. These are the four pillars that matter to me as a web user. Stay tuned and we’ll go under the covers with real live experiments that go beyond “features” and “benefits” and gets to the nitty gritty of how to use these various services.

Let’s learn together. Let’s build a web 2.0 knowledge base that’s well organized and helps us effectively use these tools to learn, communicate, collaborate and network.

The evolution of the web (2.0 style)

Thanks to my colleagues(Mark and Dave) for sharing this video with me. In a previous post I provided my point of view as to why web 2.0 is different. Watch this video and you’ll see (and feel) what I mean. For those of you not into Web 2.0 get with it…this is powerful and has awesome promise. This is a great time of sharing, collaborating, helping and a time where your voice is/will be heard. What are you waiting for? =)

Lot’s have happened while my head’s been in the sand!

Hey, I’m back. It’s been awhile, my head has been burried deep in many things to such an extent my “day job” has creeped, more like consumed, my family and blogging life.

The new marketing world is moving fast in the great white north.

Michael Seaton has released a podcast series called “The Money Clip“. Great stuff.

PodCamp Toronto is being held on February 24-25th. Cool!

And “Mesh”, A Web Conference, will be held in Toronto in May! This is a “must attend” conference if you’re serious about web 2.0, social media and new marketing (take your pick! =)). While I’m impressed with the keynote presenters, I am equally impressed with the Canadian talent that is organizing this.

This is really encouraging and I encourage all those wishing to transform the way they do business to attend podcamp and go to the web conference. Listen to the Money Clip. Why? We need to learn and listen more. We need to get together and build our competency and skills in new media now. As a Canadian I’m encouraged but dismayed that we appear late in the “new marketing” game.

Internet 2 or "just the Internet"?

Yesterday I posted an interview with Tim Berners-Lee the man some have called the Father of the Web, click here for more info on Tim. I disagree with his notion that web2.0 is “just the web” (see post below, warning its LONG).

Fundamental things are happening on the web that in my opinion is distinct and different from web1.0. During web1.0 (.com and .bomb) our business models existed in power point presentations. We were told by Venture Capitalists (not all of them) to show a “hockey stick” revenue growth slide and talk “eyeballs”. Well, the “hockey stick” ended up pointing downward while we wasted money on Super Bowl ads, mascots and start up parties. The term burn rate and headcount somehow was a “good thing”. 

So, where am I going with this? What was missing back in web1.0 day was OpenSource, Adsense, Ajax, today’s teenagers and web savvy kids…to name a few. Today, software is cheap (sometimes free), more people have high speed internet connectivity and consumers are generating content. People can start there businesses online for minimal investment and have immediate revenue opportunities using affiliation based incentives through Google Adsense and Search, Amazon, eBay and on and on.

We not only have sources of revenue to underwrite our costs (time, money and resources), we also have distribution/promotional channels for our wares (iTunes, Google, Technorati, Podcast Alley, RSS, Newsgator…..etc) and financial utility tools (Paypal, Googles eCommerce service) and platforms to communicate our offerings whether it be content, products or services (blogs, wiki’s, podcasts).

THIS IS HUGE AND VERY DIFFERENT. This is the “new web”. Web2.0.

So, where does Internet2 fit into this? Well, its an advanced high speed network being deployed which is REAL FAST. This network is a newer version of the Internet…hence the name Internet2.

Both the Internet and the Web are evolving into newer improved versions.

Web 2.0 is or is not jargon?

This article is worth a read. To use or not to use web2.0 that is the question. Below are excerpts from the interview and I’ve added my point of view to the discussion.

During a podcast interview (transcript here) last week with Scott Laningham of IBM developerWorks, the father of the Web Tim Berners-Lee offered his view on the term “Web 2.0″:

LANINGHAM: You know, with Web 2.0, a common explanation out there is Web 1.0 was about connecting computers and making information available; and Web 2 is about connecting people and facilitating new kinds of collaboration. Is that how you see Web 2.0?

BERNERS-LEE: Totally not. Web 1.0 was all about connecting people. It was an interactive space, and I think Web 2.0 is of course a piece of jargon, nobody even knows what it means. If Web 2.0 for you is blogs and wikis, then that is people to people. But that was what the Web was supposed to be all along.

[ME: Well, it depends on what you mean by connecting people. Web2.0 is about making it easier for ALL people to express themselves, share and collaborate]

And in fact, you know, this Web 2.0, quote, it means using the standards which have been produced by all these people working on Web 1.0. It means using the document object model, it means for HTML and SVG and so on, it’s using HTTP, so it’s building stuff using the Web standards, plus Java script of course.

[ME: While this is true, the technical folks that "get it" realize that we don't care what's behind the page nor do we want to know how to "do code". What the frack is a document object model and who really cares?]

So Web 2.0 for some people it means moving some of the thinking client side so making it more immediate, but the idea of the Web as interaction between people is really what the Web is. That was what it was designed to be as a collaborative space where people can interact.

[ME: But, how much collaboration really occured? Define designed. The web was designed to ensure that we had a failsafe communications network in the event of a disaster. It is constantly evolving and the "design" changes. Today's web is different, better and more empowering]

Now, I really like the idea of people building things in hypertext, the sort of a common hypertext space to explain what the common understanding is and thus capturing all the ideas which led to a given position. I think that’s really important. And I think that blogs and wikis are two things which are fun, I think they’ve taken off partly because they do a lot of the management of the navigation for you and allow you to add content yourself.

[ME: "Building things in hypertext, Common understanding, Capturing all ideas"? Huh? Web2.0 is different, it's equalizing the playing field and there is no longer a "Webmaster"]

But I think there will be a whole lot more things like that to come, different sorts of ways in which people will be able to work together.

The semantic wikis are very interesting. These are wikis in which people can add data and then that data can then be surfaced an sliced and diced using all kinds of different semantic Web tools, so that’s why it’s exciting the way people, things are going, but I think there are lots of new things in that vein that we have yet to invent.

[ME: Cool, Berners-Lee is brilliant and the semantic web (hmmm, that's a label isn't it?), I think could be awesome. I'm all ears to learn more about it]

For Berners-Lee, the Web is just the Web (no versioning) and has always been about interaction between people online. About a year ago, O’Reilly came up with his lengthy exposition on what is Web 2.0, which basically describes how the Web has evolved over the last ten years ( by 2015 we will have Web 3.0).

[ME: I was approached by an associate today asking me what web2.0 was. I told him it was a bunch of tools, servcies and stuff that made it really cool to use the web. Later on, he sent me an email telling me he found a bunch of blogs on aviation - his passion. He thought it was "cool". The word web2.0 whether it be a marketing term or not suggested to him that there was something different, maybe better about the web then he had prevously thought. It prompted a question, he was curious and he found something of value. I think I'll stick with web2.0 for a little longer]

Gavin Clarke of the Register.com follows up on Berners-Lee’s comments with a story that catalogs many of the other 2.0s (Office, Enterprise, SOA. lunch, etc.) and points to a “plethora of me-too business plans, marketing pitches and analyst reports exploiting the nebulous phrase” as a sign of the times. Indeed, the 2.0 proliferation is simply a natural effect of human intelligence at work–marketers, conference creators, journalists, pundits and lexicographers all trying to capture themes, the essense of movements in time and give them names that have iconic, instant recognition, although the deeper meaning will be in the eye of the beholder. Here’s a modest proposal for solving the versioning problem: Let’s just call it Web Y15, given WWW was developed at CERN by Berners-Lee in 1991.

[ME: I'm not sure I fully understand what this means. Bottom line, call it whatever you want. It's all really cool stuff. The folks above are all great thinkers and I respect their points of view. I guess what matters the most is what you want to call it =)]

Viral Marketing Backfired?

Agency.com may have sunk it’s chances with Subway due to backlash from YouTube viewers. Subway is conducting an Agency of Record search and Agency.com was asked to pitch. They decided to “pre-pitch” by recording their creative planning sessions and field research and then posting it on YouTube to create some viral buzz. It seems that the social networking community is not impressed and that this contrived approach to “viral marketing” has backfired.

The power of social networking, viral experiences and web 2.0 could very well have sunk Agency.com’s chances. We will see but feel free to be the judge yourself. Watch the video.

We’d Better “Get It” Soon!

Attensa is an RSS solution provider so some would view their blog posts as biased. While this could be the case a recent post on their blog regarding “Enterprise 2.0″ provides business leaders with some insights as to why web 2.0 tools are important.

Calling all Business and Technology Leaders. Give the Attensa post a read and if the mood strikes read the cited articles and listen to the podcast too.

Lessons Learned in Web 2.0 Space?

UPDATE: JULY 26

The debate continues. Joe Clark has an alternative view. Here’s his comments from Chicken Test.

Joe Clark Says:
July 22nd, 2006 at 11:30 am I think you all need to understand what a public meeting is. It’ll get recorded and reported if people feel like it. Do not say anything at a public meeting you would not want reprinted on the front page of the New York Times or read back to you on the witness stand. There’s nothing for Eli to negotiate or wrap his head around; he just needs to accept reality. No “implicit understanding” is required; you shoud all explicitly understand that what you say at a public meeting can be and will be reported.

My response to Joe’s comments:

While the meeting was public it doesn’t mean you have the right and license to video tape without informed consent. The content producer could be sharing confidential information, intellectual property and copyright subject matter. There will be varying opinions on this but in the case of the presenters they are the publishers of content. They have a right to know that they will be videotaped ahead of time. They should decide to what extent they want their content recorded and published. Check out the Creative Commons discussion boards as this debate has occurred before and the general sense was that the presenters had copyright rights.

UPDATE: July 22

Kudo’s to the author of The Chicken Test! My contribution to the debate has been added to his blog. Perhaps this helps in the record, publish and promote debate regarding DemoCamp content. See the authors comment below. All comments are left as is and barring getting caught in a blog SPAM trap are automatically posted.

ORIGINAL POST: July 20

A very interesting debate is shaping up regarding the recording of a recent case study presentation at CaseCamp in Toronto. The debate can be read on The Chicken Test blog so I won’t repeat the details. I guess what confuses me a bit is the apparent lack of judgement of this person and what appears to be a double standard. (To his credit, he has apologized, sort of, in a recent post. I’m not too keen on his using the word “heard” instead of “listened”. Minor/Major distinction?)

So back to the lack of judgement and double standard “accusation”.

Lack of Judgement

• Good marketers (business professionals in general) respect their profession and their peers. When they share information there is a tacit agreement in place that one should be respectiveful of the sensitivity of what is being shared and to act accordingly.
• Good marketers seek to build relationships in their industry and with each other.
• Good marketers ask their customers if they can reference them in any form of communications and sharing of the experience they have had together.
• Just a few reasons!

Double Standard

• The Chicken Test blog has an editorial policy which is wrapped up in a quote of someone I’ve never heard of (excuse my ignorance if this person is highly respected), this “policy” is as follows:
  

  Because I value your thoughtful opinions, I encourage you to add a comment to this discussion. Don’t be offended if I edit your comments for clarity or to keep out questionable matters, however, and I may even delete off-topic comments. – WR Johnson

I humbly suggest that the folks who were videotaped covertly should be offended because they weren’t asked, didn’t have the opportunity to explain their point of view. This blogger chooses what he wants on his blog when it comes to others but others can’t choose to freely express themselves on his until he’s decided!

Below is my comment on his blog that is “under review’. Enjoy the read and I’ll keep you posted as to whether The Chicken Test “approves” it. =)

MY COMMENT POSTED ON THE CHICKEN TEST BLOG:

Chris Herbert Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
July 20th, 2006 at 3:29 am

MY COMMENT:

This is a very healthy and interesting exchange! We are all human and this case we are learning what is the better way to communicate and extend the nCamp physical experience to the web. I guess a good starting point is to ask everyone, perhaps a poll on CaseCamp, to what extent to [do] the values of social media (open source, sharing, collaborating etc.) apply in a [private]setting like nCamp? I don’t know but clearly setting guidelines from the beginning is ideal and communicating them consistently and often. Look at the bottom of this page and you’ll see that my post will be reviewed, edited and maybe deleted if the blog owner decides. Shouldn’t the same approach be used for nCamps?

Recommendation:

• Apologize and come clean
• Practice what you preach
• You will be forgiven if you learn and share the experience for others
• Use this as a Case Study at the next CaseCamp
• Tell people on your blog who you are. I’m Chris Herbert and you can reach me via email

Finding Good Podcasts

I’ve now been listening to podcasts for about 3 months and have been learning by trial and error what are good ones and what aren’t. However, I wonder whether there is such as thing as a defacto “good podcast”? It’s so new that beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Here is a place you can go that may be useful in helping find “good podcasts”.

Another nail in the coffin?

The iPOD has opened my mind! It is THE primary device I use to listen and learn DAILY. iTUNES searches, updates and aggregates the stuff I listen to. As a result, I’m able to listen to great music (to be entertained) and great minds (to learn and get involved) about Web 2.0 stuff.

When I take in a Podcast, I hear about opportunities to meet people (DemoCamp, CaseCamp) in group settings and one to one with thought leaders like Mitch from Twist Image who’s Podcast Six Pixels of Separation you must listen to.

So what is the relevance to my Title “Another Nail in the Coffin?”. It’s very simple, today’s internet generation share ideas, pictures, music, source code and on and on. This is a culture and movement away from traditional uni-directional “selective” communication from the media and corporations. They are and will lose control if they don’t embrace this phenomena. Take music for example. I want to pay the artists directly for their talent and I’d like most of the money to go to them and not old age overhead such as retailers, distributors and “labels”. I want to reward people who provide the most value to me. I’m not interested in lining the pockets of rich shareholders and overpaid executives.

I guarantee you that someone will use this evolving social network as a viable distribution channel for products and services. The next music label may be a consortium of artists and fans working together to create great music and be paid for their efforts. Heck I can burn CD’s and promote them. Why do we need Sony? Why do we need ticketmaster?

Change your business by embracing the changing web. Open up the kumo and ask and receive honest feedback from customers, partners AND employees. Get with it or the “new” companies such as Google and the “new consumer” will eat your lunch.