Deborah Schultz

This week's links from around the net

Stuff I found interesting this week

Just-enough, a new trend in the works (or, why Paul Allen's Octopus is really an Albatross)

I love Grant's blog - always a new take. Here he points out the new "just enough" trend - whether it be money, fame or goods.

Harvard Business Online's The Groundswell Effect

Understanding the contradiction between social web, authenticity, your business and scale

Seriously, we can do MORE

Update 5/5: - Umair has a nice discussion going on over here that started right after I spoted this - it must be in the air! I promise to do a follow-on post as my post seems to have struck a nerve, basedo n all the comments below - yeah!]

Confession: For the past few months I have been growing increasingly bored and frustrated with the shortsightedness of many on the power and impact of social software for business and connectedness between people and ideas.  Yes, I am oft too earnest and impatient on this stuff - but I mean - why settle?

The last few weeks have really driven that feeling home. Time to reflect on long airplane trips, meeting with folks doing BIG stuff around the world, taking a pause from the echo chamber and some inspiring conversations with some really smart folks, have emboldened me to finally write some of this down. Many overheard conversations at Web2Expo yesterday further added to my feeling of malaise.  I am dropping this rant quickly but promise to focus more in these topics in the coming weeks and months:

• The social web and web2.0  - c'mon, this is so much more than throwing sheep and twittering that we are stuck in airports.  As I have ranted on this before, in various ways, if you *only* look at these tools as a bigger megaphone for communication you are not looking hard enough! Think real innovation, business and cultural transformation!

• Back in September, I was sitting with a friend at a conference  and he said it best: "never before have so many done so little with so much" [I will provide attribution once/if I get approval from him]

• The power of tech to bring people together is REAL and VITAL [my trip to Israel reminded me of this]

• This is only the beginning of some really cool stuff - the beginning. Per Clay's point yesterday: "the size of our collective cognitive surplus is so large that just 1% participation can bring about HUGE change. 

• How do we encourage and nurture greater participation and develop an "architecture of participation" [nice turn of phrase clay - more on this to come] that benefits business, cultural and political innovation.

• O'reilly yesterday finally discussed using this stuff to solve big problems - as the pied piper for many developers - I thank you for leading them to a higher cause -  hope they hear you.

Now, I am not saying we have all the answers or even know how any of this will pan out.  Existing infrastructures [technical, financial, organizational and cultural] mean certain changes will be slow while others will circumvent the roadblocks that stand in their way. 

What I do know is that if you do not ask the right questions up front and reach for the sky - well - you just ain't gonna get very far.

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This post is a nod to Greg and my work designing and launching the Info Center - the project that is still my touchstone for the power and promise of integrating the physical with the digital at the intersection of technology, people and business -  "saving lives, baby, saving lives"]

[Addendum: As I was writing this I noticed Umair's post.  Lately, we are channeling each other on this stuff - I nod to his eloquence and ability to lay out the issues].

TravelingGeeks: Israel through the eyes of first timers

This weeks has been a whirlwind of interesting, absurd and hysterical moments as the TravelingGeeks have bumped around the country and the tech scene in Israel. It has been exhausting and amazing to watch these two worlds that I live in come together in such a unique fashion. I definitely have more thoughtful posts rolling around in my brain - for now here are some Snackbytes to whet your appetite:

• Picture a mini van with all of us smushed together three across with laptops open, evdo cards humming while twitters ricocheted amongst ourselves and folks and around the world

• Craig's intro to twitter by Scoble- perfect medium for a guy with the coolest driest sense of humor of anyone I know

• Lunch with local women bloggers at Nanoushka -gossiping about the difference between Israeli geek guys  and SF geek guys - yeah - I know you are dieing to hear all about it - but this Lunch was strictly off the record


• Amazing afternoon coffee stop with Ishmael Khaldi's family - where I got to be an interpreter between Jeff's wife Eileen and Ish's mother and sister that was both touching and endearing.

• The graciousness of Scoble - he has an amazing ability to focus and listen for hours - and always knows just the right questions to ask - never get to really see him in action till now

• The sheer enthusiasm of Sarah, not to mention our all too brief shopping trip in Neveh Zedek [tel aviv's hip little Soho-esque neighborhood] Glad it was not longer or more pocketbook damage would have ensued.

• The photography skills of Renee, Cathy's wit and Susan's joy at meeting Israeli women bloggers

Just got word that the day in Jerusalem was,  as expected - amazing and emotional.  I am sure there will be some heartfelt posts to come.  One more day to go..tomorrow should bring some more interesting experiences - including a meeting at Rogozin HS and the Peres Center for Peace.

This week's links from around the net

Stuff I found interesting this week

Traveling Geeks

SF Bay Area bloggers travel the world, starting with Israel

Our aggregated blog - of trip to Israel

Gary the Great: Vaynerchuk sets the example of how to succeed in business today - (37signals)

Tis true - not to pile on the accolades - but Gary is emblematic of how and what works in selling a product today - whether it is a person, brand or soap. 37 signals sums it up nicely. A great example of how the right DNA combined with A LOT of hard work wins.

BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Competing with open - and free

Yup - free wins - adding true value the tough nut to crack - the marketplace will yet again prove this out...

Joho the Blog » Managed by expectations, irked by messages

Good distinctions here by Dave - have always had a negative knee jerk reaction to the word messages., perhaps not fair - to me the word has always felt very contrived. Ideally one does not create messages but converses or tells stories

AttentionMax » Blog Archive » When The Social-Networking Craze Damages Your Reputation

Social networking fatigue

Greetings from Heathrow - en route to Israel

I am en route to my annual jaunt to Israel and of course stuck in Heathrow, so what better to do than  tap into blog land.

Last year I was lucky enough to spend an entire month in Israel - visiting with companies and great people - it always energizes me.  This year the trip will "only" be 10 days but will be jam packed. It will include participating in Kinnernet [Yossi Vardi's Israeli version of FOO Camp meets a Jerry Michalski retreat], then The Marker conference and then courtesy of the Israeli consulate in SF, I will be touring the country with a group of blogger buddies [including Scoble, Cathy Brooks,  Renee Blodget, Sue Mernit, JD Lasica, Sarah Lacy and Craig Newmark ].   I will be both blogger and digital ambassador to the Israeli tech & cultural scene I know and love. The bus rides alone will be interesting in and of themselves.

There is a lot happening in the Israeli tech scene today - mostly around video and mobile.  There is noway we will be able to cover it all- but I am sure we will try.   We will be posting from the road - so stay tuned here on twitter , flickr and a group blog to be named later..;)

Of course, when it rains, it pours and I am also launching the private [for now] community for the P&G Social Media Lab that I have been working so hard on the past few months and hinting at here for an equal amount of time! I promise to share more on this in the coming weeks and months - it is truly an exciting program that I hope will raise the dialog on new business models for the social web that benefit both company and customer/user.

In the meantime, here are some photos from previous trips to Israel to pique your interest. 

      

 

For background on Israel tech scene, check out this  link to the latest 15 page article from the Economist on "Silicon Wadi" [tho I do not agree with their assessment].