Lucy Kellaway in the FT today reveals the latest dvd from accenture. She like me asks just why have they decided to release short storries on ten employees to the entire company?
The UK Managing Director says that it helps build teams if they understand each other. The PR Speak is "These short stories were wonderful, and to know they are about people we work with made that much more enjoyable."
Perhaps with accenture needing to once again restock on new staff they are trying to show that the company is diverse and does understand work life balance. If so I am not sure if it will help attract experience staff to move to accenture. In the UK I am confident that it would be a turn off with people affraid that they would be asked to feature in the next video if they revealed any personal issue. (Now if I were cynical I could say that such shorts would reduce the calls to personnel asking for personal time.)
Monday, November 29, 2004
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
From the spoken to the written word
FT.com has a feature on Spinvox about how voicemail may be at an end with the launch of technology that turns speach to text. The technology does not delete the original voicemail and so if the conversion to text is not always accurate you can finally listen to the message.
This is the Unified Messaging as outlined by Orange's Futurology team some five years ago. They also told of "speaking emails" where your inbox would be delivered to subscribers by the silkie voice Wildfire Siren as seen on the Annova website. Oh happy memories of rosie futures from the boom times.
The problem is that I look at my phone and see that I have a number of missed calls from those who would not leave voicemail. The other problem is do I wish to pay for the delivery of voicespam from my network and others who want to tell me of "excellent new offers". How can I profile my service so that only those on a set list are able to have voicemail converted to text and all others are left for me to access when I am ready?
It is services such as this that networks can lock in users, but the issue has to be how much will I pay for such a service? If I am already on a higher user tarrif and a committed user is it not better to give the service away free as part of my service knowing that it will lift the number of minutes I use and voice is the most profitable service for my network.
This is the Unified Messaging as outlined by Orange's Futurology team some five years ago. They also told of "speaking emails" where your inbox would be delivered to subscribers by the silkie voice Wildfire Siren as seen on the Annova website. Oh happy memories of rosie futures from the boom times.
The problem is that I look at my phone and see that I have a number of missed calls from those who would not leave voicemail. The other problem is do I wish to pay for the delivery of voicespam from my network and others who want to tell me of "excellent new offers". How can I profile my service so that only those on a set list are able to have voicemail converted to text and all others are left for me to access when I am ready?
It is services such as this that networks can lock in users, but the issue has to be how much will I pay for such a service? If I am already on a higher user tarrif and a committed user is it not better to give the service away free as part of my service knowing that it will lift the number of minutes I use and voice is the most profitable service for my network.
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Telephones should be used for talking
The FT says that telephones are for talking and all the other flashy data services are just that. It is also something that the networks have acknowledged in as much as they are tarrifing third generation services lower than those of existing ones in an effort to speed the upgrade.
I a discussion last night about wireless we agreed that voice is the one service that you have to provide on a allways on basis. A chief executive can cope without access to his email or his corporate accounting systems he cannot function without a telephone. The other issue about complex communication systems is that they are an ecology that is interdependent so that when a network plugs in a new component they are quite likey to knock out a number of services because they do not understand cause and effect. This is why we have had to wait so long for the launch of 3G.
As someone who has spent all his working life in wireless telecoms I can remember back to the point almost 20 years ago when Racal and BT launched mobile phones and the evolution seen until today we have come to a point when advance sees us having to regress in order to progress rather than Darwinian evolution.
I for one am looking forward to the next few months as the Networks balance the two systems and discover what the consumer will pay for as an individual and as a business.
I a discussion last night about wireless we agreed that voice is the one service that you have to provide on a allways on basis. A chief executive can cope without access to his email or his corporate accounting systems he cannot function without a telephone. The other issue about complex communication systems is that they are an ecology that is interdependent so that when a network plugs in a new component they are quite likey to knock out a number of services because they do not understand cause and effect. This is why we have had to wait so long for the launch of 3G.
As someone who has spent all his working life in wireless telecoms I can remember back to the point almost 20 years ago when Racal and BT launched mobile phones and the evolution seen until today we have come to a point when advance sees us having to regress in order to progress rather than Darwinian evolution.
I for one am looking forward to the next few months as the Networks balance the two systems and discover what the consumer will pay for as an individual and as a business.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Mobile Operators hunt for content to make 3G work
The International Herald Tribune wrote a good feature on just what 3G looks like from an America's point of view. The Feature has a piece on can Mobile operators become media players? which acts as a good conter piece that allows us to see the cons of launching 3G.
Whilst in The Sunday Times has a road test of Vodafone's 3G service in which the reviewer talks about his experience with the Sony Ericsson V800 handset which he likes compared to his first experience. The interesting thing is that he does not point out that in order to get consumers to switch Vodafone are offering a 20% discount on its current tarrif. When signing up for 500 minutes you get it coists £40 per month on the 3G plan and £50 on the 2G plan, plus you get some free downloads so that you can experience just what the improvements are when using 3G.
As for me well I am giving up on T-Mobile over the next few weeks and moving over to Orange so that I can have a 3G experience in terms of voice.
DE
Whilst in The Sunday Times has a road test of Vodafone's 3G service in which the reviewer talks about his experience with the Sony Ericsson V800 handset which he likes compared to his first experience. The interesting thing is that he does not point out that in order to get consumers to switch Vodafone are offering a 20% discount on its current tarrif. When signing up for 500 minutes you get it coists £40 per month on the 3G plan and £50 on the 2G plan, plus you get some free downloads so that you can experience just what the improvements are when using 3G.
As for me well I am giving up on T-Mobile over the next few weeks and moving over to Orange so that I can have a 3G experience in terms of voice.
DE
Monday, November 08, 2004
Is T-Mobile playing with your brain
BBC Five Live report has had access to BBC 3's analysis of UMTS masts. The key discovery is that T-Mobile used the clause in its current mast contracts to install the new technology without consultation.
Last week over cocktails another Network executive was talking about how they have a group of unhappy former employees who are trying to tell all about 3G mast deployment. They are confident that teh story will be a non-starter because the stakeholders do not want to publish the fact that they are broadcasting higher level microwaves.
Perhaps if we become neoconservatives and are born again the churches will not have to seek income by renting out tower sites in the belfry? Or perhaps if we are to become born again we should be happy that those seeking religion will benefit from a few rays!
Last week over cocktails another Network executive was talking about how they have a group of unhappy former employees who are trying to tell all about 3G mast deployment. They are confident that teh story will be a non-starter because the stakeholders do not want to publish the fact that they are broadcasting higher level microwaves.
Perhaps if we become neoconservatives and are born again the churches will not have to seek income by renting out tower sites in the belfry? Or perhaps if we are to become born again we should be happy that those seeking religion will benefit from a few rays!
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Home phones face uncertain future
BBC NEWS Technology is running a report on the latrest research from Nokia on mobile phones replacing fixed residential lines. The only time that people are using their Home phone is for when they intend to have a longer call, with mobiles used for shorter calls.
Whilst this is interesting what is more so is the fact that last nights newsnight (also on the BBC) had a short feature on VoIP with the head of BT Retail as well as the Founder of Skype explaining how very soon all calls would be vertually free thanks to new technology. Whilst a very basic primer from there Business Correspondent it was a usefull wake-up call for all those middle class new kunkies who cannot sleep on a Friday night!
Having worked with VoIP as my telephone service for the last 18 months I do see that potentially we could all become users but I don't see the fast take-up spoken of by BT. I think that VoIP could become the same replacement of traditional communications that the FAX was in relation to the Stamp. Some will use it but many others are happy with the current system and thus unlikely to change just for the sake of a few pennies saved on calls.
Just a thought but somehow I think that we are not going to see the brave new world for quite sometime, just look at the speed that 3G has been started for more evidence.
Whilst this is interesting what is more so is the fact that last nights newsnight (also on the BBC) had a short feature on VoIP with the head of BT Retail as well as the Founder of Skype explaining how very soon all calls would be vertually free thanks to new technology. Whilst a very basic primer from there Business Correspondent it was a usefull wake-up call for all those middle class new kunkies who cannot sleep on a Friday night!
Having worked with VoIP as my telephone service for the last 18 months I do see that potentially we could all become users but I don't see the fast take-up spoken of by BT. I think that VoIP could become the same replacement of traditional communications that the FAX was in relation to the Stamp. Some will use it but many others are happy with the current system and thus unlikely to change just for the sake of a few pennies saved on calls.
Just a thought but somehow I think that we are not going to see the brave new world for quite sometime, just look at the speed that 3G has been started for more evidence.
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Heathcare Standards
For the last two years my sister has been fighting with a brain tummor. For most of this year she has been undergoing chemotherapy in an attempt to finish off the part of the tummor that was unable to be cut out.
Over the Summer she did well but as the seasons turned so has her health. At the end of September she was notified that they intended to stop paying sick pay and she was going to be pensioned off. Now what this means is that she will be paid a lower sum than the half salary she is on and when she is terminal no need to pay her husband death benefit. Now in the private sector that is fine you have a free market, BUT my sister is a civil servant! As such she has always worked for the government, first as a nurse and now as an administrator in the prision service. The Civil Service had decided that her pension fund was not funded and so she has been forced to make additional payments for the last five years since returning to work.
This weekend my sister has been admitted into hospital with an infection that has caused here to feel unwell. As its the weekend the usual hospital does not have a bed available and so she has been put up in the local hospital on a medical ward. This means that rather than treatment by specialists she is being looked after nurses who have little understanding of her treatment. My brother in law is with my sister as much as possible as a contractor that means no pay! More importantly as my sister at present cannot speak, the tummor is growing on her frontal lobe, it is her husband and daughters who can help her. I spent this afternoon with them today and I although angre that hospitals cannot cope thanks to cronic underinvestment but also saw what a real family and love is all about.
And do you know what it is not about money, its about time and space, must go time to put my youngest to bed with a story and hot chocolate.
Over the Summer she did well but as the seasons turned so has her health. At the end of September she was notified that they intended to stop paying sick pay and she was going to be pensioned off. Now what this means is that she will be paid a lower sum than the half salary she is on and when she is terminal no need to pay her husband death benefit. Now in the private sector that is fine you have a free market, BUT my sister is a civil servant! As such she has always worked for the government, first as a nurse and now as an administrator in the prision service. The Civil Service had decided that her pension fund was not funded and so she has been forced to make additional payments for the last five years since returning to work.
This weekend my sister has been admitted into hospital with an infection that has caused here to feel unwell. As its the weekend the usual hospital does not have a bed available and so she has been put up in the local hospital on a medical ward. This means that rather than treatment by specialists she is being looked after nurses who have little understanding of her treatment. My brother in law is with my sister as much as possible as a contractor that means no pay! More importantly as my sister at present cannot speak, the tummor is growing on her frontal lobe, it is her husband and daughters who can help her. I spent this afternoon with them today and I although angre that hospitals cannot cope thanks to cronic underinvestment but also saw what a real family and love is all about.
And do you know what it is not about money, its about time and space, must go time to put my youngest to bed with a story and hot chocolate.
Friday, October 15, 2004
You Can't always get what you want
Andy Gill'sreview of RL Burnside's latest album made me interested in finding out more. So I went off to HMV locally to see if they had it in stock, no joy. The assistant asked if I wanted to order the album and then had to appologise because her system would not allow her to do so. The same for Virgin, WHSmiths and Borders.
This also made me think as all these stores had a TOP 20 Albums listed but none were the same. The Assistant at WHSmith told me that it was not the official list but rather an internal one...perhaps thats why they are not selling much at present. The good news is that I have been able to buy the album online and the disk is in transit because Mr Burnside you see is not mainstream and as he is in his 80's The Music Download sites don't have his music available. Here is the thing FAT POSSUM has been working hard to promote this Album and so they have got the reviews to get not just me asking to buy it; but the stores have decided that its too much of a risk to stock.
Thank good for the internet shop which along with Google allowed me to trackdown what I wanted.
This also made me think as all these stores had a TOP 20 Albums listed but none were the same. The Assistant at WHSmith told me that it was not the official list but rather an internal one...perhaps thats why they are not selling much at present. The good news is that I have been able to buy the album online and the disk is in transit because Mr Burnside you see is not mainstream and as he is in his 80's The Music Download sites don't have his music available. Here is the thing FAT POSSUM has been working hard to promote this Album and so they have got the reviews to get not just me asking to buy it; but the stores have decided that its too much of a risk to stock.
Thank good for the internet shop which along with Google allowed me to trackdown what I wanted.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Could BT's "Broadband Voice" service be a winner
Phones without borders shouts Michael Pollitt in The Independent. In a well written feature on BTs consumer play for VOIP he has not just bought the PR hype for the service but he has done some foot work in terms of just how and why you might wish to use your broadband line as a second telephone line.
My only issue is that he does not undertake any real analysis of just who may use the service and how that may effect the fortunes of not just BT but its rivals. Convergence is the watch word of all those at present in the telecoms space or the fact that the time taken to deploy such a service will make the roll out of cable television seam rapid. My opinion is that the real sticking point is that most are lazy when it comes to changing providers and cost today is not much of an issue thanks to price plans such as BT Together.
My only issue is that he does not undertake any real analysis of just who may use the service and how that may effect the fortunes of not just BT but its rivals. Convergence is the watch word of all those at present in the telecoms space or the fact that the time taken to deploy such a service will make the roll out of cable television seam rapid. My opinion is that the real sticking point is that most are lazy when it comes to changing providers and cost today is not much of an issue thanks to price plans such as BT Together.
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Wireless Security - Mobile Security: One Size Does Not Fit All
Mark Long has writen an interesting feature over at Wireless Newsfactor about the problems of security.
At present wireless devices are limited on there bandwidth unless they use the battery draining WiFi. Thus the security needed to protect data is limited to password protect, and lets face it thats not great as the number of passwords anyone has is limited to their ability to remember them.
You cannot use a VPN as that congests the already limited bandwidth faster than a month of Supersizing at McDonalds!
How ever as we become more mobile we need to become more security aware, the same thing happens with money when we leave our house. What is needed is not more smart devices just smart users. I remember a conversation a few years ago with a headhunter who was not overly concerned about the fact that he had left his Palm in the back of a taxi on the way over to my office. It was only after I asked if any of the documents relating to the assignment he was conducting for me were on the device that he became concerned and even then he said they were of little use to onthers. Needless to say he and I have not done business since.
When I first started using mobiles thay had a pin number, that was needed to un-lock the handset so that you could make calls. As more people got mobiles in an effort to make it easier for users we no longer see pin numbers. Hence when a phone is lost the lucky finder can read all you messages and copy your numbers, but the network can disable the sim so that no calls are made from it!
What is the best way forward for security? Get smarter users with dummer devices!
At present wireless devices are limited on there bandwidth unless they use the battery draining WiFi. Thus the security needed to protect data is limited to password protect, and lets face it thats not great as the number of passwords anyone has is limited to their ability to remember them.
You cannot use a VPN as that congests the already limited bandwidth faster than a month of Supersizing at McDonalds!
How ever as we become more mobile we need to become more security aware, the same thing happens with money when we leave our house. What is needed is not more smart devices just smart users. I remember a conversation a few years ago with a headhunter who was not overly concerned about the fact that he had left his Palm in the back of a taxi on the way over to my office. It was only after I asked if any of the documents relating to the assignment he was conducting for me were on the device that he became concerned and even then he said they were of little use to onthers. Needless to say he and I have not done business since.
When I first started using mobiles thay had a pin number, that was needed to un-lock the handset so that you could make calls. As more people got mobiles in an effort to make it easier for users we no longer see pin numbers. Hence when a phone is lost the lucky finder can read all you messages and copy your numbers, but the network can disable the sim so that no calls are made from it!
What is the best way forward for security? Get smarter users with dummer devices!
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Let me take you by the hand
Just been talking to one of those I met at the Symbian exhibition earlier this week who thanked me for helping navigate the show.
They said that in most of the shows they attended time is short and what is needed is someone who can scout the exhibits and arrange meetings with people who understand the product they are premoting rather than hijacked by hospitality girls harvesting business cards and handing out freebees. Is this not the function of the event organisor?
If you want me to give up time in my busy diary don't you have to facilitate a great experience. The fall in the market has ment that the bloated show has ended (only downside is that the level of goodies have fallen) and so it does not take too long to scout the site. Does it need better PR from the exhibitors to promote the features and benefits of their clients?
Would you be prepaired to pay for a show guide who walked you to your meetings and insured that you got face time with the relivant people on the stands?
They said that in most of the shows they attended time is short and what is needed is someone who can scout the exhibits and arrange meetings with people who understand the product they are premoting rather than hijacked by hospitality girls harvesting business cards and handing out freebees. Is this not the function of the event organisor?
If you want me to give up time in my busy diary don't you have to facilitate a great experience. The fall in the market has ment that the bloated show has ended (only downside is that the level of goodies have fallen) and so it does not take too long to scout the site. Does it need better PR from the exhibitors to promote the features and benefits of their clients?
Would you be prepaired to pay for a show guide who walked you to your meetings and insured that you got face time with the relivant people on the stands?
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Symbian Developer Event
Spent the afternoon at the Symbian Event and this year saw some real signs that Mobile Developers are able to launch without the Network Owners.
One of those that impressed is Cognima and if you view the Blog on their site my smiling face is shown. Cognima offer a solution that makes MMS messages very easy to load/send without pushing too many buttons. After catching up with them I bumped into a senior exec from one of the Networks who said that they needed something to make Picture Messaging easier. So guess who I introduced?
Nokia and Sony Ericsson had more people around them than others showing off just what can be done with their new handsets,
One of those that impressed is Cognima and if you view the Blog on their site my smiling face is shown. Cognima offer a solution that makes MMS messages very easy to load/send without pushing too many buttons. After catching up with them I bumped into a senior exec from one of the Networks who said that they needed something to make Picture Messaging easier. So guess who I introduced?
Nokia and Sony Ericsson had more people around them than others showing off just what can be done with their new handsets,
Monday, October 04, 2004
Giving cellular the blues
|BT Pulls the plug on Bluephone cannot be good news for companies like Norwood Systems who have spent the last five years pushing Bluetooth for in building substition of GSM. I am sure that with those involved in the Alliance will make Convergence work. But I think that 21st Century Networks will take a long time to work rather than the rapid delivery that BT hopes will come about. The problem is the legacy network needs to be supported and serviced and unlike television BT has not said that they will switch off the non-IP telephony. Without the forced adoption of new technology by customers then the arrival of converged telephony is going to be a long time coming.
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Mobile Phone Backlash
Harry Eyres writes in this weekends Financial Times about how we have addicted ourselves to mobile phones. In a well writen piece he argues that the disadvatages outweigh their advantages. This is something that I have thought about a lot since the family holiday this year having left my handset in England whilst sitting on the beach in Italy.
Stephen Pritchard writes in The Independent about Mobile Offices: what happened to the future? In which he outlines how the phone firms are still playing catch up with the Futurologists. His focus is on how email on our phones could be available now and with 90% penetration of phones we should like the Japanese be using handsets over computers.
So who is to be believed on Mobile penetration and habits?
Kevin Spacey told the BBC in a recent radio interview that he feels that audiences need to learn how to behave and those who refuse to turn off their phones "shouldn't come" to the theatre. Her told of an incident at the National where the actor asked the audience member whose phone had gone off six times to leave the theatre. I do think that we have some responsibility to respect the environment we are in and opt for voice mail rather than take a call.
Stephen Pritchard writes in The Independent about Mobile Offices: what happened to the future? In which he outlines how the phone firms are still playing catch up with the Futurologists. His focus is on how email on our phones could be available now and with 90% penetration of phones we should like the Japanese be using handsets over computers.
So who is to be believed on Mobile penetration and habits?
Kevin Spacey told the BBC in a recent radio interview that he feels that audiences need to learn how to behave and those who refuse to turn off their phones "shouldn't come" to the theatre. Her told of an incident at the National where the actor asked the audience member whose phone had gone off six times to leave the theatre. I do think that we have some responsibility to respect the environment we are in and opt for voice mail rather than take a call.
Friday, September 17, 2004
My New Toy
Yesterday with 20 minutes to kill between meetings I decided to go window shopping in Tottenham Court Road. Looking into the Sony Shop and I spy the new Network Walkman has arrived.
I hand over my card and am presented with my latest Sony gadget. Once I get home and everyone has updated me on their day at school I finally have time to myself and unpack my new toy. After 10 minutes setting up SonicStage I can finally load up my machine, two hours later I have downloaded 700 songs onto my tiny music machine, but is bedtime and I have an early start.
Never before has the MetLine felt so acceptable as this morning I stand waiting for the tube happily lost in my youth listening to The Jam. Now at lunch I sit checking emails and doing some surfing with Joan Armatrading.
So far have to say that this beats my iPOD experience. My little silver jukebox has all I want on it at the moment, over the weekend I will discover how to do more than just listen to my music so that I can "inform" the iBores just how they have made a mistake.
Best early birthday present I have had in many a year ;-)
I hand over my card and am presented with my latest Sony gadget. Once I get home and everyone has updated me on their day at school I finally have time to myself and unpack my new toy. After 10 minutes setting up SonicStage I can finally load up my machine, two hours later I have downloaded 700 songs onto my tiny music machine, but is bedtime and I have an early start.
Never before has the MetLine felt so acceptable as this morning I stand waiting for the tube happily lost in my youth listening to The Jam. Now at lunch I sit checking emails and doing some surfing with Joan Armatrading.
So far have to say that this beats my iPOD experience. My little silver jukebox has all I want on it at the moment, over the weekend I will discover how to do more than just listen to my music so that I can "inform" the iBores just how they have made a mistake.
Best early birthday present I have had in many a year ;-)
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Sun Blog Sparks Novell Purchase Rumor
So Blogs might be bad for business!Following on from my post yesterday about Businesses and Weblogs this story on how Invester relations can be demaged when one of the senior execs writes what he thinks.
So if this is the standard by which others will be judged then Blogs and business will only be possible by the laywers and PR people. However we do see a large number of staff at Microsoft maintain their personal blogs. Last year we even had a contractor fired by Microsoft for photoblogging the delivery of new G5 Macs because it was an embarasement.
I still think that done well the Blog has a place within the communications strategy of a business just the same as online forums have in the delivery of customer support. One company that does seem to have done a good job at online communication with all its stajeholders is SAP, althought posting something once a month does not qualify as blogging in my book!
DE
So if this is the standard by which others will be judged then Blogs and business will only be possible by the laywers and PR people. However we do see a large number of staff at Microsoft maintain their personal blogs. Last year we even had a contractor fired by Microsoft for photoblogging the delivery of new G5 Macs because it was an embarasement.
I still think that done well the Blog has a place within the communications strategy of a business just the same as online forums have in the delivery of customer support. One company that does seem to have done a good job at online communication with all its stajeholders is SAP, althought posting something once a month does not qualify as blogging in my book!
DE
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
10 Companies That Missed Blog Opportunities
B.L. Ochman's weblog has an interesting take on businesses that miss the opportunity to Blog. This is something that I have been trying to understand for the last year, having read an interesting feature in the Harvard Business Review.
I have spoken to a number of senior PR types about how they plan to use Blogs all of whom say that they run their own site but do not do so for clients, the issue being one of how to get paid for such activity. Now one of the things I like about blogginbg is that micro publishing lets all of us attempt to be a thought leader. But (yes there had to be a but) the introduction of some professional writers can make a difference. Just look at how the Feature (a mobile telecoms site sponsored by Nokia ) does now that it has paid writers contributing. The other benefit is that with the readers ability to interact the copy becomes self policing, you remove the editor from the process but the use of a blog to push a product limits it effectiveness. The introduction of business into the Blogging world has to be a benefit because as a hobby we are faced with hobby sites, just look at what happened to George Micheal's site when he allowed anyone to post!
I have spoken to a number of senior PR types about how they plan to use Blogs all of whom say that they run their own site but do not do so for clients, the issue being one of how to get paid for such activity. Now one of the things I like about blogginbg is that micro publishing lets all of us attempt to be a thought leader. But (yes there had to be a but) the introduction of some professional writers can make a difference. Just look at how the Feature (a mobile telecoms site sponsored by Nokia ) does now that it has paid writers contributing. The other benefit is that with the readers ability to interact the copy becomes self policing, you remove the editor from the process but the use of a blog to push a product limits it effectiveness. The introduction of business into the Blogging world has to be a benefit because as a hobby we are faced with hobby sites, just look at what happened to George Micheal's site when he allowed anyone to post!
Monday, July 19, 2004
Ester Dyson Be my friend? Only on my turf
Ester Dyson's latest column is about here continuing use of online networks and how they could be improved.
I also am a member of LinkedIn the network she refers to and have to say that a number of contacts say that following a bombardment of requests they have withdrawn from the group. A number of others who I have introduced have also failed to see the benefits of the network but joining the network but not joining the group in that they have not invited in their own network so that all may benefit from the potential business opportunities.
The interesting view is just how can you grow such communities looking at others a number have failed in that they chase size over quality. A few years ago I helped run Digital People which was an active face-to-face community that met once a month, it failed to dvelop an online presence and with the declining markets its members found that they were time pressured and so no longer attended events. After a year of low attendance the group folded under a pile of debts. Looking at ecademy you see the community is debating the same things but the names have changed. Those that paid membership last year are not seeing great value and thus are pulling out to be replace by fresh faces hoping that Power Membership can help develop their new businesses.
How do little black books work in the connected world?
I also am a member of LinkedIn the network she refers to and have to say that a number of contacts say that following a bombardment of requests they have withdrawn from the group. A number of others who I have introduced have also failed to see the benefits of the network but joining the network but not joining the group in that they have not invited in their own network so that all may benefit from the potential business opportunities.
The interesting view is just how can you grow such communities looking at others a number have failed in that they chase size over quality. A few years ago I helped run Digital People which was an active face-to-face community that met once a month, it failed to dvelop an online presence and with the declining markets its members found that they were time pressured and so no longer attended events. After a year of low attendance the group folded under a pile of debts. Looking at ecademy you see the community is debating the same things but the names have changed. Those that paid membership last year are not seeing great value and thus are pulling out to be replace by fresh faces hoping that Power Membership can help develop their new businesses.
How do little black books work in the connected world?
Summer Holidays are here
My three girls have started there summer holidays, and boy do I know it.
We have a broken PC, Broken Play Station and we've lost the remote control! Its only day one and boy am I looking forward to September.
The sun has once again come out and so now we are happy playing in the garden. This week we have trips to buy new school uniform and shoes and a visit to the movies to see Spiderman. Then its off to see The Mummy at the British Museum.
Unlike my time we have booked the girls into Summer School as well as 2 weeks in Italy so we have planned as much of their holiday time as possible. The problem is that in doing so we are creating children who expect to be entertained rather than capable of entertaining themselves, I am not sure if this is a good idea.
Do we need to give children time and space to develop social skills or are we creating demanding dependents who will never have the skills needed to stand on their own and interact?
We have a broken PC, Broken Play Station and we've lost the remote control! Its only day one and boy am I looking forward to September.
The sun has once again come out and so now we are happy playing in the garden. This week we have trips to buy new school uniform and shoes and a visit to the movies to see Spiderman. Then its off to see The Mummy at the British Museum.
Unlike my time we have booked the girls into Summer School as well as 2 weeks in Italy so we have planned as much of their holiday time as possible. The problem is that in doing so we are creating children who expect to be entertained rather than capable of entertaining themselves, I am not sure if this is a good idea.
Do we need to give children time and space to develop social skills or are we creating demanding dependents who will never have the skills needed to stand on their own and interact?
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