David Beckham's Hidden Camera Fun!
Blind Artist Paints With Imagination
Good, Fast, Or Cheap Communications
Good, Fast, or Cheap
Reconsidering an Old Adage Through Alice in Wonderland
I’m a CMMA member and was recently asked to provide a written response to the question below. Because I share practically everything, below is my response. Hope you enjoy it.
The Question
Remember this old adage? Good/Fast/Cheap: Pick Any Two
Does it still hold, or have technology changes and production efficiencies made it possible for communications media projects to be all three? We’d like to hear your opinion. We’ll publish your contribution in an article in the next issue of e-visions. If you think the adage still holds, tell us why. If you think some projects can be good, fast and inexpensive, give us examples.
My Answer
“Would you tell me, please, which way I out to go from here? That depends a good deal on where you want to get to, said the Cat. I don’t much care where…said Alice. Then it doesn’t matter which way you go, said the Cat.”
– Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
As long as I can remember I haven’t liked playing by other people’s rules so if I may, I would answer this question by only choosing one which is doing communication projects well (good). I always strive for good, but I’m constantly striving for change and I don’t want myself, my department, or my company to ever be thought of anything less than good. If you want to go fast and be cheap, you can be successful for a while, but ultimately the things you overlook in the process will catch up with you.
I have a young son at home, so a lot of my time is spent watching children’s movies. I’m older now, and I am noticing that I’ve forgotten a lot of the lessons the movies of my youth taught me, but the good news is I don’t think I’m alone. Having a child has taught me how to think like a kid again so when I saw whether we as communications media professionals can have good, fast, and cheap media projects I had to chime in. Going back to kid’s movies, Alice in Wonderland can teach us a lot about making difficult choices.
If you are like me, you have a lot on your plate, and you’re late, you’re late, you’re late! We have different paths (doors) to try and get our work done, but we still seem to fit it all in. We are constantly juggling doing good, fast, and cheap work, and it isn’t easy. On top of that we are in a recession and budgets are being reduced so doing things cheaply is likely at the forefront of many of our minds. However, with that being said, I believe it’s still possible to have good, fast, and cheap communications projects.GOOD
Whenever possible, choose good over fast and cheap. There is the old saying that “haste is waste” but old habits must die hard because only until recently have many communications professionals started to analyze the ROI of doing things quickly vs. effectively. Always try to think about the long term implications before making a major decision. Think about the last project you worked on hastily, how did that work for you?
Speed can sometimes win out over doing it well, but you usually can’t be successful if you don’t have lots of money to help you along the way. If you had a lot of resources to access when you needed to go quickly, have you noticed how speed has affected your motivation? In the famous tale The Tortoise and the Hare the tortoise boasts how fast he is but becomes so unmotivated to win he doesn’t take the race seriously. The Hare who slowly and methodically trudges along ends up winning the race. The turtle never lost the “eye of the tiger” and you shouldn’t either. Don’t rest on your laurels because speed can only get you so far.
CHEAP
Don’t be fooled by the old saying that “you get what you pay for.” Today’s communication tools rival what cost then times as much just five years ago. If your company isn’t looking at what the industry is doing outside the company please let me know your stock symbol because I’ll make sure not to invest in it. Constantly look at trends and never think expensive always wins because in the end it isn’t how big your budget or communications tool is but rather what you are able to do with it and I truly believe that.
FAST
I know this is going to sound “cheesy” but have you ever listened to the lyrics of the song “Sunscreen”? That song forever changed the way I look at the pace of life.
“Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.”
Some departments are ahead of others, some are behind…the race is long, and in the end, it is all about showing value to your organization. Remember Alice hastily following the rabbit who only focused on time down the rabbit hole. Rabbits are stressed about time, be the turtle and focus on finishing the race with purpose instead of simply crossing the finish line.
SUMMARY
Which way should you go? Good? Fast? Cheap?
If you don’t know where you want to get to, it doesn’t matter.
Humans Are The Routers
Humans as Routers
The Future of Free Communication
Two very important quotes in this article which may have forever changed the way I think about the Internet and communications. To give you context in case you don’t know, routers control Internet traffic throughout the world (which is why Cisco became a dot com darling). Because we are still dependent on routers, dictators can kill communication in their country by telling ISPs to shut down. Give people access to information and give them a voice and amazing things happen.
KEY QUOTE
“I was sitting in front of Secretary Clinton and when she asked me a question I said, “Secretary Clinton, the last bastion of dictatorship is the router.” That night seeded some of the ideas that were core to Secretary Clinton’s important Internet Freedoms Speech on January 21, 2010.”
KEY QUOTE
“Free communications is an essential human right. The 21st Century will be defined by the idea that no Government, no power shall ever block or filter the right of all men and women to communicate together again.”
What are Routers?
Physical devices that direct internet traffic across networks. They form the critical infrastructure of the internet, controlling where and how data flows.
Internet Kill Switch
When governments order ISPs to shut down routers, cutting off internet access for entire regions or countries, preventing communication and information flow.
Mesh Networks
Decentralized networks where devices connect directly to each other, bypassing traditional infrastructure. When humans become routers, information can flow despite central control.
Why This Matters
Democratic Movements
Protesters and democratic movements rely on communications to organize and share information with the outside world.
Human Rights
Access to information and the ability to communicate freely are increasingly recognized as fundamental human rights.
Technological Solutions
New technologies like mesh networks can help ensure communication remains possible even when traditional infrastructure is compromised.
“The last bastion of dictatorship is the router.”
Further Reading
Humans Are The Routers
TechCrunch article that inspired this post about how people can become the network infrastructure.
Clinton’s Internet Freedoms Speech
Secretary Clinton’s groundbreaking speech about internet freedom as a fundamental right.
Computer History Museum
Last weekend it was a cold and wet outside so Christina and I went to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. It probably wouldn’t have been Christina’s first choice of things to do on a Saturday but I really had a good time and truth be told I think I brought out the inner geek in her and she had a good time too. The museum itself is great, it starts with the abacus and takes visitors all of the way to modern day computing. In some ways it made me feel old because I remember a lot of the “older” technology from when I was growing up. I think my favorite part was the video game section where I whooped Christina at Pong on the big screen but she beat me at Space Invaders two out of three times. If you don’t think you’ll ever make it there Woz did a great job giving a tour of the museum via Robert Scoble’s video below.
PausePressPlay
Official Documentary Trailer
Extended Preview Clip
This documentary looks great, and they have Seth Godin in it, so you know it will be great (Seth is brilliant).
About the Documentary
“The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent of people in an unprecedented way, unleashing unlimited creative opportunities. But does democratize culture mean better art, film, music and literature, or is true talent instead flooded and drowned in the vast digital ocean of mass culture? Is it cultural democracy or mediocrity? This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world’s most influential creators of the digital era.”
Key Themes Explored
Democratization
How digital tools have opened creative opportunities to everyone, regardless of formal training or institutional backing.
Quality vs. Quantity
The tension between increased creative output and the challenge of finding truly exceptional work in a sea of content.
The Future of Creativity
Exploring what the democratization of creative tools means for artists, audiences, and the evolution of art forms.
Featured Voices
SG
Seth Godin
Marketing Guru & Author
+
Many More
Digital Era Creators
Learn More
Visit the official website for more information, screening dates, and sneak peeks:
What Do You Think?
Has the digital revolution improved or diluted creative content? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Red Rock Coffee
Christina and I went to Red Rock Coffee yesterday in Mountain View, and they served up a fantastic latte. I say easily one of the 10 best lattes I’ve had, and I’ve had a good number!
Otis Person
My parents let me know last night they had to put Otis down which surprisingly came as quite a shock. Otis has been a part of the Person family since I was in high school in Maryland. Otis was always my mom’s dog as Maggie was my dad’s. I will always remember the day my parents brought Otis home, he had never felt grass before so when they put him in the grass he didn’t quite know how to react to it. For the next twenty or so minutes he tentatively ran around the back yard exploring a new world outside of what he previously knew (a cage). I also remember he didn’t look real when I first saw him, he looked like a little stuffed animal and I could palm his whole body in my hand. Otis lived a really long and good life with us kids and my parents. A lot has happened while Otis was around, as you can see in some of my pictures. I don’t know how old Otis was but I know I graduated High School in ’96 and he was around then so he was at least 13 or 14 years old. Otis was also one of the first of many people and animals to fall victim to my photography obsession.
My first camera was an Olympus 1.3 MP camera and I loved taking pictures of Otis with it. Otis never complained (unlike everyone else who I wanted to take pictures of) so I have lots of pictures of my old friend. I used to love giving him his “brain massages”, he loved them. I knew he was getting older and every time I came home I could see he was doing OK but getting old. Each time I left I wasn’t sure if I would see him again but I made extra sure to say goodbye the last few times I saw him. Every dog is special and each dog becomes part of your family so if you have an animal in your family give them an extra hug and kiss because they don’t stay around forever so enjoy them while you can.
Qwiki In The Enterprise
LinkedIn Discussion
The Future of Interactive Content in Corporate Communication
I commented on a LinkedIn discussion board comment/question today and wanted to share it.
Q:
The alpha version of qwiki (search engine that builds interactive videos on the fly) is pretty exciting. What do you think a corporate version could do to juice up employee or investor communications?
A:
Engaging content is definitely the future. You want to know the interesting thing in my mind though? Everyone says content is king and I agree. Corporations can have great tools, but only if they have great content. If you are interested try and remind me to talk with you in about a month. I’ll need to get clearance to show it to you but we are working on a knowledge sharing tool within the company and it has some really interesting social gaming aspects to it.
Rewarding Collaboration
My hope is in the coming years we can use these types of tools as a basis for merit increases and performance reviews. That type of thinking is counter culture to many organizations but social tools can help break down information silos and encourage collaboration like never before. They “can” also show you who your team players are in the organization meaning those who are helping others and not just themselves.
If we reward and recognize via virtual currency and in the future provide monetary incentives, it will be very interesting to see what happens as a result. Whether you have a LinkedIn discussion board, a blog, or a survey people are busy and often hesitant to share.
Incentivizing Participation
Want to see a dramatic increase in our discussion board usage? Send out a message to membership telling them if they post at least one comment or post on the discussion board they will get 25% (50%, 75%, 100%…whatever) off their next conference fee.
My point is some people will share but many will do so only when rewarded or recognized.
The Future of Interactive Technology
The other interesting thing I like about Qwiki is they are using it as a platform. I was fascinated by what they are looking at as a future alarm clock (see video link below). I’d imagine it won’t be too many more years before our bathroom mirrors are huge rear projection touch sensitive screens which let us see news, weather, or any other gadget/widget we want to subscribe to.
Same thing with the business world. I’d imagine it won’t be long before E-ink type screens will allow us to have constantly updated information presented to us to interact with throughout the day. But we can only have these tools if we have the content which means employees will need to write and contribute that content.
Watch the whole video or forward to 4 mins in to see the future alarm clock concept
Content Is King
Great tools require great content to be effective
Reward Sharing
Incentives drive participation and collaboration
Interactive Future
Tomorrow’s technology requires user-generated content
Dance Like Nobody’s Watching
This couple takes that saying to a whole new level. Cute!