More than a few people have asked how I process the information that comes in on a daily basis.
Remember the rules of Social Media
We'll focus here on how I "listen" and make "pro-active" gestures in a scalable and efficient way (for starters).
Trying out more video (4 mins long). Let me know...
Since I started following Internet trends, one of the people I've enjoyed most learning from is Clay Shirky.
He's got tremendous clarity about how the Internet continues to unfold and what it means for society at large.
In this video, (well worth it) he shares how the shift from passive (TV) to active participation (Internet) will have effects on culture and society that are equivalent to those of the Industrial Revolution.
Americans spend about 200 billion hours per year watching TV and if we can reallocate a portion of that to more creative, participatory endeavors, the possibilities are endless. Call out to Dean Collins for the link.
One of the points he mentions is how more and more people are taking their free time away from TV to the Internet. I'm no exception.
Last week, I saw that my 12 month promotion which I had creatively negotiated with Comcast last year had expired.
I called them up and said, "look at $40, the service is barely worth it to me. AT $65, it's not worth it at all." And it's not.
I'd be willing to get rid of the TV altogether, honestly.
Bottom line, I got it for $34/month. TV is just not a value add for me.
Shirky explains why.
It's been a few years since I read Sun Tzu's the Art of War, but Google's announcement yesterday of an App Engine that scales using Google Infrastructure is nothing less than a full frontal assault at Microsoft's server business.
The attack on the desktop business is well underway with Google Docs, but this moves go at MS' bread and butter in terms of the corporate market.
A somewhat technical (9 min) video is below.
Now, the gloves are off....it's going to be fun to see how Ballmer and Co respond.
Much of the blogosphere has been lit up with Facebook's new ad platform.It's pretty impressive. It's an automated, scaleable Raving Fan Strategy that can lead directly to sales.
The other night, I made a car reservation on Hotwire and as I checked out, got a message that said basically, "would it be ok if we mentioned that Jeremy got a great deal on Hotwire on your Facebook news feed?"
Whoa!
And just like that, everyone knows what I did.
I should have taken a screen shot. Very impressive.
Now, 10 years down the road, I think about the transactions I made online...on Friday alone.
via Amazon (and get paid if someone buys) And it all probably took less than 1 hour...The cost of doing business and trying things continues to drop.
Now the question is...how are you modifying your business to
Read another good article today about the changes it is facing and then called an old friend, Andy Bonime, who is in the movie/music industry out in Southern California.
What he described is going on in his world as a music producer is precisely what Chris Anderson describes in The Long Tail
So, what is it?
Well, there are a growing number of artists who are not mega-stars, but who are making a decent living ($100k-$150k per year), making their own music, selling downloads via MySpace, pressing their own CD's, and performing in live venues. You don't need the major labels anymore...the micro-markets are facilitated by a huge group of people in a niche (and looking to fill that niche.) All of this is enabled by technology.
Now, I'm not a huge music person...at all, but a few years ago, I was riding in a car with Rob Hirschmann (who is) and he talked about the "Art of the Album."
I don't remember where, but a few weeks ago, I read about how the Beatles were the last great Album Artists, in that they deliberately laid out the songs in an Album to create a type of Musical Mosaic that had meaning from start to finish.
Then, the labels took over, created a few mega-hits and would just throw fluff songs on record/tape/CD and sell it as an "Album."
So, Andy's new project is part-music, part-Art. His site isn't up yet (too bad), but his working concept is a compilation of specific artists with specific songs/tunes in the Album as art form.
What does it all mean?
It means that in times of disruptive technological change, the value doesn't evaporate, it moves...and you have to find it.
The value in music isn't in finding the talent, marketing it through mass distribution channels, or in creating the media (CD, tape, etc.), it's in the experience (album or concert).
There are those who say that the music will be free and that concerts, etc. is how you will make the money in music.
Interestingly enough, I was thinking about this as my kids and I watched Sesame Street this AM. Here's core content being given away...for free...and how do they make money? Not off commercials...off the licensing of products (see my kids' diapers!) and sales of DVD's, etc.
If you want some more deep thoughts on music/technology, you should read Fred Wilson.
