Filed under: beta, Brand, Community, content communities, creativity, Digital culture, Emergent media, FMCG innovation, Future of Media, geek, Geek stuff, Innovation, Innovative marketing, Lifestyle trends, Macro trends, neophiliac, new product, Nice Design, Social, Social media, Thinking, Work Futures | Tags: beta, Beta-culture, Facebook, Forrester Consumer Forum, Google, Innovation, MySpace, Radiohead, social networking, trends, Twitter
The idea of being in beta has become a broad cultural phenomenon. Many new products never make it beyond trial stage, and the trial and error beta-approach that helps Google and other alpha innovators to out-fail and thereby out-innovate the competition, is as much an attribute of successful organizations as it is a sign of our time.
But it’s not only analysts and conference organizers who are switching instantly from micro to macro, picking up nascent trends and elevating them to a must-deal-with core competence that transcends the current fad (just see all the Facebook conferences that are mushrooming right now). What I find even more interesting is how the media and blogosphere deal with it. If everything’s in beta, the public doesn’t have the patience anymore to wait for the alpha. As the media are increasingly forced to immediately widen the scope and view every innovation in a larger context as it occurs, the boundaries between reporters and commentators, bloggers and industry analysts are fading.
Some examples: Not too long ago, Twitter was all the rage, and it was stunning to see that just shortly after the initial coverage during SXSW in March, reporters were already elaborating on the concept of micro-blogging, wondering what the new “radical transparency” meant for business. Nowadays, there is a great chance that you will stumble upon a Facebook story when you open just about any publication: It’s Facebook vs. MySpace, the implications of social networking on the borders between work and personal life, reflections on the “Facebook economy,” Facebook vs. iTunes, and maybe a philosophical piece on Facebook “as a post-modern book” or the future of social networking, which, for TIME, equals the future of the Internet. It is only a small step from MySpace to the “MySpace generation,” and from Facebook to the “Facebook generation” and then to the “Fakebook generation.” Similarly, the recent buzz around Radiohead’s “pay what you want” online release has instantly led to the coining of a “Radiohead Generation” and praise for the band “as a pioneer of the digital revolution.” And there are hundreds of articles discussing if Radiohead’s decision ushers in the definite end of the record industry. The stories about the radical distribution model appear to eclipse the actual music on the album–in this case, too, the reviews are in before the story is told.
Evidently, the media need to cope with the current while also putting forward a vision for the up and coming. The time between observation and conclusion, between description and prediction, however, has shrunk to almost zero. There are no more lapses between news, analysis, background story, industry trend story, and intellectual dissection; they have become one and the same, at the same time. Not only is beta the new alpha–beta has gone meta.
Filed under: Borrow this, Designers, Digital culture, Future of Media, Google, Innovative stimulus, Lifestyle trends, Nice Design, Social media, Thinking, Trends stuff, Trendy Trend sites | Tags: 2008 web trends map, beta, Information Architects, Japan, Tokyo, trends
The Information Architects, a strategic design agency in Tokyo, Japan have just released the beta version of their 2008 web trends map. They’ve taken 300 of the most influential and successful websites & pinned them down to the greater Tokyo-area train map. Needless o say Google remains at the centre of the universe [or in this case Tokyo] with various ‘train’ lines such as ‘Social Networks’ line, ‘Game Technology’ line, Adobe & File Sharing lines.
It’s a beautiful thing for the mind & the eyes.
Check it out here
Filed under: Community, content communities, creativity, Future of Media, Geek stuff, Innovative stimulus, Looking for insights, memes, Research Methods, Social, Social media, unbusiness | Tags: 5 blogs that make me think, meme, my media week, thinking blogger awards
Gavin tagged me (thanks Gavin) on the current meme sweeping the sphere – ‘My Media Week’ – the meme that gets you thinking about your own media consumption rather than everyone else’s. So here goes:
Reading
I have one red paperclip on my night table which a friend loaned me. It has been there for quite some time (sorry Kes) but doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. i.e. It’s certainly no closer to getting in bed with me & a cup of tea than you are. I love the idea of someone who swaps a red paperclip for something else, then swaps that for something else, yada yada, you get the picture. Eventually this guy gets a house. I like the idea of the story, I’m just not loving the story so much.
So what I’m actually reading is “How would you move Mount Fuji : How the smartest companies select the world’s most creative thinkers” by William Poundstone. It’s basically a commentary on Microsoft’s notorious grueling interview process which has been copied by companies everywhere who are seeking to separate the most creative thinkers from those who are merely brilliant. It’s got a bunch of puzzles & riddles throughout which are generally making me feel reasonably uncreative, let alone brilliant. Lucky I’m not trying to get a job in the valley I suppose.
I flicked through my usual monthly Futures magazine yesterday but I don’t think you could call that ‘reading’ with any integrity. They come in the mail, I flick through them & then make them at home in my bottom drawer. You see, I don’t have to actually read them, just knowing they’re close is enough. Oh and I read Who Weekly to get the update on Britney Spears’ fight for child custody. Are we supposed to omit the trash consumption?
TV / Video
The other night I watched a documentary on Australia’s most feared creatures, followed by an episode of “shark attack : I shouldn’t be alive”, both served to reinforce the threat of swimming at any beach in Sydney as one could be taken by an animal of the sea at any time. I’ve also been following the US election coverage with interest together with my usual diet of cable news & Sunset Tan when it’s on. (Sunset Tan is a top quality show on cable which follows the lives of people who manage a chain of tanning salons in L.A. It’s no West Wing but gee it’s close). Again, should I have omitted that?
Music
On iTunes play during the last week was Joan as Policewoman, Josh Rouse, James Blunt & a bit Pink for the angry woman moments. There have been plenty of those this week for no particular reason other than my computer has been rather temperamental.
Next Up
Next up I tag Erin aka Dora the Explorer 
who is on my daily Google Reader , Amanthaville to encourage you to start posting again!, Coolz0r whose blog is always jam packed with great examples & analysis, Katie whose site I love reading regularly for a brain top up, Weird from Slacker Nation whose blog is always an incredibly good read & Greg at Grassroots Innovation which I also check out regularly.
Filed under: creativity, FMCG innovation, Future of Work, Genius, Innovative retail, Innovative stimulus, Nice products, unbusiness, Work Futures | Tags: blog, blogger, creativity, idea, ideas, Innovation, random ideas, the innovation company, what if, what if they did, whatif, whatiftheydid
Looking for a bit of Friday folly to procrastenate over while I garner the energy for another crack at work this afternoon, I stumbled across a new blog called ‘What If They Did’ – it’s basically a bunch of ‘what if’ ideas, a collection of random thoughts across all categories & platforms.
At first I thought might be an informal blog from someone at WhatIf The Innovation Company, after all, it would sit perfectly under their banner as a way of creating dialogue beyond the company lines. But no, it’s actually written by two creatives out of London who are using it as a playground to stash their collection of random ideas.
So whether you’re after a wacky idea for a particular category, or simply want think more laterally about how you go about generating ideas, this site is worth a look.
I love this idea for a lucky dip on the Skye Remote Control and when you think about it, it’s not so different from the concept behind iPod’s shuffle.
Check it out here
I’ve been reading up on the future of travel for a project I’m working on and came across this question on one of the travel blogs I ‘ve been following. It’s a simple question but a goodie. I’m tempted to say, . . “what a good question to open an innovation session with to talk about how we get into particular rivers of thinking and often don’t realise that we stick to sameness unless we force ourselves to think & act differently . . yada yada” but the truth is, it’s a good question to ask yourself, not because you want to be more innovative or creative, not because you even want to be more interesting, just because sometimes we have to remind ourselves to dive head first into life no matter how cold the water may be or how much might spray up our nose. So . . .
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Well . . .?
Filed under: Community, content communities, Digital culture, Emergent media, Future of Media, Geek stuff, moblogging, new product, Social, Social media | Tags: beta, mobile blogging communities, mobile gaming communities, mobile social communities, moblogging, playyoo, spotblogging, technorati, youtube
Playyoo a brand new site based out of England has just launched in beta this week. Billed as a ‘YouTube for mobile games’ by Technorati, the site offers users the chance to create, share & download games & game content for their mobile. It allows users to create their own content, interact with others and even get recommendations based on their user preferences.
This is an interesting space, especially beyond just mobile gaming. Mobile social communities and mobile blogging communities are increasing in numbers. According to the Wireless Federation Research there are currently over 45 million members engaged in ‘mobile social communities’ worldwide (including mobile gamers gamers), a number that is expected to reach 175 million in 2012.
These communities also have the potential to generate big revenue. A new study by Jupiter Research states that revenue from user generated content is projected to increase from $572 million this year to $5.7 billion by 2012, about half of which will be coming from social networking. Moreover, membership of social networking sites is projected to grow from 14 million this year to about 600 million by 2012. Perhaps mobile content management & social software will be the next killer apps.
So what is “moblogging” exactly? Well, mo-blogging is blogging via a mobile phone, or a PDA via a mobile connection with a real IP – GPRS or 3G. It’s friendly cousin “Spot-blogging” is mobile also, just not via a mobile phone. “Spotblogging” refers to blogging via a PC through WiFi. It’s called SpotBlogging because you need to be tied to a hotspot of some sort, whereas real moblogging can be just about anywhere.
Anyhoo, Playyoo is an interesting site – check it out here
Filed under: Borrow this, creativity, Geek stuff, Gen Research, Looking for insights, Research Methods, steal or borrow info, Thinking
Just saw this posted this morning & had to share it. It’s a periodic table of all the visualisation methods you’ll ever need as a strategic planner or innovation type person. (Well, maybe almost).
Check it out here
Filed under: Advertising, Borrow this, Future of Media, Google, Innovative advertising
In an earlier post I profiled Lynette Webb, the Insights Manager at Google who created a Flickr site called “Interesting Snippets”.
She calls it “my personal dumping ground for various cool quotes, the odd stat, as slides to talk around when describing how things are changing online and in media & communications generally” and it’s jammed with a bunch of great stimulus about the way technology is changing the world in which we live. It’s a Flickr collection online but she’s also published her slides in a book which you can buy on Lulu.
This is a new slide she just posted which I thought was worth a look. Whether you’re in advertising or not, companies are going to need to find new ways to communicate with people. Innovative communication tends to focus around a ‘better digital strategy’ or a new content format or a sexier podcast, when will we start finding new ways to have conversations & relationships with people?
Check it out, it’s a must see Interesting Snippets
Filed under: creativity, Innovative stimulus | Tags: 50 reasons not to change, avoiding change, bio-cultural science & management blog
Nobody likes change; after all, when change occurs, things happen . . new ideas surface, leadership can shift from one person to another, people can take an idea and run with it showing flagrant disregard for the all-important hierarchical work structures which provide consistency & security to the office population. Yes, change should be avoided at all costs. The Biocultural Science & Management blog published this great chart “50 Reasons Not to Change”. Pick a winner and use it today.
Filed under: creativity
I’ve been reading Faris Yakob’s blog and cherry picking the bits I love to share with you. This is another cartoon he posted which I thought was gold.
