By now, you may have had a good laugh at the “human error” that happened in front of the world over the weekend or as it's affectionately called - The Google Glitch. Their explanation here
Hmmm That's Weird
If you were online Sunday 9:30-10:30am and used the search engine at all, you noticed that under every result was an additional note: this site may harm your computer.
If you were like me, you thought something was wrong with YOUR computer. But the story is that something got messed up a piece of code which caused everyone on the planet to get this warning with every search result around the world for an hour.
Imagine The Power
To most, Goggle is a space where they begin their online journey. But as you probably know, that is just the beginning of the Google Empire.
Search engine marketing and affiliate marketing are multi-billion industries. Some of the world’s largest corporations use Google Analytics to research customer behavior. There is Google Maps, Google Reader, Google Earth, and tons more.
No Sales Person Will Call
No one from Google will call your house for money or hound you for additional services; that is all done behind the scenes. The furniture store that comes up on the first page of your search isn’t there by accident. The furniture store is likely paying for that “rack space”. When was the last time you sifted through twenty pages in a search result?
This could have been a much more serious issue. At the most basic level, it shows our blind trust that stuff will just work for us every time. It is also a reflection of the trust we give others with our personal information.
Companies Are Human Too
No one enjoys mistakes, we all make them, often. But don't beat yourself up too much. The people running one of the largest companies in the world make them too.
km
Showing posts with label Google Reader. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Google Reader. Show all posts
February 2, 2009
January 24, 2009
Unscientific Study in Networking Socially
I took a few days away from the social media space and the emails have been hilarious. I’m okay! Thanks for your concern. But it did get me thinking about the power of social connection.
You Started It
Last April, I attended a Geek Dinner which was the birth of this thought space. Without realizing it, I have been conducting an experiment in human behavior for the past 10 months. The results have been astounding.
The friend, follower, and connection counts have grown but it isn’t about that – it’s about the human stuff and it all stems from one dinner.
I Know A Guy Who Knows A Guy
The amazing element of all this is the people you meet through the people you meet through the people you know. The six degrees of separation. Every person on the planet is linked to every person on the planet in six steps or less.
Have you experienced a situation where you couldn’t remember how you met someone? Through your network someone knows someone you know who introduces you to someone who is now your friend. Gladwell writes about it in The Tipping Point. The connectors, mavens and salesmen are everywhere - often all three reside in us at the same time.
The Network of Networks
Are we creating communities that coexist online as we do in life? Or are we making more true human connections than we would (say) by passing people in the mall?
The numbers are irrelevant – the human connections are important.
We Are All Just People
I have gained mentors, friends, colleagues and contacts. There is non-stop information and knowledge shared and all because someone reached out last year and asked me to join a group of people for dinner.
What is important is that if you are going to take from the social network you must be willing to give back and share.
Is Anybody Out There?
I received emails in the last couple of days because I hadn’t posted an Opinion or contributed to the Twitter conversation or posted information in my newsfeed. At the core of all this, we’re just people.
I worked for many years in radio, and just when you didn’t think “they” were listening, you’d get a sign. Thanks for the sign.
What are your thoughts?
km
You Started It
Last April, I attended a Geek Dinner which was the birth of this thought space. Without realizing it, I have been conducting an experiment in human behavior for the past 10 months. The results have been astounding.
The friend, follower, and connection counts have grown but it isn’t about that – it’s about the human stuff and it all stems from one dinner.
I Know A Guy Who Knows A Guy
The amazing element of all this is the people you meet through the people you meet through the people you know. The six degrees of separation. Every person on the planet is linked to every person on the planet in six steps or less.
Have you experienced a situation where you couldn’t remember how you met someone? Through your network someone knows someone you know who introduces you to someone who is now your friend. Gladwell writes about it in The Tipping Point. The connectors, mavens and salesmen are everywhere - often all three reside in us at the same time.
The Network of Networks
Are we creating communities that coexist online as we do in life? Or are we making more true human connections than we would (say) by passing people in the mall?
The numbers are irrelevant – the human connections are important.
We Are All Just People
I have gained mentors, friends, colleagues and contacts. There is non-stop information and knowledge shared and all because someone reached out last year and asked me to join a group of people for dinner.
What is important is that if you are going to take from the social network you must be willing to give back and share.
Is Anybody Out There?
I received emails in the last couple of days because I hadn’t posted an Opinion or contributed to the Twitter conversation or posted information in my newsfeed. At the core of all this, we’re just people.
I worked for many years in radio, and just when you didn’t think “they” were listening, you’d get a sign. Thanks for the sign.
What are your thoughts?
km
January 9, 2009
Way Back When: Was Not That Long Ago
In the ‘olden’ days, dad would begin the day with a fresh cup of coffee, a pack of butts and the newspaper. There was a sense of accomplishment to hold the paper in his hands and digest each and every page. Interruptions were not permitted.
I have a friend who still sits at his kitchen table every morning and reads the entire newspaper. The ritual is complete once he has completed the crossword puzzle – in pen.
There was time when news of an anticipated new album release would cause a lineup at the retail location. Your choice was go to the store and purchase the music or perhaps a buddy would make you a tape.
These Times They Are Always A-Changin’
My day usually starts with Google Reader. In about half an hour I can sift through 10-15 news sources. Akin to radio and the music industry, newspapers are scrambling for ways to monetize the online model.
Here’s a study conducted by Nielson Online entitled "Online Newspapers Enjoy Double-Digit Year-Over-Year Growth, Reaching One Out Of Four Internet Users".
It was released in November 2005.
This is not the new reality – this it is reality.
I spent years fighting the good fight for musicians on the issue of downloading. None of us had the answer. I still hear how the music labels have a flawed business model.
Here are some facts: music is everywhere, it has never been more popular, and to most people it has no monetary value. This is no longer an issue of “the kids" downloading on Napster. Downloading and sharing music and video files is commonplace now across all demos.
The industry is working it out and the forward thinkers have realized that the lucrative days of simply selling hardware have changed forever.
Mix Your Media
In days of yore, media buyers had five main choices for their clients: radio, newspaper, television, direct mail and outdoor/transit. If a client had significant enough budget, it was advised they mix their media to insure more penetration for their message. Good advice.
Today the choices also include: digital, cross-media, social media, microsites, online, cellphones and more.
C’mon I Don’t Have All Minute!
As the history books show, it was not uncommon at one time that a person had to hand write memorandums that were in-turn copied in a monstrous noisy machine in the “copy room” to then be distributed to staff mailboxes by the lunch room. The only evidence someone had called while you were out was the number of handwritten messages on pink pieces of paper nestled in your bunk by reception.
Now we wonder why our emails aren’t returned at the speed of light.
We have created a society of impatience. If we can’t find it, we move on. That’s a scary notion to anyone holding on to the way things used to be with white knuckles and a glazed defiant stare.
Change Is The Constant
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office opened in 1802. There was talk at one point that it was going to close. The reason was simple – everything that was going to be invented had already been invented. By February 2008, the office had processed almost 8 million patents.
Historians have written about “simpler times” – but in the 'olden' days – they thought they were on the cutting edge too.
km
I have a friend who still sits at his kitchen table every morning and reads the entire newspaper. The ritual is complete once he has completed the crossword puzzle – in pen.
There was time when news of an anticipated new album release would cause a lineup at the retail location. Your choice was go to the store and purchase the music or perhaps a buddy would make you a tape.
These Times They Are Always A-Changin’
My day usually starts with Google Reader. In about half an hour I can sift through 10-15 news sources. Akin to radio and the music industry, newspapers are scrambling for ways to monetize the online model.
Here’s a study conducted by Nielson Online entitled "Online Newspapers Enjoy Double-Digit Year-Over-Year Growth, Reaching One Out Of Four Internet Users".
It was released in November 2005.
This is not the new reality – this it is reality.
I spent years fighting the good fight for musicians on the issue of downloading. None of us had the answer. I still hear how the music labels have a flawed business model.
Here are some facts: music is everywhere, it has never been more popular, and to most people it has no monetary value. This is no longer an issue of “the kids" downloading on Napster. Downloading and sharing music and video files is commonplace now across all demos.
The industry is working it out and the forward thinkers have realized that the lucrative days of simply selling hardware have changed forever.
Mix Your Media
In days of yore, media buyers had five main choices for their clients: radio, newspaper, television, direct mail and outdoor/transit. If a client had significant enough budget, it was advised they mix their media to insure more penetration for their message. Good advice.
Today the choices also include: digital, cross-media, social media, microsites, online, cellphones and more.
C’mon I Don’t Have All Minute!
As the history books show, it was not uncommon at one time that a person had to hand write memorandums that were in-turn copied in a monstrous noisy machine in the “copy room” to then be distributed to staff mailboxes by the lunch room. The only evidence someone had called while you were out was the number of handwritten messages on pink pieces of paper nestled in your bunk by reception.
Now we wonder why our emails aren’t returned at the speed of light.
We have created a society of impatience. If we can’t find it, we move on. That’s a scary notion to anyone holding on to the way things used to be with white knuckles and a glazed defiant stare.
Change Is The Constant
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office opened in 1802. There was talk at one point that it was going to close. The reason was simple – everything that was going to be invented had already been invented. By February 2008, the office had processed almost 8 million patents.
Historians have written about “simpler times” – but in the 'olden' days – they thought they were on the cutting edge too.
km
January 5, 2009
Stuff For Your Stuff
Are you satisfied with the content for your gadgets?
I’m sure you have a few gadgets in your life. You probably have a computer, PDA or cell, mp3 player, digital camera, printer, television, and other electronic entertainment equipment.
There’s Nuthin’ On!
The Holidays are officially over and you may have realized something startling. We seem to have to weed through a lot of crap to get to the stuff we want. Years ago Bruce Springsteen had a song entitled 57 Channels and Nothing On which can be said about most of the gadgets in our lives. Some days there are 300 channels and nothing on!
The Google Stare
Perhaps this has happened to you. Over the Holidays whilst trying to digest more bad food, I was often stuck not knowing where I wanted to go. So out of habit, I would check Twitter and Facebook, then Google Reader, perhaps a music site and the cycle continued. There are billions of sites to visit but why do we get stuck?
Perhaps we still don’t feel we have enough control over our environment – despite our spoiled existence? And that includes living through these tough economic times.
Thingamajigs and Doohickeys
One of the most popular sites in the world is Gizmodo. It has all the newest coolest toys available. It's cool that you can buy a Bugatti for a million bucks, but what good is it if your route to work consists of urban gridlock? And do we really need a toaster radio?
Everything we own depends on other things to make it work. No power, no service. No content, your laptop is landfill. If you are out of cell range, your phone is rendered useless.
What is Stuff?
Stuff is content. Stuff is the device we need to access that content. Stuff is tools for work, games to play, words to read and music to enjoy.
It is fun to play with all applications on your iPhone or Blackberry but once that novelty wears off, what do you do then? You must then search for stuff to put on your stuff.
Possibilities
The great news is we can create whatever we want. If we don’t know how to write that computer code to make that cool thing dance on that website, we can find someone who can do it. If we want to gather a group of people to create a new concept or project we have that ability. The first stop is to ask ourselves - what we want to create?
Are you satisfied with the stuff on your stuff?
km
I’m sure you have a few gadgets in your life. You probably have a computer, PDA or cell, mp3 player, digital camera, printer, television, and other electronic entertainment equipment.
There’s Nuthin’ On!
The Holidays are officially over and you may have realized something startling. We seem to have to weed through a lot of crap to get to the stuff we want. Years ago Bruce Springsteen had a song entitled 57 Channels and Nothing On which can be said about most of the gadgets in our lives. Some days there are 300 channels and nothing on!
The Google Stare
Perhaps this has happened to you. Over the Holidays whilst trying to digest more bad food, I was often stuck not knowing where I wanted to go. So out of habit, I would check Twitter and Facebook, then Google Reader, perhaps a music site and the cycle continued. There are billions of sites to visit but why do we get stuck?
Perhaps we still don’t feel we have enough control over our environment – despite our spoiled existence? And that includes living through these tough economic times.
Thingamajigs and Doohickeys
One of the most popular sites in the world is Gizmodo. It has all the newest coolest toys available. It's cool that you can buy a Bugatti for a million bucks, but what good is it if your route to work consists of urban gridlock? And do we really need a toaster radio?
Everything we own depends on other things to make it work. No power, no service. No content, your laptop is landfill. If you are out of cell range, your phone is rendered useless.
What is Stuff?
Stuff is content. Stuff is the device we need to access that content. Stuff is tools for work, games to play, words to read and music to enjoy.
It is fun to play with all applications on your iPhone or Blackberry but once that novelty wears off, what do you do then? You must then search for stuff to put on your stuff.
Possibilities
The great news is we can create whatever we want. If we don’t know how to write that computer code to make that cool thing dance on that website, we can find someone who can do it. If we want to gather a group of people to create a new concept or project we have that ability. The first stop is to ask ourselves - what we want to create?
Are you satisfied with the stuff on your stuff?
km
December 16, 2008
Don't Let Anything Stand In Your Way
At some point every day, I do something under the umbrella of “motivation”. That may be reading a few more pages of that book I’ve been trying to finish for months, listening to a podcast or read a blog, crank some music, or anything that gets the blood flowing in the right direction again.
Last week, I put on a podcast with Jack Canfield. In the interview, he is promoting his book The Success Principles.
There is some riveting stuff and great reminders here:
Turn your inner-critic in to an inner-coach
To often, we summarize a project or a meeting by what we did wrong or what we missed. That event is done, over, everyone else has moved on. The best idea is to decipher what went well and what you want to improve next time.
List what you want to accomplish in your life
This could include visiting the Sistine Chapel, writing a book, driving a race car, or starting your own company. None of us know how much time we will be granted, and nothing magical is going to help around the corner unless we create it.
Don’t share your dreams with negative people
How many times have you heard the phrase “that won’t work” or “that’s a dumb idea”? It may be true but if you feel in your gut that you have something worth pursuing, then pursue it alone or with people who share your vision. Life is too short to let others live it for you. Share your dreams with positive people or keep them to yourself until you can find them.
Drop out of the “ain’t it awful” club
We all know them - those among us who will find bad things with every idea or situation. There is some strange trait among us humans where we find comfort in knocking things down. Perhaps it’s laziness? Perhaps it’s fear?
Life is supposed to be fun
We are drowning in news about the economy these days. Get over it. It sucks. People are nervous and scared and cautious. This isn’t to suggest we take the “la la la, I can’t hear you” approach, but if we continue to wallow then we will get what we wish for – more wallowing.
Be a persistent. Be a visionary
If you surround yourself with positive people, stop sharing your dreams and ideas with negative people, and keep at it, exciting things will happen. Yes, easier said than done but it has been proven time and time again.
We can all waste more time preparing to discuss the preparation.
I am attending an event tomorrow night with Jeff Parks, Kristina Mausser, and Jay West. It’s a chance for us to share a little Holiday cheer but it is also a chance for us to discuss an adventurous idea we have been talking about.
Jeff has had an idea to change the Meet Up concept for years and has slowly surrounded himself with positive people who share the vision. There has been no shortage of naysayers but his idea has only gained strength.
On a personal note: 2009 will be the year where I realize a dream I have had for decades – to work with smart people on fun projects.
Do you think it will work?
km
Last week, I put on a podcast with Jack Canfield. In the interview, he is promoting his book The Success Principles.
There is some riveting stuff and great reminders here:
Turn your inner-critic in to an inner-coach
To often, we summarize a project or a meeting by what we did wrong or what we missed. That event is done, over, everyone else has moved on. The best idea is to decipher what went well and what you want to improve next time.
List what you want to accomplish in your life
This could include visiting the Sistine Chapel, writing a book, driving a race car, or starting your own company. None of us know how much time we will be granted, and nothing magical is going to help around the corner unless we create it.
Don’t share your dreams with negative people
How many times have you heard the phrase “that won’t work” or “that’s a dumb idea”? It may be true but if you feel in your gut that you have something worth pursuing, then pursue it alone or with people who share your vision. Life is too short to let others live it for you. Share your dreams with positive people or keep them to yourself until you can find them.
Drop out of the “ain’t it awful” club
We all know them - those among us who will find bad things with every idea or situation. There is some strange trait among us humans where we find comfort in knocking things down. Perhaps it’s laziness? Perhaps it’s fear?
Life is supposed to be fun
We are drowning in news about the economy these days. Get over it. It sucks. People are nervous and scared and cautious. This isn’t to suggest we take the “la la la, I can’t hear you” approach, but if we continue to wallow then we will get what we wish for – more wallowing.
Be a persistent. Be a visionary
If you surround yourself with positive people, stop sharing your dreams and ideas with negative people, and keep at it, exciting things will happen. Yes, easier said than done but it has been proven time and time again.
We can all waste more time preparing to discuss the preparation.
I am attending an event tomorrow night with Jeff Parks, Kristina Mausser, and Jay West. It’s a chance for us to share a little Holiday cheer but it is also a chance for us to discuss an adventurous idea we have been talking about.
Jeff has had an idea to change the Meet Up concept for years and has slowly surrounded himself with positive people who share the vision. There has been no shortage of naysayers but his idea has only gained strength.
On a personal note: 2009 will be the year where I realize a dream I have had for decades – to work with smart people on fun projects.
Do you think it will work?
km
November 3, 2008
We May Be Officially Overwhelmed
Have you felt it? There are too many thoughts rolling around your grey matter which causes you to be frozen?
All this talk about the economy, business, the new secret thing, the latest gadget, the coolest idea, the blogs, the news, the errands, may confuse not improve our lives.
It makes sense that some decide to minimize and make life simple. I asked a colleague years ago what he would do if his current career path met a snag. His response (at the time) seemed silly but with more thought made perfect sense. He said he’d either become the mayor of a small town or open up a fishing lodge. He’s still thriving in his current career, but I know now that he meant it then and still means it today.
Technorati lists about 130 million blogs, there are an estimated 8 billion websites and growing, online marketing is inching toward $130 Billion annually in North America, mergers and bailouts consume our consciousness, and there will be a new U.S. President elected tomorrow.
I open my Google Reader each morning to see several thousand new posts and I try to at least skim most of them. Our sound bite, have it now world has caused us to grasp new concepts in small pieces and move on to the next.
Eckhart Tolle talks about the importance of living in the NOW. It’s all we have. The past is our interpretation of what may or may have happened and the future will never arrive. That is simple, to the point, and correct.
One of my mentors once reminded me that if I’m faced with too many choices or things to do, it’s best to just pick one and do it. It matters not the order or order of importance. Acting is better than adding more stress through inaction.
In a world where we are bombarded with more ideas and information than we can possible digest, perhaps the only plan of action is to either grow a second brain to store the information or simply do something. The important stuff will rise to the top and for the most part the small stuff that has become the big stuff (in our brains) will go away.
Tolle suggests to stop the noise and ask yourself one simple question; Am I breathing? For that brief second, you won't think of anything else.
Then perhaps you may get the urge to open up a fishing lodge.
km
All this talk about the economy, business, the new secret thing, the latest gadget, the coolest idea, the blogs, the news, the errands, may confuse not improve our lives.
It makes sense that some decide to minimize and make life simple. I asked a colleague years ago what he would do if his current career path met a snag. His response (at the time) seemed silly but with more thought made perfect sense. He said he’d either become the mayor of a small town or open up a fishing lodge. He’s still thriving in his current career, but I know now that he meant it then and still means it today.
Technorati lists about 130 million blogs, there are an estimated 8 billion websites and growing, online marketing is inching toward $130 Billion annually in North America, mergers and bailouts consume our consciousness, and there will be a new U.S. President elected tomorrow.
I open my Google Reader each morning to see several thousand new posts and I try to at least skim most of them. Our sound bite, have it now world has caused us to grasp new concepts in small pieces and move on to the next.
Eckhart Tolle talks about the importance of living in the NOW. It’s all we have. The past is our interpretation of what may or may have happened and the future will never arrive. That is simple, to the point, and correct.
One of my mentors once reminded me that if I’m faced with too many choices or things to do, it’s best to just pick one and do it. It matters not the order or order of importance. Acting is better than adding more stress through inaction.
In a world where we are bombarded with more ideas and information than we can possible digest, perhaps the only plan of action is to either grow a second brain to store the information or simply do something. The important stuff will rise to the top and for the most part the small stuff that has become the big stuff (in our brains) will go away.
Tolle suggests to stop the noise and ask yourself one simple question; Am I breathing? For that brief second, you won't think of anything else.
Then perhaps you may get the urge to open up a fishing lodge.
km
September 29, 2008
Motivating Change
Perhaps you’re like me. You begin the day with a warm beverage and sift through hundreds of pages of information. Google Reader, FriendFeed, StumbleUpon, Delicious, Facebook, and news sites. The list is endless. So is the information.
We all do our best to stay on top of information while contributing to the endless news cycle. I feel out of uniform if I’m not finding and sharing some pearl of wisdom every now and then – it seems like the price of admission.
We are all talking about the financial situation these days but what has jumped off the screen for me is the amount of pontificating there is lately on what is next. How will we share information, befriend each other, forage and gather? My answer perhaps naïve, is rather simple - nothing will change.
We will build new sites, find new interfaces to incorporate, invent new gadgets to play with, discover more efficient ways to share information, but nothing will change.
There are three reasons why we don’t do something:
1 - We don’t know how to do it.
2 - Some sort of mental or physical limitation prevents us from doing it.
3 - We don’t want to do it.
You could list “busy” as a reason but it’s not. If I told you that there was $1 Million in tax-free cash waiting for you in Cairo, you would book your ticket immediately. If your child or a dear friend needed you, you would drop what you were doing and tend to them.
You can take two people with identical professional backgrounds and you may discover vastly different motivating factors in each. No website or gadget will change that.
In order for you to have your way, you need to remember others want theirs too. What will never change is human behavior and that is worth celebrating.
km
We all do our best to stay on top of information while contributing to the endless news cycle. I feel out of uniform if I’m not finding and sharing some pearl of wisdom every now and then – it seems like the price of admission.
We are all talking about the financial situation these days but what has jumped off the screen for me is the amount of pontificating there is lately on what is next. How will we share information, befriend each other, forage and gather? My answer perhaps naïve, is rather simple - nothing will change.
We will build new sites, find new interfaces to incorporate, invent new gadgets to play with, discover more efficient ways to share information, but nothing will change.
There are three reasons why we don’t do something:
1 - We don’t know how to do it.
2 - Some sort of mental or physical limitation prevents us from doing it.
3 - We don’t want to do it.
You could list “busy” as a reason but it’s not. If I told you that there was $1 Million in tax-free cash waiting for you in Cairo, you would book your ticket immediately. If your child or a dear friend needed you, you would drop what you were doing and tend to them.
You can take two people with identical professional backgrounds and you may discover vastly different motivating factors in each. No website or gadget will change that.
In order for you to have your way, you need to remember others want theirs too. What will never change is human behavior and that is worth celebrating.
km
