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Diaspora – The Next Step in Social Media

Posted by Michael on May 18th, 2010

Haven’t heard of it? You will soon enough. As the team claims, by this fall. Next question. “What is it?” The short answer: cloud based personalized sharing spaces, or seeds, that operate within the latest peer to peer security, GPG. (GPG is an upgrade from the older – circa 1991 – PGP (pretty good privacy) authentication.) The result is claimed full integration of social networks based on what you and only you choose to share. Comes at a great time when privacy is all the rage..err…concern with Facebook.

Having raised 1809% of their modest $10,000 goal on Kickstarter the group of four clearly has made a solid initial impact. Donations are a big indicator. Lots of people will support your cause verbally, but call them to action and only a fraction will dish out the cash. Based on this I presume there is a wide base of support since $180k + has been raised; meaning there exists an even larger support base that didn’t speak up yet (read: throw down cash).

What I like best about the approach is the empowerment of the public. Diaspora is essentially saying “with your – the public’s – funding we will bring a new form of social media into existence. We are doing this together, for all of us.” Well how can you not be excited? Especially with social media speculated to only be in its infant stages.

Here’s the team’s pitch video. Surprisingly undetailed for such a boom in funding. More info found via the link under the video.

Diaspora blog: click here

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Posted by Michael on May 14th, 2010

Fantastic illustration of author Dan Pink’s speech on what motivates us. Think you already know what motivates you? Me? Others? There are some surprises that you might not expect.

I particularly love the quote, “pay people enough to take money off the table.” You have some assumptions here about the capabilities of your employees, but if your employees aren’t capable and passionate towards the goal of your business, they shouldn’t be your employees.

If you’re on a time crunch skip to 5:08 and watch the rest, but I highly suggest the whole video.

5 Inspiring Reasons To Have A Blog (and write often)

Posted by Michael on May 12th, 2010

I’m a huge proponent of everyone everywhere having their own blog. Here’s 5 reasons why.

1. All those thoughts in your noggin can benefit others
Whether you decide to share your expert advice on a little-known topic or discuss your latest fishing ventures, others will benefit from the words you express. Not everyone will, but that isn’t your concern. Two quick points. First, there is a power in collective thinking. Blogs are about presenting a topic, some ideas, knowledge, or facts, and then feedback. It opens a door of communications. Much like in real life, someone can present an idea and perhaps those surrounding will respond, but maybe they will only listen and soak the words in. Second, there is the unknown, unseen effects of sparking thoughts in another. If you start discussing the gaps in a theory, you’ve set in motion thoughts in someone else’s mind. They will never be the same because of what you shared.

2. Clear your head
Sometimes we are thinking of something and it’s inhibiting us from moving forward. It could be very clear or underlying, but getting out the thoughts that spring to mind is helpful. We certainly have outlets for short blurbs – aka Twitter and Facebook – but for lengthy ideas blogging may solve your problem.

3. Force yourself to learn/assist yourself in learning and remembering
Some of you out there are lucky to have fantastic memories. I am not one of those people. I work very hard to remember things that I read or think about. Except for numbers. Numbers tend to stick. It’s a sickness really. Anyway, writing things down is a clear aid in remembering a topic. Both writing on a topic and doing background research to gather your content is an even better way.

4. Networking
No one can find you if you are not able to be found. Too philosophical? If you want to get out and meet people who have interests similar to you, then write about it online. Develop a web presence and a whole new world around your topic(s) of interest will start to appear. I’ve met some great people since launching this site and my photoblog, because of my interest in social media and, more broadly, how we think and connect with each other. Your contacts are waiting.

5. Help Others
Chances are that your blog will/does revolve around a set topic. Whether or not you write often, you will slowly gain a following. That group of individuals will find your writings useful – be it humor, intellect, facts, whatever. They will come to benefit from your writings and you should be proud of that. Unless you aren’t currently online writing. In which case, you should start a blog. Some free options include Wordpress, Blogger, and LiveJournal.