Drill Baby Drill? I Don’t Think So

I love this simple graphic, from Grist.org:

Great diagram of the impace of offshore drilling, found on Grist.org

Free and Open Internet Access: In Danger?

I knew about Net Neutrality but didn’t really have a sense of urgency about it until Iwatched this video presentation by Lawrence Lessig. It may seem like a boring subject, but Lessig does an excellent job, like your favorite professor (if you go to Stanford Law School, you can have him as your professor). If you do business on the Internet, you should watch this.

Search Engine Marketing: What Not To Do

Below is a great example of some SEM gone bad, courtesy of the FailBlog.  This week the tech world witnessed another fail (albeit not necessarily complete fail yet) in the premature launch of CUIL.com, a new search engine that purports to search by content, not popularity, and whose goal is to “break the Google.com monopoly.”  Unfortunately, a test of CUIL.com, didn’t reveal much to inspire. Statesman.com blogger Omar Gallega (who’s also a friend on Twitter) said his search of “Texas Longhorns” came back with no results. No results! Something must have been broken…. but at least it didn’t return ads for hamburger meat (if you’re an Aggie fan you’ll get the joke)!

see more pwn and owned pictures

The Digital Divides – They Lives!

When most people talk about the digital divide, it seems they are referring to the inability of low income people to surf the Internet. Or, basically, to receive and regurgitate the messages that we, the digital elite, are sending to them online.

But there are plenty of small businesses and small non-profits - run by educated, middle class people - who are being left behind, too. This is not simply due to a lack of access to the internet, but the inability to keep up with the rapidly changing environment of social media, search engine marketing, and the like.  I also think it’s the inability to imagine the possibility of this new world, like Clay Shirky has described in his book Here Comes Everybody.  Perusing the job postings of local non-profits, I don’t see many marketing and communications positions that even incorporate knowledge of social media into their job descriptions. I think perhaps they don’t want to scare off some of the older professionals (including people in my age group!) but it’s surprising that it’s not even mentioned. Again, evidence of another aspect of the digital divide.

Big corporations and most of the national non-profits have the resources for getting their message out. And despite the promise of the Internet, I think it is only being partially fulfilled for the small players.

Lately I have been trying to see this as an opportunity. I was initially shocked that people would pay to learn how to use Web 2.0 tools, including LinkedIn and Twitter, but EveryDotConnects has been hosting workshops on this subject! 

 So what should we, the digital elite, do to help our brethren discover the potential that exists in social media? Will our moms forever continue to simply forward us cute and/or alarming emails and, if they’re businesspeople or community leaders, have 1998-era Web sites? And if they do participate, will it continue to be mindless regurgitation? Wait a minute, even those 20-somethings are doing mindless regurgitation… so yes we do need to ensure that technology is used for good… and why should social media literacy be relegated only to the young and hip and savvy?

Search Engine Marketing for Non-profit Orgs

I don’t think very many non-profits have caught on to the potential of search engine marketing.  When I worked for Georgetown University, it didn’t really occur to me that this might be a good idea. We focused on the alumni in our existing database, or on alumni thinking “Hmmm, I wonder what the alumni association is doing?” or “When is reunion?”  Of course, our Communications Office and the Admissions office for the various schools marketed themselves to the general population, but not us fundraisers so much.

Many non-profits, especially those focused on local issues, spend a lot of time thinking about those issues and responding to their current constituency.  That might be perfectly fine in some cases.  In the Austin area and similar areas that are experiencing transience and population growth, there are huge numbers of people who are not yet plugged in or educated about the community and its issues.  These people are actively searching for information online and have a desire to go beyond their work or school environment.  If you are an advocacy organization of any kind, you need to be reaching those newbies, and making sure your organization’s Web site shows up in the the first page of Google searches related to your issue should be a priority. If you need volunteers, ditto. 

Of course, I’m not the first to think of this, and Beth’s Blog has some great information and resources in various Google Adwords posts.

I also am thinking to attending the SEMforSMB Conference next week to get myself up to speed on this.

Innovation Camp Rocks the Cross-Disciplinary Communication

Austin, my hometown, is an incredible place in many ways. Since I moved back recently, many of the people I see regularly are from the tech sector. I spend so much time with them, on Twitter and at Jelly! and elsewhere, that I had started to think everyone in Austin is a computer programmer, search engine marketing guru, web designer, or something like that.  Fortunately, this past weekend’s Innovation Camp proved me (somewhat) wrong, with its diverse group of people, from community activists who didn’t know about Basecamp, to Linux experts, to old school PR people.

I attended several sessions, modeled on the BarCamp “unconference” method. The most exciting one (which I hadn’t really planned on attending) was hosted by Michelle Greer and Cole Crawford, about creating a social network/ social commerce site for open source developers and users. I learned a little bit more about the open source developer community and development methodology (or lack thereof).  Essentially the site would be set up a bit like a mini-X prize, with many users contributing a small amount towards a bigger “bounty” for open source fixes and features.

The best thing about the idea (despite the fact that yes, maybe, it’s not completely original, as Michelle’s blog suggests) is the potential for the type of site we were discussing as a way of solving many types of problems, not just software ones.  I may not have realized this “potential for potential” if it hadn’t been for others in the session bringing up the issue of users who can’t afford to pay anything for a fix or feature, or can’t get enough other people to “invest” in the development… in other words, what about the minority problems? Cole and Michelle and others said that the community could and would likely still do the work, especially if you made a good enough argument for the need. Maybe we just had some great altruistic people in the session, but why not allow people to request things for free and then actually do the work for free? I suppose that you wouldn’t want all of your projects to end up being free, especially if you’re planning to make this a viable business… but if this model could be built as a business and then merely replicated out for more community-benefit projects, that would be great.

Next on the agenda for tech geek/other people interaction is GardenCamp out in Aggie land.  I can’t wait! I hope it’s something I can replant, so to speak, in Austin.

If You Build It, Will They Come? Probably Not Without Some Groundwork

So you’ve heard about this new trend – indeed, some say, the new way of doing media – user-generated content – and decide that you need to ride that wave. Well, as anyone who’s ever tried surfing will tell you, there is a need to plan exactly where and how to catch the wave – by watching and anticipating and practicing. (And maybe getting a little wet and turned upside down and almost drowning!)

This week, I received an email from Hope Equity, a pretty innovative organization working to improve the lives of poor people around the world through what they call “Micro Endowments,” which allow people to contribute to and fundraise for the charities they select. The money is invested and the returns are given to your charity of choice. The email announced Hope Equity’s new “streamlined, user-friendly” Web site. After checking it out (and without going into some of the accessibility issues), I saw a link to a “member’s blog,” part of the Community Center section. I clicked on the link only to find a generic post about the blog being a space for members to let their “voice be heard.” Apparently, the creators of the site intended for the blog to be a place where their constituents can talk about projects or ideas. Unfortunately, even almost a week later, the only posts from readers are two generic comments in the vein of “good for you” and “Hope Equity is great!” Not exactly something that will keep many people coming back.

As I’ve learned the hard way myself, just throwing up a collaborative space is not going to magically get people to participate. You need to do some advance work (watching, anticipating and practicing). Some basic tips:

1. Identify key constituents/ volunteers who could be the seed group. In this case, if you can find people who have their own blog or are young enough to have used social networking sites, you’ll probably have better success with them. Those are the low-hanging fruit. If there is some celebrity or leader type in your midst, it would make it exciting for others to see them participating, but you should be careful to make certain they understand the time commitment and be open to interacting with your other supporters and, perhaps, critics.

2. Work with the seed group to identify stories. What projects or charities have they been involved in? What are some of the common questions you get from prospective supporters? Perhaps your supporters can talk about their own experience – in this case, why did they pick the charity they support?

3. Keep monitoring and participating in the space. You should identify a staff member who will do this. Again, it should probably be someone who already participates in social media. Beth’s Blog, which discusses how non-profits can use social media, lists the following qualities to look for in a community manager:

• Someone who is on the Internet a lot
• A risk taker
• Someone who is tech savvy, or at least comfortable or self taught
• Someone who has grown up using the sites and really enjoys it
• Someone who takes a less regimented in communications – less formal – uses happy faces
• Someone who has a good online persona and personality
• Someone who enjoys it

If you get these aspects covered, people who receive your announcement won’t go to the community blog (or wiki, or social network) and see nothing. It may be a challenge to get them to return if they think there is nothing going on in that space. Of course, all is not lost – Hope Equity can still focus on and promote their “Community Center” on their Web site. It just would have been much better if they had done this groundwork before announcing their revamped, “user friendly” site.

Do you have any secrets to online community building to share? Examples, good and bad?

The art and science of project management

As many have noted, including some folks over at Adaptive Path, project management is both an art and a science. It requires a person who can be a facilitator, a motivator, an instigator, a deal broker, and more. My approach emphasizes building stakeholder consensus and keeping the lines of communications open. Here, I will try to simplify the process, as I see it, down to 6 components: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How (although not necessarily in that order):

1. Who: Identify and gather stakeholders and define their roles. For a Web application, one needs to define the core project team, which includes writers, designers, and programmers. In addition to the client and the core team, one must coordinate with others who will be part of the collaborative process and involve them in the requirements (see “What” below). It’s important for the PM to be familiar with all elements of the organization in order to understand how projects and programs may interact. In large organizations, it can be a challenge to identify the best stakeholders, but I would do so by checking in with related areas, reading company newsletters or blogs, etc.  Who are the key members of the impacted teams?  If you want user-generated content, who will be reading and vetting that content? If possible, find team members who demonstrate an interest in the project. 
2. What: Define the overall goals, requirements, dependencies, and constraints. How does the project fit in with the overall strategy and communications/ marketing plan? The client will define this but the development team and stakeholders should have input into defining this based on their areas of expertise. This is where the brokering and consensus building among the parties begins. Having identified the right people to include will be important. In the case of a Web application, one first needs to define the content and vision, then define the technical means of accomplishing that goal.
3. When: Timelines and deadlines are generally the PM’s main responsibility. Promoting and maintaining communication between the development team and the client is essential. If there are other moving pieces or dependencies, such as the development of a new Content Management System or the production of an ad campaign, the PM must know. For software and Web development, some teams prefer an iterative process that is similar to prototyping and involves several rounds of testing. In this instance, the client needs to not only know about this process, but also support it from the beginning. When it comes to the Web and social media, the environment and consumers’ expectations are constantly changing. Any product or feature development needs to keep a look out on the road ahead; the PM on this type of project needs to help educate the client about this dynamic environment.
4. Where: Ideally, the development team and even the key stakeholders work in the same location, which facilitates more natural communication. Beyond gathering for meetings, I find technology useful to facilitate collaboration whether the team members are co-located or not. Some tools I have used are Basecamp, Twitter, test sites, instant messaging, and wikis.
5. How: Define internal resources and evaluate them as the project moves forward. Does the team have “experience design” expertise? If not, can an outside resource help? Will the current infrastructure (server capacity, etc.) be sufficient? It’s important to discuss the “how” with the stakeholders, without getting into too much detail and watching their eyes glaze over. I also believe strongly in feedback loops. As a PM it’s important to celebrate successes as the project moves along, while fostering an environment to discuss openly any issues or problems that may arise.
6. Why: This is the most important part! The PM helps keep everyone’s “eyes on the prize.” The project as a whole and all of the above elements should be evaluated from the beginning and throughout the project life by how it meshes with the core values of the company. Will the project mean a paradigm shift for the organization – e.g., will user generated content be introduced for the first time and how will it impact the company? How is this project contributing to a great user experience? How will it help create passionate and loyal customers or motivate and train team members? The PM should lead the way to excellence.

Of course, documentation such as project plans and creative briefs are important and they should reflect the above issues.

Best Practices and Industry Trends

I like to also look outside the organization to get ideas of how others may be tackling a similar project or issue. By researching what others have done and presenting that information to the group, such as demonstrating Web sites or sharing findings from recent studies, we can get ideas that will help the project, preferably in the requirements phase.

Launch

Before a public launch of a Web application, sign-off should be obtained from the key stakeholders and final edits or changes made.This is always the most stressful time in the product development cycle and it’s important to build in time for this and even for unforeseen problems at the launch.

Flexibility and Fun

As I said above, I try keep on top of activities throughout the organization to determine how they might affect the project. Will any changes in other programs affect it? Flexibility and strategic thinking helps ensure projects are successful.

Finally, beyond being the task master and cat herder, a PM should work to ensure that people are enjoying collaborating with each other and find some time to just have fun together.

Just say “No!” to bad meetings

Does your company have boring, unproductive meetings? Sometimes, perhaps, a boring meeting is better than no meeting, but usually not. It’s worth it to take the time to improve your meetings. One way that I find to make meetings more productive is if the attendees can get up to speed on the issues that you want to talk about beforehand.

Of course, the level at which you want to engage your audience may vary, but if you do want input from the people at the meeting, you might consider using a Wiki or another online collaboration tool to get people thinking and even talking about the subject before having a face-to-face meeting. I have used Basecamp as a project management tool; it’s writeboard feature functions similarly to a Wiki, in allowing different people to edit or add text, and it has a message board, to-do lists, and milestones. Their product blog has some interesting case studies and other product feature info. Some popular Wikis are Wetpaint and PBWiki. All of these tools are free, so they are limited in their functionality, but worth checking out. What I did initially was try them out with a small group of people, including using Basecamp to coordinate a personal project (my wedding!). Go forth and let technology work for you!

Of course, there are a million other ways to make better meetings. Do you have any favorites?

No such thing as a free lunch, despite what Wired says

The cover story of a recent issue of Wired magazine holds forth the idea that the Next Big Thing in business will be to sell products and services for $0.00, i.e., FREE. They don’t necessarily mean the cross-subsidized “free” that was pioneered by Gillette razors, giving away the razor and selling the blades at a higher cost, although maybe it’s not really so different.

Assuming you’re a consumer of such “free” services, you had better be prepared to get what you pay for. Sales/PR/marketing consultant Thom Singer describes getting shut out of his free blog by a spam-blocker for several days:

while Blogger.com has been great, it is a free service, and free services have limited access to any human customer service and support

That’s one of the problems with free. Until computer applications get so good that they can provide customer service for a lower cost, if your business relies on a service, it’s best to go with the service that costs a bit more than free, if you get to talk to a (hopefully helpful and competent) customer support person.

Another problem with free or even low-cost options in technology is your limited ability to customize your users’ experience. Of course, Web applications are getting better at customization, fortunately. But depending on your business needs and the expectations of your client base, you may be better served by spending the money to get a custom Web site or database or whatever tool you need. I worked for an organization whose constituent base and marketing managers wanted highly customized event registration, database-driven tools, and a social network that integrates with other social networks (something that barely even exists, although data portability will hopefully be changing that soon). They complained vociferously about the existing system, hosted by a third-party ASP. Come to find out, the ASP was receiving the equivalent of the salary of one junior Web developer for the annual service fee. Again, you get what you pay for! The highly customized solution could be built, but it would take a much larger investment.

And that’s not even getting into the problem of externalities – for example, what is the social and environmental cost of these free products and services? Because transistors and computer components can be made in China so cheaply, we have increased computing power. We’ve all read the stories about human rights, use of lead in toys, and poison pet food and know that maybe cheap products from China isn’t the best thing for us, perhaps.

Of course, just because you pay for a product or service doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get the absolute best experience, but you can now get revenge on the Internet (a subject for another post!) and you may have more legal options.

Enjoy your free lunch now, but know that someone is paying for it!