mindblob

Blogger Social 08 will be in NYC

       
Quick update (I'm still on holidays, now in Paris and dial-up, but can't resist!) to let you know that the Blogger Social '08 super dedicated website is up and running (www.blogger-social.com). The voted place is: New York City (I heart NY!) and the days will be April 4-6, 2008. Find all the details about this first and fantastic event on CK's original post, here and on the BS08 website.

   

Thanks to CK and Drew McLellan for the original idea and efforts to launch, also to  Cam Beck, Matt Dickman and Mike Sansone for making this idea come true. I'll be back soon with more about the event. In the meantime, you may want to listen to the special audio podcast prepared by Matt with CK and Drew as guest stars. And remember... the spirit of Blogger Social '08 is nice and simple : just jump from behind your computer screen and meet the faces and personalities linked to your favorite marketing blogs.

   

PS : Woops! I forgot to mention that I did have the honor to contribute too, by designing the logo, the button and the site banner.  : )

 

Holiday B-Break

 

Little holiday break... away from the "B" for "Blogging". Time for the precious family moments. Time to watch the wind blow and the waves clean the beach. Time for the mind to rest. Thanks for being here now and here again when I'll be back end of August.

 

 

PS : Sign says : No Blogging while swimming, right?  ; )

 

Idea saves planet

 

Our planet is in danger, we all know it. Even if we all agree about that "fact", what can we do as individuals to help or influence a positive change? The PICNIC Green Challenge is launching a contest to help fight climate change. They challenge creative thinkers and innovators, to come up with an original idea for a product or service that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

 

 

   

They also require from the participants that they present a concrete plan of action to launch their idea within 2 years. The price/help to market the idea is 500.000 Euros, coaching from business leaders and a list of potential clients. The president of the jury is fantastic-Richard Branson, entrepreneur incroyable, chairman of the Virgin Group and the Galactic space project. "This contest is going to help people to realize how much they are capable of,” he says. “Great things really do come out of simple ideas.”.

   

 

Richard Branson together with former vice President Al Gore are also behind a wider project -launched in February 2007- linked to the reduction of the greenhouse effect, the Virgin Earth Challenge. Contest will award $25 million to the individual or group who are able to demonstrate a commercially viable design which will result in the net removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases each year for at least ten years without countervailing harmful effects. This removal must have long term effects and contribute materially to the stability of the Earth’s climate. See them on the CBS "Eye-to-eye" TV show here, talking about the reason why of the project.

 

I take a moment here to point the axis we discussed in the previous post. It seems that more and more companies develop green policies to link their businesses to positive intentions for the planet. Well, if the intentions are shared, supported, and driven into reality, then some positive actions could (really) follow. But, at this stage thinking about this process, it appears to me to be more like a talent search/call, than a real collaborative work using the brain/linking power of the internet. Food for thoughts (yeah, again!) - (to be continued...)

 

   SHARED IDEA(S) - DRIVER-  POSITIVE ACTION

 

Do you have an idea that could help?

 

The AOC's impact on REALITY

   

One of the reasons that lead me to blogging, is my will to study the journey of ideas from brains to reality. I think the making of the Age of Conversation ebook is indeed a first in its own genre and so is worth a post documenting what happens to be a quite interesting and unique process. I tried to make a visual to illustrate the passage(s) between the world of ideas (imagination, virtual) and reality.

Let’s use the metaphor of a simple drop of water to symbolize the original idea Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton raised together. Now, the first transformation (the proposition) is important and grew through a limited network of connections. Thinking about it rationally we may say the initial situation is : “2 bloggers, each one of them with a small network  -small, as compared to the wider net- of blog readers, who see them as authentic and respectful bloggers.

   

   

The idea is embraced, followed and lifted up by that small network, making them all instantly what one could call a community. That community shares something in common around the original idea and its projection into reality. Why? Because it is impossible not to (did you ever think about that?). Rationally again : it is a WIN-WIN-WIN situation (...and we could eventually find even more Wins). Who wins? Everyone does!

- W1 : a good cause gets the benefits
- W2 : authors helping W1 and being part of the project
- W3 : readers contributing to W1 and getting great content.

Book is then “published” and gets a first opportunity to reach reality. Two keys are not dissociable and make the book’s positionning special :

- A good intention with VALUABLE CONTENT.
- Immediate, REAL BENEFITS to charity.

After writing their chapter, the 100 authors use their own small networks of blog readers to spread the news about the book. Networks of networks embrace the idea and it spreads the internet, lifting the impact on reality up at the same time. Book spreads the net, spreads its content, and the benefits to Variety the Children’s Charity grow at the same time. The original small drop of idea-water is now a huge wave of positive emulation.

Now... I don’t think this is a one-shot example. Even if Gavin and Drew (once again: thank you for launching this guys) confessed that they never imagined the size this “drop of water” would take, I believe this process is now serious FOOD FOR THOUGHTS. I think more projects could help bring more good values into reality, giving people the opportunity to do good for other people who need it. If the first step of the Age of Conversation is "linking us all around good values"... the second step might be finding paths for positive ideas to reach reality and generate good "REAL" POSITIVE ACTIONS.

Dream? Utopia? ... or reality?
What's your take on this?

   

PS: And by the way, if you read this and have not bought a copy of the book yet... just do it! You won’t regret it.  : )