Having trouble keeping up with what version of the Web we’re in right now?  Web 2.0, Web 3.0, Semantic Web, Implicit Web, Charlotte’s Web…?

As I was exercising tonight, I was contemplating our tendency to break history into neat and tidy eras.  For some reason, I recalled a very vivid memory of sitting in an upper level German art & culture class during my undergraduate days.  We went systematically through the various eras of Western art history with odd-named eras like Medieval, Renaissance, Classical, Gothic, Baroque, and Rococo.  

Once we finished going through this well defined time line, we delved into notable composers, painters, and patrons.  The only problem was that the individuals we studied for each period didn’t live in sequential order.  They blended together with eras blurring into their neighbors without have specific dates that one ended and the other began.

Yesterday, I was reading through a section of Always On: Advertising, Marketing, and Media in an Era of Consumer Control.  It’s a great book that nails the fundamental shifts happening all around us.  However, when I came to a part that delineated the different generations, it touched a deep nerve within my psyche.

Since I just celebrated reaching the constitutional milestone of being able to run for the President of the United States, I fall into Generation X or “slackers”.  I remember when I was in high school and college hearing that my generation would be the first generation of Americans who would be worse off than their parents.  Plus, my generation was adrift and destined to amount to nothing.  That’s always bothered me and that irritation erupted again as I read this section in Always On.  

Today, my dad celebrates his 62nd birthday (Happy Birthday, Pops), which puts him in the Baby Boomer generation.  It so happens that my son turned 7 years old last month, putting him in Generation Z.  

[Sidebar: Who's the original thinker behind that name?  What's next - Generation AA?  But, I digress...]  

So does that mean my dad, me, and my son fall into the neat and tidy demographic table?  Absolutely not.  Sure, we have shared experiences with our contemporaries, but in many regards we are more similar to people in other generations.  

The same concept is true for today’s internet.  While some new web applications and websites share characteristics and traits, they aren’t all cut from the stock.  

Without a doubt, we’re witnessing a trend toward more social media with user-generated content and intense conversational interactions.  We’re also tagging the content that we are producing, thereby creating implicit links with all types of other content not normally placed in proximity of the neat and tidy categories.  Already, we’re seeing applications that bring relevant items to our attention that might otherwise been missed.

I imagine the confusion of the various names will continue to exist.  But, I think that’s more due to what historian’s know to be true: the worst people to write history are those currently living it.  Only when time separates us from events, can we discern historical facts and patterns.  Let the historians decide what to properly call it, let’s stick to living it.

In the meantime, I had a thought.  Do you think Mozart would hoist some glasses of red wine around with his composing buddies and throw around his own labels on the music?  ”Yeah, Symphony #40 was good and all, but that was so Music 1.0, don’t you think?  Put in more flourishes and a trumpet solo…now we’re really jamming with some hi-fidelity Music 2.0.” 

Read More

In the world of digital media, MediaSauce believes that six months equals six years.  New ideas and services are being introduced every day and can reach the masses relatively quickly.

Consider the many new ways introduced in the past few years that allow us to connect and engage with other people: blogs, Facebook, YouTube, del.icio.us, LinkedIn, Twitter, and much more.  All of these are capturing our thoughts and reactions in a permanent record open to the rest of the world.

Over the past two weeks, I have been participating in a digital conversation through two different blogs.  The first was Atomization of Conversation at RedeyeVC and the other is at A VC entitled Web Discussions: Leaving the Instigator Out.  Both are wrestling with the same root issue: how the digitization of our conversations is fundamentally shifting how we interact and the value of those interactions.

Thanks to the proliferation of mobile phones (we just surpassed 3.3 billion mobile phone users – that’s 49% of the world’s population) and the ubiquity of the internet, you and I can quickly type up our thoughts and share with others either 1:1 or 1:many.  For those of us who swim in this digital stream on a regular basis, we can be exposed to thousands of conversational bits every day at almost real-time speed or by going back to them when we have time.

Now that more of us are producing content (blog posts, product reviews, photo uploads, etc.), we are seeking ways to stream this content to where our friends and colleagues are hanging out on the web.  Thus, the popularity of FriendFeed, which allows for people to aggregate this new content automatically into one spot.  It’s the digital stream of what’s happening in your life, as you live it, without you having to type the same information over and over.

Because our growing interconnectedness allows us to access more of each other’s thoughts and ideas, the line between us has become blurred. At this very moment, you and I share the same mental space, even though we’re far away in the physical world.   So who owns this idea?  Me?  You?  Anyone?

While I’m the one who typed it up, I pulled many different strands from an amalgamation of articles, books, conversations, and other sources my mind has connected with over the years.  I just happened to be at the nexus of that unique intersection.  

Without a doubt, this interconnectedness creates definite value – some for private benefit (profit) and some for public benefit (shared quality of life). So now that we have woven these individual streams of content into one tapestry, what’s its value and who gets paid for the value it creates?  

Judging from the lively, ongoing dialogue, it’s still open for discussion. What are your thoughts?  

Read More

Every revolution has its equivalent of Thomas Paine, the famous pamphleteer of the American Revolution who crystallized the thoughts and emotions of his fellow countrymen.  If he were alive today, would he choose the pen or the video camera?

As technology has evolved, the number of tools to create a revolution has increased.  While not everyone has access to their very own broadcast television network, anyone with a camera, laptop, and an internet connection can spread their manifesto globally using YouTube and many other video platforms.  Doubt me?  Go there now and search for any topic to see what comes up.

Understandably, it’s becoming more important to be “viderate” than well schooled in the art of writing in order to influence other people’s thoughts and actions.  I can’t claim the credit for coining the terms, but “viderate” and “videracy” are clever concepts.

Since I purchased my MacBook Pro and digital video camera a few months ago, I have churned out a few of my own videos, ranging from family events to call-to-action pieces for my neighborhood.  While I acknowledge they are nothing close to what our production teams create for our clients on a regular basis, I have to admit it was pretty cool to see what this novice pulled together (view here and here). 

Just imagine the big things you can pull off with a sound strategy and highly creative people driving the project.  

For a bit of enlightenment, view these samples I pulled from the web to show how different organizations are using internet videos to achieve their goals:

• Blendtec- increased sales of their high-end blenders by 800%
• Ad Council - is raising the awareness of cyberbullying (hat tip to Jenny Luca at Lucacept for sharing this) 

 What other great videos have you seen that made you think differently?

Read More

With the Memorial Day weekend nearly behind us, I would feel remiss if I did not take a few moments to honor those who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of liberty.  Regardless of our personal feelings and political views, we can all remember and reflect on the lives of these men and women.

Having assumed the role of family historian, I am aware of how fortunate I am not to have witnessed firsthand the hardships, horrors, and rigors of combat.  The grief and anguish dealt by fate’s cruel hand can reverberate through the generations.

Growing up in Omaha, I visited numerous time Memorial Park and its classically inspired World WarII monument to see the names of two family members.  Though I never met them, I feel a strong connection to Carl Hubert Flodman and Louis Bryg.  The former was my paternal grandmother’s older brother who died in the Pacific theater, the latter was my maternal grandmother’s brother who died in the European theater.

Perhaps it’s because of the family stories that were told.  My paternal grandfather recounted the story many times of sitting on his father-in-law’s front porch with my grandmother when the Western Union delivered the telegram from the War Department.  The emotion of that moment was seared into my memories the time he and I watched the scene in Saving Private Ryan when the telegram is delivered.  

At that moment, my grandfather’s memories mixed with powerful storytelling to connect me to the profound loss felt that day in 1944.  

Because of human nature, war remains a part of our world.  As long as the memories of those fallen remain in our hearts and minds, Memorial Day will remain a time to reflect and turn our grief into gratitude for those we’ve lost.

Read More

Fresh from the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500, I can’t help but turn it into a metaphor for the digital revolution.  After all, I think its tagline is one of the best – The Greatest Spectacle on Earth.  According to Princeton’s Wordnet database, a spectacle is “an elaborate and remarkable display on a lavish scale” and I have no doubt that’s worthy of our consideration.

For those who have never been, you just have to experience it in person to truly understand the sheer scale of this event.  Sitting 25 yards away from 33 cars driving 220 MPH is visceral.  The vibrations create a near out of body experience and the human drama that unfolds over 200 laps is breathtaking.  I will never again doubt that this a true sport.

As the largest single day sporting event in the world, the folks running the race are doing many things right.  Take a few moments to visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway website to see the fine job they’re doing off- and online.  What can we learn from them?  Let’s find out:

• Make it more than a one-time event.  The first thing I learned when we moved to Indy was that “the race” was a month long series of events – at the speedway and throughout town.  Between practice days, promotional events, qualifying days, a mini-marathon, a pet walk, community day (where you can drive your own car once around the track), a downtown parade, and the race itself, the Indianapolis 500 impacts pretty much everyone in the metropolitan area.  Plus, it attracts attendees from all over the country and across the globe.
• Preserve the core and encourage innovation.  I was impressed with the rich pageantry and traditions that come with the race – the winner drinking from the milk jug in Victor Circle, “Gentlemen and Ladies, start your engines”, and the one-yard width of bricks from the original race surface as the finish line.  And equally impressive is how all these things coexist with the indomitable spirit of innovation.  Millions of dollars and human hours are invested for the glory of winning the Borg-Warner Trophy.
• Create space for a wide variety of spectators.  Outside the fences, we saw all types of memorabilia stands, entertainment spots, and food booths.  Inside the speedway, you could party in the infield (oblivious to the race), cheer from the bleachers, or enjoy many creature comforts from inside a climate controlled box.  
• Give options on how to participate.  Watching from home (if you’re outside of Indy), listening on the radio, sitting in the speedway with ear plugs, listening into the scanners to follow the teams as they plot their strategies.  Each of these speak to the idea of an audience-focused mentality.  Bring your story to the person in the form they want.

Armed with these principles of success, it’s time to lead your business or organization to the next level and stake your claim at being the “Greatest Spectacle on Earth”.  

What 2 or 3 things can you do to make that dream a reality?  

Read More

Understanding human needs will help you understand technology and media. With the all talk about social media, it is easy to lose sight of that simple truth.

At our very root, we are social creatures who have outrun our evolutionary competition by communicating and collaborating in small groups.  For almost all of our existence as a species, this collaboration has been constrained by time and distance.  With the advent of written language, moveable type, telecommunications, and now the internet we have seen fundamental shifts in how we, as humans, communicate and collaborate.

Our modern era (they’re all modern eras at one time or another, right?) is defined by instantaneous access to people and information.  While this can create more opportunities for becoming overwhelmed, it can also be your opportunity to connect, converse, and converge.

Let’s consider the great teachers throughout civilization.  Choose any prophet from any religion and you will see they followed this same general approach:

1. Connect their message to the masses through parables and stories 
2. Converse with their followers through debate and discussion
3. Converge with a select few disciples through deeply intense, intimate interactions

Visually, this approach would approximate the shape of a funnel, with each level of containing a smaller number of people than the level above it.  Because the deeper levels require more intensity, we can maintain fewer relationships the deeper they go.  Only a select few relationships will ever reach the deepest level – convergence.

It is an innate human desire to enjoy the sweetness of life that is contained in those intensely deep relationships.  In the space of those relationships, we converge with the other – often losing the boundaries between ourself and them.  The parent-child relationship.  The intense romantic relationship.  Lifelong friendships.  Highly creative partnerships.  And, yes – raving fans of a company or organization (think Apple or your favorite sports team).  

Our technology makes its easier for us to maintain a larger number of relationships at each level.  The key for each of us is to use these technologies to help us discern which relationships we want to take to a deeper level.  

Since my last post (The Live Wire Stays Connected), I have put great effort into reaching out to a wide variety of people I have met over the years to bring into my LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter circles.  It is my intent to maintain and nurture these relationships in ways not possible before, so that I can enjoy the emotional and intellectual rewards each of these relationships bring.  

Earlier today, I read an excellent blog post by Josh Kopelman of FirstRound Capital that captures the essence of what I am describing.  It’s interesting in two ways.  First, it shares a story about how Facebook helped his family relay the news of difficulties they’ve been going through.  Second, he shares an intimate story of his life that might previously been shared with just a few people around him.  

So how are you using digital media to create more connections, conversations, and convergences? 

[Much thanks and appreciation to Brian Dixon, Founder and CEO of HomeStart Mortgage, for sharing his insights on spiritual convergence with me this week, which inspired the thoughts I have shared with you.] 

Read More

A few years back, I was on a business retreat with a childhood friend of Zig Ziglar.  He complimented my networking skills and recalled something Zig liked to say: “Do you know what makes someone a live wire?  The live wire stays connected.”

This past week offered a couple personal examples of this:

• On Wednesday, I received a Plaxo invite from Angela A., whose name I did not recognize.  After opening her profile, I found out it was someone I went to school with from Day 1 of Kindergarten all the way to high school graduation.   She’s married now and is no longer Angie Z. (the name I knew her by).
• The very next day, William B. sent me a Facebook friend request.  I nearly fell off my chair, since he and I were best friends in high school and had lost track of each other about three years ago.  We IM’d through Facebook for about 30 minutes and will be talking tonight via phone.

Had I not been on either platform, I would have missed out on the reconnections. While these are personal examples, the same argument can be made for you and your organization.

What can you do to create real business and professional opportunities?

• Blog – I’ve been blogging for the past few months and have kept to a consistent schedule.  It was refreshing to meet Kit and Brenda, two of our newest clients, when they came to our office on Friday.  When Kit saw me, she had a look of immediate recognition on her face and said she’d been enjoying my blogs (nothing like a little ego boost to spur another post, huh?).  That got me thinking about how often people read my blog entries when they land our home page and how these posts help set a tone for prospective clients.  
• Read Other Blogs – Thanks to my RSS reader, I read a wide variety of other blogs to keep my eyes on the horizon and understand what’s happening.  It’s like attending multiple conferences everyday pulling ideas and news from many different sources.  Better yet, I reply to posts that catch my attention and I can add to the discussion.  This helps me test my ideas and make new connections to interesting minds.
• Twitter – After a few weeks of contemplation, I jumped head first into Twitter (scottwhenderson) and have been swimming for about two days in the Twitter stream.  It’s giving me glimpses into the everyday lives of personal friends, business colleagues, thought leaders, companies, and many others.  Yesterday, I found Josh Kopelman, one of the leading VC minds for the internet, who I had the pleasure of working with during my prior life as a major gift fundraiser.  His latest update reconnected me to his blog - Redeye VC.  From there, I’ve found other intriguing blogs related to the VC world, an area of growing interest to me.

Of course, there are many more ways to get and stay connected.  What do you think are the best ways?  What’s working for you?  What’s not?

Read More

I’m still in disbelief about the transformational change that’s happened at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.  

Ever since I got my learner’s permit for driving at age 15, I have endured Soviet-style bureaucracy and have come to believe it is just one of those hardships we all go through.  Two years ago, when my family and I moved to Indiana, we logged a full morning getting our license plates and driver’s licenses.  That was actually an improvement from what we went through in the Atlanta area four years prior.    

This month, I needed to renew the license tags for both cars.  Unfortunately, I missed the April 30 deadline to get it all done via their website.  On Tuesday, I headed to the local BMV office with a bag of work and a book to keep me occupied while I slogged through the crowds and dealt with waiting in between multiple stops in the cattle line.   

As I walked into the foyer, I noticed a kiosk off to the side.  Fortunately, I read the sign and noticed it was a self-service license tag renewal kiosk.  In total shock, I entered a few digits, swiped my card, and took my registration cards & license renewal tags out the door within 2 minutes of starting.

Today, I was visiting with Sarah Robbins, our director of emerging technology, who shared the odd experience of going online to book an appointment for her driver’s license renewal.  When she showed up at the appointed time, the friendly greeter welcomed her and remarked that they were ready to help with the renewal process.  In 15 minutes, she was done (10 of that was spent waiting for the printer to chug out the card).  Her only disappointment was that they didn’t have pink in the drop down box for hair color (check out her website to see why that’s correct).  

Not only can you book an appointment and renew your license plates, you can get a whole host of things done online. Take a few moments and visit their website today: Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.  

How does your organization compare to the BMV?  Is it time to put together your digital road map?

Read More

The Star Wars website is one of the more fascinating digital spaces I have visited.  Once you get done watching the trailer for the animated film coming out this summer, poke around the website and you’ll be amazed at how much has been created.  

Internet animated series, user generated fan film contests, blogs, film microsites, links to fan club websites, Imperial Senate polls, gaming, kids section, an enormous collectors’ database, internet store, discussion areas, event announcements, and a databank filled with any piece of information you want to find out about Star Wars.

Is there anyone who doesn’t know Star Wars? Seriously, I think it is one of most widely shared experiences of the modern world.  

That belief was born when I was with my wife and son at a grand opening of a new Borders.  As we browsed, there was a commotion in the back of the store and I looked up to see Darth Vader, three Stormtroopers, and two rebel fighters walking single file into the children’s section. 

I’d say about 90% of the store visitors rushed to the back with giddy excitement – no matter their age (yes, including my family and me).  Parents were barely holding themselves back, while the kids were mugging for the cameras.  I’m curious if anyone has done research on the pervasiveness of the Star Wars franchise.  What percentage of the world can tell you the basic story?

I can still remember when my family went to the movie theater to watch Star Wars: Episode IV for the first time.  We were on vacation in Augusta, Georgia, and my dad embarrassed us by saying, “We’ll need four tickets for Star Worlds.”  

Coincidentally, my wife and I watched it with our seven-year-old son for the first time the night before we ran into Darth Vader at Borders.  To those of us who watched the six episodes as they were made, that’s the only real way to start the saga, isn’t it?  

Let’s just say for a moment, you’ve never seen or heard about Star Wars.  You could spend hours in the Star Wars galaxy of websites probably know and understand more about it than someone who has just seen the six movies.  

Thirty years ago, everyone experienced Star Wars the same way – at the movie theater.  Now, you have thousands of ways to experience it.  

And, that’s the payoff for this post.  The same is true for your organization.  The digital revolution means people anywhere in the world can connect to your product and service in the way that they choose.  

Are you ready for them?

Read More

 We are always seeking leaders who want to pull off something big – no matter when they lived.

Someone who unified warring tribes on the steppes of Mongolia and built an empire four times the size of the Roman Empire by the time of his death is worthy of consideration.  Even more so when we consider that the resulting empire continued to expand until it occupied 22% of the Earth’s land mass.  

After watching a screening of “Mongol” at this year’s Indianapolis Film Festival, I delved deep into the rich history of Genghis Kahn and the Mongolian Empire.  Technology is wonderful for those who are curious.  Check out Wikipedia’s various entries, download this map overlay for Google Earth to zoom down onto the steppes of Mongolia to see it for yourself, or watch this BBC special on YouTube.

Scattered tribes and ancient kingdoms across Eurasia lived under the belief that they were the masters of their domain.  With a cloud of dust and lighting speed, the Mongolian army caught many by surprise.  As time went by, they would meet little or no resistance as word of the ferocity of their victories spread quickly across Eurasia.

To some degree, today’s globalization mirrors the world as it was during the time of the Mongolian Empire.  Industries, corporations, and organizations of all sizes have existed for many years with moderate or incremental change.  With the rise of the digital revolution, we are seeing the rise of digital Genghis Khans in every industry and sector, creating massive transformations.  

How do you make sure you are a digital Genghis Khan?

• Approach every battle with an integrated strategy – use the digital equivalents of a disciplined cavalry, long-distance archers, and siege tactics.
• Fight fiercely as parts of the whole, not individual warriors – one arrow can be broken, but a bundle of ten cannot.
• Abandon the entitlement of the past for the meritocracy of the present – reward achievement and abilities alone.
• Recruit artisans and talents from the cities you conquer – use their innovative minds to create new strategies and tactics. 
• Build strong discipline within your ranks by promoting close community.
• Develop and maintain an efficient courier system that allows widely distributed teams to react quickly on many fronts.

What are your thoughts?  Who is today’s equivalent of Genghis Khan?

Read More