Robert Paterson's Weblog

Second Life - For Real

This is Brian Hurlburt. He called me last night to thank me for saving his life.

This is not an exaggeration and I am quite shaken by what has happened. Of course for Brian it is a bigger deal than for me, but nothing except the birth of my own children has affected me so much.

The synchronistic story of what happened is here on Fast Forward - in a larger sense that Blog saved Brian as did the community behind it.

If Web 2.0 is a "New World" and not merely a set of tools - Why you need Kids

What if Web 2.0 is not a set of tools but instead a journey to a real New World just like the immigrant journey from Europe to America in the 1890's? What would the value of kids be? If I am right and what would you do?

I post some answers in Fast Forward

Social Media - It's Not the Technology - It's the Context

Is the secret "Social Software" or the underlying context/doctrine/mindset for an organization?

In 1940, the French had more tanks than the Germans and many like this Car B were better armored and had better guns.

So they had "Good" new software and lots of it. But they "saw" the tank as a mobile pill box that supported the infantry in a war just like the one that they had won in 1918.

The main German Battle Tank in 1940 was the Panzer III. Many were Panzer I's and II. They had only a few Panzer IV's. BUT - they "saw" the Tank as part of a raging torrent of offensive force that drew on the learning about their successful offensive tactics of the Storm Troops in 1918.

My point? The winners in 2008-2012 who will trash the traditional competitors in a Blitzkrieg of their own - will be those that have the better organizational doctrine/mindset.

I am starting a series on this in Fast Forward - a key insight will be an examination of Ross Mayfield's SocialText Logo.

Fast Forward - Blogging on the meaning of Social Software

Hylton Jolliffe has kindly asked me to post on Fast Forward. I am going to write about what I think Social Software means - what is its probable destiny in the affairs of man and why I think we need it.

Here is my context setting post.