Mad Young Thing

Elegance

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:38:00 +0000

Elegance
Originally uploaded by Wilhelm Augustus Hohenzollern

Sometimes elegance isn't what we think it is.

When I got my Macbook Pro in 2006, I quickly started to get a design sense, so when my rather ordinary laptop bag broke, I decided to go back to the Mac store for my next bag. It's been a good bag - until about 2 months ago.

Somehow, 2 months ago, the doohickey that holds the strap onto the bag just disappeared. The little metal thingie was gone.

It still held up alright when the strap was around my shoulder, but as soon as the strap slackened, it would come off. Quite stressful when your expensive laptop is in the bag!

For the want of a little metal doohickey, I was willing to buy another bag at around $65 (yeah, it was on special!). I asked at the shop about whether they sold parts and they said if I had the receipt they could replace it.

I couldn't find the receipt.

I was seriously considering shelling out $65 on a new bag, until I remember a story about Einstein. (I won't bore you with the story, suffice it to say Einstein was involved with a paper clip).

I chose a matching colour paper clip, twisted it around a bit, and voila. I now have a whole lot less stress carrying my bag around.

Which to me is elegance, even if it is not the traditional Mac way (ie. pay lots for whatever you do).

Scary Washing Machine - behind the scenes! iJumpTV 59

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:59:00 +0000

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Who bought the famous Scary Washing Machine from auction site Trademe? It was appliance retail chain 100%, and Tango Communication's Zac Pullen tells us how it happened. Here's the original listing on Trademe (check out the comments): http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Laundry/Washing-machines/Top-loader-6kg-under/auction-223309871.htm And here's Scary's new home online: http://blog.100percent.co.nz/

The legal profession needs reinventing

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:50:00 +0000

Lawyers and/or geeks, correct me if I'm wrong.

Laws are made (theoretically) by the people for the protection of the people's rights.

Yet a whole industry (okay, profession) has arisen that makes its money by charging people $2000+ for a template agreement.

They're able to do this because of inertia. Simply because that's the way they've always done it.

Isn't it time the legal profession came in for a bit of reinvention?

Here's the geeky part: laws are made for the people, (kind of) by the people. Just like an open source code base.

Others then interpret the code base in order to apply it to particular needs - as we've seen with the hundreds (thousands, even) Twitter apps that use Twitter's open API.

What if we took the same approach to law?

How much of law is just code, and not dependent on interpretations?

My Dream Scenario

I'm a business owner. I want to hire a contractor, or partner with someone on a project.

I want an agreement that is legally binding, but as an entrepreneur who does a lot of partnering, I don't want to need a lawyer on staff to get stuff done. I just want to do stuff.

Wouldn't it be great to go to a website where I and my potential partner in crime can go and fill in dynamic forms that automate the process of lawyering.

Where my partner and I work out the kind of business relationship we want to have, enter the necessary parameters, and then the software would show us areas we need to think about.

Instead of the anxiety of

a trip to a lawyer's office
a conversation where it's highly possible to get the details wrong (after all, you may not have all your paperwork with you)
not knowing what you'll be paying until afterwards

you get

an agreement, that reflects your wishes, that is legally binding.

And if there are any anomalies, you can contact a lawyer through chat on the site. Or send an email.

It's the kind of disruption that's hitting every single industry. Milk the system (music industry, lawyers) and people will live for the day when you will be automated.

Act like a valuable partner, live to serve, and move with the times, and you'll be closer to the original definition of profession.

(Awesome photo from Steve Punter!)

The HTC Magic, NZ's first Google Phone - iJumpTV Extra #58

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:23:00 +0000

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Vodafone loaned us the brand new HTC Magic for a couple of weeks. It's the first handset in NZ to feature Google's Android operating system. What does this mean? Find out.

Social Media and Social Change in New Zealand

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Fri, 08 May 2009 03:15:00 +0000

I gave this presentation to a group of students from Regis University in Colorado this morning. Thought I may as well spread the word further.

Social Media and Social Change in New Zealand

View more presentations from Simon Young.

Chris Brogan and more at Marketing Now - iJumpTV #54

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:12:00 +0000

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The highlights from the hugely successful Marketing Now Conference in Wellington, New Zealand. Features: Chris Brogan http://www.chrisbrogan.com David Meerman Scott http://www.davidmeermanscott.com Sharon Crost http://www.getbusinesswow.wordpress.com ...plus your invitation to join http://nzsocialmedia.ning.com/

ANZAC Day thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:28:00 +0000

(Written on ANZAC day)

Every year, the news on ANZAC day leads with growing numbers of young people attending dawn parades.

And on Twitter this morning, it was people in their teens and 20s encouraging us all to remember ANZAC day.

Why? Why is this solemn occasion such a hit amongst younger people?

Here's my theory:

We have deformalised much of our society, and missed out the opportunity to feel completely in awe. The closest thing we have is a music concert, and often that is limited to a particular age group. ANZAC Day is a rare occasion to gather as a whole community and contemplate something truly awesome - the utter destruction of war. (By awesome I don't mean good, I mean something that strikes you speechless)

We have ignored our European/British/Western heritage, and we hunger to understand it better. ANZAC Day ceremonies are full of distant memories of the past - uniforms, cenotaphs, Bible readings, brass bands, traditions. Where did this all come from? Even when I was at school I learnt more about New Zealand and American (!) history than the British Empire from which New Zealand came. And while I'm a statistical minority for growing up in church and understanding the history of Christianity (somewhat), I'd guess most young people these days know very little about this religion that really defined the Western world. So taking part in an ANZAC ceremony must be a mixture of the familiar (celebrating our basic New Zealand-ness, or even Antipodean-ness) with some aspects that are as unfamiliar as a Hindu or Buddhist ceremony.

Other observations:

ANZAC Day is not about glorifying war, but it is about celebrating soldiers. Might be a difficult distinction to make. I think what unites us is the sheer emotion - the realisation that war is crazy, and maybe some wars shouldn't have happened, but these men and women were incredibly brave to go through what they went through, and they need our help and recognition to heal.

It's also set off a lot of thoughts in my mind about why war memorials are as formal as they are. War is certainly not formal. It's chaotic, violent, unpredictable. Maybe the solemnity and formality of our ceremonies is part of the healing.

What do you think?

(Image courtesy of Hugo90)

Building brand advocates with Stephen Johnson - iJumpTV #53

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:11:00 +0000

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It's one week and one day until Marketing Now hits Wellington. Alongside standout international speakers like Chris Brogan and David Meerman Scott, we'll be hearing from more local speakers like DraftFCB's Stephen Johnson.

I asked Stephen for a sneak preview of what he'd be sharing at the conference. Here's what he said!

Marketing Now sneak preview #1 - Sharon Crost (iJumpTV #52)

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:25:00 +0000

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Sharon Crost is one of the international social media specialists visiting Wellington on April 15th and 16th for the Marketing Now conference. Sharon's all about unleashing your inner superhero, and her session at the conference promises to be extremely interactive! We had the pleasure of talking with Sharon direct from her backyard organic farm in San Francisco.

Want to share our office space?

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 03:34:00 +0000

Our former office mates have made their trip to Melbourne, so we're on the hunt for some more cool, creative, like-minded people.

We've got 3 spaces available for freelancers or creatives who want to be in one of the best, friendliest locations going.

The details:

The office is at Level 2, 228 Queen Street, Auckland. There's also entry through 3 Lorne Street.

The cost is $150 + GST per week per desk. This includes:

fast internet
electricity
a desk and mobile drawers
good company (if we do say so ourselves!)
ambience
use of shared kitchen including microwave, fridge, hot water, etc.
a secure office in a secure building

And in the area:

About a zillion cafes
Almost 10 art galleries
Two great bookshops - Jason Books (on the same floor as us) and Parsons Books
Albert Park
The Library and Academy Theatre
AUT and Auckland University

About the building:

About 100 years old, the HB Building is a bit of a creative hub. These are the hallways where you'll meet print and online publishers, web developers, graphic designers, branding people - and some really interesting financial people too.

Interested? Email simon@ijump.co.nz or marie@ijump.co.nz or give us a call on (09) 379 5421.

You can download a higher-resolution version of the poster here.

Raw thoughts on "The Cult of the Amateur"

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:43:00 +0000

I stopped reading Andrew Keen's Cult of the Amateur

because it got too repetitive and annoying. Keen is expert at pointing out (quite amusingly, at first) that the glass is half empty, but his steadfast refusal to offer any kind of solution bugged me.

What was good, though, was that it made me wonder why it bugged me. And why I got similarly frustrated with Lee Siegel's Against the Machine
.

Here's why:

The biggest hole in Andrew Keen's argument is that he says web 2.0 actually leads to greater groupthink, while (presumably) indicating that the old world didn't do this, or at least it was easier for genuinely creative voices to be heard.

So how does that work? Would an Einstein or a Bob Dylan struggle to be heard more or less in the web 2.0 world than in the worlds they grew up in?

If you look at web 2.0 as an amorphous mass, a monoculture, yes, it's hard to be heard over the roar. But that's a mistaken way to look at it, a way of looking that comes from not actually participating or understanding the subjective experience of web 2.0.

Keen (and Siegel, for that matter) are not seeing the wood for the trees. As self-appointed guardians of man's destiny, they're doing one of two things, they're either:

1) Projecting their own personal tastes and preferences onto the rest of the human race (elitism)
or
2) Forgetting to enjoy the subjective, personalised experience of the web that they can tailor to their own interests (and therefore understand how it would work for others the same way) and instead taking an abstract, "objective" view because they feel they have to.

More on this later. If you're good.

---

You've been good. One more thing. Neil Postman does a good job of arguing against the information revolution, by actually suggesting something instead. Of course, a lot of his arguments are outdated and his concerns may not be so relevant to right now, but hey, Andrew and Lee, get a clue from Neil!

How does a consultant prove their value?

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:09:00 +0000

A lot of people are up in arms about Facebook's design changes, despite the facts that

a) Facebook is a private company and can do what they want
b) They've been notifying users of changes for over a week on their homepages.

But it brings home the point that when you create a space and ask people to make themselves at home, they will. And they'll fight any changes you make to their home, because you've succeeded in making them feel at home.

Further...

It makes me think about any business based on Intellectual Property, particularly consulting and teaching.

If a teacher is successful, the knowledge becomes part of the student. The student absorbs it and feels as though they've discovered it themselves. The successful teacher actually makes himself invisible after a time, introducing the student to the knowledge and setting them free.

Or you could be a dysfunctional, codependent teacher, crippling your student and making them dependent on you for correct interpretation of the facts.

And that's kind of the way business has been in the last hundred years or so, hasn't it? It's also kind of the way, dare I say, that the church has been for much longer.

But if success means invisibility, how does the teacher/consultant prove their value?

I don't have an answer, I'm thinking out loud here. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Where managers and entrepreneurs live

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 03:45:00 +0000

The manager occupies the world of the known and quantifiable.
The entrepreneur walks the unknown path, the hunch, the instinct.

The manager despises risk and failure, because it hinders efficiency.
The entrepreneur flirts with risk and embraces failure, because it will yield up precious lessons.

And we need both.

Here Comes Everybody book review - iJumpTV #51

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:05:00 +0000

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Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky is full of stories, statistics, theory - and iwth all that, it's an easy read too.

It'll help you understand how social media changes the way people get together - and what this means for your business, cause or idea.

How the government can help me create jobs and growth

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:49:00 +0000

John Key is asking us for ideas on how to help create jobs and growth. So here's my biggest recommendation, as a business owner and potential employer:

invest heavily in plain language training, so we can quickly understand compliance and actually do what you require.
invest heavily in usability for government websites, including perhaps some standard architecture so we know a government website when we see it, and don't have to relearn how to get around.
design government websites and departments around our needs as business leaders, to reflect our reality, and not the structure of internal silos.
invest in exercises to give those responsible for helping us (IRD, Companies Office, Department of Labour, etc) empathy and understanding of what we actually do.

By the way, nice speech, John! Superb counterpoint to the prevailing gloom.

Raboplus bank's blogging GM - iJumpTV #50

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:26:00 +0000

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We talk blogging with Mike Heath, GM of Raboplus, who not only blogs, he answers customer comments!

We ask Mike:

How do you handle negative comments?
Does the blog take a lot of resource and time to maintain
Why was the blog set up?

This is a great opportunity to hear from a pioneer in a very conservative industry.

Twestival Press Release

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:51:00 +0000

11 Feb 09

NZ Twitterers Kick off Worldwide Charity Event

Online social networkers show the power of social media for social good.

This Thursday, 12 February, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch will be the first places in the world to kick off a worldwide Twestival.

Founded in 2008 in London by Amanda Rose, a Twestival is simply a group of Twitter users meeting in the real world, and raising funds for CharityWater.

Attendees donate $10 towards CharityWater, either at the door or online at the event page for each city (Auckland , Wellington or Christchurch).

Twestival arose from the popular idea of "tweetups", that is, meetups of people who use Twitter.

Twitter, a microblogging service that launched in late 2006, has recently caught media attention as a reporting tool during crises such as the Victorian bushfires and the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

More than just a breaking news service, Twitter is a microcosm of the effects of social media in general: friendship, dialogue, business networking, and information sharing. "We're just seeing the beginnings of the changes social media can make," says Simon Young of social media consultancy iJump, one of the companies supporting Twestival.

The Auckland Twestival 2009:

Venue: Sale Street Brewery
Time: 5pm - about 9pm
Partners: Zendesk, Sale Street Brewery, iJump

The Wellington Twestival 2009:

Venue: Mighty Mighty
Time: 5:30pm

The Christchurch Twestival 2009:

Venue: His Lordships Cafe and Bar
Time: 5pm

For more information, contact:

Simon Young, Cofounder/Catalyst
iJump
Ph 021 192 0016
Email simonisntsoyoung@gmail.com
Twitter @audaciousgloop

Proximity-Based marketing (and a free book!) - iJumpTV #49

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:16:00 +0000

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Mobile social networking and marketing are going to be big in the next five years. But where will the ideas come from? Geosmart, the people behind the Location Innovation Awards, hope they'll come from you.

We talk to Geosmart's Luigi Cappel about the potential of location-based marketing, and where the entries are coming from.

We're also giving away three copies of Luigi's ebook, Unleashing the Road Warrior, to the first three commentors on this video!

Tweetup tonight in Auckland

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:58:00 +0000

(cross-posted from iJump, where I'm blogging more regularly, thanks to our new email newsletter list. Long story.)

On Twitter? Want to be? Want to learn more? In Auckland?

Come along to tonight’s "Tweetup ", starting from 5pm at the Sale Street Brewery .

There’s also the Auckland Twestival , a charity event raising funds for Charity Water , next Thursday at the same venue.

Want to be notified when the next Tweetup is? Join the Auckland Twitter Meetup Group .

Will I see you at either one?

Book Review "Against the Machine" - iJumpTV #48

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 05:21:00 +0000

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Does Web 2.0 have a dark side? Of course it does, and even social media consultants like us discuss it freely. But you wouldn't think so, according to Lee Seigel, author of Against the Machine. He seems to think he's a lone voice, standing bravely against the overwhelming array of "boosters" and shameful collaborators in the mainstream media.

Still, Seigel's bad attitude aside, this is a book worth reading, if only to challenge your thinking.

MadeFromNewZealand.com - iJumpTV #47

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 08:09:00 +0000

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MadeFromNewZealand is part social network, part marketing platform for New Zealand businesses. We got interviewed on MadeFromNewZealand's Friday Show last week, and did a bit of filming ourselves. We talk with Tim Norton about online video, marketing a small business, and the role of government vs. entrepreneurs in marketing a nation.

Tim's a familiar face to iJumpTV - we interviewed him back in episode 22.

Writing that makes a (little) difference

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Bottle with personality
Originally uploaded by Wilhelm Augustus Hohenzollern

Check out this product packaging copy. It's not only grammatically correct (a challenge, obviously, for many product manufacturers!) but it's funny!

That's what I want to see more of. As a consumer, and (of course) as a writer.

That is all.

Vision - who needs it?

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Sam Farrow reckons it's not that important.

Some people reckon it's absolutely essential.

I'm in two minds. Or maybe one and a half.

Sam works in a government department whose job is essentially reactive - to provide great service, accurate information and be accurate. It's not heady stuff, and it's not exactly visionary stuff either.

But can't that department have a vision of how they want to be? Sure they can. Is it essential?

What replaces vision if there's no vision? An awareness of the present, of the needs you exist to fill.

I used to freak out about vision and end up not making any long term plans. Why? Because I looked back over my life and saw sweet serendipity. I am where I am because of a whole range of things that have happened to me, and that I have done.

I intended to become a screenwriter, and ended up being a better business communicator.

I intended to study music at university, and ended up promoting music concerts on a radio network.

I kind of don't trust myself, but I do trust God to make sense of it all. Other people trust "the universe" ... close, but I prefer the personal touch.

So when people encourage me to visualise my vision in excruciating detail, I shrink back. I'm almost entirely sure I'll get it wrong, and I don't want to be so focused on a vision that I miss the really good opportunities.

But I misconstrued the purpose of a vision. A vision's probably not where I'll end up, but it is a focussing tool.

Even if I'm aiming at the wrong thing, the act of aiming makes me see what's at stake. And because it's a big, long term vision, I'm able to make course corrections as necessary. Unless of course I win the lottery and make a stupid big decision simply because I have enough money to do so. Not buying Lotto tickets keeps me out of that danger.

---

Follow up: Bwagy has a great post about vision.

And while I haven't had any comments here yet, it did get some good comments on Twitter:

johnfrombluff @audaciousgloop The problem with "Vision" is that it's meaningless management-speak most of the time. "We'll be excellent", etc.

ophil @audaciousgloop vision is purpose articulated; its the end as a realist painting to 'show' what success looks like; necessity is contingent

I said nice definition - yours? What if there is no end, or the end is undefined, or it's actually counterproductive to have an end?

ophil @audaciousgloop guess its mine! no end is not necessarily terminal thats why 'purpose' works better than vision as a guide

ophil @audaciousgloop ends are not necessarily terminal either (despite the word!) ends themselves may be means to larger acheivments 20 minutes ago

imho i would consider ends counterproductive perhaps 70% of the time (in the strategic sense) as they blind u 2 opportunity
but ends good for measuring progress, motivating and communicating to unfamiliar stakeholders

I said: little ends. Ends that you can put KPIs on can be good, as long as they get reviewed every 6 months to see if the aims are right

	ophil @audaciousgloop hmmm sort of KPI's tend not to be ends but proxy's that can be observed and are related to the ends 4 minutes ago

Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:57:00 +0000

If you won the lottery today, why would you be happy? (I'm assuming you'd be happy?)

In this present moment, your actual circumstances are the same. You still have only a few hundred dollars in the bank. But you know there's something to come.

Or say you're riding a train. If it stops between stations, with no explanation, you can get a bit anxious. But if someone announces that the delay will be no more than 10 minutes, it's not so bad.

Hope is not an ethereal thing. It's a very tangible thing. It can be as simple as having a "you are 70% finished" indicator on an online survey. Yet it makes a big difference.

Obama talked about hope a lot, and it won him the presidency.

How can you use real hope in your business, organisation or life today?

Say it like Obama book review - iJumpTV #46

noreply@blogger.com (Simon) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:38:00 +0000

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Jumping on the rampaging juggernaut that is Obamamania, Simon brings you a special episode of iJumpTV. What can we learn from the 21st Century's greatest orator thus far, who tomorrow takes the oath of office?

Plenty.

Like how to use body language, stories, and words that create pictures in people's minds. How to communicate passion and vision, and energise people towards change. It's good stuff!