So I am one of those rare people who just can’t seem to get addicted to Twitter. I use it, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that I have to think about it. I don’t have a cell phone that allows me to connect to the Internet. If I did I think I would use the service more.

When I’m sitting at my computer screen I don’t usually have free time. I am typically focused on the task at hand - not on tweeting.

So my conclusion. For me the best use of Twitter are the inbetween moments. The times when I’m waiting for my wife in the store. Or when I’m standing in line at the bank. Or when I’m sitting through a long, boring meeting at work.

But I need to update my phone for this to happen.

How about you? When do find yourself using Twitter the most? When do you find it hard to use Twitter?

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Joel Mark Witt

I came across this neat little video from The TED Conference 2007.

It’s titled “Five Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do”

They are:

Play with fire
Own a pocket knife
Throw a spear
Deconstruct appliances
Break the DMCA
Drive a car

Okay - that’s six but watch the video and it will make sense.

Now that I have kids I am looking for ways to help them cope with the new world as it is shaping up. The idea is to learn how to learn and adapt at a very rapid pace. They aren’t going to get that kind of education in school. So Gever Tulley has some great insight into this.
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Joel Mark Witt

Tomorrow a group of like minded thinkers, technologists, and entrepreneurs are getting together at the University Of Baltimore for Social DevCamp. It is a one day “So What’s Next?” unConference. We’ve seen blogs, social media platforms, podcasts, online video, and Twitter rise to the top of the online experience – but where is all this headed now? The hope tomorrow is to gain some insight into where the social web is going.

I think the bigger question we are asking tomorrow is - can the East Coast, particularly the Mid-Atlantic, serve as a great place to build start-up technology and media companies?

My answer is yes. That’s what we are attempting to do with FolkMedia.org. And others are building great companies too. So I am excited about the possibilities and am encouraged by the interest in this event.

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Joel Mark Witt

This is a clip of a group video we did in my morning session “The Gap.” I had everyone pull put their cameras and we shot this at the same time.So I got back from Podcamp DC and had some time to think about the event a little. Overall it was great. There were a lot of people who are new to social media and podcasting that came out.One thing that surprised me was my expectation of a larger geek crowd. I tailored my 2 talks with that in mind. But in both session I ended up with a lot of new people who had never come to a Podcamp before…Which is great. That’s what Podcamp is all about.I just wasn’t expecting it.A lot of people came from the non-profit and government sector. They were interested in how to podcast from inside their organizations.

Here are the two slide decks from my presentations yesterday

The Gap: Finding A Place For New Media

Needed: New Media Leaders

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Joel Mark Witt

I’ve had three themes repeatedly popping into my head in the past week while thinking about developing as a leader.

Everything rises and falls on leadership
I am currently reading the book by Howard Zinn, “A People’s History of the United States.” He claims that history is always told through the eyes of nation states and their leaders. Zinn argues that this leaves out the common man. He writes his book from the viewpoint of the people. Although I see where he is going with this, traditional accounts of history are told through the eyes of the people who had the greatest impact on history. They were the movers and shakers of their generation. They made it happen. They led the way.

Which brings me back to my first theme.
Everything rises and falls on leadership.

Build it before you need it social networking
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore hired a new president last month. He comes from a background in politics and banking and knows almost every major business leader in Baltimore. With one phone call to a business leader he is able to secure more funding for the Zoo – gain support of key initiatives – or find an executive to bring into the organization as a vice president.

I admire his style and approach. He truly understands that people are everything. It took him years to forge these relationships in the community that now benefit the Zoo. He basically built a network of professional associates before he ever needed them.

In my life I am making it a point to connect with people. Notice I didn’t just say meet. I want to connect the dots between people that have no direct benefit to me. This is crucial in building a valuable network of people who trust and respect me. I want to add value to the lives of the people with whom I connect. I would hope that I will be viewed as someone that brings value to their lives.

Which brings me back to my second theme.
Build it before you need it.

Everything is personal
I don’t believe in keeping your professional and personal lives separate. In the day and age of 24/7 mobile broadcasting, blogs, Flickr, Twitter, and Google your two worlds are going to mix anyway. So why not at least control how they mix. Some people worry about getting fired. That’s a legitimate concern. My answer is to be the same person both as a professional and as friend.

I recently had a conversation with a business associate about this. He likes to keep his personal and professional lives separate. For example He doesn’t want his boss to see photos of him wasted at a party. I suggested that he doesn’t get wasted at a party and live the way he wants to represent himself at all times. This didn’t fly well. He didn’t want to give up that aspect of his life. Instead he has tried to control the flow of information about his personal life. I am eager to see how this plays out in a world where his name can be Googled by anyone.

Which brings me back to my third theme.
Everything is personal.

So these are three themes that have been swirling around in my head lately. Do you agree with them? Let me know what you think.

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Joel Mark Witt

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Joel Mark Witt

Link to photos

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Joel Mark Witt

I had the privilege to join Jeff Pulver and 28 other great people in Philadelphia for the Jeff Pulver Social Media Breakfast across America tour (or something like that) this past Thursday.

We did a new activity called “real time social tagging.” Don’t know what that is? Then get yourself to a Pulver breakfast.

Jeff Pulver was using a service called Qik to stream the event live from his cell phone! Amazing. You can see a sample video from his cell here. Also here are some photos and a blog post from the event.

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Joel Mark Witt

Great article on the music business from Wired Magazine. Could this be applied to Hollywood also?

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Joel Mark Witt