Virtual Tools

I'm a HUGE fan of every virtual space you could possibly find (imeem, myspace, ilike, twitter, amiestreet, stumbleupon, facebook, and the list goes on). These ideas are used to promote, bring attention to or even help to connect people, places and things. At the end of the day, though, they all pretty much boil down to being 'tools' in the online/technology world. 

Now years and years ago the rock was used to bang objects into desired shapes (thanks cavemen for kicking it all off for us!). Then as our abilities evolved we were able to make more useful tools such as a mallet or hammer, screwdrivers and blowtorches. Our tools then continued to get more sophisticated and more complex, but still tools nonetheless.

Tools are important and necessary. But what we can't forget is the great things that tools create. Tools created the Ancient Pyramids of Egypt.  Tools created the Parthenon.  Tools created the Eiffel Tower.  Tools created the Titanic. Tools created awesome driving machines. Tools created the ubiquitous computer. And the list goes on.

Right now virtual tools are popping up everywhere (instant messenger, Ning, Technorati)   And right now, it seems, they're an indispensible part of our lives. Just about everywhere there's talk about the newest, coolest, and fastest virtual saw, hammer, and screwdriver - which is fine. But at the end of the day the tools will change (as they always have). What is vitally important, is to also focus on how to use these tools to create something that will bring value to our day to day, positively impact our lives, or even create a movement.

You have 2,000 friends on Facebook (ok, nice) but what are you and your 2,000 friends doing to move ideas and dreams forward? Its awesome that you have 5,000 twitter followers (that rocks!), but what are you and your 5,000 followers doing to help the old lady next door, or help get a kid into college or to change the world?

The tools are valuable, necessary and needed, but don't lose focus on the other side of the coin - the ideas that the tools can help bring to life.

Just because. . .

are doing it

doesn't mean

they are too.

The biggest travesty is when you assume that what you are doing the whole world is doing it too.  Just because you and your 200 friends and colleagues love and are buying the new waterproof underwater socks and talk all day long about them doesn't mean that the universe is now shifting its focus to this new 'idea'. 

The reality is that if this is a relatively new concept then you and your 200 friends and colleagues are probably the only ones raving about these new 'socks'. Thinking that everyone is into this new product because you are isn't such a big deal (or a problem).  It becomes an issue when some of these 200 people start creating ideas and  services that support these new socks because their world is using them and that's their reality. So now this small group of folks are spitting out new business ideas and services that will support these cool new socks because they believe EVERYONE is using them. A recipe for failure. 

The issue is that people aren't able to step outside of their world and see that there are hundreds and thousands of people outside their 'circle of peers' that could care less about about what they are into. Just because you and your friends have given up TV doesn't mean the rest of the world has.  Just because you and your friends blog does not mean that the whole world is blogging. Just because you and your friends use tweetdeck is no indication that anyone else even knows what that is. 

From a business perspective knowing how popular or unpopular an idea is and how pervasive it is in the culture is absolutely imperative. Knowing this is valuable in two ways.

1. Knowing how many people are actually aware of and/or interested in something allows you to intelligently strategise your business moves.

2. Knowing what people are actually aware of or don't know, can actually lead you to new opportunities.  People always say "man everybody knows that." The reality is that no, not everybody does. And there's nothing worse than a missed opportunity. 

Before you start assuming that what you do or are into everyone else is too, go and hang out with people outside of your circle.  You might just make some startling discoveries.

Textbooks, let me introduce you to someone

Unless you've been under a rock, in a dark cave and in the far reaches of Siberia then you are well aware that the market in the midst of an upheavel. Whether it's the music, newpaper, or automobile industry nowhere is there a business that is not being faced with the dynamics of change. Including the textbook industry.

First we had wikipedia as a revolutionary tool with respect to encyclopedic information which was introduced to the world in 2001. Then there was the birth of the Kindle, introduced by Amazon in 2007. And with the latest generation/version getting a 4.5 star rating (out of 5) from almost half a million users, the ebook is here to stay.

Interestingly enough Seth Godin went on a textbook rant just a few days ago and said this:

I've spent the last few months looking at marketing textbooks. I'm assuming that they are fairly representative of textbooks in general, and since this is a topic I'm interested in, it seemed like a good area to focus on.

As far as I can tell, assigning a textbook to your college class is academic malpractice.

He then went on to explain how marketing textbooks are expensive, don't make change, don't sell the topic and are incredibly impractical.

And last but not least when the government is getting in on the action, you KNOW this is not some here today gone tomorrow trend. The other day I came across Governor Schwarzenegger's first-in-the-nation digital textbook initiative. According to the Govenor's office this initiative has the potential to save California's schools millions of dollars. The average textbook costs about $75 to $100 per student. For a school district with about 10,000 high school students, the use of free digital textbooks in just science and math classes could save up to $2 million dollars.

Now if you are in the business of making money from printing textbooks the signs are there. Change is happening. Innovate or die (just ask GM).

On the right path. . .

You're on the right path when,

• You wake up in the morning, get ready for the day, walk out the front door and what you do that day you could do for the rest of your life.
• You do what you do because you want to not because the "rules" say you should.
• You help to mold your environment instead of the environment molding you.
• People go out of their way to help you and you didn't even ask them to.
• People rave about who you are when you're not around.
• Humility not hubris, is a tattoo on your DNA.
• Your instinct is to help someone else first, instead of yourself.
• Your goal is peace of mind.
• You deeply matter to 5 people. . .and they will go to the ends of the earth for you. 
• If in private people are asked who they want to be when they grow up and they say you.
• Your actions speak louder than your words...and they inspire.
• You don't judge and rather you seek to understand why.
• You leave a room and it becomes that less brighter.
• You go somewhere and it is a better place after you leave it.

Covergence in DC

In April we put together our first Convergence event here in DC and it was a great success! A lot of time and energy was put into making it happen.

We gathered four incredibly innovative entrepreneurs here in the city and discussed their ideas of convergence and how it applied to their projects and their business ideas that they are bringing forth and pushing forward.

Check out their bios. Four incredibly innovative and forward thinking individuals!

David Fogel

David Fogel grew up in the DC metro area the son of a government employee and founder of a non-profit arts organization. His upbringing helped him appreciate creativity and service. From there he migrated north to Vermont where he double majored in Asian Studies and Community Development. After graduating he decided to ply his new found knowledge in Japan where over three years he organized a weekend english camp ; an environmental festival ; an artist co-op ; a community center and played in two bands. 8 years ago he moved back to the DC area and started to work on enhancing the Creative Infrastructure by working with the Cultural Development Corporation; then as the head of the arts and entertainment district in Silver Spring for Gateway Georgia Avenue Revitalization Corporation and now currently as the founder of 88. 88 is multi-media events and creative solutions company. Last year, in conjunction with our sister organization 'X' we directly invested over $150K into the creative economy, worked with over 250 artists and produced events in 7 states. This year, X is focusing on building its creative agency - www.xagency.tv - and taking the X event into new markets.

Michelle James

Michelle is a business creativity catalyst, consultant and coach who has worked with hundreds of conscious entrepreneurs and organizations to unleash and focus their soul-based creativity to achieve business goals. Michelle is CEO of The Center for Creative Emergence and Quantum Leap Business Improv; founder of the Capitol Creativity Network; a performer of full length improvised plays with Precipice Improv; a CoreSomatics Master Practitioner and an abstract painting artist..

Michelle's commitment is to "mainstream" creativity, engaging the creative potential and the whole person in the workplace. She's been pioneering both Applied Creativity and Applied Improvisation in the DC area for the past 15 years, focused on integrating the worlds of business, service and creativity. Before founding the Center, Michelle owned a creative services/marketing firm followed by an organizational development company. Her work has been featured in publications, on the radio and television, and she is a frequent conference presenter. Clients have included Microsoft, World Bank, GEICO Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, Search for Common Ground, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Treasury among others. Michelle was recently recognized for Visionary Leadership in the Fast Company blog, Leading Change.

Rakiyt Zakari

Rakiyt is the name behind The Original David and the owner of Zakari Group LLC the company that houses the David brand as well as women’s wear line Rakiyt Zakari. She is a graduate of Howard University with a BA in Fashion Merchandising. She has also studied experimental design at London’s esteemed Central Saint Martins. Zakari began her career in 2001 with a line of women’s wear clothing that has been featured numerous times in WWD, Essence Magazine, The Washington Post, Lucky Magazine and other publications. Zakari’s aesthetic juxtaposes her affinity for mixing media and a love for traditional cultural dress and history. She attributes this passion to her Nigerian(Fulani) roots and instinctual nature to mix obscurity with competence. It was during her fall showing of Rakiyt Zakari at Funkshion: Miami’s Fashion Week, that Zakari debuted The Original David. Both Vogue‘s Andre’ Leon Talley , and Project Runway’s Tim Gunn are fans of The Original David brand . Her clothing has been worn by Gym Class Heroes, Anthony Hamilton, The Cool Kids, Trey Songz, rap legends Big Daddy Kane, and the Roots to name a few. Rakiyt Zakari was the recipient of the 2007 Perrier Bubbling Under Award for emerging designers.

Neil Takemoto

Neil Takemoto is the founding director of CoolTown Beta Communities, a crowdsource-based placemaking and economic development firm codeveloping natural cultural districts with creatives. His work over the last 14 years has been committed to the development of places with significant economic, environmental and social benefit, currently working in Syracuse, New Orleans and Washington DC. Neil is the founder of CoolTown Studios, a ‘crowdsourcing cool places for creatives’ blog/news site that attracts 40,000 unique visitors a month. It has been featured in Architect Magazine and the ULI’s annual developers conference. He is also the cofounder of CoolTown Investments, linking investors with developers of urban smart growth developments for the creative class. CoolTown Investments’ partner is a capital management company with a $150M resource seeking to invest $2-$10M in equity in redevelopment projects in second/third tier cities in the eastern half of the U.S. With Andres Duany, Neil co-founded the National Town Builders Association in 1997, the only business trade group of Smart Growth/New Urbanism real estate developers. Prior to that, he founded a national nonprofit educational clearinghouse for the New Urbanism field.