Saturday, October 31, 2009
Google Wave - Preview
I just got my invitation from Google to be a "Preview" (pre-beta) tester of their new collaboration tool "Wave". If you're interested in getting an invitation to participate in the Preview testing process let me know. I've only got 19 invitations left to share.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Elements of a Social Media Strategy
Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and YouTube are emerging as essential business and government tools. These "disruptive" technologies are being introduced into organizations by employees who are initially becoming acquainted with them in their personal lives. How should an organization react to the introduction of new technology into the workplace? How does an organization handle the blurry line between personal and professional conduct when using a social media service? Is there a viable business model for using a social media service?
Below are my initial thoughts on this issue. Please feel free to add your comments to help me construct a more thorough analysis.
Elements of a Social Networking Strategy
Protect an Organization’s “brand image”
Regardless of considerations over the relative merits of the various social networking services, an organization must take certain basic steps to protect its reputation. The potential exists for individuals, other groups or organizations, through their use of social media, to:
• Misrepresent themselves causing others to believe they are agents of the organization or
• Unjustly impugn the reputations of employees, executives, Board Members, or the organization in general.
At the simplest level an organization should quickly move to reserve (“cyber-squat”) user names and identities synonymous with their organization on the most popular social media services like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter. By reserving these names and identities the organization will create an initial hedge against others misrepresenting themselves and afford the organization time to formulate a more comprehensive social media strategy.
Establish Action Plans
An organization should establish a cross-functional team to examine the following issues:
- Do they represent a viable means of communication between the organization and the clients of the social media service
Employees, agents of an organization, as well as Board members must be informed and comply with a Social Media Policy that establishes expectations for decorum, professionalism, confidentiality, and the protection of privacy. The policy should be created even if an organization elects not to establish a formal social media presence.
Should an organization decide to have a social media presence, the policy should also clarify:
Below are my initial thoughts on this issue. Please feel free to add your comments to help me construct a more thorough analysis.
Elements of a Social Networking Strategy
Protect an Organization’s “brand image”
Regardless of considerations over the relative merits of the various social networking services, an organization must take certain basic steps to protect its reputation. The potential exists for individuals, other groups or organizations, through their use of social media, to:
• Misrepresent themselves causing others to believe they are agents of the organization or
• Unjustly impugn the reputations of employees, executives, Board Members, or the organization in general.
At the simplest level an organization should quickly move to reserve (“cyber-squat”) user names and identities synonymous with their organization on the most popular social media services like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter. By reserving these names and identities the organization will create an initial hedge against others misrepresenting themselves and afford the organization time to formulate a more comprehensive social media strategy.
Establish Action Plans
An organization should establish a cross-functional team to examine the following issues:
- Which social media services demonstrate beneficial business purposes
- Do they represent a viable means of communication between the organization and the clients of the social media service
- How should an organization represent itself on various social media services
- Develop action plans for the deployment of an organization’s presence on social media services
Employees, agents of an organization, as well as Board members must be informed and comply with a Social Media Policy that establishes expectations for decorum, professionalism, confidentiality, and the protection of privacy. The policy should be created even if an organization elects not to establish a formal social media presence.
Should an organization decide to have a social media presence, the policy should also clarify:
- Who may post on behalf of an organization
- What types of postings are appropriate (e.g., informational, promotional)
- What type of online relationships are appropriate (e.g., “following,” “friending,” being a “fan” of)
Monday, April 27, 2009
Wine Tasting Party
Last night we hosted a wine tasting party with everyone bringing a favorite wine to share. What a treat!
Wines ranged from a Sauvignon Blanc to a nicely aged Cabernet Sauvignon. In between were such delights as a moscato d asti from Italy, an Ice Wine from Vermont, and a Cabernet Sauvignon Porto from California. Each wine had a nice appetizer paired with it including some unique goat and sheep cheeses, lobster ravioli, chocolates, strawberries, and homemade cheesecake.
We can't wait for the next party in June.
Wines ranged from a Sauvignon Blanc to a nicely aged Cabernet Sauvignon. In between were such delights as a moscato d asti from Italy, an Ice Wine from Vermont, and a Cabernet Sauvignon Porto from California. Each wine had a nice appetizer paired with it including some unique goat and sheep cheeses, lobster ravioli, chocolates, strawberries, and homemade cheesecake.
We can't wait for the next party in June.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Dallas Cup XXX
To view some photos from Spencer's participation in the Dallas Cup soccer tournament visit my Flickr page and select the Dallas Cup photo set.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Help Me Raise Money for the YMCA
The YMCA of the East Valley (Highland, Redlands, and San Bernardino) is in the midst of its annual Sustaining Membership campaign. The campaign raises funds to provide membership scholarships to families of modest income.
Please help the YMCA fulfill its mission to build strong kids, strong families, and strong communities by visiting my online donation site at www.firstgiving.com/sig.
Please help the YMCA fulfill its mission to build strong kids, strong families, and strong communities by visiting my online donation site at www.firstgiving.com/sig.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Did You Know?
If you haven't already seen the Carl Fisch presentation Did You Know? I suggest you take a few moments to view the presentation on YouTube. There is the original version (use the link above) and an updated one. I personally prefer the original version for several reasons: it's unpolished and conveys honesty, and its focus is open ended. The updated version is slicker and tightly focused on education issues.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Vacation Photos
I recently added photos of our Mediterranean cruise vacation to my Flickr site. Take a few moments to view them and then let me know what you think.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Spencer's Senior Photo
Hard to believe it's Spencer's senior year in high school, but here is the proof - his senior photo...
Monday, September 15, 2008
Economy One-Liner
With economy in the dumps it's time for the humor quotient to increase. Post you best one liner to this expression:
The only difference between Las Vegas and Wall Street is ...
Here's one to get the ball rolling - "free drinks"
The only difference between Las Vegas and Wall Street is ...
Here's one to get the ball rolling - "free drinks"
Thursday, August 28, 2008
New Thoughts, Renewed Thoughts
For my minion of fan out there in the blogosphere I apologize for not posting on a more regular basis. However, you may have noticed the sidebar area showing my activities via Twitter, Facebook, and BeenUp2. None of these social network tools quite compare to a Blog entry in terms of gauging what someone is really thinking about.
If anyone paid attention to my Wiki, Collaborationwiki, they would have noticed it went cold for about two years. If you were to go there now, you would notice a complete facelift and a new purpose. Collaborationwiki is being borrowed by a small working group of staff at the City of Rancho Cucamonga. The group is working on identifying the "ideal" organizational culture and how to align the City's culture toward the ideal.
To accomplish this task the group is using Collaborationwiki to gather information and discuss items in a flexible and supportive online environment. To ensure higher participation among group members, and to ensure confidentiality, the majority of the Wiki pages are set to a private status - only group members will be able to view and edit these private pages. As the team progresses in its mission, some of these private pages will once again be publically accessible.
If anyone paid attention to my Wiki, Collaborationwiki, they would have noticed it went cold for about two years. If you were to go there now, you would notice a complete facelift and a new purpose. Collaborationwiki is being borrowed by a small working group of staff at the City of Rancho Cucamonga. The group is working on identifying the "ideal" organizational culture and how to align the City's culture toward the ideal.
To accomplish this task the group is using Collaborationwiki to gather information and discuss items in a flexible and supportive online environment. To ensure higher participation among group members, and to ensure confidentiality, the majority of the Wiki pages are set to a private status - only group members will be able to view and edit these private pages. As the team progresses in its mission, some of these private pages will once again be publically accessible.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Metaphorically Speaking ...
I couldn't help but draw a possibly ironic metaphorical connection here...
I heard that Hillary Clinton planned to have her daughter place a bet at the Kentucky Derby last Saturday on the 20 to 1 long shot filly Eight Belles. I presume she meant this as a metaphor for her campaign. You know, the long shot filly running with the guys trying to win it all.
So here's the irony, Eight Belles finished second behind the favorite, broke down, and was euthanized.
Just a random thought with no political endorsement. In fact, I wonder if Obama and McCain put any money on the race; it's kind of like asking if they put there money where their mouths were.
I heard that Hillary Clinton planned to have her daughter place a bet at the Kentucky Derby last Saturday on the 20 to 1 long shot filly Eight Belles. I presume she meant this as a metaphor for her campaign. You know, the long shot filly running with the guys trying to win it all.
So here's the irony, Eight Belles finished second behind the favorite, broke down, and was euthanized.
Just a random thought with no political endorsement. In fact, I wonder if Obama and McCain put any money on the race; it's kind of like asking if they put there money where their mouths were.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Water Water Every Where
On Monday we noticed a water leak somewhere in the house. The plumber initially thought it was a defective water spout on the bathtub in the Master Bath. So we spent hours that night sucking up the water from the Family Room carpet only to find it flooded again Tuesday morning.
When the plumber returned he figured out that maybe there was a water leak in the wall ... somewhere. Upstairs in Roberta's closet he made one hole in the wall ... no leak. He was preparing to hack his way down the walls into the Family Room before we nixed that concept.
Long story short he called in 7 other plumbers to work on the problem and we were able to minimize the hole cuts. Below is the opening they made to crawl in under the stairs. The next photo is what they found.
I have more photos from under the stairs, but you should get the point. Apparently there is a capped section of copper pipe that developed a pin prick leak in its cap. A fine spray of water shot upward about 4 feet soaking the bottom of several steps on the stairway and then soaking the backside of the Family Room wall. Water eventually flowed from under the stairs onto the Living Room floor, under tile in the Entryway, under the Wet Bar cabinet, and down the wall onto the Family Room floor.
The most noticeable damage is in the Family Room, but the worst damage may be what we don't see yet. Tiles are already lifting in the Entryway and the oak on several of the steps is warping.
Just another day in Paradise!
When the plumber returned he figured out that maybe there was a water leak in the wall ... somewhere. Upstairs in Roberta's closet he made one hole in the wall ... no leak. He was preparing to hack his way down the walls into the Family Room before we nixed that concept.
Long story short he called in 7 other plumbers to work on the problem and we were able to minimize the hole cuts. Below is the opening they made to crawl in under the stairs. The next photo is what they found.
I have more photos from under the stairs, but you should get the point. Apparently there is a capped section of copper pipe that developed a pin prick leak in its cap. A fine spray of water shot upward about 4 feet soaking the bottom of several steps on the stairway and then soaking the backside of the Family Room wall. Water eventually flowed from under the stairs onto the Living Room floor, under tile in the Entryway, under the Wet Bar cabinet, and down the wall onto the Family Room floor.
The most noticeable damage is in the Family Room, but the worst damage may be what we don't see yet. Tiles are already lifting in the Entryway and the oak on several of the steps is warping.
Just another day in Paradise!
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