Just do it. Don't let yourself fall behind.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Week 12 Learning Journal Post
This post is a bit of a after-action review following our consulting exercise in BGIMGT566.
The experience was a huge hit with the class. It gave us the opportunity to experience how far we've come over the course of the quarter. It challenged us in a really fun way.
I was on the energy team. The experience of working together, even with brand new partners, was really strong and high level. Had we had the chance to meet for perhaps 2 hours more, I think we would have returned with a spot-on campaign idea. As it was, we ran out of time, mostly because we allowed ourselves to get stuck in solving the problem that was presented, and in doing that, got sidetracked. It was all good work, but I left feeling unresolved.
So the conversation continued, albeit, inside my head. It went a bit like this:
Insight: Social media is a communication tool, not a problem solving tool. It is good at broadcasting info via a wide network. Not so good at designing programs. I've noticed that conversations around energy often get bogged down in the complications, the details, and the frustration of seeing the huge gap between what is and what is possible. (And, yes, that is where the business opportunity lies, though I dare say, attempts to tap it, by and large, have not hit the zeitgeist quite yet). My goal is to become better at facilitating conversations that lead toward simple changes as opposed to ones that stymie us with complicated, seemingly irresolvable problems.
Our client came to us wanting to help energy auditors achieve a higher rate of converting home energy audits into homeowner action to reduce energy. We re-designed a process that would reduce or eliminate some of the barriers. It was a decent attempt at a business model for a couple hours effort, but to me, the social media component of our design felt more forced, than organic to the system.
With the benefit of morning-after hindsight, I did a mental do-over.
1. What is the underlying goal? Save energy (as opposed to selling home improvements).
2. Who has the power to do that? Our client came to us with a focus on energy auditors. Throughout our conversation, we bounced between auditors and home-owners as the audience. There are many ways the audit processes that we'd collectively experienced could be improved to lead to more "sales". But that is a design challenge more than a social media one. If energy auditors were a tightly knit group, perhaps active in a professional group or in a situation where several are active in a company where their role is similar and they can influence program design a social media campaign might be useful.One could imagine contests, incentives, shared among peers. My observation is that they are loosely affiliated, work in a wide variety of programs and employer relationships from utility to independent contractor to HVAC Sales. As such social media is not the best tool to reach them. So I switched my attention to homeowners. They have the ability to act or not act, and we can reach and connect them using social media.
3. What simple behavior change should we target? Our group got bogged down by the complexity of the larger issue. In doing that, we missed the chance to find something simple as the focus of a campaign.
Coming back to it, I decided to target light bulbs and shower heads. Lighting represents 11% of home energy use and is an easy and simple target. And like lighting, the aesthetics of lo-water shower heads has gotten pretty darned nice, and once installed, will lower hot water use for a lifetime. It is so easy. Upfront cost is minimal and long-term savings potential is great. Takes only minutes to implement. Why don't people just screw them in? That's a simple behavior change we can ask for.
Resulting campaign proposal: Just Screw It, a combination video/Rippl campaign using happy imagery, and played to the tune of Michael Jackson's song "Just Beat It".
The experience was a huge hit with the class. It gave us the opportunity to experience how far we've come over the course of the quarter. It challenged us in a really fun way.
I was on the energy team. The experience of working together, even with brand new partners, was really strong and high level. Had we had the chance to meet for perhaps 2 hours more, I think we would have returned with a spot-on campaign idea. As it was, we ran out of time, mostly because we allowed ourselves to get stuck in solving the problem that was presented, and in doing that, got sidetracked. It was all good work, but I left feeling unresolved.
So the conversation continued, albeit, inside my head. It went a bit like this:
Insight: Social media is a communication tool, not a problem solving tool. It is good at broadcasting info via a wide network. Not so good at designing programs. I've noticed that conversations around energy often get bogged down in the complications, the details, and the frustration of seeing the huge gap between what is and what is possible. (And, yes, that is where the business opportunity lies, though I dare say, attempts to tap it, by and large, have not hit the zeitgeist quite yet). My goal is to become better at facilitating conversations that lead toward simple changes as opposed to ones that stymie us with complicated, seemingly irresolvable problems.
Our client came to us wanting to help energy auditors achieve a higher rate of converting home energy audits into homeowner action to reduce energy. We re-designed a process that would reduce or eliminate some of the barriers. It was a decent attempt at a business model for a couple hours effort, but to me, the social media component of our design felt more forced, than organic to the system.
With the benefit of morning-after hindsight, I did a mental do-over.
1. What is the underlying goal? Save energy (as opposed to selling home improvements).
2. Who has the power to do that? Our client came to us with a focus on energy auditors. Throughout our conversation, we bounced between auditors and home-owners as the audience. There are many ways the audit processes that we'd collectively experienced could be improved to lead to more "sales". But that is a design challenge more than a social media one. If energy auditors were a tightly knit group, perhaps active in a professional group or in a situation where several are active in a company where their role is similar and they can influence program design a social media campaign might be useful.One could imagine contests, incentives, shared among peers. My observation is that they are loosely affiliated, work in a wide variety of programs and employer relationships from utility to independent contractor to HVAC Sales. As such social media is not the best tool to reach them. So I switched my attention to homeowners. They have the ability to act or not act, and we can reach and connect them using social media.
3. What simple behavior change should we target? Our group got bogged down by the complexity of the larger issue. In doing that, we missed the chance to find something simple as the focus of a campaign.
Coming back to it, I decided to target light bulbs and shower heads. Lighting represents 11% of home energy use and is an easy and simple target. And like lighting, the aesthetics of lo-water shower heads has gotten pretty darned nice, and once installed, will lower hot water use for a lifetime. It is so easy. Upfront cost is minimal and long-term savings potential is great. Takes only minutes to implement. Why don't people just screw them in? That's a simple behavior change we can ask for.
Resulting campaign proposal: Just Screw It, a combination video/Rippl campaign using happy imagery, and played to the tune of Michael Jackson's song "Just Beat It".
Friday, December 2, 2011
Week 11 Learning Journal Post
We learned a lot about theories of behavior change. The theoretical grounding is something I can bring to all of my work moving forward. Social media is just a tool, but is hardly the only place where I get to use it. Having a framework is such a help. It can be a check-in and a check list. Am I using all of the tools available to me or to my client? Can I make something more persuasive, more relevant, more interactive, more powerful?
While we havent had the chance to hear actual team reflections yet, one common theme from chatting with friends from other teams is that they got a lot of views, but when it came to actual reporting back on the , something they asked of their audiences so they could track results, they were surprised by the low turnout. Certainly finals week played a role, but to my mind, we all learned that triggering behavior change is harder than it looks. And asking people to do AND to report is a big ask. Most of us chose to communicate within a BGI audience - presumably a group that is highly motivated by liking, reciprocity, and commitment. And it was still hard to get an action to occur.
I could quibble that some of the desired report back mechanisms could have been made more clear or easier to do. But the deeper message is that the task is tough and will likely take a combination of multiple iterations, the right medium (did we talk enough about how to choose a medium?), great use of persuasive tools, and perhaps a stroke of good timing.
We are beginners. I feel lucky to have this opportunity to play around in a safe space while we build our skills.
While we havent had the chance to hear actual team reflections yet, one common theme from chatting with friends from other teams is that they got a lot of views, but when it came to actual reporting back on the , something they asked of their audiences so they could track results, they were surprised by the low turnout. Certainly finals week played a role, but to my mind, we all learned that triggering behavior change is harder than it looks. And asking people to do AND to report is a big ask. Most of us chose to communicate within a BGI audience - presumably a group that is highly motivated by liking, reciprocity, and commitment. And it was still hard to get an action to occur.
I could quibble that some of the desired report back mechanisms could have been made more clear or easier to do. But the deeper message is that the task is tough and will likely take a combination of multiple iterations, the right medium (did we talk enough about how to choose a medium?), great use of persuasive tools, and perhaps a stroke of good timing.
We are beginners. I feel lucky to have this opportunity to play around in a safe space while we build our skills.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Week 10 Learning Journal Post
A good team is really valuable. I'm reminded of this as Team Rippl enters the home stretch of our Social Media project.
We took on an ambitious project. We are each excited about it. People are working together really well, sharing talents and playing off each others' skills. Everyone has put in a lot. And it looks like we are not going to be able to do all that we had hoped, at least not by the class deadline.
That isn't to say that we won't meet the class requirements. We think we have done that. We developed a proposal, researched how others have managed similar behavior change projects, similar tools, and similar content, incorporated what we've learned from Fogg and Cialdini, and created and shared a couple of iterations of the conceptual framework and overall look and feel. (In hindsight, we might have done more in the way of asking for outside feedback on our iterations earlier in the process).
In taking on a project that was more complex than most, we took a risk. In addition to identifying a behavior to change and developing a campaign around that, Rippl includes developing and promoting a computer-application as a tool others can use to facilitate change. The actual computer application probably wont be done. It turned out to be much harder than anticipated. And the promotion, which kind of depended on what the application could and could not actually accomplish at this stage of its development, will likely get a bit short-shrifted. And that is OK. At least its OK with the team, and we hope it is OK with the professor.
We've had the chance to learn a lot about taking a seemingly simple concept and focusing on it long enough to understand that achieving simplicity can involve a lot of complexity. We've learned about checking in frequently in order to maintain a shared vision, even as things progress and change. We've had the chance to develop a long-term vision along with short-term phases that could move us toward that vision. And we've learned just how valuable each others' talents are to our success.
Even though the project could be described as a failure, I see it as a huge success. And one of my hopes and dreams is that we find a way to keep working on it and making it into a reality. Hopefully with the benefit of strategy/technical consult from Christopher, Mirian and Elyn.
We took on an ambitious project. We are each excited about it. People are working together really well, sharing talents and playing off each others' skills. Everyone has put in a lot. And it looks like we are not going to be able to do all that we had hoped, at least not by the class deadline.
That isn't to say that we won't meet the class requirements. We think we have done that. We developed a proposal, researched how others have managed similar behavior change projects, similar tools, and similar content, incorporated what we've learned from Fogg and Cialdini, and created and shared a couple of iterations of the conceptual framework and overall look and feel. (In hindsight, we might have done more in the way of asking for outside feedback on our iterations earlier in the process).
In taking on a project that was more complex than most, we took a risk. In addition to identifying a behavior to change and developing a campaign around that, Rippl includes developing and promoting a computer-application as a tool others can use to facilitate change. The actual computer application probably wont be done. It turned out to be much harder than anticipated. And the promotion, which kind of depended on what the application could and could not actually accomplish at this stage of its development, will likely get a bit short-shrifted. And that is OK. At least its OK with the team, and we hope it is OK with the professor.
We've had the chance to learn a lot about taking a seemingly simple concept and focusing on it long enough to understand that achieving simplicity can involve a lot of complexity. We've learned about checking in frequently in order to maintain a shared vision, even as things progress and change. We've had the chance to develop a long-term vision along with short-term phases that could move us toward that vision. And we've learned just how valuable each others' talents are to our success.
Even though the project could be described as a failure, I see it as a huge success. And one of my hopes and dreams is that we find a way to keep working on it and making it into a reality. Hopefully with the benefit of strategy/technical consult from Christopher, Mirian and Elyn.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Week 9 Translating Learning Into Doing
In class, we've had the opportunity to explore a number of ways one can bring fun and theories of persuasion into the realm of social change and building, growing, and care-taking of communities. Having a theoretical framework is helping me better understand the arc of events among various communities and campaigns where I've played a role.
I've noticed a pattern. I've seen green and social campaigns that hope to create positive behavior change falter under the weight of their own ideology. And sadly, the cause becomes a turnoff or even a political flashpoint as it gets tied to preachy attitudes, ineffective messages, and the idea that we want to change what people think, instead of affecting what they do.
The frustration that many of us feel when we see others who seem uncaring or uninformed often spills into our communications. While it might be correct, and it is certainly well-intentioned, the fact is, it does not help the cause. And if it isn't helping, then it is hurting.
In the end, the real question is would you rather be right, or would you rather win?
P.S. No matter what they say, winning is way more fun than losing. Are we willing to discard our own pre-conceived notions about what "should" and "would" so that we can empower "can" and "will" and "can't wait to participate"?
I've noticed a pattern. I've seen green and social campaigns that hope to create positive behavior change falter under the weight of their own ideology. And sadly, the cause becomes a turnoff or even a political flashpoint as it gets tied to preachy attitudes, ineffective messages, and the idea that we want to change what people think, instead of affecting what they do.
The frustration that many of us feel when we see others who seem uncaring or uninformed often spills into our communications. While it might be correct, and it is certainly well-intentioned, the fact is, it does not help the cause. And if it isn't helping, then it is hurting.
In the end, the real question is would you rather be right, or would you rather win?
P.S. No matter what they say, winning is way more fun than losing. Are we willing to discard our own pre-conceived notions about what "should" and "would" so that we can empower "can" and "will" and "can't wait to participate"?
Monday, November 7, 2011
Week 8 Learning Journal Post - Persuasion
The Shelton Group just released its 2011 EcoPulse survey. Based on the answers of 1,502 Americans, the survey found that the #1 driver of energy-efficiency investment continues to be to save money on utility bills (28%). It also found that in order to see a measurable improvement in their bills, on average, Americans need to take at least 4 energy saving steps, yet most people take only 2.3 steps - not enough to move the dial on their utility bill.
The survey also found that lower income Americans would rather spend more on their energy bill than invest in energy efficiency. Why? For the most part, it is because they can't afford to invest. Oddly enough, wealthier Americans are more sensitive to increases in their energy bills than those with less money.
While money might be a key motivator, the study also looked at other forms of persuasion to learn more about which techniques are most effective. They found that social norming is a powerful tool to convince people to shift their energy consumption habits. In other words, energy use declines among those who are identified as using more energy than their neighbors, and messages that reinforce the idea that other people are saving energy encourage folks to do something so that they will fit in with the group.
This is consistent with findings from a number of projects and studies. It suggests that an important persuasive element is to incorporate social proof into broader energy efficiency outreach campaigns. Based on additional information, the benefits of social proof tend to wear out over time, so it is also important to include other persuasive elements as well. These might include revising existing rebate programs so they provide positive and time-relevant feedback loops, and rewards that are closely tied to monthly energy use.
With consideration of BJ Fogg's Motivation-Ability-Trigger model, I can see tons of opportunity for innovation in the energy efficiency space. I'd like to explore barriers and techniques to motivate change further in my Beat Blog.
The survey also found that lower income Americans would rather spend more on their energy bill than invest in energy efficiency. Why? For the most part, it is because they can't afford to invest. Oddly enough, wealthier Americans are more sensitive to increases in their energy bills than those with less money.
When asked how much how much their monthly bill would have to go up to push them spend more money on energy efficient home improvements, those making higher incomes ($100,000 or more) gave an average answer of $113, compared to $120 for those earning lower incomes (less than $25,000). Those with graduate degrees had an even lower threshold -- $98, compared to $122 for those with only a high school degree or less.Those are some pretty big increases. I live in an area where energy costs are low compared to other parts of the country. But using the figures above, the monthly cost for someone living in a home that performs comparably to my own would have to triple before financial motivation would kick in as a serious factor. This implies that the mechanisms that are currently in place to encourage energy efficiency, which largely consist of poorly advertised, fractured, and complex utility and tax rebate schemes along with an occasional bill insert-based outreach campaign, are poorly suited to create changes in behavior.
While money might be a key motivator, the study also looked at other forms of persuasion to learn more about which techniques are most effective. They found that social norming is a powerful tool to convince people to shift their energy consumption habits. In other words, energy use declines among those who are identified as using more energy than their neighbors, and messages that reinforce the idea that other people are saving energy encourage folks to do something so that they will fit in with the group.
This is consistent with findings from a number of projects and studies. It suggests that an important persuasive element is to incorporate social proof into broader energy efficiency outreach campaigns. Based on additional information, the benefits of social proof tend to wear out over time, so it is also important to include other persuasive elements as well. These might include revising existing rebate programs so they provide positive and time-relevant feedback loops, and rewards that are closely tied to monthly energy use.
With consideration of BJ Fogg's Motivation-Ability-Trigger model, I can see tons of opportunity for innovation in the energy efficiency space. I'd like to explore barriers and techniques to motivate change further in my Beat Blog.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
PreIntensive 2 Post: The Art of Persuasion
This week's readings/viewings were especially enjoyable. They focused on theories of persuasion, ethics, and behavior change. I can barely remember a time when I did not hope to change the world in some way that would make it happier, kinder, cleaner, etc., so these tools really resonate.
Thus far, I've mostly suffered through learning via my own personal process, i.e. the hard way. If I were to chart a path of my own process, it would contain peaks of various lengths of time spent on:
Over the past year, I've become fascinated with the use of emotionally-resonant stories as a more compelling tool to attract interest. As we know from the movies, stories about millions of people tortured and killed thru war, Nazis, Khmer Rouge, Rwanda, ad nauseum, are often told thru the eyes of one victim or a single outsider. The story of one horror affects us more powerfully than the story of hundreds of thousands. I've become interested in other storytelling techniques. What makes a story a story? What are the basic elements needed to capture our interest? How can I, someone whose natural creativity is still shy and undeveloped, learn enough about story to turn myself into a storyteller? How can stories help me become a more powerful change agent?
Here are some sites about storytelling as a persuasive art:
Story Revolution
Hanson Hosein re: Storyteller Uprising
My personal goal is to find ways to combine my newfound interest in the use of story with BJ Fogg's elegantly understandable construct about behavioral change - Motivation - Ability - Trigger. The Behavior Grid offers a useful to work with my teammates or my client to hone in on what we really want to accomplish and the best tools to use.
Thus far, I've mostly suffered through learning via my own personal process, i.e. the hard way. If I were to chart a path of my own process, it would contain peaks of various lengths of time spent on:
- Anger at the insanity of the way things seem,
- Becoming a scientist to generate good information that would spur the powers that be to do the right thing,
- Delving into technical details and mastering factual arguments so I could prove my case,
- Wasting time thinking about how to talk with the portion of the audience who is least likely to change
- Getting annoyed with and immune to the constant barrage of apocalyptic messages about wilderness, wildlife, oceans, energy, climate, diseases, children, America, other places, evil dictators, evil corporations, etc., etc.
Over the past year, I've become fascinated with the use of emotionally-resonant stories as a more compelling tool to attract interest. As we know from the movies, stories about millions of people tortured and killed thru war, Nazis, Khmer Rouge, Rwanda, ad nauseum, are often told thru the eyes of one victim or a single outsider. The story of one horror affects us more powerfully than the story of hundreds of thousands. I've become interested in other storytelling techniques. What makes a story a story? What are the basic elements needed to capture our interest? How can I, someone whose natural creativity is still shy and undeveloped, learn enough about story to turn myself into a storyteller? How can stories help me become a more powerful change agent?
Here are some sites about storytelling as a persuasive art:
Story Revolution
Hanson Hosein re: Storyteller Uprising
My personal goal is to find ways to combine my newfound interest in the use of story with BJ Fogg's elegantly understandable construct about behavioral change - Motivation - Ability - Trigger. The Behavior Grid offers a useful to work with my teammates or my client to hone in on what we really want to accomplish and the best tools to use.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Audience
This week we've been asked to learn more about the potential audience for our Beat Blog and about finding other blogs covering similar or related topics. There were a few steps to the exercise. I've scribbled a bit about what I found below.
I mostly confirmed something that I already suspected - Energy efficiency is not as sexy as renewable, alternative, or green energy and is not a hot topic. It is the cheapest and most sustainable form of energy around, but it is not where the big money or powerful people tend to play. It is mom and apple pie, but is considered less valuable or interesting than capital projects that involve large investments, fancy financing, design and construction jobs, and debate about cost/benefit.
I also discovered that static pages seem to be the communication method of choice for those who are interested in efficiency (i.e. Energy Star program, US Dept of Energy, utilities, ACEEE, etc.). For whatever reason, blogging about energy efficiency is not widespread.
My intial interpretation is that the field may be wide open for someone like me to develop, or that there is a true lack of interest, or that the way to develop an audience for efficiency is to embed it along with related topics like green building or corporate energy strategy. Given the absence of bloggers, it doesnt look like there are many to learn from or to develop relationship with.
If I were to take this topic to a larger scale or make it my "brand", it would be helpful to choose a focus (residential or commercial, efficiency or green energy in general, design and building, etc.). My ideal audience would flow from this key choice.
Some details:
1. Twitter search on blog keywords. I searched on energy, energy efficiency, and energy conservation. Search findings brought up the fact that several tweeters were covering the release of several big reports about energy efficiency and the economy. The reports are interesting and may form the basis of future blog posts and study. A quick summary is that market investment in cost-effective energy efficiency is nowhere near its potential, conservation is the cheapest source of energy and is readily available (around 8% of US energy use or 3 trillion kilowatts. One key impediment has to do with upfront financing. Various scalable finance models are evaluated.
2. Google search keywords to find related blogs. I found this exercise interesting. Searches on energy, energy efficiency, energy conservation, and a few others found many articles, but very few blogs. And the blogs that do focus on energy efficiency, seem to fall into a couple categories
I mostly confirmed something that I already suspected - Energy efficiency is not as sexy as renewable, alternative, or green energy and is not a hot topic. It is the cheapest and most sustainable form of energy around, but it is not where the big money or powerful people tend to play. It is mom and apple pie, but is considered less valuable or interesting than capital projects that involve large investments, fancy financing, design and construction jobs, and debate about cost/benefit.
I also discovered that static pages seem to be the communication method of choice for those who are interested in efficiency (i.e. Energy Star program, US Dept of Energy, utilities, ACEEE, etc.). For whatever reason, blogging about energy efficiency is not widespread.
My intial interpretation is that the field may be wide open for someone like me to develop, or that there is a true lack of interest, or that the way to develop an audience for efficiency is to embed it along with related topics like green building or corporate energy strategy. Given the absence of bloggers, it doesnt look like there are many to learn from or to develop relationship with.
If I were to take this topic to a larger scale or make it my "brand", it would be helpful to choose a focus (residential or commercial, efficiency or green energy in general, design and building, etc.). My ideal audience would flow from this key choice.
Some details:
1. Twitter search on blog keywords. I searched on energy, energy efficiency, and energy conservation. Search findings brought up the fact that several tweeters were covering the release of several big reports about energy efficiency and the economy. The reports are interesting and may form the basis of future blog posts and study. A quick summary is that market investment in cost-effective energy efficiency is nowhere near its potential, conservation is the cheapest source of energy and is readily available (around 8% of US energy use or 3 trillion kilowatts. One key impediment has to do with upfront financing. Various scalable finance models are evaluated.
2. Google search keywords to find related blogs. I found this exercise interesting. Searches on energy, energy efficiency, energy conservation, and a few others found many articles, but very few blogs. And the blogs that do focus on energy efficiency, seem to fall into a couple categories
- News about business ventures, funding, and big sales (i.e. " abc corporation plans to install xyz corporation's energy management software, anticipates millions in savings over the next 5 years").
- Blogs of interest to penny pinchers (i.e. "what is the cheapest laundry detergent" might lead to a discussion of how most of the cost of doing laundry comes from heating the water).
- A tiny number of blogs sponsored by utility energy conservation programs.
- A tiny number of blogs sponsored by companies selling weatherization and HVAC equipment.
- Blogs about something else, with a post or two that discuss energy efficiency.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Week 6 Learning Journal Post
Working on the video was a blast. To do it I had to get past some big challenges. Or at least challenges that felt big until they shrunk down to size.
First off, the technical side was intimidating as hell.
Thanks to some offhand comment Chris or Miriam or somebody made thru class, I discovered Movie Maker lurking in a hidden corner of Windows 7. I was able to get past the tech fear by digging in, plus I actually helped some fellow students learn how to use it after only a half day's worth of experience. The challenges that came up were in the realm of learning a new tool (which I dislike) and coming up with workarounds (which I love) for those (many) moments when vision exceeds skill.
The other major challenge was about content. I had no idea what to do or how to do it. The ticking clock was not helping. I invented and discarded several ideas. I prefer talking about stuff to talking about myself. The idea for Joule and Watt began as an idea about an electric cord, who would have energy adventures around the house. Cord turned into a light bulb because I couldn't figure out how to film him. There was a light bulb that just called out for a moustache to be drawn on it and lo, they were born.
After that, the problem was having too many stories, not too few. I see how an authors fall in love with their characters and want to give them tons of adventures. The editor in me knew enough to keep the story simple. The creator kept adding things. The amount of time it takes to make slides in Powerpoint, get them "right," get them into Movie Maker, then have to do it all over again in order to edit a slide, forced me to settle down and focus. Surely there is a better technique out there. I also chose something that required 2 people to film.
This coming week we will be talking about audience. Thus far, my experience is that getting visitors is kind of amazing and getting comments is like getting little birthday presents. 376 page views as of 10/23,. Mostly via Facebook and Life With Alacrity. 20 each from Rwanda and the Phillipines!! Is that even real? Who are these people? Are they even people??.
Oddly, for someone as shy as I am, the idea that I can actually make more audience happen is very motivational. It is nice to practice here until the time that my "brand" is ready for prime time and my writing is stronger.
First off, the technical side was intimidating as hell.
Thanks to some offhand comment Chris or Miriam or somebody made thru class, I discovered Movie Maker lurking in a hidden corner of Windows 7. I was able to get past the tech fear by digging in, plus I actually helped some fellow students learn how to use it after only a half day's worth of experience. The challenges that came up were in the realm of learning a new tool (which I dislike) and coming up with workarounds (which I love) for those (many) moments when vision exceeds skill.
The other major challenge was about content. I had no idea what to do or how to do it. The ticking clock was not helping. I invented and discarded several ideas. I prefer talking about stuff to talking about myself. The idea for Joule and Watt began as an idea about an electric cord, who would have energy adventures around the house. Cord turned into a light bulb because I couldn't figure out how to film him. There was a light bulb that just called out for a moustache to be drawn on it and lo, they were born.
After that, the problem was having too many stories, not too few. I see how an authors fall in love with their characters and want to give them tons of adventures. The editor in me knew enough to keep the story simple. The creator kept adding things. The amount of time it takes to make slides in Powerpoint, get them "right," get them into Movie Maker, then have to do it all over again in order to edit a slide, forced me to settle down and focus. Surely there is a better technique out there. I also chose something that required 2 people to film.
This coming week we will be talking about audience. Thus far, my experience is that getting visitors is kind of amazing and getting comments is like getting little birthday presents. 376 page views as of 10/23,. Mostly via Facebook and Life With Alacrity. 20 each from Rwanda and the Phillipines!! Is that even real? Who are these people? Are they even people??.
Oddly, for someone as shy as I am, the idea that I can actually make more audience happen is very motivational. It is nice to practice here until the time that my "brand" is ready for prime time and my writing is stronger.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Week 5 Learning Journal - Copyrights and licenses
I spent several years on the Board of a small farmers market. We were really into developing the market into a community gathering spot - more than just a place to shop. We welcomed local bands and music education programs as a way to help them, help the market, and help the overall community.
Bands loved playing for us, and we loved having them. They would skip bigger markets, larger audiences, and gigs that did more than pay gas money just to join us. After a short time, we had more bands vying for spots than market days. The variety, especially for a smaller community, was pretty cool. It included variations on jazz, swing, rock, blues, string quartet, opera, country, fiddle, ska, and more. We even hosted music school recitals and tryouts.
Then came the letter.
Sony/BMG demanded that the market purchase a venue license or face threat of lawsuit. Long story short, if a piece of music is subject to copyright, users must pay a royalty. Since Sony/BMG owns most of the copyrights, the argument was that if a band played a cover song or even if they played an original song that is owned by Sony/BMG, then the market owed them money. It sounded too ridiculous to be true, but we did the research, and sure enough, the wording of the law supports them 100%. They offer a tiered system of licenses ranging from concert hall to nightclub to one-time concert - nothing geared to a non-paying audience that meets outside on a Saturday morning while they are shopping for groceries at a nonprofit venue.
The two 45-minute sets that took place each Saturday from April to October were considered to be 28 individual concerts. The cost would wipe us out. Plus it would only include Sony/ BMG music. Technically we would need separate agreement with all the other owners.
It turns out that markets across the country were being threatened. Noone could figure out a rhyme or reason as to why one market got a letter, but another nearby, did not. Many markets banned all music as a result.
At mine, we figured out that pre-1922 music was not subject to copyright. Most of our bands were regulars, and we worked with them so that they agreed to play only old-time, pre-1922 music, or original compositions not subject to licensing fees. Some bands, especially the ones who did rock, blues, and country covers, dropped out. Others took up the challenge to bring original, local and old-time music that was a good match for our farmers market, which is a very small town, locally-focused kind of place. We came up with an answer that worked. It means that audiences miss out on tons of favorite music. But we did get to keep our music program alive, and we get to encourage and build audience for the old Americana in American.
I hoped to learn enough about this in my Social Media class to confidently post and share content on the web without fear of a Sony/BMG moment. And - to be fair, also to make sure that artists and creators are fairly attributed and compensated for their work, as I know that our enahnced ability to copy and share makes that a big issue.
I did learn more than I started with. But, unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately), allowable uses are vague enough to seem like "eye of the beholder" kind of standards. For instance - I can comment on a creation and quote it in part. I can use a part of a song, but not to create a mood. I can capture copyright material incidentally as long as it is not a primary focus, but I can use it to launch a discussion or to recombine it.
Confusing. It is easy to see how disputes happen.
Bands loved playing for us, and we loved having them. They would skip bigger markets, larger audiences, and gigs that did more than pay gas money just to join us. After a short time, we had more bands vying for spots than market days. The variety, especially for a smaller community, was pretty cool. It included variations on jazz, swing, rock, blues, string quartet, opera, country, fiddle, ska, and more. We even hosted music school recitals and tryouts.
Then came the letter.
Sony/BMG demanded that the market purchase a venue license or face threat of lawsuit. Long story short, if a piece of music is subject to copyright, users must pay a royalty. Since Sony/BMG owns most of the copyrights, the argument was that if a band played a cover song or even if they played an original song that is owned by Sony/BMG, then the market owed them money. It sounded too ridiculous to be true, but we did the research, and sure enough, the wording of the law supports them 100%. They offer a tiered system of licenses ranging from concert hall to nightclub to one-time concert - nothing geared to a non-paying audience that meets outside on a Saturday morning while they are shopping for groceries at a nonprofit venue.
The two 45-minute sets that took place each Saturday from April to October were considered to be 28 individual concerts. The cost would wipe us out. Plus it would only include Sony/ BMG music. Technically we would need separate agreement with all the other owners.
It turns out that markets across the country were being threatened. Noone could figure out a rhyme or reason as to why one market got a letter, but another nearby, did not. Many markets banned all music as a result.
At mine, we figured out that pre-1922 music was not subject to copyright. Most of our bands were regulars, and we worked with them so that they agreed to play only old-time, pre-1922 music, or original compositions not subject to licensing fees. Some bands, especially the ones who did rock, blues, and country covers, dropped out. Others took up the challenge to bring original, local and old-time music that was a good match for our farmers market, which is a very small town, locally-focused kind of place. We came up with an answer that worked. It means that audiences miss out on tons of favorite music. But we did get to keep our music program alive, and we get to encourage and build audience for the old Americana in American.
I hoped to learn enough about this in my Social Media class to confidently post and share content on the web without fear of a Sony/BMG moment. And - to be fair, also to make sure that artists and creators are fairly attributed and compensated for their work, as I know that our enahnced ability to copy and share makes that a big issue.
I did learn more than I started with. But, unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately), allowable uses are vague enough to seem like "eye of the beholder" kind of standards. For instance - I can comment on a creation and quote it in part. I can use a part of a song, but not to create a mood. I can capture copyright material incidentally as long as it is not a primary focus, but I can use it to launch a discussion or to recombine it.
Confusing. It is easy to see how disputes happen.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Social Change Videos
We've been asked to find some good examples of social change videos and share them here. There are tons of great videos out there on all sorts of topics. I chose to focus on environmentally themed videos with a sense of humor. Yes, they really do exist.
Enjoy.
My all-time favorite...Polluter Harmony (3:06)
Canvas Bags by Tim Minchin, (3:14)
Store Wars (this one runs a little over-long, IMHO, but it is adorable)
http://www.green.tv/store_wars?set_location=en
I also found a couple nice bits about energy efficiency. I will post them on my Beat Blog.
Enjoy.
My all-time favorite...Polluter Harmony (3:06)
Canvas Bags by Tim Minchin, (3:14)
Store Wars (this one runs a little over-long, IMHO, but it is adorable)
http://www.green.tv/store_wars?set_location=en
I also found a couple nice bits about energy efficiency. I will post them on my Beat Blog.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Week 4 Learning Journal
The readings about strong and weak links caught my attention. The strong links in my world are easy to understand and value. Where the readings made a difference for me was in shifting my understanding of weak links. In some ways I have been turned off by the idea of assigning the term "friends" to people I barely know, or who are only connected because we know someone in common. It feels phony and dis-connected from reality.
The readings helped me to shift my focus away from the odd choice of words to a more powerful concept that describes varying levels of interconnection, how group size impacts trust and leadership, and the actual power of weak links. I don't have the answers, but it could be interesting to lead a discussion about intentionally cultivating weak links to enhance social change or personal goals. Is all the fuss about LinkedIn really worth paying attention to?
Here is a Wikipedia overview of interpersonal ties, including mention of Granovetter's finding that most job referrals come thru acquaintances rather than strong links. The link is tagged BGIMGT566sx on my Delicious page as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpersonal_ties
The readings helped me to shift my focus away from the odd choice of words to a more powerful concept that describes varying levels of interconnection, how group size impacts trust and leadership, and the actual power of weak links. I don't have the answers, but it could be interesting to lead a discussion about intentionally cultivating weak links to enhance social change or personal goals. Is all the fuss about LinkedIn really worth paying attention to?
Here is a Wikipedia overview of interpersonal ties, including mention of Granovetter's finding that most job referrals come thru acquaintances rather than strong links. The link is tagged BGIMGT566sx on my Delicious page as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpersonal_ties
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Beating the Beat: Title & Keywords Post
I am late coming up with a Title and Keywords for my BGI Beat Blog and my personal brand. Instead of leaning into Fail Forward Fast, I find myself zipping around the hamster wheel. As in doing a lot of work, without moving forward.
My big tent topic is about energy efficiency. It allows room for the rest to develop. I am mentally building posts about my personal efforts to create a lighter footprint. At the same time I'm getting closer to a related goal of promoting and better understanding businesses and people that bring together all the good things about food and community and good energy. Writing is a great tool to help me gather my, as yet, scattered kernel of an idea together.
I admit that the title piece has me stuck (At least until I'm not). I have lists of personal attributes, plus related words and phrases. Or is it words and phrases with related attributes? Aack! Conscious. Evolving. Elegant. Resilient. Imagine. Next. Integrity. Compassion. Natural. Deep. Strategic. Passionate. Real. Vision. Meaningful.
(edited to add: "Here's Tamara. Now with new and improved Authenticity features. Get yours today"
Am I mixing up Brand and Beat? In any case, the Title has me stumped for the moment. I hereby set it aside for a bit so the rest can continue unfolding. And I welcome you, readers and fellow students, to share ideas. I'd love to capture something about the beauty and elegance of living consciously and in sync. Points for catchy and funny too.
On the bright side, the Branding assignment, while still at the baby steps stage, already inspired me on the journey toward right livelihood. Spent the morning revising the intro to my resume and it is already reading so much better.
Proposed Beat Blog Keywords: BGI566sx, BGI, energy, efficiency, home, sustainable, business, green, alternative, resilience, lighting, retrofit
My big tent topic is about energy efficiency. It allows room for the rest to develop. I am mentally building posts about my personal efforts to create a lighter footprint. At the same time I'm getting closer to a related goal of promoting and better understanding businesses and people that bring together all the good things about food and community and good energy. Writing is a great tool to help me gather my, as yet, scattered kernel of an idea together.
I admit that the title piece has me stuck (At least until I'm not). I have lists of personal attributes, plus related words and phrases. Or is it words and phrases with related attributes? Aack! Conscious. Evolving. Elegant. Resilient. Imagine. Next. Integrity. Compassion. Natural. Deep. Strategic. Passionate. Real. Vision. Meaningful.
(edited to add: "Here's Tamara. Now with new and improved Authenticity features. Get yours today"
Am I mixing up Brand and Beat? In any case, the Title has me stumped for the moment. I hereby set it aside for a bit so the rest can continue unfolding. And I welcome you, readers and fellow students, to share ideas. I'd love to capture something about the beauty and elegance of living consciously and in sync. Points for catchy and funny too.
On the bright side, the Branding assignment, while still at the baby steps stage, already inspired me on the journey toward right livelihood. Spent the morning revising the intro to my resume and it is already reading so much better.
Proposed Beat Blog Keywords: BGI566sx, BGI, energy, efficiency, home, sustainable, business, green, alternative, resilience, lighting, retrofit
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Week 3 Branding
Phew. From where I am to where we are headed with branding feels like a long ways to go. Am a little overwhelmed.
Week 3 Learning Journal Post
Credit to Chris Allen for finding this awesome image. Leave the computer and come back a day or two later, only to find 500+ RSS feeds, not to mention whatever else is piling up. Even without a pressing reason to read them over, my desire to stay up to date, along with the stress that I might be falling behind, gives my a heart flutter. And not that good flutter we all know and love either.
My new practice. Scan - Focus - Act
First. Take a deep breath. I don't have to choose between reading everything and deleting everything. Just scan the list and star the ones that seem to be worth a second look.
Second. Take another run thru and read the ones that look interesting. Decide whether to bookmark them to Delicious, share with a friend, or share them using Google Reader's star, like and share features. Spend time on what is of value to me right now, in this moment. Save or ditch the rest.
Third. Delete the rest, and have a fabulous day.
Hmmm. This scan approach really puts a lot of focus on enticing headlines, titles, and lead sentences.
To follow up on a couple of suggested topics for this post...
1. Questions, Ideas??? Sometimes we get an instruction like "invite people to your blog" or "share and comment on other student's Delicious links". It would sure help if tasks came with instructions (especially given how many assignments we must complete in so few days). I imagine each of us is struggling with, and discovering tricks and tips about the services on our own, some more successfully than others. What could we create that would be an effective, inviting, and short way to help each other out? Or, maybe better, can we find and share existing resources that do a great job?
2. Quotes from readings or the wll eereb..I'd be happy to lead a discussion about our own feelings and experiences of what is too much tech, or inappropriate tech. A few example quotes on the topic of tech addiction...
* If you find yourself paying more attention to your Blackberry than your dinner companion, you may have a problem. New research suggests that as technology addiction takes hold, our ability to empathise diminishes.
* A genuine feeling of panic when your phone loses its signal or runs out of battery may indicate the beginnings of a dependency, psychologists say.
Retrieved from: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/tech-addict-when-you-just-cant-switch-off-2006769.html
Here is a quote backed by scientists, though science doesn't add anything new in this case. This describes my experience to a T. I am aware that it is a bit of a problem. Is that so bad?
According to New York Times article, Scientists say "our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information. These play to a primitive impulse to respond to immediate opportunities and threats. The stimulation provokes excitement — a dopamine squirt — that researchers say can be addictive. In its absence, people feel bored." Richtel, M (2010, June 6 Web 2.0 Expo, New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html
(edited a bit)
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