Social Media vs. Social Technology

Does it matter what we call it?

Earlier this week I sat on a panel at a Utah AMA event.  One of the questions we fielded was: What's the next big thing in 'social media'?   Now, if any of us on the panel knew the answer, we probably wouldn't have been on the panel - we'd be busy launching it.

The point I made was to first throw out the word 'media' and replace it with 'technology'.   The reason was that media is often associated with business, marketing and advertising and that clouds our thinking about the art of the possible.   Two of the biggest platforms - Facebook and YouTube - started as technical solutions to the real and personal problems of the founders, not as business tools for delivering messages.  Based on the feedback, this line of thinking resonated well with the audience.

So, if there is something that frustrates you and your insights allow you to imagine a solution that leverages or facilitates human interaction then it might be the next big thing in social technology.   Whether it is media, is a chapter to be written later.

The Problem of Choice

When does having choices make it difficult to choose?

I've been straddling the Mac vs. Windows fence ever since we got a G5 at home. At first, frustration -- it didn't work like a PC. We can argue the merits of that statement but 20+ years in Windows some things are ingrained. So I wait.......

But now that Vista is out I'm thinking about my choices. This is where stagnation comes in. There are, count them, six (6) editions.

1. Windows Vista Home Basic
2. Windows Vista Starter
3. Windows Vista Home Premium
4. Windows Vista Ultimate
5. Windows Vista Business
6. Windows Vista Enterprise

I simply don't want that decision forced upon me, I've got enough other things to think about.

Applying Technology in Retail

What's Microsoft telling retailers?

While most of the press activity is around Vista and Office, Steve Ballmer recently spoke at the National Retail Federation's "Big Show."

His themes in a session called "Retail Innovation Outlook" covered four points:
1. The consumer is the center of the universe -- get used to it.
2. The competition gets it (or at least enough of them do) to make point #1 the truth.
3. Those that interact with customers should be empowered to say both 'yes' and 'no.' This means they need information and direction plus the authority to execute.
4. Technology should be implemented in a way that improves customer interactions; not existing business processes.

This make take a while.