My Name is Kate

Like Poetry Recitations? Have You Checked YouTube?

Normally, I think of YouTube as a delightfully weird home for bad dance videos, bootleg partial episodes of TV Shows, cute cat videos, weird marketing shills, hilarious PhotoShop tutorials and lesbian web series.

I discovered today that it is also a gold mine of poetry readings.  Often set to music.

Earlier this morning I was reminded of a favourite poem of mine, Ithaca from C.P. Cavafy, by by Gretchen Rubin of the Happiness Project (one of my fav books I read this year - if you haven't read it, definitely check it out). Gretchen quoted a stanza from it which made me want to read the whole poem.  In doing a search, I discovered a cornucopia of readings of it on YouTube:

• A reading from this fellow who is doing readings of all of Cavafy's poems that he has translated from the original greek. 
• Sean Connery (SEAN CONNERY!!) giving a somewhat ponderous reading set to the music of Vangellis
• This charming version from PoeticTouch.com read by Lilly Hertz-Maahs

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised when this three-year old's poetry recitation is the latest video hit (the YouTube link doesn't allow embedding so I'm using the Yahoo version where he has received over 2 million views).  John Lundberg has a nice little piece on this reciting phenom over at Huff Post.

3-year-old recites poem, "Litany" by Billy Collins @ Yahoo! Video

Grammar Bugaboo - Insure vs Ensure

I was editing some copy this morning from a US client and the word "insure" was used in the context of "guarantee" - as in "we want to insure that our customers love our products".  My instinct was to replace this with "ensure", but then I wondered "hmm .. is this an American/Canadian thing.  Do I think the 'e' is fancier so I'd rather use it?  What is correct?"

Sadly, my regular grammar go-to is on holiday, so I asked the internets. And who has the best answer? Grammar Girl, of course!  She says (via guest post from Charles Carson) ...

The verbs assure, ensure, and insure all have the general meaning "to make sure," and even though some argue that they are interchangeable (1,2), many maintain that their usage is dependent on context (3,4,5,6):

Assure is something you do to a person, a group of people, or an animal to remove doubt or anxiety, as in Squiggly assured Aardvark that he'd come to the party early. You can remember that assure can only be used with things that are alive (and both assure and alive start with a). Only things that are alive can feel doubt or anxiety, so only they can be assured.

Ensure is something you do to guarantee an event or condition, as in To ensure there'd be enough food, Aardvark ordered twice as much food as last year. You can remember that guarantee has those two e's on the end to help you remember that to ensure (with an e) is to guarantee something.

Insure can be done to a person, place, or thing, but it's reserved for limiting financial liability, most commonly by obtaining an insurance policy, as in Aardvark wondered if the caterers were insured against loss. You can remember that we take out insurance to protect our income if we become unemployed, disabled, or injured in an accident. Both insure and income begin with -in.

There is more info over at the article, including rifs on "secure" and "reassure". Interesting stuff.

Photo Credit: 1f2frfbf on Flickr

Speaking the true FAQs through social media (Thesis #65)

Social media is, as you would expect by its moniker, the media of the people.  To appropriate an Americanism - it is media of, by and for the people.

It is your media. 

It is my media. 

And that simple fact doesn't change whether you are a kid waving a golf club and pretending to save the rebel alliance or a mom who writes about the challenges and rewards of raising twins or an employee who blogs about a company's impactful charitable programs.

Individuals create this media in the hopes of sparking a response, of generating a conversation around their point of view.  And the conversation can take many forms: comments on the media itself, a video in response, or a Twitterstorm.  Regardless of the specific form of the media, it is still a conversation.  You and I. We and me. Us and them. Dialoging. Conversing. Trusting. Respecting. Being human.

My primary interest in (or at least my vocational interest) in social media and the ensuing conversations is those conversations that happen on behalf of the corporation.  Let's be clear - a press release is not a conversation.  Yet most companies continue to issue them and believe that is sufficient for conversation.  And one or two spokespeople get approved and they talk to broadcast media who filter their words and sentiments into the zeitgeist. 

This is not a conversation.

And it is not doing your company any favours - either through the form of your media or its representatives.  The reality is that there are often far more engaging, informed and sociable employees in your fold to start and participate in the conversations that ARE happening around your products/behaviours/politics.  But for varying reasons you don't trust them to engage.  You don't trust them to create media that sparks a conversation.

Because the spark may burst into flame and then what do you do? you say.

I know, I know - I am not so naive as to not understand the myriad of fears and excuses and rationalizations that come to the fore when people like me say "Just empower your employees to talk to your customers".

So let's work through this fear together.

Because frankly, your best shot at engagement and at winning/keeping your customers is by encouraging your employees to speak their minds.  Yes, they see your dirty laundry every day, know your secrets.  But they also know your quiet, small daily triumphs.  And, more importantly, they know the frustrations of a customer; they remember what it is like to be foiled by a corporate voicemail system.  Or to be confronted by a misprinted manual.  Or to read a seemingly counter-intuitive policy and wonder WHY?.

Most importantly, they know that the FAQs that you answer on your website aren't REALLY the FAQs.  They are pretty words that sound soothing to lawyers and executives but in reality enrage any customer who reads them.

Employees need to speak the true FAQs.  They need to socialize the true FAQs.  They need to engage in conversations and give your customers the true FAQs.  And they need to hear and integrate and respond when your customers give them the true FAQs.

Give your employees their voices.  Let them use their media, the people's media, to connect with your customers.  Imagine if every employee were on the customer service team.  What happy (and profitable) customers you would have. 

Go on.  Trust them.  They are your best hope.

NB: this post was written on the 10th anniversary of the Cluetrain Manifesto as part of the Cluetrain Plus 10 initiative.   My thesis is #65. We're also the workers who make your companies go. We want to talk to customers directly in our own voices, not in platitudes written into a script.  Many thanks to Keith McArthur for pulling together this initiative. 

Photo Credit: a_nep

Thinking about the economy, black swans and becoming a belletrist

One of my must-read blogs these days is Boing Boing.  It's this perfect mix of quirk, geek and thought-provocation.  A recent post about an interview with Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan, is a case in point.  Cory Doctorow points us to an interview between Taleb and Bryan Appleyard that appeared in June 2008 in the Times Online.

Taleb is nothing if not provocative.  I saw him at TED last year.  His talk wasn't one of my favourite because I felt he didn't quite focus what he was trying to say.  He's definitely gotten better at making his point, especially for a lay audience (or maybe I've just gotten to a point where I can hear what he is trying to say).

TED hasn't posted his talk yet, but there is a great video of him on FORA.tv - giving an overview, at the Long Now Foundation, of the concept of the black swan and then being interviewed by Stewart Brand.  It's comprehensive and understandable and informative.  And now, almost a year later, provides an interesting lens onto our current economic climate. (Side note - that FORA.tv has it going on.  They provide a transcript that runs alongside the video - plus you can download it on its own.  And lots of great socializing tools.  Well done, FORA!)

Taleb's talk on FORA.tv is 90 minutes, so here is a 4 minute snippet which includes the definition of a black swan.

In the interview with Appleyard, Taleb gives his top 10 tips for living a life of dignity. As most good "top 10 lists" are, Taleb's is controversial - the comments are BoingBoing are definitely worth a scan.

The Truth and Lies about Why We Buy - Martin Lindstrom's Buyology

I was sent a review copy of Martin Lindstrom's new book Buyology a month or so ago.

I haven't had a chance to read it yet - it's in my holiday reading stack -  but their press agent just sent me a link to their book trailer which is so awesomely tense, creepy and compelling that I moved the book to the top of my stack.  Check it out below :)

The music is also the background music on Martin's site. You might want to take a valium before you visit! 

Oh, Carmen got a copy of it via Mini Book Expo: Business Edition - her review is posted over on One Degree.

I'm really in love with Wordle

I first saw Wordle in action over on Leigh's blog.  And I just love it.  I don't know if there is any practical use for it.  Well, is there any practical use for tag or word clouds?  I think so ... it gives you a view into your patterns.  And that's helpful.  Though perhaps just **personally** helpful, not so much for your community.

In any case, at the very least, the images the Wordle creates are pretty.  So go make yourself some word art.  The one below is of my delicious tags.  Oh, and consider sending a few bucks to Jonathan - it's important to support developers like him!

Update: I just finished reading the rest of the Wordle site.  I just want to say how impressed I am with Jonathan.  He's an IBM'er and created this code on company time which IBM has subsequently given their permission for him to use in this project.  Very cool.  Plus, Jonathan has created an amazing credits page, FAQ and blog.  So many people take acknowledgement and sharing credit for granted and simply don't do it at all.  I'm really impressed by not only Wordle but by the ethics of its creator (also, he's apparently played drums for They Might Be Giants - how cool is that!?!).  Great job, Jonathan!

Truth and Invention ... fourth session at TED

"Just by saying double-dactylical I've sent the geek meter all the way to the red."  For me, Erin McKean, has been the most charming presentation at TED this year (it's mid-day three and I'm confident this will hold true).  As editor in chief of US Dictionaries for Oxford University Press, editor of Verbatium and blogger at Dress a Day, Erin is on a mission to change our concept of the dictionary.  Highlights:

• Imposed searchability takes away serendipity.
• The current form factor of the dictionary is a Victorian design with good propulsion.  Essentially, it's steam punk.
• Lexicography is a material science ... words are the building blocks of our creative expression.
• The internet = words + enthusiasm

Erin's charm and brilliance is in her embracement (is that a word?) of the evolution of language -  not just the dominant strains, but all of them.  She views her job as a lexicographer to simply capture all the instances of words.  Usage and love will be what determines which ones stick around.

~ * ~

"If we could make new constellations (ones not based on greek myths) what would they be?"  Jonathan Harris, creator of We Feel Fine, showed off both it as well as his new project, Universe.  We Feel Fine captures emotions expressed via the phrase "I feel ... " on blogs around the world.  His visualization techniques as well as the profound intimacy felt after spending time on the site work to close the gaps that isolated human beings feel.  We *all* experience the same core set of emotions; we are more alike than different.  Universe, an enhancement of Daylife, will offer a "universal" view of someone or something in the news.  You'll be able to see the stars, stories, ideas and issues that form constellations around a person or a topic.  It's an incredible interface to a massive infospace.  It hopefully launches next week.

~ * ~

Ted Sargent (Canadian!!) is attempting to choreograph the dance of the molecule .. he's coating surfaces with quantum dots that are not perfect, but perfect enough to take advantage of energy from the sun.  Its not quite a liquid solar panel .. but one day, it could be.  :-)  This was a sciency talk .. Ethan Zuckerman explains it much better.

~ * ~

 "I have this picture up on my computer screen, and a woman comes up and asks whether that's a Jackson Pollock painting, but no, it's a picture of penguin shit on rocks." Former Microsoft CTO, Nathan Myhrvold.  That's kinda how Myhrvold's whole talk was.

~ * ~

Oh, this is totally out of order .. but another of the great talks of Thursday was Ngozi Okonju-Iweala.  She is the former finance minister of Nigeria and gave an inspiring talk on "the Africa of Opportunity":

• There is a will in Africa to take charge of its reserves.  The battle is ongoing and being won.
• Corruption is a two-way street.  When money leaves Africa and goes to a developed country .. who is allowing that to happen!?!
• There is a will to reform; Africa is tired of being the object of everyone's charity.
• The best way to help Africa is to create jobs!
• Women and their entrepreneurial efforts are rocking the African continent.  These stories are chronicled in Africa: Open for Business

Tags: TED2007, TED 2007, erin McKean, lexicography, Ngozi Okunju-Iweala

Wikilobbying ... Stephen Colbert's ongoing love affair with Wikipedia

In an excerpt on Monday night's show discussing Microsoft paying someone to edit its entries on Wikipedia, he coined a new term: Wikilobbying.

Wikilobbying: When money determines wikipedia entries and reality has become a commodity.

Hilarious.

Harbinger. 

Is this what we can look forward to for the US election?  This is a very serious issue and one that election candidates must be ready for.

Is this the future of marketing?

It's the very antithesis of the authenticity and transparency that social media advocates like myself call for each day.

Watch Colbert's video. (I tried to embed it from Comedy Central but it never loaded, and it doesn't seem to be up on YouTube yet).

What does it mean when reality becomes a commodity?  We're already seeing this to some degree through the general erosion of trust of institutions.  How much more trust can we afford to have eroded?  If we can't trust each other, who do we trust?  And how do we verify identity.

These will be the issues of Web 3.0 and beyond.

Wielding a craphammer .. my response to the thin-slicing meme.

My good friend Sean (of Craphammer fame ... seriously, best blog title ever.  Who doesn't like saying "Craphammer"?) wrote a post that included a bit on "thin-slicing" and tagged me.  He picked it up from Mike over at Own Your Brand. What is "thin-slicing", you ask?

“Thin-slicing” refers to the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behavior based on very narrow slices of experience. The goal of this meme is to get all of us to slow down this process to actually see some of the patterns we recognize long before we consciously know we see them. Caution: Remember the Warren Harding Error – some of what we think we see isn’t really there!

Sean wrote about thin-slicing his experience when he meets someone new.  What do I thin-slice?  I thin-slice documentation.

Why documentation?  Because the written and presented word gives insight into someone's thought process.  Yes, I know that some people are better speakers than writers, but that doesn't exclude them from needing to communicate effectively by writing stuff down.  Here's what flashes for me when I see someone's documentation .. whether a software manual, a report or a proposal:

• Is it structured?  Can I scan the document and get, at a glance, what it's about and who it's for?  Is there a table of contents, or section titles?  And are these well-chosen titles, communicating the central idea of the content?
• Is it usable?  Documentation is a tool.  It needs to be able to be used.
• Is it created for the reader rather than the author? Sometimes we write for ourselves.  Documentation should be written for others. To address their situation and their needs.
• Is it enhanced with appropriate and relevant illustrations?  Not all of us can create original illustrations.  And that's OK.  But sometimes the simple illustration of a point will help communicate a crucial idea.  There are so many easy to use drawing tools as well as free or low-cost image resources.  Exceptional documentation is illustrated.
• Is it a delight to use? Trying to find an answer in a moment of frustration is made easier if the experience is delightful. The delight can come from the tone of the writing, the character of the illustrations, or the clarity of the organization.  Has the author taken the time to discover what delights her audience and incorporated that into the documentation?

 

Photo Credit: derived from Fusion Powered Lime by The Rocketeer

Technorati tags: thin-slicing meme, craphammer

Liberal Party design traps Canadian women in the 1950's

The Pink Book?

The PINK Book?

Yeah, yeah .. I know .. it's a play on the Liberal's "Red Book".

That doesn't mean it doesn't suck.

And where did they get the designer for the cover?

Oh, that's right.

Kotex ads from the 1950's.

 

And this is why design and language matter.

I possibly could have lived with "The Pink Book" title if it were an updated, modern take on the power of pink.

I have not read the Pink Book.  And I likely won't.  Because it is telling me, through its flat, saccharine, stereotypical design, that there are no new ideas here.  Nothing that we haven't heard since the 1950's ... telling me to stay home, take care of the kids, cook my husband dinner and wash away all his insecurities.

That isn't my vision of a strong Canadian woman.  If it's going to be pink - I want it PINK and powerful!  Like Pink Ranger.  Now, that's a vision I can support!

Update: Based on Darren's comment below, I updated the title to clarify that my issue with with design and not policy.