Don't say that!

I recently turned 33 - making me the same age as Jesus, but that's not my point! A friend caught me repeated citing my age as an excuse for things.

'I'm too old to...'

'Don't say that, you sound like you're having an early mid-life crisis!'

I'm not...but I have started to watch my language. Old age is about feeling old and if it's true we're as old as we feel let's not feel it too much!

'I'm too old for this technology stuff' is - respectfully - an excuse. Consider Peter, aka Geriatric1927, who at 80 has become the internet grandad. One year on YouTube has openned a role as an age awareness ambassador, including an invite to the World Economic Forum at Davos. And let's not overlook his becoming a pop recording artist with The Zimmers.

He's not too old. You might be too disinterested, apathetic or unbelieving but you are not too old. Having removed those excuses, what's stopping you from embracing new technology?

Content ot Context?

I heard someone say - and I wish I could remember who - 'context is king' in our age of digital distribution. Perhaps. But 'content' hasn't given up its crown completely. New media provide a vehicle and a place to say something but you still need something to say.

'Embracing the new world of new media' is my tag on this blog. This new world only exists because there are 'real world' thoughts and ideas to be communicated. New Media advances are not an end in themself - not in my book anyway. They may give you a 'context' to talk in but if you have nothing to say you'll quickly find youself out of context.

So do something. This is your content. And then you just might find people listening.

We Deliver!

"As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few. Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool."
Ecclesiastes 5:1-3

Promises are dangerous things. I love this advice against rash commitments we cannot deliver on. But we do need to make promises and we do need to deliver. This applies as much to people supplying technology as to those of us who use technology to engage with our audience. So while all the content of this clip may not apply to you, listen to what futurist Patrick Dixon has to say about fulfulling promises.

Things you can't do by email...

Doubtless this could be a big post but, fear not, I'm going to present you with an inexhaustive list of one! Why? Becuase this morning I returned from ordering the new Mini Cooper Clubman to discover this on my doormat...



I've been a new Mini owner for six years - a relationship that I can trace back to a pop-up add on the SkyNews site. From the beginning Mini's advertising design and ingenuity has been a major attraction. Funny then, that having just decided to buy back into the brand I should receive the most unique piece of direct mail ever.

Email can do many things, but it can't send you an unfortgettable ping-pong paddle!

My Magic Phone

The Apple iPhone launched in the UK last night. My wife went down to the local O2 store at 6.02 hoping to collect some promised freebies. They hadn't arrived. Yes they had the iPhone but even the enthusiastic sales assistant couldn't convince her to be excited about it. Her impression was it is big (not in a good way) - and there were no freebies!

Which brings me to my point. Earlier this week I watched some videos from Google. One asked a bunch of young school children what their 'magic phone' would do. There answers were interesting but very different to mine. My 'magic phone' would make and receive calls, surf the internet and show video. Nothing different there. But here's the difference: it would have no usage limits and the phone would cost me nothing. No buying an expensive handset and no monthly payments.

How do you monetise a service like that? I have few ideas but let's not let reality get in the way of a good idea. Just think about how popular it could be!

How YouTube works - drama edition

This is a 'day in the life' collection of videos that shows the community aspect of YouTube...

Act 1: Enter Oprah, carelessly

[embedding disabled by request] so you'll have to go find it!

Act 2: Renetto responds, passionately



Act 3: Talk talks, cheekily



Act 4: Community collaborates, educationally

Technological pragmatism...we can but should we?

I picked up a book called Five Big Ideas by Mal Fletcher. I've not finished it so don't read this as a review - or an endorsement! - but the first ideas he addresses is Technological Pragmatism. He questions the common premise that because we can do something we should do it. It's right to question.

Sometimes it's also right to do the things we can do because we can do them. Today I was at a conference that was supposed to be webstreaming to a select group of satellite centres. At least one hadn't realised this service was availble to them. Why? Because although conference streaming is easily done it sometimes isn't for a confused assortment of reasons. If it was simply the case that every conference was streamed people would anticipate the service. When it's here and there, open assess and then secret access users get lost or left behide, so everybody loses out.

We can but should we? Let's answer the question and then be clear and consistent.