Clay Shirky Here Comes Everybody

I haven't had a chance to read this book yet. I'm so behind. However, I'm showing this video to my class.

Tim Berners-Lee on the Future of the Web

I'm watching this video by the father of the web. Like most innovators, Lee's boss initially ignored him when he created the World Wide Web. Lee isn't the best speaker but he's a heck of a thinker. The video is from TED.

Entrepreneurs Unite!

I just scanned this article on CNN.com. If you can't work for someone else, work for yourself. I know starting a business isn't for everyone. I'm talking to the people and you know who you are, who just need some encouragement. Go for it!! You really have nothing to lose. Keep your day job if you can. Keep your side hustles and hustle a little more for a little while and see what happens.

Text vs. TXT

The real question is do you care about the fate of newspapers? This is more a testament to the value of text versus txt. As the younger generation seemingly moves away from the written word whether in a book or in a newspaper, what are the implications for society at large? Many are losing the art of constructing a grammatically correct sentence free of spelling errors. The brain processes images differently than the printed word. We have no idea what we are sacrificing by so readily abandoning words for pictures. Of course, Neil Postman talked about this at length in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death. But again, how many people have read the book?
Mind you, I love video but I am also an avid reader. And for the most part when given a choice, you'll find me reading instead of watching television.


Yesterday, the Editor and Vice President of Audience and Content Development Mark Silverman (who spoke to my students last week) wrote this editorial about the state of newspapers. Today, CNN.Com published this story about newspapers.

The question is who will read the articles about the demise of newspapers? Who will address societal apathy? Who will remind people about the value of the written word and not only give them a reason to read it but the time to do so? So many people are so busy trying to keep their jobs and put food on the table, they do not have time to pay attention to anything else. And when they finally come up for air, they do not want to deal with anything that is intellectually alienating.

This is really a terrifying time in American history, not just because of the terrorists, global warming, environmental issues, people having more and being less happy, the economic crisis and so much more, but also because the very core values of America are being revealed as suspect. The American Dream turned out to be a nightmare and few want to admit that greed was a very poor reason for success. It's time for our nation to reinvent itself with an agreed upon purpose to avert this identity crisis and realize our true greatness.

Twitter CEO at TED Conference

I think I'm going to use this one by Seth Godin.

Social Media Marketing

I am preparing to teach a graduate class on Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing. In addition to the texts that I've selected, I will use social media tools to demonstrate to the students how they can create campaigns on and off line. It is important to have an integrated strategy. Let me know if you think I should include this video clip. I'm watching it on You Tube right now.