Where Have All The Good Conversations Gone?

Lately I've noticed that I don't get into as many deep, passionate debates online. As Social has matured it feels like meaning is taking a hit. Maybe we should blame transparency- the days of hiding behind a persona are all but past. Everybody knows who everybody is. There are few trolls left roaming the villages of the web.  I remember lamenting the trolls of yesteryear, wishing everyone could be the same online as they are in "real" life. So as we have emerged from the shadows and embraced transparency I feel we have also started to get too polite with each other. Feelings, which weren't much of a concern in the early days of the Web, now matter again. This seems to have created a Social Web where everyone is talking, fewer are listening and even less are conversing.

I started a music community website in 2007 using the Ning platform (still running at musicalfamilytree.net). This was a complimentary site to musicalfamilytree.com which is an MP3 archive of Indiana music from the last 30+ years (still going strong). When I first added the Musical Family Tree community it was incredibly vibrant. We had deep and meaningful conversations about everything, not just music. Some members identities were (and are) nicknames. Some of members have very "legit" careers and they felt more willing to talk about their rock'n'roll days more comfortably behind a mask. This had the byproduct of creating a community where there was some accountability but enough rabble rousers to keep things interesting.

Over time Facebook came to dominate Social and the conversations on Musical Family Tree started to die out. Facebook, as we all know, is about transparency whether you want it or not. Facebook is not a place for nicknames and trolls. Everyone is working under their real name and many of us have now been "friended" by actual friends (from all points in life), family (hey Mom!) and business associates. Real, honest conversations don't thrive in this community pool. Even if you are willing to stick your neck out on an idea or issue, many of your friends will hid in the shadows since they know their comments will be read by everyone they have ever known. Same with commenting on blogs since they are often tied into Facebook, Twitter etc. Many blogs still let you post anonymously but more and more these posts are moderated (ie deleted) by the blogger. Although I still have great conversations on the comment section of blog posts it seems more often people sit on their feedback, afraid to step on toes or just too busy to bother engaging.

Maybe we should embrace transparency but clearly we aren't ready for that yet.

So as I look around at my different hang out spots on the web I can only think of one place where I am having regular vibrant conversations- Turntable.fm. For the unacquainted this is a new (awesome) website where you can take turns DJing in a "room". Check it out. Some of Turntable's Social features include letting you create an alter ego, show you who is in the room and doesn't keep a record (to my knowledge) of the chat conversation. If you enter a room it doesn't even show a history of the conversation. You only see what is said after you joined the room. The conversations on Turntable are often very honest and fun. Sure, you end up figuring out who most of the people are (not everyone uses an alter ego) but there is still the sense that what is said on Turntable stays on Turntable. If you hang in the right rooms you get more than a small amount of music biz gossip. It is the only place on the Web right now that feels a lot like a late night kitchen conversation at a party- minus the booze.

So as Social matures I hope we create more of these "kitchens" like Turntable. The reality is that we don't want everything we say to be broadcast to everyone we know and their sister. I believe some conversations are meant to go into the ether, forever eluding Google's grasp. 

Sprinting (revisiting the Heroic Worker)

A while back I posted a blog about "heroic workers". These are the well intentioned folks that work 12+ hour days for days on end. Companies becoming addicted to them like a drug and dysfunction abounds. I want to return to this idea with a twist. I do believe there are times when we all need to sprint and essentially become that heroic worker for a week or two since opportunities arise and stuff needs to get done. 

Let's follow this running theme (not that I know much about running beyond being chased). In a long race, which is life/work/etc, we need to find and keep a workable pace. One that doesn't completely exhaust us physically and emotionally. But there are times we need to pick up speed and sprint. The challenge is working in such a way to lay the foundation during that sprint that allows you to quickly and smoothly return to that sustainable pace- not getting stuck in heroic worker mode. We all have the potential, and I think need, to feel heroic from time to time. Finding the balance between meeting that need and living a healthy, fulfilling life is the trick.  

Quality is fixed, Quantity is variable

"Fast, Good, Cheap- pick two"

No thanks.

This classic agency statement assumes that quality is a variable. In the past I accepted this logic- sure we can do something fast but it may not be as good!

I would excuse an outcome thinking "well we had to do it quickly".

What I was really doing was signaling, unwittingly- "hey, what we really care about is money, pay us and we will do something poorly if you want it done quickly."

That creates an inconsistent product which then creates market confusion. Even worse it creates culture issues- Who are we? What do we believe in? Where is the bar set?

I'm not saying that everyone should use the same measurement for quality. Our measure of quality may be lower or higher than other firms. There is space in almost every market for different quality products. What I'm advocating is to know your standards and stick to them which will mean passing on "cheap, fast" work when it can't meet your standard of "good".

So now when a client approaches us looking for quick turnaround we never put quality on the table. It's non-negotiable. Instead we negotiate around the quantity of the engagement which mostly comes down to two things- the scope of the project (features and content) and client engagement ("you will need to say 'yes' often and quickly to meet your deadline").

This focus on a consistent quality product has really changed the way we work. It has created better outcomes. It has improved the client experience. It has given the team something to be proud about. It has enabled us to hold each other accountable.

Do we always bat 1000? Heck, no. There is still much to be improved. But I'm ok with that. Perfection is, and should be, always out of reach. The goal is to keep reaching.

Connecting the Indie Rock and Tech scenes

There was a great article at NPR.org about the goings on in Omaha, Nebraska. 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/06/03/136896920/the-indie-rock-club-behind-omahas-100-million-creative-boom

As many of you know Omaha has been a rising star in the tech/start up scene over the last few years. Big Omaha, a yearly event that this limited to about 600 people and attracts some of the best and brightest tech stars as speakers and attendees. I haven't gone but many friends have and they all rave about the experience. But back to this NPR article. 

The gist of this article can be summed up in this excerpt:

"While I was there, I met several architects and web designers who all said they moved back to Omaha, at least in part, because of this club (Indie Rock club The Slowdown) and the movie theater (Film Streams) next door."

I know my buddy Rebecca Ryan from Next Generation Consulting wouldn't be too surprised. This is what she, and others like Richard Florida, have been preaching for years. "Cool" cities attract and retain top talent. What makes a city cool? There is nothing, that I can think of, cooler than Indie Rock. I'm talking Pitchfork.com stuff here. If you have a city that has venues where Pitchfork bands regularly play then you basically have the foundation for a cool city. 

Here in Indy we have seen a local promotion company start to actively fill that void - MOKBPresents.com. This is an offshoot of MyOldKentuckyBlog.com, which is actually very much an Indiana blog but started by Kentucky native Craig "Dodge" Lile (who coincidentally works for Raidious a web content company here in Indy) when he moved to Indy in the early 2000s. Running the blog and a Sirius radio show lead naturally to booking shows. MOKB Presents brings a wide diversity of mostly Indie Rock acts to Indy. About 50 shows a year. I don't think you can find any entity that is changing Indy's national brand (at least for 20 somethings) as much as MOKB. Think of all the bands that come play Indy and then go tell everyone else about what a great experience, hopefully, they had here. Think of all the fans that see Indianapolis show up again and again on tour schedules, YouTube videos, etc. Word is getting out. Indie's coolness increases with every MOKB show. There are others doing great work in this area but I'm singling MOKB out since they are the clear leaders. How many of you reading this article know about MOKB? Did you go to a show this year? Chances are they were the promoters.

At the same time we are seeing a huge boom in the tech scene here. Monthly Verge meetings fill up almost immediately. Start Up Weekends are becoming regular, very successful events. New tech companies are popping up everywhere like mushrooms. Develop Indy and Tech Point are noticing and doing what they can, often behind the scenes, to help create the right conditions. 

Many of these tech startups are populated with 20 something kids that have grown up on Indie Rock. MGMT, Sufjan Stevens, My Morning Jacket, Wilco, Arcade Fire, etc. These tech "kids" love music almost as much as code. 

So you have a bunch of fans on one side that want to go to shows (local and national acts) and on the other side you have bands (local and national) that need tech help and fans. When you start to bring these two scenes you have some amazing synergies. This is what Omaha is witnessing and it is an affordable, effective tactic that Indianapolis should pursue as well. 

How do we do this? 

We need venues and we need audiences. Mostly audiences. Tech companies need to consider sponsoring bands, helping them with their tech and marketing needs. If Exact Target, for instance, wants to attract and retain top talent then they why not send out of state prospects a mix of local music? Why not sponsor a showcase at the Vogue? There are endless creative ways to cross-pollinate and collaborate between the tech and music scenes. So let's tear down the wall and start making it happen. Connecting the Indie Rock and Tech scenes will create new jobs and grow our economy. 

Screens, Screens Everywhere!

I just went to the post office. The clerk and I never met eyes. We spent the entire time looking at our respective screens. 

Same thing when I go to the grocery. If I don't pay in cash there is almost no human interactive whatsoever. Sometimes they don't even say hi or thanks.

I wrote a post a year ago about my experience of going off the grid at SXSW- Connectivity vs Serendipity. In brief my eyes were opened up to how much our eyes are constantly focused on screens. I became convinced that we have been trading down for a more connected but often inferior experiences. Trading a huge wide 3D world for a small 3" screen.

Maybe screens are transitional objects, to be replaced with fully augmented reality via my contacts, glasses or, gasp!, brain implants. 

But as we transition I worry that we are forgetting our manners and humanity. When we arrive at this promised, augmented land will we be living richer lives or just busier lives? I fear the latter and hope for the former.