The Wings of Wax Project - Latest Comments

Re: Tearing Down the Murdoch Wall

Ian M Rountree — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:46:12 -0000

And we saw the cardinal examples of this with the Iran election and the shootings in Mumbai "breaking" on Twitter far earlier than on CNN - it's a very good point, the speed of the internet is something that news media is not equipped to handle.

My disconnect is where Murdoch, being the obviously brilliant businessman who took advantage of so many opportunities over the years, is basically saying "No, Google, I WON'T enjoy the massive amount of traffic you send me, regardless of where I show up. I just don't need that seven million dollars enough to letyou run your business your way."

Re: Tearing Down the Murdoch Wall

gjahgg — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:36:48 -0000

Murdoch's argument is that Google doesn't prioritise the original source of a story but allows readers to access the mountains of comment and analysis on the internet that follows a story being broken. The problem with this is that on the internet the very idea of breaking a story is not as significant as in the print media.

The problem with this is that most stories break on the internet almost simultaneously while the plethora of different commentary allows readers to easily (and cheaply) access a range of different set of opinions and perspectives, rather than only getting news from one source.

Re: The Bank of Social Capital

Ian M Rountree — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:41:24 -0000

Learn something new every day - I hadn't looked up the differentiation between pride and hubris, and had taken it as a measure of scale.
Mostly I'm disappointed in the community's treatment of a very human action.

An interesting counter to the old adage "Those who cannot, teach" no?

Re: The Bank of Social Capital

Susan Hurrell — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:17:28 -0000

So Brogan wrote a dodgy post - he was right but said it wrong. No one died. How does this diminish his contribution to the intelligent person's daily read? I would substitute "hubris" for "pride" in your last sentence. Hubris delights in tearing down what it cannot build - only because it can/can't in equal measure. those who can, create community. Those who cannot ... diminish what they envy.

Re: Personal Branding vs Brand Democratisation

Mark Dykeman — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:54:47 -0000

I didn't read the Timberland post too closely or see the hubbub around it (it's been a busy week) but your post and Justin's really peeled back the layers to help me get up to speed and think about it some more. Well done. Love the "axe murderer" analogy as well.

Re: Personal Branding vs Brand Democratisation

Ian M Rountree — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:58:16 -0000

And this is my problem. Not with Chris, but with his readers. Brogan spends most of his time talking about conversation and community, and every comment is prefaced with what amounts to "Hi, Chris, big fan, long time reader, long time commenter."

Do we converse like this? Seriously. If you were talking to me at lunch, and every answer I gave began with "Awesome point, Justin, I love the way you've done your hair" - you'd stop talking to me, and if I kept going, you'd HIT me.

Which, unfortunately, tells me that most of Chris' audience isn't paying attention to his message, or simply has no proper process in which to use his advice.

Re: Personal Branding vs Brand Democratisation

Justin Kownacki — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:58:33 -0000

And you've just hit the nail on the head: those comments summarize Chris as either:

* a phony
* a crusader
* a god

Chris is none of those things, but his readers believe he is. Which taps into the larger issue of perception: not only can we NOT control what other people think about us, but we can't control the quality of our interactions with them either. Of those 151 comments, how many of them do you think were actually valuable to Chris? Do you think he'd rather have only had 5 meaningful comments, or would he prefer a tidal wave of relatively meaningless sentiment and opinion?

Not that what he'd prefer matters, since he gets what his readers are prepared to give. That's the next downside to popularity: the drowning of personal value in a sea of white noise.

Re: Personal Branding vs Brand Democratisation

Ian M Rountree — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:47:53 -0000

That's certainly a salient point - but of course, you understand the internet better than the average bear.

I don't think Chris has jumped the shark here, but I do think it provides a powerful object lesson not only in his ability to re-assess his own actions, but in the process of his audience. A fast scan of the (at the moment) 151 comments on the original post shows about an even amount of "Who do you think you are, charlatan?" and "Atta boy, stick it to the man!" This is, of course, interspersed with the always insipid gushing "Gosh, you're awesome" prefaces to whichever side the comments are on.

It's somewhat amusing to see such a violent demonstration of exactly the kind of behaviour that proves much of Chris' platform - on his own platform.

Re: Personal Branding vs Brand Democratisation

Justin Kownacki — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:33:41 -0000

Just like authority can never be claimed, it can also never be surrendered. If people are inclined to trust you, you can't say, "Hey: stop trusting me." When (or if) they do is up to them. As we all learned years ago -- and much to Charles Barkley's chagrin -- we can't control when people start or stop treating us as role models.

If Chris Brogan wants to complain about customer service, someone is going to notice. He's not Tiger Woods, but he's not Joe From the Back Alley either; he's earned the trust of his readers and devotees, and they'll listen even if no one else does. Abuse of power? Not when "power" means "doing what the average person would do." It's not Chris's fault that he gets taken more seriously than you or I would in the same situation, and it's ludicrous for others to reprimand him for allowing himself to be listened to.

Re: My Christmas List

Ian M Rountree — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:55:01 -0000

JC, I can't tell you how totally blown away I am that you stopped by! I heard your interview with Mitch Joel on Six Pixels earlier today, and my head got blown clear off my shoulders! Of course I want the book!

(If I were a jackass, this is where I'd mention I'm trying to do somewhat of the same thing. But I'm not. So I won't, right?)

Re: My Christmas List

J.C. Hutchins — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:56:56 -0000

Totally awesome, Ian. Thanks for the mention! I hope your Christmas wish comes true, and you receive a copy of 7th Son: Descent! :)

Re: Closure and openings

Ian M Rountree — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:24:50 -0000

I'm familiar with the Dip - it's a good concept. Down time provided by periods of slowness, if taken advantage of, can be very handy for planning.

The novel is launching in February at http://dowagershadow.com - official announcement isn't up yet, of course. Timing is everything.

Re: Closure and openings

Deborah Richmond — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:07:01 -0000

A theory I've been comtemplating lately is from Seth Godin. In "The Dip" he suggested that we need to know what tasks to work on because they are moving us forward and which ones to quit because they are not as effective. I've been a this stage you are at before. You start a lot of things as you're trying out new interests and new projects. Then after starting many, one or two demand more focus in order to progress. Good luck on your efforts to downsize and focus. I'll be back to find out more about your web novel.

Re: Your Participation Please!

Deborah Richmond — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:02:53 -0000

http://tekkbuzz.com

I like to wander to new pages by following random people who comment on the same blogs I do. That's how I found your page.

Re: Your Advice Is Too Complicated!

Ian M Rountree — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:15:11 -0000

Thanks. Yeah, it's a complicated one, which is the issue. I wasn't accounting for learning styles here, I just keep running into situations that amount to "Hey, should I do this?" with an answer of "Here's a twelve step program that will help you through it!"
MLM my foot.

Hey. By the way - sticking with the indigo hulk for Disqus avatars?

Re: Your Advice Is Too Complicated!

Mark Dykeman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:55:13 -0000

At first I thought you were completely wrong; then I didn't. I like detail, though not verbally because I'm more of a read it, visual learning kind of guy.

But you brought it back by saying we should be teaching people to fish. So, yeah, good one.

Re: Perspective on Urgency

Ian M Rountree — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:15:48 -0000

Absolutely! I agree there's utility in trimming unnecessary tasks, but in a lot of cases, we reduce our workloads as much as we can and still feel rushed because of social pressure, or the bleeding urgency of those around us - and we forget that the speed limit applies the same as it did in summer. We forget that we're moving at the same pace as we did because the background is changing too, and it feels like our relative speed has dropped.

The frustration I have comes from being the dude behind the counter when twenty people all want the same level of attention they wanted five months ago - but for some strange reason don't have the patience the did then, even though the deadlines are identical. Velocity is not contextual, much as we'd love it to be.

Re: Perspective on Urgency

Cynthia — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:26:09 -0000

Perhaps, one way to reduce the unnecessary rush of the holidays is to stop thinking that you are missing out. Traditions can be fun, but doing what you’ve always done and obsessing about keeping those social habits can drive you nuts and waste your time. Pick out new experiences, or just focus on a few important activities. Living in the moment is more rewarding than running around doing what you are supposed to do. Hope this suggestion helps!

Re: The Evolution Inherent in Conversation

Ian M Rountree — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:48:40 -0000

Yeah, I stepped into that one. Bye now.

Re: The Evolution Inherent in Conversation

Ian M Rountree — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:21:20 -0000

Well thanks for stopping in!

Yeah, Homer's the exception to the non-sequitur rule in some respects. Have you seen the laundry list that is his resume? I'd be thrilled to be so exceptional at being mediocre.

Great way to what? Don't leave me hanging here! Great way to drop MLM-junkies off a cliff? Great way to make a million by monday? THrow me a bone! X_x

Re: The Evolution Inherent in Conversation

Seabuckthorn — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:00:58 -0000

Wow, great post. I came here from Twitter. On the topic of non-sequiturs tho, I think Homer "Stupid like a fox" Simpson would be thrilled to respond thusly. BTW, I just came across a great way to... (JK)

Re: The Evolution Inherent in Conversation

Mark Dykeman — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:44:45 -0000

No, I hadn't read Robert's post. Good analysis on his part, I think. The comments section is just as valuable, but in a different way.

Hm, generic preponderance to punditry. I'd probably do better in writing than video but sometimes it's better to try to more difficult thing. :)

Re: The Evolution Inherent in Conversation

Ian M Rountree — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:19:34 -0000

Thanks for the comment, Mark. As always, it's nice to have feedback that's actually worth something.

Bizarrely, I recorded a vid this morning on the way to work detailing the filters I've spoken about here. I was serious about the "It does, actually" comment too.

I can see the benefit in forums attached to blogs, it's a way of providing a community stomping ground, whether you're engaged or not. Have you read Robert Scoble's post about the Chat/Forum problem? I sort of think blog-forums sidestep this in certain directions. It's here, if not: http://bit.ly/Licun

Unfortunately it often turns into "Give a mouse a cookie" problems - people keep asking the moment you answer, no matter how definitive it is.

Comments as communication is a wonderful thing. There's something in this genetic preponderance to punditry, however. Perhaps something worth expanding on in your next video?

Re: The Evolution Inherent in Conversation

Mark Dykeman — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:01:51 -0000

Great post, Ian. I share your dislike of comment promotion (some of it qualifies as the "non sequitur" that you reference earlier in your post because it only vaguely comments on the blog content in the simplest, worst kind of generalities whilst keyword stuffing or pimping site X).

Some people handle the scaling problem differently by setting up dedicated forums to supplement their blogs or websites. They become more likely to engage in these forums because the traffic tends to be smaller (and often moderated as well).

I don't have a big problem with comments as communication unto themselves. As far as some people now thinking that they want/need to comment at will, it's probably just pent up demand. Either that or we're genetically engineered to be pundits.

Re: (Not So) Extreme Function Check

Ian M Rountree — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:49:41 -0000

Denouement is in the comments, by the way. That's how blogs work. Post, climax, comment - it's a beautiful thing.

So much for the fourth wall.