Cloud Computing

2.0 Hippies don’t think like the “crowd” rather they think about the “crowd”.  The “crowd” represents the masses being lead down the wrong path only to be captured and used for “the media’s and the man’s” benefit. The media represents “the man” which reflects the philosophy of the past.

Many who stay stuck in the old business philosophy think they understand the power of social technology and try to apply it to old corporate practices in marketing, PR, advertising, customer and employee relations etc. only to learn that their strategies fail because they are driven by the wrong philosophy.

Hippies 2.0 challenge the assumptions and beliefs of organizational and personal thinking stuck in 1.0 philosophies. You can spot thinkers of Hippie 2.0 by their media which reflects profound changes in knowledge, values and reason about the human interaction with markets of conversations. Hippies 2.0 are early adopter ideologies which show the counter cultural values created by the intersection of technology with the human network.

What Do 2.0 Hippies Think About?

Thinking about things is a philosophical practice for examining what could and should be done vs. what is and has been done. 2.0 Hippies look at the emerging landscape of technological advances and not only think and talk about what will change but lead their followers to rally for and create the change. So what do they think about? Try these top ten then decide if you are a 2.0 Hippie:

1. They are more interested in “thinkers” than followers.
2. They appreciate “followers” who can add to the thinking with related dialog.
3. They see obvious change that would benefit “people” and not “the man”.
4. They don’t chase economic rewards rather they attempt to create rewards for everyone by influencing how people and institutions think.
5. They think about “holistic benefits of change” and not “selfish gains” from creating change.
6. They think with abundance and not scarcity.
7. They are not concerned with what is popular rather what is good for the populous.
8. They think about common sense change that is uncommon to the “establishment”.
9. They think about creating new knowledge and not applying old knowledge.
10. Last but not least they think about people’s relationship with markets and not the markets relationship with people.

What 2.0 Hippies say and do reflects a counter-culture shift from the way things are to the way things ought to be. The 2.o Hippie thinking isn’t stimulated by drugs like it was during Hippies 1.0 rather “the thoughts”are stimulated by a philosophy that challenges old assumptions and beliefs that are common and then creates uncommon thinking that takes root and becomes the new common.

Using the web to change how and what we think is much more valuable than using the web to propagate old messages and “established” practices. If you assume the web can best be used to propagate the wrong message using the wrong practice then don’t be surprised when 2.0 Hippies create changes that not only challenge your thinking but totally disrupt your “established” way of doing what you’ve always done. Continue to do so at your own demise!

2.0 Hippies need to gather together and leverage the power of a “social community” that propagates the philosophy which will truly create change we can believe in.

It can’t be done individually but it can be done when we speak in a collective voice. It can’t be done with politics as usual but it can be done by leveraging unusual politics. If you “think” about the same things as described by the thoughts of 2.0 Hippies then join the conversations and bring a bunch of other hippies with you. Together we can begin to change the “thinking” which in the end will change the markets, the man and the world.

Don’t think so? Then  take the same “hits” you’ve been taking and get “high” on frustration.  Continue to watch your eyes, and everyone else,  glaze over in disbelief of what is happening  to our world. Join the revolution and believe in something!

1. New ECM Interoperability Standard Proposal on AIIM There is a new proposal for a standards based...
2. Whatever happened to the URL? Even back when I was developing websites in 1998,...
3. iECM: Interoperable Enterprise Content Management iECM is a new standard being developed through AIIM...

1. New ECM Interoperability Standard Proposal on AIIM There is a new proposal for a standards based...
2. Whatever happened to the URL? Even back when I was developing websites in 1998,...
3. iECM: Interoperable Enterprise Content Management iECM is a new standard being developed through AIIM...

Are you old enough to remember the 60's and 70's? It was a time of social change where "cultures clashed" over ideology, freedom and policy. The younger generation was against the Vietnam War, Corporations, Politics, "The Man" and everything "The Man" stood for.

It was an era where drugs, sex and rock & roll reflected the "Hippie" philosophy. The word "hippie" was initially used to describe early adopter ideologies included the counter cultural values of the Beat Generation.

Some created their own social groups and communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs to explore alternative states of consciousness. Since the widespread movement in the 1960s, many aspects of hippie culture and philosophy have been assimilated by mainstream society.

The hippie legacy can be observed in contemporary culture in myriad forms — from health food, to music festivals, to contemporary sexual mores, and even to the cyberspace revolution. Hippies stood firm on freedom of expression even if the expression was opposite of cultural norms and the law of the day. The Hippie generation has grown up and today they are industry leaders, politicians, Presidents, musicians and employees with grand children, pets and jobs.

The "Hippies" are Back in 2.0 Form!

Notice that the "Hippie" movement of the 60's & 70's represented a "counter-culture" formed into "social groups and communities". Sound familiar? It should because today there is a "counter-culture" forming into social groups and communities online that reject established corporate cultures, media and age-old philosophies that accept things as they've been done instead of changing things that can be done better.

Today hippies 2.0 are using a different kind of psychedelic drug called social technology. Instead of THC and LSD the drug of choice is PHP, Linux, SQL and others which enables the freedom of expression in the "clouds". The new drugs are as addictive as the old drugs and those that become enlightened from using it understand that it does change one's state of consciousness. The new state of consciousness is the enlightenment of power created by "social groups and communities" igniting changes in philosophy about business as usual and demanding business as unusual.

The freedom of speech empowered by massive collaboration and real-time reactions to business as usual is and will continue to create a wave of change for business as unusual. Many from the old business philosophy think they understand the power of social technology and try to apply it to old corporate practices in marketing, PR, advertising, customer and employee relations etc. only to learn that their strategies fail because they are driven by the wrong philosophy.

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems about matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. The word "philosophy" means "love of wisdom". It is the critical analysis of fundamental assumptions or beliefs.

Hippies 2.0 challenge the assumptions and beliefs of organizational and personal thinking stuck in 1.0 philosophies. You can spot thinkers of Hippie 2.0 by their media which reflects profound changes in knowledge, values and reason about the human interaction with markets of conversations. Hippies 2.0 are early adopter ideologies which show the counter cultural values created by the intersection of technology with the human network.

People like Seth Godin and Doc Searls and others create massive attention and followers because their media reflects profound changes in knowledge, values and reason as it relates to the shift in market philosophy, the market of people. In other words to get the attention of markets you have to understand the philosophy of the market, Hippies 2.0.

To pursue a strategy that isn't grounded in the right philosophy is a waste of time, energy and attention. Hippies 2.0 reject useless media that steals their time, energy and attention. The reason is that it is philosophically out of touch with the soul of the human network.

Join the Hippie 2.0 community here and email your philosophy to  post@hippie20.posterous.com   or Write a new post here!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

While many if not all major brands are using social media most if not all miss the opportunity to "connect" all the dots.

How many brands have gone out with a "social media" campaign only to discover that they under estimated the power of the medium or failed to "connect" the internal supply chain with expected external demand? Many if not all.

An Example:

When Dunkin Donuts used social media to launch a campaign for Free iced coffee many went to their local Dunkin Donuts  only to find that their local store was not participating.  Here are some of the reactions from the "crowd":“talk about false advertising, or at least misleading, dunkin should be ashamed”

“We were told in Boston that Massachusetts wasn’t participating free ice coffee day. I always go to Dunkin Donuts, but I think it’s time to start giving Honey Dew my business.”

“Is this a viral marketing scam to get us into the stores, find out there is NO free iced coffee today so 90% of us will buy something anyway? Maynard, Concord, Acton MA locations had no idea what I was talking about when I went in”

The problem was the promotion was only happening in select markets across the country. What, Dunkin Donuts didn't realize there are no geographic boundaries to "social media"?  Or maybe they failed to put a disclaimer on their campaign. As if that would not have helped.

There are many other examples of brands not thinking about the implications and related dynamics of using social media. What becomes obvious is that those appointed as "heads" of social marketing are failing to "connect" their message, the medium and the related implications of their actions with the rest of the "body".

The Human Network Is Connected & Interacts

Organizations have historically had common problems of "silo actions" by departments or individuals not being connected systemically with other people and processes. Subsequently the aim of organizational acts misfire, create variation, increased cost and the cycle of destructive forces goes around and around the corporate merry-go-round.

Ask any employee of any good sized company if they knew what the other departments were doing or had done. What answer would you likely get? No idea!

Today the "disconnection" of people, processes and technology is one if not the most significant threat to organizational survival in a "connected world". The reason this is true is simply. While your organization may not be "connected" and "communicating" the people and the market are and the difference is transparent. If your head is not connected to your body well that means the body cannot perform as the head wishes or commands.

Before you think about running a "social media campaign" (which is yet another marketing scheme) ask the "body" the following questions first:

1. Do you know what social media is?
2. If people respond to our message how will you respond to them?
3. If people ask about your use of social media how will you respond?
4. Would you share our message with your friends?
5. What do we need to do to be prepared for people's response?

How well is your head connected to the body? Watch the video below.

1. Migrating Content There has been a great thread on the CM...
2. Are content managers ready for personalization? I have been catching up on product demos recently...
3. A Content Management Definition I just heard Frank Gilbane define Content Management as...

The term “pearls before swine” comes from the Sermon on the Mount, a famous speech given by Christ to his disciplines. It means that people should not waste pleasant or good things on people who will not appreciate them.

In the time of Christ, pigs were regarded as unclean animals in the Jewish faith, so in a sense, the term refers to giving great things to beings which are not worthy. The fact that pearls would be essentially useless to pigs has also been pointed out, as the term illustrates that it is rather foolish to give things to people who cannot or will not use them. Pigs are unlikely to realize the value of pearls when they see them, so tossing pearls to swine would really just be a waste.

Many people use the term to talk about someone who doesn't appreciate the value of an item or another person, as in  Some people also use this term in a resentful sense, suggesting that they offered or gave someone something superb, and ended up being snubbed.

Many people who attempt to enact social change find themselves frustrated by the pearls before swine phenomenon, struggling to understand why people reject their proposals and ideas when they hold so much promise.

The Promise of Social Technology

Technology is advancing faster than people and businesses can keep up. The tidal wave of advancement create new dynamics unforeseen and unknowable. Who would have thought just five years ago that a young kid from Harvard would create a global phenomena called Facebook? Who would have thought that people would engage in "distributed global conversations" representing 140 characters at the rate of  millions per second. Who would have thought that businesses would need to try to control these conversations by instituting "social policies" to curb risk?  The fact is and still remains that no one thought about these dynamics because the very nature of massive human interaction was not on anyone's radar.

Now the adoption of these technologies permeates everything and touches everyone, at least those paying attention. The word "permeates" means to spread or flow throughout; pervade. When something spreads throughout it surrounds all things and begins to capture everyone's attention. When something begins to capture the attention of the human network the draw pulls people's emotions, intellect, spirit and the reactions create discourse and opinions that further the discourse.

Appreciation of Innovation or Wasteful Use of It?

The human reaction to disruptive innovation falls into two categories of use, useless and useful.  There is a simple, important principle at the core of  disruptive innovation fueled by people's use of something innovative and free: people innovate faster than companies and entire industries change.  Because of this, most organizations are not ready to respond to the influence of people's increased expectation for improvement.  The disruption is fueled by transparent communications filled with "pearls of wisdom" that show people's expectations. The challenge for organizations then becomes one of listening and responding in real-time with innovation that exceeds people's expectations.

Useful application of social technology by organizations is the "key" to unlocking needed innovation expected by the customer (people), internal and external. Useless application of social technology, and its related dynamics, by organizations is the age-old reaction of stinking thinking from the neck up. In this case the swine is represented by those that "fear" innovation that comes from "pearls of wisdom" offered freely by the "markets of conversations".

People and organizations fear innovation because they try to frame it and use it with old knowledge. Thus they use social media or view it as useless.  Useless means having or being of no use and not able to give service or aid. Sounds a lot like "pearls before swine".

1. Plone Strategic Summit results posted Notes and action items from the Plone Strategic Planning...
2. Fixed bid implementation work: a marriage made in Vegas Most of my CMS selection clients are not just...
3. How I use Twitter for Work Publishing Decision Tree V2 Originally uploaded by sggottlieb I...

1. Another Open Source Project Management Tool A few months ago I was looking for a...
2. Evaluating open source and closed source software Gartner has been saying how the current recession favors...
3. Honest Open Source I just read Kris Buytaert’s blog post “Honest Open...