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July 30, 2004

Paperless Anniversary III

As you may recall, FC Now turns 1 year old in early August. To celebrate, we've invited friends and readers of Fast Company -- as well as FC Now readers -- to join as contributors during the inaugural FC Now Blog Jam on Aug. 12-13.

Already, we've got a crackerjack crew of more than 20 volunteers -- including folks like Robert Scoble, Halley Suitt, and Jackie Huba, just to name a few -- and we'd like even more.

If you're interested in joining FC Now as a guest host for this special two-day anniversary event, email me to volunteer. Unfortunately, not every volunteer will be selected, but we will pick participants based on their active reading of FC Now, knowledge of Fast Company's ideas and ideals, quality of comments in FC Now, external blog activity, and other aspects. And we will try to involve as many people as possible.

Posted by Heath Row at 3:15 PM | 2 Comments

Weighting for the Train

A study conducted this spring found that the longer your daily commute -- the more time you spend in your car -- the greater the odds you'll become obese. For every extra 30 minutes you drive, you have a 3% greater chance of being obese.

Makes me glad I walk and take the subway to work, really. And highlights the importance of efforts like Bike to Work Day and Week and Walk to Work Day (also in Australia) even moreso.

How long does it take you to get to work? And, how do you get to work?

Posted by Heath Row at 10:50 AM | 5 Comments

2004: The Year of the Computer Virus

Earlier this week, I commented on Google's being spammed by the MyDoom virus. Today, silicon.com contributor Will Sturgeon writes that 2004 has become the year of computer worms, with the number of new viruses detected during the first six months up 21 percent from the same period last year.

Continue reading "2004: The Year of the Computer Virus"

Posted by at 10:00 AM | Add Comment

The Myth of Sysadmins

Speaking of the IT team, today of days is the fifth annual System Administrator Appreciation Day . Set aside to recognize computer, network, Web, PBX, voice mail, and database administrators, today's the perfect day to express your thanks to the sysadmins who work for your company.

[via BoingBoing]

Posted by Heath Row at 9:34 AM | Add Comment

(Don't) Call Me

IT Facts remarks on a recent Siemens Business Systems survey that found that 36% of white-collar workers spend 30-plus minutes a week talking on the phone with their companies' IT support staff. 20% spend an hour a week. And 5% spend five-plus hours.

While I feel sorry for those 5% -- and the IT teams helping them, to be honest -- what is truly stunning is the annual cost of such time spent seeking support: $4.1 million for a company of 5,000.

Now, consider this in the light of a recent HBS Working Knowledge piece on time abusers within organizations, which BusinessPundit brought to my attention. Perhaps those 5% need their five hours on the phone. But sometimes, just sometimes, face-to-face assistance might work better -- and queries could be handled via email.

Posted by Heath Row at 9:08 AM | Add Comment

July 29, 2004

PowerPoint of Fact III

FC Now reader Cliff Atkinson emailed earlier today about a Financial Times article about the ouster of Rentokil Initial's newly installed CEO -- in part because of "death by PowerPoint." Atkinson respondes by offering some presentation lessons highlighted by the occasion in his blog Beyond Bullets.

• When you address the issues of constraints, a clear problem statement, and focus, you can become clearer, more concise and confident.
• The most valuable advice you can get is from your audience. Measure the results of your PowerPoint and apply a range of techniques to find the best fit for you and your results.
• The feelings people have about your PowerPoint are the same feelings people have about you. If your audience feels bored, they'll think you are boring, and if they feel confused, they'll think you are confused. Likewise, if they're engaged, they'll think you're engaging, and if they're clear, they'll think you're clear.

Posted by Heath Row at 3:04 PM | 1 Comment

Word Up

A member of our Web team came across what might be a useful and economical business tool. iDictate is a service that will transcribe documents sent in to them via telephone or dictation device -- think traditional dictation; you call in to dictate your document -- for about 1 cent a word. They also offer standard transcription services for about 2 cents a word. Most transcription services bill by the hour, so that seems like a pretty good deal -- especially with turnaround times ranging between 24 minutes and 24 hours. Have any FC Now readers used the service?

Posted by Heath Row at 2:48 PM | 1 Comment

Marketing Lessons from the Olympics in Athens

Less than a month before the Games open, stories already fill the press about troubles in the Greek city: unfinished construction projects, potential traffic jams, and fear of terror attacks. Now the Greek government has another thing to worry about: lackluster ticket sales. The latest issue of Knowledge@Wharton, a bi-weekly online resource on business, information and research, touches on the marketing lessons from the Athens experience.

Continue reading "Marketing Lessons from the Olympics in Athens"

Posted by at 2:06 PM | 4 Comments

July 28, 2004

Fuzzy (Jobs) Math

This bit from Bethany McLean's Street Life column yesterday was just too good not to pluck out for the FC blog:

"Do you believe the job statistics? Texas Hedge Report, one of my favorite publications, writes that they believe those stats 'are possibly being manipulated for political reasons' by an arcane figure known as the 'Birth/Death Model adjustment.' This adjustment is meant to reflect the birth and death of business establishments, and from April 2003 through January 2004, the net job creation from the Birth/Death Model estimation was just 374,000 jobs in a span of ten months, or about 37,400 jobs a month. But between February and June of 2004, the Birth/Death Model estimation (I get a kick just out of writing that) has 'magically created 915,000 jobs—goosing job creation from the model to 183,000 jobs a month.... What is scary is that last month’s total job creation was only 112,000—meaning that if not for the Birth/Death adjustments, we would’ve LOST 80,000 jobs in June!' reports Texas Hedge."

Posted by Ryan Underwood at 3:51 PM | Add Comment

In the Bag

It seems simple and mundane, but I'm always fascinated by the things business people carry. What's in the briefcases. What they take home in their tote. What rests in their laptop bag when they travel. The most recent fascination catalyst? Ross' recap of what's in his bag in the blog Strategize.

Quickly rifling through my Fast Company shoulderbag, this is what I'm carrying lately:

Continue reading "In the Bag"

Posted by Heath Row at 3:47 PM | 7 Comments

The Clean Desk Club

Johanna Rothman offers a useful way to tidy up your workspace and organize the office detritus that tends to accumulate. It's so simple that organizational expert Hope Lafferty might even agree.

Take a storage box and put a bunch of hanging folders in it. Take a bunch of file folders and put them on one side. Take one of your piles. For each piece of paper, decide if you can throw it out or recycle it. If not, see if it fits in an already-existing folder. If not, take a folder, write something descriptive, and put the piece of paper into it. Place the folder in the storage box. Repeat for all your piles.

Not sure I need a storage box, but I sure need to tackle some of my piles sooner than later. Thanks for the elbow, Johanna!

Posted by Heath Row at 3:19 PM | 2 Comments

Apple: the "Microsoft of Music?"

Merrill Lynch analyst Steven Milunovich was quoted as saying that the recent alliance between Apple and Motorola could turn Apple into the "Microsoft of music" and make the iPod the "defacto standard in digital music."

Continue reading "Apple: the "Microsoft of Music?""

Posted by at 11:23 AM | 3 Comments

What You Crave II

Michael does well to mention the new movie Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Not only is it an East Coast fave, it's big in the Midwest, as well -- I fondly remember White Castle meals while visiting family in northwest Indiana. (We'd make bridges and arches out of the little boxes.)

He also touches on the company's latching on to the craze, lending support to the project. After requesting some subtle changes, the company let the filmmakers do their thing, and some recent commentary from the Castle's director of marketing indicates that the company knows exactly what it's doing.

Continue reading "What You Crave II"

Posted by Heath Row at 8:40 AM | Add Comment

Martha Not-So-Skewered

Not only is Martha Stewart requesting that she be allowed to serve the first five months of her sentence at home -- then serving the next five in a proper prison -- she's continuing to exert solid influence on the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's board of directors.

The board has retooled this week, tapping a candidate recommended by the recently sentenced Stewart. That man? One Charles Koppelman, who served as chair of Steve Madden's board when the founder of that shoe company was sent up the river on charges of securities fraud. Interesting!

Such shifts raise two questions: One, with leaders such as Bill George making the case for more transparent boards, when will board members -- who are ostensibly tasked with overseeing executive behavior -- be held somewhat responsible for evils ignored during their involvement? (Read: Does a company with an already-sullied leader want to take on a board member who served for another company also wracked by a financial scandal?)

And secondly, should Stewart still have that sort of say? I know she plans to remained involved -- and that her revised role is still in the works -- but really. She's yet to serve Day One of her sentence, and she's knighting new board members like she never went to court, was determined guilty, and sent to jail. Do not pass go. Do not pass $200. It might be wise for organizations led by people found guilty of criminal behavior to institute some sort of "quiet influence" period in which others serve in that leader's stead.

Because otherwise, just what does the sentence mean?

Posted by Heath Row at 8:22 AM | 2 Comments

July 27, 2004

Helping Hands

Sometimes a technology project isn't emergency enough to call on the Geek Squad. And sometimes it's not big or long-term enough to warrant hiring a full-time staffer. Where else can you turn?

Motivated by his own need for occasional technical assistance, JJ DiGeronimo created TechStudents an online matching service for businesses needing part-time technology help and students and contractors looking for small projects.

Continue reading "Helping Hands"

Posted by Heath Row at 7:18 PM | 2 Comments

What Happened when Google Got Spammed?

The world's largest -- and most lucrative -- search engine had two pieces of news yesterday. One, which was much reported, was that Google raised its IPO size by $1.1 billion. The other piece of news -- which went mostly unnoticed -- was that spammers had brought down the search engine for about three hours in the morning. During that period, untold number of Google users got error messages or waited for longer periods to get their results.

Continue reading "What Happened when Google Got Spammed?"

Posted by at 3:51 PM | Add Comment

Inquiring Minds

Educators at the Michigan Business School have been pursuing what they call Positive Organizational Scholarship, a new organizational studies method that concentrates on excellence and positive deviance. Much of the material reminds me of appreciative inquiry and learned optimism and merits further exploration.

Posted by Heath Row at 3:22 PM | 2 Comments

Selling Storytelling

Steve Denning's new book A Leader's Guide to Storytelling isn't slated to be published by Jossey-Bass until next year, but you can get a sneak peak in his new blog. Since last month, Denning has been publishing draft chapters of the book as he writes them. To date, entries have addressed storytelling styles, how storytelling can help circumvent the rumor mill, and other topics. It's an interesting inside look at Denning's writing process -- and a way to help shape the text if you have ideas and feedback to share. (And at least he's not writing another fable!)

Posted by Heath Row at 3:08 PM | 1 Comments

July 26, 2004

What You Crave

Two screen writers have taken the concept of lovemarks -- inspirational brands -- to a whole new level, with the soon-to-be-released feature "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle." For those of you who don't know, White Castle is a Columbus, Ohio-based burger franchise that has a cult following on the East Coast. The screenwriters, so taken by the small, tasty, square patties that are the company's trademark (and which sit in your stomach for hours afterwards), wrote a whole movie around two guys trying to visit every White Castle in New Jersey. Not surprisingly, White Castle has embraced this extended "American-Pie-meets-Road-Trip" product placement. But who wouldn't want to see a movie featuring Doogie Howser himself?

Posted by Michael Prospero at 5:20 PM | 2 Comments

Job Interview Etiquette

A member of the New York Company of Friends group emailed members late last week inquiring whether it was appropriate to send a thank-you gift along with the customary thank-you note following a job interview. While many weighed in saying a thank you is indeed acceptable, people cautioned against the giving of gifts. "Forget the flowers," writes Anne-Marie Ditta. "Instead, send a powerfully written thank you letter focusing on how what you will do to help the organization achieve their goals."

Francois Basili went even further. "During my corporate career, I hired
close to 100 people. I must have interviewed over 500 applicants in the process," he says. "I'm glad no one sent me a gift or flowers because I'd have had to look with suspicion at such act and question the sender's sense of appropriate business bahavior. Sending a gift or flowers is definitely overkill, an unjustified act that just doesn't appear professional. An interview is not a favor or a kind act the interviewer has done for you."

He goes on to suggest what a thank-you note might address:

Continue reading "Job Interview Etiquette"

Posted by Heath Row at 2:38 PM | 7 Comments

Working the Network

A recent email from Len Foley at the Sales Training Institute addresses what he considers the top five networking mistakes made by financial professionals. Regardless of the industry in which you work -- or whether you're in between projects -- his ideas might be useful.

Continue reading "Working the Network"

Posted by Heath Row at 1:46 PM | Add Comment

Google Ups IPO Price

Google intends to raise more money from its much sought-after IPO. The search-engine giant increases the size of its IPO by $1.1 billion on Monday and says it aims at a price range of $108 to $135 per share for 24.64 million shares.

Continue reading "Google Ups IPO Price"

Posted by at 10:19 AM | Add Comment

Changing the Channel at MTV

MTV is arguably one of the biggest influences on teens these days, with cult hits like "Newlyweds" and the long-running staples like "The Real World" gracing the airwaves 24/7. The recent naming of Judy McGrath as chair of MTV networks worldwide (which includes over 95 channels) got me thinking about the role tv plays in shaping the likes, dislikes and general opinions of entire generations.

In the early 1990's, MTV began its 'Choose or Lose' campaign coverage, working to get younger people interested in politics. Voter registration drives followed, and music once again became very political as concerts were given to support particular candidates. Since then, campaign coverage has continued and actual news is still mentioned from time to time (10 to the hour, every hour) on MTV. But there are more and more shows about the sexiest celebrities, parties, and dating than ever before. Not exactly the stuff of revolutions.

With a new hand at the helm, I'm really curious to see where the MTV networks as a whole will be taken. Will there be more controversial shows, like Comedy Central's "The Chapelle Show"? Or more self-censorship, an approach Viacom is pushing on some of its other networks since the Super Bowl 'wardrobe malfunction' (CBS anyone?).

If you were able to step into McGrath's new shoes, what would you do? What would you want your children to watch? Can a brand as strong as MTV, with its pop-culture draw, actually continue to affect the political and general world views of its fans, or have shows like "Newlyweds" and "Wanna Come In?" discredited the network?

My thought is that such unintelligent shows discuss rather silly topics, suggesting that viewers copy the celebrities featured on these silly shows, and therefore become silly and unimpressive themselves. Not quite the best way to influence a voting public, the same public that was initially turned on to the more serious side of life through exactly this network some ten years ago.

Posted by Melissa Korn at 10:07 AM | 1 Comment

July 23, 2004

Investing in the Support Economy

John Maloney recently announced the organization of a new group called Support Economy Ventures that aims to bring together a community of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, "deep support professionals," and other business leaders working to develop the next chapter in capitalism.

Based on the work of James Maxmin and Shoshana Zuboff, a Fast Company contributor who also hosts a small discussion group here, the group is holding a number of investment seminars in New York and San Francisco.

The principles espoused by the group are worth considering:

Continue reading "Investing in the Support Economy"

Posted by Heath Row at 8:32 PM | 4 Comments

More Trouble in the Air

Airline companies seem to be grabbing the headlines recently. Yesterday, I mentioned that Delta's pilots offered to take a 23 percent pay cut to resolve a bitter talk. Today, United Airlines says it will miss more pension payments, including nearly $500 million in contributions due this fall.

Continue reading "More Trouble in the Air"

Posted by at 5:50 PM | 1 Comment

Riding in Fast Company: Lance Armstrong and Team USPS

If you've watched the 2004 Tour de France, you've witnessed a command performance by Lance Armstrong, who has all but locked up an unprecedented sixth consecutive win in the world's toughest bicycle race. But the true story of this year's Tour may be Lance's U.S. Postal Service team, an organizational wonder that has put on one of the greatest displays in the history of team sport. Lance's victory this weekend will stand as a testament to the importance of surrounding any great leader with an equally great supporting cast.

The USPS team threw down the gauntlet in the first week, winning the team time trial and putting Lance in the lead. When the race entered the mountains, the team became a ruthlessly efficient machine. George Hincapie, once a weak climber, now powered the peloton up the middle climbs of each stage. Floyd Landis would take the lead at the foot of the final mountain, setting a pace that splintered the field. Landis then handed off to Jose Azevedo, whose climbing pace was so fierce that only the top few riders in the world could keep up. By the time Armstrong rode to the front, he could focus on defeating the handful of rivals who remained.

Continue reading "Riding in Fast Company: Lance Armstrong and Team USPS"

Posted by Anjani at 3:24 PM | 3 Comments

The Transformation of Corporate Communication

Shel Israel serves as CEO of It Seems to Me. Greg Jarboe is president and cofounder of SEO-PR. Jamie O'Donnell cofounded SEO-PR. Buzz Bruggeman is cofounder and CEO of ActiveWords. At BlogOn, they discussed how social media can improve corporate communications with customers, as well as -- interestingly -- the mainstream media. What follows is a partial transcript of their panel:

Continue reading "The Transformation of Corporate Communication"

Posted by Heath Row at 3:03 PM | 1 Comment

Business Transparency

Chris Shipley is executive producer of BlogOn. Lenn Pryor is the director of platform evangelism for Microsoft Corp. Jeff Sandquist works as a technical evangelist for Microsoft. Robert Scoble is an evangelist for Microsoft. Mena Trott cofounded and serves as president of Six Apart. Barak Berkowitz is CEO of Six Apart. During their BlogOn panel discussion, they explored two solid case studies of how companies have successfully opened themselves to customers. What follows is a partial transcript of their panel:

Continue reading "Business Transparency"

Posted by Heath Row at 2:39 PM | 2 Comments

The Dark Side of Social Media

Danah Boyd is a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley. Lisa Poulson serves as president of Kirtland Enterprise Group Inc. Wendy Seltzer works as an intellectual property attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. And Chris Kelly serves as chief privacy officer and general counsel for Spoke Software. During a panel discussion at BlogOn, they explored some of the challenges brought on by social media -- for users, as well as organizations. What follows is a partial transcript of their conversation:

Continue reading "The Dark Side of Social Media"

Posted by Heath Row at 1:17 PM | 3 Comments

Defining Social Media

Ross Mayfield is CEO of SocialText. James Currier is founder and president of Tickle Inc., as well as consumer SVP for Monster. Dan Gillmor works as a technology columnist for the San Jose Mercury News. Reid Hoffman serves as CEO of LinkedIn. Michael Sikillian works as a senior product marketing manager in the Lycos Network search and Web publishing division. And Jim Spohrer serves as director of Almaden Services Research at the IBM Almaden Research Center. During their panel discussion at BlogOn, they attempted to define social media but ended up taking a wide-ranging look at the opportunities and challenges for product developers and users. What follows is a partial transcript of their discussion:

Continue reading "Defining Social Media"

Posted by Heath Row at 1:01 PM | 1 Comment

PowerPoint of Fact II

Thanks to Frank Patrick for referring us to Michael Hyatt's roundup of useful PowerPoint resources. If you must use the presentation tool, these resources will help you do so with skill and savvy -- not sleepiness. These Web sites, organizations, templates, and other items will help you use PowerPoint more pointedly -- which will in turn hopefully help you communicate better.

Posted by Heath Row at 11:43 AM | Add Comment

July 22, 2004

Social Media Opportunities and Challenges: The Big Picture

Chris Shipley is the executive director of BlogOn, as well as the cofounder and editorial director of the Guidewire Group. Tony Perkins created and serves as editor in chief of AlwaysOn. Bill Schreiner is VP of community programming for AOL. John Roberts works as AVP of product development for CNET. And Scott Gatz works as senior director of personalization products for Yahoo. In their evening panel discussion, they touched on many of the same topics that most panels like this still address: the business case for blogging, the benefits of transparency, and the perceived challenge to big media. What follows is a partial transcript of the conversation:

Continue reading "Social Media Opportunities and Challenges: The Big Picture"

Posted by Heath Row at 11:10 PM | 2 Comments

BlogOn Boot Camp Highlights

This afternoon's Boot Camp at BlogOn 2004 is a basic introduction to the business of blogging, largely from a technical perspective. With sessions on why people blog, the tools you can use, RSS feeds, and other aspects, the Boot Camp also sports a class blog that participants have been contributing to.

Of today's presenters, Halley Suitt, who produces the blog Halley's Comment, was perhaps the most interesting. "Any time you have a way of having a strong, interesting voice talking about your product, go with it," she says. "The intimacy of this medium is remarkable."

She also commented on the value of using blogs as a prototyping tool: "You can throw ideas up there."

Similar to Robert Scoble's corporate blogging guidelines, Suitt offered the following "rules":

Continue reading "BlogOn Boot Camp Highlights"

Posted by Heath Row at 6:53 PM | 1 Comments

End of the Airline Giants?

Last month, Melissa mentioned Delta and United's management woes. Just recently, Delta's pilots have offered to take a 23 percent pay cut, resolving a deadlocked talk with the management. But company leaders say the cut is not enough to steer the struggling airline from bankruptcy.

It's the second in a row of labor troubles at the airline industry. Southwest's CEO James Parker unexpectedly stepped down last week from what he calls a "draining" job. Part of the reason is a grueling two-year-long talk with the airline's flight attendant's union.

Continue reading "End of the Airline Giants?"

Posted by at 6:04 PM | Add Comment

Billable (French) Hours

Strategize contributor Ross continues the conversation started by Seth Godin's recent Fast Company column about the idea of French hours. Ross touches on how the phrase was coined, expands on Seth's four rules for implementing French hours, and shares an example from his own work experience. It's an excellent personal application of an idea that Ross goes so far as to deem "intuitive."

• Every person must want to do it.
• You can't do it all the time.
• Everyone on the team has to be reminded of the uniqueness of the situation (and the team) on a regular basis.
• You have to stop. All at once.

Do any other people have examples of using French hours in their work?

Posted by Heath Row at 4:01 PM | Add Comment

Don't Delete that E-Mail + The Creativity of Crowds

There have been plenty of warnings over the last several years about being careful with what you write in an email as it may one day come back to bite you in a court of law. But cigarette maker Phillip Morris yesterday discovered the heavy cost of deleting those less-than-savory electronic messages. U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler slapped a $2.75 million fine on the company for destroying two years' worth of potentially incriminating emails ahead of an upcoming trial in which the Justice Department is seeking to reclaim $289 million of the company's profits for a half-century of deceptive and dangerous marketing practices.

One other interesting story worth mentioning from Slate (which has nothing to do with the one mentioned above) discusses whether crowds can harness more creativity than one passionately inspired individual.

Posted by Ryan Underwood at 4:00 PM | 1 Comment

Historical Holidays VII

The last week or two has marked a handful of notable business-, leadership-, and innovation-related anniversaries:

• On July 11, 1914, Babe Ruth made his major league debut.
• The first Etch-A-Sketch was introduced July 12, 1960.
• The Boeing Corp. was founded as Aero Products on July 15, 1916.
• On July 16, the District of Columbia became the designated seat of the U.S. government.
• On July 17, 1955, Disneyland opened.
• Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon July 20, 1969.

Posted by Heath Row at 3:47 PM | Add Comment