“Social” – Our “Hiccups” Moment.

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Kim Patrick

If you have a young child, you have undoubtedly heard of the movie series based on “Toothless” the Dragon[i]. The series hero is Hiccups – an expert in dragon slaying, who decides that he would rather befriend – than capture and slay dragons. Thus, a partnership is formed with “Toothless” the lovable, benevolent dragon who collaborates to do good deeds.

Screen Shot 2015-03-16 at 1.03.04 PM

The “social” industry could use a similar “Hiccups” – like moment of reflection. Why? Because, as we should admit with intellectual honesty – “social” is broken. It is not realizing its potential. Not for the 1.6 billion users around the world. [ii]  Not for the businesses that are subsidizing the industry to the tune of an estimated 16.1 billion of annual revenue (2014). [iii]  We too are slaying dragons – using social for targeting and surveilance. Not so much for – engaging, helping, and leveraging social communication by respecting what makes it such a powerful tool – its cooperative character.

This is the beginning of a five part blog series that will express my point of view on several industry dynamics – and how we can enable social communication to reach a fuller potential.

In these posts, we will consider:

  1. The Purpose and Potential of Social Communication.
  2. Social as “The Business of Distraction” (and Commercial Surveillance).
  3. Social as an Opportunity for Engagement. (Here we will consider: Why “The Soft Stuff is the Hard Stuff”. ™)
  4. Social as a Business Growth Opportunity. In this multi-part post, we will reflect on how prominent social networks can both better serve users – and strengthen their business models and financial performance. Specifically:
    1. Twitter
    2. Facebook
    3. Linked In
    4. Instagram; and,
    5. Yahoo (I know it’s not a social network – yet!).
  5. Rebuilding Stewardship – A Vision.

It is my point of view that “Social” must embody a better user experience, and a stronger business ethos to grow and prosper. The basis for this belief is described in the posts that will follow.

[i] See Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Train_Your_Dragon_(franchise)

[ii] Statista, March, 2015.

[iii] CMO Council, Facts and Stats, January, 2015

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Please! Call it Something Else! – The Quantified Self (Not)

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Kim Patrick

It is time to bury the “the Quantified Self”. I get the need to establish a buzz category for those who thrive on buzz – venture capitalists, marketeers, and social pop consultants.  And I also get the impulse to assign a geeky term to what is seen as a technological revolution – and one as important as that which drives personalized healthcare, the fight against obesity, and the individual drive for self improvement.

BUT:  “The Quantified Self” scares people. It is demotivating. It is mechanistic. It sounds like machine learning and big data. It invites fear of privacy invasion.  You (figuratively) are scaring people.  You are making something complex, seem enormously more complex and out of reach for many to understand. Folks, it is not working. And worse – it is turning off people who need to be turned on. They need the promise of self-improvement. They need to see measurement (not quantification) as a way  to take personal responsibility and control of their lives.

TheQuantifiedSelf

Danny Sullivan’s excellent article at CNET this week, How My Body Rejected Activity Trackers and the Quantified Self, is the tip of the ice berg. Health is increasingly becoming an important issue for the 75 million baby boomers and their parents (U.S), the same demographic which will benefit the most from the increased capabilities and information provided by the quantification devices.

I have actually developed something of a passion for the value of sensing devices. I use myself as an example which I have written about here.  Over the course of several years, I have been able to improve virtually every health metric – weight (lost over 60 pounds), blood pressure, and stamina. I think more clearly. And hopefully will have more longevity for the sake of family and our 3 year old daughter. I would not have considered myself fat. But I was I guess. What the devices (fit bit, wi-fi scales, blood pressure cuff, heart rate monitor) did for me was to make me aware of my former state – and how to incrementally improve to my current state. It was a journey.

Rather than being overwhelmed by all of the available devices AND the hype surrounding them, I started slowly, incrementally. First I learned that my activity levels were ridiculously low sitting at a computer all day. The FitBit did that for me. Next I learned how to influence my weight through diet and exercise. The wi-fi scale did that in part for me. The heart rate monitor gave me the confidence to evolve my walks to full fledged running workouts by announcing my heart rate zones etc.  All good stuff. And honestly, it was simple.

So what we have is a point in time where the audience that can recognize some of the biggest benefits of tracking and sensing devices is at the same time an audience that has the least patience for hype, perceived complexity of message, and change of lifestyle.

So let’s make the message simple and go mainstream. As I would say to our 3 year old – let’s “share”  the cool devices in a way that is practical, simple, and usable. Let me give it a spin.

The Aware Self

The purpose of tracking the devices is to give you control over your health. They are simple to use, and less intrusive than for instance, that watch, or jewelry that you have been wearing for years. You can gain most of the benefits with a simple wi-fi scale and tracker – try those first. Just step on the scale in the morning. Just put the fit bit in your pocket. They will do all of the work. You don’t have to do anything.

By using measuring devices – which is simple – you can maintain an active life-style, and keep bugging those pesky X,Y and Z er’s who come up with all of this cool stuff. Your brain will work better. But most importantly, you will be more vital for your family and less dependent on prescription drugs that you have seen so many of your peers and your parents become reliant on. You will be responsible for and in control, of your health and aging.

We need to make change about the person, not about the technology. And we have to appeal to and provide a sense of possibility to a much wider audience which thrives on “simplicity”.

So here is my vote for ditching THE QUANTIFIED SELF. Perhaps we could replace it with “The Aware Self” or another label that sends a more inclusive message to the mainstream. Some marketing guru can surely figure this out. Maybe development of the label could be crowdsourced. Then let’s get on with using all of this wonderful measurement technology to improve our collective health and understanding. Though it never be used by some, it holds promise for many others.

TheAwareSelf3

 

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The Network Belief System – What your business believes matters!

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Kim Patrick

The headline is by now familiar – Everything and Everybody is Becoming Connected[1]. Some see it as Nirvana (an obvious means to solving the world’s problems).[2]  Many see the dangers in the evolution (security and privacy).  Good or bad, there is a cacophony of advice on how to take advantage of the disruptive paradigm of digital networks.

 

dreamstime_m_18102146 copy 2But with all of the available observation, plethora of available “social strategy”[3], and unending evolution of new devices, and applications, it just seems like something is missing.  Companies are bombarded with strategies and tactics without getting the most important first step right – the development of a Network Belief System.[4]

 

It is the alignment of beliefs, values and motivations that ultimately determines whether an organization will successfully leverage networks.  Before technology choices are made, marketing dollars spent, and social media consultants on-boarded, executives must create systemic understanding of if, how and why, new age digital networks can lead to competitive advantage.

 

They might start by asking basic questions. For instance:

  • Do our customers, employees, and partners believe that new age digital networks are important to our business? Do they believe that we are capable of delivering on “the network promise”. (Belief)
  • Does our corporate culture embody the values of sharing, listening, connection, and exchange that foster successful network strategies?  Does what our customers, partners, and employees say matter? (Values); and,
  • Do we have the desire and energy in our workforce to do the hard work of evolving our business processes (assuming an alignment of values and beliefs)? (Motivation).

 

Generationally, executives may not have the technology skills, or maybe even the networking skills to bridge the chasm from traditional business models to new models built on digitally enabled networks. But they usually possess the most important skill – being able to align organizational beliefs, values and motivation – The Network Belief System.

Is your organization ready? Does it have the aptitude for change? Does it have the skills for change? Does it share the vision for change? The honest answers to these questions are a critical first step for any business to flourish in a networked world.

(So what are the elements of the Network Belief System?  That will be the subject of my next blog post – The Network Belief System part 2].

[1]  One of the most insightful works on the evolution of digital networks can be found in “Networked” The New Social Operating System by Lee Raine and Barry Wellman MIT Press (2012).

[2] Byron Reese gave one of the best presentations that I have seen on this topic at SXSW 2013. His recent book is, Infinite Progress: How the Internet and Technology Will End Ignorance, Disease, Hunger, Poverty, and War (2013)

[3] See as examples, The Seven Factors of Social Business Strategy, by Charlene Li and Brian Solis of the Altimeter Group, or my SoPhy Model, represented here.

[4] There is a fair amount of literature on how belief systems are defined and developed.  One simple work that I have found most helpful is titled Setting Goals in Line With Your Belief System, by Andrew Ostoja. I would highly recommend this easy read. Though it is written for individual beliefs, it can easily be metaphorically adapted to corporate belief systems.

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Personal Healthcare and the Empowered Self

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Kim Patrick

There is something big going on in personalized healthcare. This emerging market illustrates how future networks are changing our lives and the art of the possible. Here is my personal experience.

In 2008-2010 I had a ton of stress in my life (as CEO responsible for leading an enterprise software company through the depths of the US economic collapse). I weighed 230 pounds to start the period. I have little idea what my blood pressure was. And I know that I was glued to a computer screen most of the time answering emails, doing Web research, and trying to act strategically.

Then early in 2010, my wife and I adopted a baby girl (now 3 years old). And it made me start taking the state of my health more seriously. I started working on reducing the stress by sharing business responsibilities. But importantly, in one of my frequent trips to the Apple Store, I picked up a Withings wi-fi scale. Once I got it on the home network – in about April of 2011 – I was able to start measuring my weight and keeping a personal record  (automatically every morning)- accessible by the Web. That helped me understand that in addition to lessening the stress, I also needed to change the diet.  So I did, eventually evolving into what is referred to as a strong plant based diet. (not an easy thing to do with an ethnic Midwest background and tons of travel in my life).

Seeing some success in my weight tracking, I then discovered the Withings blood pressure cuff (also at the Apple store), and started keeping a record of my blood pressure. This happened in August of 2011.  Measuring my blood pressure involved a little more initiative. You have to plug the cuff into your I-Pad. But it was equally informative. Over time, I was able to match my progress on blood pressure with the progress on my diet.

Then, in June of 2012, I got turned on to the fit bit – a smallish device that fits in your pocket and which measures your activity. I quickly discovered that my computer/work habits meant that I was moving about 5000 steps a day or less – about half of what it takes to burn 3,000 calories or more. And after a little research, I also discovered that lack of motion also affects both the health of our brains, and the rate at which they age. This meant that I had to find a way to hold myself accountable to not less than 10,000 steps a day. Fit-bit (based on accelerometer sensor technology) let’s me know when I am active, and when not. It is most helpful when used in the context of the weight and blood pressure data.

What happened?

Between April of 2011 and today, I lost 25 pounds (50 in total from my 2008 highs). My body fat dropped from 26% to 23%.  My blood pressure dropped by 30 points in both measurements to under 120 over 70.

 

HealthmetricsPNG

I increased my activity score from 5,000 steps a day to 10,000-12,000 steps a day (more than doubling), by making myself get up and run in the morning, or in the evening. And during the day, it makes me get up from my desk and do something active. I also learned that when I travel to an urban area like New York City, DC, or San Francisco, it is not uncommon to achieve almost 20,000 steps (about 7 miles a day), walking around the city and hitting the subway (especially in NYC).

 Activity Score copy

 

A little success lead to further search and discovery. I started using the MyTracks application on my Samsung Note 2 to match the distance that I run or walk to my activity. Basically, with GPS it tracks my route, elevation, speed of run etc.,

Screenshot_2013-06-20-16-21-55[2]Screenshot_2013-06-20-16-05-02Screenshot_2013-06-20-16-22-26

 

And of course – it is important to bring it all together in one Web experience. For that I use Tactiohealth. From Tactio I have a complete picture all of the time across every device – my desktop, Galaxy Note 2, Iphone, Mini-Ipad, and everything else. But, I am also connected to a community – most importantly to measure my progress versus my peer group. photo

And that is just the start of the empowered self. At SXSW I learned that within the next 18-24 months we should able to buy a MUSE at Best Buy. With a MUSE  (the brain sensing head band) we can correlate all of this data to multiple forms of our brain waves – what were we thinking when we ate that big salad, meditated, exercised, or while we sat at the computer all day. Apparently, we may be able to control some of our computer function by brain wave (i.e. the MUSE) as well.

What does this all mean?  For starters under Obamacare about 2 billion dollars is to be distributed to health care providers based on how frequently patients return to the hospital for care. What if they had this type of data in real time to anticipate who is at risk of coming back – and who is not?  What if they had access to the data before weight, blood pressure, and other bio-indicators became chronic issues?  And what if because you and I have the data instead of the primary health care providers, and the data travels with us – we own it – we stay healthy and out of the hospital, health care system etc?

You can see where this is going. This is one version of the empowered self and the foundation for personalized health care. There really is something big going on here!

And one more thing: Where does that get you?

Exhibit A: A 235 pound tired stressed out executive with a beautiful wife (2006).

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Versus: a rested, healthy, vital and fit thinker @ 183 pounds (2013) (still have the beautiful wife and a wonderfully vibrant 3 year old daughter)

Mind over matter - if you don't mind, it doesn't matter!

Mind over matter – if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter!

Click forward to your interest:  (1) open innovation (2) sophisticated collaboration, and,  (3) commerce.

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Networked: The New Social Operating System

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Kim Patrick

Networked, The New Social Operating System, by Lee Ranie and Barry Wellman is quickly becoming one of my favorite reads.  Due to the extensive backgrounds and obvious  competency of both authors, they provide an excellent synthesis of the recent history of networks and network technology and a vision for the future.

This is a book about behaviors, institutions and trends that affect each and every one of us. What I absolutely love about Networked is that it thoughtfully blends illustrative stories and data – not an easy thing to accomplish. So it is very readable.

I am not sure how large the audience for Networked might be. But I am hopeful that it is meaningful and growing.  If you are a business leader, or someone who sets or influences organizational strategy for the future, Networked would fit into the “must read” category. This book is very helpful in building an informed perspective. I have a feeling that Networked and its (hopefully) progeny, will sustain and be with us for a long time. I intend to read it several times. I am just hoping that they produce an Audible version. :))

 

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Digital Disruption: Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Kim Patrick

Digital Disruption: Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation by James McQuivey looks into the future and tells it like it is – the rate of change is accelerating, unstoppable, and is disrupting virtually every institution and business process.  DD is more or less a clarion call to embrace the change, master the change, become the change. McQuivey would say – ignore the change at your peril. I think that he also makes an excellent case for the importance of synthesizing social skills with business judgement – in a non-linear world with changing conventions of leadership.

I had an opportunity to see Jim McQuivey speak at SXSW and his enthusiasm, knowledge, and vision made me want to go further in picking this up. I was not disappointed. I used a dual approach to reading the book in hard copy on the Kindle, and listening to it on Audible. That helped keep my attention and I was able to get through it in parts of 4 days.

If I have a mild criticism, it would be that towards the end especially, McQuivey lapses into just a little consulting speak – somewhat owing to his background at Forrester. But we all have our styles. And his manner and narrative is well delivered.

I liked it. And again applying my standard – I came away from the read having learned something! : Time to go. The world of business is changing and rapidly!

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Automate This: How Algorithms Came To Rule Our World

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Kim Patrick

The bottom line for Christopher Steiner’s book – Automate This: How Algorithms Came To Rule Our World (2012) is that it is an excellent read. Steiner takes the reader through the evolution of how algorithms have come to dominate many parts of our lives – from Wall Street, to medicine, automated customer service, and artistic expression – the book provides a simple, readable understanding of just how pervasive algorithms have become in so many dimensions of our lives. Though sometimes criticized by members of the scientific and academic class, that is not Steiner’s audience. He could have named the book The Use of Algorithms for Dummies.

For those of you with math phobia. seeing the word “Algorithm” in the title might cause an immediate repulsion. Don’t let the title throw you. This is a fairly humanistic lifestyle book with information that will help you to make better choices and to understand the companies and institutions that you encounter every day of your life. Honestly, Automate This gets a big thumbs up.

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Content and The Butterfly

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Kim Patrick

Predictability: Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? Dr. Edward Lorenz.

It is often said that content defines a network – that success in a network is dependent upon the strength of content. One immediately thinks of the media and entertainment industries that are all about content creation and sale. Traditional publishing also comes to mind.

But the role of content to value creation (and conversion) is not always so clear.  Cooperative systems are in their infancy. So we  don’t fully understand the subtle differences that cause some communities to work while others do not. Often, we “have to try some things.”

Using the SoPhy framework, the role of content is to build value through exchange. If content is exchanged – the greater the network value. If content is added and not exchanged, network value is not affected. The point is that simple changes in systems often drive complex and unpredictable results. And so it is with community and engagement. Almost identical uses of technology can create very different user experiences.

Often, communities or engagements supported by very similar applications of technology may seem to drive very different results. The differences may lie in the subtleties of how content is used, whether there are calls to action, whether expectations have been properly created, and whether a community has been successful in establishing trust.

Like Dr. Lorenz’s butterfly, small changes and subtle differences, will drive very different outcomes.

 


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Attention Economics and Network Design

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Kim Patrick


The personal economics of online participation.

Every time that we participate in a network, whether in a destination community or a simple network service, that participation, every social interaction, carries a cost – a cost of participation.  Similarly all of us only have so much time to invest in network participation – our supply of attention. Attention is how we tend to regulate our expenditure of time. Attention is network currency.

One way to think about this is that every person also has a supply curve that defines the time that we are willing to spend in online networking – the limit of our participation in network behaviors.

The currency of attention

The currency of attention is the province of recognized authority Bernardo Huberman.. Huberman’s thesis is that people gravitate to unique, novel experiences that build attention. How much time is each of us willing to spend online and in network behaviors – online interactions and social exchange? Is it 3 hours a week, more, less? And when we spend that time, do we want to spend it in one place – a destination, a social portal, such as a facebook?

Or do we want to develop a personal portfolio of network experiences – and spread our time amongst many networks – not all of them destination communities, or portals?

Unique cost and benefit structures.

Each person receives a different benefit from multiple forms of network participation. We all have our own personal supply and demand curves – we constantly evaluate the cost of participation, and measure that cost against our supply of time, allocated by attention.  Here is my point. Different network activities have what are often much different cost structures. It “cost” much more to participate in some network activities, than others.

For instance, social portals, like Facebook, are relatively costly. One has to fill out and maintain lengthy profiles, The expectation is that each individual contributes photos, video, links, and interacts on an almost daily basis.They constantly interact with all of their friends. The cost of participation is high.  Most facebook members however, are willing to allocate their attention because their familial and interpersonal relationships supported by facebook are very valuable – nurturing true friendships is rarely a low cost activity. And it can be argued that maintaining those relationships is much less costly than in real life alone. It is not unusual for members to feel a strong sense of responsibility to contribute online – as they would in a real world offline community.

But our life-styles are not simply about living in destinations, but in taking journeys. This is equally true online.  Too often we tend to define networks as places to go – destinations. In fact, in real life, we move in and out of a series of relationships – some of them fleeting and lasting only hours or days, some that are episodic and that last for a defined term, and others that are truly enduring and that might last for a life time.

At points of intersection in episodic or transactional networks, we may provide interaction with network members, but often in limited ways – by a one time fleeting contribution, or perhaps by participation over a defined period of time.  Online episodic network involvement/participation often has a very different set of user participation costs than destination networks, meaning that every net has a different value proposition.

This is why defining networks by the technologies that support them is very limiting and doesn’t give us a true understanding of possibilities.  Similarly, prescribing destination communities for every business problem is a losing proposition. There are very few business problems that will be solved with full blown destination communities. Why? Because participants don’t have an adequate supply of attention in relationship to the cost of participation.  The value proposition is flawed.

Thoughtful design and planning

This is why every organization has to be thoughtful in implementing network technologies. One size doesn’t fit every possible use of networks. Design of network services should be proportional the value promised to the user and the goal of the network.  A destination community might be “right” for a professional or affinity community, or perhaps even a local or statewide citizen network. But it may not be right to conduct a policy discussion designed to find the best, new, ideas.

This is a much more complex subject than can be fully developed here. But the bottom line is that the personal economics of online network participation has much to do with how future business models are designed, and ultimately in how social networks are deployed and adopted throughout many types of enterprises.

 

Every network competes for social attention. How does your network measure up?

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The World Tends to Accept You on Your Own Terms

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Kim Patrick

It often strikes me that you are, or become what you think that you are. And you can not expect someone else to believe that you are capable of achieving that which you don’t believe of yourself. If you believe that you can be an honorary member of Engine Company 42 in Chicago, then you probably can be. That is the great thing about being 2 years old – you haven’t yet been told that you can not do too many things.

Daniel Kahneman in his best work, Think Fast, Think Slow describes two principles that apply in every day life. First, we all “anchor” others expectations. And second, we are by nature mentally lazy (some more than others) and would prefer to leave our impressions to “System 1″ rather than to use “System 2″ capacity. We size people up quickly, with a minimum of effort and critical thought. In fact, most of our impressions are subconscious.

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