Digital Good Samaritanism

I've heard it said that you can learn a lot about a person by how they treat people who they think can't do anything for them.

I've taken lately to networking with folks I've not met before, looking for full-time employment in this down economy. Usually I am referred to them by another friend. I connect with them on social networks, and share their resumes with those I think can help out.

I do it because I think it's the right thing to do. Because it is a kind of digital Good Samaritanism. We are finding these unfortunate souls on the digital highways and byways instead of the literal ones.

If anything will mitigate the disasters of this current economy, which I fear will get worse, it is the low-friction digital highway. Information flows much more freely than it did in previous depressions or recessions. That is a good thing. So, help out a soul you find there if you can. It's really not so hard to do.

What Can Facebook Do?

Facebook turns five, and still can't figure out how to make a profit. (Well, I for one click on the occasional display ad. In fact, I think, they are better targeted than on some other sites. But I have not purchased anything. Hmm.)

I can't tell them how to run their business, but if Facebook is so popular, why not sell branded, ironic merchandise like t-shirts and stuff to bolster the bottom line? Why not some strategic partnerships with other brands? Why not relaunch that disastrous tracking thingy again, but explain it to the public this time with an opt-in?

I don't know, there are a million ideas I'm sure. The key would be to do some research and test them, right? So why is it that with so many of these cool, explosive new sites, the only thing we ever hear from the inside is "they're still trying to figure it out"?

Article Touts Twitter for Job Searches

Interesting read. Add Twitter user name to your resume, and microblog interesting information and job search inquiries. Why not. Another social network to rely on, right?

Story of My (Marketing) Life

According to this news report, there is a telling study by the Conference Board; which is also the story of my entire career in marketing:
Wah - Marketing Execs Struggle with ROI Measurement.

Recommended remedy: What Sticks: Why Most Advertising Fails and How to Guarantee Yours Succeeds

Video Illustrates Mind-Boggling Global Change

A friend passed this video along with fascinating facts about global changes and the development of information technology. I wanted to pass it along as well.

You may note that India and China seem to play a large part in this video. Some people worry about these countries based upon bulk or intelligence. I don't. I follow the philosophy that the more people, the more minds to solve problems. Good for India and China, so long as they, the United States and other countries encourage freedom, risk taking and innovation.

What I take away from this is don't expect anyone else to deal with the pace of change but you. Continue to educate yourself and your children. Never stop growing, because, as this video notes, the world won't wait for you.

You Need Management to Keep Your Projects "Sexy" and On Track

Interesting article here on project management in a matrixed organization. Very importantly, the author notes the importance of proper estimation of time so you can maintain buy in from team members - who might already be time crunched working on a number of projects.

So long as one is considering the importance of various pieces of the project management methodology, one might also consider the importance of management's ongoing championing or support.

I recently told a fellow project manager on a crumbling project: "I remember when this project used to be sexy." Why is it no longer sexy? Management has bailed. Other subjects have come up and none of them dial into conference calls.

It's a perfect recipe for creating cynicism in an environment, where people keep their heads down and just ride out their projects with no commitment and no drive for excellence. Sadly, it's also a recipe for no professional accomplishments on the resume and work without fulfillment.

If projects are initiated or run without that management support, you cannot get other stakeholders to buy into the changes to their processes that will take place. It's a very depressing scenario, which I've witnessed all too often.

You've got to "manage up" in such circumstance - reminding management if necessary of the sunk costs, the original purpose/benefits of the project, etc. Whatever it takes.

Image used under Creative Commons license courtesy of perhapstoopink.

Lessons from Washington in Poorly Defined Credit Market Bailout Plan

Interesting to note that the government-appointed expert overseeing the Treasury Department's "rescue" of the credit markets has noted that the government has not clearly defined the problem to be solved. (see paragraph three in this story.)

How do you solve a problem you have not defined? Could it be that our esteemed financial genius from Goldman Sachs, Mr. Paulson, is counting on nothing more than good feeling to get things moving? Not the first time in the history of government such a tactic has been tried for sure.

One also has to wonder what media organs like the Wall Street Journal were reading (or not reading) when they endorsed this plan.

All this reminds me again of how very valuable my Six Sigma education was, and how much gratitude I owe to Symbol Technologies for providing it to me, because the method drives home the point that you must define clearly what you are trying to accomplish. Or, you will just waste time and squander precious resources. Which is exactly what is going on now in Washington and on Wall Street.