Mind Adventure: Atomic Action in Action – It’s Happening!
(01.20.12)

I love the idea of real meetings of the minds. In just a quick series of back-and-forth emails with a business partner at this end yesterday, we both discovered a whole new ecosystem which could (scratch that) WILL rise up out of this current adventure.

John Falchetto: How to Get Clear About Your Goals
(01.23.12)

Here’s my Big 3 for 2012:

1. Penmanshift.com > Complete beta testing, complete with user feedback on program quality and pricing by the end of April. (Note: 7 beta testers signed up and ready to launch on 6 Feb!) Why? Because this baby seems the quickest way to self-employment which will enable me to devote more time to the rest of my business ecosystem development efforts.

Conversation Agent: The Truth About B2B Social Media Adoption
(01.24.12)

Why would anyone want to read this stuff?
How will the stuff we write help them?
How will we know we’ve helped them?
How will our helping them impact our bottom line?
How do we tie social activity to increased revenue or reduced costs?

If we can’t put our finger on why we’re doing something, why are we even bothering to do it?

Craig McBreen: Can We Discuss Personal Branding & the Power of Authenticity?
(01.24.12)

There is a segment of the population which knows me as “Captain Halfass.” They know me as getting way too drunk in Ohio parking lots, almost getting tazed by Houston PD, and “eyeballing” piston ring end gaps in an otherwise $3,000 high compression engine build.

Want to see more TWICs posts? Thank you for inspiring me this week. Keep going fast with class, pressing on regardless, and doing it yourself (or doing what you can).

In the glovebox:

• TWICs XXI
• TWICs XX
• TWICs, XIX

I'd appreciate hearing what you think about TWICs XXII

This Week In Comments (TWICs): Why Twitter vs. G+ matters, multi-author blogging 101, sucky business blogs, and signature content.

The week of January 13 – 19 2012.

Geoff Livingston: Why You Should Care About Twitter vs. Google+
(01.17.12)

I’m still very much on the fence about this. I can see Twitter’s point, but I can see Google’s too. It also seems a good way to drive more meaningful, strategic connections on g+ and other social networks. Curate a strong personal network, reap big rewards when you search.

FBBB: Multi-Author Blogging 101
(01.17.12)

For all the added complexities of running a multi-author site, the one really big perk is how we can all share the load together. When my partners get twisted IRL and I have to dust off my one-man-band hat, it’s obvious just how much work we get done as a team.

FBBB: Your Business Blog Sucks, Part I
(01.19.12)

There’s a special space in the digital world where upper management basically gives us permission to set things in motion they ultimately will not be able to control – to start revolutions – but we’ve got to get people to care. Nobody cares about things they don’t even know exist.

Neiman Journalism Lab: The Newsonomics of Signature Content
(01.19.12)

Signature content. Sounds like a charge to specialize; do one thing and do it better than anyone else. What a novel idea, ya know? Instead of trying to be all things to all people, delivering an overall compromise, signature content stands on its own two feet; strong, meaningful, valuable.

Want to see more TWICs posts?

Thank you for inspiring me this week. Keep going fast with class, pressing on regardless, and doing it yourself (or doing what you can).

In the glovebox:

• TWICs XX
• TWICs, XIX
• TWICs, XII

I'd appreciate hearing what you think about TWICs XXI

This Week In Comments (TWICs): 2012 – The results of conversation, resisting the commoditization of what, why our businesses exist.

The week of January 6 – 12, 2012.

Brave New Org: Interlocutor – The Word of 2012
(01.09.12)

More and more, we need to participate – in the conversation, in what happens as a result of the conversation. What I think is particularly interesting is how the state of culture when social media began to take root influences its development.

Confused of Calcutta: Know-How & Know-Why vs. Know-What
(01.09.12)

The only cricket stats of any concern to me is how many set up camp outside my window on nights I cannot sleep, but the revelation of how ‘gamification’ *should* work, paired with the relationships between why, how & what are worth all the confusing mathsport discussion necessary to bring the topic to light.

Conversation Agent: Why Does Your Business Exist?
(01.12.12)

We might have felt burned when we got excited about something we thought would be all about us (remarkable), only to misfire in reflecting the REAL us to the rest of the world, but it’s important we not let the opportunity to help write the next chapters pass us by.

“I owe you a ten second car.”

Want to see more TWICs posts?

Thank you for inspiring me this week. Keep going fast with class, pressing on regardless, and doing it yourself (or doing what you can).

In the glovebox:

• TWICs XXI
• TWICs, XIX
• TWICs, XII

I'd appreciate hearing what you think about TWICs XX

How disappointing it is to invest all that time and energy into a project, only to release it to lukewarm response and minimal – if any – adoption! We want to get people excited early and keep them excited throughout the process, laying the foundation for trial and adoption. We do this through a series of communication cycles generating buzz about our projects through our communications strategy.

 START WITH WHY
This project was given the green light because it is expected to deliver value to the business. In order to realize that value, we need to ensure the project delivers value to the people directly impacted. We start generating buzz by sharing with these people – WHY will this project benefit them, how will it to benefit them, and what can they do to help us ensure delivery of the absolute best possible product.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Success depends on our knowing where we are relative where we would like to be. We start our journey by sharing the reasoning behind the upcoming change; explaining WHY the change is needed, HOW those most affected or passionate can contribute feedback, HOW said feedback will be handled, and WHAT comes next.

This doesn’t have to be a big production. Keep it simple. Post to your discussion forum or blog, making sure to explain why the change is coming, but open it up to the audience. Why are they excited/concerned? How should things be setup for them to get the most value? What does that look like?

THE FEEDBACK LOOP
We repeat this process through every stage of the project. Each time we begin a new stage, we share why we are entering this stage, how the results will benefit our audience, and what they can do to help us deliver something of value to them.

THE FEEDBACK LOOP
We repeat this process through every stage of the project. How many times we repeat this process depends on how many stages or sprints there are to our project plan. The benefit of the feedback loop is twofold:

BETTER PRODUCTS
Intrinsically-motivated SMEs provide better feedback.

GREATER ADOPTION
Products deliver meaningful value to stakeholders.
Participants feel a vested sense of ownership in the product.

THE PROMISE
Buzz is not managed. It is not lead. Buzz is built, and built on a foundation of promises. We must be careful to say what we mean and mean what we say, lest we do more damage than good. Feedback should be acknowledged promptly and community members should be able to spot their impact from the field.

NEXT STEPS
Try introducing the WHY > HOW > WHAT feedback loop into your current project communication strategy.

 WHY
Why are we taking on this project?
Why are we sharing this information with everyone?

HOW
How do we expect this project to benefit everyone?
How can people with questions, comments, & concerns contribute?

WHAT
What does the best feedback look like?
What does the timeline look like?

In the glovebox:

• Communication Strategies: Starting with Why
• Community Development: A Simple Content Strategy
• Update: Evolution of a Blog

I'd appreciate hearing what you think about Communication Strategies: Building Buzz

We want our audiences to listen to us, to hear what we have to say, and take appropriate action. We achieve this by consistently communicating in ways which show the audience we have their needs in mind. This document is a high level guide to effective communication during the iterative release process associated with agile project management.

START WITH WHY
We are inundated with information. Meetings, webinars, phone calls, social media, and email are never far. It can be like drinking from a fire hose. We have fractions of seconds to consider new messages.

What’s good for the business is ultimately good for us – we know this – but we naturally gravitate toward information which we find immediately valuable to us, personally. For this reason, it is critical we begin our communications by clearly explaining WHY the information is important to the receiver.

FOLLOW WITH HOW, CLOSE WITH WHAT
Once we know WHY the information is important (why we should care), our concern shifts to HOW to get the most benefit out of the information. Finally, we need to know WHAT steps need taken to effectively ACT on the information we’ve received. Consider the examples below. Which speaks to you more as an individual?

THIS?
The Office of Knowledge Management promotes meaningful knowledge sharing and innovative collaboration through partnerships that maximize employee potential, research, and technology.

OR THIS?
We believe everyone should be able to connect and share information in meaningful ways that support personal and professional development. We facilitate these connections through development of relationships and technology. We are the Office of Knowledge Management. We connect people and ideas.

WHY > HOW > WHAT
As you can see from the two examples above, the first comes close, but why should I care about “meaningful knowledge sharing and innovative collaboration?” Who cares about “maximizing employee potential, research and technology?” Does anyone actually talk like that?

The second example, on the other hand, comes strong. “We believe everyone should be able to connect and share information in meaningful ways.” Hey, I have good ideas! These people want to help me share my good ideas. I can make a difference in this organization. I want to learn more about the Office of Knowledge Management.

NEXT STEPS
Try introducing WHY > HOW > WHAT to your communications today. Before you send that next email blast, pause for a moment to think about your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. Then try this outline.

INTRO: WHY
Why should I care about this?
What’s in it for me?

CONTENT: HOW
How will this information help me?
How do I get the full benefit?

CALL TO ACTION: WHAT
What happens next?
What do I need to do?

This was something I whipped up behind the scenes at the office to help spread the word about the power of starting with WHY. I love seeing how the message changes by simply re-arranging the pieces. What do you think?

In the glovebox:

• Communication Strategies: Building Buzz
• Community Development: A Simple Content Strategy
• Update: Evolution of a Blog

I'd appreciate hearing what you think about Communication Strategies: Starting with Why