Thiefs Everywhere

Howdy my devoted blog readers (max 2) !

Your rocket ship of blog excitement is back in action.  I feel like it has been a while so lets get started.  First off I have  a few tidbits to start with as I right about people’s rights when it comes to personal info, phones, data etc etc.

I am not a super privacy person.  Personally if things can be done to catch terrorist cells then go right ahead.  To follow on that if for some reason the CIA has listened in to one of my conversations and heard me make a funny joke, I am not going to get all bent out of shape.  Personally I try to live a life that I don’t think breaks "many" laws and if everyone abided by that thought process it would all be a happier place.

To continue I heard on NPR an interesting story about how AT&T, Tmobile, and Verizon all coordinate with the police to "help" them out.  Help is in quotes because of the fact it appears to be a revenue driver.  The police pay the major cell phone carriers for access to location services, text message info, and other things that all don’t require wire-tapping warrants.  The best part of this entire scenario is that they have different revenue models.  One has a month long “all you can drink” plan where you can monitor a phone for like 500 bucks. While the other has a smaller monthly fixed costs but charges per minute of listening or reading basically.  The fact that the providers have revenue generated is amazing. Long story short, I have been thinking about this and once again I am fine with it because it probably puts more bad people in jail.  We though start to get into some legal questions, because when you sign an ATT contract, they say they won’t sell any data.  But sure as hell looks like they do!!!!

Now this gets closer to Apple and Google sending wireless data back to their own services to learn about their users.  To me this “sticks in my crawl” more than the police working with AT&T.  Now to give Google and Apple credit, it is probably the things they have built into the phone that eventually help the police, but no-where when I open my iPhone box is there a big sign saying we track your every movement!  I find this to be quite a breach of our confidence as a user.  Now does that mean I am getting rid of my iPhone and going to a prepaid…..um no!  So this is where policy comes into play.   Perfect!  A small coalition of first amendment revelers vs two of the largest companies in the world fighting for politicians votes.  I wonder who is going to win this one ;)  

[On a side note I can say that I recently read an article that finally answered one of my greatest problems with these smartphones.  Smartphones get stolen, they get their software wiped, and the loser then uses it or sells online.  I was always furious that Apple did nothing about this, because I know that every phone has a signifying chip (haha because they track everyone).  They should make that phone unusable.  Obviously they chose not to initially because of costs, but now because of such an increase in thefts the police, telecom, and Apple are creating a stolen phone list.  This all being said I am sure this plan might work in America but any smart thief will be selling these phones to China ASAP.  But atleast its something!]

This social media frontier that we have reached leads people to wonder, how in the heck are these guys making money.  Some speculate, some scoff, some wonder....but somewhere in that revenue model is data sales...I assure you.  You (the user) “unknowingly” give your data to some people, while others "mine" the data and pull abstract things put them in a blender and sell them to the graduate MBA's looking for a marketing edge.

Well my initial reaction is, it is a slippery slope.  Why?  It goes right back to data as a revenue  model.  A potential backlash effect to me could send ripples across the entire social media landscape.  I think the biggest risk to Facebook’s 100 billion dollar valuation is the potential for a data fearing backlash.  If there is a string of incidents where data mined from Facebook leads to something crazy (I have no idea what crazy could actually mean) but there could be a large backlash.  But then again do I have to say the same thing from those that "do no evil" down the street at Google.  Cookies have always been around and they provide someone (I have no idea who) with information (I have no idea what).  This internet data is as old as....well the internet.  So in many ways I guess Google and Facebook have nothing to worry about since people’s love of email, porn, and Pinterest is probably much greater than their love of digital privacy.

I have another confession.  I talked for a long time a few days ago with a guy heading up a Facebook analytics company that mines Facebook data and creates among other things competitive analysis about certain brands based on Facebook data.  I am certainly very intrigued by the company and would love for him to offer to employ me but this ethical blog does get thrown in the mix.  What data are people “knowingly” releasing to the vast public even though they probably think it is only viewable to their friends...I dont really know the answer but it is a very interesting question...if you ask me.

Creativity....quite a Creative title!

I am the uncreative brother and my sister is the creative one.  That is the path that I feel my parents have basically laid out.  My sister more of the "free spirit" has the more classical creative mind.  She was a dancer.  She works in advertising.  She can create outfits.  She had a creative writing major.  She can design a room and decide where cool art pieces should go.  "She has an eye" as they say.  (haha as usual no one knows who they is.) I am the more structured brother who played sports.  I always had leadership roles.  I got a finance major.  Was supposed to do finance work.  Now I understand there are some things that my sister is more creative in, but I am fighting back!  I feel I can be the creative brother.  And here is why.... I always thought I could tell jokes and can be pretty funny.  But I recently had to give toasts at two rehersal dinners.  Actually one of the weddings, I was MCing the event (my sisters wedding).  Not only did I give a rousing top 10 list for how I knew my sister was going to get married, but could quickly input jokes inbetween each of the other speeches.  A bit of a improv activity.  At the end of the event people were crowding around complementing me and asking me questions like "Why am I in business school".  Questions like that do always make me ponder why I chose this route, but that is not part of the essay.  At a close friends rehearsal dinner a couple months later, I gave another rousing speech that left the young preacher who was in attendance saying that he had never heard a funnier speech in his life of going to many wedding events.  Anyway the second talk gave me confidence that it was not a fluke and gave me some belief that in an instant I can create connections between random things I am seeing and a random assortment of things bouncing around in my head.  If I can do it for comedy, I feel that I can do it as well for business and entrepreneurship.   I recently read the Innovators DNA by Clayton Christensen.  He breaks innovators qualities into 5 key attributes.  One of the main ones I connected with was "association".  Ones ability to grow associations with things that on the surface might not be connected.  After reading this I felt this could connect with my comedic skills that I have developed over the years.  Maybe this is how I can use my other talents to impact my entrepreneurial ambitions.  Basically I felt I need to change my mindset.  How can I connect things that I find successful in one area and connect it with other areas.  Obviously this is bit at the core of design mentality that the Steve Jobs book reiterated time and time again. I think it can also work with business models.  You see a successful company and then play games of how you could twist and turn it for another industry etc.   On that note I just read an article yesterday discussing ways to be healthier and more creative.  Not only did it mention diet, fitness, meditation, etc. But it really focused on how do you give yourself games to push you to think more creatively.  His focus was on how quickly your creative muscles can atrophy if you don't work them.   (side note just received my first beer.  We will discuss this later) I believe it.  Raytheon was a creativity drain.  It led to a lack of inspiration and no active pondering of ways to do things differently.  This was very different than my time during Teach For America.  TFA had almost the opposite mentality almost to a fault.  Somewhere in the TFA lore, the use of a 4th grade math text book to teach was almost blasphemous.  It led to long nights and weekends creating "engaging" work sheets and openers and activities that would blow the kids out of their chairs with academic involvement.  (lets just say some ideas were better than others) Highlights were my writing and directing of the 4th Grade play "Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure Two: A Night Out with the Ladies".  A play with all 130 4th grade students for the womens history month theme that led my biggest creative knuckle heads Cedric and Jose back in time to bring back famous women in history for their history class.  It is amazing how much 4th graders from the hood know regarding an early 90s classic.  Thanks TBS! Number two was my teaching of similes and metaphors through the Nelly song Grillz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFw6kgAexpE&feature=youtube_gdata_player As usual I digressed.... My favorite part about business school is that it has reinspired the creative notions in my mind.  I would say it has been highlighted in strategy class or Doggetts case classes because you have open ended problems that you can take in many different directions.  You can try to think creatively regarding potential answers.  This has lead to my focus now on entrepreneurial acts in the future....we will see.... Lets talk about a part of the essay that I liked.  Obviously it is the alchohol portion of the essay discussing how it can enhance creativity.  Now I can certainly attest that in my comedic successes booze has certainly played a part...but this semester has been focused on what I would call business creativity.  I have been developing ideas, creating business plans, thinking of different strategies, while at the same time trying to get stuff done.   I have created my perfect creativity structure.   Wake up 7am- Ice Coffee and work.  I have 3 hours of very focused work and idea generation.   Yoga 11 am- I am becoming a believer of the effects of yoga.  Not only do I like the classroom aspect and the fact it is quite a challenge for someone like me, but the chemicals flowing through my body after yoga are at times very creative inducing.  Though I know I am supposed to clear my mind during corpse pose, I try my hardest but am usually unsuccessful.  The advantage of this is that I have had great thoughts during corpse pose.  Other times I have fallen asleep for 1 minute and woken up with a great epiphany! Work from 1-3 with my yoga high.   Yoga high/relaxation wears off off around 3 pm.  I reamp with some ice coffee. A couple beers strarting around 8pm to 10 pm.  This gives a natural energy and creative boost to end the day.   (Caveat.  I do feel "that 2:30" feeling does exist if I do not get the yoga in at 11.  I am a massive believer in the 2:30 cat nap for 15 mins.  One of the most reninenergizing parts of the day) Lastly I will ponder something that has crossed my mind that was broached in the essay regarding places of work focused on creativity.  There are two kinds of jobs that use two man teams (in the classical sense) to do their job.  Two man creative Copy Writers and Art Directors work hand in hand as creative teams.  This is also found many times with Lyric and Music writers.  (think Elton John and Bernie Taupin)  These creative teams begin to know each other "intimately" and their abilities grow with time.   Business does not have this same approach.  People are always seen as individuals.  Does this lack of close teamwork over the life of ones career actually hurt their business potential.  It is the thought that 1+1=3 that is used in the ad world and song writing world but lacks in other business areas.  As I type I just realized that this is also found with great WWF tag team champs! The beer is kicking in.  Off to find some awesome WWF clips... New Age Outlaws. (I would highly suggest watching the entire thing) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpvhdO0eiY8&feature=youtube_gdata_player The Bushwackers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMWheL-xsww&feature=youtube_gdata_player It is amazing how the most creative fields in the world use this two man team scenario.  I am very interested as to why so many companies do not use this same mentality.  What if in classic marketing positions, finance jobs, or lawyers had a career path more commonly accepted by two people working closely together for a long time as apposed to as individuals.    Maybe it is a way to end this blog with an unanswered question...ahh the creativity!!!!

Blog #3

Now things are getting excited.  As a preface to last weeks blog (to any of those that are following me now in breathless anticpation), I can now say that Craig Carter aka @phonesmartED is actually now fully jumped into the tweeting community.  Whoa!!! I know I am amazed too. Things have been going well.  I have even heard about a new company, followed them, they contacted me, had a phone call, and have already started building an alliance between ed entrepreneurs that I was not even close to having last blog entry.  Proof is in the pudding I guess.   [Sorry I know that was like 12 sentence fragments but I am trying my hardest to make my blogs as perfekt English as possible]  [Blogging on Thursday nights to Techno repeating "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" can have its academic draw back] I actually reference the above to touch on the passion behind the potential concept for the final paper.  Education technology is totally trending on my goal for after school.  It has taken a bit of a circuitous route to get to this point, but as they say you will become best at the cross section between whatever you feel you will be good at and what interests you...entrepreneurship plus education...sounds like a perfect fit.  (though I still have to prove myself on the entrepreneurship front). Personally, I look at mobile and tablet technology as a catalyst to change the education space.   "Craig you are a genius you just solved all our education problems!"  "Oh stop it, I would say!"  That is just it.  These are pieces of technology.  They are not answers.  But could they be a car towards answers? hmmmmm lets look at the metaphor ( I have never really made a cheesy metaphor like this before...maybe because I have never really blogged before) Tablets/mobile technology are a mode of academic transportation.  Many things though are involved in getting you to where you want to go, because just like cars do not drive themslves, technology does not teach kids themselves. Technology though is changing.   Lets see what some changes from my "pre" researched mind looks like 1) Software can more easily adapt to the individual user 2) These adaptations can more easily be communicated to the teacher 3) Hardware is cheaper and smaller 4) More teachers have "grown up" with technology 5) Software is cheaper 6) Software is developed more quickly.  The offerings are smaller and more adaptable to the market.  Potential to take down the education armada?! 7) Bring your own technology to SOME classrooms.  BYOT 8) Technology ban to SOME classrooms. 9) Social media learning...boy this is intersting and a paper could be written all on this.  Do 3rd graders need to be tweeting their responses to questions as much as 5 year olds should be on toddlers and tiaras...hmmmm I dont know if I can touch that one.     Okay so things are changing but what....how does this involve CUSTOMER INSIGHTS.  Craig are you bringing back "Carter Cash" to give to students to do their work in a digital format....hardy har har...no Technology is changing and the masses seem to be screaming "This will change education!"  But how?  I say, "why dont we let the customers decide."   Customers?! Yes customers!    Students and Teachers They are the ones creating the actual education.  They are the actual customers involved.  How do we use better insights to address their pain points.   But how do we expand further from there.  I think a more perfected study would involve the triangulation of 3 key sources and how they are approaching this allegedly revoltionary technology in the classroom.   The tech developers.  These could be geniuses, hackers, idea guys, successful people looking to "give back", young entrepreneurs, etc.  They have knowledge of modern day social media trends, technology nuances,  etc etc etc...but do they have the pedagogical understanding to maximize true academic growth. Education Academics.  (Prefacing side not Finance Academics and Investment Bankers value companies in different ways...hmmmm) Education academics are obviously at the forefront of pedagogical research, but do they understand the technology currently out there or the problems faced by real teachers.... Teachers and Educators.  Okay these are ones on the front lines working with the products created by techs and acamemics...but is it happening the best way possible.  Are the techs and academics creating products that truly maximize the high level thinking needed to get our students to the next level.   I think an understanding of these three main groups creates the potential for a compelling insight into how to create customer focused product.   I will leave you with an article. http://techland.time.com/2012/02/22/new-study-finds-ipads-in-the-classroom-boost-test-scores/ Studies are beginning to show the success of Ipads in the classroom.  What kind of success is it.  Will it really be able to push to true academic change?  Are we really making revolutionary products or are we reinventing the wheel?  Digital flash cards wont change anything....but what will?  We must find out because the technology is compelling, but how do we harness the potential for an academic explosion.

#howdoyougetinfoproblems….

As a brief description, I am a twittet/blogger social media dip my feet in the oceaner.  What does this mean?  I cannonballed into the pool on facebook…no sharks to worry about…just the nice comfort of my friends.  In my life that is the one that I grew up with.  It is interesting when you begin to think about it, the 1981-1984 affluent babies were the first ones on Facebook.  This is when ol’ zuck was in college and the early adopters, the velvet ropers, were given access college to college…[oh yay I just got my pinterst account today!...if only digital velvet ropes also let me buy bottle service?!]  Anyways what does all this mean?! I have no problem posting on Facebook.  Hey these are my friends, girls I want to check out, my pledge brothers, more girls I have thought about hooking up with, random people I kinda met before on a weekend in New Orleans so now we should be friends for life, girls I awkwardly hooked up with became friends with don’t contact anymore but still get to see what they are up to, and don’t forget hip friends of my parents that were early adopters and tried to sign my mom up….oh yeah everyone but my sister because she thinks of the FB as a VD.  FB is a comfort zone.  A comfort zone like jamoca almond fudge or girl-scout cookies….Its an addition like comfort zone….but one that I actually think I might kick….we will see….[next blog I hope will be about why facebook should be called facebrag….”off to vegas” I read….”#goFyourself” is what I think…by the way “only 4 days till I go to whistler ;)”

But wait…I want to be an entrepreneur?! Oh S#it! That means what…..I have to build a community…I need to grow organically.  I need to follow all the industry leaders in hopes that they think #thepartywalla will connect them further to knowledge of the best business things happening in the world today…..That means I need to tweet “10 things an entrepreneur loves to do”….dear lord I am possibly going to attempt SXSW this year and I think I might freak out with all the # or twitter handles Im going to be following.  I certainly hope I don’t get carpel tunnel.….in foresight at least I’ll have my rechargeable iphone battery case with me so Ill freak out with 100% battery….#rangeanxietyproblems

Anyway this gets us to what in the world we are doing here.  I am a person a little scared about this world of twitter and blogging.  Why would anyone care to hear about #s#itIhavetosay?   (ugh oh a double hashtag, is that like a double rainbow).  Even more interesting than this, how do brands extract information from someone like me.  I am “afraid” to really start tweeting…let alone I could give two craps about voting what Panera bread should be bread of the month….how do companies interact with me in a positive manner and how do they extract this information to better their company? hmmmmm quite the pickle.

I look at social media as a place to learn about new things, occurrences, info aggregation, and hear funny things people say.  [btw Dane Cooks tweets arnt funny].  Do I care about the small business sector of Dell? Holy crud no!  But how could the knowledge inside of the small business sector of Dell be of benefit to me.  An entrepreneur, tech interested, creative, connected, life plan curious, but someone who could possibly need their products in the future. Hmmmm

1)      Exclusive webcasts- Deadmau5 just recently held a light show concert from London event exclusively for his facebook followers.  They offered an exciting opportunity for his followers.  Dell Small Business could offer a similar event (obvi not with deadmau5) but who are their clients interested in…entrepreneurs, tech experts, Michael dell.  I am not saying the event needs to be something as square as “How to use Dell in todays economy” blah…but something more creative and engaging.  During the event people can comment on something being said interactively and from there Dell can learn real information from its followers.  Also, now that it has an engaging audience, Dell could post side questions in the interactive session and some people might respond with ideas, suggestions, thoughts.  This is how they could get real time feed back on current curiosities.  

2)      How do you make Dell Small Business Social Media interesting?  I really have no idea but let us think.  Small businesses probably have much less of an IT department.  An entrepreneur is probably caring for all these issues they really don’t care about. How could Dell offer help to alleviate this pain?  How could Dell find this pain?  Hmmmmm Dominos pizza went with an entire campaign saying we make horrible pizza, but we are making changes from our customers suggestion.  (personally the most hilarious campaign ever because they would have people hidden in a room and then somehow the room would become a farm where the ingredients are being grown and the people would s#it Frisbees in amazement.  So does that mean that Dominos went Jack Bauer style and knocked out 7 possible focus group members and took them to an undisclosed location with black sacks over their head…sorry I digress)  Could Dell have social correspondence with their customer and have a semi-annual …If I could fix one thing with my Dell day…and people would respond with one key pain point they are currently having with Dell.  Is that something that could give them key pain points.  Accepting you have problems is the first step to recovery…just ask dominos…#papajohnsisdabombproblems

Long story short the goal of social media is to help build a brand and a community of interested users.  The only reason Dell has this interaction is to eventually have people realize, man dell actually is a cheaper option for my small business and though it is not as cool as apple, it will help our company out because ___________________________.   This ___________________ must be what they need to find out and build a community around.  I have no idea what Dell does now but silly “likes” or multiple choices questions will make me vomit.  If Dell wants to do it, they need to be informative regarding issues potential clients have.  What value-add would having dell on my twitter feed give me?  telling me there is a new laptop available aint helping nobody…so what do they do….I guess I will now follow up and actually starting following them to find out….haha don’t you love blogs, I just made you read all this stuff and I aint really got no idea what im talking about.  But I got 93,000 followers so sip on that for awhile.  #doIordontIproblems

To circle back around what can Dell do to cause me to re-communicate what they have sent me.  This is a key to a campaign.  And I am already a tough case to crack.  Im a toe dipper remember!  I am already a self-prescribed Social media pansy! Dell has a social media issue because they arnt that cool.  No longer is “dude your getting a dell” awesome.  On the other hand since I am trying to build my twitter/blog brand, I have got to be hot and fresh.  And I am sorry Dell, Miles Davis you are not.  Dell has an uphill battle but they can do it.  But they got to be different.  Unfortunately as of late the L in Dell has stood for Lemming so lets see what they can do…..

Persona - Elizabeth

Meet Elizabeth.  She is a married 33 year old, executive producer at an advertising agency.  She is also my sister.  She currently lives in Austin but grew up in Houston, lived 8 years in NYC, and spent 4 years in San Francisco. 

Elizabeth is family first.  She is loving wife to her husband of a year and their dog.  The couple spends the majority of all free time together.   She is also closely connected with her mother, father, brother, and grandmother.  She acts as the extended family “social planner”.  She is very diligent about visiting her elderly grandmother each week and calling her brother to check in.  She has had a job every day since college.  In college she studied creative writing and military history at a small liberal arts school outside of NYC.  Her academic emphasis in college displays her ability to think both poetically but have an interest in things different from her traditional world.  She is extremely well read.  Her walls are lined with books ranging from the classics, to poetry, to her collection of museum books (the museum books act more for memory and elegance than her love of art).   She works extremely hard in a creative field.  With her first job in the advertising world in NYC, Elizabeth has strategically moved cities and firms to gain what is her newest accolade of executive producer of TV for a major ad firm in Austin.  Her success as a producer can be best described using a word that some people wrongly associate a bit with disdain, spoiled.   She has always been able to get what she wants.  Whether it be the boy, the new knee high boots, or the great apartment, her natural charisma, doting parents, or intellegince has always helped her “get what she wants”.  And in the world of commercial production, getting the scurrying ants in the right place at the right time takes creative convincing.  Something she is a master at.  Her next big accomplishment will be mother hood.  With a booming career, and anticipating a baby on the way Elizabeth must be thinking of the best ways to balance these two acts.  

Elizabeth’s environment is one of nuances.  Her “eye” is exquisite and she never approaches anything that appears classless or cheap.  Her house is spotless and designed with a sophisticated eye for artwork and furniture.  A few well-chosen Design Within Reach pieces fill the living room just adjacent to her two greatest collections: Books and CDs.  Yes CDs.  A 300 disk CD player alphabetized with a directory stands near the fireplace.  What might be most interesting is what is in the CD player.  Jazz, Blues, and Soul.  She is as some might say old school (and not just because Elizabeth’s ipod is reserved solely for Jock Jams.)   If Elizabeth ran for president it would be under the premise to abolish Facebook.  The creation of digital relationships she finds artificial and loathful.  She believes in phone calls, books with pages, and letters as if they are as American as Apple Pie and Coca Cola.  Anything else is just communism.  Because of this Elizabeth has a close group of best friends you can count on two hands.  Most of these girls were the same ones at her first slumber party in middle-school.  Though two or three have been added along the way.  Elizabeth has what I call “fly across the country” friends.  At a moment’ss notice she would be anywhere to help her friends.  

Elizabeth leaves the house as a true fashionista does.  The make it look easy approach.  A shower, hair mouse, and a dash of make up then two potential outfits. 1) lululemon pants, white v-neck shirt, large Louis Vuitton work bag.  2) Jeans, Knee Highs, Brown coat, bag.  The casual, attractive approach fits perfectly to her personality of approachability.  The outfits (including accessories) probably reach price points greater than 95% of the women she sees on a given day, but to the untrained eye would never know.  The untrained eye know she looks “great”, but isn’t over the top, while the trained eye can oogle at her simple elegance.  [She is a classic example of the worlds greatest conundrum to men…”why women dress for other women”.  Sorry for the two cents.]  The approachability Elizabeth brings is her key to success.  She smiles, she jokes, she’s genuine, she’s smart.  She treats people with the utmost respect.  Her restaurant tips are always the highest.  People are people and she cares for them all.  

Elizabeth’s friends (as discussed) are truly genuine best friends.  But she always has a compelling effect on all people.  She is funny, charismatic, and full of interesting things to say.  She is engaging and can demand attention.  In work she has always been successful.  She communicates amazingly and supports all her clients.  She is organized, works long hours, and gets the job done with flying colors.  The clients recognize this and always want her on their projects.  

Elizabeth’s questions in life are transitioning from the “getting married” obstacles to the “creating a family” obstacles.  The life planning process is her greatest/happiest concern right now.  From the “how do we get into/pay for private school” question to “where will we live” question these are Elizabeth’s new quests in life.

Elizabeth must now start to realize the conundrum of the budget.  With added family members (kids) come increased expenses.  Her usual restaurant choices are always the nicest/hippest around, and her “shoes should always be bought at Barneys approach” might have to be rethought as a nuclear family comes into play.  How does she manage her native instinct of high end consumerism with impending future expenses?  Her life thus far has been successful and she has achieved her goals and aspirations of the Sex and the City 2 out of 3 job, marriage, man dilemma.  She currently has all three but now incorporating the family into this adds a curve ball that Carrie never had to worry about.