danwtmoon

UPDATE

So in the last 24 hours I made a conscious effort to use and fall in love with Foursquare... I didn't. I became a mayor and got some more badges.... Yay...

The thing is badges just aren't anywhere near the social currency of a card in Flook for example... My friend @reyes said it best:

"Finding myself learning more and more about London as I hunt out the perfect flook" - http://twitter.com/reyes/status/7786945085

Also theres this from @nicolariordan - "I've found some great hidden pubs and restaurant near me with it"

Flook cards are more analogous to the human conversation around location... I don't ever remember texting or calling people to "checkin" and if I did I'm pretty sure they'd respond "are you drunk and / or why do I care?"

And so today, despite me picking up another snazzy badge from Foursquare (http://foursquare. com/user/danwtmoon/badges/506207), I'm deleting the app and focusing on location browsing.

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Being going through an early spring clean across all areas of life recently... I've previously blogged about my app cleanup on iPhone taking me down to ~50 from ~120...

Since then I've been in the frame of mind of only retaining apps that I am actually using most, if not all, days for more value than just because I can...

Today Foursquare is under close scrutiny... I've previously had Brightkite, Rummble, Gowalla, Foursqaure and Flook all on my iPhone. today I have only Flook and Foursqaure.

Short background of the others history is that Rummble has a UI that causes me tears and is too buggy (shame as having met @andrewjscott, I know the guy is smart and passionate but unfortunately doesn't have an infinite army of developers to execute what on paper is a good product); Brightkite has gone the way of the dodo given I don't see value of pure checking in and so Gowalla / Foursquare killed it; Gowalla was preferred over 4sq until they went *everywhere*...

Flook has been omni-present on my iPhone since being on the beta.

So 4sq is under scrutiny today.. I'm going to take extra care to checkin everywhere and look for tips... At the end of the day if I feel better for it then it will stay... If not it goes and leaves on Flook. I found it interesting that @scobleizer seemed to praise 4sq becuase of tips... Well with 4sq, at least in LDN, there's very little tipping and if that's what floats your boat Robert then Flook is just the tip part of 4sq minus the novelty of checking in..

Flook FYI is under no threat at all. It's the perfect location app and the reason I state this as fact is that it has no hype.. You know what I mean? All the hyped products suffer because actually their biggest selling point was promise from the hype not the *actual* product.
Looking at my twitter stream I see people like @reyes flooking away and genuinely getting value of the awesome location browser. Do I see love for the novelty of checking in and being a mayor? No

So Flook rocks (if you have iPhone get from app store / http://flook.it and 4sq is under threat...
I'm checking out of checking in

In southern England this morning at least there is some fairly heavy
snowfall. Based on recent experience this will mean many businesses
seeing staff working from home and meetings cancelled. This is often
equated to lost productivity.

I think different.

Just because you're not in the office doesn't mean your not able to be
productive. Here's a quick list of a few tools that may be very
helpful in keeping your appointments and goals for today on track.

Presentation - If you were due to deliver a presentation today but
cannot physically get there take a look at one of the following for
giving the presentation remotely:

Present.io - drop.io has dead simple rich web-presentation
functionality. no registration, no downloads, no installs. You can
upload your presentation files (documents, pictures, video, audio, and
more) and be giving your demo or walkthrough in seconds. With a free
conference call line and rich chat functionality, you have just what
you need

http://present.io

Google Docs - Viewing a presentation together is a breeze, as anyone
joined in a presentation can automatically follow along with the
presenter.

http://docs.google.com

Collaboratively finalising an asset such as a design graphic or
document proposal

Box.net - Turn any folder of content into a shared online workspace
and invite others to view, edit, or add their own files. Exchange
feedback using the commenting and discussion features. Create
wiki-style web documents to share meeting notes, ideas, and manage
projects. Keep workflow organized by assigning tasks to approve,
review or update files

http://www.box.net/strawberryway

Drop.io - Use drop.io to privately share your files and collaborate in
real time by web, email, phone, mobile, and more. Create each drop in
two clicks and share what you want, how you want, with whom you want.

http://drop.io

Google Docs - Coworkers can share the same online copy of each doc,
spreadsheet or presentation. All revisions are saved and recoverable.

http://docs.google.com

Cummunication - need to stay in touch but your colleagues aren't at
their desk phones?

Skype - Any size of company can use Skype to change the way they
communicate, collaborate and compete. Real-time communication tools
allow your business to work better, smarter and more efficiently.
Skype is a global solution that's easy to implement and manage all
your communication needs - employees work more productively, customers
can easily reach your company and your business stays ahead of the
game.

http://skype.com

TinyChat - Your webcam & microphone will just work, no fuss.
`Gathering friends for a meeting has never been easier. Enjoy high
quality live audio & video. Try it, you'll like it.

http://tinychat.com

So there you go, a few services which is by no means an exhaustive
list but these are possibly the quickets and easiest to pick up and
run with if you were to only use for today because of the snow.

By doing so there really shouldn't be any lost productivity.

NB I do see the making of snowmen as highly productive and so where
possible please step away from the internet and make one ;)

Web based applications can be key enablers for business change and improvement work.

This post is inspired by @seanprice who recently asked:

"How do you manage projects either single projects or mulitple at the same time either personal or professional ones?" (Twitter: http://twitter.com/seanprice/status/7314573214)

Firstly, systems. For me Drop.io and Box.net jump to the front of my mind.

As background, both Drop.io and Box.net are designed for simple sharing and collaboration. Drop.io is built around drops which are realtime repositories of content which can then be shared, embedded, commented, downloaded and much more. Box.net is visually more analogous to a traditional files and folders system with much the same features as Drop.io but via the OpenBox eco-systems of integrations allows for use within structured business workflows.

For example with Box.net it is possible to collaboratively author an agreement which, from Box, can be issued digitally via Echosign and the final signed copies be stored within Box making it a workflow hub. Other notable integrations include Salesforce, Google Apps, Zoho

With Drop.io the collaboration functionality is equally there but inherently being designed around the drop, the workspace sits relatively outside the wider business workflow.

And so to specifically answer @seanprice's question I would suggest that if for repeatable or always similar project workflows, especially within an established business environment of process and policy, the answer is Box.net. For everything else, be it small, larger, ad-hoc, personal or professional, then Drop.io.

The second part of the answer is processes. Which to follow / learn from?

Project management I believe has long suffered a schizophrenia of being about the personality of people whilst also having the cold regiment of repeatable, scalable process. Some project managers are successful for managing people, others for managing the process.

In context of the social collaboration environment business are moving in to, I believe the people principle of project management will take a lead over success through process. Especially when considering the versatile tools such as Drop.io and Box.net which do not need nor care for a set process.

So to answer @seanprice, the process for successful projects is to not rely on one. Instead focus on the facilitation of communication and collaboration. Within such an environment, inherently all the data needed to tweak and nudge productivity in the right direction, towards the team's common goal, will be available. Applications such as Milestone Planner from @socialoptic are a good example of this. The app is a gantt chart but the real feature of the app is bringing out the communication across the project team.

So for me, the processes and systems, either personally or professionally for project management are:

Human and collaborative (for which Drop.io and Box.net are ideal).

For further reading:

Box.net for Project Management - http://www.box.net/solutions/project-management
Drop.io - http://drop.io/blog
Milestone Planner @socialoptic - http://socialoptic.com/

Today Twitter has gone #red for World Aids Day. Good stuff

With Twitter though, causes come and go. Vast numbers of tweets are sent out at the height of campaigns. I perceive a challenge with such campaigns though in that they're fairly ephemeral with no real long term wins.

With #red I hope this can be different. One of the reasons I've liked (RED) as a proposition is that it's easy.

We all buy Converse, GAP, Armani, Apple, Hallmark, Starbucks and use credit cards etc anyway. We're not being asked to do something new, different or challenging.

It's simply a case of when you buy an Apple iPod Nano, buy the (RED) one and that's it. You've made a massive contribution to solving one of the worlds greatest problems.

This is my hope for Twitter (and Facebook) going #red today. That people don't just use the hashtag and think they've contributed. That when next in Starbucks they pick up the (RED) rewards card (5p from every purchase goes to (RED). If you're in need of a new warm jumper for December make it the (RED) one from GAP.

You're going to buy these things anyway. Make them #red.

Also, it's Christmas as we all know. Make it a Hallmark (RED) card you send. iTunes vouchers are available in (RED) variant.

It's as easy as tweeting #red to actually go (RED).

I really hope this campaign is lasting and not just a forgotten tweet.

PS As well as tweeting #red, do it from @dabr (http://dabr.co.uk) which as far as I know is the only Twitter client today which has a (RED) skin :)

The web is a phenomenal resource for businesses. Not just a place to have website, it's a place to organise and manage your business. With the wealth of 2.0 applications available, businesses can do so much more online now with greater productivity and less expense than traditional IT solutions. Some examples:

• Project workflow and collaboration with online workspaces
  • Box.net, Basecamp, Huddle.net
• Financial Management and Administration
  • Freshbooks, Outright, Shoeboxed
• Office productivity
  • Google Apps, Zoho, Tungle
• Event management and administration
  • Amiando, Eventbrite
• E-commerce
  • Shopify, Google Checkout
• Customer and community engagement
  • LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook (read social media)

There all of these solutions, ready for your business to take advantage of. Such web based applications remove expensive overheads of manual and paper based administration.

Further by being web based, software as a service, they're available to your business wherever your business is; not just when you have your computer with you.

I think the web for businesses is more than a website. 

I believe that the value of content which is at the heart of many heated debates such as online piracy, is in the context of it's consumption.

Recently tweeted:

In context of me wanting some music playing on my iPhone whilst doing other things, the £12 for *exactly* the same content (the songs) is worth it.

Same content; wrapped in a different context - for me that is what drives the value.

If you follow this thinking then as a content producer I think you should be looking at how your content will augment / affect / disrupt the consumers context in which they "need" your content. 

Understanding this would enable you to therefore understand and embrace multi channel deliveries with various price points thus leaving the one size fits all package of today (e.g. we all go to cinema for movie, wait six months for DVD which can only watch on X device(s).

There is a recession. Apparently. 

I say apparently as it seems those in the design / media / PR / web presence sectors (forgive my sweeping catch all but you get the idea of the ilk I'm referring to) seem to not need new business therefore one can only assume they're recession proof.

I come to this conclusion given that over the last six months or so I have probably met, on average, around two experts a week who could've (should've) gone to any of my sites, pointed out their obvious mediocrity and suggested improvements. 

However, zero such suggestions have been made.

Maybe I'm just being dumb but if I was a digital expert and I made a new connection, one of the things at the top of my list would be... CHECK THEIR CURRENT WEB PRESENCE.

If it wasn't up to scratch in my expert opinion then I would be pitching for that connections new business.

But that isn't happening so I can only assume, those in web / design / brand / PR etc just don't need the sales as they're recession proof.