Has Googling replaced Thinking?

For his final wedding present, the great King was presented an extraordinary invention that would change the world: The Art of Writing. A way to capture thought with matter rather than mind. However, upon being explained this precious gift, the King looked sad. “Without the need to remember”, he said, ”our minds will slowly perish.”

Yes We Can?

Forget human potential. Our abilities develop according to need. I’m not talking about evolution: a blind person is born with the same ears as someone that can see – he just learns to develop a more acute sense of hearing.

Reversely, when the need for a skill is removed or not practiced, that ability is never acquired, dulled, even lost. If I never touch a piano, I won’t learn to play. If mother feeds me, I won’t learn to cook. Simple. And it’s for this reason that new tools designed to complement or enhance our natural abilities may appear as blessings, but can often be ‘curses in disguise’.

McInfo

For me 2008 stands out as the year I discovered the Twittersphere and Blogosphere. In many ways these alternative universes and exciting experience machines have been catalysts for absorbing new ideas and information. Yay! I feel like a quick trivia addict in McInfo heaven.

However their existence has, in many instances, removed the need to pursue independent and original thinking. I’ve increasingly noticed a ‘Googling before Thinking’ approach when new questions pop up in my head. And not just factual ones – subjective or moral questions too…

So, what?

I think there are two main causes at play: (i) ‘credibility ratings’ and (ii) ‘quantity over quality’.

Firstly, the issue of credibility. With Twitter and blogs at my fingertips, I have immediate access to a whole bunch of views by ‘experts’, often accompanied by comments from other ‘experts’ to cover most angles, references and pro/con arguments. Who the hell am I to vent my improvised opinions?

Secondly: as the internet makes it possible to know a bit about everything, I can’t help but want to have an opinion on everything – without time to become an expert on anything. The internet provides immediate access to opinions that are based on more research and experience that I have time for. If I am not prepared to dedicate myself to a single topic to champion, how can I add value?

What I regret

As I’m constantly dipping into other people’s Streams of Consciousness, I’m sure I often form views by piecing together snippets of ideas that resonate with me. I regret that my former capacity for impulsive, self-motivated thought has been somewhat numbed. I’ve become better at analyzing sources and extrapolation, but am less inclined to let my mind bubble, fib away, create, relate, narrate. Extrinsic over intrinsic. Shazam.

As and aside: I think the natural etiquette that has developed around attributing/retweeting/hat tipping to avoid plagiarism is a fascinating and rather beautiful social phenomenon… To Be Blogged (TBB!).

Yes I Can!

Anyway, on 1st Jan 09 I posted a ‘Resolution Tweet’: “No more quilt-thinking! Avoid piecing together fragmented opinions based on ‘expert’ writing, more personal discussions.” I immediately thought: I might come across as uninformed and naive a lot more – but rights now, I feel the world needs more cooky mind fibs than people nodding their head.

So far so good. That same day I send out two impulsive musings and was asked to blog  them by @chrisbrogan and @nickfell -I thought “Cool! Lets do some more thinking”.

And then I started a blog. Hello world.

Good People – A few voices I choose to listen to

Confession time: I am a sceptic.

In an age where Peer Advocacy is King, I am disinclined to trust opinions based on frequency or an author’s credentials – be that track record, awards, or public praise. I am generally incapable of promoting people or products unless I can vouch for their quality from personal experience.

With the exception of a very small group of peers. People that I respect for their product knowledge, their personal values [for me, morality is an element of truth] and their genuine passion for creating value in all its guises. #circleoftrust

Good people. The funny thing is – only now do I know enough about life, my work and myself to recognize such people. What a great incentive to keep learning!

A few that fit the bill are:

@vikkichowney >> Vikki Chowney: reveils true passions you’re not even aware of. communicates and connects personalities that make amazing things happen. really, really cares. deserves to be universally loved.
@whatleydude >> James Whatley: gives, endlessly. trusts people who deserve to be trusted. gives the best kind of compliments: simply observing a quality, giving you a tool to use. empowers.
@gabsky >> Gabrielle Lubtchansky: a vixen of vision. turns ideas into visual experiences. takes a long time to approve: her standards make us better people.
@amanda >> Amanda Rose: superstar. boundless dedication to promoting people and causes she values. never asks for anything, when she should have everything. makes stuff happen in a big way.
@luciantarnowski >> Lucian Tarnowski: infectuous in all that he does – making money, saving the planet, having fun. helps find the people, resources and confidence to achieve your dreams.
@gelenbe >> Pamir Gelenbe: just gets it. gets people, gets businesses, gets involved. wise enough to speak truths; diplomatic and driven to speak up when he can make a positive impact.

“Get Involved!” – One artist that gets engagement and (shhh) personal branding

There’s a party in my ears and you’re invited…

Against All Odds? Hells yeah! Still can’t believe that drum & bass / dubstep producers Chase & Status are behind this jazzed up, chart-ready hip hop tune with Kano. Check out their mini-mix for an idea of what they normally sound like… Watch out Mark Ronson!

I found this track via Kano’s Myspace which you should check out for an example of an artist (brand? hmm?) that really “gets” how you can use social media for fan engagement. His page gives me loads of ways to get involved. Buy CDs, mp3’s and vinyl from 10 digital stores. Download your free mixtapes. Check out his blog. Sign up for his mailing list. Join his street team. Enter the ‘Weekly Resident of 140 Grime Street’ campaign –  a reference to his new album – just send in your photo, a short bio and what you love about Kano. Browse his Facebook group and fanpage, Bebo page, Youtube channel, iTunes catalogue… The boy’s even on Kyte!

(He’s gotta sort out his Twitter though… Is this The Real Kano?)

To me all this shouts GET INVOLVED. I feel loved. Like I know Kano. Like he wants to know me. It makes me want to introduce him to my mother and tell him about my new trainers and invite him to my next house party. And I definitely want to know how I can get to know him even better – at his next London gig or through his latest album. I’d even buy the T-shirt!

Props to whoever designed it too. The designer has turned  turned *a lot* of info into a really user friendly browsing experience whilst maintaining a busy, bustling sort of style that reflects Kano’s underground appeal.

To you and your team… Nice one bruv!

The Breakfast Club

I am not a morning person, but breakfast brainstorms are my favourite start to the day.

Because I currently do Madhouse and Twestival outside my 9 to 7 working days, this stuff gets done during breakfast meetings, late nights and weekends. And I think breakfast meetings rock.

WHY?

Most office jobs start with an hour of clearing email backlog. The stuff that’s not important or interesting enough to sort via Blackberry / iPhone. Read: ‘boring as hell admin’.

It’s SO MUCH BETTER to start with an hour of intense brainstorming and problem solving before heading to the office. I may lose an(other) hour of sleep but getting to work feeling energized and buzzing with the positive vibes of my Madhouse collaborators beats any amount of sleep.

Croissants, coffee and CREATIVITY all the way.

Collaborative Principles in Practice

The past 6 months my life has been one big case study of collaborative principle in practice. Building the European Leadership Programme, a forum where CEOs and Founders of growth businesses can share experiences of running building successful businesses. Founding Madhouse Collective, a community of creatives that put new technologies into practice. And close involvement in organizing Twestival, a non-profit networking event organized by harnessing the time and skills of anyone on Twitter.

Collaboration. Sharing resources. Making stuff happen together. I’m a fan. I f*cking love it.

One thought (the first of many ) around effective collaboration has been the importance of “knowing who else is in the room”. Because collaboration is not just about contributing. About ‘making an effort’. It’s about helping out where you are most needed.

Collaborating to achieve a common goal has a lot to do with playing to your strengths in relation to your collaborators. I will carry my own suitcase when I have to. But if I’m struggling, I feel it’s quite appropriate that my 6-foot tall Swedish friend Axel carries it for me. Although Axel is quite able to communicate what he’d like for lunch by pointing at the Norwegian menu, it feels more appropriate that I speak with the waiter in Norwegian, ask them to make the dish without (Axel’s not a fan!), and say “Thanks so much – have a lovely day!” to the waiter. Smiles all around.

Pooling resources means making the most of what you’ve got. And for that you need to see what you’ve got. When starting a movement or collective, you need to know who else is in the room for collaboration to work. If need to feel empowered by knowing that I am in a position to add value, whether that’s because I have the right skills/interests/knowledge to drive a particular aspect, or because no one else would be doing otherwise when we all agree it’s important that *something* happens.

So whether it’s  lunch to introduce your collaborators, posting people’s Linkedin profiles / Twitter accounts, allowing people to post notices about “I’d like this to happen; is there someone we think is qualified to do this” – people need to be talking about what they what to contribute to for stuff to happen.

Final point: connecting with potential collaborators is driven as much by a ‘leader’ as anyone that shares an interest. Make an effort to get to know you (potential) collaborators, and start making things happen. DO IT.

Forget the work/life balance – focus on ‘happy triggers’ instead

I am frequently told that I need to manage my work/life balance better.

*Request denied*. I think that dividing life into business & personal is an outdated concept.

First of all – Web 2.0 and the dawn of mobile have forever blurred the line between ‘work’ & ‘personal’ lives. Employees need to accept that Blackberry’s will make work spill into private time. Employers need to accept that social platforms/tools like facebook and twitter will mix personal lives into our working day. Dear inhabitants of the 21st Century: DEAL WITH IT. It’s a good thing

Secondly, the work/life formula implies that work is a burden and probably not that fun (wrong!) and it reduces the value of life to a profits & losses sum (wrong again!).

I propose that it’s really about figuring out what gives you energy and a sense of fulfillment, and balancing those ‘happy triggers’. Some people get their energy from working, some from sleeping; some are fulfilled by making money, some by making babies. Here’s how I’m going to balance my life.

1. First, decide what you value most in life (at this point in time). What do you enjoy, what are your ambitions, your ideals? In what areas would you like to achieve success, or just dedicate time to their pursuit? Write them all down.
2. Then, try and focus these values into three categories, or just pick a top three. For example, let’s say I value Creative, Commercial/Materialistic and Idealistic pursuits in equal measure. Done.
3. Then you put them into a funky Venn diagram – like ‘zis:

Now you can use this as a personal sounding board of  what elements in your life fulfill your personal values, and which areas might not be covered yet. You can apply it to activities like your job, hobbies, volunteer work, unspecified activities like helping out friends… To specific people or communities in your life.

Have a bit of fun but placing some of the key elements in your life into the diagram, like so:

*NB: I’ve referenced ELP, Madhouse Collective and the Twestival

Next step: use the diagram to see where there is room for improvement. If an activity ticks one or two boxes, can you refocus it so it is fulfilling? For instance, I am already spending x hours doing Charity work to fulfil my Idealistic need, can I kill 2 birds with one stone by doing work with a Creative angle?

See – it’s not about balancing the hours spent doing what – it’s about balancing what you do with those hours! As long as I review what values I’d like to prioritize regularly I’m hoping I’ll be TRIGGER HAPPY before long

Resolutions for 2009 (‘Houston, We Have a Blog!’)

According to my friend Nick you should share your resolutions with as many people as possible so they can help make sure you keep ‘em. So here’s Numero Uno.

Resolution #1 – Start a Personal Blog

Done! (That was easy)

This Shiny New Personal Blog is part treasure chest and part thinking cap; but mostly I’d like it to be a party where everyone’s invited.

I’ll kick off by sharing some of my own questions, tentative answers, and things that may interest or inspire anyone else  apart from me. I hope you’ll soon join in and contribute: play your own music, share some drinks, meet new people… you get the idea. DO comment on my posts and add me on Twitter at @renatenyborg. Aloha!

DISCLAIMER: I’m not an expert in any field and this blog will not provide you with a gospel on anything. Consider it a record of someone that’s very interested in understanding the world around her, and in the way communication can make things happen. Whatever you care about.

The only common denominator is *yours truly* although social & digital media, music, mobile and events are likely to future heavily.

So…. How many readers do I need before I get my own T Shirts?