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	<title>IdeaEconomy.Net &#187; Ideas</title>
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	<description>Ideas are the Only Currency in the New Economy</description>
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		<title>Why Collaboration Often Fails and What to Do About It.</title>
		<link>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/why-collaboration-often-fails/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/why-collaboration-often-fails/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:32:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Collaboration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Creativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ideaeconomy.net/?p=735</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There is no question that the Internet has changed the way we work and connect with others. From a few people working on a shared Google document to thousands contributing to projects like Wikipedia or Linux, we are collaborating in unprecedented ways. When it works, collaboration is synergistic and amazing. The problem is that too often, real, meaningful collaboration is thwarted by an ugly thing called people.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/businesses-understand-collaboration/' rel='bookmark' title='Do Businesses Understand Collaboration?'>Do Businesses Understand Collaboration?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/share-office-space-costs-increase-collaboration/' rel='bookmark' title='Share Office Space to Lower Costs and Increase Collaboration'>Share Office Space to Lower Costs and Increase Collaboration</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/collaboration-through-social-media/' rel='bookmark' title='Collaboration Through Social Media'>Collaboration Through Social Media</a></li>
</ol>

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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><p><strong>Big Ideas:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Collaboration and creativity are big buzz words now but most businesses don&#8217;t really know how to collaborate or be creative.</li>
<li>Collaborative efforts often produce mediocre results because ego gets in the way.</li>
<li>A great team can produce amazing results, but finding those team members is not an easy task.</li>
</ul>
<p>There is no question that the Internet has changed the way we work and connect with others. From a few people working on a shared Google document to thousands contributing to projects like Wikipedia or Linux, we are collaborating in unprecedented ways. When it works, collaboration is synergistic and amazing. The problem is that too often, real, meaningful collaboration is thwarted by an ugly thing called people.</p>
<p>As much as we talk about creativity and collaboration, most people don&#8217;t really know what those things mean. We are all human, so egos get in the way. We want to own, control and dominate. It happens with children playing together, in office politics and in volunteer or non-profit settings. Too often, it is more important to be right than to do the right thing. That is where collaboration fails.</p>
<p>Intuitively, we understand the benefits of  <a title="Co-working for collaboration" href="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/share-office-space-costs-increase-collaboration/" target="_blank">co-working</a>, crowdsourcing, <a title="Crowdfunding to Raise Capital" href="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/crowdfunding-raising-capital/" target="_blank">crowdfunding</a> or a <a title="Collaboration for business ideas." href="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/build-a-company-in-two-days-speed-in-the-ideaeconomy/" target="_blank">great business team</a> on our collaborative efforts, but most of us also have many negative experiences where team efforts get mired in bureaucracy and territorial silo building. It is pretty hard to create something amazing when team members are jockeying for control and recognition.</p>
<p>At least from my experiences, I believe that most businesses <a title="Do Businesses Understand Collaboration?" href="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/businesses-understand-collaboration/" target="_blank">don&#8217;t understand collaboration</a>. How many of your colleagues or customers are still emailing Word and Excel documents as attachments? If you are over 30 years old, chances are your business processes are still heavily influenced from the Microsoft dominated days of installed software more than two decades ago. The world is a different place now. There are plenty of examples of dynamic, young companies are prospering even when the partners are <a title="Collaboration across a 16 hour time difference." href="http://gigaom.com/collaboration/the-cross-continental-startup-how-to-build-a-business-despite-a-16-hour-time-difference/" target="_blank">global dispersed</a>, but they are still the exception.</p>
<p>For real collaboration to work, many elements need to be in place:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Trust.</strong> Great relationships take time to build. With the exception of old schoolmates or childhood friends, most of us don&#8217;t have those deep social connections anymore.</li>
<li><strong>Talent.</strong> Each person has to bring some unique skill to the team. Partnerships quickly fall apart when there is even the appearance of a less than equal contribution.</li>
<li><strong>Personality.</strong> There are some people you just can&#8217;t work with regardless of their skills. Finding people that you like AND are good is not easy.</li>
<li><strong>Shared vision.</strong> All members of the team have to be pulling in the same direction for the collaboration to be successful.</li>
<li><strong>Technological savvy.</strong> Everyone needs to buy into the tools to work together. There are talented geniuses who can seclude themselves from the rest of the world, but you need to embrace technology if you expect to really collaborate with a good team, regardless of where they are located.</li>
<li><strong>Communicate.</strong> Information hoarding is a remnant of the industrial age. Remove all bottlenecks to effective and direct communication. <a title="Social Capital" href="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/social-capital-valuable-money/">Social capital is more valuable than financial capital.</a></li>
</ol>
<h2>Collaboration is Still King</h2>
<p>Amazing things can happen if you build the right team. The problem is that you have to sort through many less than optimal candidates on your way. It is all a numbers game, work with as many people as you can to find the right talent. Results will be mediocre most of the time, but every once in a while you will find that diamond in the rough. Do everything you can to work with the diamonds and throw the coal back in the ground for someone else to deal with.</p>
<p><strong>Action Items</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>If you haven&#8217;t already, move your business to the cloud. Everything from shared documents, online workspaces, project management and customer relationship management software can be done much better online where everyone has access to the same information in real time.</li>
<li>Deliberately start and join new projects with new team members. The only way to find great people to work with is to work with a lot of people.</li>
<li>Get really good at something. Talented people are not going to want to work with you if you don&#8217;t bring anything to the table.</li>
<li>Personality counts. You need to play nice with others if you want them to stick around.</li>
<li>Great businesses are built on great processes. Get organized and anal about how you do business, communicate and serve your employees and customers. Creative breakthroughs do not come from some unorganized eureaka moment. Real innovation is systematic and deliberate, and almost always the result of hard work, rich collaborative efforts and insights from outside sources.</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/businesses-understand-collaboration/' rel='bookmark' title='Do Businesses Understand Collaboration?'>Do Businesses Understand Collaboration?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/share-office-space-costs-increase-collaboration/' rel='bookmark' title='Share Office Space to Lower Costs and Increase Collaboration'>Share Office Space to Lower Costs and Increase Collaboration</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/collaboration-through-social-media/' rel='bookmark' title='Collaboration Through Social Media'>Collaboration Through Social Media</a></li>
</ol></p>
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		<title>What Happens When Average Lifespans hit 100 years old, or 150?</title>
		<link>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/average-lifespans-hit-100-years-150/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/average-lifespans-hit-100-years-150/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:58:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aubrey de Grey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barry Schuler]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dean Ornish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[genetics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lifespans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sonia Arrison]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ideaeconomy.net/?p=706</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Average lifespans have been increasing for more than a century. Science is on the verge of substantially increasing our longevity. Aging is a disease and it can be slowed. Increased lifespans are already altering our economies, this is only the beginning.



Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/forget-job20-cut-work-hours-start-life20/' rel='bookmark' title='Forget Job2.0 &#8211; Cut your Work Hours and Start Life2.0'>Forget Job2.0 &#8211; Cut your Work Hours and Start Life2.0</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/future-finding-meaning-buy/' rel='bookmark' title='The Future is about Finding Meaning in Everything We do and Buy'>The Future is about Finding Meaning in Everything We do and Buy</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/trends/small-house-live/' rel='bookmark' title='How Small of a House Could you Live in?'>How Small of a House Could you Live in?</a></li>
</ol>

Related posts brought to you by <a href='http://yarpp.org'>Yet Another Related Posts Plugin</a>.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><p><strong>Big Ideas</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Average lifespans have been increasing for more than a century.</li>
<li>Science is on the verge of substantially increasing our longevity.</li>
<li>Aging is a disease and it can be slowed.</li>
<li>Increased lifespans are already altering our economies, this is only the beginning.<span id="more-706"></span></li>
</ul>
<p>Sonia Arrison, author of the recent book,<em> <a title="100+: How the Coming Age of Longevity Will Change Everything" href="http://www.100plusbook.com/" target="_blank">100+: How The Coming Age of Longevity Will Change Everything, From Careers and Relationships to Family And Faith</a></em>, writes on her website:</p>
<blockquote><p>We are about to enter the golden age of aging. During the Cro-Magnon era, average human life expectancy was eighteen years. By the European Renaissance it was closer to thirty. Today in the developed West it is approximately eighty. As a species we are rightfully proud of this testament to our will and ingenuity. But few among us are prepared for the revolution on our doorstep—the coming explosion of scientific know-ledge that will increase the length and quality of life in ways that were unimaginable even twenty years ago.</p></blockquote>
<p>On my JetSetCitizen.com blog I wrote a post titled, <a title="You are going to live to 150 years old." href="http://www.jetsetcitizen.com/lifestyle-design/you-are-going-to-live-to-more-than-150-years-old/" target="_blank">You are going to live to 150 years old</a>. I linked to three TED videos, pointing to much longer lifespans in the near future:</p>
<h2>Dean Ornish says your genes are not your fate<br />
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<h2>Aubrey de Grey says we can avoid aging</h2>
<p><!--copy and paste--><object width="398" height="374" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff" /><param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talk/stream/2005G/Blank/AubreydeGrey_2005G-320k.mp4&amp;su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/AubreyDeGrey-2005G.embed_thumbnail.jpg&amp;vw=384&amp;vh=288&amp;ap=0&amp;ti=39&amp;lang=eng&amp;introDuration=15330&amp;adDuration=4000&amp;postAdDuration=830&amp;adKeys=talk=aubrey_de_grey_says_we_can_avoid_aging;year=2005;theme=bold_predictions_stern_warnings;theme=technology_history_and_destiny;theme=unconventional_explanations;theme=might_you_live_a_great_deal_longer;theme=medicine_without_borders;event=TEDGlobal+2005;tag=Science;tag=Technology;tag=aging;tag=biotech;tag=disease;tag=engineering;tag=future;tag=health+care;tag=transhuman;&amp;preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /><param name="src" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" /><param name="pluginspace" value="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed width="398" height="374" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talk/stream/2005G/Blank/AubreydeGrey_2005G-320k.mp4&amp;su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/AubreyDeGrey-2005G.embed_thumbnail.jpg&amp;vw=384&amp;vh=288&amp;ap=0&amp;ti=39&amp;lang=eng&amp;introDuration=15330&amp;adDuration=4000&amp;postAdDuration=830&amp;adKeys=talk=aubrey_de_grey_says_we_can_avoid_aging;year=2005;theme=bold_predictions_stern_warnings;theme=technology_history_and_destiny;theme=unconventional_explanations;theme=might_you_live_a_great_deal_longer;theme=medicine_without_borders;event=TEDGlobal+2005;tag=Science;tag=Technology;tag=aging;tag=biotech;tag=disease;tag=engineering;tag=future;tag=health+care;tag=transhuman;&amp;preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object></p>
<h2>Barry Schuler: Genomics 101</h2>
<blockquote><p>And all I can tell you is, stay healthy for 20 years. If you can stay healthy for 20 years, you&#8217;ll see 150, maybe 300.</p></blockquote>
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<h2>What if we do live to 100 or 150 years old or more?</h2>
<p>Even if you doubt the claims of the above authors and scientists, extended lifespans are already having a profound impact on our society. I have an 80 year old uncle who spends six months in Thailand every year. My 91 year old grandmother still plants her own garden. We are already living longer now  and we haven&#8217;t started implementing the key genetic research that is still being tested on animals.</p>
<p>Consider some of the ramifications:</p>
<ul>
<li>Retirement ages must increase or government pension obligations will not be met. In my JetSetCitizen post, I wrote:<br />
<blockquote><p>In 1935 when the Social Security Act was implemented in the United States, average life expectancy was 59 years old. Introducing pensions to those over 65 years old seemed like a good idea because most people would die before they ever received any money. Now people are living to 78 on average in the US and even longer in other countries. There are people collecting pensions for more years than they worked.</p></blockquote>
</li>
<li>100 will be the new 60. Consider the lifestyle and activities of people aged 60 now. That&#8217;s what it will be like for 80 or 100 year-olds in the future.</li>
<li>Our medical systems will be crushed. In 1960, <a title="Wikipedia: Health Care in the US" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States" target="_blank">US health care expenditures</a> were 5.2% of GDP. They are now about 16% and rising. The cheap revolution we have enjoyed in manufactured goods and technology, will not be experience in service industries like education and health care.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Action Items</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>If you are under 50, it is unlikely that your government will be able to afford your retirement pension. Start saving for yourself.</li>
<li>Take care of your body. Living longer won&#8217;t be enjoyable with deteriorating joints, injuries and other medical maladies. Your current lifestyle decisions will catch up with you.</li>
<li>Prepare for an extra decade or more of work. 65 is an arbitrary retirement age. It will most certainly be increased.</li>
<li>If you are under about 50, it is not too late to change your career or lifestyle. You will still have 20 or more productive work years ahead of you.</li>
<li>With decades of work ahead of you, why not travel the world or follow your dreams now?  There will be time to make up the work later if needed.</li>
</ul>
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<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/forget-job20-cut-work-hours-start-life20/' rel='bookmark' title='Forget Job2.0 &#8211; Cut your Work Hours and Start Life2.0'>Forget Job2.0 &#8211; Cut your Work Hours and Start Life2.0</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/future-finding-meaning-buy/' rel='bookmark' title='The Future is about Finding Meaning in Everything We do and Buy'>The Future is about Finding Meaning in Everything We do and Buy</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/trends/small-house-live/' rel='bookmark' title='How Small of a House Could you Live in?'>How Small of a House Could you Live in?</a></li>
</ol></p>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Brilliant Marketing or Deceptive Advertising?</title>
		<link>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/brilliant-marketing-deceptive-advertising/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/brilliant-marketing-deceptive-advertising/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:44:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Creativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hi-tec]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[liquid mountaineering]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ideaeconomy.net/?p=698</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The newest sports craze - liquid mountaineering - walking on water. This video is now approaching 11 million views. It is obviously very professionally done and quite interesting to watch, but is it real? Is it effective marketing?


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<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/job-21st-century/' rel='bookmark' title='How to Get a Job In the 21st Century'>How to Get a Job In the 21st Century</a></li>
</ol>

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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><p><strong>Big Ideas</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Subtle and creative advertising can be much more effective than in your face interruptions.</li>
<li>Hi-Tec demonstrates water-proof shoes that help you walk on water.</li>
</ul>
<h2>The Newest Sports Craze &#8211; Liquid Mountaineering &#8211; Walking on Water</h2>
<p><span id="more-698"></span></p>
<p>Take a moment and watch this video. (Thanks to <a title="Liquid Mountianeering- walking on water" href="http://www.nerverush.com/liquid-mountaineering-walking-on-water/" target="_blank">Alan Perlman of Nerve Rush</a> for sharing this.)</p>
<p><object width="500" height="281"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Oe3St1GgoHQ?version=3&#038;feature=oembed"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Oe3St1GgoHQ?version=3&#038;feature=oembed" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="500" height="281" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></p>
<p>This video is now approaching 11 million views. It is obviously very professionally done and quite interesting to watch, but is it real? Is it effective marketing?</p>
<p>Clearly the video is designed to market water-proof Hi-Tec shoes. What better way to emphasize water-proof qualities than to show that the shoes help you walk on water?</p>
<p>10.7 million YouTube views if proof enough for me of the efficacy of the video. Well done Hi-Tec!</p>
<p><strong>Action Items</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Exaggerate your products features to find innovative marketing ideas or positioning.</li>
<li>Think entertainment, not advertisement when promoting your company.</li>
<li>If a shoe video can get 11 million views, what can your company accomplish?</li>
</ul>
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<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/marketing/inbound-marketing-future/' rel='bookmark' title='Inbound Marketing is the Future'>Inbound Marketing is the Future</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/marketing/creative-marketing-social-media-strategy-jerry-aulenbach/' rel='bookmark' title='Creative Marketing and Social Media Strategy from Jerry Aulenbach'>Creative Marketing and Social Media Strategy from Jerry Aulenbach</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/job-21st-century/' rel='bookmark' title='How to Get a Job In the 21st Century'>How to Get a Job In the 21st Century</a></li>
</ol></p>
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		<title>Occupy Wall Street &#8211; Grows to a World Wide Protest</title>
		<link>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/occupy-wall-street-grows-world-wide-protest/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/occupy-wall-street-grows-world-wide-protest/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Oct 2011 05:46:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Collaboration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sustainability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Models]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conscious Capitalism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[consumerism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intention economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Occupy Wall Street]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Simplicity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ideaeconomy.net/?p=685</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Big Ideas Tens of thousands are now involved with the Occupy Wall Street Protests worldwide Web based platforms facilitate the coordination of mass gatherings and protests around the world With online collaboration tools, a single leader or clear plan are not required. You have undoubtedly heard about the Occupy Wall Street protests that have been [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/game-make-world-better/' rel='bookmark' title='Games Can Make the World a Better Place'>Games Can Make the World a Better Place</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/trends/small-house-live/' rel='bookmark' title='How Small of a House Could you Live in?'>How Small of a House Could you Live in?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/rise-social-entrepreneurship/' rel='bookmark' title='The Rise of Social Entrepreneurship'>The Rise of Social Entrepreneurship</a></li>
</ol>

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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><p><strong>Big Ideas</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Tens of thousands are now involved with the Occupy Wall Street Protests worldwide</li>
<li>Web based platforms facilitate the coordination of mass gatherings and protests around the world</li>
<li>With online collaboration tools, a single leader or clear plan are not required.</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="mceWPmore mceItemNoResize" title="More..." src="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" alt="trans Occupy Wall Street   Grows to a World Wide Protest" src="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" /></p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-689" title="occupy-wall-street" src="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/occupy-wall-street.jpg" alt="occupy wall street Occupy Wall Street   Grows to a World Wide Protest" src="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/occupy-wall-street.jpg" width="490" height="78" /></p>
<p>You have undoubtedly heard about the Occupy Wall Street protests that have been growing around the world. The short news snippets don&#8217;t really capture the magnitude of the movement. Protests are being scheduled in dozens of cities around the world and recently the Almalgamated Transit Union, with 190,000 members has given its support. This is a world wide phenomenon and it is growing quickly.</p>
<h2>How Occupy Wall Street Started</h2>
<p>The birth of the movement was a post on the <a title="Occupy Wall Street" href="http://www.adbusters.org/blogs/adbusters-blog/occupywallstreet.html" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://www.adbusters.org/blogs/adbusters-blog/occupywallstreet.html">Adbusters website on July 13th</a>. Here is a small quote from that first call to action,</p>
<blockquote><p>On September 17, we want to see 20,000 people flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months. Once there, we shall incessantly repeat one simple demand in a plurality of voices.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The home page of <a title="Occupy Wall Street" href="http://occupywallst.org/" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://occupywallst.org/">OccupyWallSt.org</a> describes the movement as,</p>
<blockquote><p>Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Occupy Wall Street to Occupy the World</h2>
<p>Another website, <a title="OccupyTogether.org" href="http://www.occupytogether.org/" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://www.occupytogether.org/">OccupyTogether,</a> has since been created to coordinate some of the scheduled protests and other activities in dozens of cities around the world.</p>
<p>On Oct. 4th, the date of this post, there were more than 39,000 followers for the <a title="Occupy Wall Street on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/#%21/OccupyWallSt" target="_blank" data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/#!/OccupyWallSt">@OccupyWallSt Twitter</a> account, with many thousands more for city focused protests around the world. (<a title="Occupy Chicago on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/#%21/occupychicago" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://twitter.com/#!/occupychicago">@OccupyChicago</a> &#8211; 7000, <a title="Occupy LA on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/#%21/Occupyla" target="_blank" data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/#!/Occupyla">@OccupyLA</a> &#8211; 5000, <a title="Occupy_Boston on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/#%21/Occupy_Boston" target="_blank" data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/#!/Occupy_Boston">@Occupy_Boston</a> &#8211; 3500, <a title="Occupy Toronto on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/#%21/Occupytoronto" target="_blank" data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/#!/Occupytoronto">@OccupyToronto</a> &#8211; 1600, <a title="Occupy Tokyo on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/#%21/Occupytokyo" target="_blank" data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/#!/Occupytokyo">@OccupyTokyo</a> &#8211; 400, with many more for every major city on the planet.)</p>
<h2>Lessons in Collaboration</h2>
<p>We have learned from the middle east uprisings this spring that leaderless movements have the power to topple governments and really change the world.&nbsp; Occupy Wall Street is no different. There is no central organization or leader directing the movement,&nbsp; participants are connecting and coordinating with widely available web based platforms . There are groups like MoveOn.org, that are trying to <a title="Reddit Letter from Moveon.org" href="http://www.reddit.com/r/occupywallstreet/comments/l0ko1/just_got_an_ows_email_from_moveon_the_cooptation/" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://www.reddit.com/r/occupywallstreet/comments/l0ko1/just_got_an_ows_email_from_moveon_the_cooptation/">co-opt the protests</a>, but for the most part, it is a largely ego-less and egalitarian process. Even the <a title="Occupy Wall Street List of Demands" href="http://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/">demands of OccupyWallStreet.org</a> have been community driven.</p>
<h2>The Future of Collaboration</h2>
<p>Whether you support the protests or not, there are many principles here to learn from. With the internet, and social media in particular, ordinary citizens can coordinate and mobilize on a large scale. Time, money and central leadership are no longer necessary for massive collaboration.</p>
<p>Consider some of these implications.</p>
<ul>
<li>Motivating and involving a dispersed volunteer effort is starkly different than an employer &#8211; employee relationship. Try motivating people to take action without paying them.</li>
<li>A vision to do good in the world is far more powerful than any monetary reward. Is your company making the world a better place?</li>
<li>Large groups of people can be mobilized without central control or authority. What could your employees accomplish if given the freedom?</li>
<li>Democratic and egalitarian processes can formulate a unified vision. Direction doesn&#8217;t have to come from the boss. Give your employees the information and freedom to direct their own future.</li>
<li>Self-interests and ego gratification only serve to derail the process. Let the cause or vision be the focus, not a rock star executive.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Action Items</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>For your next project, try an egalitarian process where there is no leader and decisions must be made democratically.</li>
<li>Find a meaningful unifying vision for the project, and get out of the way.</li>
<li>Put trust in the process. You will not always get your way, but continued involvement by motivated participants is far more valuable than being in control.</li>
<li>If your company is not making the world a better place, than maybe it is time to adjust your priorities.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Links</strong><br /> <a title="OccupyWallSt.org" href="http://occupywallst.org/" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://occupywallst.org/">OccupyWallSt.org</a><br /> <a title="OccupyTogether.org" href="http://www.occupytogether.org/" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://www.occupytogether.org/">OccupyTogether.org</a><br /> <a title="General Assembly - Occupy Wall Street" href="http://nycga.cc/" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://nycga.cc/">General Assembly</a> for Occupy Wall Street<br /> <a title="Occupy Wall Street on Reddit" href="http://www.reddit.com/r/occupywallstreet" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://www.reddit.com/r/occupywallstreet">Reddit -&nbsp; Occupy Wall Street </a><br data-mce-bogus="1"></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/trends/small-house-live/' rel='bookmark' title='How Small of a House Could you Live in?'>How Small of a House Could you Live in?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/rise-social-entrepreneurship/' rel='bookmark' title='The Rise of Social Entrepreneurship'>The Rise of Social Entrepreneurship</a></li>
</ol></p>
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		<title>How to Find More Satisfication in Everything &#8211; The Ikea Effect</title>
		<link>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/find-satisfication-ikea-effect/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/find-satisfication-ikea-effect/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 25 Sep 2011 07:05:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[consumerism]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ideaeconomy.net/?p=667</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What would bring more personal satisfaction to you, being dropped on the top of Mount Everest by a helicopter or actually climbing the entire mountain and reaching it on your own after days of effort? How about running a full marathon of more than 42 kilometers versus secretly taking a taxing and just running across the finish line? I think it is safe to say, that most of us understand the value of effort and sacrifice in our accomplishments. We tend to under-appreciate the things we get easily. 


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/forget-job20-cut-work-hours-start-life20/' rel='bookmark' title='Forget Job2.0 &#8211; Cut your Work Hours and Start Life2.0'>Forget Job2.0 &#8211; Cut your Work Hours and Start Life2.0</a></li>
</ol>

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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><p><strong>Big Ideas:<br />
</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>We get more satisfaction when we exert more effort.</li>
<li>Obesity may be linked to how easy it has become to eat high calorie foods.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/mounteverest.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-668" title="mount_everest" src="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/mounteverest.jpg" alt="mounteverest How to Find More Satisfication in Everything   The Ikea Effect" width="490" height="325" /></a></p>
<p><a title="Mount Everest" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kappawayfarer/2666694947/" target="_blank">Photo by Kappa Wayfarer</a></p>
<p>What would bring more personal satisfaction to you, being dropped on the top of Mount Everest by a helicopter or actually climbing the entire mountain and reaching it on your own after days of effort?</p>
<p><span id="more-667"></span></p>
<p>How about running a full marathon of more than 42 kilometers versus secretly taking a taxing and just running across the finish line?</p>
<p>I think it is safe to say, that most of us understand the value of effort and sacrifice in our accomplishments. We tend to under-appreciate the things we get easily.</p>
<h2>The Ikea Effect</h2>
<p>One description of this psychological bias is termed the Ikea Effect. <a title="Wired Magazine - Why making dinner is a good idea." href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/11/why-making-dinner-is-a-good-idea/" target="_blank">Wired Magazine author Jonah Lehrer</a> writes about the personal satisfaction from assembling our own furniture,</p>
<blockquote><p>Although the furniture might look like crap — I always have a few leftover screws — the flimsy assembly of molded plywood feels like a masterpiece.</p></blockquote>
<p>Lehrer goes on to write about experiments that show that mice have a preference for food they have to work harder for. It turns out humans are not so different. With the advance of pre-prepared meals and fast food, it has become very easy to get a high caloric intake.</p>
<blockquote><p>Food stops being something we make and create — it doesn’t require very many lever presses, so to speak — and becomes something we simply ingest. Eating just gets easier. And then we get fatter.</p>
<p>But maybe we’re not just consuming more calories because they’re available at such a low cost. Maybe we’re also consuming more calories because each calorie gives us less pleasure. The lesson of those lever-pressing mice, after all, is that when we don’t work for our food — when it only requires a single press, or a few whirls of the microwave — it tastes much less delicious.</p></blockquote>
<p>Relationships seem stronger the harder you had to work to make them successful. You appreciate anything you make yourself more highly than that which you buy. Hard work and sacrifice make final accomplishments that much more rewarding. In our convenience focused lives, perhaps we can increase our personal satisfaction by taking the more arduous route.</p>
<p><strong>Action Items</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Instead of complaining about traffic of your daily commute, how about cycling to work so you get exercise and a sense of accomplishment everyday.</li>
<li>Grow your own herbs and use them in the preparation of your own meals. Nothing will be as healthy or delicious.</li>
<li>Stop looking for shortcuts in work and life. There is no substitute for hard work and focused effort.</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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</ol></p>
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		<title>The Rise of Social Entrepreneurship</title>
		<link>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/rise-social-entrepreneurship/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/rise-social-entrepreneurship/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 09 Jul 2011 10:24:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Models]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conscious Capitalism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Good]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ideaeconomy.net/?p=635</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A great lifestyle is not just about leisure time and personal satisfaction; making a real difference in the world is also becoming an essential component. Entrepreneurship is often necessary to have the freedom to craft a perfect lifestyle, but an even more important factor is the opportunity to really create social good in the world.


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<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/social-capital-valuable-money/' rel='bookmark' title='Social Capital is More Valuable than Money'>Social Capital is More Valuable than Money</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/alex-bogusky-fearless-revolution-conscious-capitalism/' rel='bookmark' title='Alex Bogusky and the Fearless Revolution towards Conscious Capitalism'>Alex Bogusky and the Fearless Revolution towards Conscious Capitalism</a></li>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><p><strong>Big Ideas:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Businesses can earn a profit and help better society at the same time.</li>
<li>Social entrepreneurship is a growing trend as we seek more meaning and fulfillment in our lives.</li>
</ul>
<p>I am finding that people of all ages are increasingly searching for more meaning and fulfillment in work and life in general. There is much more to life than a good salary and conspicuous consumption. On my JetSetCitizen blog, I have interviewed dozens of <a title="JetSetCitizen.com" href="http://JetSetCitizen.com" target="_blank">digital nomads, perpetual travelers or location independents</a> that are putting lifestyle ahead of materialism.</p>
<p>A great life is not just about leisure time and personal satisfaction; making a real difference in the world is also becoming an essential component. Entrepreneurship is often necessary to have the freedom to craft a perfect lifestyle, but an even more important factor is the opportunity to really create social good in the world.</p>
<h2>What is Social Entrepreneurship?</h2>
<p>Social Entrepreneurship is using business principles and practices in new ventures to bring about social change in the world. Profits are a by-product, or the organization will fail,  but the real focus is to make a difference in the world.</p>
<h2>Why isn’t Every Entrepreneur a Social Entrepreneur?</h2>
<p>It is important to remember that our consumption oriented society is less than a century old. We have been trained to be consumers with insatiable wants and the planned obsolescence in all the things we buy is designed to generate more profits, not create societal value.</p>
<p>In the decades after WWII, affordable mass produced goods greatly increased living standards.  Large corporations mastered the art of mass advertising. Getting people to buy more goods and services, created jobs and real wealth. Life was good.</p>
<p>Little was known of the environmental and social consequences of those actions. Crime, obesity, pollution and all the other negative externalities of a consumer society were either non-existent or not understood. What was good for corporations, was good for individuals so everyone was happy.</p>
<p>Businesses don&#8217;t profit by getting us to spend less, conserve energy or be generous with our time and money. Companies want us to consume high margin products and services.</p>
<p>Fast food restaurants make more money selling sugared water and  manufactured food, than anyone could by selling vegetables or advocating  drinking tap water. How can carrots and broccoli compete with movie  endorsed happy meals?</p>
<h2>Wealth is Not Measured by GDP</h2>
<p>The health of an economy is commonly measured by GDP growth, basically buying and selling more stuff. Clean air and water, safety, parks and wilderness, income equality, strong community, family values, general health levels  and virtually everything that we consider priceless  aren’t valued in gross domestic product.</p>
<p>An under-employed worker may only contribute $10,000 or $20,000 per year to a modern economy, however put that same individual in jail, with incarceration costs at more than $40,000 per year and you have doubled or quadrupled that individual’s contribution to economic growth.</p>
<h2>There is a Better Way</h2>
<p>When business oriented individuals create enterprises to alleviate societal ills, business transactions take place to satisfy the economists, but more importantly real social value or social capital is created that truly enriches the quality of life for recipients. It might not be as profitable as fast food hamburgers or financial derivatives, but there are opportunities to make a real impact in our communities. Profits alone are not a particularly good motivator, we all want to do something good in the world and social entrepreneurship might be the answer.</p>
<h2>Social Entrepreneurship Examples</h2>
<p><a title="Grameen Bank" href="http://www.grameen-info.org/" target="_blank">Grameen Bank </a>- Provides no-collateral loans to the rural poor in Bangladesh</p>
<p><a title="Jamie Oliver's Fifteen" href="http://www.fifteen.net/chefapprenticeship/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Fifteen</a> &#8211; Jamie Oliver’s chef apprenticeship program for unemployed youth.</p>
<p><a title="The Big Issue" href="http://www.bigissue.com/" target="_blank">The Big Issue</a> &#8211; Print magazine giving homeless an opportunity to earn an income.</p>
<p><a title="The Eden Project" href="http://www.edenproject.com/whats-it-all-about/" target="_blank">The Eden Project</a> &#8211; Promoting environmental and global awareness through arts and music events, education, gardens and social projects.</p>
<p><a title="Acumen Fund" href="http://www.acumenfund.org/" target="_blank">Acumen Fund</a> &#8211; Invests in social enterprises.</p>
<p><a title="Ashoka.org" href="http://Ashoka.org" target="_blank">Ashoka.org</a> &#8211; Promoting social entrepreneurship for more than three decades.</p>
<p>If you know of more examples, please tell us in the comments. I would love to create a directory of social entrepreneurship initiatives around the world.</p>
<h2>Action Items</h2>
<ul>
<li>Can you shift your business to more socially beneficial activities?</li>
<li>Can you employ, educate or help socially disadvantaged in your community?</li>
<li>How much money do you need to earn? How about reinvesting the surplus into social change?</li>
<li>Having difficulty finding meaning and fulfillment in your life? Perhaps you should start thinking of how you can give more to those in need. The greatest happiness comes from contribution not consumption.</li>
</ul>
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<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/game-make-world-better/' rel='bookmark' title='Games Can Make the World a Better Place'>Games Can Make the World a Better Place</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/social-capital-valuable-money/' rel='bookmark' title='Social Capital is More Valuable than Money'>Social Capital is More Valuable than Money</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/alex-bogusky-fearless-revolution-conscious-capitalism/' rel='bookmark' title='Alex Bogusky and the Fearless Revolution towards Conscious Capitalism'>Alex Bogusky and the Fearless Revolution towards Conscious Capitalism</a></li>
</ol></p>
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		<title>Hate Conferences? How about an Anti-Conference?</title>
		<link>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/hate-conferences-anticonference/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/hate-conferences-anticonference/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jun 2011 02:04:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ideaeconomy.net/?p=618</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It is more important than ever to make real world connections than ever, but conferences? Spending a few days with thousands of people frantically handing out business cards is a difficult way to establish meaningful connections. The rising trend of anti-conferences offer a better alternative.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/web-videos-power-global-innovation-great-ted-video/' rel='bookmark' title='How Web Videos Power Global Innovation &#8211; Another Great TED Video'>How Web Videos Power Global Innovation &#8211; Another Great TED Video</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/social-media-making-human/' rel='bookmark' title='Is Social Media Making us Less Human?'>Is Social Media Making us Less Human?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/social-capital-valuable-money/' rel='bookmark' title='Social Capital is More Valuable than Money'>Social Capital is More Valuable than Money</a></li>
</ol>

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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><p><strong>Big Ideas:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Social media connections are weak; real world meet ups are still essential.</li>
<li>Smaller conferences focused around an activity build stronger connections.</li>
</ul>
<h2>The Rise of Anti-Conferences</h2>
<p>It is more important than ever to make real world connections than ever, but conferences? Spending a few days with thousands of people frantically handing out business cards is a difficult way to establish meaningful connections.</p>
<p>TheNextWeb reported on the rising trend of <a title="Anti-conferences on TheNextWeb" href="http://thenextweb.com/video/2011/05/27/the-future-of-conferences-the-anti-conference-maitai2011/" target="_blank">anti-conferences</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>I can go and swap my business card with 500 people at a conference, but at a smaller event I can make 100 solid relationships with people that last a lifetime.</p>
<p>Unconferences have been around for a while providing an unconventional and creative setting for people to meet and network, but I’m witnessing a trend for the conference aspect of an event, (thousands of participants watching a speaker, bad coffee, organized networking) being thrown out of the window and more activity conscious events being organized. Friends who went on <a href="http://www.summitseries.com/" target="_blank">Summit Series</a>, an event for entrepreneurs on a charted cruise ship that sailed round the Bahamas, were raving about their yoga/music and shark tagging expeditions as well as the relationships they made onboard.</p></blockquote>
<p>Social media has made it easier than ever to connect with thousands of people around the world, but most of those connections are tenuous at best. Real and lasting relationships come from  intimate real world gatherings where the focus is on something other than generating immediate leads.</p>
<p>Having attendees participate in activities like rock climbing, hiking, yoga, wine-tasting or cooking classes is a great ice breaker that immediately creates shared experiences.</p>
<p><strong>Action Items:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Organize a sporting or cultural activity for clients, suppliers and/or acquaintances that focus on people, not business.</li>
<li>Make a consistent effort to meet other professionals without a hard sell. Focus on them, not you.</li>
<li>Set aside 30 minutes a day to support and connect others online. Again, NO sales pitches.</li>
</ul>
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<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/web-videos-power-global-innovation-great-ted-video/' rel='bookmark' title='How Web Videos Power Global Innovation &#8211; Another Great TED Video'>How Web Videos Power Global Innovation &#8211; Another Great TED Video</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/social-media-making-human/' rel='bookmark' title='Is Social Media Making us Less Human?'>Is Social Media Making us Less Human?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/social-capital-valuable-money/' rel='bookmark' title='Social Capital is More Valuable than Money'>Social Capital is More Valuable than Money</a></li>
</ol></p>
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		<title>Lady Gaga Isn’t a More Efficient Brittany Spears.</title>
		<link>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/lady-gaga-isnt-efficient-brittany-spears/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/lady-gaga-isnt-efficient-brittany-spears/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 May 2011 03:35:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Models]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ideaeconomy.net/?p=611</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[From bikini stage outfits to arriving at an awards ceremony in a man-carried egg, Lady Gaga knows how to make a splash.

Most businesses don’t think like Lady Gaga. Playing by the rules and doing what everyone else is doing is much safer than taking bold risks. That is why the state of business is so damn lousy.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/run-business-company/' rel='bookmark' title='Do you Run a Business or a Company?'>Do you Run a Business or a Company?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/social-capital-valuable-money/' rel='bookmark' title='Social Capital is More Valuable than Money'>Social Capital is More Valuable than Money</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/david-beats-goliath-break-rules-succeed/' rel='bookmark' title='How David Beats Goliath &#8211; Break the Rules to Succeed'>How David Beats Goliath &#8211; Break the Rules to Succeed</a></li>
</ol>

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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><p><strong>Big Idea:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>You can’t optimize yourself to greatness, outrageous results require outrageous actions.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/philipnelson/5642326801/"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-612" title="Lady GaGa - Monster Ball - Nashville, TN" src="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/LadyGaga.jpg" alt="LadyGaga Lady Gaga Isn’t a More Efficient Brittany Spears." width="640" height="480" /></a></strong></p>
<h2>Entrepreneurship, Lady Gaga Style</h2>
<p>Love her or hate her, there is no denying that Lady Gaga is a superstar. She knows how to shock, entertain and continually push the bar. From bikini stage outfits to arriving at an awards ceremony in a man-carried egg, Lady Gaga knows how to make a splash.</p>
<p>Most businesses don’t think like Lady Gaga. Playing by the rules and doing what everyone else is doing is much safer than taking bold risks. That is why the state of business is so damn lousy. How often are you wowed by a company?</p>
<h2>The Problem with Businesses</h2>
<p>Ramit Sethi of Iwillteachyoutoberich.com <a title="Ramit Sethi Blog" href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/introducing-2011-the-year-of-the-hustle/" target="_blank">wrote something that has bothered</a> me for a while:</p>
<blockquote><p>Years ago, American Airlines removed one olive from each first-class salad, resulting in a savings of $40,000/year. They are a massive public company with huge scale, so you can’t get those kinds of results. But the principle — focusing on small actions that give you incredibly huge results — is something you can do.</p></blockquote>
<p>I am a huge fan of Ramit and I certainly believe in the idea of the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 rule where focusing on high impact areas can deliver disproportionate results, however I don’t think American Airlines cutting an olive from salads falls in that category.</p>
<p>Far too many businesses strive to cut costs and get more efficient as a way to success. That mentality might of worked in the industrial age, but we are long past that stage.</p>
<p>Do you think Lady Gaga has achieved the level of success she has because she is more efficient or better at cost cutting than the hundreds of thousands of less successful performers?</p>
<p>So many businesses are obsessed about keeping labour costs to some predetermined percentage of sales. Squeezing even an extra 0.1 percent can potentially add a lot of money to immediate profits but at what cost? Companies bullshit about how important customer service and employee satisfaction are, yet try to cut worker hours down to a bare minimum. The result is overworked, stress out employees and customers that are not getting satisfactory service.</p>
<p>What if those companies took a hit up front and actually increased the amount of staff on hand? What would be the long term benefit of a less stressed workforce or customers that can actually get the assistance they need?</p>
<p>United Airlines cut the olive from martinis in business class. Do you think those passengers noticed? I know some that did. What is the cost of an olive per business class traveler? They are saving five or ten cents on a fare that can be thousands of dollars.</p>
<p>That type of cost cutting is short sighted and self-defeating. I wonder how much the consultants were paid that provided the idea to cut an olive from the two airlines? My guess is that companies spending their time counting olives have <a title="United Breaks Guitars" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo" target="_blank">much bigger problems to deal with</a>.</p>
<p><a title="Seth Godin" href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/05/underextended.html" target="_blank">Seth Godin said</a>,</p>
<blockquote><p>We see one organization after another, left unchecked, pushing miners or laborers or bureaucrats to exhaustion, all in the name of enhanced productivity.</p></blockquote>
<p>Cash flow and costs are important but you can’t optimize your way to greatness.    (Unless you do it to an extreme, Walmart style.) Instead of trying to giving your customers as little as possible, how about taking a cue from Lady Gaga and go full out for every interaction?</p>
<p><strong> Action Items</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Are you running your business with an accountant or entrepreneur mindset?</li>
<li>Are your trying to be more efficient or are you growing a business?</li>
<li>Instead of trying to cut from your customers, think about where you can add more value.</li>
<li>What small thing could you do for your customers or staff that would generate disproportionate results?</li>
<li>Is there merit in diverting a portion of your marketing budget to making current customers happier? It is much cheaper to keep a current customer than it is to find a new one.</li>
</ul>
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<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/social-capital-valuable-money/' rel='bookmark' title='Social Capital is More Valuable than Money'>Social Capital is More Valuable than Money</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/david-beats-goliath-break-rules-succeed/' rel='bookmark' title='How David Beats Goliath &#8211; Break the Rules to Succeed'>How David Beats Goliath &#8211; Break the Rules to Succeed</a></li>
</ol></p>
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		<title>How David Beats Goliath &#8211; Break the Rules to Succeed</title>
		<link>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/david-beats-goliath-break-rules-succeed/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/david-beats-goliath-break-rules-succeed/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 May 2011 22:44:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Models]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Creativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ideaeconomy.net/?p=597</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Malcolm Gladwell has a great article in The New Yorker on how underdogs can triumph against more skilled opponents. There are many great military and sports examples of how unconventional strategies and outworking your competition are the only ways to succeed.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/entrepreneurship/practically-radical-simple-truths-leading-change-making-difference-william-taylor/' rel='bookmark' title='Practically Radical: Four Simple Truths About Leading Change and Making a Difference &#8211; William C. Taylor'>Practically Radical: Four Simple Truths About Leading Change and Making a Difference &#8211; William C. Taylor</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/rejuvenate-business-model-question-framework-exercise/' rel='bookmark' title='Rejuvenate your Business Model with the Question Framework Exercise'>Rejuvenate your Business Model with the Question Framework Exercise</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/run-business-company/' rel='bookmark' title='Do you Run a Business or a Company?'>Do you Run a Business or a Company?</a></li>
</ol>

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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><p><strong>Big Ideas:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>You can&#8217;t win against bigger or more skilled competitors if you follow the same rules. Create your own rules to succeed.</li>
<li>The underdog has to outwork the competition in unexpected ways.</li>
</ul>
<p><a title="How David Beats Goliath" href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/11/090511fa_fact_gladwell" target="_blank">Malcolm Gladwell has a great article in The New Yorker</a> on how underdogs can triumph against more skilled opponents. (Thanks to <a title="Ridiculously Extraordinary" href="http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/sweet-shit-saturday-045/" target="_blank">Karol Gadja</a> for the link.) There are many great military and sports examples of how unconventional strategies and outworking your competition are the only ways to succeed.</p>
<blockquote><p>When an underdog fought like David, he usually won. But most of the time underdogs didn’t fight like David. Of the two hundred and two lopsided conflicts in Arreguín-Toft’s database, the underdog chose to go toe to toe with Goliath the conventional way a hundred and fifty-two times—and lost a hundred and nineteen times</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>Insurgents work harder than Goliath. But their other advantage is that they will do what is “socially horrifying”—they will challenge the conventions about how battles are supposed to be fought.</p></blockquote>
<p>This type of strategy is at the heart of all business model innovation. As the old saying goes, &#8220;you can&#8217;t out Amazon, Amazon.&#8221; If you want to compete against established players you need to create new rules that favor your style of company.</p>
<ul>
<li>Selling T-shirts is a commodity business. <a title="Threadless.com" href="http://www.threadless.com/" target="_blank">Threadless.com </a>turned it into a monthly design contest where customers vote on the best designs.</li>
<li>Apple doesn&#8217;t compete on price and features with other computer companies. It sells premium priced, beautiful computers that work better because they monopolize the hardware and software.</li>
<li>Installed software is expensive to buy and maintain. SaaS (Software as a Service) applications turn those purchases into a monthly subscription where data is always backed up and the software is always current.</li>
<li>Discount European airlines can make more money from selling hotels, rental cars and upsells than they can from the flight itself. That is how they can give the flights away for next to free.</li>
<li>Starbucks has a limited food selection that is shipped out of a central  location. Great local cafes bake fresh pastries right on the  premises.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Action Items</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>What can you do to change how your industry works?</li>
<li>Could you give away your main product in order to upsell other services?</li>
<li>What unique skill or knowledge can you use to compete against larger companies?</li>
<li>What is the biggest bottleneck in your industry? How can you completely bypass that bottleneck?</li>
<li>Instead of selling services sporadically, can you charge a monthly subscription for an ongoing solution?</li>
</ul>
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<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/rejuvenate-business-model-question-framework-exercise/' rel='bookmark' title='Rejuvenate your Business Model with the Question Framework Exercise'>Rejuvenate your Business Model with the Question Framework Exercise</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/run-business-company/' rel='bookmark' title='Do you Run a Business or a Company?'>Do you Run a Business or a Company?</a></li>
</ol></p>
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		<title>The Gamification of Email</title>
		<link>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/gamification-email/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/gamification-email/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 May 2011 00:19:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Models]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trends]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ideaeconomy.net/?p=591</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Finally, one of the greatest productivity destroyers has been gamified. If you have trouble emptying your inbox, Baydin’s Email Game might be the solution.


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/gamification-business-kurasushi-japan/' rel='bookmark' title='The Gamification of Business &#8211; Example of Kurasushi in Japan'>The Gamification of Business &#8211; Example of Kurasushi in Japan</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/game-make-world-better/' rel='bookmark' title='Games Can Make the World a Better Place'>Games Can Make the World a Better Place</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.ideaeconomy.net/collaboration/gamestorming-games-brainstorming-fun-creativity-techniques-dave-gray/' rel='bookmark' title='Gamestorming (Games + Brainstorming) &#8211; Fun, Creativity Techniques by Dave Gray'>Gamestorming (Games + Brainstorming) &#8211; Fun, Creativity Techniques by Dave Gray</a></li>
</ol>

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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop --><p><strong>Big Ideas:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Here is a great web application that turns email into a game.</li>
<li>Game dynamics promise to transform many of our experiences into fun, challenging adventures.</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-592" title="Email-Gamification" src="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Email-Gamification.png" alt="Email Gamification The Gamification of Email" width="490" height="216" /></p>
<h2>Email as a Game?</h2>
<p>Finally, one of the greatest productivity destroyers has been gamified. If you have trouble emptying your inbox, <a title="The Email Game" href="http://emailgame.baydin.com/learn.html" target="_blank">Baydin’s Email Game</a> might be the solution.</p>
<p>The best games are simple to understand, yet difficult to master. The <a title="The Email Game" href="http://emailgame.baydin.com/learn.html" target="_blank">Email Game</a> magically delivers those gaming dynamics and takes it one step further by providing a real world achievement, an empty inbox.</p>
<h2>How it Works</h2>
<p>Connecting to your Gmail account, the <a title="The Email Game" href="http://emailgame.baydin.com/learn.html" target="_blank">Email Game</a> has access to your emails and forces you to take action on every item in your inbox, one at a time. With a time counter racing down to zero, you need to take action quickly to maximize your points.</p>
<p>Quick, what is it going to be? Reply? Delete?, Archive? Take action and earn points. Can’t decide? You can skip an email but you will lose points.</p>
<p>There is an interesting “Boomerang” feature that lets you archive emails, yet bring them back to your inbox at a specified time in the future.</p>
<p>This is a fantastic idea with great execution. Everything is designed to  get you to clear emails from your inbox as efficiently as possible.</p>
<h2>What else can be Gamified?</h2>
<p>Simple gaming dynamics exist in many areas of our lives. We compete for followers, friends and likes online. We collect rewards points and frequent flyer miles. Instantly winning a free ice cream or candy bar used to be a popular motivator for children. Cars like the Chevy Leaf even reward you with a growing electronic plant on your dashboard when you save gas. What components of your business can be turned into a game?</p>
<p><strong>Action Items</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Think of ways to gamify your business offering.</li>
<li>Can your employees ‘level up’ instead of taking training programs or getting promotions?</li>
<li>Can you encourage customer loyalty and evangelism through friendly competitions to recommend your services?</li>
<li>Can service failures like waiting times be made enjoyable through games or contests?</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Links</strong><a title="The Gamification of Kurasushi in Japan" href="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/gamification-business-kurasushi-japan/" target="_blank"><br />
The Gamification of a Sushi Chain in Japan</a><br />
<a title="Games Can Make the World a Better Place" href="http://www.ideaeconomy.net/ideas/game-make-world-better/" target="_blank">Games Can Make the World a Better Place</a></p>
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