A Foolish (Fools) Endeavor
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Many a time I have sat in a room full of people and more still, scattered across remote locales, who embraced the idea that when a project goes live — it is then and only then, the real joy of the work begins.  That is the defining moment, because in the blink of an eye, you become instantly aware your beloved project needs more work. Not because it was incomplete, or lacked quality. It is the exact opposite.

The creative, intellectual, and science minded grey spaces had produced was some of the best on which I've been fortunate enough to work alongside. It was good because we could test.

Optimize. Discover. Update in real time. Make it better. Iterate.

I hope you'll take the time to read  the balance of the latest edition to the #disseminatingseeds  series. Who knows, you may be surprised by the hand being dealt...

~ owen

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

Lurking And Learning
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Engagement. What an odd thing. Leaning more towards the introvert in myself, I tend to focus on reflection rather than active participation. The fact is, engagement scares the crap out of me some days.  It makes me question my own ability to add meaningful and thoughtful context to the subject matter at hand. 

Then there is the alternative. Sitting quietly in the corner. Listening. Reading. Watching. Oh Crap — someone just spotted me, and now they’re thinking me a “lurker,”  or worse. A Coward. A Troll, readying to attack.

A common metric of social engagement is the quantifiable volume of activity;  the time spent interacting with others. It may be something such as going to church or a PTA meeting, or the number of shared insights and opinion in an online forum. 

But each of us struggle with when to jump into the fray; which activity to attend, choices of a community to become a participant of, or which person to #engage  with. Sometimes it is simply a matter serendipity. Moments of hit n’ miss — other times it is in fact, not an issue of cowardice, but of reflection on common (or apposing) beliefs and interests prior to asking for entry.

Rest assured though, it is not a matter of cowardice, or of being a lurker, or a troll.  It is simply a point we each are at as we go through the process of discovering the world is much smaller thanks, in part, to social networks. And like a piece of darkened coal, time and pressures to explore the enlightenment others share, only comes with time…

And with it, deepening learning and advancement for all can begin.

~ owen

Question: What factors play a significant part in your development as #engagers  in Google+?

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

disseminating seeds: The Series
Ramblings, Prose, and Inspirations

Chirp, Chirp, SQUAWK! Yea, some days are just seriously like that.

I was first introduced to the music of Kurt Cobain while I was cramming for a midterm in college. As a non-traditional student,  it was already a difficult road ahead when sitting in classes with fellow students who were ten years my junior, and still very accustomed to the rigors of studying and the life of a student.

Upon first impression,
...all I could think was “What the hell is that NOISE!?”  But as the sounds wafted through the walls of the apartment next to me, I paused and listened. I didn't realize it then, but I had happened upon an “AH HA” life changing moment. That very next morning, I blew off my midterm (having decided to drop the course anyway), and headed to the local music store.

It was then, I was introduced to the brilliance of a not only a gifted songwriter, but the absolute power of self discovery in writing. I started ripping into the lyrics that accompanied the very rudimentary style of playing the guitar. Years later that I was able to purchase “Kurt Cobain: Journals” (2002). http://goo.gl/ct2kV3

I was already well entrenched with my professional career advancing in the IT industry, but the inspiration from Cobain simmered deep. It was when watching MTV Unplugged in New York, when he flubs the guitar solo to David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” with a simple shoulder shrug…, I was forever transformed.

What I began to understand, is what I first may have perceived Cobain's inability to embody the ideals of Galileo, Russel, and Eleanor Roosevelt regarding conformity, opinion, and conviction is in fact his subversive strategy for changing the status quo from the inside.

“…[I] like to calmly and rationally discuss my views in a conformist manor even though I consider myself to the extreme left. I like to inflate the mechanics of a system by posing as one of them, then slowly start the rot from the inside of the empire.”

I sat in my hotel room last night,
...before deciding to meander the seascape of sidewalks in Seattle. Coming soon would be a decision to make. Continue down the career path I had chosen, or try something else that was indeed a growing passion. Once more, I recalled something of importance in Cobain’s writing;

“The conspiracy toward success in America is immediacy. … Here today, gone tomorrow because yesterday’s following was nothing more than a tool in every individuals need for self-importance, entertainment, and social rituals.”

This was an observation
...which I could easily relate to all of the changes in the IT industry itself. Continued discussions and voices of the “next big thing” combined with the realities of disruptive technology. These same voices resonated deeply, as well as the frustrations that had accompanied the necessity to keep up with innovations.

As the evening progressed giving birth to a new morning, I woke to also think upon an idea penned by Hunter S. Thompson, “It is not necessary to accept the choices handed down to you by life as you know it.”  With a quick moment of remembrance, I also thought about, “To put our faith in tangible goals would seem to be, at best, unwise. So we do not strive to be firemen, we do not strive to be bankers, nor policemen, nor doctors. WE STRIVE TO BE OURSELVES.”

These thoughts; deep explorations of oneself struck at the very heart of why I write. What I write. What sings in my soul both songs of immense joy, and challenging hardships. It is how I take my scattered ramblings in my head, the voices of communication with myself, and attempt to transcribe them to the screen and slips of paper.

So as the day moves on,
...I know that each new morning brings birds screaming at the top of their lungs in a horrified and hellish rage — forecasting what is to come. Knowing that the #semanticweb  does not enable me to “speak bird”,  I am left with one lingering thought as I prepare to publish yet another train of thoughts.

I would rather be hated for who I am, than admired and sought for joining a project team for who I am no longer.

~ owen

Question: Do you allow inspirations and passions to determine your path?

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

disseminating seeds
The Powerhouse in an ADe (Attention Deficit Economy)

The attention economy
In many ways, this has been the building block and valuation of how we exchange ideas within the constructs of social layers and networks. The premise for this exchange is rather simple; it is our scarce resource of time in a world beset by information overload. Contrary to what some may see as yet another buzzword by social media marketing personas, attention as a #commodity  was studied back in the early 1970's by the likes of Herman Simon who commented (http://goo.gl/rv3ddz ),

“…in an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.”

This has given a rise to new professions as well. Brokerages and their employees (more commonly known as curators) scan through the feed of vast data, filtering and disseminating ideas and information that is designated as worthwhile, or #valuable . Conceptually, this is no different than handing over controls to your favorite television shows to a provider (ie Comcast, Time-Warner, etc), or the rise in Communities (as seen in Google+). Collaboration or cooperative efforts, are also on the rise — as solopreneurs find themselves overwhelmed by a perceived lack of complete skill sets to offer a fickle and much larger consumer-centrist and time limited populace.

What do you ignore?
The challenge to these communities, communes, and collaborative efforts are already being felt too, as soft volleys across the bow are lobbed by neighboring factions. Small gangs gather around the campfires of new broadcast methodologies (such as Google’s Hangouts/Hangouts on Air), while making indirect references and innuendos of expertise and authority (and the lack thereof), becoming economic indicators in this much larger and new infrastructure.

Another indication of threats within the attention economy, is that time, as the basis for a wallet of this currency is limited. The idea that choices of how one can spend time and attention is viewed as infinite. Then the act of focusing attention (even if only for a split second) on written word, imagery, and video streams become the economic value most sought. This is the essence of a populist notion that if you can get them to pay attention,  you can get them to spend their money on your goods or services provided.

The downside to this “attention economy” is it is already running on a #deficit . By 2015, Americans will consume an average of fifteen and a half hours of media per day, according to a recent study by USC’s Marshall School of Business (http://goo.gl/rp8cIV ).

If you combine that metric with the 8.7 hours of sleep Americans get per night (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics here http://goo.gl/uUxcpR ) you quickly see that, the public is never NOT EXPOSED to some form of media data stream battling for attention. Ultimately, attention is not free. There is a finite pool of time for entities to draw upon when consumers freely pour sentence after sentence, hour upon hour into status updates, or solicitations of a friend’s endorsement and approval.

Epilogue
As attention is now a centralized unit of economic value, rest assured that price and calculated valuation wars are on the horizon. Large and small business will fall to the ideals of venture capitalists adopting the stance summed up by Kevin O’Leary,

“Business is war. I go out there, I want to kill the competitors. I want to make their lives miserable. I want to steal their market share. I want them to fear me and I want everyone on my team thinking we’re going to win.”

This leads me to believe  that while small businesses as well as larger corporations plant their grand fields of expertise in varied online presence endeavors, the real powerhouses will in fact be the #brokers  and their brokerage firms who disseminate the data in the most timely and appropriately tailored means and platforms in a deficited economic macrocosm.

~ owen

Question: Which powerhouse brokerages are you placing your endeavors in, or did you not see this coming?

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

disseminating seeds
Walk of Life

♫ There’s just a song
in the trouble and the strife… ♫

Alongside the Arkansas
As I took a walk this morning on the abandoned train tracks paralleling the Arkansas river near my home, I found something innately compelling. Something that drew me to these forlorn, derelict pieces of history. Something I needed to immerse myself in — what was and is no longer.

There once was a powerful “tidal motion of the cars” bouncing along the tracks. But no more. In it’s stead, “there is an empty linear space to meander up and down”  and partake in the conversations I needed with myself. As I continue my trek in the cool morning air, I reflect on current circumstances and how I relate them to trouble on the tracks (exposing my thoughts to aretaic ethics ).

Analytics
Late this afternoon, I returned again to meander the empty rails and clear my head.  As I moved my feet across the timbers, carefully avoiding an unwanted tumble, I pondered how events have been filled with decisions. Moments spent at the crossover switch,  trying to deliver the best outcome possible. Despite my efforts, someone was to fall victim to my #metaethical  responses. I was stuck at a quandary that could not have been avoided. The problems and available solutions presenting themselves as that of a runaway coal car sure to impact something….

Ultimately the resolutions I made were neither easy, nor fulfilling.  Yet there was a resolute and quiet determination that I had honored the promises to my family made so long ago — to care for those who had taken me in at only three months of age,  as they entered what will surely be the twilight of their remaining time with me. My career choices presented are slipping away, yet I discover a calm restoring my soul. It was just not meant to be. The zeal that stirred months ago and years gone by is once again nourished and nurtured. The moments and challenges of overseeing the turnout and the traversing the tracks has made me stronger, yet not without a harbinger of things yet to come.

Sentiment
As I sit before the warmth of the fire now with the crackling embers being my only companion, the track I abandoned is now part of my history. It is “the lost path of days gone by.”  In a world with excessive individualism, the walk along a silenced rail offers “a vestigial whiff of a commonality among men, rich and poor, a mode of collective destiny, ‘this thing we all do together,’ and stand very much alone.”

♫ You do the walk,
you do the walk of life.  ♫

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

G+onzo
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Today has just been one of those days. Productive?
Kinda not. Interesting? Yes. Revealing? Certainly? Amusing? Oh Hell Yes! IN SO MANY WAYS!

Welcome to G+onzo (aka Gonzo+)
I love Google+ as it is a continuing source of inspiration; a place where I can expose myself to people I want to meet and engage with. But there is another side I find equally intriguing. It is that manic first-person subjectivity of shared stories and insights that due to immediacy concerns sometimes forgo any discernment.  There are shared insights that strike me as being the result of sheer desperation; a perception of some mystically looming deadline. It is sometimes G+ONZO JOURNALISM!

If you know Rolling Stone magazine, then you know the gonzo style of reporting coming from the 1970's by the master and originator Hunter S. Thompson. Much of his style is written without claims of objectivity,  often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative. It truly does reflect the idea that seen elsewhere in literature, reminiscent of Nobel Prize author William Faulkner’s notion that “fiction is often the best fact.”

And Gonzo Journalism is certainly present in Google+ (and other social networks as well). The style is an approach to accuracy through the reporting of personal experiences and emotions. To hell with verification by third parties — this is personal.  #Authentic . #BRAVE . The writer becomes the is a protagonist, seeking to extend value unto others, and in this style, draws its power from a combination of both social critique and self-satire.

What’s really enjoyable and frustrating all in the same bowl of googol-goo is there are some events that trigger emotive cries of “foul” within Plus. Do you dare refer to it as a ghost town?  or a place of the “Walking Dead”? Not unless you are prepared to run off, attempting to swing a verbal machete while you make your way out of the city. But hey. It’s traction and all in good fun.  And certainly watch how you refer to semantic search. In Plus it means one thing. GOOGLE Semantic Search.) This is *NOT the semantic web (http://goo.gl/zwiw9h). Nor does it seem to reflect the acceptance or the possibility that some mad genius could be toiling away in Boondocks, Iowa  — with the drive and passion to create a replacement for the complex Google Search algorithms. Heaven forbid….

Do I care about “ghost towns” or changing of the guard for some tech company? Not really. It is interesting, but not revolutionary. Tech companies, like any other, go through times of challenge and perceived death, only to rise from the ashes laughing mockingly.

What I do care about is the shared writing. The style. The misnomers, and false positives that frustrate me, make me dig deeper, trouble and intrigue me. I find that on Goolge+ Besides, who doesn't find value in instigating a dialogue (maybe even in a prankish or belligerent manner now and then ), and then document both the originating actions and then those of others.

IN THE MEANTIME
I enjoy the shit out of Google+, and as Hunter once said, “As things stand now, I am going to be a writer. I’m not sure that I’m going to be a good one or even a self-supporting one, but until the dark thumb of fate presses me to the dust and says ‘you are nothing’, I will be a writer.”

~ owen

Is Objectivity replaced by Gonzo-journalistic styling in G+?"

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

Continued Lessons
disseminating seeds: The Series - INSTL 021

The challenge of doing this writing thing is...
that I’m going to ask you to turn off that part of your brain that automatically goes, “Yeah, well, but that doesn't apply to me.”  Actually, you don’t have to turn that part of your brain off. Just put it on vibrate. Let your objections go to voicemail.

Writing Matters
What I know is that writing matters. In spite of the buzz surrounding disruptive technologies, such as +David Amerland discusses in his newest book, “Google+ Hangouts™ For Business”, and the glut of people rushing to make use of interactive communication, writing — of any type, is more important now than ever before.  *ALL OF IT* — I’m talking about email, memos, and blogs. I’m also talking about what you wrote on your friend’s Facebook wall, a tweet, or a share in Google+.

Whether you want to or not, you and I are being judged on it.  And we’re being judged differently because of the era we live in.

Authority
In terms of writing, what really changed wasn't the computer, but what it was connected to. The Internet as we understand it now didn't exist when I graduated college. There weren't Wordpress blogs, or interactive websites like today, or Wikipedia. “Google” was still one followed by 100 zeroes. And if you knew that, you were probably one of the nerds I hung around with.

I’m referring to “authority” as sort of the confluence of expertise and reputation. Reputation only comes with time. It’s basically the degree to which people feel they can #trust you to be giving your honest opinion, and to be consistent from one day to the next.  There have always been experts. But writing now allows for extremely specialized authorities. Realistically, everyone is a potential authority on some subject.

But why would you want to be an authority? Because unlike expertise, #authority  is transferable. It’s a commodity. And I’d argue that today, it’s one of the most valuable commodities out there.  Authority is about a kind of emotional, qualitative process. You strive in writing to have credibility, but only others can give it to you.  So it had better be damn good or you will forever just be chasing a white whale.

Immediacy
I grew up assuming that news was something that happened once a day, which is incredibly naive now.  I am quite used to the idea that news is happening continuously: it’s a stream which You and I can jump into and out of. Life now resembles the annoying ticker that’s scrolling along the bottom.

But what happens is thirty minutes later, a day later — it is gone. It’s transient. It’s only important while it’s happening: which begs the question, was it ever really important and worth attention at all?

And I should stress, by immediacy, I’m not just talking about what I define as important, or a sense of timeliness. There’s also immediacy in the emotional sense. A sense of intimacy. A false intimacy, an informality.  If you look at writing over the last decade, it’s become much more casual. Not just grammatically, with its sloppy punctuation and really badly thought out emoticons, but tonally. I, like most, write everything as if we’re writing to our very best friends, whether it’s appropriate or not.

Permanence
Writing and publishing used to be something akin to Schrödinger’s cat, existing in a state of quantum uncertainty. And that’s the quality that I’m trying to describe: Permanence. Or more approriately, impermanence. Transience.

This never used to be the case. Only a few short years back you could shout “Stop the presses!” But there were huge costs to doing that. Now, those costs are essentially zero.  Particularly in a culture that values immediacy, it changes the dynamic between I as a writer and you, the reader. If I’m sharing something online, I can’t even be certain you’ll read the same thing I read.

This is a concern for all of us. Imagine if corporate annual reports could be revised that transparently. That’s dangerous.  Illegal. And inevitable.

Responsiveness
Writing used to flow in one direction. I wrote, you read. Sometimes, if you were incredibly motivated, you might respond: a letter to an editor, or a letter directly to the author. But the initial writing and the response weren't linked together.

Now they are. At the bottom of an entry, you can add comments, and they may travel with the original story forever. Newspapers and Magazines are adding comment sections directly to their articles online.

If you’re an author, ordinary readers will review your books on Amazon or Goodreads. Isn’t this good?  Isn't this freedom of speech—the ability to comment and disagree. Yes, certainly.

But this culture of being able to respond to anything is a bit dangerous too. These responses are writing, and they’re subject to the same new challenges as the original writing:

Authority — How do you know if this responder knows what he’s talking about? What if he’s anonymous?

Immediacy — You’re more rewarded for being the first person to respond to something, rather than the most eloquent or thoughtful.

Permanence — These comments You or I can be typing at 3 a.m. are forever linked to the original article. They become part of the original article. We may have no little or no control over them.

Response to the response — I’ve been in enough forums and threads where the original topic is long gone. It’s now just disembodied voices bantering at each other. If you’re the author of the original piece, how do you get control back? Are you even allowed to? Who owns the discussion?

A Call To Action

Authority I have had to move beyond simply Questioning Authority in every attempt at writing and set a more ambitious goals: Become an Authority.  I’m not exaggerating to say that, everyone is a potential authority on some topic, no matter how esoteric. You become an expert by researching. You become an authority by writing. Writing consistently; writing fairly; and writing for an audience that is eager to hear about it.  It is a challenge to do this each day or even once a week. But one thing is certain, today’s society NEEDS writers who can actually write with authority.

Dealing with immediacy I had to accept never going to slow down culture. The cyclic motion seen today is only going to continue to accelerate.

I could not stop the madness, but I could step out of it. You and I could and can refuse to participate. I stop trying to “keep up with #caturday  shares,” because I find that they’re irrelevant. I am not saying I or you should be less informed, as that is heresy. I’m saying I had to dig deeper.

I found the only things I should follow closely are those things I actually find fascinating.  In them, I might just be an authority. That’s what offered me the only way out of the trap of immediacy.  I stopped reading populist crap, and start writing more. Endeavoring to provide context, criticism, and reflection. Organize my own thoughts, and if possible encourage the same in others.

Permanence The challenge today is that the things you or I wish would go away seem to linger like a cold sore — forever. What I discovered is what I write about doesn't have be acceptable to my mum, but it should accurately reflect how I would like the world to see me.

Response The Achilles Heal of today is offering both the best, and one of the worst in that everyone’s welcome to comment.

I could choose not to participate, being a passive consumer. I could close comments, so that what I write is simply my article, and not the launch pad for a protracted discussion.

But in order to become an authority, I knew I had to participate.  I have to offer thoughtful opinion when appropriate, and invite others’ responses. I had to remember: an expert is someone who knows something. *An authority is someone with the #reputation to back it up. I had get that reputation from my peers, and it will take time.

Final Thoughts [?]
Crappy writing is ugly, and bad writing is outright dangerous. And what I do not want is a digital historian reading my stuff and wondering, “WTF!? Didn’t he have spell check?”

I realized that whatever path is chosen for me by fate, I will be a writer for the rest of my life. As this age continues its acceleration, I’m convinced that writing is more important each day. It’s not a noun anymore. Writing is a verb. It’s an action. It’s a crucial way in which I and you process the world around us.

My Best Advice (and something I have to remind myself of each day ) is to do it well. Do it carefully. And do it like my life depends on it, because I’m convinced it does.

~ owen

*Question: Are you haphazardly sharing your thoughts on Google+, or are you taking into consideration Authority, Immediacy, Permanence, and Response to be a better writer?

Personal Note: I wanted to acknowledge the handful of people, who - over the last six months have been major contributory influence to my own development to return to writing in a pubic community;

+David Amerland and +Mark Traphagen for showing me by example and patiently providing the education I need (daily) to understand subtleties and engage in a social network. Your lessons provide the foundation in most everything I now do.

+Grizwald Grim, +John Kellden, and +Alexandra Riecke-Gonzales for being my passionately patient teachers, over and over again. I will never forget that imprint on my psyche. 

And finally, +Lance Fields and +Gina Fiedel. Your eloquent words are inspiring. You offer a gift of inclusion to your world, and with it - I feel like a member of a close knit family, through moments of inner turmoil as well as enlightening and joyous self-discovery.

Thank You

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

But Why? (aka Cogs)
disseminating seeds: The Series - INSTL 025

“Why?” Yea. People ask that. Why do you do things for others?  Why do you not look for compensation? What is your angle?

Is it a problem? In all honesty — some days it can be
There is really no angle. There is no real agenda for seeking compensation; but I do not readily dismiss perceived rewards either.

The cogs that go into a collaborative economy
There are actually many parts, but a foundational one is motivation. I simply have come to a point in my life that helping others yields it’s own rewards. That feeling of value in giving back or paying it forward.  It is simply kindness, which is a powerful companion to have when looking in on an otherwise skeptical world.  If I can make someone feel better about a product or service they are providing, and I believe in its value — then their confidence level to move forward is strengthened. It is simply a matter of encouragement.

Cogs in the  #CollaborativeEconomy  
This brings me to another cog; #Value
Value is an awkward thing. Almost a misnomer really,  as value is based upon truth, and #trust . Attention (or how loudly someone/something resonates in my daily stream of data) may bring me to the window. It is the underlying truth, and trust valuation I place after the fact that gets me in the door.  Some relate this to authenticity, and to me — there is a connection. Yet it is only a minor one. I can see an authentic asshole.  *And I leave.* A value based upon trust is a different animal.

When I see others on Google+ as an example, expending vast amounts of time and energy on education others, informing others, bringing a greater value of education to a much larger community — I am empathetic to what it actually takes in time and energy. I see firsthand the truth in what they are portraying, and try it for myself. That is when I begin to trust what they are bringing to the table; to MY table. And I want to help others in the same way I have just been helped.

I am reminded of my youth, being a passenger in my dad’s Austin Healey 3000 Mark III, as we sped across the bi-ways in southern Florida on the way to MacDill Air Force Base. It was a beautiful car back in the mid 1960's. Some thirty plus years later, I was fortunate enough to find one again — and it was my dad’s dream car. So I bought it for him. But that was not enough. The truth is, we both loved the car (for different reasons). We both trusted our instincts in the value it brought to our lives…, the shear joy of driving through the mountains in such a machine. Stock, it came with a walnut veneer dash…, and I changed it. I replaced the veneer with a custom solid black walnut dash —  thereby adding my impression.  My contribution. My uniqueness, and influence (sic).

The same is true today. When I see people such as +David Amerland  , +Ronnie Bincer, +John Kellden, +Christine DeGraff, +John Ellis, +Alexandra Riecke-Gonzales and many more spending unimaginable amounts of time and energy bringing a vision to others (like me) and the value, I am inspired. I want to be a part of this. I seek to fulfill that desire by adding in contributory comments, or promoting what they do — and do so through my lens.  *Freely.*

The “other” cog.

“The grand prize I give out every day, is every time someone comments on someone else’s post.”  ~ +John Kellden 

No truer words could be written than this. It resonated deeply with me. Sure I do benefit from what I do for others. It is a feeling of humbled gratification extended to me by others which I in turn desire to pass on. I am NOT by any measurement that I can perceive what is called an “influencer.” No. I just strive to contribute. In my own unique way. Whether it be by expressing an opinion (even if dissenting from the masses), or a piece of graphical representation, or finding a way of advancing the promotion of a product or service I have found value in, and trust that it stands on it’s merits. That feeling of belonging to a community of “givers” has been its reward and the truer compensation I receive.

THAT IS MY WHY.

~ owen

Have you discovered your "WHY"?

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

The Back End (Connecting The Dots)
disseminating seeds: The Series - INSTL 020

Now comes the follow up. The boring stuff  encapsulated into the back end behind yesterday’s article, “Vision (Connecting The Dots)”.  In computer science, the front end  is responsible for collecting input in various forms from a user and processing it to conform to a specification the back end  can use. The front end is an interface between the user and the back end.

Written stories are similar in nature,
what is collected by the author in regards to opinion, insight, expertise, conjecture and more (front end), and then through imagination and word play, presented to an audience of readers in a way they can relate to (back end). A method of Connecting The Dots.

On the front end, let’s start with “I am a nerd.”  No, not the trendy geek type — that the world now has an odd affection for. I am the type who has post it notes next to the bed to quickly jot down random thoughts when awoken in the middle of the night. Likewise, I still have my slide rule, pocket protector, and a cassette from one of the very first programs I ever wrote for use in a Wang 2200 in the late nineteen seventies tucked away in a safe deposit box.

Forty Years Later
I am still nerdish; ingesting words and phrases such as #attentioneconomy , authority, leverage, authenticity, and #trust . I tend to read a lot, and watch countless hours of Google HoA’s ( Google+ Hangouts™ On Air), in particular those involving people such as +David Amerland, +John Kellden, +Mark Traphagen, and +martin shervington.

In Real Life, I am also privy to share my home with my fiance, who has worked for over two decades in the financial sector. Many evenings we have discussed this trend of a new economy, where value is placed less upon currency in paper forms (“Benjamins”) and much more on internalized perceptions of validation, whether they be virtual currencies  such as bitcoins, or collaborative barter economics.  My fiance and I also delve into discussions of history from time to time, with Benjamin Franklin being one of our early American favorites.

An Amalgamation of Thoughts
I approach thoughts of Benjamin Franklin from from the perspective of community, and his ability to bring people together of similar interests, aspirations, and endeavors. To connect dots, and in doing so — produce amazing results.

I also, being the nerd that I am, have an affection toward advanced mathematics, complex modelling of data, and the beauty of fractals. Much of my career path was based upon building, coding, and sorting data — then analyzing the results. The biggest challenge comes in finding new ways of making this information understandable and usable in a practical manner for the masses.

The Back End
Putting all of this together, is just a matter of association. And there are masters of this process, and powerful tools to use. It is simply a task of defining relationships, to whatever end that may be. I have a deepening and appreciative respect for those men and women of +CircleCount and +NOD3x — as they supply the tools to understanding these relationships. The weeks, months, and years that go into such tools is one I am familiar with. The passionate drive below the surface (and on the front end of the developers and entrepreneurs) is personally awe inspiring.

The undertaking then is to make use of these tools to build relationships, and foster an ever growing community of interest and value. These tools have allowed me to look at David, John, Mark, and Martin; and to see who they are relating to.  Who they are conversing with. Where the tribes they are joining reside. I venture forward, piecing together a puzzle of amazing thoughts, insights, and wisdom.

Some may say that the world we live in now is being transformed to that of an attention economy. While I understand the premise for this, I would have to interject an alternative. It is relational in both a broad and minute scale. One of the things that attracted me to Google+, was the idea being able to have conversations with people I wanted to meet,  and enjoy dialogues with them. The #value  is that there now have been many, with many more left yet to discover and engage with.

So for me, it is not an attention economy — but a connected dot economy. Yes, a matter of simply Connecting The Dots.

~ owen 

Question: What tools do you use to connect with others, tell your stories, listen and engage - and Connect The Dots?

#connecteddoteconomy   #disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

Fly In The Ointment
disseminating seeds: The Series - INSTL 030

Seriously Now. Enough is enough.
We all get it. TechCrunch (or as some like to call affectionately refer to them as TechHunch) wrote an insanely stupid article. So what? Is it the first time a journalistic article has been written that was subjectively false or misleading? Was it really anything more than on the surface an effort to gain traffic and traction? Probably not.

The irony, of course,  is that the article has been a fly in the ointment.  It is seen as a [small] defect in #authoring or #journalistic skills that just adds spoils something valuable (the experiences so many of us have in Google+ ) or is a source of #annoyance . And yes, it has been an annoyance. Continually ongoing noise. That annoying #BUZZ of  “they (TechCrunch and others) are so wrong.”

Someone very special (+Alexandra Riecke-Gonzales) made the observation recently that, “…letting [the] emotions dissipate and as critically and objectively as possible responding with your own evidence is taking the high road.”

No greater insightful and wisdom filled words could be uttered.
Days have been wasted responding to #badpress . People still have to go about making a living and addressing the tasks, problems, and joys that come with the dawn of each day…. And HELPING OTHERS SUCCEED!

That is, Unless YOUR FOCUS HAS BEEN ON THE FLY!

Where has your focus been?

~ owen

#disseminatingseeds #essaybyowen  

The Window
INSTL 011 - disseminating seeds

♫ How much is that doggy in the window…
The one with the waggly tail… ♫

Jamie saw a doggy in the storefront window. What did Jamie want?

Some would quickly answer, “the doggy”. Yet the intersecting answer would be “the window”.  Windows look out unto the world. They are (sometimes) pretty, and oftentimes make you feel less alone….

This is the desire behind design of intelligent machines.
Build a device that has the capacity to not only process and parse vast amounts of data, but attach meaning to it.  #Relevance . Appropriate #context . It is also the flaw in the designing #HaP 's (*Homo as a Platform* ), as it it a reflective design #flaw in itself.

Like a window, each of us looks (I included) outward upon the world with prismatic perceptions.  Taking in our unique views and in turn making decisions based upon informed (and uninformed) analysis of the data. Once again, a flaw in the design becomes apparent, as the light from the data being provided has to have an originating source.  A neural base of #values  and understanding for what is right and wrong, good or bad. For what is immediately seen and what has yet to be seen from introspection.

So then, as we are adults, with responsibilities to untold generational changes before us…. Ask!

Are we providing a window, or just wagging the dog?

~ owen

#disseminatingseeds   #HaP   #essaybyowen  

disseminating seeds
Dynamically connecting the dots...

Change and [r]evolution are inevitable in an interconnected society. As progress and change come, fears of abandoning what has become commonplace suddenly becomes realized as stagnation.

Someone I admire and hold in great regard recently wrote,
“…each iteration [of technology] has happened (mostly) because it promised greater control of something: of data, of the masses, of information, of expectations, of the data of the masses. At the point of application the results are always different. The degrees of freedom grow, not diminish, even if the path that leads to that freedom is not quite so straightforward. The [Di]Jinn once released never goes back into the bottle.”  http://goo.gl/KB7eZu

For the better part of two decades,
I have immersed myself into programming and the advancements what came with marveling voracity. This was not my originally chosen path. It was an exercise really. One which ultimately revealed itself to be the use of recognizing raw talent while removing culpability of the effects of such talent. I explored and worked in environments of thinking inside and outside the box. What transpired however, was wondering if the box itself even existed at all.

It just becomes a matter of connecting the dots really.
I loved math. It was simple. I enjoyed the challenges of logic. Yet with it, I fell in love with a mistress — an unbridgeable passion was released for the soft arts.  These are the studies of literature, of philosophy; of endless analysis, conjecture and argument. The review and meticulous dissection of linguistic nuances and corresponding inflections in the written and spoken word. The seemingly unquantifiable black hole of emotional conflict and joy recorded over every instance of humanity itself.

As told many years ago in Henry IV, Part II, Act III, Scene 1 by William Shakespeare, “O God! that one might read the book of fate, And see the [r]evolution of the times. Make mountains level, and the continent, Weary of solid firmness, melt itself into the sea…”

What I hadn't realized six months ago,
was that the dots were always there. I was just connecting them differently. Over the same period, I agonized over renewing contracts and exploring presented and exciting opportunities as technology continues it’s breakneck pace. Yet the answers were before me.

My interests in algorithmic design and the construction of multi-level incongruous systems for analysis and interpretation of large volumes of structural and functional data is still there. It probably will never dissipate. Now my interests, a reflection of my #trueself , is emerging. The one that languishes in the delicacy and nuances as I examine a blade of grass on a sandy beach or a star in the heavens. Searching for inadequate descriptors as I meander sticks and hamlets of mankind itself, and my place in it.

The [Di]Jinn had been released. And with it, was simply a matter of [re-]connecting the dots.

~ owen

Question: How are you [re-]connecting the dots today?

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

disseminating seeds
Disruptive Forces in an ADe (Attention Deficit Economy

Yesterday, I wrote a piece titled “The Powerhouse in an ADe (Attention Deficit Economy)”. ( http://goo.gl/rD45yg) The responsive engagement and insights offered by both +David Amerland and +Gina Fiedel were amazing, and perhaps a bit unexepected. This may be, in part, due to a quote I offered by Kevin O’Leary,

“Business is war. I go out there, I want to kill the competitors. I want to make their lives miserable. I want to steal their market share. I want them to fear me and I want everyone on my team thinking we’re going to win.”

This was not meant as the focal point of what I had written, but certainly went on to resonate on different strings of thought (see article by +David Amerland, in which he says, “In a social media world, cooperation is a fare better strategy” ). http://goo.gl/BSLbDf

Disruptive Forces
As with the advent of the Gutenberg Press (circa 1450), societal and the corresponding economic disruptions are very prominent today. The impact of these disruptions is now prevalent in an ADe (Attention Deficit Economy) where #attention  is the new currency, and #authenticity , #trust , and valuation ( #relevancy ) are the predictors of that currency.

Could Gutenberg see what was coming?
Just as Gutenberg had opened the door to sharing ideas and concepts. The masses were exposed the the possibility of inevitable dialogue and endless conversations. Just as then, social networks and continued modern technological advancement have spurred many voices  to be felt. Millions. Billions!  Ideas, whether held in common or diametrically apposing, are filling our mindspace and in fact — capturing our attention.

While I still have some concerns as to how the powerhouse brokerage platforms will evaluate and disseminate these voices, I am held in awe by the singular voice of Gina Fiedel, in which she said,

“I don’t want to worry about the coming or arrived content glut when I am just discovering how much I love making content and teaching others about it. So sure, I can see the pitfalls you’re describing Owen and I’m not sure it’s my concern.”

This statement resonated deeply within me. The voice from someone I have never met in person was very personal, powerful, and empowering. It was singularly disruptive!

Gina went on to say, “… it’s the process that will matter to us, make a difference. It’s not that it happens it’s how it happens and how we experience our experience with it.”

This is the compelling reflective of voices. Many voices — singular and enjoining in larger masses. It offers a hope and a vaccine to the ills of societies and archaic business practices as they now in their twilight life.

While #attention  may be the monetary measurement we are now moving towards, I am more than willing to forgo outmoded habits of how I gain insight and knowledge;  sharing in the highs and lows of life itself — and encouraged that concerns are just bumps in the road.

~ owen

Question: Are you empowered to become a DISRUPTING VOICE?

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

disseminating seeds
A Study of Homo...

“In the beginning, the gods created the Big Bang…. The orb was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep."

From the depths a Genus  was born. And from this the species  came; Homo sēmantikós, Homo wahoobang,  and Homo gaggle.


Homo gaggle  exhibited all of the luster and exuberance of a newly emerging generational species. Glimmering with its translucent brilliance and catalytic stories of impending change for the greater good. It rejoiced in its engineering, algorithmic prowess, and ability to combine concentrations of conjecture and interpretive relevance to an infinitesimal count of synopses.

Homo wahoobang  was the hybrid sardonic type, showing a greater focus and insight to longevity and methodically structured movement. Its development process was molded by larger mathematical volume than gaggle.  From this design, it provided moments of #faulted  circumspection and sarcastic inquiry to the state of its younger brethren.


Homo sēmantikós  was the quiet antagonist; a reflective minority of the three. Deeper in thought, it kept a constant vigil of care and appreciation of the world it was an integral part of and where it had originated. This chap inherently understood that its role in the superlative architectural formula was as a sum of a remainder of an unbalanced equation. An anomaly of sorts — an eventuality in systemic discord where both all and nothing was perceived.  A harmonious, and enveloping calm always preceded its moments of divergence. Its strength and unconditional motivator was formed by the broad acceptance that final answers would never come, and passions in pursuit of those answers would be infinitesimally found in the darkness of the heavens itself.

Epilogue
“Some times you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.”

Question: Which species best defines you today?

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

disseminating seeds
Installment 003 - Marketing Annoyances

Yes, I have touched on this subject before. What I actually find refreshing and reassuring is that I seemingly am not the lone voice that Marketing on social platforms has a layer of distinguishable annoyance.

Marketing
What I find many talking about today is “…how to project a more cohesive image of what you do and who you are.” Sounds great. Yet, (no disrespect intended) it also sounds like more magical marketing rhetoric. Project an image? Why not just be yourself? Be true to who you are, and simply grow a spine while you grow and nurture oneself in the process? What is the worst that can happen? Someone not like you, or possibly disagree with you?

If  you are a business owner or entrepreneur, it could mean that a prospective customer would take their hard earned dollars to a competitor simply due to your stance on a broad variety of moral positions. IS THAT REALLY A BAD THING? I guess it would depend on your position. One quick glance about a year ago at the Chick-fil-a franchise would dictate that a position on marital rights was a disconnect from a society now addressing same sex marriage. And yet, Business Insider is now reporting that “Chick-fil-A has surpassed KFC as the top chicken fast food chain.” [http://goo.gl/xXQsQ9]

Whether you call it a reversal of positioning (by Dan Kathy, President of the Chick-fil-A franchise), or the results of some greater re-branding methodology employed by a marketing department, one can easily come away with a couple of simplified observations:

A. You can admire Kathy for taking a stand (even if it was in your opinion as it is mine; just plain wrong ), or
B. You can acknowledge that the marketing industry and mass marketers in general really do have some insight and deeper understanding of how fickle the general public can be (and take advantage of the overall psychology behind hive-mind consumerism).

Changes on the Horizon?
One of the most revealing expressions about marketing was reflected in Google+ recently as “One of the reasons we feel so disconnected is because the very technology that could be used to bring us together has been used to separate us. In an effort to capitalize on the ‘free world’ of the internet, marketers both big and small, fire-hose us with their agendas.”  (http://goo.gl/wMlX6B by +Lisa Engles)

+Google seems to be one of many looking at how we actually connect, and a greater disruptive force is in the making. With the introduction of Google Hangouts, one-to-one and one-to-many interactive video streaming is bringing a rush of individuals and groups experimenting with what is seen as a new method of not only broadcasting, but low cost multimedia sales alternatives. The better news however is I see there is some inherent wisdom in the lyrics within “Nobody Home” by Pink Floyd…

♫ I got elastic bands keepin my shoes on.
Got those swollen hand blues.
Got thirteen channels of shit on the T.V. to choose from.
I’ve got electric light.
And I’ve got second sight.
And amazing powers of observation.
And that is how I know
When I try to get through
On the telephone to you
There’ll be nobody home. ♫

Nobody Home  is certainly a concern of any marketing firm or entrepreneur, looking to make use of these amazing technologies to bear. The consumer is now empowered to turn the channel, unsubscribe, mute, or even block these growing streams of sales and marketing approaches. While there may be the perceptions of elites  or good ol’ boy networks  within social layers — in the end, relationships based upon common experiences, perceptions, or thought-provoking thought can be the antithesis to prior accepted e-commerce.

Epilogue
Surely marketers and individuals alike see the Internet as more than just meatspace of supply and demand,  right?

Question: How many channnels  (HoA's) have you already subjugated to the "Skipped Channel" designation?

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

ping +David Amerland +Mark Traphagen +Stone Temple Consulting 

Ascendant or Descendant iSelf
disseminating seeds: The Series - INSTL 028

We are on the verge of a synergistic [r]evolution.
Bio-, info- and cogno-technologies; the dawn of a new self. It is the ideal response to the human situation and has become our self-defining attribute. As Kurzweil had noted, from the very moment early humans picked up a stick and used it to retrieve fruit from a tree, we have been using technology to extend our reach.

Dawning of iSELF
Through our creative self , the iSolution has manifested itself in sciences and arts. Engineering marvels and monstrous cities populate our ecosphere. iSelf and our creative entities transform and transcend our limitations daily. “Manifold the wonders,” said Sophocles, “nothing towers more wondrous than man!” (http://goo.gl/7Z45rk)

As we look to define our future, we begin redefining every subtle behavior from deeply internalized introspection to exterior commentary, op-ed, and analysis. Bio, info, and cogno come under fire  as we focus on the practical goals of using technology  to help achieve longer and healthier and increasingly interconnected lives.

iSelf Approval
becomes an integral part of gigantic developing neuro-networks of thought. Humanity’s identity in a technological society begins to focus in on the changing nature of relationships. Yet our own anatomical make up may give hint to our barriers. A simple act of an opposable thumbs up or down are reflective of our natural need to belong to a collective while maintaining separation and independent thought.

iSelf is tasked with measuring and quantifying iValue and iTrust.
With burgeoning and contradictory voices amassing, one becomes aware too of redefined responsibilities, internal and external. iSelf must struggle to illustrate to the brave new world a set of transformative mores. Bravery becomes the requisite when taking on impassioned pleas of unity, charged with a determined strength of resolute detachment in order to be objective.

So in the age of possible transcendent humanism, there remains a concern that the advent of a secularist faith  rises from the ashes. Complete with dogmatic judgement on a social plane, these factions actively wield quick and decisive admonishment upon the non-believers.

With no clear answer to these blossoming concerns, perhaps divining wisdom derived from a greater knowledge base should be redirected to a fortunate few for well-informed counsel[?] That in mind, the forthcoming repository is presented for perspicuity (alphabetically ordered below).

Are we collectively ascending and transcendental iSelf beings, or are we descending deeper below the surface of the River Styx?

~ owen

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen   #transhumanism  


REPOSITORY

Amerland, David. “Didn’t You Hear? Good Journalism Is Dead!” Didn’t You Hear? Good Journalism Is Dead! N.p., 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. <http://goo.gl/G7bAU6>.

Blain, Amanda. “My Open Letter to The Misguided Reporters.” Amanda Blain — Google+. N.p., 24 Apr. 214. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. <http://goo.gl/qDOLOE>.

Cruikshank, Matt. “Matt Cruikshank’s Blog.” : April 2014. N.p., 25 Apr. 214. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. <http://goo.gl/UPWgZ3>.

Cyrilla, Mars. “In Response to TechCrunch’s Article…” Mars Cyrillo — Google+. N.p., 24 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. <http://goo.gl/CM7VME>.

Traphagen, Mark. “An Ex-Googler: Walking Dead? Nope. Just Tiger Team…”Mark Traphagen — Google+. N.p., 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. <http://goo.gl/4PUqNs>.

Fennell, Eli. “I See the Usual Suspects Are at It Again. Â These Are The…” Eli Fennell — Google+. N.p., 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. <http://goo.gl/9M9Rj8>.

Hovnanian, Stephan. “The Tech Crunch Article May Have Just Been the Best Thing…” Stephan Hovnanian — Google+. N.p., 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. <http://goo.gl/kEAGZi>.

Nyström, Jaana. “Dear Tech Journalists, Learn to Interact on Google+ You…”Jaana Nyström — Google+. N.p., 26 Apr. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://goo.gl/H6xSc1>.

Nyström, Jaana. “Yonatan Zunger Puts Google+ “Walking Dead” Rumors to Rest …” Gplus Expertise — Google+. Ed. Gplus Expertise. N.p., 26 Apr. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://goo.gl/q2xWZu>.

Thesingh, Brendan. “GOOGLE+ #3 SOCIAL NETWORK WORLDWIDE Yes Google+ Is Almost…” Brendan Thesingh — Google+. N.p., 26 Apr. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://goo.gl/Uu5lTc>.

Please, not that...
disseminating seeds: The Series - INSTL 014

I could not believe it. In a matter of a couple of weeks...,
things that I had written about somehow had struck a nerve. My (idiotic) ramblings had gained some recognition. Some traction. And I am stuck scratching my head, thinking “WTH?”

Truth be told,
I oftentimes get ‘set in my ways’ or have certain prejudices established in my thoughts and beliefs. Changing my mind, disagreeing with what I’ve thought before, becomes important in critical thinking when I have clung far too often to out-moded or out-dated ideas, philosophies, laws, etc. which don’t stand up to current situations. Especially in social layers such as Google+.

What throws me is the attention.
Getting excited about being recognized as having any type of valued insight or consideration of ‘influencing others thoughts’ is understandable. Like most, I want to make a difference in our my own unique way and using social networks to influence behavior and opinions can work really well for campaigns whether moral, political or social.  *But me? PLEASE!*

Becoming a real mentor takes far more...
...than gathering followers, fans or arbitrary metrics. It’s not about the transitory nature of celebrity or seeming popularity but about establishing a reputation and becoming the person that others turn to when they want information they know they can trust. Unlike +David Amerland  , +Mark Traphagen  , +Larry Fournillier  , +John Ellis, +Alexandra Riecke-Gonzales, +Gina Fiedel, +John Kellden, and others — I am but a learning student.

In Greek mythology, “to Odysseus, his son’s education was so important that he sought the help of a person he could trust with his own life- his friend Mentor.”  These are the qualities I seek out and find in others. Sometimes I am brash in my approach, and yet the replies from these special people (both public and private) have always been the same.

They challenge me with critical thinking :
Just because I put out an idea doesn't mean it’s true. I am asked to re-evaluate the idea, see if it’s logical and rational and beneficial to the greater good and then decide if it warrants further action, or even a reversal from my own folly [and even eat my words ].

Yes, these are the ones that encourage and inspire me. They repeatedly convey compelling vision, are always encouraging, engage with everyone, and are approachable in spite of harried schedules and commitments.

Albert Schweitzer once said, “The only ones among you that will achieve true happiness are those that have sought and found how to serve”.

In serving, each of these people...
add value to the lives of others and are willing to grow with others in the process. These are the highest values of any influencer, Mentor, and those I am privileged to call a FRIEND.

~owen

Question: Who do you look to as a Mentor, and are you following their examples set before you?

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen  

Through Value Networks...
disseminating seeds: The Series - INSTL 018

…Opportunity grows. People with good ideas, from vast experiences, and a willingness to share this information — they just tend to hang out with one another.

Verna Allee defines #valuenetworks  as any web of relationships that generates both tangible and intangible value through complex dynamic exchanges between two or more individuals, groups or organizations. Any organization or group of organizations engaged in both tangible and intangible exchanges can be viewed as a value network, whether private industry, government or public sector. (http://goo.gl/TQ9NL4)

Most who have studied history
think of Benjamin Franklin as driven, self-educated, and endlessly inventive — some even consider him to be the quintessential entrepreneur.  The paradox however, is that Franklin was less about being an entrepreneur, and more about networking with others.  He believed that if he brought people together in a relaxed atmosphere and let the conversation flow, opportunities would emerge. He set in motion a trend that the French writer Alexis de Tocqueville noted in Democracy in America, his 1835 classic assessment of the young United States; That nothing was as distinctive about America as its people’s proclivity to form associations around interests, causes, and values.

Fast forward to present day…
…and opportunities abound. I am not saying that they offer unharvested financial contingencies (although these do certainly exist ). I am talking about growth of relationships, or camaraderie, and the realization the impact from a changed geographic density. With this sharing of experiences, #trust  is developed — leading to further sharing of information and opportunity.

I have been the recipient of these opportunities
And with them — I grow. I sit this evening and reflect on recent interactions with +Gina Fiedel, +Grizwald Grim, +Charles Payet, +Colin Walker, and +Doug Breitbart. Each coming from differing venues, and brought together in unique interactions within Google+. And I am in a dumbstruck, OMFGWTF daze (which is not a bad place to be).

I sat this morning and enjoyed the blissful ruminations of Gina and I was right there with her. Beside her. Feeling the same awe inspiring moments of discovery. She even asked if one felt that the same discovery process was changing me. Changing US as a community and a tribe. I found I was at a loss for words as I struggled to find adequate adjectives to just simply say: YES, I am changed and changing. (http://goo.gl/y7huU0)

Grizwald challenged me in a manner I could never possibly express a humble appreciation for. Now I am tasked with moving from confrontational debate, to that of open, inclusional discussion and comparing notes. Of collaborative desire, and wanting much more. (http://goo.gl/Jr8V2I)

Charles brought a reminder of the need for peace. The value of #mindfulness , and acceptance to live in the moment — absorbing and rejoicing in the experience, and the folly of distraction. This was a catalyst for me to unplug. Live for other simple moments, thus enjoying more completely the time spent on each task, challenge, and moment of relaxation. (http://goo.gl/QQvZdN)

Colin gently reminded me that I must never be afraid or even ashamed to turn around and retrace my steps. The lesson in humility is one to understand stoicism is founded on walking so far down any particular path that it is impossible to turn.  *Rigidity forever be damned!*

And Doug. With his whimsical wit and sense of humor, he welcomed me with open arms to the land where I am embraced with the warmth of the sunny skies, the refreshing and intoxicating drink of vast knowledge, and that the land of the living was one of giving and sharing among all.

None of these experiences, and many more, would have been possible if it hadn't been for some simple foundational truths. As +David Amerland states in his new book, Google+ Hangouts™ For Business:

“We are hardwired to connect with those we trust, and this hardwiring has led to a constant push for greater interaction and connection on the web.”

Of course, I cannot leave out +martin shervington, who earlier this very day reminded me that “The model [of Google+] is, have conversations where people notice you.”

So as I close out the evening, I am reminded of the phrase, “Chance favors the connected mind.” The ability to connect your mind, as Benjamin Franklin did, is now abundantly clear in Google+. There is, in fact, endless opportunities for growth of all kinds within this valued network. It is just a matter of connecting with others.

~ owen

Question: Are you still finding untold opportunities for growth in Google+?

#disseminatingseeds   #essaybyowen