Tree House #2

Shortly after completing the last one I was contacted about building second tree house. I had so much fun the first time, figured why not. This adventure included more first. Swings, slide and roof similar to

the first tree house, but climbing wall, adjustable monkey bars and a 27 foot bridge were added to the mix. The bridge wasn't originally part of the concept, but design on the fly lead to its creation and it is really cool. Special thanks to Chris, Forrest, Andrew and Justin for the assist on completing another fun project.

Swings under the bridge

Adjustable monkey bars

Climbing wall and slide

The Tree House and More

Original Sketch

A few weeks into my unemployment my brother and sister-in law asked if I would build them a tree house for their kids. I agreed and asked them to start sending me pictures which resulted in a series of screen shots (from Pinterest) being sent in a flowing text string "I like this in this picture". Fortunately my sister-in law is pretty good with a pencil and paper so she put together a sketch.

After a series of discussions which resembled stand-ups we settled on size and budget.

The result was a structure built in 17 days. Actual build time was 10 days. It is connected to 2 trees in the back and supported by 6x6 post in evenly distributed around the structure.

Nerd Facts

• 4- 6x6x16 post
• 2- 6x6x8
• ~ 50- 2x4x12
• all floor joist are 2x8 on 16 inch centers
• stairs are 2x10
• roof is tin (runs from 8 feet at the front to 7.5 feet at the back. 
• NO nails, over 5,000 screws
• ~75- 3/8 x 6 or 8 inch lag bolts
• 3 different deck areas (2 - 12x12 and 1 - 6x12)
• moveable bench, swing, rope ladder, slide and plenty of eno hooks

Front

Bottom Deck (12x12)

Stairs to second level

 

Second level (6x12)

 

Third level (12x12)


   

Back with swing

 

Side with rope ladder

It was a fun project. Building the basic structure then continual communication with the "clients" (including the kids) as the details were added. Interestingly enough, though it was built for the kids, seems the adults are enjoying sitting on the upper level as much as anyone.


 

Concept to Build

Life- Interesting Couple of Months

On April 15, 2016 I was informed my last day (with previous employer) would be May 13th. Unfortunately other members of my team were immediately let go. Interesting how you feel when you have poured a lot of effort into something and then the rug gets yanked. The first few days I reflected on the why, what and how. Then I decided it was time to get busy. I put a resume together for the first time in 16 years, reached out to a number of contacts and let the churn begin. At the same time I realized I had to be busy or things just wouldn't be good.

I was made to work. It is just ingrained in my being. So I started doing what I did before my first job working for the state. Simply put - manual labor. I quickly found out I had softened (and obviously aged) over the years sitting behind a computer. My feet, hands, back, arms, and legs hurt but I slept good and felt great. Manual labor is good for my soul. I have not found full time employment yet, but I have been enjoying what I have been doing.

My brother flips houses so he always has a need for help. I worked for him finishing up a house - hanging doors, laying floors, cleaning the yard, pressure washing and various other polishing touches.

Then I returned to my high school and college days, landscaping.

Before


After

Buddy called and asked for a play structure to be torn down at a day care. Demolition is always a good release (sledge hammer, chain saw and crow bar). the kids were not happy with me but the structure was removed. First time I have removed poles buried in 4 feet of concrete.


Next was good old construction work. Knocking down cinder block walls and hauling debris to the dumpster. Then I spent a few day removing building a deck followed, which coincided with building a tree house (of sorts) which I will detail in another post.

Before


After


So though officially unemployed I am some how coming home whipped, dripping in sweat and somehow full-filled.

My step dad was a barber

Why this post? Someone asked how I put my talks together.

Fact: my step dad was a barber for a long time. We used to joke he knew about 15 min (typical hair cut time) on any topic. I am not sure I am a lot different. So when I am asked to speak for 45 minutes, you get three 15 minute presentations or what I actually prefer is two 15 minute presentations and some discussion.

Seems some folks got desperate or they just knew I would say yes. Either way I am going to be giving several keynotes this year and hope to bump into you along the way.

Preparing for a keynote is always a process for me.
1. Curious as to what the planning committee would like for the keynote to accomplish
2. Typically ask if there are any specific points that should be made
3. Ask for additional links or comments prior to the event

The result is typically a slide deck with a bunch of words. I learned a long time ago that preparing too early only allows for my ADD to kick in at which point I tend to change everything. To combat this urge, I usually wait till the plane ride or even the night before to polish the slide deck. I have been known to finalize slide decks the morning of the talk but that has become a bit more risky for a number of reasons. I actually blew one event up, felt bad about it and decided to prep a little earlier than the morning before.

So a bunch of words on slides? I despise a bunch of text on the screen so I typically replace the majority of the text with pictures. Sometimes, the pictures have little or nothing to do with what I am talking about, but I use them as an aid to keep some sort of coherent thought process rolling. This is one of several reasons why my slide decks often look similar, but the message may carry a different tone. I haven’t used notes in a long time. I am not suggesting that is a good thing, I just never seem to be able to get in a groove with a written script.

I believe you have to have fun, tell a compelling story, and find a way to weave in a few good points. If no one falls out of their chair asleep, I claim victory.

I've never really considered myself a good speaker. I have heard some good ones, and am pretty sure I don’t speak like they do. Nonetheless, I am honored to be speaking at the following events and I promise they will get more than they paid for.

2/14 - Keynote: Wisconsin Land Information GIS Conference  2/13 - 2/15

2/25 - CLC Speaker: NSGIC Midyear 2/24-2/28

3/19 - Keynote: Maryland GIS Conference

4/16 - Keynote: Nebraska GIS Conference  4/16 - 4/18

9/17 - Keynote: GeCo-West  9/15 - 9/20

Hope our paths cross at one of these events and you can decide I lived up to my promise. 

Ramblings on Apple Maps

Apologies up front, this is more a stream of thought, as opposed to some well thought out and properly articulated post. There isn’t anything technical about this post. Far smarter folks already have all that figured out.

Been a while since I posted anything, so why post on this? Short answer, I find it interesting on several levels. I have had several friends who are not in the geo field ping me today regarding the ‘new maps’ on their iPhone. I guess everyone on the planet updated last night. Well not everyone, I tend to be a late adaptor.  Side note- It is pretty dang cool that my wife (not a technologist) has updated 3 devices in the past 18 hours without plugging into a laptop or asking me what to do next. --- That is a big win and would be pretty interesting to understand that IT feat.

There has been plenty written on how, what, and why Apple has or hasn’t done. Not to mention how good or bad the new maps are and all of the functionality or data they don’t contain as compared to Google. This post is worth a read http://prioleauadv.com/archives/330. I do not personally know the author but do know he is well versed in the geo / location field. I obviously have no idea what Apple is attempting to do with maps or why they choose to get in the game. Marc poses some thoughts that make logical sense.

Since everyone seems to have an opinion--- here is my off the cuff thoughts….

The “experts” say geo (LBS) is (or is going to be) really important. Apple ran the numbers and figured ‘if we can capture x% of that market then we will call it a win.’ Then they looked at their mobile device sells and figured, yup let’s go for it. My poor analogy would be Google deciding to get into the mobile device market. Let’s all admit, that effort didn’t get off to a great start. Will Android devices gain more market share than iDevices? Do they have too?  If they grab just x% of the mobile market they can justify being there. That is a rambling way of getting to - Apple doesn’t have to ‘own’ the whole market to claim financial success. They only have to capture a portion to justify being there. --- Side note, my wife and daughter have both used the Apple Maps (is that the name) today. Neither has run into my office to tell me how bad they are.

A roll out of this magnitude is going to be rough. I don’t think that means you lose. It just means the waters are going to be rough for a while. Way I see it Apple has enough money to give this a try. If it works, they captured part of a market, if it doesn’t they pay someone else to let them use their service. They could probably even go back to Google for enough money. Sure a lot of people will get to write a bunch of stuff about what a ‘failure that was’, but let’s be honest – we will all forget about it within a couple of weeks. So while Apple Maps good, bad or indifferent are what a number of folks are talking about today, I seriously doubt it will stay on most folks minds past 5:00 pm today (nice timing, huh).

I don’t claim to know much so take this next bit with a very small grain of salt.- If I were working in the Apple Maps group I would be watching the stats as I worked on the fixes. Don’t let the blah, blah, blah drive the decisions, and let the numbers drive the direction. Google does this masterfully. Watch the stats over the next 6 months - year to determine if Apple Maps is retaining the x% of the market to justify staying in the market. Then make a decision. I would also offer up Apple should follow a second thing Google is good at, which is failing fast. Maintaining and providing maps is a rabbit whole. After whatever the right amount of time is (I don’t have any idea), if Apple Maps hasn’t captured and retained x% of the market share to justify its existence then it should punt.

So what is x%? Are you kidding me? I have no idea! I figure some really smart person with a whole bunch more letters after their name than I have has run those numbers. I would say it is a safe beat that Apple has plenty of $ to throw at this, they have the talent, so if they have the leadership and management support there is no reason why they can’t succeed. The only question is what does success look like in the eyes of Apple?

Public to Private

Several weeks in the private sector and some general observations to offer. Go here for background, if needed.
These are generalizations so don’t get all worked up.

1. Everyone puts their pants on the same way. Though it may come as a surprise, people are just people. They have families, eat, drink and breathe all the same. Well that one isn't a generalization.

2. If you love your job, you work hard. It doesn't matter who you work for citizens or clients, you work hard. An often stated misconception is people in the private sector work longer hours or harder. I don't believe that is true. People that work hard do so regardless of their industry.

3. Private sector has a better talent pool. This one is nuts. I've had the opportunity to work with very talented people in both positions.  Intelligence or lack of should not be judged based on title, or employer.

4. They can do anything they want. I have heard this on both sides. Public service has the impression ‘private sector has unlimited funds and can do whatever they want too.’  The private impression is ‘public sector has no risk’. Both are wrong, but you all knew that…

5. Private sector is more agile. This one seems to be true on face value. It is much harder to hire an individual in the public sector. That said, I still believe the bigger the ship, the harder it is to turn, regardless of what sector. So may be agility is more closely coupled with an organizations size.

Am I enjoying my new gig? Yes, there are plenty of challenges and I am enjoying digging in and trying to solve problems.

Interesting Day

I truly feel fortunate today. I have known a lot of people that made career changes because they had to do so. Some because they thought the grass was greener, some because they needed more $, a few because of some itch, and others because they lost a job they loved. They rarely seemed happy.

Today I left a place that I truly enjoyed working at. Love seems like an odd word to use, but I am not sure it is too strong. I cut my teeth in that office and having a great boss (I use that word loosely) made it a fun place to work. I don't recall a single time that I dreaded going to work. Seems there had to have been some day that was miserable in the past 11 years, but I don't remember it. So as I left today I nearly cried. Go ahead and laugh... I did...

I also realized that there was nothing or anyone that was forcing me to leave. I was leaving because I was more excited about the new opportunities than I was sad about the current ones. I think that is a unique position to be in and I am thankful.

So today has been interesting, and I have enjoyed it. #goodtimes

Partly Cloudy / Mostly Sunny

It is a good day when departing one gig is a little sad (you still love it) and starting another gig is really exciting. All at the same time. I am fortunate on both fronts.

Yes it is true after 11 years, I am departing my post at the AGIO. This decision occurred following a number of conversations, reflection and consideration of my priorities; faith, family, fun, and work. I appreciate the opportunity I have had to help develop a sustainable office that brings true value to the citizens of the state of Arkansas.

I will miss the AGIO. This decision did not come easy. Shelby Johnson has served as a boss, friend and colleague for 10 years. His management style has allowed me to do (get away with) a lot of things. My resignation is the result of a great opportunity to work on new challenges. I have been lucky to serve with a great group of people performing a job I enjoy. I wish nothing but the best for the entire AGIO team.

The opportunity to work for a well established company with a rich history will offer new challenges, experiences and opportunities. I am looking forward to joining the Sanborn team and jumping into the 'what's next' phase of this adventure.

Thank you all; for the kind words many of you have expressed via email, text, twitter, voice mail... I apologize for not responding directly to each of you individually.

Hope to catch up with you in one of several locations over the course of the next couple of months.
1.    I will reside in Little Rock, AR (duck hunting)
2.    I will be in Colorado Springs, CO - next week (ping me if you are in the area)
3.    I plan to attend FOSS4G in Denver, CO
4.    I plan to attend NSGIC in Boise, ID

Personal reflection:
* Shelby yelled at me the 3rd day on the job. I might have deserved it.
* Shelby has owned 2 dogs since I have worked here and he truly hated one of them.
* My oldest daughter was 3 months old when I began work at the AGIO. She just started 6th grade.
* More than doubled the size of my family while working at the AGIO.
* Had no experience with government when I started at the AGIO.
* Had the opportunity to work with executives at the highest level of AR government.
* I have owned 2 pairs of boots since I have worked here and nearly cried when I had to retire the first pair.
* I have had the support of a great community of GIS users in the state (AR GIS Users).
* Learned the value of open data.
* Had the opportunity work with numerous county folks on their gis efforts that continue to flourish.
* Have developed a deep appreciation for a virtual community that includes a number of people I would not recognize in a line up but feel like I know.
* Been here 10 years and I packed all my stuff in 2 small boxes. Including #Geoglitterduck
* Lessons Learned; communication trumps everything else, technology is rarely the issue/people usually are, if a technology doesn't support a business process (reevaluate), if you aren't making mistakes you aren't trying hard enough.

Little known fact
Grew up and have lived in the south all of my life. Plan to stay here. Found out a couple of years ago; I get sick if I go over 10,000 feet (yes, even following all the rules). So I had to check to see what altitude Colorado Springs was at.

discussion, event, issue, technology, topic, war

Familiar LightSquared  discussion, event, issue, technology, topic, war? You can read about it in no less than a dozen places (http://goo.gl/8JtFe).

I have been loosely following along; only because the topic keeps being put in front of me. So as a sideliner here are just a few thoughts. I am not an engineer nor am I familiar with all of the possible opportunities (good or bad). This is just a running list of thoughts I have had over the past several months.

• Why is everyone so worried? Does anyone really think the government is going to let the GPS network be severely damaged? – This is not a small thing and the suggested impacts would be numerous on a multitude of levels. –zombies are not our worst fear
•  Wow this thing is getting a lot of press
•  No idea who their marketing folks are but they have earned their money
•  May be this was a half backed idea that needed to go down this road in order to get input from the community, refine the plan, and execute a useful product – novel
•  Here comes the mudslinging, they said – they said, nobody knows what’s going on
•  Props to those guys for understanding and working the system
•  Now let’s draw straws for teams- good vs evil
•  Seems to be a lot of chest thumping going on
•  Great now regardless of the outcome a) nothing happens b) the plan is implemented and has no impact – everyone can claim victory.
•  This one pops in my head nearly every time- "I don't care what the newspapers say about me as long as they spell my name right." http://goo.gl/tLYtP

I have had a few more specific thoughts, but I’m not putting them in writing. Might it be bad- sure, might it be the best thing since GPS - maybe; isn’t that what innovation is all about?

Now I can add my name to the list of folks that have brought the topic up again. #badjokes 

High Resolution Imagery to Support Events

This is a carry over from several tweets coming out of Understanding Risk Conference (#ur2010) at the World Bank.

So the brief conversation on twitter was in regards to imagery resolution used when responding to an event (hurricane, flood, tornado, earthquake, fire, oil spill/pour). I agree 3 inch resolution gives more detail and may lead to better decisions. I also agree satellite or airborne sensors may be more appropriate depending on various elements (resolution, area of coverage, orbit, licensing, privacy, general specifications).

My real question comes down to the ROI for higher resolution in terms of bandwidth and general IT infrastructure. Given that this data is usually needed in various platforms and passed around via networks and hard-drives; What is the resolution that allows for good decision support and balances that with file size?

This may seem like an easy question. May be the answer is get the best you can, but I am curious as to if any thought has been given to this question.

I would also add larger companies likely have the infrastructure to support any file size, but I am thinking from a local prospective.

AGIO Decal in 50 States

First, BIG THANK YOU to all those who submitted pictures, and asked others to do the same. We could not have done this without YOU!!!

The #AGIOdecal game began on 3/5/2010 with a blog post. A second post was made on 3/22/201 as decal pictures began arriving.

We never could have imangined what would transpire. So now for some lessons learned, and considerations should someone else attempt something like this.

1. It's not about you, it's about the game: 90% of the pictures we recieved were via Twitter friends. What was intresting was the game spread beyond those that knew of the AGIO prior to the game begining.

2. Make it easy: This seems obvious, but it was essintal to us recieving the maxiumum number of photos possible. We just said "please send photos" and did not specify how we would like to recieve them. This resulted in photos being sent via email, txt, twitter, flickr, and various other means.

Actual breakdown

70 folks played along and submitted 210 pictures

99 pictures were emailed

69 pictures were tweeted

30 mailed via snail mail (one person's trip)

12 pictures were texted

3. Not everyone geoenables their pictures: We assumed this was the case, but we didn't realize it was such a small precentage. One thing we did not do well was take advantage of the photos that were geoenabled when we recieved them. - Big lesson learned

4. Logistics: I think there are a few things you have to get right in order for the effort to work. First, you have to have a reason, and that maybe just because. Second, you have to be responsive. That means responding when folks who participate, posting photos recieved quickly and communicating the posting back out. Third, there is no wrong answer (in this case picture). I think you have to always remember it is a team effort. It is not 'your' project, it is everyone's. BTW- thanks to all who played

5. Cost: The cost was minimal cosidering the return. Decals were $500, staff time around 5% (debatable), stamps were $20, travel $0 (we just carried decals everywhere we were already going).

Also worth noting: We leveraged a number of platforms online for no fee.

Photo gallery- Picasa / Flickr

Map- GeoCommons / GoogleMap / YahooMap

Twitter Activity: http://twapperkeeper.com/hashtag/AGIOdecal

Success is measured a number of ways. @cageyjames Tweeted "Arkansas hasn't got this much play since Clinton was president!" we believe that is succcess. It is intresting that a five person shop managed to get pictures of its decal in so many places, with the help of a lot of friends. We consider the effort a huge success.

#AGIOdecal Part 2

It all started with What's the Deal with the #AGIOdecal. The response has been great. Big thanks to all those who have helped make this possible. This blog post is only intended to provide quick links to several items related to this effort.

Photo gallery- Picasa / Flickr

Map- GeoCommons / GoogleMap / YahooMap

Twitter Activity: http://twapperkeeper.com/hashtag/AGIOdecal

We welcome anyone who wants to play.

Print, cut, shoot a photo and send to me. We would really appreciate your help.

What's the deal with #AGIOdecal?

Google Map - Flickr Map - GeoCommons Map

It all started harmless enough and has now turned into a friendly competition. Actually a friendly wager. The Arkansas Geographic Information Office had the logo developed in 2002. The logo includes the tag line "Putting Arkansas On the Map!". (You can make up your own jokes.)

We recently had decals made and began taking pictures with them as we travel the state. While gathered for lunch I said "Wonder if we could get AR mapped in 50 states?" Discussion ensued which resulted in my firm stance AGIO could get pictures of the logo taken in all 50 states using various social media outlets and personal connections. I am also hoping to get a few from the territories.

I'm pretty sure a map will be created shortly after the pictures are collected for all 50 states.

So I'd appreciate anyone who wants to play along just:

• Take a picture with the decal
• Upload to your online photo browser of choice (send link to me)
• Or email the pic to me

Should our paths cross, don't be surprised if I hand you a decal in return for your business card.

UPDATE

The #AGIOdecal continues to make its rounds. Photos can be viewed here and related Tweets can be viewed here. Thanks to all those who are playing. Please keep the photos coming.

I hope some of you smart folks have been thinking about this for a while. I really hope you have some suggestions on how to make this a reality.

So I started thinking a bit which is always dangerous. How does a government agency integrate all of the rich data into a single location?

My simple definitions
Single location= a location that a user can go to get the data. Ideally, numerous locations would be feed data from an integrated source

Rich Data= data from city, county, state integrated with crowd-sourced data of various forms

The idea is data would flow from multiple sources to a library from which a single rich data set could be completed. The beauty of the system is that all of the data ‘feeders’ would not even have to know about one another. For example, the county official responsible for roads would not have to know about OSM but could leverage the data that is inserted into OSM and vice-versa. The illustration above is focused on roads, but if such a system existed; points of interest, hydro, pick a ‘layer’ could be easily created and shared.

I realize the idea above is a dream. Things like licensing, lawyers, bureaucracy and a host of other things immediately point to “This cannot be done.” What if those issues didn’t exist; what might we have? This is what I am interested in seeing happen. Arkansas is ready to give it a try. Anyone else out there done this?

Open, No Fee Data

@glethan and I started this conversation last week #GeoChat. My question still remains, what protocols make data "open" in todays environment. I only ask the question because the @Arkansas_AGIO is working to be as open as possible. The target seems to be a bit vague, I think.

Data.gov provides data in csv, xml, kml, and shp. Does that make it open?

What about webservices?

Is providing access to the data for download make it open in todays geoweb environment?

Is OGC the answer to all of these questions?

Just curious

Rambling Thoughts

Just thinking out loud... I am sure it's crazy talk.

Several colleagues and I have been discussing this for quite sometime so I figure it's past time to get input. The premise is - Get out of the way! The topic is data.

As coordinators we work with numerous data providers. Inevitably we get rich data from locals, often attempt to standardize, publish out for consumption in a host of formats and services. We (AR GIO) have been repeating this process about 7 years. We have gotten better, but are still not efficient. The time delay from manufacture to shelf is far too slow. Slow equates to months instead of days or hours.

This is all well and good but what if we are the problem because we are in the way. There are a host (no pun intended) of companies/organizations that are much more capable of standardizing and publishing the data for consumption more efficiently than we are. Yes, I concede they have a great deal more money, staff, and likely brain power than I do. This is not a bad thing but it begs the question. How do I point, provide, enable the process and get out of the way.

A couple of us were just chatting and came to the conclusion many of you have already come too. If a company/organization uses the rich data and publishes in a format that can be consumed by all of the major GIS packages, then that is one less thing we have to do. Lets go find more data to feed the monster.

Next series of questions.

1) How do we feed the monster? Shapefile/geotiff and FTP? No one can argue the efficiency.

2) Do we continue to maintain all of the web services? The point at which the data is provided back from integrators as a web service in a manner that is consumed by major GIS packages the answer likely changes.

3) I'm at a loss but feel sure there is a 3rd, 4th, and so on.

So maybe we are quickly coming full circle? Its just a question. I am really interested in solving the reconciliation of deltas from all the various sources (Google, OSM, city, county, state) and feeding that data back out (city, county, state, ect). Bet someone has that figured out. Ping me if you do.

NSGIC Reps on Twitter

Following #NSGIC2009 several ask if there was a list of NSGIC state reps currently on Twitter. I am not aware of a list and doubt this will be comprehensive, but its a start. Tweet me @learondalby and I will add ya, apologies upfront if I neglected ya. I am sure there is an easier way to build this list, so someone share the knowledge.

National States Geographic Information Council- @nsgic

Alabama- @electicghia

Arkansas- @Arkansas_AGIO, @ShelbyDJohnson, @LearonDalby

California- @CAGIO

Colorado- @COGISCoord

Delaware- @DelawareGIS, @rockmanwss, @mmahaffie

Florida- @Florida_SERTGIS

Georgia- @DaniAyan

Indiana- @igic

Kansas- @ivan2mapu, 2kgsdasc

Missouri- @tonyspicci

North Dakota- @BobNutsch

Texas- @TNRIS

Utah- @BertAGRC

Wisconson- @Wiscmapper, @ajwrtly

Preface

I have worked in the information technology (IT) field for a decade and had the opportunity to travel across the United States the past year. My niche has been geographic information systems. In the past year I have become fascinated with social media and web 2.0 technologies. Yes, I realize I was late to the game as these have been around more than a year. What I didn’t realize was that I was not the last one to game. In fact, I have come to realize many IT firms haven’t even made it to the ballpark yet. IT for so many years was a black box. Executives all agreed IT was needed, but few actually applied its use and even fewer understood what happened in the black box. Sure IT can be complex, but you would think IT was always cutting edge. I can assure the entire IT community has not grasped the full utility of social media and web 2.0 technologies.

So why does this blog look like a book? This was the only way I could think of to gain the attention of the traditional “book reader” and hopefully the help of really smart people on the www. I am hopeful you will add to this string of thoughts by adding your comments. No doubt a wiki might have proven more useful for this exercise, but keep in mind the first goal is to reach those trying to figure all this out.

Disclaimer

Very little of the information found on this site is original. I have read several books, talked to numerous individuals a lot smarter than I am, and researched a number websites this year that will be reflected in the information below. Do not be surprised if you have heard some of the comments or read some of the material before. I do not claim any of this as original. I am hopeful you will help me assemble a resource that will be useful to those trying to figure out, what I refer to as THE CHANGE (nope that is not original either). It wouldn’t surprise me to find several other sites on the www similar to this one. Please link to them where appropriate using the comment tool.

The Change

What happened? Here is what I think happened and the opportunity it presents.. The way many individuals communicate changed. Traditionally communication from government-citizens, business-client, or nonprofit-supporters has been one way. The spin, message, commercial, etc. happened one way. Think about the various forms of ‘communication’ we have used in the past: paintings, radio, tv, fax, or email. This is not a dialogue, which is what many really desire. No doubt someone could respond to the email but is that really a dialogue?

Now think about mechanisms that have enabled a dialogue: telegraph, phone, email (alright, I will give that one to you), instant messaging, txt messaging. These are all becoming dated. You read it right, dated. That is the change… Welcome to instantly knowing where someone is, what they are doing, thinking, care about, and oh yeah they get to tell you. You have entered into a dialogue or conversation and begun to develop a relationship. Why do they tell you? Because they want to! They are involved because they care. Yes there is a human element to IT that a dialogue enables and the result is fascinating.