S.M.A.R.T. Blog

Happy Holidays!

Tis the Season... For Tech Ticklers!

In honor of the holidays and the vacation frame of mind, Assistant Community Manager Sean Pearson kept things light this week with our #SMOPin (SMinOrgs on Pinterest) activity, featuring holiday themed funnies. Here's a recap of the tweets he sent out. Enjoy!

Monday: In this Off the Mark comic, the miracle of Hanukkah has been updated for the Digital Era http://ow.ly/g7n4z

Tuesday: Regardless of whether holiday gatherings happen in real life or online, the outcome's pretty much the same. http://ow.ly/g7PyP

Wednesday: Rudolph learns that even on Facebook Santa knows when you've been naughty. http://ow.ly/g7myJ

Thursday: The holiday family photo has been updated to the Digital Era, complete with a message 140 characters or less. http://ow.ly/g8SyP

Friday: Santa utilizes the power of social media to make his list and check it twice http://ow.ly/g7ojy via Mashable. See NT for Santa in action.

And a bonus: How Social Media Saved the Holidays from @hootsuite http://ow.ly/gcHV6

Visit and follow our Technology Ticklers Pinterest board for more Digital Era humor. And if you follow us on Twitter (@SMinOrgs), you'll be treated to our #SMOPin tweets each day around 11 am ET.

Happy, Happy, Merry, Merry!!!

Courtney

PS - Got a favorite Holiday-themed cartoon? Please let us know by adding a comment with a link below. Thanks!

9 Digital Era Photo Essays

Nine photo essays, using images from around the world, tell nine different but similar stories about life in the Digital Era, highlighting social media and digital technologies. These stories focus on both individuals and organizations and emphasize the need to adapt to changing times in ways that blend the best of the earth with the best of the cloud.

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I am a visual person, which is one of the main reasons I've been so enthusiastic about establishing an SMinOrgs presence on Pinterest and Tumblr. I especially love photo imagery. I've been an avid photographer most of my life, and as my friends and family can attest, I love using pictures to tell a story... 

Though it wasn't intentional, the first official S.M.A.R.T. Blog post I wrote was a photo essay reflecting on what the city of Rome, Italy can teach us about building digital communities. Since then I've created eight more photo essays via different media. This post highlights all of them, categorized in two groups: Signs of the (Changing) Times and Digital Era Reflections.

I hope you get as much out of viewing them as I did out of creating them. And if you know of other great Digital Era photo essays, please add a link in the comments. Thanks!

Courtney Shelton Hunt, PhD

PS - You can find more original photos and reflections in our Digital Era Images and THIS is Social Media Pinterest boards.

 

Signs of the (Changing) Times

Social and Digital Technology in Rome and Cairo. A Facebook album that contains examples of social media and other digital technologies from my trip to Rome, Italy and Cairo, Egypt in February 2010. I was particularly interested in examples that contained elements of surprise or defied people's expectations of how these technologies can and should be used.

 

 

Tourism in the Digital Era. A Facebook album that shares some of the ways in which digital technology in general - and social media in particular - enriched a road trip in the summer of 2011. Also check out the accompanying blog post: Technology-Enriched Travel: 10 Take-Aways that Reveal Digital Era Truths.

 

Celebrating "Books" in the Digital Era. A Facebook album of photos from the 2012 Printer's Row Lit Fest in Chicago, which used to be called the Printer's Row Book Fair. As our notion of what a "book" is morphed, and print media gave way to digital media, the name - and what was being celebrated - also had to change. These images and my observations reflect those changes.

 

Dublin in the Digital Era: A City in Transition. Using images from a recent trip to Dublin, Ireland (Sept 2012), this SlideShare photo essay offers examples of how the city and its residents are moving forward into the Digital Era, while simultaneously clinging to remnants of a paper-based way of life.

 

An Post: A Venerable Institution Transforms Itself. On the trip to Dublin, I was also captivated by the country's Post Office (An Post). Unlike the US postal system, An Post seems to have done a great job of transforming itself over time to adapt to changing circumstances and technologies. This SlideShare photo essay offers examples of how it has embraced and responded to Digital Era realities, and demonstrates that its current adaptive capacity is deeply rooted in a history of flexibility and nimbleness. 

 

Technology at the HR Tech Conference: Old School Meets New. The significant progress the HR industry has made in developing and leveraging social and digital technologies was clear at the 2012 HR Tech Conference in Chicago. Especially impressive was how "high tech" was used to facilitate "high touch" interactions.

 

 

Digital Era Reflections

11 Lessons about Digital Communities from Rome. I visited Rome for the first time in 2010. Struck by powerful images, I decided to study the city while I explored it. Viewing it as a metaphor for virtual communities, I was curious to see what kinds of insights I could glean into the factors that should be considered when building, maintaining, and participating in digital communities. I identified 11 lessons, organized into three themes.

 

 

 

The Early Bird May Get the Worm, But the Brave Bird Gets... The Fries?!?! In June 2010, I (unintentionally) shared my lunch with some brave sparrows who made me reflect on the role of bravery in the context of social media adoption.

 

 

Think You Know What Social Media Is? Think Again. Using images from a road trip in the summer of 2011, this SlideShare photo essay demonstrates that social media is about more than digital technology. The essay strives to demystify social media and get people to think more broadly about it and its economic and social roles. Providing this perspective on digital manifestations of social media should help everyone from rookies to mavens, detractors to advocates, understand that today's social media isn't just novel - it's normal.

Tumbln into Tumblr V

Highlighting the activity on the SMinOrgs (and GCDEL) Tumblelog, this post recaps and provides links to entries about social and digital technologies including images and videos that reflect Digital Era realities, insights from attorneys about managing Digital Era risks, and several retrospective pieces that put today's opportunities and challenges in perspective (often with serious doses of humor!). The post also features five of our best and favorite Tumblr posts from November 2012 (the Medieval Help Desk was a runaway hit!).

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Earlier this year SMinOrgs (and GCDEL) established a presence on Tumblr, and I have become an ardent fan. I detailed some of the reasons for my Tumblr enthusiasm in a post entitled Tumbln into Tumblr: 7 Reasons it Hits a Social Media “Sweet Spot”. To demonstrate the platform's versatility, I share some our activity as a regular feature on this blog. I hope you enjoy the entries as much as we do.

- Courtney Shelton Hunt

Here are some of the items we "tumbld" in November 2012. Click on the titles to check each entry out. I've also highlighted a few of our best and favorite posts below. Note: the Medieval Help Desk was a runaway hit - and a must watch!

The Global Employer: The Social Media Issue. Baker & McKenzie asked some of their leading Labor and Employment attorneys to provide answers to questions that many companies are facing with regard to the use of social media. In this issue, you will find answers to questions that relate to recruitment, discipline and dismissal, protecting the business, and legal proceedings in 17 different jurisdictions.

A composite of favorite Digital Era images from the aftermath of SuperStorm Sandy.

An ironic rant: from self-righteousness to self-deprecation. Two Facebook posts from Tim McDonald are both damn funny and offer an important lesson: Even the most experienced and savvy among us can make mistakes. Rather than trying to hide or delete them, handling them with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor - and good-natured aplomb - is a much better approach.

Managing Employer Risks in the Digital Era: 4 Recent Stories. This post provides links to four pieces from three countries, all written by attorneys. They address Digital Era issues that all employers should be concerned about. Three focus on social media and related policies, and one focuses on risks associated with BYOD (bring your own device) programs.

Joshua Topolsky on the Jimmy Fallon Show. In a hilaroius (and naughty) segment, they try to preview the Surface, Lumia, Nexus 4, Nexus 10, iPad mini and maxi.

The Early Bird May Get the Worm, But the Brave Bird Gets… The Fries?!?! In June 2010, I (unintentionally) shared my lunch with some bold sparrows who made me reflect on the role of bravery in the context of social media adoption. The ideas still resonate today...

1994 Today Show: “What is the Internet, Anyway?” This video makes me chuckle, but the underlying truth is sobering. We’ve come a long way in the last twenty years, yet there are still many people who are trying to wrap their brains what new technology is and what it means. In the Digital Era, I think we’ll be in a perennial state of confusion as technology continues to advance far faster than our human capacity to absorb and comprehend it.

Tourist info for the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC…Is rather 20th century (the book on the right is for finding names on the wall). I think they need a digital upgrade… : ) But not everything in DC is so “old school.” Check out the other Digital Era Images and THIS is Social Media pictures we posted on Pinterest after a recent visit.

Social Media Video 2013 (by Erik Qualman). Though I’m happy the video contents have been updated, I’m even happier that the original soundtrack from Fat Boy Slim has returned! You can also view the video with alternative music. Erik has updated his book, Socialnomics, as well as the video. Click here to read the related blog post and link to the book.

Computer History Museum’s online exhibition called Revolution. The story of computing is epic. It’s driven by the human passion for tinkering, inventing and solving difficult problems where accidents and luck can be as important as brilliant engineering. Explore the revolution that has changed our world…

Big Blue Embraces Social Media (2008). People ask me all the time when and how I got interested in social media, and how and why I started the Social Media in Organizations (SMinOrgs) Community. I consider this Businessweek article my Genesis. Although I had had an abiding interest in digital communication for a number of years, when I read this piece in 2008, I thought “this changes everything.”

Content – An Illustrated History. An infographic summarizing the history of media and its content. A repost of one of the many cool images we share via our Pinterest presence.

Medieval Help Desk with English Subtitles. This. is. hysterical. I mean, ridiculously funny with an undeniable ring of truth! Whether you represent the “help desk” or the flabbergasted and confused end user, I’m sure you can relate! Many thanks to Assistant Community Manager Sean Pearson for bringing this to my attention.

We generally post one item to Tumblr each morning, Monday through Friday, which also gets tweeted out just after 8 am CT. If you'd like to be notified of our Tumblr content as soon as it's published, you can follow us if you have your own Tumblr account or you can subscribe to our Tumblr posts via RSS feed or email. We also share occasional “Today on Tumblr” posts via LinkedIn, and of course you can visit our page whenever you like!

Also check out:

• Tumblin into Tumblr IV
• Tumbln into Tumblr III
• Tumbln into Tumblr II
• Tumbln into Tumblr I

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A composite of images from the aftermath of SuperStorm Sandy
Posted November 5, 2012

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An ironic rant: from self-righteousness to self-deprecation
Posted November 6, 2012

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1994 Today Show: “What is the Internet, Anyway?”
Posted November 15, 2012

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Social Media Video 2013 (by Erik Qualman)
Posted November 20, 2012

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Medieval Help Desk with English Subtitles
Posted November 30, 2012

When the Earth Meets the Cloud: Ethics, Etiquette and Digital Detoxing

New technologies always create new interpersonal challenges, especially when initial enthusiasm causes people to lose sight of where and how certain boundaries should be drawn. This post shares recent articles that address some of the digital dilemmas that new technologies create and raises questions about how they should be addressed. Please share your thoughts!

Over the past couple months the New York Times has published a number of articles that address issues arising from the impact of digital technology on interpersonal interactions. These articles can be grouped into two categories: Ethics and Etiquette and Digital Detoxing. Although the issues primarily relate to our personal lives, they have implications for our professional lives as well.

Below I provide links and a brief introduction to each article and share a number of questions that the articles raise. I know where I stand on most of these questions, so I’m more interested in hearing what others think. Please share your thoughts on the issues and questions that resonate most with you. Thanks!

- Courtney Shelton Hunt

 

Ethics and Etiquette

Social and digital technologies create a number of ethical and etiquette challenges. These four articles and their accompanying (often passionate!) comments highlight some of them:

Background Checks and Personal Ethics in the Age of Google: Do you do digital background checks on folks (i.e., “google” them) before you meet them in person? Kate Fox, a social anthropologist, says “It’s perfectly natural and almost always appropriate,” explaining “… our brains haven’t changed since the Stone Age, and humans are designed to live in small groups in which everyone knows one another. Googling is an attempt to recreate a primeval, preindustrial pattern of interaction.” Not everyone agrees, however, that it’s a universally appropriate practice.

Let Your Smartphone Deliver the Bad News (115 comments): True or false: “Texting and instant messaging make it easier to navigate our social lives, but they are also turning us into ill-mannered flakes.” Mobile devices enable us to “micro-coordinate,” or adjust plans in real time based on changing circumstances. This fluidity offers a number of benefits, to be sure… but for some the ease and speed with which we can communicate – combined with the impersonal nature of the medium – can lead to disrespectful and potentially unethical behaviors.

Disruptions: Seeking Privacy in a Networked Age (39 comments): Even if you’re not digitally engaged, your activities can be – and likely are – shared with others in cyberspace. So much social sharing certainly raises privacy issues, but it also creates important ethical considerations.

When Phones Come Out Long Before the Turkey (59 comments): Armed with digital devices, holiday celebrations often take place on two planes simultaneously: the earth and the cloud. For decades we’ve been interrupting social events to document the moment (by taking photos and shooting films and videos), as well as to include other people in them (via recorded messages, phone calls, and now Skype and FaceTime). What’s different now, though, is that these disruptions and the related sharing are happening in real time: captured moments are posted to cyberspace in mere seconds.

These pieces raise a number of important questions:

• Does being digitally connected enhance or detract from our interpersonal interactions?
• How appropriate are digital background checks? Are they equally valid for both personal and professional relationships? Where should the lines be drawn in terms of what you check and where, and how deeply you research someone? How much should we reveal about what we’ve learned about others from cyberspace?
• Does real-time digital technology not only facilitate but encourage rudeness, disrespect, and a lack of courtesy?
• Are privacy concerns irrelevant? Are we heading to a future (as some predict) where they will be?
• Should social sharing be forbidden at certain social events? Or should there perhaps be “digitally dark” periods in which sharing is not allowed? And who should make those calls: the host(s) acting unilaterally, or collectively with guests?
• Should people who are digitally engaged ask permission before sharing photos and other information about others? Or is it the responsibility of each of us to inform others where our privacy lines are drawn and what our personal cyber boundaries are?
• Do we need a technology solution that allows us to digitally “cloak” ourselves? Will it help?

 

Digital Detoxing

“Digital detoxing” – the idea of cutting oneself off from modern communications technology for a period of time – can be either planned or unintentional. Both types are addressed in these three articles and their accompanying comments:  

A School Distanced From Technology Faces Its Intrusion: Students who attend Mountain School, where simplicity is valued over technology, have traditionally experienced a connection-free existence while they’re there. This is by design, of course, but it’s also due to the simple logistical fact that cell reception in the remote area is virtually nonexistent. Now that fiber optic cable is being laid, however, the school and its students have to develop a new approach that acknowledges the digital temptations and distractions that will soon be as ever-present here as they are in the places these students have come to escape.

How New Yorkers Adjusted to Sudden Smartphone Withdrawal (67 comments): In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, many residents were forced to deal with a lack of access to communications technology. The impact for some was described by Kartik Sankar, 29, a technology consultant who lives in the East Village: “Not having hot water is one thing. But not having a phone? Forget about it.” Obviously, for most it was just an inconvenience and hardly on par with the true hardship others faced, but “the experience of being suddenly smartphoneless caused some to realize just how dependent on the technology they had become.”

Hurricane Sandy Reveals a Life Unplugged: For children (aka digital natives), “the storm provided a rare glimpse of a life lived offline.” It “also produced some unexpected ammunition for parents already eager to curb the digital obsessions of their children.” Although many families initially embraced low-tech entertainment, togetherness, and quality time, their enthusiasm waned as withdrawal kicked in.

Important questions raised by these articles include:

• How crucial is digital technology to modern life? Is it always essential?
• Do digital devices empower or enslave us?
• Does being digitally connected in effect separate us from the world around us?
• Do we need to engage in digital detoxing? If so, when, and under what circumstances? And is it more important for some people than others?
• Should digital detoxes be forced on us, or can individuals be trusted to manage their detoxing needs (if any) on their own?
• What specific responsibilities do parents have to manage the digital diets of their children?
• Does denial simply lead to greater desire?

As I said in the introduction, I know where I stand on most of these questions. I’m interested in hearing what others think. Please share your thoughts on the issues and questions that resonate most with you. Thanks!