Servant of Chaos

How Dedicated Are You?

Periodically I pause for reflection. I look back over the years and try to fathom my achievements, tally my failures and come to some kind of reckoning. Each time I do this, I start by wondering "what could have been" ... it makes me think through the alternative choices that I would have had to make to succeed in another life/career path.

One of my early career non-choices was in academia. I was, for a while, rather enamoured with teaching and research -- and had the opportunity to meet and work with some inspiring and genuinely funny people. One such person, Jennifer Barry spent many years after study working in arts administration. With a sharp mind and a razor wit, she would work through the many challenges that come with theatre production, managing the creative AND the business elements all on a miniscule budget. There were late nights, early mornings, pressures of all shapes and sizes. There were demands for more, demands for less and a need to balance the expectations of friends, family, colleagues, boards and even government bodies. Her dedication was enormous. But it was a dedication that also required significant sacrifices -- for this was no ordinary job. And the Company could certainly never have paid Jennifer an hourly salary.

In a similar vein, Steven Collin's post on creative sacrifice reminds us that dedication and sacrifice go hand in glove.

For those who work in a creative field (and let's face it, we all do), the personal distinction between what should be called work and what is "life" is decidedly fuzzy. As Jennifer continually demonstrated and as Stephen argues, dedication goes beyond the mere requirements -- there is a deeper commitment -- to outcomes.

You see, ideas are easy, and talk is cheap. Dedication, however, drives us towards the achievement of a goal. It makes us question the manner in which we "invest" our time and energy, and asks us to reprioritise -- sometimes harshly. Look around you -- there will be people who may have talent. Others with "vision". But the only thing that counts is the end result. And when you stand back in a year's time and reflect on what has come and gone, all the petty barbs and daily niceties will have evaporated from your mind. You will only mark your triumphs or failures. And each are valuable in their own way.

A small gift for mookie

  CK GREETS ARUN 
  Originally uploaded by ck.epiphany

I am having an interesting discussion on David Armano's blog with someone called "mookie". While looking through the comments on this post, I noticed that mookie had commented on the fact that blogs and social media were just communications tools and were too impersonal.

Since then, the conversation has moved on a little, and mookie has asked about whether the "semi-social" amongst us can also be considered members of the community. How do we demonstrate our membership? What happens if you don't have a blog or a photo, or if you are shy and retiring? What happens if you just don't have the time or the interest?
These are difficult questions, for undoubtedly, a blogging community does not exist without readers. And those readers will engage with topics and issues online and off -- in fact, most of us will discuss topics with our friends over coffee in far more detail than we will on our own blogs. This is what I do when I meet my friends for coffee on Friday mornings.

But one of the things that I love about writing a blog is that we disclose more of our selves than we realise. It is why I read and it is also why I write (though sometimes I write with a half held breath). Sometimes a friend will recount something I had written and I am surprised at what they know. And because I have written and they have interpreted, there is a trade-off -- a gift of sorts.

In the first instance, the gift is our name. When I first began writing this blog I hid behind its name. But gradually I was coaxed from the shadow of my own invention. Another breath half held. Another step into the arms of an unknown community.

When we read, I believe that we are seeking that nugget of truth. Our reading ears are finely attuned to this and they seek it at every word. It is what raises the hairs at the back of our necks. But the same is true with writing -- but even when we are writing our selves into existence, it is only one version of our self, our life. As Helene Cixous would say, it is "the blind person's version".

When I read the writers that I love (yes, this includes blogs), I am reading emotionally. I listen through the words. I reach for the ideas and I connect the elements, building my own story based on the words in front of me and the memories I have of the thousand other posts, emails and conversations we have had. And as these piece together, sometimes, I realise that I have moved beyond a simple relationship with this person. In sharing my time and my thoughts, this person has come into my world, and I into hers. Perhaps this may be a strange, unrequited type of gift ... but it is a gift nonetheless.

Recently, at an event where I was able to actually meet some of my blogging friends, the truth of this became evident. Despite the fact that many of us had never physically met before, we felt that we knew each other. There was already a history of shared experience that transcended mere words.

My favourite definition of community is that you will be missed if you are not "there". There certainly were folks missing from this event ... but you cannot be missed if no one knows your name or how to reach you. Ask the Tangerine Toad, life is much brighter out of the shadow of the toadstool. Time to take another half breath.

What The Hoff?

I don't know what I like most about this ... whether it is The Hoff on the judging panel of a talent quest, or the young girl who does an awesome yodelling performance.

Words and Prayers for Arun

Personal tragedy touches us all at some stage ... but nothing ever prepares us for the devastating impact that comes with the loss of a loved one. And the effects of this ripple out beyond the immediate family -- circles of friends, extended family members, work mates, colleagues and even casual acquaintances feel the sad touch of loss.

This week, Arun Rajagopal's mother passed away. Through his energy, enthusiasm and good will, Arun has become a loved member of the marketing blogging community -- and his loss reverberated around the world. Upon hearing, I paused. Drew a breath. After all, we all have hearts in common ... and mine had skipped a beat on Arun's behalf.

And while I can't be with Arun, my thoughts are certainly with him and his family at this time. We have also setup a site where, should you wish to, you can leave a message for Arun. It can be found here.

How Fast Are Your Fingers?

I remember my first typewriter. It was a huge, chunky Olivetti desk typewriter and I thought it was fantastic. It came through a friend of the family -- her office were replacing their typewriters with brand new, state of the art, electric typewriters. So this old beast was all mine.

I started typing my little hands off. I wrote out the words of songs that I liked. I wrote a few poems here and there, and stories ... I loved to write stories -- even then. I would sit down at the table with a thick felt mat shielding the table from the base of the typewriter, and I would begin to hammer our letters and words. First it was one finger at a time, but then, as I grew more practised, I began to type with two or even three fingers. My speed was increasing, but I would never get very fast. I needed to really pound the keys to make the letters appear nicely on the page, and the extra effort meant that speed was never to be easily attained.

55 words

Do Your Own Speedtest

When I started using computers, I found these typing skills were handy. I knew where the letters were and I could get up quite a bit of pace. I didn't even need to look at my fingers too much. But I did need to break through the speed barrier -- in teaching myself to type I had picked up plenty of bad habits (some of which I still have today) -- so I started doing some computer based typing training. And it started to pay off.

Because I didn't need to learn where all the letters were, I was able to pick up touch typing pretty quickly. Soon I didn't need to look down at all. Soon I was able to stare at another piece of paper and transcribe it effortlessly. With pretty good accuracy.

Nowadays, I find typing to be the only way for me to take notes. I certainly can no longer write very neatly -- and often find myself scouring my own notepads trying to make sense of the scrawl written there. But even with the fastest handwriting in the world, I could never write fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. This is where typing truly has been fanstastic. Now I can almost keep up with my ideas as they come streaming out of my mind. And while I get along at around 55 words per minute, I can push along a little faster when I am concentrating well.

But how fast are you? Is it important to be able to type quickly? I love it. Weirdly. (With thanks to Meg Tsiamis for pointing out the typing speed test.)

The Sweet Sorrow of Travel

I am spending this week in the US to attend some planning and strategy workshops -- which means being caught in the no man's land of business travel. For me, travel (for business or pleasure) is both exciting and frightening -- no matter which country that I visit. It is something to do with the crossing of borders -- of leaving one's homeland and venturing into the world of another -- for whenever I leave my country, I am also leaving my "self". It makes me wonder who I will find/arrive as, at my destination.

And whenever I travel, I am always, always reminded of Helene Cixous' beautiful writing on borders:

When I cross a border, it's my border I'm crossing, though I don't know which one I'm crossing or which side I end up on. This is the charm of crossing the border. It is also what can constitute its distressing side: Three Steps on the Ladder of Writing, p 130.

The "distressing side" was never more clear to me than when I first visited Beijing, for while I had done some travel in Asia and visited the USA many times, it was my first visit to China which made me realise the true nature of borders -- and the fact that they are not porous, but resolute. And while they exist only in our imaginations, or as dotted lines on maps, they also signal completely different ways of looking at, engaging with, and being in the world. Borders are ideas made concrete.

And understanding this makes me a much more curious passenger. It makes me more observant of those passing through. It makes me wonder about the stories carried within and around my fellow travellers. And it makes me aware of the fine tension that we all share enroute -- caught in the out-of-placeness of airports.

So while I was sitting in the lounge waiting to board the plane, observing, I could also hear some gentle notes being picked out on an instrument. Over in the corner was a group of musicians, and one of them was plucking out a melody on a uke. To my surprise, I found it very relaxing. Soothing. And when I Twittered something about this, Brent Dixon responded with a link to Jake Shimabukuro's rendition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. And while I didn't see it until I arrived, it was worth the wait. Amazing.

Goes to show that some things cross borders seamlessly -- data, ideas, money. But for me? I hold my breath with every crossing.

Sorry

As I explained yesterday, February 13 is now a momentous day for Australia. The Parliament of Australia stands united in apologising to our indigenous population. And now the hard work begins.

Other writers share their thoughts and sentiments on a day when a single word, sorry, changes the way we view our own nation (please let me know if you want to be included):

• Paull Young
• Katie Chatfield
• Trevor Cook
• John Heard
• Kevin Rennie
• The Witty Knitter
• Mountain Girl
• Values Australia
• Andrew Leigh
• Richard Watts
• Leah
• Therin of Andor
• ClarenceGirl
• FremantleBiz
• Kathryn Greenhill
• Meredi O
• Ben Peek
• Anthony Lowenstein
• Rodney Olsen
• Grods Corp
• Andrew Bartlett
• Justine Larbalestier
• Stephanie Trigg
• Another Outspoken Female

And, of course, there are others who use digital media to articulate what today's apology means for us all.

Missy Higgins

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A Slow Start to '08

This year has started in a very different way for me than last year. As some of my longer term readers will remember, there were quite a few dramas and a few surprises at the time. Not only did I come to a new understanding of the value of life, but also the importance of family, the generosity of friends and the need to focus on creating lasting, beneficial change in a circle that is as wide as you can imagine.

This year, I took time out from all things digital to reflect on a dramatic year. I spent time with mostly with my family, but was also thinking about my friends, colleagues and those who made a big difference to my life over the past year. I responded to only a handful of emails and my most adventurous/creative effort was to pull together this Animoto to present to my family. I wanted to find a way to show how different 2008 was to 2007 ... and to remind us all to focus on the future, not to dwell on the past.

And as 2008 began, I held back from posting here. I didn't login to Twitter. I frugally checked Facebook. I held back from social media in all its forms. I chose to read instead. I read the blogs of my friends of those I admire. I discovered new, worthy, brilliant blogs (and will post links soon). I read books like Joe Jaffe's excellent Join the Conversation, John Grant's The Brand Innovation Manifesto and Ian Jones' Ned Kelly (I am sure there is a joke in there somewhere -- brands and highway robbers). I thought, read and remembered.

2008 promises to be a year of change and a year of connections ... and I hope, happiness. As Lewis Green's new book Lead with Your Heart discusses, happiness comes from a type of service -- to our families, friends, businesses, ourselves and our world. Lewis links the bottom line with doing good ... and it FEELS like the right time for such an approach. For me, the cross-over between work and play, between profession and passion, and profit and generosity fills me with happiness. I am never more excited than when I bring two different areas together, be they people, ideas, causes or businesses.

My story for 2008 will be built around this. What we started with The Age of Conversation in 2007 we will continue and grow in 2008. Lookout for another ground breaking collaborative publication this year, a meetup of epic proportions and a raft of ideas, commentary and connections on social media, branding and digital storytelling. While it has been a slow start for me, I can feel the pace, beat and energy already starting to build. Peace to all my readers and friends this 2008!

The Lazy Worker's Guide to Office Politics

Found in my office
Originally uploaded by kaymoshusband

No matter where you are in your career, you are bound to come into contact with office politics. Like all kinds of politics, however, sometimes it works in your favour, other times it can tear your heart out.

Early in my career I got caught in some office politics and suffered badly from it. But, it did not kill me ... in fact, it made me a whole lot wiser. But really, I would have preferred to know a little about what to expect ... so I have put together a few tips that you can share around the office (this is important, see tip #3).

1. Dress for your NEXT job. Remember that management are always looking out for the leaders ... and while the quality of your work matters, you need to register on the radar of those who make decisions. One of the easiest ways of doing this is to dress-to-impress. (Of course, sometimes this means wearing black jeans or fancy custom shoes.)

2. Listen more than you speak. In the world where politics rules (ie the workplace), you will be judged by what you say. You need to be careful to listen to the conversations around you before you jump into them.

3. Spot the players. In every offers there are a number of people who do things behind the scenes. Some "make things happen", others "know the secrets". There are the "gatekeepers" and there are the "toxic talkers". There are also the great "career vortexes". Learn who is who in your office -- each will have a role in your success and your failures.

4. Make someone look good. If you can find a way to make someone look good, then their success will rub off on you. Now you do need to be careful that you don't simply become fodder for the career vortexes who will take all your information and goodwill and pass it off as their own. But they can help you at least a little if you can stand it.

5. Share the good stuff and take the blame. If you are getting rave reviews, then it is likely that you had some form of help. By including others in your success you will build stronger networks while also demonstrating that you understand the value of teamwork. Also, if something has gone wrong (and it is your fault), put your hand up. You will be found out eventually.

6. Visit desks. It is easy to send emails or instant messages. It is even easy to pick up the phone. But if you can find a way to make a visit (even for no reason other than to say hello) to someone's desk they will soon see that you dont just want something for nothing.

I am sure there are plenty of other tips, but these are proven to work. Have a good day at work!

Re-thinking Re-thought

Originally uploaded by ariana!

When we think over something -- from our past or present -- we tend to feel like we are looking with clarity. But are we? Or are we just believing our new story about an old situation?

This is my latest post over at MarketingProfs and it looks at some of the changes that I have seen in the publishing industry over the last twenty years. Are we in a better position because of them? Will the current changes underway with social media really make a difference? Perhaps it is time to Re-think our thinking.

What Do You Do?

For years I have been asked by my family and friends, "what do you do"? When you are immersed in a role or a project it can easily become your "world". And increasingly, as my work became more globally focused and international in flavour, my day-to-day working life became more disconnected from my family's world.

The daily emails, conference calls, uploads and downloads that are the substance of my day were anathema to members of my family who work in more traditional roles. And the outputs of my work, from documents and presentations to deal-making and presenting, the world of the knowledge worker is very strange (regardless of whether you are a marketer, salesperson, designer or IT architect). This has accelerated significantly with my personal adoption of social networking tools such as blogs, Flickr, Facebook and virtual worlds.

And while all this allows me to stay in contact with my virtual teams and wider communities it also provides yet another way of alienating my family and friends. The presentation below, by IBM Metaverse Evangelist, Roo Reynolds, helps answer the question "what do you do?". Now all I need to do is get my friends and family to check out my blog. Hmmm ... now that could be a challenge!

Marry Our Daughter

Can't believe this site is for real.

What I Learned From ... My Chaotic Life

Readers of this blog will know that I see chaos as a fertile source of creativity -- this blog is not called Servant of Chaos for nothing. But chaos also engenders something else -- change -- for without change there can be no chaos.  Most recently I have been caught in multiple waves of change and chaos. The first was predicted and planned -- The Age of Conversation was a project that I willingly and knowingly activated. Neither Drew nor I knew where it would take us (and we still don't) -- and if you have not purchased a copy, please do so here. The second wave occurred when I sold my house and had to find a new place to live. There were a few dramas (as there were bound to be) -- they say that moving house is one of the most stressful things that you can do. The other most stressful thing you can do is to change jobs. As the Age of Conversation was starting to gain momentum and as I was in the middle of buying/selling and moving homes, I also began considering a change in career. It was far from an easy decision for me to make. Working in an agency means that you develop very close ties with your colleagues, a passion and interest in the projects that you work on, and more often than not, a sometimes obsessive connection to the style and manner of working that has proven professionally successful. I was provided significant challenges and responsibilities, travelled the world, and built a team that were truly innovative, driven and creative ... changing jobs meant leaving all this behind. Two weeks ago I started a new journey -- on the client side. I am working with the market and technology leader, SAP, in the Education Division for the Americas. I have joined the company at an exciting time and have been pleasantly surprised to see a robust interest and engagement with social media across the company. One of the interesting things that is running at present is a global survey on social media trends, hosted by Shel Israel. There are some very interesting responses including Kris Hoet, BL Ochman, Brian Reich, Karl Long, Douglas Karr .. and you can even "roll your own". The thing that I learned, or in fact, re-learned in all this, is that you cannot control chaos ... you can only ride it. You may be able to start it, but you won't know where it will lead you. With thanks to Robert Hruzek for starting the "what I learned from ..." topic.

Blogged with Flock

Going Green

I have been watching a show on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) called Carbon Cops where a team come into your house and assess how much carbon your household generates per year. And then, in reality TV makover style, they help you make the changes that will bring you down to earth (often with a thud).

It is quite amazing, but the average Australian household generates about 14 tonnes of carbon per year. That sounds like a lot (and it is), but some episodes have shown that the use of old 4WD vehicles can, in some instances, exceed this in isolation. Plane travel is another large polluter, with a massive amount of carbon generated by frequent flyers (especially those flying internationally).

Obviously those with jobs requiring travel have no way of reducing their carbon footprint without resorting to buying carbon credits in one form or other. Many Australian energy companies now have significant green power options allowing you to choose to draw your power from renewable energy sources ... so this is a start. But one of the most interesting aspects of the Carbon Cops show is the energy monitors that they use to show households how much energy is being used at any point in time.

This funky looking model called the ecoMeter is made by a company called Ampy and it looks just like the model used in the show. As your energy consumption increases the lights across the bottom increase. Four solid squares and the colour changes from green to RED. What this allows you to do is to monitor your actual behaviour and to take steps to change it (isn't this a marketer's dream?). I have fired off an email to the Ampy folks to find out how much these babies cost ... and while I am worried about my actual usage -- I am sure there are plenty of steps that can be taken to bring it down -- I just need to KNOW and understand my own pattern of usage.

The challenge will come if the cost is significant. One would think that devices like this, together with water tanks, would be a great way of spending some of the Australian Government's massive budget surplus. In fact, it would be great if it was mandated that all new houses had to be fitted with similar devices (I am sure there are plenty of other good ideas around this).

Oh, and if you want to see how much carbon YOU create per year. Take a look at this calculator. And be afraid. And ashamed. I was.

Tags: CarbonFootprint, Carbon Cops, Ampy, ecoMeter

View from the Porch

View from the front
Originally uploaded by servantofchaos

Actually, I think this is a view OF the porch. That's right ... this is the new place right before the chaos hit. It is unlikely that it will ever look as neat and as tidy again.

Well, it has been a little longer than eight days ... and looks like it may be a few more until the blog gets back to normal. You see, moving house and moving phone lines got a whole lot more complicated on the day. With the truck packed and the old place cleaned out, we rang the real estate agent to let them know we would be around to pick up the keys. "Oh no, you can't have the keys ... the house didn't settle today". Was that a fire alarm or just bells going off in my head?

A couple more hours, some rain, frantic phone calls all over the country and yet more cleaning ... and we were finally given the go ahead to move in under license.

Now after a couple of weeks of unpacking, we are almost box free.

Unfortunately we also moved into a new telephone exchange area which has meant quite a bit of Internet-related drama. First up I was informed by my ISP that there was NO ADSL available on my new line. After a short rant, I found out that the line could be upgraded but would take 6-8 weeks.

Totally unimpressed I rang Telstra, Australia's leading telecommunications company and owner of the vast majority of the fixed lines in the country. By now I was not mucking around -- I wanted cable. There was no cable anywhere near my house, there was no ADSL capable lines, no plans for upgrading ... and no wireless options that would not require a second mortgage. Things weren't looking good. (On the plus side, the broadband consultant that I spoke to was excellent.)

I rang my ISP back and requested the phone line upgrade. Six to eight weeks it is ... in the meantime I am living a dial-up existence. It is slow going, unreliable and ties up the only phone line in the house. There is more to this story and I will share it with you over the next couple of days (it will take that long to upload).

In the meantime, my BrandingWire buddies launched into the latest topic -- car dealers. From a quick (but slow) scan of the blogosphere it seems that this topic has hit a nerve. My own post was interrupted with moving dramas (even though I thought I was well prepared -- I was obviously mistaken), but it will be up in the next couple of days.

For now, I am taking in the view from the porch and catching up on some reading. The offline kind. And checking out Phil Gerbyshack's favourite books on Shelfari. Now, if only they would allow Lulu.com books to be added I would put up the Age of Conversation.

Packed and Ready

Packed and ready
Originally uploaded by brufsup100

It has been a big week of chaos here (what's new?).

But the most chaos has been generated by cleaning up. How? Well, I am moving house and it is taking ages to pack boxes, sort through old, outdated and unwanted items and to sell a heap of stuff on eBay!

Of course, moving house also means moving phone lines. And technology being what it is ... means that I will be offline for about 8 days while the phones are connected. This also means no access to email -- except for a desperate dash to the local Internet cafe.

Hmmm ... could be a whole new world by the time I get back online.

Why Music Means So Much To Me

4x4 music hearts: sold to diane
Originally uploaded by Stacibar98

It is time for a little confession ... I have been hiding a small secret from you all. It is only so very small, but it means a great deal to me, and it has been a very enjoyable diversion.

For the last month or so I have been digging around in YouTube and posting my findings on another blog. It has been fantastic fun ... there are literally thousands of videos of songs and performances that I have never seen. And when I find something that I love, or loved years ago, I write it up -- add a small story to the song and then let the music speak for itself. In a way it is a sort of antidote to the sense of loss that comes with owning an iPod -- as I can now, no longer, proudly peruse my CD collection, this is the next best thing.

Why am I sharing it with you? It is like Mark Pesce says:

We are each, in our own ways, experts on something. The great among us might have expertise across several domains, but every one of us has a passion, a hobby, a predilection, into which we pour tens of thousands of hours of (generally) unpaid work. These passions define us to our peers, far more than any simple explanation of what we do to earn a living.

So here is a little bit more to explain myself. Enjoy (oh, and more to come!).

Why You Blog

I presume that this card is one of Jessica Hagy's excellent and thought provoking index cards ... but I could not find the link. Instead I found it on Age's blog ... and it made me realise that there is a close connection between blogging and drinking. You can simply change item C and label it "Why you blog".