Monthly Archive for December, 2010

Cory Booker: Snowmaggedon and Community Engagement

Published on December 30, 2010 in Community. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Cory Booker #snowmageddon

photo via BrixCityGurl twitpic on 12.28.10

If you’re from NJ or have an interest in politics, you are likely well aware of Newark Mayor Cory Booker.   His commitment to his community is practically the stuff of legend (Seriously. Check out his Wikipedia entry).

With last weekend’s snowmageddon in New York and New Jersey, Booker made an excellent foil to New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s somewhat hostile response to criticism of the NYC cleanup and New Jersey Governor Christie’s conveniently scheduled absenteeism vacation in Florida.  His efforts have been popping up all over the news and intertubes.

Residents took to Twitter to let him know about the hardest hit areas of Newark that needed municipal help, as well as the personal crises of their own that required an assist.  And Booker did his best to help out, rally the community and get people the help they needed, regularly updating followers via Twitter.

Cory Booker Twitter Snow Help

Cory Booker Snow Help TwitterNot only did he share what he was doing, but he applauded the efforts of fellow Newark Residents:

Cory Booker Twitter Help Snow 5Cory Booker Twitter Help Snow 6Cory Booker Twitter Help Snow 7

Incidentally, he never lost his sense of humor.

Cory Booker Snow Help Twitter 8

Tumblr user heif caught on to the bigger picture as the action unfolded in the days after the snow stopped:

but now I realize there’s potential in what he’s doing that can have even more scalable impact: he’s modeling what he wants citizens to do: engage.  If people tune in and see him engaged & helping people — and he calls on THEM to engage & help each other, the impact potential is incredibly scalable.

He’s tapped into a lesson from the new book Change of Heart: What Psychology Can Teach Us About Spreading Social Change.  Socialbrite recently printed an excerpt of Nick Cooney’s book, which discussed the power of influencers to change human behavior.

Booker is a connector with a far-reaching network because of his position in the Newark community.  Not only does he have clout with local residents, but he has standing in the Democratic Party, among those interested in education form if you consider the recent $100 million donation to Newark Public Schools, etc.  Booker’s choices ripple through those social clusters because he has direct influence over a larger number of people.

That he chooses to invest and engage in Newark makes it more likely that others will do so because social clusters tend to be chock full of like-minded folks.  When one of the most interconnected members takes action, others tend to follow.  Social progress comes from seeding change through these network hubs.

Influencers have the power to transform a community.  I’ll leave you with a recent Facebook update by Booker:

Here is the lesson of Snowflakes: Individually beautiful yet fragile.  But look how strong they are when they all stick together. (8:41 am, 12/27/10)

Collaborative Consumption: Can Social Technology Grow Community and Lessen Humanity’s Carbon Footprint?

Published on December 21, 2010 in Society, Technology and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

The globalization of  the world economy and the increased ease of relating to people via social technology, both domestically and internationally, has made interpersonal ties with digital contacts as seamless as real world relationships for Gen Y, changing our notion of community.   Rachel Botsman, co-author of the newly published What’s Mine is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumerism, discussed some of the findings  of her research in a TED talk earlier this year.

Botsman found four core drivers in the shift to collaborative consumption:

  1. A renewed belief in the importance of community
  2. A torrent of peer to peer social networks and real time technologies
  3. Pressing unresolved environmental concerns
  4. A global recession that has fundamentally shocked human behaviors

These drivers are very interconnected.

The recession shifted many employed working and middle people from a life lived on credit to one of paying down debt and squirreling away discretionary income for a rainy day.  The long-term unemployed find inventive ways to stretch a dollar before turning to family and friends, when available, for assistance when their savings, and then government support, dries up.

In both cases community is elevated.  Interpersonal experience increasingly supplants excessive consumerism as  a way to spend one’s leisure time.  The status of stuff becomes less relevant in a world tat increasingly relies on friendship and family, however one defines the terms. Who you know takes on a greater import that what you own. Peer-to-peer networks allow you to expand the reach of your social web, which can mean increased opportunity, personally and professionally.

All of these relationships require an investment in building social capital, requiring some degree of trust as a foundation.  That growing trust allows for redistribution markets like SwapTree and BookMooch and product service systems like Rent the Runway, Zipcar or Bag, Borrow or Steal to gain  a foothold in a global economy otherwise focused on planned obsolescence.

A positive side effect of these changes, Gen Y is unconsciously taking a step towards addressing environmental issues by shifting to systems that allow for the rotation of ownership and use of goods and services  This shift means fewer critical natural resources plundered as the utility of extant goods is expanded over time.

As collaborative consumption moves from trendy to normative behavior, the user community will continue to expand as more people participate.  It could mean increased cross-cultural engagement and a lessening of the carbon footprint of humanity, which may open the doors to more directed action on environmental and social issues.

8 Favorite Reads of 2010

Published on December 15, 2010 in Uncategorized. 4 Comments

reading bear

photo by jonno259

One of my favorite annual posts, here are my top reads from 2010. While I read about 50 books a year, only a handful are standouts.

Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer by Shannon Brownlee (NF)

Americans have grown to believe that more medicine is better medicine.   When just “4% of treatments and tests are backed up by strong scientific evidence,” there’s no system to appropriately assign effective and cost-effective treatments to any ailments.   With the marketing arms of Big Pharma and medical technology firms working  to build interest in their products long before their release dates, health care has grown as dependent on advertising as most consumer goods producers and retailers.  In outlining the success that the Veterans Administration has had in overhauling their own health system, Browlee outlines some concrete steps that could drive down costs for patients, employers, insurance companies and the government.

61 Hours by Lee Child (F)
Worth Dying For by Lee Child (F)

I have read every book in the Jack Reacher series.  Each book reminds me why I impatiently await the release of each new title.  I can”t put them down.  More so than previous books, readers were let in on some of the details of Reacher’s military past in 61 Hours.   Child’s works are always compulsively readable adventures that leave you guessing, sometimes wildly, as you try to keep up with Reacher’s strides.

Linchpin: Are You Indispensible? by Seth Godin (NF)

It’s no longer enough to be a cog in the machine.   According to German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, “Thus, the task is not so much to see what no one else has seen, but to think what nobody yet has thought about that which everybody sees.”   If you can bring a unique perspective that leads to process improvement, cost savings, increased profit margins, ecetera, you may be on the verge of being indispensable.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (F)
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (F)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson (F)

Let’s be honest. These books are literary crack.  About 1800 pages of reading whips by once the first 100 pages set up the backstory.  I’m crushed that the author died 3+ books into what he envisioned as a 10-book series.   Hopefully the mostly completed fourth book that his lover has on the deceased’s laptop will someday be published.

The Empathic Civilization by Jeremy Rifkin (NF)

I admit it took me three months to read this book because it was so dense and fact filled that it took that long to process.  It was a fascinating read looking at the psychology of human development and the major technological revolutions throughout history that have driven greater self and community-awareness.

Ten minute video summing up the book’s main points here.

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: These books were not necessarily published in 2010. They do not necessarily belong on a list of best books ever, books to read before you die, or best kept secrets.    It’s just a list of the books I enjoyed most in this calendar year.

Related: Favorite Reads of 2008, Favorite Reads of 2009

Reverb 2010: Undoubtedly, writers write

Published on December 10, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: .

detritus of the dayphoto © 2007 psyberartist | more info (via: Wylio)Reverb is an annual writing exercise series encouraging bloggers to “reflect on this year and manifest what’s year”.  Daily prompts are posted to allow for introspection and growth.  Participation and promotion is encouraged, but I’ll be keeping most of my posts private.

Day 2 Prompt: Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)

I love the written word.  The power to move people to action, to emotion, to realization with the careful selection of characters placed one after another. Getting lost in the flow of words that, to a reader, seem to so naturally fall into places like pegs in their holes.   Sharp dialectic drawing attention to those struggling far from the disinterested gaze of those with power and privilege.

Yet, when I sit down to write, I get caught up in the doubts.  Can I be articulate or eloquent enough to make the right point? Will I be perpetually writing into a void? Could I be so off to the mark as to permanently mar my credibility?  How do you measure good enough?  Have I done enough research to write a worthwhile post?  Will I ever write as well as the almost lyrical professionals that I read?

I can’t be a writer who doesn’t write.  Can I walk away from self doubt completely? Probably not.  But I can try to work through it.  And if I can’t overcome the doubt on one topic, there are countless others I can write on instead.  I’m going to do my best to move on when I get stuck; paralysis by insecurity won’t take me to the next level.

Peep-powered success: does your social network support or hinder you.

Published on December 8, 2010 in Uncategorized. 3 Comments Tags: , , , .

102/365 Peep Starry Nightphoto © 2009 Mykl Roventine | more info (via: Wylio)I ran across Alexia Vernon’s blog post about culling her “tribe” in order to empower her own growth by accident, but it could not be a more fitting trigger for what I’m experiencing right now.

In July, Vernon wrote about needing to shift her closest relationships to support her personal and professional goals. On the one hand, you may have completely innocuous contacts who aren’t actively holding you back, but help maintain a stasis that doesn’t give you the occasional kick in the pants you need to grow as a person. Alternately, some relationships allow you to keep that white-knuckled grip on  bad patterns that you need to resolve before you can move on to the next adventure in your life.

But when you’re ready to let go, shift happens.

By doing so, we create room for nutritious people to show up and help us learn, grow, and move towards our next level of success. . . I realized that when the people around you are in a different place in their social, emotional, or spiritual development, their energy can have a real stymieing impact on how you show up to life each day. Once these people lose their hold on you, you feel lighter and you can shine brighter.

When I got laid off a two months ago, I suddenly had the time to reassess what I wanted and redirect my energy towards the people who challenge me to be better. I’ve actively sought out people that I want to be like and whose trajectories and energy I admire, because focusing on where I want to be is going to take me further than settling for the status quo.  As I result I’ve met a lot of people for lunch and coffee; I’m still slightly surprised when someone that seemed so out of reach a few months ago doesn’t hesitate to meet up and talk.

Overall, both the long-time friends and tertiary acquaintances passing through, inspire me.  These are the people that believe in the possibility and reality of who and what I want to be in 5 years, whether they’ve verbalized it or not.  My peeps are the folks that only saw a bright side to a layoff in this dreadful economy; it would be the impetus for something better, and they have not let me forget it.

Without realizing it, I shed the naysayers and the people who, through no fault of their own, reinforced my insecurities just by the very nature of those relationships.  Fully embracing the professional I could be with a bit more focus and practice, I am so much more aware of the psychological triggers that held me back, and I’m more readily dismissing them when those moments appear.

And I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the people that are inspiring me to be my best self just by being their true selves.  For the record, I include Elisa, Susan, Monica, Andrew, Julia and Tamara in that category, along with a bunch of people who don’t have a linkable online presence.

It’s been to tremendous effect.  I have more energy; there’s a bounce in my step that just hasn’t been there for so long I can’t remember the last time I bounced.  Having discovered the joy of the runner’s high, endorphins, I’ve lost a few pounds.  Totally novel to me, I constantly feel like I’m on the cusp of something big. . . of a transition that will change my life, irrevocably for the better.  It’s almost beyond words. I feel alive.

In letting go of people that aren’t a reflection of my soul, I believe in the achievability of my goals more than ever.

Your turn. As Vernon prompts, “Do the relationships in my life empower me to live my best life?”  If not, what are you going to do about it?

Pedestrian communities: happy residents, greater social ties

Published on December 7, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Community Bridgephoto © 2007 Jeff Kubina | more info (via: Wylio)
It should come as no surprise that a newly published University of New Hampshire study found that “walkability” within one’s community is a key factor in enhancing that person’s ties to the area, as well as their quality of life.

Among the findings:

individuals in more walkable neighborhoods tended to have higher levels of trust and community involvement, whether that was working on a community project, attending a club meeting, volunteering, or simply entertaining friends at home. Residents in the more walkable neighborhoods also reported being in good health and happy more often than those in the less walkable neighborhoods.

Easy access to fundamental goods and services should bring some degree of peace of mind to residents. If the local economy is thriving and foot traffic strong, crime is likely less of an issue. In turn,  lower ambient stress in day-to-day living shouldn’t be a wild reach; if you’re less worried about crime, you can focus on taking advantage of the amenities your community offers.

Repeat contact with merchants and consumers fosters relationships in your regular haunts; these repeated interactions give a face to your community; running into the same folks when I’m grocery shopping or at the gym helps generate the comfort of familiar environs. It doesn’t seem beyond reason that one might be more invested in that community’s health with these social ties in play.

This study looked at neighborhoods within 2 New Hampshire municipalities, which leads me to wonder how the size of the community as a whole could effect the speed and amount of social capital developed.  Does the same attachment and commitment occur in a subset of a large metropolitan area?

Suburbs are smaller enclaves of the same shared experiences that can be had in big city neighborhoods.  With fewer possible hubs and spokes within your community, is your social capital and community loyalty more easily strengthened by repeated contact with fewer people?  Or would the variety offered by a city neighborhood provide a kind of diversity in choice that could have a greater positive impact on quality of living within those blocks?

Should we be more concerned about neighborhoods with a clear deficiency, like the food deserts that make nutritious meals almost impossible in impoverished urban areas? Did disengagement from one’s community  lead to the imbalance, or did a shortfall of resources take its toll?  Can enough social capital be built to overcome policy and urban planning shortcomings in the long-term?

Social capital is a requisite part of the sticky web of alliances and relationships that we consider every time a new bond, referendum or candidate is up for a vote, all of which can impact the walkability of our community and start the cycle anew.

VOD: So you want to write a novel

Published on December 3, 2010 in Books and Business. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

A few years ago, a Jenkins Group survey found that 80 percent of Americans would like to write a book. (You can count me in too!) The reality is not nearly as glamorous as we’d like.

PS. What’s up with all of the videos, covering generalizations about various careers, that have been floating around of late?