UPDATE: What Gordon Gekko Can Teach Us About Smartphones

UPDATE: "Morgan Stanley: Mobile Internet Market Will Be Twice The Size of Desktop Internet" and With a New Phone, Google May Challenge Apple"

I found these articles interesting because they speak to my "If your are not connected, you are not connected" philosophy. The Morgan Stanley study is pretty definitive about the projected growth of the smartphone. Google's recent overtures into building a smartphone, as opposed to just supplying the Android operating system for them, is telling of how important they think the future smartphone market will be. It's coming folks... Eventually, being constantly connected to a network is going to be the the rule, and not the exception.

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June 2009

TECHNOLOGY: "Smartphone Rises from Gadget to Necessity," by Steve Lohr, New York Times, 10 June 2009.

For a growing swath of the population, the social expectation is that one is nearly always connected and reachable almost instantly via e-mail. The smartphone, analysts say, is the instrument of that connectedness — and thus worth the cost, both as a communications tool and as a status symbol.

If someone would have asked me two years ago if I would spend my money to buy a smartphone, I would have told them they were crazy. I've been issued Blackberrys for work, and that is how I got my first "taste" of, what I refer to as, my "mobile brain." However, I wasn't ready to spend my hard-earned money on a personal smartphone. Then I began commuting to work in DC on the train/metro and AT&T offered me a Blackberry for thirty dollars -- it's been all down hill since then.

I used the Blackberry for about seven months and then traded up to an iPhone. I couldn't survive without it now. My personal and professional lives depend on having constant access to the network.

Some may scoff at this notion, but before you pass judgment ask yourself: Could you survive without your cell phone? I would venture that many would say yes they could, but if you dig deep and really think about how much you rely on your cell phone, I think you would have to admit that it would be difficult.

It's the same way with a smartphone, which is essentially a cell phone on steroids. The main difference between a regular cell phone and a smartphone is the smartphone's data plan, which provides access to the internet.

Now, let me cut to what I really want to talk about, which is the nature of the world some live in now, and most soon will live in in the future. The days of constant connectivity are coming, and it's going to be very difficult to avoid it. Sure, you can go Ted Kazinsky and check out of society -- please don't send letter bombs to people -- but few are disciplined enough to pull this off.

For the rest of us, we're going to be expected to be connected ALL the time. Just look at the rise of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. We are living in the age of the constant stream of information -- real time information. I've said it before, knowledge is power; those that have the knowledge, have the power and the advantage. Being constantly plugged into the network is the means for obtaining the knowledge. Smartphones are becoming the delivery mechanism for maintaining the constant stream of information.

Gordon Gekko, Michael Douglas's character in the movie Wall Street said it best. In a discussion with Bud Fox, Charlie Sheen's character, Gekko said, "The most valuable commodity I know of is information. Wouldn't you agree?" Gekko proceeds to tell Fox that if he wants to be a player he needs to start getting information. He finishes the discussion by telling Fox, "If you are not inside, you are outside."

My point here is that it's important to feed your brain, and more and more this is happening through smartphone-like devices. To paraphrase Gordon Gekko: If you are not connected, you are not connected.

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The Importance of Social Networking Tools

Why do people use social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace? At first blush that sounds like a pretty simple question... I bet most would respond with something like, "It's a great way to link up with long, lost friends," and this is true. But take a minute and really think about it. Why do you spend your valuable time with these tools? Get beyond some of the silliness -- the nauseating polls and "shout outs" (drinks, flare, etc.) on Facebook.

For me, social networking tools are counterintuitive to everything I have ever done personally or professionally. I have never been one to openly share my thoughts and ideas with people outside my inner circle of family, friends and colleagues. In fact, my job mandates prudence and discretion. So, I waded into the social networking arena with extreme caution.

What I have learned in the last few months of experimentation with Facebook, Twitter, and blogging is that social networking tools are extremely powerful. With consistent "care and feeding," it is possible to grow and manage a network of "friends" in the hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions (see Ashton Kutcher's growing following on Twitter). If you think about that for a minute, it's pretty amazing -- with a single keystroke it's possible to communicate and learn with a sizeable internet-based network. The content of that communication can take any number of forms; from what you ate for dinner, to what you plan to do on the weekend, to what interests you personally or professionally.

So what? Well, in an era of economic downturn and declining manufacturing jobs in America, increasingly (more so than any other time in American history), knowledge is power. "Knowledge workers," those that think and create -- the problem solvers -- are most relevant. An expanding knowledge base keeps you relevant personally and professionally, and social networking tools are becoming the medium for that expanding knowledge base.

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The DoD and Social Networking

SOCIAL NETWORKING/DOD: "Pentagon Uses Facebook, Twitter to Spread Message," by Sagar Meghani, Associated Press, 1 May 2009

But for Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley and other Army brass, a new era has brought a new language - and new tools like online social networks Twitter and Facebook - for seeking out young recruits and spreading the military's message.

I found this article encouraging because it highlights the fact that at least some DoD entities are beginning to exploit the powerful nature of social networking tools. I'm okay with the fact that it's the recruiters that have initially jumped on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. It's only natural because these tools are second nature for the candidates the recruiters are targeting -- the 18-24 year-old crowd who know nothing else. But, I would like to see social networking incorporated into the operational aspects of the DoD. In other words, the daiily interaction of DoD employees.

From an operational standpoint, I think we are falling behind the power curve in the implementation of these tools. There are many recent examples of social networking tools playing a significant role in global events -- the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008 and the recent election protests in Moldova are two of the more high profile examples.

The sad fact of this story is that these tools are blocked on most DoD networks. There are many reasons for this, but I would lump them all under a lack of understanding of the tools and a fear of losing control. Many decisionmakers see these tools as time-wasters, or purely social in nature. Failing to recognize that there is much more to them than just organizing happy hours. While the social aspect is definitely one of the key aspects of social networking tools -- hence, the name "social" networking -- it's very difficult to separate the social nature of work and the social nature of play in today's workforce. The line between work and play has significantly blurred because we are constantly connected to the network, and arguably both working and playing.

Security also factors in to the equation. The DoD network is under constant attack from foreign governments trying to steal American secrets. And there is no doubt that this is a serious threat. But, if we have deemed network connectivity to be a mission essential task, than we must educate the force about the threat and ultimately assume some risk.

Again, it's encouraging to see entities of the DoD utilizing social networking tools, but as an organization, the DoD is moving too slowly to adopt this technology, while those that would do us harm continue to improvise and adapt methodologies around these tools.

Also see:
Cyber Attacks on Government Networks and Web 2.0
Thinking About Gov 2.0

Web Tools for Staying Productive and Organized

I am an admitted web tool junkie. Put out a new wizbang tool and I'm all over it. However, there is a method to my madness when it comes to web tools. Before going crazy with a new tool, I must see the practicality of it. How will it make me more productive and organized?

Below is a list of tools I am using to make myself more productive and organized:

1. Gmail - I made a gradual shift from Hotmail to Gmail a couple of years back. This was difficult for me because I have had the same Hotmail account for ten years. Gmail is such a superior product, and the folks at Google continue to improve it.

2. Google Reader - Google Reader is the base for all of my daily read material. I am a voracious consumer of information ranging from national security issues, to pop culture, to fantasy football and reader makes it possible. I spend a lot of time fine tuning (adding and subtracting) my RSS feeds to maintain a fresh flow of relative and timely information.

3. Google Calendar - A great tool to keep your life organized, and keep you on time.

4. Google Documents - Google Documents has just about supplanted the Microsoft Office suite for my word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation requirements.

--The beauty of ALL the Google tools is their ability to synch with my iPhone.

5. Toodledo - My electronic brain. I'm a big list maker and Toodledo is my list maker of choice, and it has a great iPhone application.

6. Twitter - I just started using Twitter recently, so I'm still learning the Twitter ropes. I am using Twitter to connect socially, keep track of my thoughts, learn from others, and share my knowledge. Twitter has multiple iPhone applications.

7. Facebook - I use Facebook to communicate with old friends and make new friends. Facebook has an iPhone application.

8. Blogger - Much like Twitter, I use Blogger to keep track of my thoughts and exercise my brain.

9. Evernote - I am still learning the power of Evernote as an organizational tool, but I can see its power. Evernote also has an iPhone application.

10. delicious - delicious is a great tool for keeping track of your bookmarks if you are jumping from computer to computer.

These tools are but a few that I have found supremely useful. What do you use to stay productive and organized?

Thinking About Gov 2.0

I was reading a recent blog by INQBATION, Government policy on the use of social media, and it got me thinking about the use of Web 2.0 tools in the daily execution of my professional responsibilities as a military officer.  The blog listed the below primary roles for Gov 2.0, which is the push to use Web 2.0 tools within the government.

1. Public outreach to communicate and deliver messages directly to citizens
2. Encourage citizen involvement, interaction and feedback on social issues
3. Provide leadership and public service announcements

 I agree whole heartedly with the above primary roles, and it’s great that the focus is on utilizing these powerful tools to communicate with the populace.  Web 2.0 tools like Twitter and Facebook are excellent channels for reaching large swaths of people. 

However, and I’m a relative newbie to Web 2.0, I think the government is sorely behind the curve in utilizing these tools internally.  In fact, I can’t even access the majority of these tools on the government network I use daily.  I wrote briefly about this in my 19 February post titled, Cyber Attacks on Government Networks and Web 2.0.

I can think of any number of ways to utilize these tools in the execution of my daily professional functions, and truth be told, I do use them.  However, because I can’t access them from my government network, I have to fashion workarounds, which wastes my time, and ultimately the governments’ time.

In many ways I find the Gov 2.0 movement encouraging, but also conflicted.  While we encourage the use of Web 2.0 tools to communicate externally, we discourage their use to communicate internally.  Why?