Andrew Lark

Won't Be Holding Fake Press Briefings...

In an internal memo obtained Monday by CNN, Federal Emergency Management Agency chief David Paulison rips the agency's public affairs staff for a staged news conference in which staff members posed questions to FEMA's No. 2 official, Harvey Johnson.

Dell Listens...

I get an email a day from friends and old colleagues asking what Dell is like. I'll go on about all that in another post but one thing is for sure, Dell listens.

The degree to which participatory technologies are being used to create new listening posts is really amazing. What is also interesting is how this technology is being integrated into business processes. By combining the two, conversations that coalesce on IdeaStorm are routed into product development. And, conversations flagging tech issues in the Blogosphere reach tech support.

One of the new metrics for any communications department will be "conversation impact". This metric will answer the basic question: "did we listen - did we do anything with the conversation?"

Jarvis gets at this in his story this week in BusinessWeek.

As a communicator and marketer, what is really exciting is seeing very talented people who would have once spent hours hammering out news releases discovering all kinds of new talents as activators of conversations and listeners. Instead of transmitting, they are participating - and it looks like they are having much more fun doing it. Which, to answer the original question, makes Dell a very fun place to be...

The Final

The final of the "Really !@#$#$-up Rugby World Cup" is upon us and inspired by an email from Clive, I'm compelled to post. What to make of a pretty good Sth African side and England's very own Dad's Army rolling into the stadium?

Well, I was 50% right. The other 50% wasn't what I was expecting. The memories of Paris weren't quite what I'd anticipated either. The only cups us Kiwis got our hands on were full of cafe-au-lait. The only consolation was that Englishmen have never bought me so much to drink! It was a blast. I'd do it again.

As for the game. It will be a clash of two styles. Dull, plodding, English Rugby will run head-on into what is arguably the best team in the world right now - Sth Africa (I think they will land above NZ on the world rankings based on a win this weekend?). So long as they don't get hypnotized by the ball flying overhead (something us Kiwis learnt a thing or two about from the French) and lulled into boredom by the forwards, Bill should be heading south again.

As for England - good job boys. You're not the #1 team in the world, but you don't play a bad game. As for your Refs, don't get me started...

Cool Wiki Preso

If you are looking to get up to speed on the value of Wikis and related best practices, look no further than this preso from Mike over at Atlassian.

The Daily Lark

The Daily Lark is now live. I've been wanting to get this done for sometime and thanks to the guys at Marker I am finally there. I'll probably dual post for awhile. Give me feedback! And Subscribe!!!

Sharepoint...

Sharepoint is going to be a major force in Corporate blogging and participatory platforms.

Blogging in a SME is very different to blogging in a medium to large Enterprise where, for the most part, IT professionals primary role is PREVENTING employees access to the outside world. Under the guise of security, supportability and a dozen other "abilities" tons of tools that power participatory media don't stand a chance.

Sharepoint could be come a key enabling platform for driving participation on the web. Interesting to see the Newsgator announcement today - and that by Confluence.

NewsGator Social Sites enables easy discovery of the core element of collaboration within a business – seeing what colleagues within an organization are doing and making easy connections between people

Cool Site From NZ Based Ponoko

Love the site and how they are promoting what they do.

Lies, Damn Lies & Blog Reader Stats...

Stowe points to a good analysis of the bankrupt world that is blog reader stats:

[from Google Reader Stats Are Bullshit (With Proof) by Pete Cashmore]

Some conclusions to draw:

1. Google Reader stats are bullshit because simply being the default feed in any of those bundles will increase your stats by at least 50K to 80K. The quality or content of the feed is irrelevant, and the feed doesn’t even need to exist.

2. My early tests have shown that news, science and technology feeds get the biggest benefit from this problem.

3. The case of the Footbag feed shows that Google Reader probably does not check whether subscribers are active or not (you can’t read a feed that doesn’t exist). Most of the subs on these feeds likely took Google Reader for a spin and abandoned it the same day.

4. Therefore, most of the subscribers to these feeds may not exist.

5. Because Feedburner takes its stats from Google Reader, Feedburner stats are also wildly incorrect whenever Google’s default feeds are involved.

6. In phone calls with Feedburner last week (yes, I do research!), I learned that FeedBurner doesn’t enforce any rules regarding stat counts and particularly default feeds. They are, however, extremely nice people.

7. This problem is not limited to Google Reader, but applies to many feedreaders and startpages large and small. We’ve spoken to Feedburner about problems with Webwag, Blogrovr and Pageflakes adding tens of thousands of “readers” overnight due to default feeds. We have since asked to be removed from all the defaults we know of. We may be listed on more that we don’t know about.

8. Even when feedreaders discount inactive readers on a regular basis, default feeds will still overcount because thousands of people take RSS readers for trial runs every day.

9. The easiest way to get a default feed on one of these startpages is to own it, promise to promote it on your blog or be friends with the person who runs it.

10. Some blogs are the default feeds on every feedreader on the web (BoingBoing, Techcrunch etc). Their stats may be way out.

Why Robbie Deans Should Coach the All Blacks Next...

He says it all in The NZ Herald:

So how do you best prepare for a type of rugby that, as a team, you've never experienced?

You need to maximise the experience of those, in terms of the individuals within the team, who have been there and experienced this type of play before.

It is also important to maximise the collective preparatory experience by fielding combinations that are as well established as is possible.

Both of these are aspects of the All Blacks preparations for yesterday's quarter-final loss to France that will be examined for some time to come...

Instead, all we can contemplate now is the fact that we have been reminded - once again - that whatever happens prior to contests of this nature holds no real relevance, aside from creating a level of expectation that can be counter productive once it enters the minds of the players involved.

Why did Henry not grasp these too simple points? Why were so many of the "B"team on the field? Why did the IRB play an inexperienced Ref incapable of following the game and catching an obvious forward pass? Why did the leaders on the field show so much inability to adjust their game? Who knows?

What I do know is France deserves huge credit for stepping-up. Any Kiwi will tell you that the one team the All Blacks will loose to when they are on their game is the French. And so it was.

As for all the BS drifting around out there about the superiority of sides being thrown into light, spare me. The format of this tournament is such that the best teams in the world don't necessarily win.  The luck of the draw and play on the day maketh the winner. And so it will be.

As for the All Blacks - as a rabid fan I hope they all find space to move on and come back. Many won't have a chance to - there are just too many players waiting in the wings. And Graham Henry - resign now.  You've let your fans and team down. The fact that you don't worry about the future worries me. It indicates you have neither the hunger or incentive to win. Maybe it all is an acedemic exercise to you? Either way, resign, take your coaches with you. Let Robbie lead us forward. And so I hope it will be!

Now That's Got To Hurt...

iPod bursts into flames in mans pocket. Which means, I guess, he has a hot pocket...