So, what have I been up to?  Well, work mostly.  I have this crazy ridiculous schedule that seems to keep me from enjoying life at the moment.  It is getting better, though.  I’m taking the day off this coming Friday.  Well, almost the whole day.  I have a couple of business calls scheduled, but then I’m not going to work the rest of the day.

What have I got planned?  I’ve got a few personal matters to tend to, but after that I’ll hopefully be launching my new web site.  Yeah, I’ve been slowly working on a few things for a new site for myself.

New site?!  Why?  I’m tired of doing the same old thing and I just wanted to do something new.  I’ve got some fancy plans in the works, but I’m not going to go all-out with the initial release.  It’ll be pretty simple at first, but I’ll add to it.

What’s the URL?  Well, actually, you’re on one of them.  I’m planning to redirect a couple of my addresses there.  So, if you just stay patient, one of your next visits to this site will take you right to it.

How will I know I’m at the new site?  Oh, I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out. ;)  In the meantime, just know that I’m working on it and before you know it, I’ll be back with regular posts and more updates than you’ll be able to keep up with.  Well, probably not that many, but I can dream. :)

For the most part, I agree with the idea that Twitter could go from a pleasant tweet to a noisy squawk that no one pays attention to if they’re not careful.  There is a delicate balance that they must maintain to keep their current user base happy while they remain enticing to the rest of the world as they try to stop losing money.  That delicate balance may have the odds stacked against them, as many would think.  However, I don’t agree that this is case.

Is Twitter doing something wrong?

Everyone’s buzzing about the fact that Twitter is operating without a business model.  ”There’s no revenue stream there” seems to be the biggest thing that people are quick to repeat.  While that may be true for now, I find it hard to believe that Twitter doesn’t have any ideas in mind for how they could begin turning a profit.  If you think about it they’ve definitely got some options.

What is Twitter getting out of this?

Exposure.  Take a look at all of the free publicity that they’re getting with all of this.  Twitter is getting an incredible amount of press at no cost to them.  Even if the news reports and speculations are negative, it’s only going to stir up more interest in the public to go and check them out.  GoDaddy.com ended up with the same thing over their Super Bowl ads.  All of the negative attention they were getting ended up driving more traffic to their site and ultimately more sales.  Twitter could end up riding the same kind of wave here.

What can Twitter do to improve?

As far as their profitability is concerned, yes, that’s definitely an issue for them to be thinking about.  But I don’t think that they are sitting in such a bad position.  Twitter could ride the tide and glean the rewards of more users from all of this publicity and then come out with a money-maker.  I think they’ve got plenty of options, but the key for them will be to choose them wisely.

Premium Accounts

One of the ways Twitter could earn some cash would be to charge people to be able to use the service.  I’ll be the first to admit that this would deter an awful lot of users, but the idea could have some merit if done properly.  They could offer a free service that limits the number of people you can follow, or the number of tweets you can post in a day.  They could also say that free accounts can’t post hyperlinks.

Paid Advertising

When I go to my Twitter page, I see a clean, neat layout without any annoying ads.  Ahhh.  A nice place to decorate and hang a Twicked-out background and read through my friends’ posts.  Well, This is definitely something Twitter could take advantage of to earn a few bucks.  What if they were to lease some of the header or side column space from your profile for ads?  If you’re a business utilizing Twitter to promote yourself, then you’re going to want to buy up the ads on your own account(s) so that none of your competitors do.  Seems plausible to me.

API Subscriptions

There certainly are a lot of Twitter clients out there, and the list is only growing.  It seems as though you can’t go more than a couple hours without seeing someone post yet another list of “The Top X# of Twitter Apps“.  So, there are plenty of 3rd party apps out there that touch Twitter.  Twitter just needs to find a way to tap into that resource to earn some dough.   They could probably make a pretty fair amount if they would allow more than 100 API calls per hour.  They could say that it’s free up to 100 per hour, but any more than that will cost you.  That in itself could add some benefits to the clients as well because they’re just going to pass the cost along to their customers.

It’s not written in stone

The real beauty of all of this is that it’s speculation and we can all just sit back and watch it play out.  So, I wouldn’t count Twitter out of the game – they’ve got plenty of options to work with.

It’s easy for companies to take a look at successful businesses (e.g. Zappos) and wish they could be like them.  Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that.  It’s actually a healthy thing to do.  We should always be striving to improve the way we do things.  But what’s the first obstacle that stands in the way and keeps companies from excelling in their efforts?  The answer lies in how we think of or define a company.

It’s funny that most people have a tendency to think of a company as a building or a business ideal.  But it’s not the ideal, the building, or even the computer systems — it’s the people inside that set the standards for their own success.

So, let’s change our perspective for just a few moments and go back and take another look my opening statement, except this time we’ll reword it just a bit to align with our new way of thinking.

It’s easy for people to take a look at successful businesses (e.g. Zappos) and wish that their people could be like that.

See the difference?  We need to shift the focus back to the fact that companies and businesses are really groups of people.  Of course, when you do that you’ll also realize that even those successful businesses that we idolize are really only successful because of the people inside that are doing all the real work.

So, no matter where you work, stop thinking of your company as an “object” and realize that they are really “people”.  And it’s these people – like you and me – that actually make things happen and get things done.  We are the forces that can drive a business to excellence or mediocrity.

Once you’ve made that shift in your thinking you’ll get a better understanding of how your company’s success really is affected by you.  Then you’ll be ready to explore the reasons that other companies (aka people) are so successful.

Photo by jlwelsh

Naturally, my first reaction to all of this was a great sense of pride that she had gotten all A’s with this — I’m sure that has nothing to do with my appreciation of music. :)  Quickly after that thought I was so appreciative of the fact that she has such wonderful opportunities at her school.  As I began my mental descent back down through the clouds and toward the ground though, I realized how much she is really learning about music as a whole.

Music is far more than just learning a few cute little songs or how to hear a tune and match your voice to its melody.  Music is something tangible like the notes on a page, yet it also remains intangible through the influence it can have over the heart.  It includes the instruments, musicians, conductors, composers, and audience.  So, those notes on the page are just the beginning.  You have to learn how to interpret those notes into an intonation of sorts.  Then, you must continue to practice until finally you are able to enjoy more music.  Not simply as a listener, but as an artist.

My mind wandered down this path and brought me to a fork in the road, so to speak.  I realized that there is a difference between the amount of enjoyment that people can get from merely listening to a CD compared to the artists that recorded the music to the CD.  As a musician you are exposed to so many more levels of musical enjoyment.  That thought made me say to myself that it’s just not fair that some people cannot enjoy the deeper appreciation.  And then it struck me… as though someone had thrown over the music stand and it came crashing to the floor.  I realized that there are millions of people that are being deprived of far more than musical enjoyment because they cannot read music — what about the people that can’t even read?!

I cannot imagine what it would be like to do even the simplest of things without being able to read.  Imagine how much you would miss even on television!  We take for granted that we can read the ticker scrolling across the bottom of the screen when we watch the news.  We forget the fact that we’re reading the names of a product on the package being displayed on a commercial.  And we never even think twice that we’re reading the names on a door when we see an actor go into an office building.  Yet there are millions of people around the world that may be enjoying the same TV shows, commercials, and movies that we are, but they aren’t able to enjoy them to their fullest potential.

Suddenly, my mind’s eye raced through my house, past the living room, down the basement stairs, past the game tables, and into the play room where my thoughts froze.  I was looking at 72′ of shelves made of wood and absolutely crammed full of books.  We’ve got a collection of nearly everything from the first books we read to the girls when they were babies, up to some of my technical programming books, or the biographies that my wife enjoys reading, and everything in between.  I was ever so grateful that my girls all have the ability to read, and even more thankful that they have the opportunities to partake of an abundance of literature that is available to them at any time.  But my heart slumped when I thought of all of the children around the world that do not have such wonderful opportunities.  What about the people that don’t have such a selection of reading material?

It’s hard enough for me to imagine not being able to pick up on the seemingly insignificant details of everyday life without being able to read.  But even if people can read, there are still many children that never get to practice.  Just as a musician learns a deeper understanding and appreciation of music as they practice over and over, the same applies for individuals as they read.  Through practice, an understanding of music can be developed that enables a person to use their own imagination to create their own melodies.  By having a variety of reading materials to choose from people learn to unlock their imaginations, and in doing so, broaden the scope of their potential.  So, people need to have literature available to them.  But how?

I have the priviledge of working for Better World Books, a company that promotes literacy initiatives around the world.  Actually, we don’t just promote literacy — we’re driving it!  If you walk through the halls of our offices you will see pictures on the walls of adults and little children alike from around the globe that are so excited to receive the boxes of books that we send them.  These children are learning to read, and you can tell that they certainly have an appreciation for books just by looking at the smiles on their faces and the sparkles in their eyes.  If you go to our website you can see images of adults in other countries browsing the shelves of their local libraries that are stocked with books we have sent.  I get excited when I think of what my work is doing around the world.  I love it that we are giving people the opportunities to set their minds soaring so they can see a world beyond their homes.

So, you see, literacy is very much like music in that it can be appreciated on many levels.  Everyone can enjoy listening to someone read a story just like we can enjoy listening to a song.  There are those who read the stories, and there are those who play the songs.  There are those who write the melodies, and there are those who put the words together that stir our imaginations and awaken our minds.  Yes, literacy is so much more than letters formulated into words and grouped in clusters on a page.  Literacy is the gateway to a better future full of limitless possibilities.

At first I thought of Twitter as sort of a lazy way to write about something without putting a lot of effort into it.  I played around with status updates like a few of my friends did, but nothing really special.  As the days passed I would exchange a few messages here and there with some friends from work and post a bit of nonsense, but really nothing more than that.  All of that just wasn’t satisfying enough.  I had heard so much about Twitter and what a raging phenomenon it has grown into, but I wasn’t seeing it.

Well, that all started to change a few weeks ago when I started to follow my good friend, @paconmiller.  Paco is one of those guys that seemed to take off on the bandwagon.  I mean, before I knew it his followers were beyond the scope of people he knows on Facebook or here at the office, and he was starting to post all sorts of links to various news posts and blogs.  It didn’t take more than a dayto realize that his tweets were personal and very passionate.  He was definitely into this.  He was on a mission.  I knew that I couldn’t really connect with his passion myself, but his example defintely had me wondering what I could do with Twitter.

Somewhere in there I began to follow @zappos.  I believe it was right after he came to town and met with some executives here at Better World Books.  There’s a guy that needs no introduction and if you know anything about his company, then you know that they’re 1) big, and 2) a leader in customer service.  So, I’m following this guy that’s got a massive number of followers and I decided to step up to the plate and respond to one of his messages.  [Anyone that knows me can tell you that I'm not terribly shy - or I try not to be, at least.]  I was stunned that he actually responded.  Not long after this I stumbled onto some article posts that mentioned Zappos and their phenominal customer service integration with Twitter.  What?  How could they pull that off?  My curiosity was growing.

As I started coming across more of these blogs or interviews, I began to notice a trend.  I know, I know.  For anyone reading this that’s been on Twitter for any significant amount of time, you’re probably saying to yourself, “Well, duh!”  Yeah, me too.  Anyway, this is when my eyes opend up to the “real” world of Social Media.  I’m not talking about the hype and buzz-words about it, or the self-centerd, selfish interests it can serve.  I really started to re-shape my ideas of Twitter, and all Social Media for that matter, and how it is already having a huge, positive impact on the world.  I won’t even begin to say that I’m an expert on this subject, but I will say that I believe I see the bigger picture here.  With the help of my friends like @paconmiller, @zappos, and others, I’m learning how to be a contributor and not just a watcher.

So, where is all of this taking me?  Frankly, I don’t know.  Right now I’m still in my “discovery” phase, but not without trying to give something back.  For everything that I’m learning, I’m trying to find ways to promote “good things” online.  Yeah, I’d like to build my list of followers so I can get a rough idea of the direct impact I can have, but that’s not really my main drive.  As for what the “good things” are that I’m going to promote… I’m still working on that one.  Right now I’m trying to help others open their eyes to the real value of Twitter as I see it can be.  And if that’s all I do – crusade others to be involved in this revolution medium – then I’ll be perfectly fine with that, too.

The bottom line is that I’m chosing to do something with it.  How about you?

Scenario 1:  My 6 year old daughter was having a rough time with the vegetable choice for dinner.  She grunted, groaned, and complained.  It wasn’t too much longer before she was slumped over with her hair in her plate and leaning the side of her head on her hand, which was supported by the forearm anchored to the table beside her plate.

Scenario 2:  The other day at work I had to deal with some of my developers over a problem with the new patch release we installed the night before.  Just as we were starting to get some things sorted out about the ordeal at hand, we discovered a few other issues to deal with.  It seemed that there were definitely some major points to be address — several of them.

The two short scenes I’ve just portrayed actually happened to me within a couple days of each other last week.  Actually, I find myself in these situations all the time, both as a father and a manager.  If you were in either those situations, what would you have done?  How would you have handled yourself?  It’s clear that there things to be addressed with the individuals in either case, but what would you take care of first?  Second?  Third?  When would you stop?  Well, rather than claim to have all the answers I’ll just tell you how I handled them.

First of all, let me begin by saying that I am no professional when it comes to child rearing.  I take nearly all of my queues from my wife — she’s the real pro here.  I’ve seen her handle our 3 girls with such grace and poise in even the most trying of predicaments.  So, what I’m about to share with you is something that I’ve been learning with all of my girls [the oldest is 15], and will continue to learn as long as I’m alive.

In ‘Scenario 1′, there are just a couple of minor details I intentionally left out so you could focus on the fact that there were multiple issues that needed attention.  After my daughter gave the initial indications of her discontentment with her vegetables we talked to her.  Without getting into details of exactly how, we rather simply reminded her of the rule of etiquette – “eat what is placed before you”.  The other detail is that she wasn’t feeling well that day.  So, that’s pretty much the picture of what’s going on here.  She complained.  She was corrected.  She actually ate her vegetables, but she broke more rules of etiquette by having her elbow on the table, her hair in her plate, and by leaning on her elbow.

Here’s what we could have done in this situation. We could have corrected her about the vegetables; corrected her about the elbow; corrected her about the slow pace at which she continued to eat; and so on and so forth.  In my opinion [and I'm guilty of this at times], this would have just made the meal less enjoyable for everyone because that would have done nothing but turn into an argument, which would have extended everyone’s misery by extending the time that we sat at the table while we bantered back and forth.  This wasn’t going to accomplish anything.  It wasn’t going to make her suddenly sit up with a joyous expression of complete illumination and realization of all of her errors.  Why?  Because it wasn’t a teachable moment.  What difference does that make? Everything!

Here’s what we actually did correct her for after dealing with the vegetables… nothing.  We simply went on with our dinner and worked to keep the rest of the dinner conversation going and lighten the mood.  And, actually, because she’s a light-hearted, good little girl she snapped out of it within just a few minutes.  All of the fuss and struggle wasn’t necessary.  Now, don’t be naive enough to think that there haven’t been those kinds of struggles before or that they won’t come again.  But for this instance, that’s all it took.  We could see she wasn’t feeling well, and we knew that she couldn’t really deal with much more.  So, we chose our battle and let the rest drop for another time because you’re not going to win everything all at once.

In the second scenario, as you might guess by now, I did much the same thing.  In fact, one of the other guys in the group asked me why I didn’t tell off the other developers for the rest of the problems they created.  The reason is much the same — people can only handle so much at a time.  It just happened that the first round was a big enough deal, and I knew that they would be speaking to my Lead Developer once I was through.  I knew that I needed to address some of the basics and tactfully make myself clear about what I expected of them in the future, which I did.  I admit that I was tempted to blast them at first, but I quickly sized up the situation once we were talking and I knew that they grasped the gravity of the canundrum without the need for fireworks.  Also, like I said, they had to talk to the other developer, and he really didn’t cut them much slack on his point.  So, I knew they had enough to take in, think about, and fix.

My point in both of these scenarios is that the human spirit is pretty much the same no matter how old you are.  Of course, we understand and expect that a grown adult will be able to handle more than a young child, but the fact still remains that it’s best to choose your battles.  Remember, you’re not aiming to destroy their spirit.  You should be trying to build them up to be better people, and not simply putting them down for their goof-up.  Everyone makes mistakes.  The question is, when you have to deal with someone over them… how many battles are you going to take on at once?

My personal philosophy regarding the role of IT in a company: the IT Department is in the “support” business, not the “management” business.  Because of the integral role that IT plays within the company, they are included in nearly every aspect of the business.  In some cases it is necessary for IT to be deeply involved in the evolution of new business ideas, whereas other situations call for IT to merely watch quietly from the sidelines of the project.  In either case, it is not the responsibility of IT to tell the leaders of a company how to run their business.

We’ve all seen cases where the “god complex” sets in at various levels of IT – from the Network Administrator who might turn you down for no good reason, to the local Help Desk Technician who gets short with you because you don’t know as much as they do, to the Application Developer that simply wants you off their back.  Without a doubt, most people have dealt with someone like this at one point or another in their professional career.

Just to clear away any questions that may now be looming, in no way am I saying that this is the case in my company, Better World Books.  On the contrary, I hold a high amount of respect for all of my department peers for maintaining a high level of professionalism within our organization.  I do not for one moment think that this is an issue within our department.

Since I’ve personally filled all roles within IT – Tech to Admin to Dev to Director – I can understand the temptation that comes with this responsibility.  What drives it?  I would have to say that in most of the cases I’ve seen it’s the power of authority.  So, if that’s the case, what brought this whole thing to mind?  Why even bother mentioning it?  Well, it’s simple… everyone needs to be reminded of the basics now and then.  We can’t afford to forget what we’re doing right, or we run the risk of forgetting how to do it altogether.

For me, this came back to mind when I noticed some of our Operations management having a meeting [without me] to discuss some of the options for our next Kaizen.  At first, it really bothered me that I wasn’t included because I’ve been in several other planning sessions up to this point, and I’ve got development projects in the wings that will undoubtedly change almost anything they could be planning to do.  But then I started to think it through.

First, I realized that there’s nothing I can do about it.  I suppose I could just walk in and sit down, but that’s not my style.  Then I realized I’ve definitely got plenty to keep me busy without having to be involved in another meeting.  I also know that it’s usually just an oversight if they get going with a project and then at the last minute realize that their changes affect some technical process, or that they need to have some application changed to follow them, or whatever.  Then that’s when it dawned on me — I’m supposed to be here to support them, not tell them what to do or how to do it.

I know I can offer valuable input to many operational decisions, which I have done.  And the fact that I’m also in IT is only enhanced by my several years of business experience, which I have.  And I can often help them find ways to do things better, which I try to do.  But I still need to be certain not to forget my place and purpose within this organization.  Sure, I may be responsible for managing development for many of the initiatives that are driving our business — but that does not mean that I should be trying to dictate how or when we get there, or what roads we take.

How about you?  Are you trying to be the Driver or the Chauffeur?

It’s about a couple of guys that lost their jobs, but took the initiative to do something about it.  These two guys spent a fair amount of time doing their due diligence trying to find jobs, but when they weren’t able to they took matters into their own hands and developed an app for the iPhone.  While I’m not too fond of their application [too childish for my taste], I can see how it would be catchy.

I was just a young teenager when I first heard that story.  At the time I couldn’t help but grin at the child’s witty defiance.  Now that I’m older with three kids of my own I see things like this a little more deeply.  I admit that it still holds a twinge of humor for me, but the more I see this attitude in people the more somber this picture becomes.

I studied piano for several years; throw in a mandolin, guitar, and even a banjo to the pile, too and you’ll understand that I’m not really new to music.  The instrument I most enjoyed, though, was the classical guitar.  I chuckle now to think how I didn’t much care for it at the time because my fingers were too short to stretch across the wider neck, but that is the instrument that I have always come back to over the past 25+ years I have played it.  The nylon strings offer a soothing tone that I have even used to lull my daughters to sleep.  I often regret that I do not make the time to play it as often as I should.

I was a music major in college — voice performance, in fact.  I truly enjoy singing.  I have been blessed with many opportunities there, as well.  I’m not as active now as I wish I could be.  I’ve sort of put that on hold for a while, but I’m sure to be back in it soon.  I am grateful, though, that I can always appreciate music.  Apart from my voice lessons [shout out to Dr. Lewis! -- Oh, yeah. I'm supposed to refer to him as Grant now], I most enjoyed conducting.  Although the appreciation for music has always been there, this was where I really learned to “actively” listen.

I’ve always enjoyed the fact that I could find a score to accompany my every mood.  Although, most often I would forget about my own mood and become captivated by the notes I was hearing as they were spun into themes and then woven into a beautiful melodic web from which there was no escape.  Some of my earliest memories are music related.  When I was a child we usually listened to classical music whenever we travelled in the car.  I can remember playing a game where I would try to guess the composer, if not the piece being played.  Even at that early age I would feel myself moved by the music – compelled by the emotion of the composer as it was reflected through the conductor and musicians.

How does any of this have anything to do with my favorite number?  I’m getting to that.  First, I think that we all realize that music is inspired – whether it’s a commissioned work, or something that swells up inside you until you put it on paper.  Good music is truly poetry without the words.  I would even venture to say that good music is poetry without the necessity of words.

Just as with poetry, many scores are inspired by actual events.  In my opinion, these are the best.  Take, for instance, the “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” by John Williams.  As I listen to this I am able to see the diverse crowds swell in unison with excitement as the Olympic torch enters the stadium and the Games begin.  As the piece progresses I can feel the athletes’ anticipation as they watch the judges take their place to oversee their event.  I see the swimmers stepping up to their platforms, runners taking their places at the starting blocks, and then the rush of adrenaline as they take their final starting positions. You can feel Mr. Williams’ intensity, emotion, and the unity of all that he is describing.  This is another of my favored pieces and exactly the same kind of connection that I feel to my favorite ‘number’.

Of course, I’m speaking of the one and only “1812 Overture” by Tchaikovsky.  To me, this score exemplifies what it is to tell a story through music.  If you’re not sure what is so significant about this piece or the story that it’s telling, I have only 2 things to say:  1. listen to the music; 2. study your history.

To me, Tchaikovsky paints a vivid picture of the events of the war filled with emotion, interspersed with portraits of the “plain, country folk” as if to provide a break from the intensity.  During the 12-1/2 minutes you indulge your imagination in this piece, you are carried through a myriad of scenes.  The composer holds your hand and shows you pain and sorrow of war intermingled with some reassuring peace, then the anticipation as the battles swell until you are right in the middle of the field for the dramatic celebration in the victorious finale.  When I’m finished listening to this piece, I feel as though I’ve come from the valley, climbed the mountain, been revitalized and triumphantly set on the crest of its peak.