Viral of the wrong sort – consumed by colds!

My son has only just started going to nursery, but has already picked up the first of the inevitable stream of colds he’ll get over the next year or so – and not only is he suffering, but he’s kindly passed it to both parents!

Hence a bit of a lack of blogging, but some interesting conversations with his mum about how how we think he’ll consume information and entertainment in the future.

For instance, her belief that children’s books in print will be just as prevalent in 5 years time because he’s already turning the pages of his books.

My belief that might not be the case, because he might not be ‘turning the page of a book’, but simply trying to interact with something in front of him.

I’m not suggesting either of us is necessarily right – but it’s interesting comparing the different views – me as the web geek who spends his work and spare time talking about blogs and Twitter, and her as the more practical mother who only gets a few minutes each day to catch up with friends via Facebook and a couple of mothering messageboards.

When the likes of Oprah recommend something like a Kindle, there’s definitely big changes coming, whether or not the eventual mass-adopted solution looks anything like what’s out there.

Having said that, I’m currently indulging in more dead treee reading – re-reading Communities Dominate Brands: Business and Marketing Challenges for the 21st Century and thinking about smartphones and convergence. If you haven’t read the book, it’s worth catching up with the blog as well, at Communities Dominate Brands.

Right, back to the group huddled on the sofa sniffling…

Scheduling your work with the ‘kitty litter’ method…

Don’t worry, I haven’t decided to switch to blogging about my pets! There’s already enough people filling that niche quite nicely.

The reference to kitty litter comes from the fact that I quite enjoy doing all the stereotypically manly jobs around the house, like DIY, changing light bulbs, and heroically standing up to insect and rodent invaders. And that’s despite the fact I exude the aura of someone permanently bathed in the glow of a computer monitor, laptop screen, or videogame.

But the one task I do hate is cleaning out the cat litter tray, especially if I’ve let it go for a day or two. If it’s done daily, it’s not too bad. If it’s a day or two late – you can probably imagine…

And by the same token, I’m lucky enough to have a job I’m really enjoying, but it does come with some tasks that are either new, or things that don’t always fill me with joy. But the more I do them, and the more regularly I schedule them, the easier it is to get them done and then get on with something more enjoyable. Hence kitty litter scheduling…

In other news, I picked up a shocking story about the UK Government and plans for healthcare from the excellent Communities Dominate Brands. Trying to be impartial, I can see why increasing private sector healthcare makes sense for a Government run like a corporation. But it deeply offends me that the Government isn’t putting service to the electorate first, and seems to have ignored the problems that many people in the U.S encounter every day due to private healthcare. It certainly means I know exactly which party will no longer get a vote from me.

Finally, some other interesting tidbits:

BBC Iplayer drivers online TV in the UK.
General Motors is compiling it’s 100 year history via a wiki
And
A call to boycott writing for academic journals who refuse to allow open access
Proving that even the most exclusive and respected academic journals face the same problems as consumer media and newspapers – and in fact, may find it even harder to adapt to survive.

Engaging the social network – and publishing a magazine

It’s been an interesting day today.

One reason was the mobile internet seminar organised by Emap co-blogger Dave Cushman, to encourage debate, discussion and understanding about the mobile web. It was one of the most interesting seminars I’ve been to, as it also included Tomi Ahonen, co-author of Communities Dominate Brands, and Jonathan MacDonald from new mobile network Blyk, which only officially launched yesterday. Oh, and Jon Williams from ad agency Beattie McGuiness Bungay.

Plenty of great ideas, inspiration and some workshops that proved we could engage the network when we get the time and space to do it…Plus a run through of Blyk which definitely looks likely to change the mobile internet. I don’t expect it to happen overnight, but I think it will grow to be pretty darn significant. It certainly seems to have everything in place to offer free mobile usage in exchange for a level of engagement which users could actually enjoy, rather than being irritated by…

If that wasn’t enough for one day, the great team on Disposable Media have once again put together a superb issue of the free online magazine I’m honoured to be Editor of… Please do take a peek and let me, or the team, know what you think… Espeically if you have any feelings about how advertising could be implemented, or we should be engaging the DM community…