Changing the way we communicate
Two weeks ago (I did some traveling over spring break) at work, I relied significantly on PSU email, Gmail, Blackberry mail, Oracle Calendar, Google docs, Google spreadsheets, Google Calendar, IM, twitter, a handful of wiki's, del.icio.us, and Google reader - with which I stay on top of 11 different ITS web sites (most of which are blogs), 2 higher education web sites, 6 security web sites, and 10 technology web sites (and more). I also go "native" to digg, reddit, slashdot, news.google.com, and the BBC (they cover regions nicely and make it easy to get the news about the area from which my father was born).
In several ITS-internal meetings over the last month, I talked a fair amount about communication and collaboration. I framed the discussion by reminding people how exciting it was to get an email from someone back in the early 90s. Any digital migrant would remember that. Today, those same people (myself included) cringe when an email shows up in the InBox. The good news, and really to me it is great news, is that there an overwhelming number of communication and collaboration tools that give me that same feeling that I had way back when e-mail was just starting.
Communicating and collaborating is invigorating and makes what we do better, and there is really no good excuse not to try and re-capture that feeling - all the while participating in "conversations" that make us all smarter. Some folks like to dismiss the tool of the day as a fad and to a certain extent they are right. Some tools come and go before anyone really notices. But effective communication and collaboration isn't a fad - it's fun and immensely useful.
What are some tools that you use during aa given week that I didn't list above?
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One thing I find really interesting is how excited I still get when I receive a new comment at my blog. A lot of times it is a comment from someone I actually know here at the University and they could have just have easily emailed me ... the comment makes me feel like email used to -- way back in the day. But you know there is something great about someone taking the time to help jump start a conversation -- to me that is the big difference. With comments there seems to be an attempt to engage me in a way email just can't ... it also typically serves as a catalyst for others to join in. Very cool.
What else do I use to stay connected? Text messaging has emerged as a huge piece of my puzzle. This sounds odd but it allows me to cut to the chase and get answers in a way a phone call or email just can't. I can forget the small talk and I can almost always count on the person on the other end having their phone. It makes me wonder how differently we'll all be communicating when more and more of our devices start to look and act like the forthcoming iPhone. When devices start getting small and always on with killer UIs how will we use them to enhance our ability to communicate. I am anxious to see that one shake out, because email is dead to me.
I have to agree - a comment in here is like Christmas morning. Google analytics positive slope is one thing, but comments mean there is an attempt to share, get smarter, etc.
Forgot text messaging - it's getting bigger for me but sounds like I'm behind your curve. Mostly family stuff but some professional. It is *very* handy.
Thanks for the xmas present!
In Robin's blog "Periodic_Musings" a little bit ago, there was a lively comment thread on what seemed to be an issue of how ITS could 'officially' or more methodically make use of these communication channels you've mentioned here in this post. [see reference: http://www.personal.psu.edu/rla1/blogs/ITS_musings/2007/02/where_to_draw_the_line.html]
In one of the comments, Dave was mentioning something about a tagging taxonomy of Penn State related items...I can understand that since we all see helpful categories evolve in communities online. Perhaps if we could encourage ITS folks who are a)blogging and/or b)have bookmarks in del.icio.us (or whatever is their preferred venue for collaboration) to share their URLs then we might be able to grow categories of interest to our work and with regards to Penn State a little bit more easily and quickly?
We might want to know what our colleagues are findings of interest. I know I learn quite a bit from what others have shared with me, and the threads I've followed from the online collaborative communities have helped me with solving problems for my work as well as being just plain fun and interesting.
What turns around a lot in my head is how does someone who is intensely if not fiercely private go about communicating in such a world? How do they go about communicating relevant thoughts and ideas while still keeping their personal firewall up?
quite honestly Jeff - I have a private blog where I put up stories of the kids, family antics and such for my family across the county to visit. Nothing truly private, but just not work-related. And that site isn't linked to anything I have here from work...it's just a little bit of space between family life and work.
What I was thinking about when I posted the comment above, was finding out if there might be interest in sharing the resources that we find useful in the workplace...that doesn't have to mean 'formal' either. It could be funny, insightful, a little off-topic from our usual Technology Mags if it is something that really inspires... The idea I had was that folks could these forums to be an extension of hallway conversations or coffee pot chatter. I learn a lot from chatting with folks in person...I feel like I could glean a lot as well from the sources they find helpful. I also do think there is plenty of room to have a private life and still contribute in the community forum in the workplace.
...or maybe I'm the one here with the wrong idea? ...I'm willing to hear other people's opinion in this matter... :-)
Jeff, the blog format doesn't have to be personal, and it certainly doesn't have to be in essay format. ITS has some brilliant people who are involved in a lot of meaningful work. A managed discussion space can allow them to post useful links, bits of information, pieces of media- all in a way that can be used, tagged, and discussed by peers. I don't think you HAVE to need comments and feel wonderful about being in a conversation. That's hype. What isn't hype is allowing your colleagues to grow along with you. If you have something useful, put it out there. Let people tag it for peer retrieval.
And continue posting what you feel is worth noting regardless of conversations that may or may not develop.