Spreading the word for the EVENT!

When we were asked to ask ten people by personal invitation, I was a bit overwhelmed. I thought that it would be very difficult to find other people I knew would be interested. Then I realized that I may not know, exactly, who is and is not interested and simply need to ask! I sent personal invitations to 13 people -- I narrowed down my list of friends and/or people I know to invite those I thought would have most interest. So the inviting began--here is a list of people who I invited and a little bit about them:

1) Robert Scoble is someone I found from doing a google+ search for people and pages. I looked, specifically, for people who were technologically inclined and/or were business professionals. I chose Robert because he seemed to be an expert in modern technology and internet resources. Here's a little bit about him, as posted on his blog "about" him ...

I'm a geek who grew up in Silicon Valley (my dad was an engineer at Lockheed) and since 1985 I've been building online communities. In 2000 I started my technology blog, http://scobleizer.com, and my life has been on a rocketship ever since. In 2003-2006 I worked at Microsoft as an evangelist and one of the five guys who started Microsoft's famous Channel9 video community.

He responded to my request/invite by saying that he was too busy and didn't have the time to participate.

2) Jeff Clavier is also someone I found on google+. I chose him also because of his expertise I read in his "about" post about himself...

Based in Palo Alto, California, Jean-Francois “Jeff” Clavier is the Founder and Managing Partner of SoftTech VC, one of the most active seed stage investors in Web 2.0 startups. Since 2004, Jeff has invested in close to 100 consumer internet startups (Fund I, Fund II, Fund III)  in areas like social media, monetization, search, gaming or B2B/B2C web services.

I never got a response from him... a little frustrating. But I kept trying!

3) Marsha Collier is another google+er. Here is a little bit about her...

Marsha Collier's name crops up a lot in the same breath as e-commerce and customer service. No surprise there. She’s the author of eBay For Dummies, eBay Business All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies plus many other related, best-selling titles. She's sold over a million books and been on the Business Week Best Seller list and has published more than 35 books in the Wiley "For Dummies" series. (List of books in print below).

She is a popular keynote speaker, inspiring online sellers to success, the lead instructor at eBay University, speaks at conferences worldwide, and runs a successful online business – so is she an internet fanatic? Well, let’s just say she’s on a mission: educating current and future online sellers.

My interaction with her was really exciting because she emailed me right back and said that she was interested in what we were doing and that she would include the doc I emailed her (our business chapter) to her nightly reading. 

4) Nathan Munson is a computer tech guy and has a lot of interest in the digital field. I emailed him a personal invitation and told him about the event and what it was about. I never heard back from him.

5) Kevin Newton is a business major. I know him from one of my business classes and emailed him a personal invitation. I never heard back from him.

6) Matt Winn is an Information Systems major. He responded to my personal facebook message to him and said that he was really interested. He was going to try and come, but said it was late because he had a work meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. I don't think he ever made it--I never saw him.

7) Deving Basinger is interested in business and is applying for a job right now for Ebay. He responded to my personal facebook message and told me it sounded like something he'd really like and thanked me for thinking of him. He was planning on coming, but then text me right as the event started and told me that other things came up and he was spending time with his wife.

8) Yohanes Tanutama is in the field of economics and business and responded to my facebook message. He said that he would consider it, but I never saw him at the event.

9) Dane Olenslager is an engineering major and loves innovation -- I sent him a facebook message and he never responded. 

10) Kent Dodds is a computer guru. He spends a lot of time in the digital world and I thought he'd have a lot of interest. He responded to my facebook message, but wasn't able to come.

11) Ben Brown is a friend and loves being involved with many things. I thought he'd love to hear about what we had to say and sent him a facebook message, but I never heard from him.

12) Chance Allen is a business guy, but he never responded to my facebook message.

13) Dallin Bastian is going into accounting. I sent him a facebook message, but he never responded.

In addition to the personal invite messages I sent, I did a post-invite on my blog and shared that public on google+. I also created a public event to share with everyone I knew -- a MASS invite on facebook. I also signed up for the class-announcement graph that Hwanhi had created. The Friday before History 395 (Tech in History), taught by Professor York, I made an announcement in class about the event. About 15 people were in the class. A few asked more questions and showed interest... and they may or may have not been at the actual event (or viewing online)!

I enjoyed my interactions, mostly, with Marsha Collier. That was definitely a highlight of my social proofing and gave me a desire to do more. I struggled a lot at first with the idea of social proofing and felt like I'd be bothering other people, but because of the positive and enthusiastic response from Marsha, I realized that there is probably a whole lot of people out there like her who want to be involved and hear what you have to say about something applicable to their field of work or interests.

My wife also came with me to the event and it opened her eyes. She thought it was a little abstract at first, but was impressed by the possibilities of integrating much of what we do currently with the digital world. I enjoyed having conversations with her afterwards about how to be more digitally civilized and use the tools available for our benefit.

I was also very proud of myself for setting up a Twitter account! It is very new to me and I have a lot to learn. But I enjoyed being able to see the comments and questions of the online and present audiences. I tweeted a few of my thoughts and/or questions. I thought it was a very useful tool in getting a feel for how the audience is feeling and what questions are a majority that need to be addressed.

The event was excellent. To everyone . . . Way to GO!

Come to Our Event!

If you have been following my blog, I invite you to our class event.

How do you participate?

JUST COME! IT IS FREE!

Come and be educated about the digital age that you live in, topics are:

Education

Business

Government

Openness

Inquiry

The Arts

Intellectual Property

Science

Explore with us . . the parallels of the past with the present.

Do you have family or friends who would be interested but can't attend?

No worries! Watch it on a live stream at THIS website.

And of course, enjoy the refreshments!

INVITE TO THE EVENT!

Refer people to digiciv.byu.edu for webcast.

Individualized invitations to ten people (could be friends) you know who would be interested or would benefit.

Pass out flyers, make announcements in classes, etc:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Al7DAuzpQrTddFJ1R3RKN011aUsyWWtTN2wzOGFWUHc#gid=3

Increase in E-commerce

I did a research paper for my Mcom class -- I actually posted it on my blog this week, but I wasn't able to copy over the graph I made showing the Revenue for Amazon. I found this one online so I was able to copy the URL. I have no idea who made this one or the sources, but all I need is the visual showing the increase--it looks quite similar to the one that I made. Mine was made from the numbers that Amazon reported--I got it directly from their financial statements.

The point is: LOOK AT THE INCREASE! It is amazing to see what has happened in the past ten years. E-commerce has skyrocketed. This is a major part to the changing dynamics of Business in the current digital revolution or "information age."

I find it interesting because the question remains: If you were to be a business person, what would you do--depend on the small retail-style,walk-in business or would you go straight to E-commerce? With the dominance of E-commerce and the change that we have seen in the business world, is it possible to open a new business 'shop' and have success?

Tradition in Business is Like... Pumpkins!?

How do traditions in businesses impede the creative atmosphere required for today’s new economy? The need for innovation and change is nothing new; in fact, it is at the helm of business throughout much history, but the need for innovation in today’s new economy is more crucial than ever. However, successful businesses aren’t necessarily the ones that have eliminated all traditions; the harm possible from traditions in businesses may well be illustrated by the following story:

“Each Halloween we all rush to the pumpkin patch and then proceed to carve the same way. We cut the lid off the top, make a huge mess while scooping out the filling, and burn ourselves as we try to place the lit candle down the hole.
"Why not carve from the bottom?"
Think about it: Carve a hole in the bottom, and the mess comes out easily using gravity to your advantage. You now get to enjoy an original design feature of the pumpkin—the handle on top—for transportation. When lighting, place the candle on the carved base and then gently place the pumpkin over the top—no more second degree burns. If you stop to think about it, this is pretty much the ideal way to complete the task.”

The easier way to carve the pumpkin is clear, the problem is that most of us never stop to think about it! In our business lives, we follow routine with blinders on, refusing to challenge conventional thinking. We assume the status quo to be correct, and in doing so miss the opportunity to use creativity to drive progress. Don't let you or your business get stuck doing something the harder way because of a tradition or program--let your creative minds always be challenging processes in a healthy way that will cultivate an atmosphere of innovation, improvement, and success.

New Times, New Technology, and the Digitized Economy

  

            Sitting on an operating table in an Asian hospital and receiving a surgical procedure from a doctor in the United States might sound absurd, but such procedures actually happen via robots and other technological mediums. Technology has advanced to influence just about everything in the modern world. More specifically observed are the changes that technology has caused in the world of business. As the digital revolution has evolved, practices of business and services have followed suit. Most certainly, digital technology has provided new channels and opportunities for business transactions, however, challenges in adaptation and competitiveness have proven to be a major participant in today’schanging field of business.

            Digital technology has had an impact in the business world as it has become more readily available to consumers. The accessibility of this technology once was limited to designated locations where internet connection and computer convenience were possible. Over time, mediums of technology have developed from specific locations to usability directly in consumer homes and hands. In the past few years, sales of digital devices such as computers, ipads, and smart phones, have drastically increased. “The ubiquity of Wi-Fi and 3G networks, as well as the number of devices available to access these networks, ensures that consumers can quickly and easily access the Internet, regardless of space, time, or location” (Grewal4). Along with the increasedconsumers’ accessibility, the convenience of the internet has also enabled traditional business to expand.

            New channels, such as electronic commerce, have created a new type of business playing field that has transformed the way of doing business. “E-commerce is defined as buying and selling products/services over the Internet and the use of computer systems to improve overall company efficiencies” (Oudan 19). One current example of an electronic commerce company is Amazon. This company has emerged to be a main-stream source of business transactions. Amazingly, the sales made for Amazon are without any physical store locations or face-to-face buyer/seller interaction. All sales revenue comes from business transactions over the internet. The reason companies, such as Amazon, use electronic commerce and other digital-mediated services is possibly because “of cost reductions . . . flexibility and convenience [for the customer] . . . [and] the increase in availability” (Schumann 137).Although companies have been able to access more channels to reach out to consumers, accompanying challenges have threatened almost every business in operation.

            Consumers’ability to both access product informationand communicate with others quickly by digital medium has forced businesses to compete at a higherlevel. One of the challenges businesses face is that “. . . consumers have a powerful new tool: computer software programs and web services to appraise the quality of goods and services” (Chitakornkijsil 121). The use of computer programs and internet sources can cause a business to rise or fall very rapidly because reviews of service provided are posted online and readily available. Another challenge businesses face is creating value in price because of the ease in accessing prices all around in comparison. Finally, the use of social media is a challenge for businesses becauseconsumers are able to quickly converse with others; they can be influenced strongly by others’ opinions and experiences. Businesses now have to learn to adapt and create methods of success.

            Businesses can prevent digital setbacks by learning customer values in the modern world of digital technology.In public and private domains, a shift in customer values has surfaced because of the self-service technology that has been available. Critical to business practices and processes is to understand “the new values of choice, control and convenience” (Griffy-Brown 32).To their advantage, businesses can use the internet to track information about consumer search tactics, spending, and even referral habits(Grewal3).

            Vast change has met the business world and challenged companies’ status-quo practices. Further research and learning from others will aid business individuals, present and future, in finding success. Although challenges have risen, opportunities have as well. When properly educated and practices of the digitized economy obtained, people in today’s business world will overcome challenges easier, and technology will be accepted as a gateway to continual opportunity.

References

Chitakornkijsil, P. (2012). MORAL MEANING IN GREEN MARKETING AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE MARKETING. International Journal of Organizational Innovation (Online), 4(3), 113-128.

Grewal, D., Roggeveen, A. L., Compeau, L. D., & Levy, M. (2012). Retail value-based pricing strategies: New times, new technologies, new consumers. Journal of Retailing, 88(1), 1-6. doi:10.1016/j.jretai.2011.12.001.

Griffy-Brown, C., Chun, M., &Koeppel, H. (2011).Using customer-facing technology to create new business value: Insight from the public and private sector into the changing value equation.Journal of Technology Management for Growing Economies, 2(2), 21-33.

Oudan, R. (2010). Strategic decision-making in the emerging field of E-commerce. International Journal of Management and Information Systems, 14(2), 19-26.

Schumann, J. H., Wünderlich, N. V., &Wangenheim, F. (2012). Technology mediation in service delivery: A new typology and an agenda for managers and academics.Technovation, 32(2), 133-143. doi:10.1016/j.technovation.2011.10.002.

Adapting to the New Economy: An Annotated Bibliography

My research process has been centered heavily around Google Reader. I have a large "business folder" that includes many business article and info websites that I have subscribed to. This was the start of my research, but then was added to largely by my research through the BYU databases of scholarly journals. I found many more people and resources to search through by that medium. I also spent some time searching people and pages on Google+, although it can be time consuming and sometimes frustrating, It is incredible what we can access and learn through the internet.

Our business group is doing our ebook chapter about how the digital world has created a major shift and has even revolutionized the world of business. We have coined "the new economy" as a term that describes the new world of business via digital technology. I have been doing my research specifically about how business owners/producers and consumers can adapt to the new economy. This bibliography centers around the aspect of adaptation in the new economy that the digital revolution has created.

Further Reading:

Oudan, R. (2010). Strategic decision-making in the emerging field of E-commerce. International Journal of Management and Information Systems, 14(2), 19-26.
In this Scholarly article, Oudan talks all about E-commerce, that is, business via technology. He explains how it has changed the form of business and clearly shows how we truly are living in a "new economy." Oudan supports a lot of the ideas that we have about technology in the business world and its effects. He also gives examples of what people have to do to adapt and change-- specifically supporting my part of our ebook. [I found this using the BYU library database. I did a specific search for scholarly articles using the key word phrase "adapting to technology" and decided upon this article because it is most inclusive of all the ideas we are addressing in our chapter.]

 Millison, Doug; Moon, Michael. Firebrands: Building Brand Loyalty in the Internet Age, (Aug 14, 2000)
This book is written for business owners and is encouraged to be distributed among specific people within their business. The strategies needed to have a thriving business in the changing world of business are outlined; the book also highlights "branding" so that your company establishes itself in the world of e-commerce. I chose this because much of the adapting process requires knowledge about the skill set and methods for getting your business name established in the new economy of the digital age. [I found this book by searching Google Books. I chose it because from that search, it was the most current book I could find and most relevant.]

Papa, W. H., & Papa, M. J. (1992). Communication network patterns and the re-invention of new technology. Journal of Business Communication, 29(1), 41-61.
This Scholarly article goes into detail about communication within a business. Papa explores the effects of changing technology and the need for employees to adapt and change; of course, they aren't going to be able to make the necessary changes without being able to communicate the changes that need to be made. This article is for business owners who want their employees to be on top of the changing new economy. I chose this because it is, I believe, key information for readers interested in entering into or adapting their running business to the new economy. [I found this using the BYU library database. It was found using the "adapting to technology" search as well for scholarly articles.]

Thought Leaders:

Robert Scoble (https://plus.google.com/u/0/111091089527727420853/posts) Scoble is a tech geek. I love reading his posts because he is not ashamed about what he does or his deep interest in technology. You can read more about him and where he grew up here: (https://plus.google.com/u/0/111091089527727420853/about). I chose him as a thought leader because in order to adapt in the new economy, business men have got to be up with technology and know the websites to go to and how to use resources available. [I found Scoble from a Google+ search for people and pages using the key word "adapting to technology in the business world"].

Marsha Collier (https://plus.google.com/u/0/101540468776840533944/posts) Collier is very well known in the e-commerce world of business. She is very well accredited and is open to give speeches, forums, or do consulting work for businesses. Collier has established herself in and made contribution to the ebay platform--how to be involved on such digital business grounds as ebay. I chose her because the adaptation to the new economy must require knowledge about online buying and selling--she is open and willing to share and is full of great knowledge. [I found Collier from a Google+ search for people and pages using the key word "adapting to technology in the business world"].

Jeff Clavier (https://plus.google.com/u/0/109809835379677001002/posts) Ranging from local Silicon Valley keynotes or panel discussions to international conferences, Clavier shares his passion for building Internet startups, angel and VC investing, innovation and entrepreneurship. Jeff has produced a number of technology conferences and was a founding co-chair of the SDForum Search Special Interest Group. His influence can help people who are just about to enter the business world and he can contribute much to integrating business and technology. [I found Clavier from a Google+ search for people and pages using the key word "adapting to technology in the business world"].