Some minor issues

I sometimes have the feeling I’m not challenged enough. I wanna create things, think things trough, write them down.
Time obviously is a factor, but it’s an excuse as well. You’ll have to make time right, simply have to, or vanish in live
Twittering again is as much as a solution as it is a problem: sure it’s easier and less time consuming, sure you build your network .. but twitter mainly is effective and not really challenging you to really thing.

Last year I found a challenge in the new marketing FAQ, and I truly loved doing this.

But good news (at least for me) since I forced myself into something new! I’m co-author of the second age of conversation, the group writing experiment that kicked of big last year. In short: a group of bloggers wrote a book together, and they’re going to do it again. This year I’m taking part.

Last year there were about 100 authors writing a 1-pager. I’m not sure about the specifics this year, but there is a theme: Why Don’t People Get It. I think it’s a great starting point that can engage the 275 (!) authors of this year. To see a list, check Drew’s blog.

First challenge: pick a theme.
Under the global don’t get it theme 8 specific sub themes authors get to choose from. I’m quite struggling selecting a theme, so I’m posting the list here. If someone has any suggestion about what I should write, want toread my opinion about something specific, please let me know. We have time till April 1th, and if we haven’t selected a theme yet by then, one will be assigned. So that’s an option as well.

Here are the themes

• Manifestos — Declarations, up front, on the Age of Conversation. Why don’t people get it? What about companies? Where are things going? What can you help clarify?
• Keeping Secrets in the Age of Conversation — With everyone talking so much, why do we need secrets? What is the role of privacy? What about different personas and identities? Why don’t consumers understand that their online conversations are tracked and can come back to haunt them?
• Moving from Conversation to Action — Talk is cheap, or so they say. What are the practical steps that businesses and brands can take to move from conversation to something more valuable to their business? And if it is so easy, why don’t they just do it?
• The Accidental Marketer — People “fall into” marketing. They may study and qualify in a different discipline but somehow find themselves in marketing and advertising. What is the attraction? Or…have you known a company or brand who just seemed to naturally fall into marketing success? How do you think that happened?
• A New Brand of Creative — With the changes in the way that people communicate and collaborate online, marketing and advertising companies are needing to reach out and work with a new type of creative team. What do these “creatives” look like. What are their skills? Why do they evangelize digital and new media? And what are the challenges that they face?
• My Marketing Tragedy — A topic only for the brave … Do you know a project that failed? Was it yours? What prevented success? What worked? And most importantly, what did you learn? Who didn’t “get it” — was it your client, your boss, the board, or (dare we ask) you?
• Business Model Evolution — Just as the markets and people are changing, so too are the business models around both clients and agencies. What is your take on this? What is working and what is not? Where will things go? What happens if an agency doesn’t “get it”. How do you measure “it” … and where will things go?
• Life in the Conversation Lane — Bringing it all back to the individual — how is life in a digitally connected, social world impacting our lives? What is the personal cost and what is the attraction? Is there a balance or are we just kidding ourselves?

My first short list would be: manifestos, accidental marketer, new brand of creative or live in the conversation lane.
Looking forward to start writing, but not there yet