Don't have Facebook nightmares

Today I have had a stream of people contacting me about the ‘viral surge’ that is hitting our Facebook accounts.  I am now just waiting on that concerned call from my Mother, worried for my safety.

So, this ‘viral surge’ of, um… five (5) possible security problems in the last seven days; then what with Facebook threatening to keep the rights to your holiday snaps and your notes telling everyone your top ten songs of all time!  Is this now a time to jump the Facebook boat and go back to writing letters to your friends?  Well maybe not!  The reality is that you are more likely ‘get done’ from identity fraud from putting your details in the post then you are from Facebook.  It seems the mass hysteria of death by Facebook is on the loose again.

I am not saying there is no risk but I think people need to put things into perspective before they panic and close down all their Social Networking sites.  There is more risk of a virus attack from logging onto your windows computer.  There is more risk of identify theft from using a cash point machine, throwing your bills away, using your credit card or (living in the UK), being on government files.  The fact is, the risk might be there but it’s a small risk and certainly one not to panic about.

Facebook have a very informative security page for those who can’t sleep at night with worry and for the rest of us it’s a gentle reminder.  It is always good to remember that Facebook is about networking your daily boring life with your friends, not storing your addresses and credit card numbers.  Always be aware of what applications you are adding to your profile and maybe stop and read what that ‘allow’ page is actually allowing.  You don’t download any random software application from a web page or punch your credit card number into any old website, do you?

Don’t have nightmares

iPhone apps - Shazam

Here is my first little review of an iPhone application; Shazam. Completely free and I must point out, it has blown my socks off somewhat!

What is is?
Are you ever in a place where you hear some music you like and want to know what it is?  In a shop, on the TV or listening to the radio?  The moment passes and then a day later you are wrapping your brain to remember what that song was.  So you pop into your local record store and as the shop assistance stares blankly at you; "It had love in the lyrics and I think tree was mention, oh and it went 'do be do be doo'.  You know, it had a loud beat." 

Well, Shazam is an application that listens to the music playing and then works out what the song is.  It then tells you the title and the artist.  It links directly to iTunes so you can buy it there and then and also offers you a run down on the artist singing it.

How does it work?

How on earth this works is a mystery!  Even using it now, I am still not convinced it can do what it does but clearly it does!!  No doubt the technology behind this is commercially confidential but Chris Lightfoot has a go at explaining it, if you like technical talk!

Once you turn on the application you have a tag button you hit when you hear the music must have.  The application starts listening which takes around 15 seconds.  It vibrates the phone to let you know its done and then analysis the data.  On wifi or 3G this takes just a few seconds; then it shows you the results.  Shazam!!

Features?

The key feature is that you tag some music on your travels.  Your iPhone stores up a record of tags that you can look up at anytime.  So unlike your brain, it wont forget what it heard.  The tags are neatly organised by date.

When you view a tag you have the option of listening to the song on iTunes and then buying it.  You can read a bio of an artist, view the video on YouTube (if it exists), share the tag with a friend and even attach a photo to the tag.  Not sure why you would do this?

Testing and personal view

Other than being completely blown away by this, I can not help thinking on the potential of what this knowledge sharing could do if applied to conversations or just general everyday noises.  "What's that noise I can hear?  Oh Shazam says it is next door moving furniture, again!".

If the music is in its original format (as should be heard) then it is spot on nearly every time.  If I sing into it or play my guitar into it; it returns a message, nothing found.  That might be more of a refection on me than the application!  It was a little hit and miss on live concerts.

Its range in genres was also quite impressive.  Modern pop and rock were obviously not a problem but it recognised; 1940's Andrew Sisters to 1950's country singer Kitty Wells.  I found that relative unknowns like African singer Papa Wemba and French singer Soko were not found by the application.

When the application is listening, the music does not have to be that loud or you do not have to be that close to the source; but if there is background noise (i.e. talking from an advert or a loud noise in the shop), it slightly struggled.  Also be careful not to cover the mic up (bottom of the iPhone).

Generally speaking I estimate 95% of songs I have tagged were found - and I have done a lot now!  Overall, a fantastic application and one you should download!

iKnowledge

Well, what a poor show from me.  It must be some weeks now since I last updated my blog.  With all those good intentions to keep a regular updated blog and I go an let myself down by adding nothing for ages!

What brings me back?  Well I must just write about the new iPhone. OK, its not new but to me it is.  For about a year I have had the iTouch and its great but not been a massive user (although I do like my music).  For this reason I have resisted the iPhone for some time.  All of a sudden everyone around is getting one in these recent days.  Not to be the odd one out, I went to the Carphone Warehouse and got me the 16gb version.

Having been glued to the device for the last week; I have realised what the GPS, loud speaker, constant Internet connection and phone facility add to the device.  Not only is it just a good fun product and easy to use but I did not appreciate the level of knowledge sharing it brings.  Not just the 'level' of knowledge sharing but the 'new level' of knowledge sharing.  

Until now I have not seen a device that brings about a completely new knowledge sharing experience - which I think is mainly down to the GPS and the availability of applications.   The limit to possibilities is only restricted by innovation, I must say.  

What I might do, rather than go on in an over excited rant; is maybe review some of the applications available.  So look out for that and go buy yourself one, if not have a nose at a friends!   

Which generation are you?

I think the way people share knowledge, communicate and network on the whole can have a lot to do with someones generation. So, should a Company be prioritising the majority age demographic in regards to the tools we provide, working style/ethic and approach to work to ensure successful knowledge sharing in our company? If this is the case, how do bring on board those age ranges less likely like or understand a particular approach?

I am not really sure at the moment if this should be a consideration but I am starting to buy into it!

What I am picking up and what I believe is that the 'Generation Y' have a certainly got hairs running with some of the older folk at work. There is a new generation of people now leaving school, college or uni with their complete acceptance to doing things online and funny ways of writting (aka text talk); they expect networking tools like business/social networking sites, instant messaging and peer to peer file sharing.

If (as recruitment consultancy FreshMinds suggest) they are more ambitious and have a greater tenancy to move job, how do we tap into their 'brand' conscious minds and encourage better retention to stop the knowledge walking out the door?

It is very likely that your firm is being run from the top by the Baby Boomer generation. A generation that finds it hardest to understand both generations X and Y. Less likely to be available on the company IM, have been within the company for many many years and most likely keeps a clear line between their social and business life; we need the Baby Boomers leadership and sponsor to ensure the new younger generation Y have the right culture and the right tools they consider just as normal as the television in the corner of the lounge!

Generation Y is about communities and networking and so it needs a complete buy-in. We can not just leave it to them and let the rest of us just get on with what we have been doing for years.

I am suspecting that a majority of Knowledge Managers are Generation X and they (being the X) seem to be best placed to bridge the generation gap between the newbies joining and the established running the the show. Time will tell but I am thinking that the most switched on companies will attract the best of the newer generation. Lets not forget that Generation Z is hot on the heals with the first batch due to start work around 2018!

It's in my view that Knowledge Managers should be pushing for more Web 2.0 technology, culture change in the way we network and communicate and helping make the work place a more attractive place for Generation Y. It does not come easy, with dramatic culture change for the more establish there are a lot of barriers to overcome and lots of myths to resolve.

For purpose of interest, I have listed the generations and approximate years. Depending what resources you read, the exact dates change slightly.

• 1880's to 1900's : Lost Generation
• 1900's to 1920's : Greatest Generation
• 1920's to Early 1940's : Silent Generation
• 1940's to 1960/65 : Baby Boomer
• 1960-68 to 1981 : Generation X
• 1982 to 2001 : Generation Y
• 2001+ :Generation Z

RTDOX published by Times Online and stop being a BHOF! :-X LQTM
How to connect with Generation Y

Re-useable knowledge tip

Just though I would share this little tip for re-using knowledge at home.

When you go away on holiday or you are about to embark on some business travel abroad, do you sit down and frantically compile a check list of what to take and what to remember? If you don't then well done on remembering everything!

If you do; then when you leave keep the list in your suitcase and keep re-using it instead of throwing it in the bin before you leave. Not only can you use it when you come back to ensure nothing is left in the hotel but when you go away again you have it already and waiting in the suitcase.

This can work for any list you create, like a weekly shopping list!

While we are on the subject of travel, here is a useful site for checking flights. Skyscanner, easy to use not as complicated as some travel based sites.

Think about your images

Designing websites or helping people design websites on a budget always gives me the same challenge. Images! When you should use them is another whole post but I want to talk about what images to use.

Large corporations invest hundreds into their photo development on their websites and for very good reason. They have a brand to promote and the images must look in keeping with each other to give that professional look and feel.

What happens when you don't have all that money and want to create a great looking site using images? Well, normally folk will randomly find the images they want from Google images or clipart and plonk them on the page - hoping for the best. Of course it ends up looking like the site was created by a 10 year old.

When I have been asked to create a site (either in my own company or for someone paying me to develop a site) I focus on finding images that work together and with the site. This is combination of spotting matching colours within the image and picking images with similar styles. There are two ways to do this:

1. Take the photos myself or
2. Spend hours hunting the world wide web

Either way its a game of patience and sometimes endurance. Ever helpful is my Photoshop software to make small adjustments to some images to get them looking like they belong.

Below is an example of adding images with no thought other than the content. A bear, A Cow and the bottom of trees in a forest. Look how the images don't fit in and seem more like an after thought.








Now look at the next set of photos. These work together because of the colours, matching size and style of photo. They also compliment my blog design. They look more professional and give off a great presence. You might like to note the image on the top right of my blog (at one with nature) was added for the very reason it blended in well. OK, now I am being a little anal!






The only thing needed investing for these images was a little time but the results can make or break how professional a website can look. Well, that was the old days when I was a wee lad!!

Idee Labs have introduced a great new tool that allows you to select the colours of your website and automatically pull back plenty of matching images from Social Networking sites like Flicker. Its an amazing tool and certainly something worth checking out.

Now there is no reason for that nasty clipart or animated GIF on your website.

EBIC Conference - Berlin

I have just spent an afternoon at the ebic conference and heard some very interesting presentations. It’s provoked many questions for thought and fed me with many a quote for battle back at the office.

Paul Saffo gave a great talk on forecasting and has given me great insight into how media evolves or does evolve - and everything else for that matter. It is an approach I have never thought about in the past; about predicting or forcasting the future using simple rules - what will be hot and what will not.

If truly the next generation of media is around peer to peer or sensors then I fear there is a lot to accomplish within the work environment. We are only just starting to dip our toe in the water around social networking being useful within the confines of our work environment.

This brings me nicely onto the presentation given by Ewan Mcintosh. It is few and far between that I meet or hear from someone who has truly embraced social media and not only understands the principles but applies real benefits for our daily work life.

His talk made sense, mirrored my thoughts but also helped me draw some lines under my own doubts about some of the media available; such as blogs and using them like real-time diaries for people back in the office. If only I had thought of that before I left London yesterday. Interacting Twitter with the conference and making the small audience 10 times larger to share knowledge was a superb use of the Micro blogging.

Tomorrow brings day 2 of the conference and I am sure many more nuggets of interesting moments.