Security & Privacy
There is a difference. With all that is changing in the world, countries considered super powers, all that they can do, one thing is certain, we can’t have both.
The fact that the NSA records 100% of all phone calls from 6 countries, and is looking to expand their reach, raises questions about privacy. Which means, we can only hope for security, one could argue that Security and Privacy are the same thing. We may be able to do some things privately, offline only, online, there is a good chance we will never have privacy again.
Security, that depends on who leaks information, leaking it in-house puts us in the out house.
The more we share, the more we give of our lives online, we risk everything, it’s like digging up evidence for a court case, we’re all making it easy to be found. Having said that, without the freedom of the Internet, and the willingness to tell stories, show who we are, I’m certain we would prefer security. Security makes us feel safe, privacy typically means we are trying to keep something unknown, the ebb and flow of human nature.
Which would you prefer, Security or Privacy?
The Future Of Business – Who’s In Charge?
For years I’ve shared with you about where business is going, and how it is changing, I’ve tried to plant idea’s into your noggin, with the hopes of giving you some insight, or….foresight of what’s to come, and what to do about it. Everything is changing so fast it’s hard to keep up, and yet, so many are doing what they’ve always done, and many don’t understand why business is still changing. We want things static, we want things in their place, we love our comfort zone, I think that’s how the theory of Pavlov’s dog came to be. With that in mind, a short story.
There was a man who owned a dog, the dog always sat on the porch, and it howled constantly. The neighbor complained about the constant howling and barking, the owner said, the dog howls because it’s laying on a nail. The neighbor says, “why doesn’t get off the nail, go lay down somewhere else?”. The dog owner says,”I guess it doesn’t hurt enough”.
Today the business owners are the dogs sitting on nails, they want to get off the nail, but they are afraid because they know they aren’t really in charge. They believe if they get of the nail (change) they’ll lose business, worse yet, they’ll have to close the business. This belief isn’t really true, but it’s a real emotion. So who’s in charge?
The answer to the question of, who’s in charge is simple, it should be obvious. It’s your customers.
The future of business, and the future of your business will always have the same boss, those who come to your business, visit your site, and buy your product or service. You, were never in charge, you merely ran the business, and provided what customers wanted. When you change the way you think, stop worrying about how to use Social Media, and looking for short cuts, you can get to the heart of the matter. The questions you should be asking, if you don’t know is, not how to use Social Media, but why your customers are using it, and which one’s are they using. At the very least, start there, the rest will come out of the data you’ve collected, if the rest is still not coming, you’re still asking the wrong questions, and maybe in the wrong place.
If you want your business to survive in the future, ask yourself who’s really in charge.
In The Cross Hairs – The Middleman
Never before has the been a time in business where a threat so strong has immobilized business owners and their management teams. Ignorance has never been a place to hide behind, not paying attention doesn’t work either. The reason nothing is happening, CEO’s are protecting their bonuses, middle managers are fighting to keep what they believe is entitled to them. This movement, this new second industrial age has been known and talked about for many years, here, and in the board rooms. But very little movement to accept or adopt keeps fear as the motivator to do nothing, to do what has always been done.
Some 25 years ago, the Internet was born, it opened the door to a brave new world, a world that brought even more confusion on top of what we already have, the pile got bigger. The pile (fear) is bigger, it’s enormous, because we chose to be spectators, we were convinced we didn’t know what to do, so we did nothing. I’m speaking to the masses in big business, those who adopted, who chose to act on what they could see, they are down the road, enjoying the fruits of their labors.
The Internet, for all intents and purposes, has removed the need for the middleman, the Internet put customer and product together without the need to be sold by that so-called person in the middle. Our BS protectors work better than ever in this new industrial age, this new or second industrial age. If we are going to act like the Industrial age of the last 150 years, we might as well name this new revolution the 2nd Industrial Age, it might ease the pain of big business. But make no mistake, the middleman is in the cross hairs, there is very little need for them, unless they can reinvent themselves to take part in a new role.
If you’re that person, the middle man / woman, find a way to get of the way, stay out of the cross hairs. If you choose to do nothing, your world will come crashing down around you. It doesn’t have to, because you have the same opportunity to go build something great, you have the tools, the brain power, and you need very few resources, what are you waiting for, now go!
Your Information Channels Are Shrinking
I remember when I started surfing the Internet, it was slow, hard and yet amusingly fun. I was more curious than I was looking for a specific thing. Being human, and we all are, we tend to filter down. When we first found ourselves zooming the information highway, we looked at hundreds resources, maybe even thousands, collecting the information we were looking for, and much more we didn’t need.
When I started doing research on the Internet, I had bookmarked thousands of sites, mostly information that helped me confirm my work, and then there was the stuff I thought might be interesting, or maybe even fun. Over time (years), I found myself going back to sites that were helpful, most of the channels I bookmarked never got my attention.
Today, there are millions upon millions of websites with information, some of it useful, most of it not so much. The biggest change with the Internet today is, mainstream seems to have taken the Internet and made behave like the Matrix. If NET Neutrality has its way, the channels will become fewer, and you will won’t have the choices you have today. You won’t have the freedom to see all that you can see today. But that’s not the story.
You see, you may have noticed that the sites you visit have become a smaller number, and you probably find yourself going back to the same 5 – 10 sites each day to get the information you like, and that’s the story. All the major networks, the major newspapers, all the major news channels, and all the social networks are sharing the same content over and over. The high rotation of the same content has us going to fewer places on the Internet, and nothing seems authentic anymore. Your information channels are shrinking! To compound the problem, you, the Internet surfer, and all your friends are sharing the same thing repeatedly, hence the high repetition on FaceBook, Twitter, and what have you.
What used to be a curious highway, filled with an endless supply of information, has become a small town of gossipers, and many seem to like fewer channels, because its easier, you don’t have to work so hard. The information isn’t as strong as it once was, the quality if you will, has lost it’s ability to hold you to the content for long periods of time.
When Automation Takes Your Job
I share this not fear monger, but fire a shot across the bow, it’s real, and we all need to pay attention. Just recently Bill Gates made the statement, “People Don’t Realize How Many Jobs Will Soon Be Taken Over By Software Bots”. He claims, that in 20 years, alot of jobs will go away, only to be replaced by software automation. One of the challenges with knowing this information is this, most people don’t believe it and will have the job forever.
Here is the quote word for word:
“Software substitution, whether it’s for drivers or waiters or nurses … it’s progressing. … Technology over time will reduce demand for jobs, particularly at the lower end of skill set. … 20 years from now, labor demand for lots of skill sets will be substantially lower. I don’t think people have that in their mental model.”
In a time where young people under 20 can’t find jobs now, he claims accountants, telemarketers, and retail workers are also in the cross hairs of software automation and robots. This doesn’t look good for those holding those jobs now and in the future if Mr. Gates is correct. This is not the first time futurists have said something of this nature, many, including myself said these very words almost 10 years ago, and recently the Economist named over a dozen jobs that will be lost to automation. Think about what you do now, ask yourself, and be honest with yourself, “can my job be lost to software automation?”. If yes, you know what you have to do, and when automation takes your job, what will you do? If no….you will be one of the fortunate few to keep something called a job.
A few years ago I wrote that everyone will be an affiliate of something, we all at some point in the future be selling someone’s product or service, or our own. We won’t have a choice, because full-time jobs will be a thing of the past, and the jobs not taken by automation, nobody will want to do them. So start today, go and do that thing you so desperately wish you could do, start part-time on the side, but start, there is no better time than now! Today you can have a factory at your fingertips, all you need is an Internet connection and a computer, the rest is up to you. You have it in you, and the world wants to hear from you, so stand-up and bring your art to the world.
