Connecting Tweets to Tell a Story and Build Community

While many companies are only connected with customers 'online', Starbucks is in a unique position to have connections 'offline' in the community of coffee shops (the "third place") and online.

Virtual interaction is bringing the Starbucks in-store experience online. As outlined in the story by Jeff Bullas, a report was conducted by Altimeter which identified four key elements crucial for online engagement between Starbucks and their customer base. First, success requires contact with customers through consistently updated engagements within blogs or Facebook. Second, interaction by multiple contacts and levels within an organization brings a wider customer reach.
Third, targeting what your industry and customer is looking for in an online experience and fourth, focus on key areas that work, don't spread yourself too thin.

The offline experience at Starbucks holds new opportunities in addition to the established retail outlets. Is it time to take it to the streets with mobile coffee options? With the recent emergence of food trucks, why not mobile coffee trucks or boats for that matter? This is the opportunity to blend directly into communities where needed, making market adjustments simply by going down a different street.

Howard Schultz is changing the face of how corporations think about social responsibility. He's taking charge with the Create jobs for USA fund, helping American's get back to work. Jobs need to be created and can be done through innovative approaches both online and offline.

Who knows, mobile coffee options could just be the answer that Starbucks customer, Kristen
Chase is looking for when she asks: "Why hasn't Starbucks invented delivery yet?

This story inspired by Tweets from @jeffbullas, @amberdaviseyes, @cnnsotu, and @thatkristen

To Be Heard

If you are looking for inspiration as you define your future, then make a point to watch To Be Heard, the story of three teens from the South Bronx struggling to change their lives through writing and performing poetry, using this creativity to change their circumstances.

The film opens with the quote:

"If you don't learn to write your own life story, someone else will write it for you."
This is the truth. We are each responsible for our own destiny. We have the power to make changes and if we choose not to make these changes, we at least have the power to control how we react to our circumstances. I found parallels to my own life while watching this film - it applies to all of us.

You can watch the trailer at http://www.tobeheard.org/

Join the Zero Email Journey

CEO Thierry Breton of Atos, a French information technology company is preparing his company for a future of no internal email. In this day of constant email communication, seems impossible, right? Certainly not, it's as possible as the introduction of email a couple of decades ago.

This eradication of email is a response to the massive amounts of data we are accumulating. According to Atos, it is estimated that managers spend between 5 and 20 hours a week just reading and writing emails. In addition to processing email, middle managers spend more than 25 percent of their time searching for information.

Email at Atos is being replaced by improved communication applications as well as new collaboration and social media tools, with an emphasis on social business solutions. This is a response to the fact that online social networking is now more popular than email and search, plus future generations are choosing alternative methods to communicate.

For expanded details, check out the original ABC News article and the Atos site for Smart Organization and the Zero Email blog. Keep tabs on this company as they are leading us into a more effective way to communicate and collect/retrieve information.

Connecting the Community

Each time we log onto Facebook or any social networking site, we are observing the value of people through vast amounts of information, interactions, and especially pictures. Pictures of family, friends, interests, etc. We can associate even a stranger as a whole person who lives a full life; involved, giving, friendly, interested, loved. In fact, increased compassion and understanding for humanity is being created by Facebook and other social networking sites.

To illustrate, we recently had a tragedy in our local community where a fellow soccer coach died suddenly on the soccer field while coaching his young team. News of this tragedy spread immediately through texts, and posts on the community blog. Once the name of the individual was released, I was prompted to go out to Facebook, search, and see for myself who this individual was. What I found was a complete person, not just an anonymous stranger. This immediate connection to a member of my community was made specifically through the power of social networking. Pictures of this wife and family, daily interactions, vacations, interests, accomplishments, connections to local community, an online legacy. This person in a sense was no longer a stranger, but brought a greater sense of compassion for what his family and friends were going through with this terrible loss.

If I can be left with a sense of connection to a perfect stranger through small bits of information, how would this increased visibility effect those who I interact with every day. How could understanding someone's interests, and especially values, help with collaboratively accomplishing great things in the work place or community. Is social networking enriching our sense of humanity?

You are Just as Powerful

When I saw the Dalai Lama in Seattle at Seeds of Compassion in 2008, what struck me as quite astonishing is when he said, "I want to introduce myself to you as just a human being, you and I are the same" I thought huh? How's this possible, he's the Dalai Lama, why am I here? It got me thinking about the difference between an average citizen who has something to say and someone 'established within the public network' who has something to say.

With close to 7 billion people in the world, the ratio of public figures, political, governmental, and through pop culture is miniscule. Why then do we put so much stake in people who have made a lifestyle out of being in the public eye? In fact, when you dissect the list of public figures down to those with legitimacy, the percentage is infinitesimal.

I often joke that I'm going to market little dolls with the likeness of my daughter Dorothy, why not? Barbie isn't even modeled after a real person, and look at her success.

If you are hesitating to share your thoughts, ideas and goals, remind yourself of the small population we listen to on a daily basis (whether we like it or not). Go ahead, create your platform and speak, be known, this world needs more people like you. There's really not much competition.

Crisis Management: What Organizations Can Learn From the Emergency Room

I had the unfortunate experience of spending two hours in an emergency room with my son years ago. Fortunately, my son's injuries were not ranked critical compared to what was happening around us, which meant we had some time on our hands. During those long two hours, as we sat and waited to be transferred up stairs, there was what sounded like nonstop chaos ensuing behind the curtain which would blow back and forth with the rooms energy, providing glimpses of trauma. However, it was an organized chaos, the likes of which I had never seen.

While on one hand, being in a major metropolitan ER was a nightmare, on the other hand, I learned a great deal. The precision at which the many members of the team; doctors, nurses, surgeons, and paramedics, came together was brilliant. After seeing this, what I always thought was realistic choreography on Gray's Anatomy was a mere attempt. The real life scenario I was witnessing cannot be choreographed, it is a natural flow of carefully planned crisis management.

The calm at which these professionals moved about the ER collecting supplies, comforting loved ones, and gathering clues of the accidents, all while tending to the patient - was phenomenal. In between the constant rotation of crisis, I couldn't help but wonder what it would take to enact this same intense collaboration within other organizations. Many companies and organizations act like they are saving lives, but are they organized to save lives if they had to? Or realistically, save the business? Do teams have plans in place for when there is a business crisis? Do they know how to react within seconds if needed?

Once home, I did some research on the internet to see if there were any companies offering ER related training to organizations and workgroups. After a few searches I came across Friday Night at the ER. This is a simulation game for people to learn to collaborate and innovate while considering the effects of their actions on the larger system. The game simulates the challenge of managing a hospital during a 24-hour period. Players perform distinct functions, but they come to realize they also depend on one another. This is Applied Systems Thinking and collaboration across borders in action. This is ensuring that your team has a plan in place for when crisis does occur, or if you just want to be an effective, agile team. For the same time you spend in the ER waiting room, you can increase your effectiveness, check it out.

One Day, Processing Email Will Not Be The Focus of Our Day

What does the future of email look like? Who is charting the course? Aside from helpful add-ons, email has yet to see a major transformation. Given the large volume of information exchange and the increased time to process, the tool is in much need of enhancements; aka a major transformation, a revolution if you will.

Chris Anderson, TED Curator, drafted the Email Charter, a concise ten step list providing users with some guidelines for a more effective email communication, which you should share with everyone you know. Chris provides great tips on managing large volumes of email, for example keeping emails short, tightening the thread, and eliminating open ended questions. While email users catch onto this and incorporate these steps into their process, the enhancements need to be built into the technology - email needs to become smarter. Email needs to process itself prior to coming into your inbox or maybe there won't be an inbox in the future. Perhaps all forms of communication; email, texting, blogging, tweeting, will be hosted in a collaborative tool.

Large companies such as Google and Microsoft have provided the most commonly known email tools, however there are small companies and startups such as ActiveInbox, Shortmail, Xobni, Huddle, 410 Labs, Producteev, Smak, Taskforce and iDoneThis, that are contributing as well with great products, increasing the effectiveness towards how we communicate, track actions/tasks, and collaborate. These companies, along with visionaries like Chris Anderson, are part of the reconstruction efforts to push communication forward. The email revolution needs to be in the commitments of every technology company that truly wants to make an impact in productivity. With the amount of information that is being exchanged and the time it takes to collect and respond, the need for effective mechanisms to manage (quickly) is a requirement.