If you consider that gravity is a natural force which causes two separate particles to accelerate towards each other then the inaugural “Gravity Summit,” which was held on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at the UCLA Faculty Center, was perfectly named. 

Attracting a sold-out crowd of senior executives and decision makers from over 60 Fortune 500 companies and small businesses — more than 120 social media leaders and learners in all – the event gave attendees a forum through which they could share knowledge in person. It also gave attendees an opportunity to create new online connections following the event using the Gravity Summit network on Ning.

Gravity Summit seminars are designed to educate, inform and empower marketing professionals, small business owners, advertisers, and c-Level executives about social media.  This unique educational event was launched by Rodney Rumford (author, consultant and CEO of Gravitational Media) and Beverly Macy (the managing partner of Y & M Partners and a UCLA Extension instructor specializing in social media classes).

“The goal of Gravity Summit is to help bridge the gap between the new social media marketing tools and the business community, “ Rumford explained. “And we continue to educate and share information with our Gravity Summit alumni through an exclusive online social network community where they can continue sharing and building on the relationships that formed at the event with trusted peers and industry thought leaders.”

This was the first of several similar events to come that will take place on other college campuses nationwide. 

At each event individuals representing top brands are invited to speak based on industry expertise and their potential to provide unique insights into their social media marketing strategies. 

Speakers at the UCLA event included:

• Rodney Rumford, CEO, Gravitational Media
• Beverly Macy, Managing Partner, Y & M Partners
• David Reis, CEO, DEI Worldwide and Founding Member of WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association)
• Justin Goldsborough, Social Media Manager, Sprint
• Ann Glenn, Senior Web Producer, Sony Pictures Imageworks Interactive
• Tony Adam, SEO Manager, Yahoo
• Ricardo Bueno, Blog Director, Real Estate Tomato
• Renée Barrett, Principal of Awareness, Action, Accountability
• Karl Kasca, CEO, Kasca & Associates

Of those listed above,  PowerPoint presentations are available online from the following individuals (via SlideShare):

Beverly Macy, Managing Partner, Y & M Partners

• Social Media Marketing for Business

 Rodney Rumford, CEO, Gravitational Media

• Social Media Networks Expand Your Business
• Twitter & Facebook for Business, Marketing, Branding & Communication
• Get Moving: Lessons Learned, Best Practices & Next Steps

David Reis, CEO, DEI Worldwide and Founding Member of WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association)

• Honestly, Social Media Has Evolved and Marketers Need to be Savvy about Brand Authenticity

 Justin Goldsborough, Social Media Manager, Sprint

• The Million Dollar Questions

 Ann Glenn, Senior Web Producer, Sony Pictures Imageworks Interactive

• Fan, Friend, Now What?

 Tony Adam, SEO Manager, Yahoo

• Social Media & SEO: Get Traffic Now!

The event presented a tremendous opportunity for attendees to learn with and from each other.

I actually tweeted a good portion of the event live as it happened while sitting alongside Justin Goldsboroughfrom Sprint who was doing the same (as were several other attendees — all using the official Twitter hashtag: #gravsum).

This generated complimentary online discourse while the presenters simultaneously shared their information in person. Warren Sukernek of Radian6 engaged me at one point and I also connected with Carol A. Stevenson, a public relations professional and fellow Santa Clarita, CA resident who introduced herself to me from across the room!

By all accounts, the inaugural Gravity Summit was considered a great success — especially by co-founder Beverly Macy.

“We were able to build a brand in 60 days,” she noted. “We started planning the Gravity Summit event in late December 2008 and after the event we were quoted in the Wall Street Journal online. That’s the power of social media and specifically Twitter.  We ‘tweeted’ our way to the Wall Street Journal.”

The next Gravity Summit will be held on May 5, 2009 at Stanford University and another is in the works for Harvard University in the fall.

Notably, the Stanford event was originally planned for June but it was moved ahead one month due to significant demand.

“At the conclusion of the UCLA event, we realized the overwhelming need for social media marketing thought leadership in the business community, so we moved the date up by one month,” Macy added.

Importantly, registration for the Stanford event is extremely limited: less that 100 registrations will be accepted. However, a new option for this session is live online participation! 

For more information and to register for Gravity Summit Stanford go to http://gravitysummitstanford.eventbrite.com. And, for additional information about Gravity Summit in general, please read the following articles:

• “Entrepreneur Uses Twitter to Drum Up Cult Following” (Wall Street Journal Online)
• “Tweeters Use Twitter For Business” (Media Post News)
• “4 points to consider when tackling Twitter” (iMedia Connection) 

In closing, I feel quite fortunate to have attended this event. Although I had to leave early at 3 p.m. to teach a class at DeVry University in Bakersfield (a three hour adventure), the learning from this experience continues online and in the personal relationships that I created.

I also want to personally thank both Rodney and Beverly for making special accomodations so I could participate despite some significant personal limitations. I am definitely looking forward to future Gravity Summit events!

Last week, I received an e-mail from Kelly Sonora on behalf of Online Degree World with the following message:

We just posted an article, “Top 100 Edu Tweeters” (http://www.onlinedegreeworld.com/blog/2009/top-100-edu-tweeters/). I thought I’d bring it to your attention in case you think your readers would find it interesting.  I am happy to let you know that your site has been included in this list.

Prior to receiving this e-mail, I had never heard of this list or received an inquiry from anyone producing it. So, without question, my being on it came as a total surprise.  I replied to the e-mail I received, asking Ms. Sonora how she found my Twitter account and chose to include it on the list, but I have not yet heard back.

Nevertheless, despite the mysterious nature of this recognition, I am honored to receive the distinction.

According to my colleague Bill Sodeman, PhD – with whom I became friendly on Twitter –  his inclusion on the list is a noteworthy event at Hawaii Pacific University where he is an associate professor.

The list itself, which was written/compiled by Courtney Phillips, counts me as one of 29 educators. I am number 84 overall in what appears to be a randomly organized list. In other words, I am not ranked 84 out of 100, but rather I am listed in the 84th position on a list of the 100 top people or organizations using Twitter who are involved in education.

When you review the list you will note that I am in good company. Other educators on the list include the following notable folks:

• Alec Couros
• Alfred Hermida
• Barbara Nixon
• Bill Genereux
• Bill Sodeman, PhD 
• Dean Terry
• Hilary Mason
• Jay Rosen
• Jim MacMillan
• Jon Becker
• Kent Gustavson, PhD
• Patrick Strother
• Paul Bradshaw
• Rebecca MacKinnon
• Steve Katz

Universities and educational institutions include:

• Auburn University
• Harvard University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Mays Business School at Texas A&M University
• The Ohio State University
• University of London
• University of Maryland
• University of Miami
• University of Southern California (USC)
• University of Texas at Austin

Publishers, Libraries & Librarians include:

• Duke University Press
• Library of Congress
• Oklahoma State Libraries
• University of Minnesota Press
• Yale Press

Resources and support for educators and academia include:

• College Bloggers
• Education Week
• .eduGuru
• PBS teachers
• Upromise

All things considered, this was a pleasant surprise and an honor I am proud to have earned. Thank you, Online Degree World, for recognizing my efforts to share knowledge about education on Twitter!

Professional writer and journalist Nick Belardes graciously took some time out of his schedule to speak to students in my ENGL-227 (Professional Writing) class at DeVry University in Bakersfield, CA.

He spoke to the students about what it means to be a writer and shared his own experiences for nearly two hours. He also answered questions at the end and really went out of his way to engage and inform those in attendance.

I edited his presentation into four parts. Each of the four videos is centered on a different theme, as follows:

Part 1: Nick explains how being a professional writer is like being Indiana Jones (9:10)

Part 2: Nick illustrates why you must be a “Terminator” to be a writer (5:46)

.

Part 3: Nick offers advice on how to “be” a writer and how to get published. (8:01)

Part 4: Nick shares his thoughts on “success” as a writer and offers insight on what it means when your “job” is also your passion (3:11)

For more information about Nick Belardes visit http://www.nlbelardes.com or http://www.facebakersfield.com. You can also follow him on Twitter via @nlbelardesor view his videos on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/users/zowietown.

I have been invited to write a chapter in a book about recruiting with social media and need to hear from individuals who are actively involved with this field.  Can you help?

The book, “Enterprise 2.0: How Technology, E-Commerce, and Web 2.0 Are Transforming Business Virtually,” is published by Prager. Tracy Tuten Ryan, PhD, an associate professor of marketing at Longwood University in Virginia, is editing it. Incidentally, I first met Tracy through Twitter and it is the medium through which she invited me to write this book chapter!

The survey is designed to understand how you use social media to recruit candidates and to define which specific applications you use most frequently.

Answer as many questions as you choose: none are required so if one is not relevant to you or you don’t have an answer you can leave it blank. I might use the contents of your submission for direct quotes and general information.

Please visit http://cli.gs/smrecruit to complete the survey. If you have any questions about the survey or are otherwise interested in the book, please leave a comment below, send an e-mail to doctorious [at] generative [dot] com or send a tweet to @doctorious on Twitter.

Although the “New Year” is an arbitrary point in time chosen to indicate the end of one cycle and the start of another, it remains a worldwide moment of personal reflection and planning. In that spirit, a few days before the end of 2008, social media expert Chris Brogan posted a tweet on Twitter as follows: 

Thinking hard about what my 3 words for next year should be. Pick 3 guiding principles to shape your actions/decisions. Boil down to 3 words.

After carefully considering which three principles reflect my goals for 2009, I have decided  to be Affirmative, Generative and Transformative. Here’s why I picked each one:

• Generative: This word fundamentally defines and guides me. The many definitions for the word generative reveal the most basic meaning to be “creative.” The word “generative” forms the foundation of of generative learning which Peter Senge claims “enhances our capacity to create.” Engaging in generative learning involves linking existing knowledge of a subject with emerging ideas, resulting in a more individualized understanding about its systemic significance.  It is for this reason that I am motivated by the motto “learn continuously, live generatively.” In 2009 I will continue contributing ideas and knowledge for the benefit of the greater good.
• Affirmative: In its simplest definition affirmative means “positive” and that is what I will be this year. I am naturally predisposed tobeing cynical (in fairness, sometimes it is for humorous intent), but I will make an effort to re-frame a situation to see the good, not the bad. I’ve gone through some very trying experiences in the past few years (including almost losing my younger son several times and dealing with my older son’s diagnosis of autism). However, I recognize that focusing on the negative aspects of a situation won’t reverse its polarity to positive!  Two quotes come to mind when I consider this goal:
  • From John Milton’s Paradise Lost (Book 1, lines 254-255):  “The Mind Is Its Own Place, and in It Self / Can Make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n.”
  • From Abraham Lincoln (Courtesy of @LizzHarmon on Twitter): “People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
• Transformative: With the election of Barack Obama, the theme of “change” is foremost in the minds of many people. However, I desire something more than change, which merely implies something different (not necessarily better).  I will work towards being transformative which promises a marked change, as in appearance or character, usually for the better. That is my desire for this year: a significant evolution — perhaps even a revolution – on a personal and professional level. I am ready for that “next step” and ready to engage the energy around me and leverage it beyond my wildest expectations.

Now that I’ve revealed my three guiding principles, I invite you to share the ones with which you most strongly identify in the comments area below.  After all, nothing helps you achieve a goal more than writing it down!

I’ve never been sure if I was more of a geek or a nerd. Thankfully, Wired GeekDad blog writer Matt Blum answered my question in a December 24, 2008 Associated Press story proclaiming Barack Obama as the “Geek-in-Chief.”  Blum delineates the difference as follows:

“A geek is someone who has the knowledge of the geeky type stuff and has social graces. A nerd is someone who has the knowledge but not the social graces and a dork is someone who has neither.”

That being the case, I suppose I am more of a geek. I embrace my geekness, though I can honestly say that I have never been a comic book geek in the true sense of the word. While I have read a few graphic novels, I’ve never collected issues and kept them hermetically sealed in a temperature controlled room. 

Nevertheless, I’ve had a lifelong admiration for the character of Superman (as the shield in the header of this blog attests). I have also been watching the NBC show Heroes since it begain airing in the fall of 2006 (speaking of Superman, it helped me to recover from “Superman Returns,” which I felt was very untrue to the idea of the character).

I am also a bit of a marketing geek, so I tend to notice things most other won’t — especially when my two areas of interest collide, as they have recently in Heroes. Over the past few seasons of the show, there has been some clumsily obvious product placements. While not entirely distracting from the show, they are hard to miss.

The two main brands that have maintained a strong presence in the show are Nissan and Sprint. It will be interesting to see how the upheaval in the economy and automobile industry might affect this ongoing relationship. Sprint has become heavily involved as of late, even sponsoring an online contest that invited viewers to chose a new hero for an online webisode.

I am also a customer of Sprint and have been since January 2000. In May 2008 I upgraded to the Palm Centro and have been using it ever since (I still am likely only using 25% of the phone’s capabilities). 

One of the features I occasionally use is the Internet access — though I would use it more if it were not for inconsistent connection speeds and an underwhelming interface (it does not display the “real” Internet as is the case with the iPhone).

In any case, something caught my eye one day when I was browsing the “fake” Internet on my Palm Centro: the connection/activity icon on the phone is almost identical to the thematic image from Season 3 of Heroes!

This image is one that depicts the earth spliting apart along a diagonal line (bottom left to top right). The connection/activity icon on the Palm Centro depicts an earth with some kind of flame or ball of energy transversing it in a diagonal line (bottom left to top right).

This can’t possibly be a coincidence, can it? I’ve provided an image below containing pictures of both — Have a look and leave a comment with your thoughts about this possible case of product placement:

Unique Sprint Product Placement in NBC's Heroes?

I would love to get some other opinions on this. Certainly this is not the Rosetta stone or anything, but it does intrigue me. By the way, for a more complete list of product placement in Heroes episodes and other information about the show, check out the Heroes Wiki.

Update:

Shortly after writing this blog post, I attempted to answer my above question by reaching out to three Heroes actors who I know use Twitter:

• Greg Grunberg (@greggrunberg), who plays “Matt Parkman.”
• Brea Grant (@breagrant) who plays “Daphne Millbrook” (Matt Parkman’s love interest.)
• David H. Lawrence (@dhlawrencexvii) who plays puppetmaster “Eric Doyle.”

On January 2, 2009 at 12:42 AM I posted the following question on Twitter: @greggrunberg @dhlawrencexvii @breagrant, is Sprint subliminally “celling” on “Heroes?” www.tr.im/sprint.

A short time later, at 1:29 AM, I noticed David Lawrence had just posted a tweet. So I resent the same question directly to him: @dhlawrencexvii Is Sprint subliminally “celling” on “Heroes?” Read this if you get a chance: www.tr.im/sprint. @Joseph_Yi and I are curious.

A few minutes later, on January 2, 2009 at 1:42 AM, David Lawrence replied as follows: @doctorious  Sprint (and Nissan) are Heroes’ 3 biggest advertisers. Nothing subliminal about it. All of us use Sprint cell phones on the show.

Later that same day, January 2, 2009 at 12:13 PM, Brea Grant sent a reply as well: @doctorious  nothing subliminal about sponsorship on the show but i think the whole world splitting thing is just a coincidence. 

I never heard back from Greg Grunberg, but I appreciate the two responses I did receive as they were interesting and enlightening. I wonder how someone who works in production for the show might answer for my question?

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In the spirit of the holiday season, I crafted the following economy-inspired version of the classic Christmas tradition ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas for your yuletide pleasure. Behold a brand-new holiday classic: ‘Twas The Night Before Bailout!

‘Twas the night before Bailout, when all through the Board,
Directors were scrambling, cash and stock options to horde.
Their loans were defaulting, their stock values shrinking,
Everyone hoping that St. Paulson would soon be ringing.

The executives were nestled all snug in their silk ties,
While visions of cash bonuses danced about like flies.
And the CEO in his cravat, and I in my gold-lined cap,
Just cooked our books so Fed money we could trap.

When out up on the helipad there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my office, did the glass ceiling shatter?
Away to the penthouse boardroom I flew in a tizzy,
Tore open the blinds, with anticipation I was dizzy.

The moon shining on the breasts of my gullible peon,
Gave the lustre of Bond’s martinis to objects like neon.
When, what to my glazed, wandering eyes I should spy,
But a red Hummer burning rubber across the night sky!

With an old weathered driver, green eyes and a sneer,
I knew in a moment that St. Paulson was finally here!
More rapid than auditors his eight minions they came,
He whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now, Citi! Now, BofA! Now, Morgan and Stanley,
On, GM! On, Chrysler! On Goldman and Fannie!
To the top of the building! To the top of Street Wall!
Now bail away! Bail away! Bail away all!”

As dry dollars that before a financial firestorm fly,
When they meet with the SEC, jet away to the sky;
So up to the building-top that red Hummer it flew,
With bags full of  TARP money and St. Paulson too.

And then, with prostate tingling, I heard on the ceiling,
The posturing and grandstanding of all eight underlings.
As I drew in from my Cuban cigar while turning around,
Right into the Boardroom St. Paulson crashed down.

He was dressed all in Gucci, from his head to John Lobbs,
And his clothes were tarnished with the money he robbed.
A bundle of taxpayer’s cash he had flung across his back,
He looked like a meth dealer furtively opening his pack.

His eyes how they squinted! His breath was so smelly!
His face covered in cash, dirty dollars filled his belly!
He reeked of the federal dollars he had just fleeced,
So slick was his style, his beard covered in grease.

The stump of a fat stogie he clenched tightly in his jaw,
His carbon footprint was huge, it went for miles I saw!
He had a distorted face and belly that he sure spoiled,
It sloshed when he laughed, like a bowlful of crude oil!

He was corpulent and wasteful, a frightening monster,
Had he not had the cash I’dve hit him with my roadster!
With no questions or oversight, the bailout he gave me,
Sarbanes-Oxley is a joke, now of regulations I am free!

He giggled and grunted then went straight to his scheme,
And filled all of the Board’s pockets with the stolen green.
He then turned with a jerk, and stuck a finger up his nose,
And when giving a belch, up through the ceiling he rose!

He staggered to his Hummer, to his team gave “the” finger,
And away they all flew, but long did his stench still linger.
But I heard him yell loudly, as he careened out of sight,
“Happy Bailout to all, and to CEOs a good-night!”

For more information about the “Bailout America” logo, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorious/3102369490/

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World-renowned venture capitalist, blogger, writer, speaker and entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki appeared on the radio show ”Coast to Coast AM” during the December 20 to December 21, 2008 broadcast to promote his book “Reality Check” and to discuss idea creation (in addition to the 2012 opening of the Stargate – holy kaw!).  Guy shared a multitude of insights with host Ian Punnett. Some of his more informational and/or inspirational quotes include the following:

“The better product doesn’t necessarily win.”

“Great ideas happen when people ask a very simple question: ‘Wouldn’t it be neat if?’”

“Many people ask the question ‘Wouldn’t it be neat if?’ but not that many try it.”

“My lesson on life is you ask this question ‘Wouldn’t it be neat if?’ and then, if you have the courage to quit your job, drop out, do whatever it is, try it — that’s what it takes.”

“At the beginning of my career I used to think that the idea is the key, and once you get a good idea, implementation is easy. Now, I’m at the end of my career and I believe the exactly the opposite: I think good ideas are easy and implementation is hard.”

“In my career I’ve noticed [for] the people who are successful as venture capitalists and successful as entrepreneurs one of the greatest correlating factors is luck.”

 ”At some point little slips of fate help you.”

“I’d like to believe that [you can make your own luck], but some people are [just] lucky.”

“If you are an entrepreneur or a venture capitalist and you are lucky, and you make this enormous success, retroactively you never attribute it to luck. You say you were smart, you worked hard, you had a brilliant insight, you were a visionary. Nobody stands up and says ‘I am successful because of luck.’”

“I’d rather be lucky than smart.”

“You could be lucky and still screw up. You have to be lucky and then work hard. Theres ways to increase your luck. One way is just to work so damn hard. It’s all about implementation.”

“At the moment you are lucky you don’t really know it.”

“The majority of companies that were successful started off with a completely different market, a completely different model.”

“Entrepreneurship is all about thrashing: you just thrash , thrash and thrash — and sometimes you hit it.”

“If someone calls themself a visionary, they’re probably a clown.”

“I can’t invent the future. Most people in Silicon Valley are delusional that way: they think they can invent the future.”

“The future happens by accident, by the law of big numbers, by an infinite number of monkeys pounding on keyboards and one of them is going to hit Beethoven’s Fifth.”

“The [dot-com boom] was a big biological explosion of all different forms of life: some forms of life (like Webvan) died, some forms of life (like Amazon) survived and thrived. It’s only looking backwards that you can say Amazon was smart, Webvan was stupid.”

“The way venture capital works: you make 20 bets, one or two are successful [and] you say ‘Oh, I knew that team was good. I knew that technology was good. I knew that market was good. I knew that business model was good. That’s why I invested in that company.’ If somebody asks you about the other 18 bets that you made that all were losers you say ‘I didn’t vote for those deals, my partners voted for those deals.’”

“Wall Street and the press always like a good story, and a good story always is extreme. Either you’re kicking butt, or you’re dying. There’s nothing in the middle, because being in the middle: that’s not news.”

While listening to Guy (and following along with the conversation on Twitter – where I and other likeminded people were discussing the interview and giving Guy ideas for silly things to say, which he sometimes did), I found myself inspired by his comments about luck.

Specifically, the bolded quote above about successful individuals not accounting for luck as a component to their success really struck a chord with me. I have often wondered why some ideas catch fire and others don’t — especially when, by all accounts, the superior idea was the one that failed commercially.

As Guy shared that thought and his subsequent related musings, I was struck with an epiphany about wanting to further explore the idea through research that would result in a book. I shared my idea on Twitter and immediately received positive feedback from Tweeple like @NEENZ, @robynmcintyre, and @Bytemarks.

Although the idea was still crystallizing in my mind (and still is),  at one point I joked the book could be called the “Guy Luck Club” (as a humorous spoof of the popular “Joy Luck Club” book).

At one point during the interview, I pondered out loud (on Twitter) that I might create a blog specifically about this topic and use it as a conduit through which I could communicate and refine my raw thoughts about the subject while also giving the book idea some very visible marketing exposure.

In doing so, I referenced how David Meerman Scott did just that when writing his book “The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly.” Indidentally, I selected this as the main book for a buying behavior course I teach at UC Santa Barbara Extension.

Some time later I received a direct message from Mr. Scott on Twitter (from @dmscott) in which he encouraged me to write the book first as a blog (without any pretense for organization) and approach publishers in a year.  Great advice — especially since it was the path he took to get his book published!

He also shared with me that his new book, World Wide Rave, is releasing in March 2009. The book’s website defines a “world wide rave” as follows:

A World Wide Rave is when people around the world are talking about you, your company, and your products. Whether you’re located in San Francisco, Dubai, or Reykjavík, it’s when global communities eagerly link to your stuff on the Web. It’s when online buzz drives buyers to your virtual doorstep. And it’s when tons of fans visit your Web site and your blog because they genuinely want to be there.

After further consideration, I thinking that, to most effectively test Guy’s theory, it might be most insightful to identify 10 CEOs of what I would call a “virgin startup” (not a spin off of an established company, nor does it have any particular celebrity status). I would take a standardized inventory of each CEO, paying particular attention to their thoughts about luck.

I will then reconnect with them at regular intervals down the road: perhaps 1, 2 and 3 years (enough time for the business to have succeeded or failed). I will again re-asses their thoughts on luck and see if their views have changed when asked the same question over time.

In thinking about the past 14 hours since this experience began, I realize I couldn’t have scripted a better example of the power of social media had I tried — nor would anyone have believed me if I had. I am suddenly energized at the thought of writing this book (well, technically, blog) and will reveal the URL once I’ve secured it. Thank you to everyone who shared their enthusiasm and encouragement. Maybe I can convince Guy Kawasaki to write the foreword for my book? Holy Kaw!

Until then, I suppose it would be most fitting to sign off saying ”Go Luck Yourself!”

Happy “Twitterversary!” Yesterday, December 19, marked the end of my first month using Twitter (my username is @doctorious). I am no longer a newbie!

For those of you unfamiliar with Twitter, it is a micro-blogging website that provides you with a simple (and free) means of answering the question “what are you doing?” — to a potentially unlimited network of friends and followers. You can make updates with your computer, mobile phone and via several other related methods.

Here is a very straightforward (and creative) video explaining what Twitter is and how it works:

I can’t recall exactly why I decided to sign up, but I was definitely influenced by discussions I had with my students about the ways by which Barack Obama leveraged the Internet in his successful presidential campaign. Notably, Obama used Twitter to publicize campaign events and to announce Joe Biden as his running mate. 

Aside from my minimal knowledge about Obama’s use of Twitter, I really did not have much awareness about it until I signed up. Now, in one short month, I am a Twitaholic. The first step is admitting I have a problem, right?!

Although I haven’t used Twitter to announce anything as globally important as my Vice President, the service has quickly catapaulted to the top of my list of communication tools. By the time of my “twitterversary,” I accumulated roughly 250 “followers” and was “following” approximately the same number.  During my first month I posted roughly 900 “tweets” (updates) as well.

I have connected with an array of “tweeple” with an impressive degree of insight and intelligence. You might be surprised who you find on Twitter and the inordinate amount of information that is freely shared on the site. I recall how pivotal the service was during the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. Foregoing official reports, many people closely followed the unscripted updates from people who were in the midst of that shocking event.

With regard to the chances of your making a viable connection, to paraphrase  Rodney Rumford, social media services like Twitter have cut the “six degrees” concept in half to “three degrees.” I can attest to this as, for some reason, I am only separated from actor Kevin Bacon by “three degrees” on my LinkedIn profile and not the six for which the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” is best known!

In particular I have really enjoyed getting to know the following individuals and encourage you to learn more about them — you might already know or have heard about some of these interesting people:

@adonyawong
@ariherzog
@autismfamily
@bakomom
@barb_g
@bertdecker
@beverlymacy
@caseywright
@chrisabraham
@chrisbrogan
@danicar
@donttrythis (Adam Savage of Mythbusters — see a transcript of a brief exchange I shared with Adam)
@drgilpin
@frankkenny
@gentlesavage
@guykawasaki (Guy Kawasaki of Garage Technology Ventures — see a transcript of a brief exchange I shared with Guy)
@heidizuehlke
@jasonhuber
@jimconnolly
@jpapakalos
@kimdeanart
@mchammer (MC Hammer — see a transcript of a brief exchange I shared with MC Hammer)
@mollermarketing
@nlbelardes
@nwjerseyliz
@perrybelcher
@prprof_mv
@rumford
@scottmonty
@shawnwelch
@shelisrael
@totspot

So, stop on by Twitter and give it a try — you just might find yourself addicted like me!

A belated reminder that Autism Twitter Day is now underway on Twitter.com! This unqiue online event is focused no raising “positive autism awareness.”  Prizes are also being given out and virtual “panel discussions” have been scheduled for 9AM, 12:30 PM and 8 PM (Pacific Standard Time). 

Who can participate? Twitter members who are members of the Autism community or connected in some other way (parent, sibling,  relative, teacher, therapist, friend).  Basically anyone with a direct or indirect interest or connection to Autism.

When posting a tweet, use the hashtag “#ASD.”  To follow the conversation, open a browser to www.summize.com and input #ASD.  Reply to any tweet of interest or relevance to you and add to the conversation! And, even if you don’t get there today, you can still search the hashtag and learn about Autism at any point in the future.

Aside from my personal interest in better understanding Autism, I am also drawn to the implications of it from a social media research perspective.  I am eager to see what I will learn from it and how it might further strengthen the role of social media in our daily lives.

For additional information, visit http://autismfamily.tumblr.com or head on over to Twitter – my username is @doctorious.  Tweet you there!

As an adjunct professor, a great deal of my time is spent on the road. In fact, two of the more common nicknames for adjuncts are “freeway flyer” and, my personal favorite, “roads scholar.”  One of the biggest challenges I face in my travels is weather and traffic.

Although this is the case with most people who commute, for some of my drives, especially Santa Clarita to Bakersfield and back, I have to negotiate the arduous and unpredictable “grapevine” portion of Interstate 5.  Earlier this year I drove through the grapevine in the morning en route to Bakersfield during a light snow that eventually grew into a snowstorm that shut down the freeway for two days.

To facilitate my commutes and to help others driving similar routes, I collected links to webcams, weather reports and road conditions for the areas through which I most frequently drive. I then compiled this information and added a new page to this blog titled “Webcams & Weather.”

All of the links on the page are organized by the freeways, highways and interstates on which I drive to the schools where I teach (all are in the Southern California area and parts of the San Joaquin Valley).  I have also identified the city in which the webcam is located and provided a link to a current weather report for it (in parenthesis).

Where available I also provided links to road conditions for a specific area (you can also visit the California Department of Transportation website and search for conditions ona route of your choice). If the webcams below don’t provide information about an area in which you are traveling, you might want to take a look at one of the numerous webcams throughout California operated by Caltrans.

I will add more links as I discover them. Please contact me at doctorious [at] generative [dot] com if you have any suggestions or notice a cam is no longer working. In the meantime, have a look at the “Webcams & Weather“ page.

After twice trying to find a doctoral program that satisfied my intellectual curiosity while giving me the tools and credentials I need to become a university-level researcher and teacher, I’ve decided that the time is now for me to finally make it happen.

To anchor this desire to a tangible goal, I will give myself until Tuesday, December 1, 2009 to prepare and submit all of my applications to doctoral programs. From this point forward I will refer to this date is my “PhD-Day.”

Why this date? Simple: of all the doctoral programs that interest me, December 1, 2009 is the first application deadline for fall 2010 enrollment. This is the date on which I will finally take that “one giant leap” into my long awaited career in academia.

Although circumstances beyond my control were partially the reason behind my pulling away from my doctoral pursuits, I know now that I was also not clear enough about my goals. I just wanted a doctorate and did not give any meaningful consideration to the discipline in which it was anchored and how that would impact my future career options.

Previously I thought having a PhD qualified you to teach any subject, but I now realize that, with rare exceptions, the discipline in which you earn you PhD is the discipline in which you will concentrate your research and teaching.

Knowing the purpose of a PhD is to, as one of my colleagues comically suggests, know more about less, I must start with a question of “what” first, then determine “how.” I have therefore stopped first looking for a program (the “how”) that I will then try to make work with my interests (the “what”).

Instead I will take the opposite approach and first determine the topics I want to research and teach (the “what”) and then find a program that offered opportunities to study it (the “how”).

After evaluating what most interests me, I realized it had been staring me in the face the entire time: social media. I have previously mentioned my interest in this burgeoning topic in previous posts and in my list of research interests, so this is not breaking news by any means.

However, I have finally embraced the idea of studying it academically so I can understand it as a researcher and not just as a user.  Specifically, my research interest is to investigate the impact of social media on the creation and distribution of information.

What is social media?

I define social media as follows:

Social media includes information generated with and shared by individuals using various web-based tools including blogs, message boards, video sharing sites, wikis, chat, IM and similar technology.

I also feel it is related to concepts such as crowdsourcing and collective individualism.  Social media also touches on the idea of distributed computing, though in the case of social media the “nodes” are human and not computers.

In a more abstract interpretation, social media could also cross into the realm of artificial intelligence – especially as the tools we use to connect socially online continue to become more intuitive and personalized to each user.

The main use of social media is knowledge sharing among individuals for the greater good. However, it can also be leveraged (or exploited, depending on how you look at it) for commercial gain. Of course, marketing in this medium is not without its challenges and it certainly can’t be done in a traditional way (e.g. forced and artificial vs. the natural, organic feel of true social media).

Beyond products, people who participate in social media often market ideas or even products by the information they share (consider the metoric rise of Barack Obama who, despite your political persuasion, was impressively effective at using social media in his presidential campaign).

Social media can also be used as a training and development tool.  As a father to a child diagnosed with autism, I also wonder how social media might help my son learn social skills and share information in a virtual environment. As a parent, I have already been impressed by the power of social media to connect me with important information and individuals focused on autism.

I am also fascinated by the thought of using social media to enable many individuals to complete parts of a larger task (what first piqued my interest in this was when Steve Fossett went missing and there was an attempt to find him using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, even though that effort was not successful in finding him).

Clearly, social media can be both a communication tool and a marketing channel. I am interested in social media in both of its forms. It intrigues me that technology can so intensely enhance our human experience.

How will I study social media?

My investigation into current doctoral programs that include social media revealed it is relevant to several disciplines. Information Technology/Computer Science and Communication are the two I have most frequently found. Social media is also relevant to the disciplines of Psychology, Marketing and Sociology. Given the impact social media has had on the workplaces, Management is also a reasonable discipline in which to study it.

It makes sense that social media crosses into several disciplines — it is quite pervasive, but can also be investigated from many different angles. Perhaps what angles I want to study, or maybe how I want to study social media, will ultimately dictate the discipline within which I will investigate it further.

At the moment my assumption is that I will most likely be studying social media either within a Communication or Marketing program.

Where will I study social media?

Given my practitioner mindset and entrepreneurial orientation I would like to be able to teach in a business school. To do that I will need a PhD from an AACSB-accredited program.

However, given my background in communications and journalism I wonder if Communications would be a more suitable environment (especially since I am not as interested in traditional business subjects like finance and economics)?

I am still evaluating my options, but right now my top choices include the following (in alphabetical order):

• Claremont: PhD in Management and Information Systems (Interfield)
• Claremont: PhD in Management and Organizational Behavior (Interfield)
• UCLA: PhD in Marketing (Anderson School of Management)
• UCSB: PhD in Communication (Technology and Society Emphasis)
• USC: PhD in Marketing (Marshall School of Business)
• USC: PhD in Management (Marshall School of Business)
• USC: PhD in Communication (Annenberg School for Communication)

Aside from the obvious criteria of being accepted into a program is the issue of funding. Having already borrowed my way through an MBA program, my goal with the PhD is to get the cost of the program covered while also earning additional income through fellowships and other related methods.

Why do I want to earn a PhD?

I have always wanted to understand why and how certain things work (or don’t work). Whether I am contrarian by nature or unquenchably inquisitive, I was never satisfied with a surface level answer about anything. My problem was, and remains, not having the proper “tools” with which to conduct proper inquiry.

I also fundamentally enjoy creating and sharing knowledge. Looking back to my years in journalism, I think the desire to craft a story and share it with readers is related to the same idea. Notably, I recently learned the first academic paper I wrote and presented was referenced in a book called “MBA in a Day” and an article I wrote about non-profit fundraising five years ago in Marketing News (the bi-weekly trade paper of the American Marketing Association) was cited in a recent academic paper.

I was energized knowing that something I wrote helped someone else create something of their own. I want to be an active part of this process. On a related note, my experiences at academic conferences were unquestionably positive and motivating. I relished those opportunities to exchange ideas and information with difference people, creating knowledge in the process. This is why I am so endeared to the concept of “generative learning,” which Peter Senge defines as learning that “enhances our capacity to create.”

My long term purpose in embarking on this undertaking is to secure a position at a university where I can engage in active research while still teaching. I have been adjuncting online and in person for roughly 18 months now and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It has been a very liberating and affirming time for me, especially when I continue to get positive reviews and comments from students. But I also want to be adding to the academic dialogue, not just guiding students to a basic understanding of what has already been produced.

Also, although I have no pressing desire to go back to the corporate world, I am open to partnering with industry on research and also potentially consulting on the side. I just really don’t want to have to worry about red staplers and TPS reports! Even when I was in industry I tended to approach things in a more intellectual way than most. I even had two managers with whom I had good relationships tell me I was definitely “an academic” and would do well in that world.

I am a thinker and a tinkerer, but not a hard-core corporate type. I enjoy discussing and debating a topic sometimes more than “doing” whatever that topic is related to. For example, I enjoy the concept of branding and understanding how people develop allegiance to a brand, but don’t necessarily want to go launch a branding campaign.

How will I stay focused on my goal?

Staying focused on achieving my goal of earning a PhD will be challenging, given the various personal and professional obstacles I will need to overcome to see it through. At the same time, I find myself thinking about a PhD with increasing frequency: it is something I must do, not just something I want to do.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of distractions. Ironically, during the past eight months, I have repeatedly encountered one kind of distraction while driving to and from my adjunct teaching job: a delivery truck with graffiti on the roll top door that reads “PhD.” I am sure this is some tagger’s initials, but for me it represents and reminds me of my dream: a PhD.

What makes it more significant to me is that I have seen it numerous times — driving north or south, in the morning or afternoon. Usually I encounter it on or near the Grapevine portion of Interstate 5. I am unsure where it is driving to or coming from, all I know is I have seen it numerous times — at least a half dozen.

Perhaps this truck is my albatross — or maybe its just coincidence? Maybe it was sent by the “PhDMV” to keep me on track?

Below are two photos I took of the truck on March 25, 2008 while heading home from DeVry (southbound on Interstate 5). Following the photos is a short video clip I filmed the morning of October 6, 2008 while heading north between the base of the Grapevine and the split between Interstate 5 and Highway 99 North (near Lebec, CA):

What are my next steps?

Now that I have defined and committed to this ambitious goal, how do I intend to achieve it? My next steps include the following:

• Thoroughly research the PhD programs at the aforementioned schools.
• Read “The Craft of Research” and write a specific research statement.
• Begin reviewing the academic theories relevant to social media.
• Speak with colleagues and mentors to understand my options.
• Start writing my statement of purpose.
• Explore grants and scholarships.

See you in a year on PhD-Day!

Due to inclement weather today in Florida the Space Shuttle Endeavour (Orbiter Vehicle Designation OV-105), returning from mission STS-126, was diverted to the backup landing option at Edwards Air Force Base near Rosamond, CA (approximately 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the Antelope Valley).

In total, the shuttle’s journey spanned 6.6 million miles and 250 orbits of Earth. Endeavour landed on temporary runway 22L at Edwards, while the main runway, 4R, is undergoing repairs — making it the first and last shuttle to do so.  This was the 124th space shuttle mission, the 22nd flight for the shuttle Endeavour and the 27th shuttle visit to the station. It was also the 52nd time a shuttle has landed at Edwards Air Force Base.

It will take approximately one week to prepare the shuttle for its return flight to Florida atop a modified 747 (called the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft) and will cost approximately $1.8 million. Another unexpected item to add to the cost of this mission: a bag of tools valued at $100,000 dropped and forever lost by Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper during the first space walk of the mission. The crew will be flown back to Johnson Space Center in Houston tomorrow.

I was able to record the double sonic booms the shuttle made upon re-entry with my Palm Centro and have embeded the file below — they sound like a cross between a shotgun and car backfiring, but were so loud in person that my entire house shook!

Below is the audio of the two sonic booms that occured during the shuttle’s re-entry (click the arrow). The original recording was a “QCP” file but I easily converted it to an MP3 file at the website Media-Convert.com and then I edited down the file to its present length using a program called “MP3 Cutter” which I found on Download.com.

Finally, here is video of the actual landing from the Associated Press:

Welcome back, Endeavour, and congratulations on a safe return from space!

Considering one area of my research interests is the impact of Web 2.0 technology on business, to strengthen my credibility in this emerging area, it seemed important to ensure I was involved with as many of the latest online tools and services possible. To that end, I:

• Signed up for Digg (impressively, less than an hour after I did, my profile page appeared as the fourth result when I searched ”doctorious” with Google).
• Created an account with Twitter (where I already have a student of mine from DeVry as a stalker, I mean follower).
• Continued adding videos to my YouTube account (though I wonder how interesting my videos are!).
• Updated my LinkedIn profile and engaged members of one of the several groups to which I belong.
• Resurrected my del.icio.us account and promise to contribute to it.
• Reviewed my profile on Technoratiand added a feed from this blog.
• Became very active on Facebook, finding old friends and making new ones.

StumbleUpon has also caught my eye and am considering signing up for it. What other sites and services should I consider?

I visited Wal-Mart on Friday, November 7 and was shocked to discover that even though Halloween just ended and we haven’t even yet overdosed on turkey, apparently it is already Christmas!

I actually went into two separate stores in Santa Clarita: the one at 25450 The Old Road near Stevenson Ranch and the one near Valencia at 27931 Kelly Johnson Parkway, just off of Copper Hill/Rye Canyon. 

Both stores had associates in the process of setting up the Christmas displays and making related preparations.  Photos from each store are provided below — the first photo is from the store on Kelly Johnson Parkway and the second is from the store on The Old Road:

Apparently, I am a bit late in realizing Wal-Mart’s early push: An October 1, 2008  story that aired on the CBS station in Los Angeles highlighted the retailer’s plans to get a head start on the Christmas shopping season.

I suppose I was more surprised than shocked to see Christmas trees already. The first week of November seems a bit early for Christmas, but I recall seeing Valentine’s Day items in my local Rite Aide just after Christmas last year. It seems every year the time betwen each major holiday shopping periods grows shorter as retailers try to capitalize on early-birds and those easily influenced by holiday “sales.”

Given the current state of the economy I am curious to see what happens this holiday season. Traditionally, the Friday after Thanksgiving is referred to as “Black Friday” by most retailers — meaning that on that day they finally transition from operating at a loss (in the red) to operating at a profit (in the black). Yet, given the tremendous economic upheaval and uncertainty going on, I wonder if this day will ever come for any retailer.

Still, there are reports of Wal-Mart experiencing a surge in sales, even as other retailers struggle.  Wal-Mart reported that same-store sales in October were up 2.4 percent as compared with October 2007, not including fuel sales. Including fuel sales the increase was 2.5 percent. Comparatively, Target reported sales of 0.7 percent lower for this October 2008 compared with 2007.

A Los Angeles news station even featured a segment in which a reporter interviewed shoppers at al-Mart demonstrated that even those who drive a Mercedes were driven to save money at the popular discounter. All were focused on saving money and getting the best possible deal.

I wonder how many people are getting coal in their stockings this year — assuming, of course, that coal is still affordable!

One year ago today, September 19, 2007, this blog was born into the online world.  At the time I launched it I wasn’t really sure what to expect or how this experiment would play out. Overall, I have enjoyed writing this blog, though I certainly wish I was able to contribute to it more regularly.

However, my philosophy is “quality over quantity.” I would rather wait to post something substantive than just add more noise to the already overloaded Internet. Hopefully the posts I’ve made have, in some way, contributed positively to the individuals who have read them and, perhaps to the larger academic community.

Statistically speaking, here is some basic info about the blog:

• Total views: 7,169
• Busiest day: 126 — Wednesday, January 23, 2008
• Views today: 14
• Totals
  • Posts: 38
  • Comments: 34
  • Categories: 16
  • Tags: 858

Developing this blog has been educational and inspirational — I find myself constantly looking for information to distribute or knowledge to share using it. I have used it twice as an educational repository and tool: once for an English class at DeVry University and another time for my UCSB Extension course. Both times enabled me, and my students, to explore the power of blogging on multiple levels.

I hope to continue contributing to it and finding unique and clever ways to leverage the technology. Speaking of which, WordPress is an amazing tool — bravo to those who make it all work. I have never before experienced such a seamless and mutlifaceted web-based content management system. Using WordPress has definitely been a significant part of why my first year blogging was so positive.

In any case, I am looking forward to “year two” and outdoing my effort in “year one!”

I received an e-mail from a reader of my blog asking for suggestions as to how she could “break in” to academia as an adjunct instructor.  Although I am far from an expert at navigating the potentially pitfall-ridden pathway to academic employment, I felt it might be helpful to relate some of my experiences so far. Whether or not they will work for anyone else — or, to be brutally honest, me — is unclear.

However, I am a firm believer that by doing good I can do well, so here goes: Craigslist education and teaching jobs (seriously). I mostly use Craigslist for Los Angeles, but have also explored the sites for Ventura, Santa Barbara (which is how I found the opportunity at UC Santa Barbara Extension) and Bakersfield (which is how I found out about the opportunity at DeVry University).

I have found Craigslist to be a great source of leads for adjunct level positions and even some full time ones. In fact, with the exception of my position at Axia (which I found my way to through a friend who investigated teaching there — and coincidentally stumbled upon this blog post while looking for additional information about finding employment in academia!), every single adjunct teaching job I now have was the result of a posting on Craigslist.

I first ventured into education by teaching traffic school for nine months — and, yes, I found the job on Craigslist! Despite not being academic, teaching traffic school helped me develop my classroom management and curriculum development skills. 

Mind you, I did this of my own free will (there were no court orders or community service hours involved!). I realize the mere thought of traffic school has already made some of you uncontrollably twitch and or gag, but I could not have asked for a more effective “entry level” experience.

It was a great way to test the waters of teaching – especially because those waters were full of sharks and piranhas. Think of it this way: what better way to prove that you are meant to teach than by putting yourself in the worst possible teaching situation and making a difference? Knowing that everyone in attendance would have rather spent an afternoon at Gitmo or making human pyramids at Abu Ghraib, I went out of my way to make the class as interesting and engaging as possible.

Granted, I still had to show the requisite outdated videos about road rage, traffic safety and related topics — but I found clever ways to stay within the DMV’s guidelines while managing to have some fun. I even managed to show a few minutes of the campy 1985 film “Moving Violations,” starring John Murray (the lesser known brother of Bill Murray), Jennifer Tilly, James Keach, Sally Kellerman, Fred Willard and Clara Peller — the octogenarian actress best known for the 1984 “Where’s the beef?” ad campaign for Wendy’s.

One of the highlights of the day happened just after lunch when, as an introduction to the curriculum about drinking and driving,  I showed mugshots of celebrities arrested for DUI to the students and had them guess who everyone was. I knew it was working when the evaluator who showed up at one of my classes unannounced after lunch was laughing!

I am extemporaneous by nature (and likely have a mild case of ADD), so a good part of my “material” was improvised based on what was discussed in class.  I found that engaging the students directly and making them a part of the program made the day more interesting for me, but (big surprise!) it actually made them more interested in the class as well.

Of course, being “interested” in traffic school is a relative term — don’t for a minute think I was recreating scenes from Stand and Deliver! That being said, it was a rewarding and (to use a “report card word”) unique experience unlike anything I could have imagined.

Since then I have taught 15 sections of asynchronous online writing and business communication courses for Axia College of University of Phoenix. I have also taught ten sections of computer, English and management courses in a hybrid classroom/asynchronous online model at DeVry University in Bakersfield.

I have also taught one section of a buying behavior course at UC Santa Barbara Extension along with one principles of marketing course and one organizational behavior class at International American University, a private school focused on providing Asian students with an American education.

As for another resource, I have to give massive applause to the members of the Chronicle of Higher Education Forums – what a wonderful resource they all are! There are threads on all sorts of topics of interest to a aspiring academic — and a good number of the members are active and emeritus professors. Everyone is very willing to share their insights and experiences — often with an unexpected sense of humor (teachers are people too!).

I’ve asked (and had answered) questions about which Ph.D. programs to pursue to how I should format my CV. Its best to sit quietly and read many of the existing threads before jumping in head first — what until you get a flavor for the tone and temperament of the place. If you want to avoid posting threads all together and just want to go straight for raw information, check out the following threads/resources:

• Asked and Answered Questions
• Job Seeking Experiences
• The Interview Process
• Academic Job Wiki
• Academic Job-Seeking FAQ

Another helpful, though not as active resource is the Adjunct Advocate Forums – in particular there are some threads about various online teaching opportunities that you might find useful.  It was from this forum that I also found my way to what has turned into a very helpful Yahoo Group for Online Adjuncts — it is definitely worth signing up for the group and, even if you don’t actively participate the information is exceptionally helpful.

Hopefully these resources are useful to those of you looking for information on how to transition into a career in academia. Certainly, my experiences are not typical, but then I suppose they are not entirely atypical.  As I encounter additional resources I will post them. I might also share with you some of the more practical tools and services I use (e.g.,  cell phones, mobile broadband, VOIP services and more). 

I welcome any questions either via comments on this blog or via e-mail: doctorious (at) generative (dot) com.

Attached is a paper titled “Thought Leaders on Leadership” that I co-wrote while enrolled in the Pepperdine University Ed.D. program in organizational leadership with classmates Eric D. Agrusa (who has since transferred to an Ed.D. program in educational leadership at the University of Southern California), Joseph E. Craig, Jorge Martinez and Daisy Nwokorie.

The paper was published on pages 1008 to 1011 in the proceedings from the 2008 Southwest Academy of Management Conference, which was held in Houston, Texas from March 4 to 8, 2008. I also participated as a paper reviewer for this conference and looked over four papers in the “International Management, Organization & Management Theory, Management & Organizational Cognition, Management Education & Development” track.

I had originally planned to attend this conference and present the paper, but was unable to do so due to some pressing personal matters. I am hoping to attend next year’s conference and am also looking into attending the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management in Anaheim, California from August 8 to 13, 2008. The abstract from the paper is as follows:

This paper examines the concept of thought leadership through interviews with eleven people who define the term. Representing business, ministry, education, media and psychology, these individuals provided answers to six questions about leadership. All interviewees are respected by their peers, are often admired by others outside their industry and have made notable contributions to their areas of expertise.  The responses from each are synthesized into sections pertaining to each question in such a way as to compare and contrast their statements to divine similarities and differences from which conclusions can be drawn.

I welcome your comments, questions and ideas! Download the PDF here: http://doctorious.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/thought_leaders_on_leadership.pdf

The good people at Bakersfield.com — the online equivalent of the Bakersfield Californian newspaper — caught wind of my recent post, “The Long and Winding (and Occasionally Snowed In) Road of Adjunct Teaching,” and made note of it in today’s “Bakosphere” column which details blogs about Bakersfield.  I guess somebody other than me actually reads this — I better start using spell check!

There has been a great deal of attention paid lately to Columbia University’s invitation to have Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, participate in a Q&A session with faculty and students on Monday in an event sponsored by the university’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). John Coatsworth, dean of the school, released the following statement about the event and the school’s decision to not rescind the invitation:

“Opportunities to hear, challenge and learn from controversial speakers of different views are central to the education and training of students for citizenship in a shrinking and still dangerous world. This is especially true for SIPA students, many of whose careers will require them to confront human rights and security issues throughout the globe.”

Later, in a television interview aired on Fox (and posted on YouTube), Coatsworth explained that if Hitler were alive today the school would have no problem inviting him to participate in the same type of event. As much as I am all for exploring different ideas and learning from every experience and individual, I am significantly concerned, yet also conflicted over the school’s stand in this situation.

To endorses Ahmadinejad twisted world view and legitimizes his opinions as academically sound. Ironically, Ahmadinejad would waste no time in sending every faculty member of Columbia to prison for thinking anything other than his party line if the school were in Iran. 

Giving him a soapbox on which to proclaim his baseless and maniacal theories seems like a bad choice, as I doubt doing so will give anyone greater insight into the substance of his standpoints. I liken it to the desire of people after a tragic incident such as the shootings at Virginia Tech to understand “why” the violence was perpetrated. But, would the rambling words of a sociopath ever make any sense to those with a rational mind?

On the lighter side, if you ever questioned Dane Cook’s comic credentials and thought that Tourgasm was not really all that funny, can you imagine how humorous a performance by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Adolf Hitler would be? You’d laugh untill the secret police drag you away for treason or cut your hands off for making the Superfinger — or both!

Conversely, as a colleague of mine shared with me earlier today, “Whatever we repress comes back to bite us. When you shine a light in a dark place, there is no longer darkness.” Grounding this in a human developmental and psychological theory, her very valid point is that simply ignoring something doesn’t keep it from becoming a problem.  And, by confronting it head on you can deal with it directly and intentionally. I can also understand this approach and, to a degree, feel there is strength in confrontation and interaction.

So then should there be limits to academic inquiry or should any experience be seen as one from which learning can occur? This then opens the Pandora’s Box of who is empowered to decide what is and what is not academic inquiry. Frankly, I don’t know if I am comfortable giving anyone that power.

Are you?

Attached is a paper titled “H.I.G.H. O.C.T.A.N.E. – Ten Additives that Power High Performance in Organizations” that I originally conceptualized in the fall of 2006 during my first of two semesters in the Pepperdine University Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership program.

I subsequently co-wrote the paper with classmates Fa’auliulito H. Meni, Jill A. Peck, and Wayne J. Stickney-Smith — all of whom are still enrolled at Pepperdine.

I later presented the paper in March 2007 at the annual conference of the International Academy of Business Disciplines in Orlando, Florida. I am considering making this the focus of my doctoral dissertation or perhaps an area of significant academic inquiry.

The abstract from the paper is as follows:

Organizations are similar to cars: both require fuel to power them and a driver to direct them. In an organization, the fuel is its culture and the driver is initially its founder and in later years its current chief executive.

Just as cars require fuel to function, organizations share key cultural factors in order to exist.  Uniquely, some organizations are able to elevate themselves beyond basic existence into a coveted realm of high performance.

Doing so is difficult, and requires ten additives that convert a group’s culture into a H.I.G.H. O.C.T.A.N.E. source of power that can transform it into a high performing entity.

You can download the paper as a PDF here! I welcome your comments, questions and ideas to doctorious [at] generative [dot] com.