Why I Hate IT…

What follows is one of my post that was recently published on AIIM’s site as an “Expert Blogger”. (The original can be read here)

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 Why I Hate IT…

I hate IT, I hate IT, I hate IT. In fact, I cringe every time I hear IT. 

What am I talking about? I’m talking about the acronym “I.T.” IT stands for Information Technology. But I guess you already knew that.

And why do I hate it? I never used to, but as the years have passed, I’ve started having an aversion to the term.

I used to be one, you know. An IT’er. And was proud of the fact. I used to imagine the office girls swooning as I walked past with my box of disks, and, maybe a large manual on the intricacies of printers (or similar). That was in the early days. 

Then I got a job where they wanted to call me an “Application Specialist”. An “Application Specialist”! Can you imagine?! That was a title for someone who wasn’t really an IT’er. They might as well have asked me to dress in frilly pink. 

But – OK – it was a job, and, most of the time, I was…begrudgingly…an ”Application Specialist”, but whenever I got a chance – I was “IT Guy”! I was in charge of the network! With a mere wave of my hand I could enable (or disable) functionality. I was the one who could implement new bizarre network policies (for the good of mankind, naturally), and it was I who held the power to apply patches, and fixes, whenever I deemed it necessary. (Bwahahaa)

Fast forward a couple of years, and I have a new position.  I’m now actually working “with” the business users. I have to “listen”, and then provide a suitable solution. If something needs changing I need to seek their permission, to “justify” it. I can’t just go making changes because I “think” that the changes are “cool”, or will “help” the users. They are the “actual” owners of the system. I am just a custodian. 

I didn’t give this any thought, but then, one day, after I had been working with a different department, doing requirements gathering, and helping “them” solve their issues, I overheard someone say “Mark is our favourite IT person”. And I cringed.

You see – I no longer consider myself involved with the “Technology”. I now saw myself as a generalist that “understood” technology, but also understood the business users, as well as the business processes, and was able to “use” technology in a way that was relevant.

And, while I was working through the preparatory material for the CIP examination, it dawned on me – there was nothing on the “technology”. There was only material on how to use the technology. 

So, after a long-winded explanation, I hope you understand, now, why I hate IT.

Beta Testing SLIKK

While doing some research to help someone I’m “mentoring” (as part of the AIIM “Enthusiasts Club” I came across the SLIKK search engine.

This appears to use search results from Google but offers a number of useful ways to view them, as well as the website, or source that they are pointing at.

The site is still in Beta Testing, and is “by invitation only” so I’ll see what happens. If it all goes good, then I’ll keep you up-to-date.

Return to…CIP Land

What follows is one of my post that was recently published on AIIM’s site as an “Expert Blogger”. (The original can be read here)

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Return to…CIP Land

In my last post I talked about that recently discovered, and charted, land called “CIP Land“.

When I originally started writing that post, I had a vision of an island where each knowledge domain” represented a part of the island, which further contained representations of the “sub-domains”.

And, that’s when I drew the “map” that can be seen in that last post.

However, after I had written the post I realized that this “CIP land” was not an island.

An island, by definition, is not a continuous landmass, and is surrounded by water. With an island, there is no connection with other islands or, for that matter, with other countries (especially if you looked at the map I drew). It is separate from everything else.

This was very, very wrong.

The whole idea of an Information Professional, as defined by the CIP certification is, (and as Jesse Wilkins described it in his post “Are you T-shaped?“), someone who has a good, broad, knowledge of the different territories (knowledge domains), someone who has travelled the highways of the land, and knows enough to be able to get around each territory without the use of GPS, or SatNav.

They know enough about the customs of each territory, city, or village that they can communicate and interact, easily, with the locals of each area. If they need more in-depth local knowledge, they can hire a guide, but they have enough knowledge that they can see how each city, town, or village, interacts with the others.

They can see the “big picture”.

But the whole idea behind this, is that CIP Land is isolated.

And this is wrong, because CIP land is not isolated. It makes up part of a “global” environment. It interacts with other “lands”.

Think of it as a landlocked country in a continent made up of multiple countries (Europe for example). It takes advantages of its local talent, and specialized knowledge, but it interacts with the other countries. It requires them for services, and resources, that it doesn’t have. Just as the other countries, in turn, require the local skills and resources that it can provide.

So, from this, you can see that “CIP Land” is not an island. It’s a country. A country surrounded by other countries.

Information Management can’t exist without databases, without networks, without hard drives, or storage areas. Hell, if CIP Land was an island, my friend, we wouldn’t exist for long.

Clearly my map of “CIP Island” needs to be redrawn…

Related articles

• Becoming a Certified Information Professional (wordofpie.com)
• The “Better” Information Professional (wordofpie.com)
• What value does the Certified Information Professional have? (markjowen.wordpress.com)
• I think I underestimated what AIIM’s “Certified Information Professional” is (markjowen.wordpress.com)

How to Talk to Your Executive Team About Social

Neal Schaffer & the posse from 5150 have made an amusing rap about “selling” social media to the executives.

Click here for the 5150 Rap site

“Photo ops” & “post topics” – they’ve re-wired my brain

Ever since I got my new smart phone (Samsung Galaxy 2S), I’ve (re)discovered the joys of photography.

Sure – I have a “proper SLR digital camera which I’m very happy with, and can do incredible things with, but the smartphone has given me the chance to have a camera with me almost always.

Combined with the fact that I have photo editing software also installed on the smartphone means that I don’t have to “transfer” the file before I add a filter to enhance it.

And being able to then upload the photo to an online storage site is just great. (My photos upload automatically to Google+, but I use Flick’r as my “showcase”.)

So, taking photos, of what I consider to be interesting scenes, is now a new enjoyable hobby of mine. So much so that anywhere I go now I’m looking for “interesting” shots. So much so that if I’m driving and I pass something that “catches my eye”, I’ll either stop straight away or try and do a U-turn as soon as I can, and trying somewhere relatively safe (but not always) to stop the car.

This continual alertness for “photo ops” is something that happens, now, automatically. I don’t have to  consciously think about it. And the same thing is happening now when I read articles on the internet. My brain is automatically determining whether I could use what I’m reading a blog post. “Is this subject related to what I blog about?”, “Is it something that I have an opinion about, or could expand on?”

It’s as if I’ve set up my own Google Alerts in my brain (with some more complex selection criteria).

And, my good reader (yes – you know who you are), if you have read some of my other “why do I blog?” posts, you’ll know that this analysing of content, this critical thinking, is what I was aiming to achieve. So I’m happy.

On the photo side – as I mentioned I really enjoy capturing unusual, or interesting scenes. I upload them to Flick’r, but don’t do it to attract viewers. (The same with my blog posts – if people read them, I consider it a bonus, but it’s not the main reason I write them).

So – I got a really nice surprise this morning when I saw a tweet from Ben Evans in Australia, someone I’ve been following, but have never really interacted with.

Ben’s tweet was:

When are you giving up the day job to become a full time photographer? These photos are a nice diversion in my tweet stream

It was cool to know that someone enjoyed my photos.

Thanks Ben

@markjowen When are you giving up the day job to become a full time photographer? These photos are a nice diversion in my tweet stream—
Ben Evans (@weevab) March 01, 2012

 

Related Posts

• My photos on Flick’r
• How Apt…The Desire to Write (an earlier blog post)

“The New Normal” – my initial thoughts

I have been given a copy of Peter Hinssen’s “The New Normal“.

This book is about the

“advancement in technology” that “is creating a new ‘normal’ where relationships with consumers are increasingly in a digital form.”

Hinssen claims that we are “half way”, and that amazing things are going to be happening.

I’ve only just started reading the book, but here are my thoughts so far (as reviewed on  Goodreads) …

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The New Normal: explore the limits of the digital world by Peter Hinssen

28 February 2012

Just started reading this book…but so far I am unimpressed.

Hinssen is telling us nothing new. Yes, technology has made a big jump. Yes, there are young people today who have never had to use an “analog” anything. Yes, for them digital is normal.

And – another thing that irks me is the concept that we are “half way”. How do we know that we are half way? Half way to what? Saying that implies that there is a defined endpoint. And then what?

As mentioned – I’ve only started reading this book (up to page 14). The things that I mention above are enough to make me want to keep reading. I want to see if Hinnsen moves away from this “wow – all this new technology” stance and offers something that isn’t self-evident. I also want to see whether he expands on this “half way” idea.

I will add to my comments once I have finished the book.

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Here is a video that gives a “teaser” of his book…

Related Links

• “The New Normal” (on Peter Hinssen’s site)
• Synopsis (by Peter Hinssen)
• “The New Normal” (on Amazon.com)
• My review of the book (on Goodreads.com)
• My profile on Goodreads.com

CIP Land

What follows is one of my posts that was recently published on AIIM’s site as an “Expert Blogger”. (The original can be read here)

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The CIP Land

I’ve been working my way through the excellent CIP exam preparatory videos on the AIIM site. (These were prepared by Steve Weissman, and the Holly Group, and are very impressive.)

As I went from one “Knowledge Domain” to another I started realizing what it is that I like about the CIP. It’s that it creates a boundary.

What do I mean by this?

Well – think of your “Information Professional” as someone living in a village. A village called “Content Management”. They do their job, and do it well. They’re not aware of the fact that beyond their own village lies a whole world. Then the person travels. Maybe they have to visit another area for their work, or they see people from other areas visiting, and decide to go exploring. In any case, they get to see new sights, or learn new things. The world, for them, however, is still uncharted.

I have lived in this land, and I also only knew of only a few areas. Gradually, however I have travelled and seen new things.

At one point I started actively seeking out other residents. We all seemed to talk a common language, but each person had their own “regional” vernacular, or way of saying things. Each had their own experience and knowledge based on the areas where they were living. We learnt from each other.

The land we lived on was still uncharted. It had no boundary, or borders. No-one knew where it started or stopped, or what places made up the land.

The CIP however, defines what knowledge an Information Professional should have. It creates a map of that land. And it appears that it is an island in a sea of other similar islands. All interacting together.

Looking at the map, I have come to realize that this collection of experiences and knowledge that I have from my many trips through different areas all fits into a big picture.

And that is what I like about the CIP. I now can look at it, and get an idea of the various places that make up this world.

I know which areas I need to revisit, or spend more time in, to give myself a more rounded set of knowledge and skills to be able to call myself an Information Professional.

Related articles

• Becoming a Certified Information Professional (wordofpie.com)
• The “Better” Information Professional (wordofpie.com)

Power of Social & an example of “Wisdom of the Crowds”

In a previous post, I discussed how you don’t always get a correct answer to a question you ask to a crowd.

One of the Spark talks given at Lotusphere 2012 was by Mitch Cohen. It was titled “Get Cancer – Get Social”. His wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Mitch’s talk was a good, & inspiring, one. He talked about the part the internet, and social media played, and broke it down into three areas:

• Information
• Misinformation, and
• Support

 

(Mis)Information

“Believe it or not, someone (can) be wrong on the internet”

The first thing that Mitch did when his wife was diagnosed was to tell her not to look for answers on the internet. In his talk, he tells us that no two diagnosis’ are the same, and that everyone reacts differently. There are a lot of people out there trying to be helpful, and give advice, but it was, really, misinformation. The best thing to do, said Mitch, is ask the questions to the experts – the doctors and oncologists.

Social

“There’s a lot of support you can get”

Mitch talked about Facebook. “You can be sitting at an infusion centre, letting this poison run into you boy, and you could be thinking about that, or you could be looking at the 100 of comments coming in wishing you support.”

Blogging

Mitch’s wife started blogging about what she was going through. She wrote about how she was feeling, how she was handling it, and what she thought about what was going on. Not only did it made it easier for her to tell her friends all about it, it made it really made it easier for Mitch to share it with his friends.

Living Vicariously

Mitch pointed out that going through chemo means you end up being more susceptible to infection  Which means that you can’t be around other people. Being able to see what the vacation photos of others on Facebook, and reading their stories really made a difference to his wife.

Thousands of Miles Away

“I wish we were closer, I wish there was something we could do”

Mitch told of the great support they got from their local friends was, but what he found incredibly powerful was the support he got from people thousands of miles away. How people he had never met in person came up to him (at the conference) and were genuinely concerned and interested with what had been going on.

The Spark Talks were, and are, organised by The Nerd Girls. You can see, below, a list of other excellent Spark talks that were given at Lotusphere2012.

Related articles

• Spark Ideas Lotusphere 2012 – The Videos (nerdgirlsrule.wordpress.com)
• Wisdom of the Crowds – part 1 : When the wisdom of the many helps the few or the one (markjowen.wordpress.com)
• Relationships in social media (markjowen.wordpress.com)
• From The Wisdom Of Crowds, To The Wisdom Of Friends (neilperkin.typepad.com)

My “Interview”

I was honoured the other day when Bryant Duhon, Editor and Community Manager at AIIM International, asked if he could “interview” me. Below is the result:

 

I want to say a big Thank You to Bryant. I’m really happy with the write-up.

You can read the original here, and the links to my sites can be seen on my About Me page.

 

Related articles

• Exciting Times ahead with AIIM (markjowen.wordpress.com)
• AIIM with Pie (markjowen.wordpress.com)
• What is Enterprise 2.0 – by AIIM (markjowen.wordpress.com)

“Infographic Thinking”

Troy Larson has written a post on Infographics that I like.

If you have read my earlier Infographic posts (here and here), you’ll know that I don’t think much of the majority of Infographics that I have seen.

Well, Troy has the same opinion:

…after surfing the web for a few minutes looking at some of these, you quickly come to the conclusion that most of them suck.

He follows this with the best comment on Infographics that I’ve ever seen…

most people wrongly think that information + graphics = infographics

And then he takes the whole “infographics” discussion to another level…he discusses an interview that Gestalt had with Francesco Franchi, the Art Director of one of Italy’s top financial newspapers. 

It’s a great post. Click here to read what Troy wrote (as well as watch the video of Francesco Franchi).

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UPDATE

Also just noticed that my friend Ant Clay, from 21apps has also published an amazing post on Infographics. Definitely take a look at it!
http://www.21apps.com/uncategorized/that-aint-no-infographic/