Wednesday, January 08, 2003

Blogbuds. Today I launched a buddy-system for bloggers at the Blog Tribe.  And the response has been amazing.  Lots of experienced bloggers have signed up as Mentors.  Tech execs, programmers, writers, career counselors, marketeers, people who ran BBS' in the old days, academics, authors and consultants.    Located in SF, Seattle, New York, DC, England, Germany, France or Argentina? You want help in French, German, Japanese or Spanish?  We've got it.  Heck, I could even wrestle up an Estonian if need be. The Buddies who seek to be matched with Mentors are a diverse group as well, and the initial matching will be manual.  As expected, we have more Mentors than Buddies initially, as it will take time to reach out to new people, especially in the Ryze community.  We all have a friend who we would like or think should start a weblog.  Here's your chance to tell them about a new resource (real people) to help them get it going.  Have them email me  to connect. Back when I was a Boy Scout camp counselor we used the buddy system for teaching swimming.  Nobody in the pool without a buddy.  And when the wistle blew and we yelled "BUDDY CHECK" everyone was supposed to hold their buddy's hand high.  That way, less people were unaccounted for, let alone drowned.  Strength in numbers, one at a time. [Ross Mayfield's Weblog] 1:26:22 PM    trackback []     Articulate []

So far I've avoided discussing the war here because I didn't have an opinion on what to do. I really don't, but I see that the war is gonna drag down the economy, and since I'm a "jobblogger" (as opposed to a "warblogger") I am interested in anything that'll keep companies from hiring. Right now uncertainty over the future is keeping companies from hiring. That uncertainty is coming from the war effort. It's interesting, Bush Sr. got into a war that was sold pretty well to the American people and got the job done fast and came out immensely popular (he lost, mostly cause he was perceived to have ignored the economy). Bush Jr. seems to be setting himself up for a different scenario. He's getting us into a war that hasn't been well sold to the American people and by doing so he's ignoring the concerns of the economy at home. I just don't see much good coming out of this. I'm already bracing myself for the images of burned Iraqi children and body bags of Americans coming home. After all, Bush must realize that any war with Iraq will only end up with Saddam's head on a pike. You can't get his head on a pike without sending in troops. When you put troops on the ground, you'll have casualties. This is not gonna be a clean TV war like last time. Oh, and think you can control the media this time around? Yeah, right. Digital cameras cost only $200 now and can send images around the world in seconds. This won't be a war you only see on CNN. [The Scobleizer Weblog] 10:37:05 AM    trackback []     Articulate []

This is a great article from Tara Sue. I really agree with Tara on the skills versus education angle, however trying to pound this information into an overworked HR person's brain is nearly impossible. In today's economy with hundreds of resumes for every job the only thing that seems to get you past the first cut is having all of the right buzzwords on your resume, and one of those buzzwords more and more is college degree. As far as getting an economic rebirth in the Carolina's the longer I live here (9 years previously lived in California) the more I see that the politicians in this part of the country are so far behind modern day thought it is hard to believe that they will ever catch up and "Do the Right Thing". Webaisance: The Internet Economy. Expanding on an old post . . . The model of a successful economy:                                                                          Globalization                                            "triangle"                       Technology             Entrepreneurs Technology and entrepreneurships driving global markets is the key to a robust economy The Internet is the base of this century’s economic model.  The Internet is a vast market for new and progressive technology.  It is a frontier open to all business, new and old.  In of itself, the Internet is globalization.  Therefore, I believe connecting, protecting, improving and utilizing the World Wide Web is the key to economic revitalization everywhere, especially North Carolina.   The Internet not only yields opportunity for skilled and professional labor.  The unskilled workforce, a critical point of a sound labor model is also provided for in an Internet economy.  Technology feeds the capacity of the unskilled workforce by improving the usability of products and processes as well as by bringing more to the table   I posted the following in response to a speech given by Action Greensboro on economic revitalization.  The speaker believed education was the key to improving the economy—a common economic blunder   Many people believe structured education is the key to economic revival.   We tell people they need a piece of paper before they can learn a skill.  In reality, it is the skill that must drive the education.  There are three levels of the work force.                                              Professional                                                                                                                                                        "triangle"                               Skilled             Unskilled To say education is the key to a revived economy is to ignore the human capital at the base of our economic structure.  The education philosophy places even more limitations on growth.  The apprenticeship, on-site learning is being denied to those who haven't a piece of paper to show they've spent the last few years of their life in a classroom.  We continue to tell our people that they need higher learning.  Businesses hire accordingly with a false sense of security believing education denotes quality with no proof of the quality of education.    People who are not motivated or raised for higher education, those who would like to be educated, but aren't and those who learn outside the class do produce.  We must encourage people to work and learn into market levels rather than have them spend time "educating" into skilled and professional labor where opportunity is limited.   We are robbing our economy of the unique experience of unskilled labor.  Thus, we lose a critical point in our economic triangle, leading ultimately to collapse. The solution to these problems is already here.   You are using it right now. Our unskilled labor will always be here.  Not everyone should be a professional.  Even a professional hammers nails.  Many of our most successful business leaders have had no education. The To-Be-Skilled Workforce Economic revitalization is only possible with the inclusion of our “to-be-skilled workforce.”  I call it the "to-be-skilled workforce" because skill comes only from experience, not education.  When one works long enough, their skill outdoes any graduates education.  Education is a point to be exercised before and after the fact ---not a driving force for market revitalization.  What drives the market is new industry, technology, entrepreneurs moving the global market the classroom can do much for the individual, but little for the economy.  There was a time when education was pursued simply to fulfill the human desire to learn more about the world.  Today, most students are in school to “get a better job.”  I believe they have been fooled, lied to by those who lack understanding of the market and it’s phases.  The unskilled workforce must exist and will exist.   Whether we minimize the need of unskilled labor or encourage a place for its force---it’s health and existence is critical to economic prosperity.  When we exclude unskilled labor from our economic agendas we crush the financial stability of business and people everywhere.  We drive irrational expectations of both employers and employees as they relate to income and production etc.  And we perpetuate the cycle of a weak economy, which has placed all it’s labor attention on only two of its three elements.  The Internet is an endless horizon for unskilled labor.  The new industries are fodder for the to-be-skilled workforce.  I can tell you of several individuals who have no high school diploma, much less a college degree.  What they have is years of experience on a PC.  They can read, create and navigate software.  They are the Internet’s first children.  There are many.  Further on the horizon are all of the jobs provided through new business—not everyone needs a degree, and not everyone can afford to pay “degree wages.”  There will be many positions available to the to-be-skilled workforce if we focus on the unique industry of the web. One element not yet mentioned in the robust economic model is the element of freedom.  Every historical landmark of wealth, prosperity and peace has been precipitated by freedom.  A healthy capitalist economy is only possible in a free market.  Therefore, I believe in order to achieve the economic fervor the Internet offers, we must free and maintain the freedom of the Internet. In every occasion of improved communication our world has enjoyed astounding advancements and prosperity.  The letter, the telegraph, the phone etc, are all natural progressions of communication.  Our industry is the web.  Our line of communication is the web.  This is the world we live in.   2003 marks the beginning of the Webaisance I know of no better place in need of economic rebirth as North Carolina.  There is no better tool than the Internet to provide.  Leaders in the Piedmont are searching for answers to their economic woes.  Most are pointing in directions far from what their own data is telling them.  Many do not understand the comings of the ages.  We have come to an age---an age when communication is about depth, not simply contact.   We are in an age when creativity and ingenuity can spring if simply given the freedom to do so.  The only thing standing in our way is . . . [Tara Sue's Weblog News] 10:03:50 AM    trackback []     Articulate []

Answer me this. If the goal is to stimulate the economy, why are we cutting taxes on the highest brackets, or on items (dividends) that concern primarily the wealthiest? If we cut taxes on the bottom brackets, does that not cut taxes for EVERYONE? Why is cutting taxes primarily for those who make... [Lean Left] 9:10:05 AM    trackback []     Articulate []

Interesting: A News Aggregator for Outlook XP. Interesting: A News Aggregator for Outlook XP This is a pretty interesting concept -- building an aggregator right into Outlook.  I've thought about this myself and even sketched one out.  Nice to see that someone has done it and is getting it started.  Still early but looks functional.  I'm not a regular Outlook XP user so I'm not going to really evaluate it.  [_Go_] [The FuzzyBlog!] 8:40:32 AM    trackback []     Articulate []