Spark

I’ve stumbled across a couple of well done documentaries lately that I thought you might be interested in. They touch on a lot of the same topics we talk about on Spark, and some of the experts interviewed in the docs have also appeared on Spark.

These shows aired on CBC TV’s show, Doc Zone.

Web Warriors (about hackers, viruses and botnets)

Cell Phone: The Ring Heard Around the World (looks at mobiles in Japan, India, and what’s coming down the pipe)

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On this episode of Spark: Work 2.0

• Tony Hsieh blogs about the layoffs at his company, Zappos.com (full interview)
• Don Tapscott explains the Net Generation’s new expectations for work (full interview)
• Jane Farrow needs story ideas for Spark’s New Year’s show: 27 Ideas in 27 Minutes
• Dan James of silverorange divides his time between CEOing and shingling (full interview)
• Vincent Lam explains how to be a writer and a doctor (full talk)
• We’re looking for your blogging questions for Merlin Mann

This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:

• “onojo” by airtone
• Clip from “Office Etiquette“
• “Go There” by Windom Earle
• Clip from “When You Grow Up“
• “Why” by khidir

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You can download this episode as an MP3, or receive Spark automatically by subscribing to any of our totally free podcast feeds:

• Free weekly podcast (Subscribe in iTunes)
• Free weekly podcast + additional blog-only content (Subscribe in iTunes)
• Free weekly podcast (low bandwidth version)

For more information (and instructions) visit cbc.ca/podcasting

[Original image by foundphotoslj]

4847 Commentshttp://www.cbc.ca/spark/2008/11/episode-55-november-26-29-2008/Episode+55+-+November+26+%26%23038%3B+29%2C+20082008-11-25+21%3A41%3A29Dan+Misener

Over the coming weeks, Spark is running a special series about building an online presence you can be proud of. Merlin Mann of 43Folders.com will be our guide, and we encourage you to pick up Merlin’s homework and follow along at home or work. View all of Merlin’s segments.

So far, Merlin Mann has explained what makes a good blog, how to consider your audience, and why it’s important to set expectations and get better.

This past week, Merlin and Nora talked about how to attract an online audience. In a sea of advice on how to “supercharge your blog,” what are some wholesome and ethical ways to organically attract an audience to your online presence?

We’ve reposted the audio here as an MP3 download:

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Merlin’s homework assignment: Consider getting outside your URL. Meet some real people who share your interest.

For Merlin’s final segment in this series, he’ll take your questions. Do you have a burning blogging question for Merlin? Leave it in the comments below.

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(OK, this is clearly not Vincent, but some cute Lam fans I found on Flickr.)

Recently, I went to a very cool conference in Toronto. It was called Changing the World, and it was put on by a group of students from Queen’s University. The conference was for high school and university students and it was based on the very popular TED talks, where each presenter has 18 minutes to present his or her big idea to the crowd.

I enjoyed all of the talks, but I think my favorite was the lecture given by Vincent Lam. Vincent is an emergency room doctor, and is also a writer. In 2006, he won the Giller prize for his novel Bloodletting and Other Miraculous Cures.

Vincent gave a great talk about why you shouldn’t box yourself into one profession. He told the crowd about why he wanted to be a doctor and a writer and that both of those jobs have one important skill in commom: storytelling.

We’re airing a shortened version of Vincent’s talk on today’s episode of Spark, but we’re posting the entire lecture below, or you can download the MP3. (You’ll just have to close your eyes and pretend to see the slides he refers to in his presentation!)

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I’m going to send this link to a couple of my doctor friends and a few people I know who are pondering their career choices. Maybe it will be the little bit of inspiration they’re looking for…

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A couple of weeks ago, Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos.com, laid off eight per cent of his work force. Shortly after, he sent this message out on Twitter:

Very emotional day for everyone at Zappos. I’ll be sending out an update later today with details of what’s going on.

Zappos.com is an online retailer specializing in shoes, but also sells handbags, clothing and some electronics. Tony is anticipating that Zappos will do one billion in sales this year, but this didn’t make the company immune from the economic downturn.

What caught our attention about the Zappos situation was the transparency of it. Tony twittered about the layoffs and then later posted the internal company memo on his blog for the public to read, including details about severance.

While this was happening, Zappos employees were also twittering about the news. Zappos encourages its staff to have Twitter accounts (they even offer a Twitter class at the office) so while the pink slips were being handed out, employees were tweeting about the whole experience.

On the November 24 and 29 episode of Spark, Nora talks to Tony Hsieh about why he blogged about the layoffs, and about his take on having a strong company culture.

An edited version of this interview will air on an upcoming episode of Spark, but you can listen to the full interview below, or download the MP3.

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We want to hear what you think:

Now that employees can have their immediate and unfiltered say on blogs, twitter and facebook, how transparent will companies need to be with good/bad news?

Are the days of the PR department controlling the company message gone? Add your two cents, or your advice for big business, in the comments.

photo by Brian Solis, www.briansolis.com, bub.blicio.us.

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When I arrive at work in the morning, the first thing I do is turn on my computer. Then I usually walk to the kitchenette to put my lunch in the fridge. By the time I return to my desk, the Windows login prompt has usually appeared. After I enter my password, it usually takes three or four minutes before I can actually do anything with my computer.

This NYTimes article calls booting up your computer “the black hole of the digital age.” And for some, it’s not just time that disappears into that black hole… it’s money, too. Some employees are suing because they’re not paid for the time it takes their computers to boot:

During the past year, several companies, including AT&T Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Cigna Corp., have been hit with lawsuits in which employees claimed that they were not paid for the 15- to 30-minute task of booting their computers at the start of each day and logging out at the end.

We’ll explore this on an upcoming episode of Spark. And we’d like you to help out. Here’s what we’d like you to do:

1. Dial 1-877-34-SPARK (1-877-347-7275)
2. Turn on your computer
3. Give us a real-time play-by-play of what you do while your computer is booting up

Maybe you get a cup of coffee, or feed the cat, or spy on your neighbours. Whatever it is, we want to hear how you fill the time it takes your computer to boot. Call now, operators are standing by!

[via NYTimes and The National Law Journal]

[Original image by lorentey]

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Original photo by trialsanderrors

OK, I admit it; we’ve kind of backed ourselves into a corner. For our December 31st/Jan 3rd show, we wanted to try something different. It’s called 27 Ideas in 27 Minutes, and the idea was just that: make a Spark “special” that would present 27 intriguing ideas in one 27 minute episode.

We have some good ideas.

We just don’t have 27 of them. That’s where you come in, I hope.

We’re looking for ideas about the unintended consequences of technology; how a bright idea or a happy accident can put technology to a whole new use. We want your story of bending the rules with technology. How have you improved on or modified the technology in your life? Maybe it’s as small as using your shiny black cell phone as a lipstick mirror; maybe it’s a new way of using a keyboard to avoid repetitive strain.

Leave your comments here at the blog, send an email to spark [at] cbc [dot] ca, or call our fab new toll-free (in Canada) line: 1-877-34SPARK. If we use your bright idea on the air, we’ll send you a sassy Spark reuseable grocery bag to start 2009 off right. (If you phone us, be sure to leave your name and contact info).

Thanks! Our reps are on the line!

47937 Commentshttp://www.cbc.ca/spark/2008/11/help-we-forgot-to-turn-on-the-idea-machine/Help%21+We+Forgot+to+Turn+on+the+Idea+Machine%212008-11-19+21%3A09%3A26Nora+Young