Three Words to Propel Me in 2010

Clarity. Prioritize. Act.

These are the three words I'm using to guide my professional life in 2010.

Clarity: Keeping it simple. Focusing on specific goals. Making it clear to others what's most important, right now. In recently completing my MBA it became apparent that the most successful leaders are those who provide Clarity - focus and direction - to their organizations.

Prioritize: It's OK to scratch off items that have been on the "to do" list for three weeks. If I haven't done them by now, they aren't going to get done, and how important are they anyway? Each day I want to focus FIRST on those activities that will advance my life, my career, my organization and the success of my students.

Act: It's too easy to put off 'til tomorrow what can make a difference today. But why? As Nike likes to remind us: "Just do it." Not only do you get a great feeling of satisfaction for getting things done, but you're one step closer to achieving those BHAGs - Big Hairy Audacious Goals - ones that really make a difference.

Where did this "three words" concept come from? Chris Brogan, social media expert and author of "Trust Agents." In his first blog post of 2010, he shared his "new" three words and how this activity helps in his personal and professional life. As he explains:

Pick three words that help you the way a lighthouse helps a ship in a storm. Give yourself a word that guides you towards a powerful new opportunity, and that keeps you focused on what comes of this year.

Use these words as starting points for tangible goals, SMART goals that can be measured and have dates to accomplish tasks by. These words sit above the actual goals, and set your guiding principles in place

I've been narrowing my list of three words for several weeks. Some of the words that didn't make the cut this time around? Listen. Think. Patience. While I've resolved to improve these habits in my daily life, Clarity, Prioritize and Act seemed more conducive to achieving some specific goals I have in mind for the year ahead. More on those another time.

For more on choosing three words to focus on goals and getting things done, see:

• Chris Brogan: My 3 Words for 2010
• SAMBA Blog: My Three Words for 2010
• Seth Godin: The Thing About Goals

What are your three words for 2010?

(Photo credit: "Three Golden Keys" by krish.Tipimeni, courtesy of Flickr.com/Creating Commons)

What Will Google Do in China?

Recently, students in my Media & Society class talked about the challenges Google faces in China: namely, subjecting the Google search function to censors in exchange for access to a huge online market.

Now that it appears Chinese authorities are tracking down activists by monitoring Google searches, the company is re-evaluating its business in China and whether is goes against the company credo: "Don't be evil."

Jeff Jarvis, author of one of our class textbooks ("What Would Google Do?"), updated the company's status in China after an interview with Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Here's an excerpt from Jarvis' latest post on BuzzMachine:

“We made a decision that was consistent with our values,” Schmidt said. “We’re not going to operate differently in China as opposed to the rest of the world,” said (David) Drummond.

When is Gooogle going to do something? “It should happen soon,” Drummond said.

Was Google’s original stance on China — making it an exception to its own rules — a mistake? “We said consistently we would evaluate the position,” said Schmidt, “and people didn’t believe us.”

On the attacks, Schmidt said the company had a moral need to “make sure our systems are safe from attack anywhere.”

Check out the rest of Jarvis' post, which also covers transparency in Google advertising, hassles in Europe, as well as Android and the company's phone strategy.

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See also:
Google reconsiders China policy

Five Writing Tips from 10,000 Words

Add these to your list of tips to improve your writing. These come from 10,000 Words, one of my favorite journalism sites.

In addition to improving your writing, Mark Luckie presents these ideas to capitalize on concentration:

1. Eliminate distractions
2. Write down ideas when you have them
3. Use a better spellchecker
4. Tame the Web
5. Use natural remedies

I plead guilty to allowing myself to be too easily distracted by the overload of interesting stuff on the Web. So that's my focus in the days ahead - Get it done, then it's OK to sneak a peak at Twitter, Facebook and e-mail...

Also see:

• Advice from a master blogger
• Make stories better with personal connections
• Still more tips for bloggers

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p.s. Forgetting good ideas that arrive in the shower is not an issue for me, I worry more about forgetting to spray away the cream rinse...

Google Reconsiders China Policy

Kudos to Google for taking a second look at the censored search service it offers in China.

After hackers, possibly Chinese government types, used the search engine to track down dissidents and activists, Google announced that it was reconsidering its service in China, which provides a stripped-down version that excludes items deemed inappropriate by the Chinese government.

For years, Google has said some search was better than no search in China and it was hopeful its service would help liberalize the flow of information in the communist nation.

So much for that...

Other stuff to see:

• Jeff Jarvis: "What Google Should Do"
• NY Times: "Google's Threat Echoed Everywhere, Except China"
• NY Times: "Google Would Abandon Lucrative Market"

Photo credit: "Google_China" by googlisti, courtesy of Flickr.com/Creative Commons

2009 Not Good for Journalists vs. Censors

Censors got the best of many journalists around the world last year, according to an alarming analysis by Reporters Without Borders reported today on MediaShift:

For the first time since the Internet emerged as a tool for public use, there are currently 100 bloggers and cyber-dissidents imprisoned worldwide as a result of posting their opinions online in 2009, according to Reporters Without Borders. This figure is indicative of the severity of the crackdowns being carried out in roughly 10 countries around the world. ...

The number of countries pursuing online censorship doubled in the past year -- a disturbing trend that suggests governments seek to increase their control over new media. In total, 151 bloggers and cyber-dissidents were arrested in 2009, and 61 were physically assaulted.

It might seem easy to dismiss reports such as this because it's happening "someplace else," such as Iran or China. However, in the wired world of today, around the world might just as well be around the block.

The next journalist/blogger/newscaster to feel the brunt of censors may live in the democracy next door. As the story notes, several European nations along with Australia are looking at ways to "control the Internet." Beware ...

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Update:

• See Mashable: "Zen and the Art of Twitter"
• Mashable: "How Social Media Has Changed Us"

New Term Focuses on Feature Stories

With the start of a new term this week at Linn-Benton Community College came working with a talented group of aspiring feature writers. Two dozen students are enrolled in Feature Writing (JN217).

As they embark upon their reporting and writing quest, they would welcome story ideas from around campus and around the community. Several of the students are interested in pursuing stories on the college's new "pay to print" process, baby boomers coming back to school, parking challenges and campus construction. If you have ideas for additional stories, please leave a comment.

(Today students launched their own blogs, many of which can be viewed below in the column to the right.)

I'm looking forward to working with the students this term and seeing their work published in The Commuter, LBCC's student newspaper and online site.

Some More Social Media Links

Here is a pair of interesting social media pieces:

• "A Satirical Take on Social Media in 2009," a snappy slidecast by Rob Cottingham passed along by Reportr.net
• "Five Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook" in the New York Times. (Sure it's from September, but good advice is always timely...)

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NY Times Columnist: Twitter Is Here to Stay

Wondering why Twitter matters or why you should pay attention to it? Some excellent answers to those questions can be found in "Why Twitter Will Endure," by New York Times columnist David Carr.

Carr sums up the short and glorious history of the micro-blogging site, his own initial skepticism, and why it is succeeding -- exponentially.

"... Has Twitter turned my brain to mush? No, I’m in narrative on more things in a given moment than I ever thought possible, and instead of spending a half-hour surfing in search of illumination, I get a sense of the day’s news and how people are reacting to it in the time that it takes to wait for coffee at Starbucks."

I had Twitter running last night during the Rose Bowl (following various hashtags -- #rosebowl, #oregon, #goducks). It was fascinating to follow the flow of the game from the perspective of fans and media types worldwide, including many at the game. At times the number of tweets flowed faster than my computer could update them. Who needs TV anyway?

Why do I think I've become hooked on Twitter? Carr sums it up nicely:

On Twitter, anyone may follow anyone, but there is very little expectation of reciprocity. By carefully curating the people you follow, Twitter becomes an always-on data stream from really bright people in their respective fields, whose tweets are often full of links to incredibly vital, timely information. ... The best people on Twitter communicate with economy and precision, with each element — links, hash tags and comments — freighted with meaning. ...

Twitter is incredibly customizable, with little of the social expectations that go with Facebook. Depending on whom you follow, Twitter can reveal a nation riveted by the last episode of “Jersey Shore” or a short-form conclave of brilliance. There is plenty of nonsense — #Tiger had quite a run — but there are rich threads on the day’s news and bravura solo performances from learned autodidacts. And the ethos of Twitter, which is based on self-defining groups, is far more well-mannered than many parts of the Web — more Toastmasters than mosh pit.

See also:
Steven Johnson: "How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live"
CommonCraft: "Twitter in Plain English"
Clay Shirky: "How Social Media Can Make History"
Oregonian: Portland Snowstorm Prompts Twitter Alerts
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Photo credit: "Time Cover Story: How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live" by steve garfield, courtesy of Flickr.com/Creative Commons