Use the window below to chat with me (if I'm online ...)
Use the edit nick field above to let me see your name.
cazh1: on Business, Information, and Technology
Thoughts and observations on the intersection of technology and business; searching for better understanding of what's relevant, where's the value, and (always) what's the goal ...
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Field Notes: Lean Times for IT Services
I know it's lean times in IT, and product / services vendors are all beating the bushes. Some interesting patterns have emerged over the last few months ...
My Boss Is In Town: This is far and away the #1 meme / structure of incoming cold calls; I get a (very) brief synopsis of services/value add, the caller and pushes for some face time with "their manager". Did some newsletter or web site suggest this novel approach last summer? I pinged a consultant friend for an opinion, and they said it might have to do with my title, but I don't think so - this seems to be a fairly recent phenomenon.
LinkedIn Surfers: Using the Who's Viewed My Profile feature, I typically only see names of companies. For the unfamiliar names, one or two clicks will tell me if they are software or services firms; at this point, I'll lay 1:2 odds that they will be calling or eMailing within a week. Not that this is bad - just predictable.
Never be Rude: In all of these conversations, I do try to be polite and listen to the conversation / "pitch" for just a few minutes. I think it's all about karma - the folks on the phone are just doing their job, and I'll give them as polite a response as I can muster, in complete sentences, etc. I'm not turning down face-time requests because I don't like these folks; the reality for most buy-side firms (I would think) is that [we] have limited time and attention span for new professional relationships, and limited resources for additional projects. If the product or service you are pitching is not on my close-in radar screen, I probably won't be interested - so let's just jump to the end game ...
Never say Never: However, I do like to exchange contact information, and I'll always ask for a short electronic synopsis of a firm and their skills / product offerings. Electronic - because I hate moving paper. Plus, I keep my conversations in a contact database, and index my hard drive for stuff like text-searchable PDFs, office documents, etc. When I do have a need, I will typically search my electronic resources to find out who (among those I have connected with) might have a certain set of competencies.
A Perfect World: Here's a thought: some really innovative firm could publish contact information and competencies in some structured text, or maybe make it electronically discoverable on their corporate web site - can you say semantic web?. Then I search & find by competencies when I have a true need. Of course, guys like me would love a spec and a how-to document to do the same for our departmental IT profile (key technologies, typical use of third party firms, IT procurement processes for Preferred / Approved Vendors, etc.). You know, if some firm out there defined, implemented, and popularized such a spec / standard, they'd really be showing me that they knew what they were talking about ...
Real World Chicago: Of course, my professional career has been centered in Chicago, and have built excellent networks and rapport with the folks I know, have spent face time with - so I do appreciate the value of that whole relationship thing. Still, please don't be offended when I keep the conversation terse.
Of course, all the best sales people get two orders every day, right? Get out and stay out!
(apologies to TQ, he always hated that joke).
posted by James P. MacLennan at 8:31 PM
| Permalink
|
|
Field Notes: Lean Times for IT Services
I know it's lean times in IT, and product / services vendors are all beating the bushes. Some interesting patterns have emerged over the last few months ...
My Boss Is In Town: This is far and away the #1 meme / structure of incoming cold calls; I get a (very) brief synopsis of services/value add, the caller and pushes for some face time with "their manager". Did some newsletter or web site suggest this novel approach last summer? I pinged a consultant friend for an opinion, and they said it might have to do with my title, but I don't think so - this seems to be a fairly recent phenomenon.
LinkedIn Surfers: Using the Who's Viewed My Profile feature, I typically only see names of companies. For the unfamiliar names, one or two clicks will tell me if they are software or services firms; at this point, I'll lay 1:2 odds that they will be calling or eMailing within a week. Not that this is bad - just predictable.
Never be Rude: In all of these conversations, I do try to be polite and listen to the conversation / "ptich" for just a few minutes. I think it's all about karma - the folks on the phone are just doing their job, and I'll gve them as polite a response as I can muster, in complete sentemnces, etc. I'm not turning down face-time requests because I don't like these folks; the reality for most buy-side firms (I would thnk) is that [we] have limited time and attention span for new professional relationships, and limited resources for additional projects. If the product or service you are pitching is not on my close-in radar screen, I probably won't be interested - so let's just jump to the end game ...
Never say Never: However, I do like to exchange contact information, and I'll always ask for a short electronic synopsis of a firm and their skills / product offerings. Electronic - because I hate moving paper. Plus, I keep my conversations in a contact database, and index my hard drive for stuff like text-searchable PDFs, office documents, etc. When I do have a need, I will typically search my electronic resources to find out who (among those I have connected with) miight have a certain set of competencies.
A Perfect World: Here's a thought: some really innovative firm could publish contact information and competencies in some structured text, or maybe make it electronically discoverable on their corporate web site - can you say semantic web?. Then I search & find by competenices when I have a true need. Of course, guys like me would love a spec and a how-to document to do the same for our departmental IT profile (key technologies, typical use of third party firms, IT procurement processes for Preferred / Approved Vendors, etc.). You know, if some firm out there defined, implemented, and popularized such a spec / standard, they'd really be showing me that they knew what they were talking about ...
Real World Chicago: Of course, my professional career has been centered in Chicago, and have built excellent networks and rapport with the folks I know, have spent face time with - so I do appreciate the value of that whole relationship thing. Still, please don't be offended when I keep the conversation terse.
Of course, all the best sales people get two orders every day, right? Get out and stay out!
(apologies to TQ, he always hated that joke).
Previously ...
posted by James P. MacLennan at 8:29 PM
| Permalink
|
|
Monday, October 13, 2008
On the Road: Business Travel, Fall 2008
I don't travel a significant amount in my current position, but when I do, it seems to come in chunks. I'm about half way through a round of travel this fall - mostly business, but with some personal travel mixed in. Six cities, three countries in less than four months. Some observations at the halfway point ...
@ the Data Center: The Surreal Life
I'm finishing this entry around 4am - just off my second night in a row on the "late shift" for our Disaster Recovery (DR) exercise [Note: final edits and post mid-day, after I got home]. I've been deep in the "bunker" - a highly secured building with acres of processors, busily working away for any number of companies. No matter what city you are in (even New York!), the traffic is very light between 1 and 3am! And I'm definitely on a different cycle than the majority; yesterday morning, I got off the elevator heading out, and some late-night revelers were stumbling to their rooms after their own "late shift" at the local night spots. No fun like that for the IT folks - gotta keep the brain waves clear, working the checklists.
I've got an easy role; I'm a Shift Manager, just the "manager-in-charge" for the time I'm on. The techs are doing all the heavy lifting, although I get to join in the chorus should we need to escalate anything with our DR hosts. That, and making sure the folks trying to tough it out and go 20+ hours straight are not falling asleep at their consoles. The general preference is to work in the windowless rooms - time goes faster when you can't see the beautiful weather outside. Added bonus - excellent bandwidth to the Internet, which makes it a much better place to work than the hotel room. There are also less distractions (junk daytime TV), and plenty of free food. Alas, that's the other difficult thing to manage when on the road - gotta watch the calories!
Staying Healthy
I'm getting too old to party much on these business trips. Typically, I've got some emails, presentations, or other such stuff to work on during my off time. I can't always count on a decent health club / fitness room - I don't typically stay at the high price joints, but every once in a while I'll luck out and find an elliptical. However, I do like to walk around in the cities that I visit - big or small, always good to get a sense of the place.
Healthy eating is the other big challenge - typically, I'm eating in restaurants, and most American eateries serve up oversize portions that don't help the cause. In general, I find I don't gain much during most trips - never out long enough to develop any seriously bad habits. Unfortunately for this trip, the data center kitchen is always well stocked - has to be, the DR team is working a 24x7 task plan with a ton of stuff to get done in the alloted time. Gotta feed folks well to keep them awake and happy - lots of water, too.
The Crash of 2008, as seen from the Night Shift
It's a strange sensation, working on a weekend project that really destroys your regular schedule - makes following the news of the week a bit disjointed. And what a week - the Dow lost more value than any other week in history. As we wait in the airport, rest in the hotel, or stare at the consoles as tapes load, conversation can wander towards events in the financial and business world - and this adds to the feeling of disconnectedness. It's almost too big to comprehend - but the blogosphere is nicely provides a nuanced, multi-faceted view of the situation, stuff that really makes you think.
Staying Connected
I must say, traveling over the last 2 years has been a joy, now that I'm armed with my Blackberry Pearl and the Internet. I've downloaded the Google Maps application, and while my Pearl doesn't have GPS, it can swag my location by triangulating against cell phone towers. I never get lost, and it's easy to find the right spot to eat, shop, or visit. I was surprised to find out my current location has no pancake houses near the downtown area. Disappointing ... When you can get a decent connection, the Internet lessens that disconnected feeling. These days, I get the majority of my news from websites and blogs, and those stay comfortably constant, no matter where I'm at. Interesting sensation: the environment has changed considerably, but you are just as connected as when you are sitting at home.
Soon, it's time to load up the van and head for the airport - and another round of experimentation with Ping.fm. I've been experimenting off and on with Twitter again, and since I've recently made the leap and started a page on Facebook, I thought I'd also try this multiple status updater. Note that I don't send travelogue updates to LinkedIn - as I've noted before, the "what am I doing" feature doesn't seem to be used much by my network, so I'm sure that the group doesn't care to know when I take off and land. I assume Facebook will become my semi-professional, friends-and-family social network, while LinkedIn stays all business. Twitter? Well, I'm still not sure how relevant that is to me, but I'll ping stuff every once in a while. I do like Ping.fm's ability to quickly toggle parts of your notification list - I will Ping all (including LinkedIn) when I post to this blog, but the "social" stuff doesn't go to the business network.
posted by James P. MacLennan at 12:59 PM
| Permalink
|
|
Friday, May 09, 2008
The Right Web2.0 Tool for the Audience (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook)
The Right Web2.0 Tool for the Audience (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook)
The volume of Twitter posts popping up in my feed reader is ticking upward, a phenomenon I find interesting because of something I noted recently on LinkedIn. A few weeks ago, a new feature appeared, enabling me to report what I'm working on - Twitter for the office crowd. Always willing to try some flair, I jumped on the bandwagon, and set up a recurring ToDo for updating my LI-net on the day's focus.
meta-tweet
That lasted less than two weeks - some clear (and discouraging) trends had emerged:
Few people in my network were using this feature, and actively noting what we were doing - and it was primarily folks that I know are active bloggers, engaged in the practice of Web 2.0 (and they, too, have trailed off in their LI-tweets)
For the "regular" folks in my network, it was the one activity (daily or twice daily updates) that generated the most inbound comments. I got multiple e-mails, noting that I must be manufacturing additional hours each day.
Without fail, whenever you mention SAP, data warehousing, or any other specific technology, every product sales rep or consulting firm in your network will call that day and offer a$$istance.
I remain a fan of LinkedIn and social networks in general, but my personal jury is still out with Twitter. I think I want it to succeed, but I'm not sure exactly what it can succeed at. The ideas and innovationsarestillcomingin - one of them is sure to make sense to the wider audience, right? In the mean time, I just don't see it catching on in the mainstream enterprise business environment.
I wonder if the gap is generational, or just a different target audience? Much like the difference between Facebook and LinkedIn - is it GenX vs the Millennials, or is it social network versus professional network? Earlier this week, Bernard Lunn weighed in with his compare and contrast post, and observing that both platforms attempt to add Yet Another Messaging Medium to your current array. Dennis McDonald's reply post backs up the notion that there are different audiences in play here - he also has done a deeper dive in Facebook than I have, so if you want a more qualified and detailed comparison, check out Dennis' work.
Or maybe Hugh MacLeod (gapingvoid) has it pegged ...
insightful
Note that Mr. MacLeod is clearly a Twitter fan - maybe he gets this stuff it better than I ...
posted by James P. MacLennan at 9:55 PM
| Permalink
|
|
Thursday, May 01, 2008
RSS: Underappreciated Web 2.0 in the Enterprise
RSS: Underappreciated Web 2.0 in the Enterprise
We added RSS capabilities to our internal PMO systems this past month, and traffic & content is already building up to become a valuable resource. Some have [correctly] noted that this increased visibility puts a bit more pressure on project managers and team members, to keep updating project blogs with pertinent information. This "time shifting" of communication should develop into the most effective way to let the rest of IT know what is happening in all areas.
There are some very interesting threads and conversations going on ... for example:
One Supply Chain systems team informs us of process improvements in product development - nothing to do with IT, but interesting nonetheless
Another team is putting together ideas that will take some significant IT costs out - that's a very active thread
The SAP application team is debating with the Basis team on the merits of a Unicode upgrade - and onlookers from Supply Chain Planning and Data Warehousing are noting dependencies on Unicode in their platforms
These spontaneous, organic, and very impactful "conversations", between people still experimenting with a new technology, show me real potential for spontaneous innovation and idea sharing. More evidence of the value of [judicious] experimentation with new technology - no silver bullet, but just enough spark to start a few fires.
Interested in learning more about RSS? There's lots of good reading out on the Internet ...
Voyage is an imaginative RSS-feader which displays the latest news in the "gravity area". Interesting navigation - I don't think this is practical for internal use, but it sure looks good!
Newsmap translates news feeds and frequeny to a variable bar graph approach.
Universe DayLife is, well, spacey. Translates the universe of news and connections to stars ...
posted by James P. MacLennan at 7:48 PM
| Permalink
|
|
Friday, April 04, 2008
Branching Out: Writing for the FEI Blog
Branching Out: Writing for the FEI Blog
Yet another interesting way that the Internet has broadened my connections and collaborations ...
After connecting over LinkedIn and exchanging common interests via e-mail and blog post, the fine folks over at The Front End of Innovation blog asked me to do some posting there as well. They have a different posting style - shorter, a bit more volume than I can generate, and definitely focused on innovation (I know that I wander across many different areas of IT and business). However, I've got a series of post ideas I'm working on in the area of "innovation" - defintely a buzzword for 2008. I should easily be able to cross-post between the two.
Be sure to check out the other authors at FEI - interesting stuff, definitely worth adding to your blog roll!
posted by James P. MacLennan at 9:55 PM
| Permalink
|
|
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Anthropology of LinkedIn Answers: Five Days of Posts
Anthropology of LinkedIn Answers: Five Days of Posts
I have seven RSS feeds from LinkedIn Answers in my blogroll for a few months now. I'll answer a question every once in a while, haven't posted one yet, maybe some day. As I scan these questions, I can see this social network exhibiting multiple personalities, interesting patterns.
So this week, I let my blog reader pile up the questions for five straight days without marking any as "read". An entirely unscientific analysis (warning: I am not an anthropologist), but here's what I found as I sat down to catch up with the posts ...
Overall Statistics
The volume of unsolicited traffic in my voicemail and e-mail inboxes tells me that sales reps and recruiters are aggressively using LinkedIn for opportunity prospecting. However, the numbers below seem to show that the rest of us are looking to the network to solve technology problems (primarily), followed by a smattering of management issues ...
Technology
338
52%
Management
112
17%
Staffing and Recruiting
72
11%
Business Operations
66
10%
Professional Networking
29
4%
Offshoring and Outsourcing
20
3%
Mergers and Acquisitions
8
1%
Total
645
Scanning the questions, I found a number of interesting themes coming through ...
Ask a Simple Question ... some of these have been asked a millian times before - others are sound quite urgent. I can't imagine waiting for a response ...
posted by James P. MacLennan at 11:59 PM
| Permalink
|
|
Saturday, January 26, 2008
My Networking CV (or, What's In It For Me?)
My Networking CV (or, What's In It For Me?)
As social networking sites proliferate and mature, we're all learning how to use these interesting new resources. True, it is just a modern take on "professional networking" - purposeful connections with different special interest groups, to share ideas and lay the foundation for current or future "opportunities".
I'm involved with a couple of organizations like this - I like to connect with peers, and I like to know what's going on in my city and in the industry. Recently I was talking with the organizer of one of these groups, and he asked what we could do to make our periodic meetings more valuable to the people that participate.
Most business meetings start the same way - a quick trip around the table, where everyone introduces themselves, gives their title and role, and typically talks about their expectations for the meeting, or what they want to get out of this next 60 minutes. That might be helpful at work, but when I'm at a networking meeting, there's a different dynamic involved.
To tell the truth - I don't really care what other people want to get out of the meeting … I'm trying to find out how they can help me. I'm looking for somebody who …
… has experience in the technology I'm struggling with - or knows who I might call
… can connect me with an interesting new job opportunity
… has been at the company I am currently interviewing with, so I can get some inside information
… is in the market for the goods or services I need to sell
… has done whatever it is I'm trying to do and can tell me all the shortcuts
Yes, I'm here for myself - and I'm not all that interested in what you want. I'm interested in finding out what or who you know - not what you want to know.
In fact, if the meeting is large, I'll probably tune the rest of you out, spending more time thinking about what I'm going to say (so I don't sound stupid) than listening to you, because (again) I don't care what you want, but I know I don't want to sound silly when I speak.
Hmm, a room full of self-centered louts … how to warm up a crowd like that?
So, my idea for the Meeting Organizer was to turn the whole thing around; as we go around the table, everyone needs to present what I called their Networking CV (or Networking Resume). I need to explain to the folks around the table what I have to offer:
Companies I've worked for
What industries … pharma? manufacturing? financial? not-for-profit? high-tech?
What business models … privately held? public? closely held? venture capital? entrepreneurial startup? Fortune 50?
Roles in the business … developer? DBA? PM? Unit leader? Product Manager? Sales? Strategy? Operations?
What technologies, and how deep is my experience?
What kind projects have I been exposed to?
Remember, you only should take a few minutes to go through this - so how might I find out more?
If you've got a detailed resume on the web, give out your site name - or give me a simple Google search term that will find you every time
If you're in a social network already (ex. LinkedIn), let folks know that you're out there, tell them to send you an invite and you will accept it
If we went around the table talking about this kind of stuff, I'd be listening intently to what everybody else is saying - because they're telling me exactly what I need to hear.
It might be a good idea to set some structure and ground rules around what people can and should say. You don't want folks to start bragging or going into too much detail. You just need to give out enough information to let folks know how you might help them. Not your accomplishments, but what you've been exposed to.
Now, at first blush this approach sounds both selfish and egotistical: I don't care what you want, just listen to how great I am. That's the stealthy, Zen trick behind this approach. By quickly identifying folks that I want and need to have conversations with, I will have more conversations, I will make more connections.
And the nice thing about those connections is that I'm coming to you for information - you're not trying to push yourself on me. I'm interested in the stuff that you know, but since you told me what you know, I'm coming to you. I am initiating the connection; you may be here to sell something, but I'm going to you to talk about your experience in this industry.
All of the first conversations are me asking you for something freely offered
Why is this important? Because when you start asking me for stuff, the ice is already broken. You may be trying to get new business with my firm. You may be asking if I know of any positions in my company.
Some of our multiple, future conversations are you asking me for something I may not want to give (money, time, or reputation)
However - the relationship has already been started, and it's built on mutual, opportunistic benefits, freely given. I know it's much easier to "do business" with folks you know - maybe that's the Chicago way …
So next time you're at a networking event, or putting yourself "out there" on these social networking platforms, try to make it clear what you have to offer. Your first visibility into the network, your first conversation, your first post on the board should focus on what you have to offer, what you will add to the network.
It might be a good thing - altruism, pay it forward, power of positive thinking …
It might be a bad thing - cynical manipulation, selfish, giving a little and getting a lot ...
posted by James P. MacLennan at 9:12 PM
| Permalink
|
|
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
LinkedIn Networking Generates Some Hits; Thoughts on Facebook
LinkedIn Networking Generates Some Hits; Thoughts on Facebook
A quick note about LinkedIn, the social networking site for business professionals; I've been a member / participant for over a year, but definitely not an aggressive link-seeker. For example, I am protective of my personal database of contacts - some of whom I am quite sure would not appreciate having their email address submitted for batch searches. (Yes, I know LinkedIn has have a privacy
policy, but there is a wee Luddite thread in my psyche).
So I'm out there, but passive ... and yet, I've noticed an recent uptick in meatspace connection attempts; eMails and voice mails looking for networking conversations, vendors looking to connect, even job opportunities. For the time being, I'll suffer the vendor calls; I don't want to poison the LinkedIn karma just yet.
Related item: I recently visited a university with my daughter; at dinner with my nephew (a current student), I asked them both about Twitter (see also). They got me up to date on the importance of Facebook for connecting with their friends, the amount of control they have over the information, and the Twitter-like
usefulness of posting who is doing what this weekend.
My previous opinions about Facebook were formed by this article, which lays out a Facebook vs. LinkedIn scenario as current heavy users graduate. There may be some merit to this argument, but I remember interviewing with Apple Computer years ago. The hiring manager was talking about the Apple strategy of putting Macs in the schools; all of those kids will graduate into business,
and bring their preference for MacIntosh (learned in grade school) to their purchasing departments.
Hmmm - hindsight says that Windows-inertia proved a bit harder or Apple to break down, and I think the same might befall Facebook. But that's not necessarily a bad thing ... in this era of the Long Tail, why must networking tools be all things to all communities? Leave student life to Facebook, and let LinkedIn handle the professional networking crowd.
There's a fundamental difference between a network of folks looking for social connections, and one driven by the search for commerce.
posted by James P. MacLennan at 10:53 PM
| Permalink
|
|
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Send mail to webmaster at cazh1 dot com
Copyright (c) 2004-08 James P. MacLennan All Rights Reserved
All trademarks and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective owners.
Comments are owned by the individual posters. All articles, blog entries, and other content on this site are licensed under a Creative Commons License
