A YouTube Kodak Moment

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A viral video has made its way out of Kodak and become one of the hottest clips on the Web. In it, a dignified, white-haired speaker starts by extolling Kodak’s contributions to photography and our culture but then morphs into a ranting maniac, raving about the great work the company is doing in digital photography.

It’s funny, but also remarkable for its self-deprecating humor. The clip includes several references to Kodak’s early failures to get into digital photography and the opportunities it squandered. Its honesty reflects favorably on the company. Kodak says the video was prepared for internal use and was never meant to be seen by the public. The company has gotten an inadvertent image boost, though, by admitting to its past mistakes and making fun of itself. Good show.

My holiday open-source odyssey

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I typically spend some time during the down week following Christmas each year to indulge my inner geek and learn some new technology. I have no programming background apart from an eight-week college tutorial in BASIC, so it’s always an adventure. I learn by diving in and doing.

This year I focused on learning Mambo, an open-source content management system, and Samba, the widely respected file-sharing utility. I found both packages impressive in their power and scope but frustratingly difficult to learn and use. I think this accessibility issue continues to be open source’s weak point because the audience of SMB and home users who are the best candidates for low-cost open-source solutions are too inclined to just throw up their hands and walk away rather than deal with all the complexity.

A good example is Samba. My goal this holiday was to set up a simple Linux-based file server to host my business documents. Only two people needed to access the server and both needed universal read/write permission, since we frequently alter each other’s files. A directory created by one user needed to inherit the open permissions of its parent.

In Windows, the process of setting up a share like this takes about 30 seconds. In Samba on Linux, it took me the better part of two weeks, involved two complete re-installs of the operating system and probably a dozen hours of tinkering. I think it works now, but I’m still not 100% sure.

The Linux portion was a snap. Ubuntu Linux is a fantastic distribution. It installed easily and includes a nice suite of office applications and utilities. This distro has totally changed my thinking about desktop Linux. However, you can’t host a Windows directory on Linux. Samba is a great technology that runs on just about every operating system ever invented and allows file exchange with Windows.

The problem for me was that Samba takes a much more disciplined approach to security than Windows. It’s as if the developers couldn’t comprehend why anyone would ever want two users to have unfettered access to the same directory. I found a widely cited tutorial online by a blogger who set up a Samba/Ubuntu file server for $80. His instructions worked great until I got to the PhP administration section, at which time the console either didn’t launch or wouldn’t let me in. I got the share to work, but the permissions were still locked down.

Then I found this tutorial by none other than John Terpstra, the inventor of Samba, detailing how to set up a simple anonymous read/write share. Eureka! This tutorial eventually solved my problem, but it was no simple task.

Setup involved typing in a lot of Linux commands, editing Samba configuration files and setting up each PC that needed to access the directory. One problem is that different Linux distros use slightly different commands. Terpstra was using SUSE Linux and I was on Ubuntu. A couple of the commands in the tutorial simply elicited error messages from Ubuntu. Also, a command to create multiple directories bombed in Ubuntu, which wouldn’t give the needed permissions. At one point, Ubuntu refused to let me modify the critical smb.conf file. That required me to dive down another hole looking for a command that would bypass that restriction.

It seemed that in each case, I would get three-quarters of the way through the tutorial and then something would fail. Because I’m not good enough to undo my mistakes, I had to reinstall Ubuntu twice to clean up the mess.

The happy ending is that I now have an 833MHz Compaq Deskpro with a 320GB hard disk happily purring away and quickly serving files over the network. The whole setup cost about $250. Ubuntu’s reliability has been fantastic and Samba is impressive in its power and the range of options it provides.

Still, I was frustrated by the hours of work that it took to get there. My techie readers will say that I’m a fool for not learning more about Samba before starting the project. They’re right, but I suspect most advanced amateurs like me prefer to just start tinkering. In any case, I found the Samba documentation to be dauntingly complex. The online tutorials were much easier to navigate.

Windows still holds the edge when it comes to ease-of-use. This is the Achilles heel of most open source programs that I’ve used. I think open source programmers have a hard time giving up flexibility for the sake of usability. Microsoft got comfortable with that tradeoff many years ago and that’s why it’s so popular with small businesses.

Next, I’ll talk about my Mambo odyssey, which was fulfilling and frustrating for a whole different set of reasons.

One view from inside the newspaper industry

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I’ve had quite a few e-mails from people about my theory that newspapers are entering a death spiral, but none as compelling as this one, which just arrived. The sender is anonymous, so I have no way of verifying who he says he is. Read it, though, and judge for yourself.

“Hi Paul……I’m a Delivery Foreman for the NYTimes, union, of course. I make 90k a year without overtime. My drivers make 60k+ a year. The Times signed a new contract with us (NMDU) this spring that’s “guaranteed” through 2016. With diesel fuel approaching 3 bucks a gallon, newsprint costs, warehouse rent, insurance, pension, workers comp costs, etc. etc. etc. how long is this a viable model? Answer….not too effing long, that’s for sure. I tell my drivers, “We’re like the dinosaurs after the first meteor hit………we stick our heads up above the weeds, and think, ‘hey, it’s getting cold out…’…….and they don’t want to hear it. I’m really curious about what Sulzberger could have been thinking when he forced us to re-open our contracts and gave us the guarantee. Does he know something that the rest of us don’t? Anyway, I retire soon. I’m more than ready for a buyout, but the younger guys ….well, good luck with that ‘guarantee’. If one lawyer can write a contract, another one can break it……………. “

By the way, you can now download my article, “How the coming newspaper industry collapse will reinvigorate journalism” as a PDF.

New Influencers site is live

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The New Influencers promotional/informational website is up and running. Well, maybe not so much running as toddling, since there’s a lot of work still to be done. I’ll eventually have links to ever blogger/podcaster who was interviewed or mentioned in the book, along with what I’m calling “online footnotes.” Those are commented links to important and interesting information from the book.

It’s a work-in-progress, so I’d be pleased to hear your comments and suggestions.

Time's Person of the Year choice is on the money

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The best line I’ve read about Time magazine’s choice of all of us as the Person of the Year comes from Pop Sugar:

Who are these people? Seriously, who actually sits down after a long day at work and says, I’m not going to watch Lost tonight. I’m going to turn on my computer and make a movie starring my pet iguana? I’m going to mash up 50 Cent’s vocals with Queen’s instrumentals? I’m going to blog about my state of mind or the state of the nation or the steak-frites at the new bistro down the street? Who has that time and that energy and that passion?

Fortunately, a very large number of people do, and that’s why Time‘s recognition is apropos. New media has given millions of people a voice to share that energy and passion with others. Maybe not a lot of others, but even if only a few people listen to what they say, that’s enough.

Critics are trashing Time‘s choice as a wimp cop-out, a pander to advertisers. I think it’s a master stroke. What other story was this big this year? The quagmire in Iraq? The Democrats’ victory in the election? The earthquake in Hawaii? Fifty years from now, no one will remember these things, but 50 years from now the world will be a very different place because of what happened on YouTube, MySpace and thousands of other online meeting places that barely existed a year ago.

It was 25 years ago that Time named the personal computer Machine of the Year. That was a pretty prophetic choice. This is no less visionary.

In a recent Tech Nation interview, author Steven Levy told host Moira Gunn that he was fortunate to be covering the Internet because it’s the biggest story of our generation. I think he made a good point. The global revolution in information discovery and dissemination will change our future fundamentally. It will touch every institution in our society. And now each of us can play a part in it. What bigger story is there than that?

Marketers react to newspaper death-spiral proposal

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BtoB magazine published my monthly column under the provocative title “Newspaper death spiral has begun” this week and linked to a 3,500-word manifesto that I assembled to further argue my point. If you read this blog regularly, you’ve already read the salient points, but the essay on the BtoB site packages everything up neatly.

I’ve received a handful of e-mails from BtoB readers about the column and not a single one has disagreed with my position. Perhaps my argument isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. One writer asked whether I thought magazines were going to suffer the same fate as newspapers. My position on that is that magazines are a different issue entirely and it really depends on the type of magazine. High-end, lifestyle mags will be just fine (Cigar Aficionado, Golf, Travel & Leisure). News magazines have been in trouble for a long time and I think their situation will worsen. Trade magazines will be a mixed bag. I expect very few computer magazines to survive, for example, but CFO magazine or vertical journals in non-tech areas may see little change.

The economic model of magazines is very different from that of newspapers. Newspapers have huge fixed costs for production and delivery and that’s why they’re so vulnerable. Once they cover their fixed costs, the margins are great, but if they ever become unprofitable, the whole model starts to fall apart. They don’t scale down very well. That’s why I believe the collapse of newspapers will be so rapid. Remember that in many markets, newspapers operate as essentially legal monopolies. If they can’t make money operating from that position of strength, their situation is very dire indeed.

Another writer asked about the prospects for community newspapers. In fact, I believe those publications have a bright future. My expanded essay refers to resurgence in community publishing enabled by cheaper production costs. Small-town and community newspapers are well positioned to take advantage of the trend toward more localized publishing. They are the least likely to be marginalized by online competition.

In short, I think the rapid collapse scenario will be limited to metropolitan dailies. National papers will probably be okay and community papers could actually get stronger. But I’d hate to be the Detroit Free Press right now.

How Web 2.0 Tools Help in the Hiring Process

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From Innovations, a website published by Ziff-Davis Enterprise from mid-2006 to mid-2009. Reprinted by permission.

The arrival of the Web 2.0-style publishing and networking tools gives managers more options than ever to find, screen and hire the right people. Here are some ideas for using online tools to improve the recruitment process. Disclaimer: always stay within the law and the ethical guidelines of your firm. Using online aids to make discriminatory employment decisions can land you in hot water.

Finding candidates

Most job descriptions and recruitment ads are dry and boring, so why not start a personal blog or get a slot in your company blog to tell your story? Write enthusiastically about the opportunities in your group and make sure you register your blog with search engines like Technorati and IceRocket so you’ll turn up in search results. You can find a great list of social media search engines on Robin Good’s site.

I’ve never used professional networking services like Linked In or VisiblePath for recruiting, but I know people who swear by them. These sites enable people to find each other through mutual acquaintances. There are hundreds of other social networking sites organized around special interests. Wikipedia.org has a good list. Become involved in a professional online network and post your opportunities there.

If you’re looking for young employees, consider hanging out a shingle on MySpace or Facebook. These services are incredibly popular with the under-25 set, nearly 70% of whom have created an online profile somewhere, according to one recent survey. If you think you’re too old for MySpace, think again. More than half of MySpace visitors are over 35. You’ll need a college e-mail address to get on Facebook.

You can also search social media for candidates. Technorati, IceRocket, Google Blog Search and Feedster are popular blog search engines. Look for people who are talking about your industry or company. You can find a longer list of blog search engines here.

Screening

If you have a lot of resumes to sort through, consider asking candidates to answer some questions online. Services like Pre-valuate ask focused questions that can help filter out candidates who lack the knowledge you need.

You can also create your own survey form at one of the hundreds of sites that provide free or paid online surveys. SurveyMonkey.com, Zoomerang.com and WebSurveyor.com are some popular options. Be sure to ask more than just technical questions. Have candidates write about their experiences and attitudes so you can get an idea of whether they’d be a good fit for your organization.

It’s a no-brainer to Google a prospective employee’s name and nearly three quarters of employers already do, according to ExecuNet, a Norwalk, Conn.-based job search and recruiting network. The firm also reports that 35% of recruiters who do online searches have deep-sixed a candidate because of something they found online.

Always query the employee’s name in quotes to get a better match and don’t forget to try searching with middle initials and nicknames (Edward, Ed, Ted). There’s more to the world than Google, though. Ask.com’s revamped search engine is a powerful alternative to Google and includes blog search. Amazon’s A9 is also worth a try. These engines may find something Google overlooked or interpret your query differently enough to yield you a better result.

Blog search engines will show you what a candidate has been writing about lately and they can yield some interesting insights. The Boston Globe wrote of one woman who lost a job opportunity after she blogged that the job didn’t interest her all that much. A review of her server logs revealed that the employer had seen the post.

People leave a lot of digital footprints these days and searches can turn up after-hours activities or past indiscretions that may make you think twice about a candidate. While you should always give people the benefit of the doubt, it doesn’t hurt to be armed with information. At the very least, ask for an explanation for whatever you found. The Wall Street Journal recently wrote about the problems that online archives can create for candidates. If it’s online, it’s fair game.

Zoominfo is an intriguing new service that assembles a kind of ad hoc resume of people you search for using information on the Web. You can also find people with common interests or at other companies (a great resource for informal reference checks). You can also dig into hard-to-find public records with paid services like Peoplefinder. It may be well worth the $20 to $40 fee to check out the finalist for a job.

I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface of possibilities. Share your own tools and tips by commenting below.

Innovations 2007: Some Predictions

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From Innovations, a website published by Ziff-Davis Enterprise from mid-2006 to mid-2009. Reprinted by permission.

It’s the time of year when everybody makes predictions and who am I to buck the trend?

It’s actually been an exciting year in technology innovation and I think we’ll see that energy continue in 2007. We’ve got all the new tech we can handle right now, so next year will be more about  making choices and assimilating what we’ve got.

Expect virtualization to be a huge topic, with every server maker jumping into the fray.  You’ll also begin to see a lot of add-on products that build on virtualization platforms and provide for improved security, management and functionality. This is a hugely disruptive technology. For the first time, the operating system is being disengaged from the hardware, and that has the potential to change things pretty fundamentally This was the year that people got excited about virtualization; 2007 will be the year they figure out how to put it to work.

There’s no question that service-oriented architecture is going mainstream, and in 2007 we will begin to see public demonstrations of very impressive capability.  A lot of this new innovation will come from combining internal applications with commercial services. That’s one big reason software as a service (SaaS) is so important. We’ve talked a lot about the ease-of-deployment benefits of SaaS this year, but where it really gets exciting is when you start combining applications from multiple vendors and customizing them through a services interface.  We’re in the first inning of the shift to this new software delivery vehicle and I think the game is going to get very interesting next year.

Expect lots of action in mobile automation. There are some big wireless internet deployments in the works – more than 250 municipalities are working on them – and the prospect is there for an explosion of high speed services at little or no cost. This will become even more compelling as corporations make the move to voice over IP and equip their employees with phones that can connect to wireless networks. The cost of hard-wired bandwidth has been plummeting for three years while mobile networking has stayed stubbornly expensive. It’s time for that to change and we’ll all be better for that.

On the desktop, look for the first real signs of some action in Linux. The new distributions are simple and easy to install and use. For many business desktop users, they will work just fine. OpenOffice.org is a kick-butt office suite for the price and a lot of people have recently their first open source experience with Firefox and liked it. I’m not proposing that Microsoft’s franchise is in trouble but users to have a viable alternative to Windows for the first time.

If you read this column regularly, you know I’m fascinated by social media and the impact that personal publishing is having on business and society. There are 100 million people on MySpace already and the service is barely two years old. Forget the first inning, we’re still in the first at-bat of this megatrend. Social media will disrupt many of our institutions and assumptions fundamentally by giving ordinary people something they have never had before: the power to be heard at a global level. I don’t think we can even begin to predict the revolution this will kick off, but I sure want to be around to watch it for a while.

These are fun times to be writing about innovation and I look forward to continuing the conversation into the new year. Next week we’ll set the stage with a discussion of the exciting potential of small technology changes to kick off major disruptions in our institutions. Have a great holiday!

Craigslist: Business success without a profit motive

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Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster spoke to Wall Street analysts this week, stunning them with his lack of interest in maximizing profits or revenue. Two years ago, a study estimated that Craigslist is costing Bay Area newspapers $50 million annually in lost revenue. Today, the site is far more influential. And it doesn’t care about profits. How do you compete with that?