Is Social Media Changing The World? Not yet.

Brian Reich — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:45:35 -0500

Jared Cohen, a member of the policy planning staff at the State Department penned an essay on HuffingtonPost asking whether social media was really changing the world. He has some good perspective, an interesting background, and definitely some credibility on the subject of global organizing and social change. But he's still presenting the same old tired conversation about social media and social change.

Need motivation to change the status quo?

Brian Reich — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:58:39 -0500

Do we need more motivation to change the status quo than being told that the status quo isn't going to change?

Trendwatching, one of the leading global trend firms, released its "10 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2010" today. Their first big trend for the coming year is entitled "Business As Usual" and suggests we lower our expectations for change. They write:

What's Wrong With the Analysis of "What's Wrong With Charitable Giving-and How to Fix It"

Brian Reich — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:06:29 -0500

Pablo Eisenberg, a Senior fellow in the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership at Georgetown Public Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., penned a terrific op-ed in The Wall Street Journal Tuesday entitled "What's Wrong With Charitable Giving--and How to Fix It." But his analysis of the challenges facing the nonprofit and charitable community and his suggestions for how to fix the system didn't go far enough.

CNN's Model For Success (and what we should learn from it)

Brian Reich — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:50:36 -0400

The big news out of the TV ratings report this week is that CNN is in fourth place -- last place. That's right, the 24-hour cable news giant is floundering in the eyes of the viewers. But CNN isn't concerned. In fact, the big cheese at CNN, Jon Klein, said that ratings don't matter as much as you think. Here is an excerpt from his comments on a cal

The trouble with innovation

Brian Reich — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:32:24 -0400

Innovation is important. Necessary. Critical to success. We've all heard it. Innovative or die. We here it all the time.

There is a lot of new talk of late about how innovation can fix the economy, save education, solve the healthcare crisis, and more. Very smart people argue that innovation is the core of a successful company. Books and cover stories about innovation are making the rounds like never before.

Why Google Wave Will Fail

Brian Reich — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:18:07 -0400

I should note at the top of this post that I have not received an invitation for Google Wave. I haven't seen the platform in action - other than a few screen shots that various bloggers and media have shared. I haven't spoken to anyone directly about Google Wave or its functionality yet. But even without any of that direct, first-hand knowledge of what Google Wave is designed to do, I know it will fail.

The People Formerly Known As the Audience

Brian Reich — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:14:37 -0400

Our society has changed - dramatically - over the past few decades. We talk about it all the time in the context of business (flattening), government and politics (opening) and community (connecting).

What about media and arts?

Forcing Social Innovation

Brian Reich — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:12:10 -0400

The White House has created an Office of Social Innovation, and a $50 million Social Innovation Fund, to "identify the most promising, results-oriented non-profit programs and expand their reach throughout the country." As the White House blog explained in early July:

Knowing (Your Audience) Is Half The Battle

Brian Reich — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:44:40 -0400

I am in Seattle this week for Casual Connect, what the Casual Gaming Association (who hosts the event) calls 'the most anticipated conference for the casual games industry in the United States." Among other things, I am here to try and understand more about what drives casual gaming behavior -- why people play, how gaming fits into their lives, and where else that knowledge might be applicable.

Advanced Citizenship

Brian Reich — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:45:39 -0400

When I talk with groups about how technology and the internet are changing society, the working title of my presentation is: "What You Are Doing Isn't Working Anymore -- Why Everything We Know Needs to Change." I believe that technology and the internet have fundamentally changed how people get and share information and that as a result, everything else has changed as well. There is a lot of discussion about how our media consumption habits have changed, with newspapers struggling and people starting to watch their favorite shows online instead of through their television.