trends

Google's Data Show Tennessee, Florida Most Troubled Over Health Care

Chris Dannen — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:51:09 -0500

Google's philanthropic Flu Trends site has been able to track swine flu about as well as health care surveillance, according to Bloomberg. What else can trending searches tell us about the state of health in the United States?

How to Data-Mine for Trends Before You Date Around

Chris Dannen — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:40:52 -0400

If you have any interest in your fellow human being, the OKTrends blog run by dating site OKCupid can tell you more about interpersonal relationships than you've learned in decades of being dumped.

Infographic of the Day: Facebook Measures "Gross National Happiness"

Cliff Kuang — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:02:30 -0400

Twitter and Facebook have become clearinghouses for public sentiment, so it makes sense that Facebook has developed a new app aimed at determining "gross national happiness"--the moment-by-moment measure of glee, misery, and indifference for its 300 million daily users.

According to TechCrunch:

Get Bullish With Google's New Investing Weapon

Chris Dannen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:30:43 -0400

Google has created a service that tracks Americans' search queries as compared to market growth--and it works.

Knowing the Signs

George Dennis — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:45:09 -0400

Recently here in San Diego, a famous sports bar chain located in prime spots around the city closed down, its stores gutted and employees laid off. While perhaps a more common occurrence in these lean times, I submit that the demise of this very well-known and once-popular business was primarily the result of its management team’s inability to recognize changes in their market.

What Do You Have To Give Up?

Donna Karlin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:47:20 -0400

What do you have to give up?

That is a question I ask my clients and often. What do you have to let go of to succeed? People often hold on to something that no longer serves them because that's what they used to do and it used to work. Thing is, times have changed. People have changed. How people do their work, communicate and collaborate is different. So why in the world would you want to hold onto something that you know is no longer serving you just because it's 'comfortable'?

Work at home programs

Elizabeth Haley — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:33:45 -0400

Many companies have moved to an at-home work model, most of them in the call center or customer service departments. The benefits are huge - positive ROI, more engaged employees, lower costs for brick'and'mortar, increase in customer satisfaction... What are your thoughts on this trend?

Leadership

Asset velocity versus high margin.

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:32:10 -0400

Leadership

The Strategic Leadership Challenge

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:07:10 -0400

Leadership

“90% OF COMPANIES FAIL TO IMPLEMENT THEIR STRATEGIES EFFECTIVELY.”

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 02:16:35 -0400

Leadership

Intel's Long-Term Plan: Spend Money to Make Money

Ellen McGirt — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:59:02 -0400

Sean Maloney (left) just wants people to buy things. "The last six months, people everywhere have been scared about what's happening in the world," says Maloney, Intel's chief sales and marketing officer. An ebbing tide--and moribund electronics market--grounds all boats: Intel's first-quarter revenue was $7.1 billion, down 26% year over year.

President

Sandra Smith-Doghmi — Sun, 24 May 2009 17:02:13 -0400

Hello!

I would like to introduce myself, my name is Sandra Smith-Doghmi and enjoy creating new connections through my site redcarpetconciergeofchicago.com. We have also reached out worldwide to share stories about businesses and networking. Would love to hear from you!

Sandy

Leadership

Managing Director

Linda Williams-Hill — Sat, 02 May 2009 12:30:19 -0400

I am appreciate this site... being able to network, with like minded professionals.

I assist a entrepreneur writing grants, proposals and buiness plans.

Leadership

Live Search Makes Twitter Even More Relevant

Kit Eaton — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:07:46 -0400

In its battle for success, Twitter just made what looks like a minor change, but it could actually transform the lifecasting networking site in terms of increased relevance, and also turn it into a very powerful tool. The microblogging service added "search" and "trending topics" boxes to everyone's homepage.

Recession-Friendly Design

Temenouzhka Zaharieva — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 04:47:23 -0400

This was my presentation at the second Pecha Kucha night in Sofia this week. The theme was Theory of Provocation. I used mostly examples from the on-going Milan Design Week to show what happens with design in times of crisis. It was mainly in Bulgarian, but I think that design language is understood by everyone.

Leading the Way Out of this Economic -- and Ethical -- Mess

Brian McDermott — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:25:47 -0400

I'm looking for any sign I can find that we're in recovery -- not
only that the economy is turning around, but that the mindset that led
us into this mess is shifting.

I found a good one.

Leadership

My Q & A Interview With Born Rich

laura sweet — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:14:07 -0500

Laura Sweet,
“The Oprah of the Internet” was with us for all of February. And we are
now back with her witty & sweet answers. So, read-on.

1.
Peter: Laura, what’s your take on the Amazon’s Kindle 2? How exactly
will it revolutionize the way we read books? Would you go for it?

Memes From My Father—Silly Internet Fun with Barack Obama's Life Story

Ellen McGirt — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:46:56 -0500

First published in 1995, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, is Barack Obama’s moving account of his life as a mixed race kid in a complicated family, and the development of his racial identity. The now famous story recounts how his Kansas mom came to marry his Kenyan dad, and takes us through his chaotic youth, his partying phase at Occidental College, his serious phase at Columbia University, his early work years before Harvard Law School, and his decision to visit Kenya in search of answers. Obama is a remarkably candid and skilled storyteller, recounting conversations and events that were key touchstones on his way to figuring out where he fit into a world that has never had an easy time with race. The book went into reprint after his 2004 Democratic Convention keynote, and became a best seller. It’s an amazing read, and I highly recommend it.

But the Grammy Award winning audio version is turning out to be even more fun.

Obama has one hell of a speaking voice, and does a really good job with the many characters who show up in the book. He recounts with future Presidential seriousness some pretty salty talk—typically speaking the words of others—which is starting to show up in remixes all over the interwebs. And uh, *damn nigga, if this shit isn’t entertaining* - I don’t know what is:

How to Cut Costs Strategically...

Brian McDermott — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:29:08 -0500

"What are you doing to contain or cut costs to get through 2009?"

I was a blind-copy recipient of this question in an email from a colleague the other day. It came with the promise that answers would be shared anonymously among those of us willing to throw our ideas into the conversation.

I'm tossing out a couple of thoughts. They're based on the experience I've had the last decade working with leaders to create and implement strategies for change, improvement and innovation -- which often has been shaped by the need to hang on for dear life.

Leadership

Hello.

Somkid Mex — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 05:38:12 -0500

It good to share idea through the www.fastcompany.com

Leadership

The Brand Called President

Ellen McGirt — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:00:55 -0500

I got to DC right before the big crowds started to arrive, in time to watch the jumbotrons and bleachers get ready for the masses, and the vendors kick themselves for not putting Obama's face on more crap. (Oh, we're all having fun with it. Even our art director is making "baracklava" for the Fast staff to eat while we watch the inauguration.) DC inspires a certain amount of awe on a normal day, but when the buildings trot out their best party clothes, it's hard not to be filled with a sense of pride.

Scenarios for the Future of Brands

Richard Watson — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:34:40 -0500

In these times of rampant uncertainty looking forwards has become something of a necessity. What will life be like in 2020 for a new generation experiencing the impact of such things as climate change, biotechnology and virtual reality and what will brands look like in this world?

Thinking about the future of brands has been done many times before, but I think that using a scenario-based approach may be something of a first. I will post some detail on each 'world' over the next few days. This work has been developed with Wayde Bull and Oliver Freeman by the way.

2009 Trends Map

Richard Watson — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:28:03 -0500

People keep asking me for a roadmap for next year so here it is!

http://nowandnext.com/PDF/trend_blend_2009_map.pdf

Top 3 Sustainability Trends for 2009

Saabira Chaudhuri — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:00:05 -0500

Terry Tamminen, former chief policy advisor for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, sees three big sustainability trends coming down the pipe for 2009. The author of Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction, Tamminen is Operating Advisor to Pegasus Capital Advisors, which focuses on innovative clean-tech companies, and where he heads a team that works with states to develop and implement environmental policies.

A Bailout We Can Build On

Ellen McGirt — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:24:57 -0500

The Department of Labor released its grim jobs report today, cueing teeth-gnashing from market watchers and other pundits.

It’s hard not to gnash right along with them. Nearly two million people lost jobs this year. November was a particularly bad month, with another 533,000 jobs vanishing, the largest monthly loss since the early 70s. Unemployment now stands at 6.7%, the highest level since 1993.