brianfending.com

On election day this year, I sent an email to a select group of interesting people - I know several - about the possibility of collaborating on a podcast. While a Brian+Guest format may pose some challenges, I really think it's worth trying out. If you weren't on the list, or are otherwise interested, let me know and I'll send you some details. No snubsnobery here.

Since most of these interesting people are not geographically near or are busy enough to merit technological intervention, I concocted (with extensive therapist-style help from long-time collaborator Jon Morris (Matis)) a method including use of drop.io for audio recording and, counter to my original intentions - TELEPHONES. That's right, mofos: phones. We may get some google video chat going, but the recorded dialog will be by phone. Craziness. We kickin it old school.

Anyway, of the invitees, I had the following results:

- 0 bounced emails (good sign)
- 11 responses indicating a pulse (yay!)
- 1 "I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter."
- 1 "My GOD, Brian... Are you still lobbying for the narcissism entry in wikipedia to have your picture??"
- 10 signs of interest
and (drumroll...)
- 1 (one) test podcast with one of the aforementioned interested parties.

[Set aside the fact that all stats are 0's and 1's... that's too interesting to discuss here.]

Now, we got a little off-topic, so the "a-HA... IT WORKS!" recording Jon & I made won't actually see the light of the interwebs, but the quality was fair (close enough for jazz, as they say) and future recordings may only require a slight trimming. So here we are, a couple of weeks later, and I'm faced with the age-old question faced in colliseums, caves, and war: Which one first?

• Podcast
• Technology

Probably one of the most insightful people I follow these days is the Forrester social media superstar analyst Jeremiah Owyang, who posted this slideshow that I've embedded here. It's an awfully simple set of analogies, and an alarm bell for those that don't already see this pattern emerging in some form, or see their market niche as immune to the ramifications.

• Social Media
• Technology

I've been working from home for a couple of months now, and feel great about the move from daily commutes to monthly visits to the mothership. There have been challenges, though - pitfalls both anticipated and not - that came with the transition.

1. You're always at work.
Well, you are if you take the laptop out of your office. And you need an office. I repeat: You need an office. With a door. It takes the edge off to work from the couch sometimes, sure - but get a comfy office chair and invest in some ergonomics. You won't be sorry and it makes those Thursday mornings - that's my schedule to have Norah playing in the family room while I have my coffee and catch up on email - more special.

2. "It's just one more night away from home..."
I have the great fortune of a well-defined travel schedule, and a great team with which to work. If "periodic travel" is the only stipulation you have, expect more than you want. Not-to-exceed percentages or day counts per month are the way to go. Staying over a friday night to catch a first-thing Saturday flight involves (a) another hotel night and (b) maybe a little cheaper flight. I did this my first time in this arrangement and it was, well, not the best plan ever. No sleep by virtue of the screaming guy outside my door and I had to leave at 5:15 to have enough "line time" at the airport.

3. Instant Messenger is your friend, but it doesn't replace the phone.
I love IM'ing. In particular, using our Jabber server. Instant access, quick audio chats, pretty-good video chats - it's almost like you're there. But there will be co-workers you don't like headphones, or aren't comfortable with their webcam, well, LOOKING at them. For those rarities, the phone is your friend. And once you're in the routine with the bulk of your coworkers, there's nothing like a phone call to place importance on a conversation. It may sound corny, but this really works. Talking about your healthcare benefit with a busy HR person? If you need the answer, pick up the phone - there's no substitute for a crystal-clear conversation.

4. Staying present back at the ranch is hard.
It's work you have to do every day, making sure you're privy to some of the watercooler conversations to make sure that your priorities are inline with gentle shifts in direction. Still, you'll be on video conferences and inside jokes will be flying - don't let it get to you. It's just what you lose out on by having all of this new flexibility. I've gotten around that by having a few minutes of "so what else is going on this week" with people before or after the substance of my original reason for talking to them. It's another really small point, but you can't afford to be all business all the time - that's not how most offices run.

5. Overcommunicate.
It's hard to find the balance on this, as in "how much is too much," but I've erred on the side of caution and give unprompted updates on my own schedule and project statuses until told to stop or at least back it down. Does that frequency change anything for me? Not often. But I also use a few automated systems and make suggestions to make better use of large-group meeting time. What do I do with the extra time? Work. Another part of that time: Individual follow-ups. It works - call it The Warm Fuzzy, whatever you like - to put your message forward to the right people, and even better to do so to the right person.

Any gray areas? Sure there are. But as long as you err on the side of availability when your employer expects it and drawing a line at the office door when they don't, it'll probably work out.

• Personal
• Technology
• Telecommuting

I use a lot of stuff in my daily life, both at work and play, that allow me to do otherwise impossible things. If you've heard of them all, pardon the intrusion - you may go back to pondering the cover of The New Yorker or whatever it is you do with your extra time. I could do without some of them, sure... But I'm pretty sure it would suck. Stuff I Use...

• Personal
• Social Media
• Technology
• Telecommuting