New Media Conference in Frederick

Why do some people seem to be a few steps ahead in the race to adopt the latest evolutions of new media and technologies? Probably because they attend conferences like the one being held by the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. The full day event is made up of short sessions broken out by topic and audience knowledge base. So, laggards like me can ask embarrassingly basic questions without annoying the more knowledgeable technorati.

There are three concurrent breakout sessions for beginning, intermediate, and advanced participants. Sessions will over topics such as Twitter, Facebook, email campaigns, blogging, and more. There's even an optional lunchtime bonus session to demonstrate and discuss new applications, including Google Wave, Posterous, and Hoot Suite. The New Media & Technology Conference will be held on February 5th .

The registration deadline is January 27th and many seats are already reserved. Find out more on the conference website.

-Dave

Learning from an American Story

We all know the trouble facing the U.S. Automobile industry. None of the big three are in good shape, and until recently I didn’t have faith that any had a clue as to how to respond. This New York Times article gives me some hope – at least for Ford – and is definitely worth a read.

The watchword for Ford right now is focus. For decades Ford has had something like a dozen different companies jostling for resources and attention from managers and from the market. The result is what you usually get when you try to be everything for everyone – no one really knows who you are.

Upon coming to Ford from Boeing, new CEO Mulally has instituted a new vision: One Ford ... One Team ... One Plan ... One Goal. The most tangible example of this focus will be the new Ford Focus, which will be manufactured on a single platform for the entire world. This seems poetic when we remember Henry Ford’s famous response to requests for Model T’s in various colors. Mr. Ford understood the value of focus when he said they can have “any colour - so long as it’s black.

Food for thought – in what ways is you company trying to be too much for too many?

Where should you focus?

-Marc