Random Musings:

Dennis McDonald Says About Social Networking Tools

Bob-

Thanks for mentioning my post!

It's important to remember what this map is really my own -- my preferences may be irrelevant to others. On the map I mention for example that my overall use of Facebook has decreased while my use of Linkedin has increased. There are several reasons for this; one is that I don't think Facebook is a very good discussion forum, and another is that I continue to enjoy Linkedin's business focus. Others may have a very different view.

The point is that, when it comes to developing a "personal networking strategy," one size does not fit all. You really do need a personal strategy. In my case, my web site is the central focus of my "online presence," and while I tend to comment frequently on other blogs and web sites, I reserve the most thought and attention to my own site. That's a personal preference.

If anyone is interested in things you should consider when trying to decide how to develop a "personal professional networking strategy," check out the links I've posted here:

www.ddmcd.com/basics.html

Best wishes,

Dennis McDonald
Alexandria, Virginia

Don't Miss: The Story Of Stuff

Story of Stuff is a 20 minute video with Annie Leonard that was sponsored by the Tides Foundation and the Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption. (Thanks to KH for pointing me to it.)

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Among other things, the video shows how the supply chain from natural resource extraction to production, distribution, consumption and then to disposal constitutes a nasty Wicked Problem. This is one of the few videos I've seen recently that doesn't talk down to the viewer. Instead, the Story of Stuff is highly informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking.

Jim Channon's 12 Breakthroughs Video - Thought Food

I first met Jim Channon several years ago at the Bamboo restaurant in Hawi, on the north side of the Big Island of Hawaii. Among other things, Jim is one of the 3 pillars of graphic meeting facilitation (with Bob Horn and David Sibbet), environmentalist and futurist, proposer of the Earth First Battalion, and a terrific raconteur.

[tip o' the hat to BH] I've been watching Jim's YouTube video, "12 Break-throughs of the Next Decade." In this thought-provoking 10 minute video, Jim suggests some additional / alternative activities that might be undertaken by large companies and institutions for the benefit of humankind. The list of organizations includes armies, banks, chemical and oil companies, navies, churches, governments, space agencies, and colleges. To hear the alternative projects Jim associates with each organization, check out the video.