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June 28, 2007
CAGE MATCH: Google v. Microsoft v. Cisco
Which is the best place to work? There is some scuttlebutt in the blogosphere and reported in ComputerWorld about a post written by a former-Google, now-Microsoft employee that Microsoft is a better place to work. Let me put this argument to rest...the best place to work is Cisco...IMNSHO...
No, I haven't worked at Google. No, I haven't worked at Microsoft...so, my view might be a bit skewed, however, having been here for over eight years I can tell you that Cisco does care about its employees and that QOL ranks right up there with QOS. (I do have friends at both Microsoft and Google, however, and they like working at both places, respectively.)
At Google it seems the way to their employees hearts is through their stomachs...free food for all...and snacks, snacks, snacks, snacks, snacks. At Microsoft, they take care of employees the old-fashioned way...restricted stock, good pay and good benefits...and great resources to get the job done. At Cisco, I think we have a bit of a combo of all these things...as a matter of fact, and in a sign that one person I overheard said signifies that "Cisco is back," (I wasn't sure that we had ever left...okay, everone did in 2000 and 2001), our cafeterias are now open for dinner. And, our food isn't free.
This isn't because some uber-executive, blue-ribbon committee got together and said, "what can we do to keep our employees at work longer?" It is because EMPLOYEES said, "hey, I'm hungry...I'm at work...and the cafeteria is closed...can you please open it for dinner?" As Brian Womack of IBD reports in his "Leaders and Success" column, the secret of John Chambers success is listening to customers...we also listen to employees.
Flexibility is key to our employees who have busy lives outside of work as well. Which is why we pay for broadband at home so that employees can work whenever they like. There is nothing like water cooler conversations to build culture and build teams, but being tied to a desk is also no way to keep an employee happy. As long as the job gets done...when it is done...or how it is done...is less important. As they say is golf, "it's not how, it's how many?"
Posted by John Earnhardt at 10:32 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
June 27, 2007
Did Someone Say iPhone?
It hasn't gotten much coverage lately, but apparently Apple is launching their iPhone this Friday at 6PM or thereabouts. Our good friends at AT&T are providing the service plans and by all the accounts I have read Apple will sell well more than 100 in the first day. (I should point out that math is not my strong point.)
It looks like a super cool new device and I certainly wish them all the luck in the world. As a matter of fact, I e-mailed with one of Apple's PR people last week to grab an icy cold beverage on the first day of summer and they said they would love to get together but they were likely going to be too busy working on their iPhone launch. My immediate response, of course, was the Cisco iPhone? It got a smile.
You may have read about Cisco and Apple's "discussion" on the iPhone name earlier this year. It ended amicably and the good people at Apple are now using the iPhone name and we have an agreement with Apple to make our respective products more interoperable. So, consumers win all the way around...something that we are trying harder and harder to make happen as we dip our toes into the consumer market. You may already have a Linksys wireless router in your home...or a Scientific Atlanta set-top TV box...now, if you like, you can also get a Cisco iPhone alongside your Apple iPhone.
To be sure today's Cisco iPhone and the Apple iPhone are different animals, but they both hold one thing in common: the network is the platform for their ability to communicate. Networks are enabling new and interesting applications and collaborative technologies every day and the Apple iPhone is a great example of this.
So, congratulations to Apple for what seems like a great product (ahem, friends at Apple, if you would like me to review one I'd be happy to) and congratulations to their marketing and PR teams for creating a sensation well before the product has even come to market. I, for one, must be susceptible to their messages as I had an iPhone dream last night...which I admit, when you get into my subconscious, kind of freaks me out. It was likely the YouTube video of the skateboarding bulldog (which you can also see in the commercial on Apple iPhone's homepage.)
Posted by John Earnhardt at 11:15 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
June 26, 2007
The Impact of Blogs: Washington 2.0
As I've said before navel gazing is rarely a good thing...but I still do it. Blogging about blogging definitely falls into this category, but there is a great article by Chris Frates of Politico.com (along with Jeanne Cummings) reporting about the efficacy of blogs in the public policy world.
Our high tech policy blog was our company's first blog launched in February of 2005 and we have found it to be a great way to be a part of policy discussions. Verizon's policy blog, Google's blog and NAM's blog are mentioned in the story and as Verizon's John "CZ" Czwartacki correctly points out, "Absent a blog, absent an online voice, it's happening completely without us. It's a conversation. If you're going to talk about a policy matter that's important to Verizon, we'd like to have an earned seat at the table. You ignore this conversation at your own risk."
This blog, our "corporate" blog, has enabled us to interact with fellow netizens as well communicate directly with readers. Our most popular blog entry to date was our our blog entry on our iPhone suit with Apple. While it all ended up well between the two companies, the blog enabled us to give our rationale for the suit a voice. As is pointed out in Politico.com's story, it is tough to make 50 phone calls or do 50 lunches, but you can get your point across and distribute it with one blog entry. Another good outcome of the iPhone blog entry was that I discovered Fake Steve Jobs blog...which, if you have my sense of humor you will enjoy.
And, as a reminder, you can learn about our Linksys iPhones here!!!! They are available now.
Posted by John Earnhardt at 11:21 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
June 22, 2007
What I Did On My Summer Vacation, Part 1
Post by Johanna Fry, Public Relations Intern
I am a rising senior and public relations major at San Jose State (Go Spartans!). Last week I began my summer internship in the corporate communications department at Cisco headquarters in San Jose. Earlier this week, with over 500 others, I attended the summer kickoff for Cisco interns. Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers was kind enough to be the keynote speaker. He is a dynamic speaker and captured the attention of everyone in the room. The message I left with was, “Cisco is a cool place to be.” Sure, I have only been here two full weeks, but I can attest to that.
The internship program at Cisco is a much desired transition into the ‘real world’ for most college students. Besides exceptional work experience, I have an opportunity to network with Cisco communications professionals, other Cisco employees, and interns. I will learn more about Cisco's technology and how it is useful to large businesses, small businesses and more and more, the consumer.
John didn’t need to tell me that Cisco is a cool place to be. When I tell people I am spending my summer vacation at Cisco, the excitement of their response is palpable. I am excited to be here, and frankly it is nice to be envied by those working less cool summer jobs.
I'll update you periodically on my internship and what I'm learning about Cisco. I did think it was cool that the CEO of a $160 billion company would take his time to speak to all of us interns...and I get to tell him that personally at my birthday chat with him next month...I'll update you on that as well.
Posted by John Earnhardt at 04:39 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Cisco Concludes Memorable NXTcomm 2007 Experience
Closing NXTcomm 2007 Booth Tour: Making the Connected Life a Reality
Duration: 2 min. 33 sec.
More Connected Life Ideas and Thoughts from NXTComm 2007 Attendees
Duration: 2 min. 9 sec.
Final NXTcomm Thoughts from Jeff Spagnola
Duration: 1 min. 5 sec.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 04:29 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
June 21, 2007
Wiki's, Blogs, IM's...Oh, My
At the Enterprise 2.0 Conference this week in Boston, Cisco’s SVP of Emerging Technologies Marthin De Beer discussed the demand of Web 2.0 Tech tools on the job by younger workers entering the workforce . In an Information Week story, De Beer was quoted as saying, “The upcoming generation is going to have a major impact on business. She will expect to have access to her tools in the workplace." You may have also seen a recent Fortune cover story on 20 somethings entering the workforce.
Obviously, there has been a lot of conversation lately around the effect of the new “twentysomething,” or generation Y workers, joining the scene who are used to constant communication, using web 2.0 applications in daily life and are considered to be over stimulated by the inundation of information that is at their fingertips at every second. Being a “twentysomething” generation Y-er myself who has recently entered the workforce, these conversations have definitely grabbed my attention.
I previously haven’t put much thought into the way that I work, collaborate, talk with my friends or even studied. After my reflections on this topic, I have found the depiction of my generation to be very true. I myself, go on Myspace at least once a day, spend more free time on the internet than I do watching TV and have found that I sometimes talk more to friends and family through text messaging and IM than in person or over the phone.
I also mastered the art of multi-tasking through college while I somehow was productive studying while listening to my i-pod, chatting with multiple friends on IM and throwing in a few Myspace searches or shopping sprees at my favorite online stores. This way of life did not just go away after college or stay in my personal life, but rather it has shifted to the way I work on the job and interact with my colleagues.
I now IM and text with colleagues and rather than updating my Myspace, I am “spiffying” up my team’s wiki where we are able to collaborate, recognize accomplishments and share ideas. We have internal and external blogs in place and with the hundreds of Cisco videos and vods (video's on demand) being produced daily along with multiple podcasts, I am in no shortage of stimulation or information. Oh, and we can't forget about the oh-so-cool TelePresence.
So if I had to say so, and I will, Cisco is doing a pretty good job at keeping up with the demand of the Web 2.0 tech tools on the job. I can’t even begin to imagine what the next generation of workers are going to be demanding of me and my peers…
Posted by Christie Miranda at 04:58 PM Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)
Happy First Day of Summer: Longest Day of the Year
Ah, summer vacation!!! Summer camps...days at the pool...mowing the lawn...the first summer job. Growing up, there are so many good memories of summer. Now that we're in the workforce, if you told someone you had a long day today, that generally has a negative connotation. However, on this, the longest day of the year...the Summer solstice...I think having a long day is a very good thing.
At Cisco, we all have multiple responsibilites and, as a result, we all have to multi-task to be successful. We have colleagues around the world, so we have to be flexible with our early mornings for work with Europe...or our later afternoons for work with Asia. If looked at psychologically, however, on a long day, you can get a lot of stuff done. During the summer, you can leave work at 7:00 or later (are you reading this, boss??!!) and still feel like you have some daylight left to go for a walk or enjoy the weather (see, California).
On this, the longest day of the year, however, we should celebrate the extra daylight and remind ourselves that the work we do is important, but that on the longest day of the year, we should take that "extra" daylight and meet up with friends or do something special with the family or allow yourself to shut the laptop a little earlier tonight...and maybe, just maybe, get a bit of that "summer break" feeling of school days gone by.
The technology that allows us to be connected and collaborate with colleagues in Europe or Asia...or across the country...or across the hall...is enabled by the company we work for. So, in a real sense, Cisco is enabling more productivity so that we can, indeed, take that break and enjoy that icy cold beverage with friends...or a special evening picnic with family.
So, have a great first day of summer and a great summer overall...and, remember, just because tomorrow is a little bit shorter than today doesn't mean that your workload changes. : )
Posted by John Earnhardt at 02:02 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
More from NXTComm: It's All About Video
Cisco SVP of Service Provider Sales, Nick Adamo, gives an update from the floor of NXTComm in Chicago. All the talk is video, video, video!!!
Duration: 1 min. 20 sec.
Posted by Nick Adamo at 10:17 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Content Delivery: What, Where, When, and How You Want It
Today’s keynote speakers reinforced key themes from Cisco’s service provider and IPNGN strategy. Ivan Seidenberg, Chairman of Verizon, discussed how 21st century communication technology is the disruptive force for the millennium and how the network is the platform delivering new forms of content: interactive television, mobile entertainment and communication at work, home or on the move. Verizon’s FIOS network will offer massive bandwidth to the home to support a plethora of new personalized entertainment experiences for customers and embedded devices with wireless technology will unify the communication experience.
Video is a Driving Force in the Telecommunications Industry
Duration: 1 min. 15 sec.
Ed Zander, CEO of Motorola, outlined key technology drivers:
1.) Content creation moving to spontaneous generation,
2.) Content distribution moving away from TV Broadcast to a Personanet --- community content by and for individuals
3.) Content presentation moving from a single screen to multiple screens
4.) Content delivery moving from time-shifted to place-shifted where “follow me” entertainment can go form at will room-to-room or place-to-place pausing and restarting on either fixed and mobile devices
5.) Content consumption moving to participatory broadcast with interactive real-time audience participation over the Internet
Mobilizing, personalizing and socializing content drives change and the network brings it all together. Cisco’s many screens to many devices using an all-encompassing IPNGN network supporting Video 2.0 echoes the vision outlined by each of these industry speakers.
Finally, Bob Wright, Vice Chairman of General Electric’s content subsidiaries emphasized how content companies are now in the same boat with the service providers working closely with them to distribute content across the IP network in new, unique and exciting ways.
It’s refreshing to see that Cisco’s IPNGN strategy is so in synch with what partners and customers are articulating as their new world vision of using the network to deliver entirely new sets of experiences to customers. The business opportunities for us all become endless.
More Connected Life Ideas and Thoughts from NXTcomm 2007 Attendees
Duration: 1 min. 33 sec.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 09:52 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
June 19, 2007
As a Global Company, Cisco Hires Around the World
In the last several days, there have been several erroneous reports in the press, both in North America and internationally, regarding Cisco’s employment and hiring activities in India and the United States, suggesting that we have laid off workers in the U.S. and moved those jobs to India. This is not true.
As an industry leader, our moves into a market or geographic area are watched very closely. We thank people for their interest in our innovative technology and who and where we hire, however, we must state for the record that we have not laid off workers in the United States to move jobs anywhere. In 2001, as a result of the economic downtown, we had a reduction in force, but nothing since.
We are committed to our presence in the US and we have hired almost 8000 employees here over the last two years, representing more than 50% of our total employment growth overall. In fact, we recently expanded our facilities at our San Jose, California headquarters to accommodate that growth and continue to invest in facilities in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas and other areas. We now have 56,790 employees worldwide.
For an industry leader like Cisco, cost has never been the biggest factor in hiring or growing; quality of talent and potential for innovation has always been the primary driver. There is great opportunity in India as in other developing nations and we are committed to expanding our work force around the world to allow us to continue to grow our business. We have recently established a Global Center in Bangalore and have several senior executives based in that facility as a testament to the importance of the market.
As one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For, we thank you for your interest in Cisco. If you are interested in a career at Cisco, please visit our jobs site and see what we have available around the world.
Posted by John Earnhardt at 08:56 PM Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
Telco 2.0 and the Connected Life
BusinessWeek had it right, Cisco CEO John Chambers said today, about its feature article last week on the service provider industry. The Telecommunications industry was indeed very much recovering – and in some cases, thriving, after near-death experiences earlier this decade. The reasons as to why are quite extensive, but in many ways, the resurgence is due to a rethinking of the industry itself.
As John highlighted, providers are no longer defined by their access technology and no longer looking at only traditional services. Instead, they are looking at a much wider swath of the market, which they can now address with their new IP-based next generation networks. What they deliver is becoming not a one-size-fits-all service, but rather they are offering much more integrated or blended services. The battle for the customer will be determined not just by price, but much more by the value that providers offer customers. It’s also a signal that customers are very much leading the way for the industry.
At NXTcomm: Hear various comments on the Connected Life
Duration: 1 min. 36 sec.
Photo by: Stephen Wong, Cisco
Businesses are looking to consumers to find new ways to use technology and consumers are dramatically changing their expectations. Passive consumers who just watch what providers broadcast are now a minority; rather, consumers want to participate in the experience and even take a role of producing it (e.g., user-generated content). As a result, providers who now have much more capabilities in their network and the flexibility to offer new, more, and better services are moving away from the one-to-many broadcast model. With web 2.0, they are enabling many-to-many communications and seemingly unlimited possibilities for collaboration and entertainment. By giving customers more power, the value of providers’ networks will be highlighted even further since many of the experiences, whether it be HDTV at home or TelePresence at work, won’t work without a robust, resilient and adaptable network. And it’s the providers that use this network in innovative ways to transform their business that will win.
We are at the start of the next phase of the Telecommunications industry or, in contemporary parlance, the dawn of Telco 2.0 and the transition of service providers to experience providers. This industry may have been near-death years ago, but today it’s only just beginning to be re-born.
Photo by: Stephen Wong, Cisco
Photo by: Stephen Wong, Cisco
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 01:42 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (2)
Then: Network Convergence, Now: End User Convergence
Duration: 3 min. 12 sec.
Posted by Nick Adamo at 12:47 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Remedy for Bay Area Traffic and All Bad Commutes
Shocker!!! Traffic is bad in the Bay Area. It is a good news, bad news thing. Back during the "boom" of the Internet in the late 90's/early 2000, traffic was a sign that the region's economic motor was humming. During the bust, the traffic was much better, but the economy was much worse. Traffic is a sign of economic activity, to be sure, but also a sign of a decreased quality of life and a bit too much time listening to NPR in the car or your other favorite radio station.
So, what is the remedy for Bay Area traffic? As was reported in the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News, bond measures will spend over $1 billion to widen choke spots or add HOV lanes. That's one thing.
What is the remedy for all bad commutes, however? Simple: stay off the road. That's right. Work at home. With broadband reaching nearly every corner of the world, you can work virtually from anywhere. As our CEO challenged Cisco employees last week, we are all to cut one trip a quarter.
Cisco also provides broadband for employees, so they can work from home. I even suggested, at one point, that other companies should follow Cisco's lead here.
And, with Cisco (and other) collaborative technologies, you can work as efficiently, if not more so, by using technology. So, if you are tired of traffic and have DSL or Cable or Satellite or BPL, then, if your company allows and your boss approves, work from home one day a week. I'm no math major, but by my calculations, this would cut traffic by roughly 20%. To my mind, that's 20% less frustration, which is a good thing. Certainly, in the Bay Area, home of Silicon Valley, we can figure this traffic thing out by using technology. Not that we can figure out cell coverage here, but that's another story.
In related news, the Vatican today released their rules for the road. And, if you've ever driven or been in a taxi in Rome, you can certainly see why they spent time on this topic.
Posted by John Earnhardt at 10:55 AM Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
June 18, 2007
NXTcomm 2007—the “next big thing” is personalization
As NXTcomm 2007 begins here in Chicago (June 18-21), many attendees will be searching for “the next big thing” to help sustain the growth and profitability that the global service provider market has enjoyed throughout FY07. While compelling applications like IPTV and TelePresence continue to gain greater subscriber adoption, the next big thing may lie in the “little things” that customers are able to do with these and other services—personalize them.
From Cisco’s perspective, service personalization allows residential and business subscribers to tailor offerings to meet their unique individual interests or corporate needs. Customization can encompass a wide array of options—services on-demand, content preferences, buddy lists, quality of experience (i.e., standard- or high-definition) and much more. As we’re demonstrating in our Cisco booth (# 4851), “The Connected Life” means that personalized services are always available and accessible everywhere a subscriber goes.
NXTcomm’s event organizers understand the value and importance of personalization. Attendees will have an opportunity to use “myNXTcomm”—an automated web-based service that gathers solutions, contacts and resources and personalizes them for the NXTcomm community.
I look forward to sharing my “personal” NXTcomm 2007 insights with you throughout the week and I encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas to this blog as well.
The Connected Life: at home, at work, and on the move
See a Pre-show tour of the Cisco booth at NXTcomm with Doug Webster
Duration: 3 min. 12 sec.
Posted by Nick Adamo at 10:28 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Preparing for “Universe Expansion” at NXTcomm 2007 in Chicago
NXTcomm 2007 will convene in Chicago from June 18-21 (consolidating the former TelecomNEXT and GlobalComm events). This year’s show theme is "The ICET (Information, Communication, Entertainment and Technology) Universe Expands." As a NXTcomm 2007 exhibitor and sponsor, a few of the many Cisco activities will include:
• John Chambers, Cisco Systems, Inc. Chairman and CEO, will deliver the keynote address on June 19, 2007.
• More than 10 Cisco executives and technical experts will participate in various NXTcomm panels and conferences.
• The Cisco booth (# 4851) will highlight “The Connected Life”—demonstrating profitable services for customers at home, at work, and on the move.
The concept of “Universe Expansion” is particularly interesting (and appropriate) in the context of today’s service provider challenges and opportunities. The expanding expectations and needs of residential and business subscribers will require new levels of technical innovation and collaboration. Next-generation networks can serve as the platform to enable service providers to deliver unique blended voice, video and data experiences. These networks are also the foundation upon which new business relationships and offerings are being established between service providers and content/media companies, hardware/software vendors, retailers, and many others. Technology, and the network in particular, is clearly a key catalyst in the expansion of access to the information we need, entertainment we enjoy, and people with whom we want to connect.
This is truly an exciting time of growth and innovation for our industry. I look forward to sharing my NXTcomm 2007 insights with you throughout the week and I encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas to this blog as well.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 08:00 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
June 15, 2007
Cisco CEO Challenge: "Use Collaborative Technologies to Cut Back Travel"
In a video message to employees today (internal use only), Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers challenged all Cisco employees to "cancel one trip this quarter and use Web 2.0 collaboration technologies to conduct your business in lieu of traveling." Chambers made the video from his laptop computer...and, yes, as most of us mere mortals do, one never quite knows where to look when using a webcam. : )
As I see it, his challenge has many goals. It is a way to demonstrate the power of our collaborative technologies (be it TelePresence, WebEx or MeetingPlace). After all, if we don't demonstrate our technology to customers and potential customers, how are they going to see the power of the network and our technologies. Sure, it's also a way to save some dough -- we are, after all, a frugal company, which our shareholders and investors love. And, sure, it's also a way to take some strain off of the environment.
However, he also used it as a challenge to spend more time with our families. After all, if we are on the road one less time a quarter, then that means we get to spend that much more time with our families. So, QOL and QOS all wrapped into one, if you will, by using Cisco collaborative technologies. A happy employee is a productive employee after all.
And, he didn't go this far, but I will: What other companies are up to the "Cisco Collaborative Technologies Challenge"? Yeah, I just made that up, but it sounds good.
If you are a Cisco TelePresence customer or a WebEx customer or a MeetingPlace customer...or, heck, even someone who (heaven forbid!!) uses one of our competitors in this collaboration space and you are willing to take this challenge to increase your Quality of Life by reducing one business trip a quarter by using the network, drop me a line and I'll highlight you in this space...heck, maybe you'll even get your own blog entry...if you are willing to share your video message to employees making the same "cut one trip a quarter" challenge, I'll post the video.
Happy collaboration and happy QOL. Thanks, John, for challenging us all to use the network to cut our travel.
Posted by John Earnhardt at 04:03 PM Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)
June 12, 2007
Interactions: Real vs. Virtual
Cisco TelePresence. Cisco WebEx. Cisco MeetingPlace. Unified Communications. Cisco is strong and long in the collaboration space. This IS the way the new workplace is being managed, designed and implemented. However, as John Chambers said in his commentary in Forbes magazine: technology cannot replace a handshake.
From a technology company, saying this might be sacrilege, and while Telepresence technology makes you feel like you are in the room with the other person and is the next best thing to being there, there is something about sitting across the table at lunch and talking that is tough to replace.
I had lunch with a reporter today and we had a free-ranging conversation today about his newspaper, my company and many, many points in between. I've known him for a long time and we could have done a phone call, but I (and he) likely would have been doing e-mail at the same time or had other distractions that wouldn't have focused us as much on the conversation at hand. We had no agenda other than catching up...he seeing what I was working on...me, the same for him.
Could I have used TelePresence, WebEx or MeetingPlace to do the meeting? Sure. Would it have been as beneficial to both of us? No. However, after having met for lunch to catch up a bit, I think we can now use e-mail, phone and other technologies to tied us over until our next lunch somewhere down the road. Handshakes and physical presence is very important to relationships...we are social beings, but I have to say, technology is doing a heck of a good job re-creating the look and feel of "being there" and it will only get better.
Posted by John Earnhardt at 04:49 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
June 06, 2007
Video of Cisco New Media Summit Now Online
Yesterday, you had back to back to back meetings so you were unable to attend Cisco and BPCC's New Media Summit either in person or via webcast. In the on-demand world in which we live, I'm here to tell you that you can now re-live the Summit...on your schedule...where you want...when you want. The video is now online.
Watch Cisco Media Solutions Group's GM Dan Scheinman talk about the Social Media Explosion. Watch Tom Foremski talk about "Foremski's Law." Watch and learn about Second Life from representatives from BMW, Intel and Cisco. Learn about the ROI of Social Media, Best Practices in Internal Communications and more.
For some of the coverage from yesterday's Summit, please see:
Eric Savitz of Barrons on Dan Scheinman's keynote.
Jeremy Pepper of POP! PR Blog on The Changing Media Landscape, Communicating in Virtual Worlds and more.
Posted by John Earnhardt at 10:47 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (3)
June 05, 2007
LIVE, FREE WEBCAST TODAY: Cisco and BPCC New Media Summit
Paul McCartney and John Lennon once wrote the great line "the best things in life are free." And, with that in truism in mind, I invite you to tune in today to Cisco's and BPCC's (Best Practices in Corporate Communications) New Media Summit.
You'll hear from Cisco SVP and Media Solutions Group General Manager, Dan Scheinman, on the social media explosion. You'll hear best practices in new media, including Second Life, from companies such as Coca-Cola, SAP, Sun, Intuit, BP, IBM and Intel. You'll hear from leading bloggers such as SiliconValleyWatcher's Tom Foremski, Eric Savitz of Barron's and Dan Gillmor of Center for Citizen Media. I wish I could tell you that Fake Steve Jobs will be a panelist, but, alas, he's a tough "get." Perhaps he'll tune in via webcast and e-mail me some of his vast knowledge during the conference. If he does, I'll share it with you.
Savitz blog entry on Scheinman keynote.
Jeremy Pepper's POP PR blog entry on traditional and new media panel...with pictures!!
The free conference starts at 9AM and goes until 3PM (PT). Please check out the schedule and join for all or part.
You may say, "but, wait, John, I'd expect to spend a lot of money on a conference like this...in fact, I have in the past and may in the future. Why is this new media conference free? And, further, if I don't have to pay for it, will there be any value to me?"
To, which, I'd respond, "There will be tremendous value. This is a top-shelf line-up of speakers. We aren't charging for it because we at Cisco think that new media issues are important enough that all should be able to be learn about them for free, which is why we are webcasting it live." To which I'd add, "and, you can put on your yearly review that you attended a new media conference and have a better understanding of the ROI of social media, the impact of blogs and bloggers, how Second Life can reach bleeding-edge technologists and, as Ron Popeil would say, 'much, much more!'"
Free conference, free new knowledge, something more to put on your yearly review. A win, win, win, I would say.
Posted by John Earnhardt at 12:38 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
June 01, 2007
Oakland A's Community Fund Golf Classic Huge Success
I had the privilege and honor to participate in yesterday's Oakland A's Community Fund Golf Classic. It was a great day in Pleasanton at the Castlewood Country Club and the A's REALLY know how to put on a great show...and, how to show their community that they care.
Many current and former players were there (Nick Swisher, Chad Gaudin, Vida Blue, Dave Stewart, Dick Green, Bert Campaneris, Dave Henderson and John "Blue Moon" Odom), as well as A's management (including President Mike Crowley, GM Billy Beane and Broadcast VP Ken Pries).
I hadn't seen many of the A's team since we announced the A's and Cisco collaboration and partnership on Cisco Field and it was good to catch up with them.
I wrote an update on Cisco field in May and there is still a lot of work to be done, but Cisco is excited about the partnership and excited to be joining with an organization who knows how important community and community service is.
On the golf side of things, I am happy to say that the foursome I was in, Walker Bass of NASDAQ (who narrowly missed out on winning the longest drive), Bipin Badani of Fujitsu and AJ Patel, founder of TiE (among other hats he has worn*), came in third place with a 13 under par 59. Because we are gentlemen and extremely humble, we decided on the first tee that we didn't want to take the glory of winning first place away from others, so we held back a bit of all our games. : )
*For more on AJ Patel's current passion of saving the migration of wildebeests across Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve, please see this recent San Jose Mercury News article.
Posted by John Earnhardt at 10:38 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
