Have you ever been alone in a crowded room? It can happen to anyone, and the remedy is to engage in the conversation of the room. So not to look like a bull in a china store, you put yourself out there, introduce yourself, listen and participate. Soon you will shed the wallflower costume.

Broaden the scope of the room to the entire planet, and that is the idea behind the book The Age of Conversation. If you are reading The Hot Iron or other blogs, you may have seen the word “conversation” used a lot. Rather than people posting static comments on a Web site, they (as done here) open it up to comments, thus making the post a topic of conversation and comments the interaction of the conversation. In this book, Gavin Heaton and Drew McLennan posted a topic – on conversation itself – and received 103 comments, which are compiled and presented in book form.

My greatest takeaway is that, at a high level, conversation online is not much different than offline. Norms of having a dialogue with people you have just met or really don’t know still apply, and the idea is to engage with others. Of course the online medium provide greater advantages you don’t get offline, such as engaging with people on the other side of the planet or typically untouchable CEOs.

Another takeaway is that we tend to gravitate to people we share a common opinion or approach with; likeminded individuals. With 103 ideas presented, naturally you won’t agree with the content or approach of all of them, and that was the case with me. Ideas presented by people that were practical or less prophesizing resonated with me more as I tend to take a more practical approach.

A final takeaway was the need for such a book. More and more I find myself explaining social media and networking to people, whether they are friends, clients or colleagues. In the grand scheme of things it is still a new topic. A book like this can serve as an introduction to what you can gain from having such conversations, as well as be a catalyst for creating your Facebook account once and for all.

I recommend The Age of Conversation for both folks in the conversation and not. It is not all words either – there are several illustrations, with my favorite being from my friend AJ in Sydney, Australia. Interestingly, through AJ I met Gavin Heaton several years back. Through this book, I have reconnected with him, as his name rang a bell when several other people recommended the project behind it to me. Which is the whole idea, isn’t it?

Book Take-Aways • Business • (5) Comments • Permalink

In my never ending quest to rid myself of as much unnecessary paper as possible and replace it with PDFs, I ran across the final newsletter for the Boston Computer Society from October 1996. Of course I pulled it apart and scanned it, and I am offering it to the public here.

The Society, or BCS, is how it was in the “old days” - large computer clubs that had many special interest groups, or SIGs, on a variety of topics. I don’t recall membership being all that much, maybe $30, and some meetings had a fee and others were sponsored or free. I was only a member for a few years and attended a few meetings and presentations. I recall seeing Dilbert’s Scott Adams at one annual meeting.

Comparing organizations like the BCS to today is like comparing corporate America to a commune. Where things were much more organized, there was also more structure. Today there are a plethora of forums, chat rooms, blogs and Web sites on all aspects of computers and technology, but the only way they are organized are with search engines.

Even if you are not from the Boston area you may still find this last BCS Journal interesting to read, if not for the articles then for the advertisements.

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Today, April 22, is Earth Day. It is the one day designated each year, since 1970, to become more aware of our Mother Earth and how to be better inhabitants.

Myself, I believe I am doing good to my planet. From everyday recycling to the steps I outlined in my draft Dunkirk Systems, LLC environmental plan, I try to work environmental protection into my everyday decisions. Interestingly, these often relate to cost savings.

So what are you doing for Earth Day? If you haven’t come up with anything, allow me to make a suggestion, adding a 4th “r” to the list – reduce, reuse, recycle. By reevaluating decisions you make, this will make the other subsequent steps easier or even moot.

Here’s an example. By deciding not to accumulate grocery bags I decided to get a reusable, durable Reisenthel nylon shopping bag like the one pictured here (I bought mine in Germany, but they carry them at The Container Store too). By reevaluating, I am thus reducing and reusing.

Small steps, done by many, add up to a lot. Please share anything you are doing for Earth Day.

Business • (1) Comments • Permalink

Is there such a thing as a professional color? This is something I have talked about with several people over the last few weeks. When shopping for a briefcase, luggage, or even computer products, should you select a color, or go with something neutral (read: black or silver)?

One colleague was questioning if they should purchase brightly colored luggage, namely so it sticks out from the sea of black suitcases and Pullmans coming down the conveyor belt at baggage claim. However, as she usually goes right to a client site from her flight, she didn’t want to stand out for her color choice over her professional qualifications.

Another colleague pondered if he should get a brightly colored case for his computer, namely orange, as shown in the accompanying photo. There are other options, but one reason for getting a standout color was in the unfortunate event it gets stolen, he may see the computer being taken away with its bright color. But similar to my other colleague, he didn’t want to be known as the “orange computer guy.”

What say you – is it ok to liven mundane things up with color, or not, or does it just depend?

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It’s always nice to be part of something larger. When it comes to being an entrepreneur or owning a small business, by working for yourself – or simply working by yourself – it may not seem that is the case. However if you are, you are part of what is becoming more of a movement, an increasing number of people forming a collective pf people, a nation some may say.

And a nation is what author Daniel Pink calls it, a Free Agent Nation, and this is the title of his book, with the subtitle “How America’s New Independent Workers Are Transforming the Way We Live.” It doesn’t matter what you do, it is more how you do it, whether you are a cabinet installer or Internet consultant or any other occupation.

The reasons are many for people striking out on their own. Some lose their jobs, others can’t take working for someone else anymore, and others simply want to do something different. These voluntary and involuntary catalysts are as a result changing how we define the words “job” and “work.” Pink’s book chronicles these stories. He starts with his own transformation and journals a year of travels across the US interviewing those who have followed in his footsteps.

Throughout the book he circles back to the “Organization Man,” a term coming from a book written in the 1950’s about the typical company employee. The Organizational Man is the antithesis of the resident of Free Agent Nation. It also represents how corporate culture hasn’t changed to keep up with different ways of working as well as the needs of those doing the work.

My greatest takeaway from Free Agent Nation is the concept of working for yourself is something that still needs to be taught to people. As I read the book I could hear the “a-ha’s” as the subtext of those Pink was interviewing, when they realized they could succeed on their own. I realized this myself only within the last half decade when I decided to strike out on my own and start Dunkirk Systems, LLC, a decision I am still proud of. Though some colleges teach entrepreneurship, how many such courses are taught in high school?

Another takeaway is one I experienced myself, is that much in the world is not set to accommodate entrepreneurs. Take the tax code in the US as a prime example, where individuals working on their own are taxed more than if they were working for a company. Many local governments have zoning laws geared towards large corporations in large buildings that don’t work well for a person working out of a room over the garage. And to this day I know people who have had to get a job in order to get a loan or mortgage, only to go back on their own once they sign on the dotted line.

A final takeaway is about how Free Agents gather and interact through FAN Clubs, or Free Agent Nation Clubs. These clubs can be anywhere from formal to informal, charging dues to simply showing up at a coffee shop. They may have been around for decades, or only had a short life. I have personally been involved in some in the past, and continuously seek out quality gatherings all the time, as it is the way I learn and participate in the conversation with my fellow FANs.

Free Agent Nation was published in 2001, but despite its age and a few dated references it is extremely relevant today. I recommend it to anyone considering going on their own or who has recently gone on their own and is contemplating going back to a job, going back to being an Organization Man or Woman. Daniel Pink has written several books on the working world, and is still a free agent today.

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