Publications

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Making art from a lifetime of data

Making art from a lifetime of data

This weekend Little Sweetie asked whether she can have my computer when I die. I had to explain that she is unlikely to want it: by the time I die, my current computer will be useless. "But how about this," I suggested instead. "When I die, you can have whatever...

Creating a family social media policy

Creating a family social media policy

The ongoing conversation in our home about how to use social media — and in particular, how to do so in a way that is both safe and enjoyable for our kids — has helped us evolve a de facto social media policy governing how we engage with social media as a family. I decided it was time to go from de facto to actual, recorded policy. Use our policy as a jumping-off point for your own.

10 ways academics can use Twitter

10 ways academics can use Twitter

M.H. Beals has a terrific overview of Social Media for Researchers and Academics, based on a one-way workshop held at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services in Edinburgh. Her post provides a great roadmap of the different ways academics can use...

The social media obituary

The social media obituary

His real break came as a stuntman in the Hollywood movie “On the Beach,” about survivors of a nuclear war, which was filmed in Melbourne, his hometown, in 1959. It starred Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Fred Astaire. “He watched Gregory Peck do 27 takes and thought, ‘A...

Who would you be without the Internet?

Who would you be without the Internet?

Without the internet I wouldn't be able to write. In the realms of pre-internet media, one either comes to the publisher/editor/gatekeeper with mad skills and gets published, or he gets a generic pink slip with a one-line apology. You can't use this system of...

The Harvard Business Review

Making art from a lifetime of data

Making art from a lifetime of data

This weekend Little Sweetie asked whether she can have my computer when I die. I had to explain that she is unlikely to want it: by the time I die, my current computer will be useless. "But how about this," I suggested instead. "When I die, you can have whatever...

Creating a family social media policy

Creating a family social media policy

The ongoing conversation in our home about how to use social media — and in particular, how to do so in a way that is both safe and enjoyable for our kids — has helped us evolve a de facto social media policy governing how we engage with social media as a family. I decided it was time to go from de facto to actual, recorded policy. Use our policy as a jumping-off point for your own.

10 ways academics can use Twitter

10 ways academics can use Twitter

M.H. Beals has a terrific overview of Social Media for Researchers and Academics, based on a one-way workshop held at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services in Edinburgh. Her post provides a great roadmap of the different ways academics can use...

The social media obituary

The social media obituary

His real break came as a stuntman in the Hollywood movie “On the Beach,” about survivors of a nuclear war, which was filmed in Melbourne, his hometown, in 1959. It starred Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Fred Astaire. “He watched Gregory Peck do 27 takes and thought, ‘A...

Who would you be without the Internet?

Who would you be without the Internet?

Without the internet I wouldn't be able to write. In the realms of pre-internet media, one either comes to the publisher/editor/gatekeeper with mad skills and gets published, or he gets a generic pink slip with a one-line apology. You can't use this system of...

OneZero

Learning from social media failure at Qantas and beyond

Learning from social media failure at Qantas and beyond

My latest post for Harvard Business tackles the lessons other companies can learn from the latest social media disaster, this time brought to you by Qantas Airways: [A]irlines are far from the only businesses to face a newly redrawn balance-of-power between company...

5 ways to maximize computer use — and happiness

5 ways to maximize computer use — and happiness

Q: How many computers does it take to enjoy a relaxing evening at home? A:  7.  Five to use simultaneously, a sixth to blog about how you're doing that, and a seventh to keep your spouse entertained while you do. Yeah, I know, it reads like a formulaic joke. But that...

Creating a family social media policy

Do ebooks help or hurt children’s literacy?

Print books may be under siege from the rise of e-books, but they have a tenacious hold on a particular group: children and toddlers. Their parents are insisting this next generation of readers spend their early years with old-fashioned books. This is the case even...

Trust, disclosure and social media

Trust, disclosure and social media

Two of the most frequent criticisms of social media hinge on the quality and quantity of information people disclosure through blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social tools: Why does s/he think anyone cares? Asked about people who blog their latest meal, tweet their...

JSTOR DAILY

Learning from social media failure at Qantas and beyond

Learning from social media failure at Qantas and beyond

My latest post for Harvard Business tackles the lessons other companies can learn from the latest social media disaster, this time brought to you by Qantas Airways: [A]irlines are far from the only businesses to face a newly redrawn balance-of-power between company...

5 ways to maximize computer use — and happiness

5 ways to maximize computer use — and happiness

Q: How many computers does it take to enjoy a relaxing evening at home? A:  7.  Five to use simultaneously, a sixth to blog about how you're doing that, and a seventh to keep your spouse entertained while you do. Yeah, I know, it reads like a formulaic joke. But that...

Creating a family social media policy

Do ebooks help or hurt children’s literacy?

Print books may be under siege from the rise of e-books, but they have a tenacious hold on a particular group: children and toddlers. Their parents are insisting this next generation of readers spend their early years with old-fashioned books. This is the case even...

Trust, disclosure and social media

Trust, disclosure and social media

Two of the most frequent criticisms of social media hinge on the quality and quantity of information people disclosure through blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social tools: Why does s/he think anyone cares? Asked about people who blog their latest meal, tweet their...

THE VERGE

If conferences were like slot machines

If conferences were like slot machines

My Facebook friends should be forgiven if they think I'm in Vegas to try out novelty slot machines. I was actually here to deliver three presentations on "How social media drives consumer decisions" at the LeadingRE real estate conference. I got to my last...

Can shomi solve Canada’s video streaming problem?

Can shomi solve Canada’s video streaming problem?

When I drove past a billboard earlier this week that promised me a new universe of streaming media, I nearly pulled over to the side of the road so that I could try it. Right. Now. Was this the day I'd been waiting for? The day when I'd finally experience the joy of...

What’s wrong with the Ello backlash

What’s wrong with the Ello backlash

My latest blog post for the Harvard Business Review argues that Ello -- the "it" social network of the week -- is a wake-up call for businesses to re-assess their social media strategy in light of growing public concerns about privacy and ad targeting. But what about...