Publications
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Web services and software for creating family albums and scrapbooks
2008 Presentation at Oberlin Symposium on Social Entrepreneurship
I just discovered that my presentation at Oberlin's 2008 Symposium on Social Entrepreneurship is on YouTube. I talked about how the lessons of building social networks parallel our experience as entrepreneurs.
Feature set for a social media scrapbook
On Managing Information Overload and Extremely Lame Superpowers
We all struggle with information overload. If somebody would just push a button and turn off the Internet for a…
How I’m going to go
This weekend has helped me identify the most likely scenarios for my own demise: Buried under mismatched wineglasses. Suffocated by a dishtowel avalanche. Arm spontaneously separates after 18 continuous hours of drilling ceramic tile. Food poisoning from leftovers...
Wanted: Social media scrapbook service
The next chapter: Emily Carr University
I’m thrilled and honoured that I have been invited to join Emily Carr as the Director of the Centre for Moving Interaction. For the next two years, I’ll work with the students and faculty of Emily Carr to develop research programs that engage BC tech companies in exploring new opportunities for — and applications of — digital creativity. And as part of that work, I’ll do research that digs deeper into the strategic and social implications of social media.
The geek’s guide to child-proofing: how to keep your tech safe from baby
With the wisdom earned from six years’ of childraising, two destructive children and four or five figures’ worth of maimed technology, I’d like to weigh in on the neglected side of childproofing. Because once you’ve figured out how to keep your baby safe from your stuff, it’s time to figure out how to keep your stuff safe from baby.
Nonprofit technology starter pack
This is the third part of a 3-part post. The first part covers collaboration on nonprofit technology, and the second part lists 9 questions to ask before starting a nonprofit technology project. Whether you're getting started in nonprofit technology, or you've already...
9 questions to ask before starting a nonprofit technology project
Whether you’re a tech professional who wants to lend your time to a good cause, or an NGO that needs a new web site, your online efforts can benefit not just one organization, but many organizations facing similar challenges and opportunities. These 9 questions will ensure your nonprofit project has the maximum impact.
The Harvard Business Review
Web services and software for creating family albums and scrapbooks
2008 Presentation at Oberlin Symposium on Social Entrepreneurship
I just discovered that my presentation at Oberlin's 2008 Symposium on Social Entrepreneurship is on YouTube. I talked about how the lessons of building social networks parallel our experience as entrepreneurs.
Feature set for a social media scrapbook
On Managing Information Overload and Extremely Lame Superpowers
We all struggle with information overload. If somebody would just push a button and turn off the Internet for a…
How I’m going to go
This weekend has helped me identify the most likely scenarios for my own demise: Buried under mismatched wineglasses. Suffocated by a dishtowel avalanche. Arm spontaneously separates after 18 continuous hours of drilling ceramic tile. Food poisoning from leftovers...
Wanted: Social media scrapbook service
The next chapter: Emily Carr University
I’m thrilled and honoured that I have been invited to join Emily Carr as the Director of the Centre for Moving Interaction. For the next two years, I’ll work with the students and faculty of Emily Carr to develop research programs that engage BC tech companies in exploring new opportunities for — and applications of — digital creativity. And as part of that work, I’ll do research that digs deeper into the strategic and social implications of social media.
The geek’s guide to child-proofing: how to keep your tech safe from baby
With the wisdom earned from six years’ of childraising, two destructive children and four or five figures’ worth of maimed technology, I’d like to weigh in on the neglected side of childproofing. Because once you’ve figured out how to keep your baby safe from your stuff, it’s time to figure out how to keep your stuff safe from baby.
Nonprofit technology starter pack
This is the third part of a 3-part post. The first part covers collaboration on nonprofit technology, and the second part lists 9 questions to ask before starting a nonprofit technology project. Whether you're getting started in nonprofit technology, or you've already...
9 questions to ask before starting a nonprofit technology project
Whether you’re a tech professional who wants to lend your time to a good cause, or an NGO that needs a new web site, your online efforts can benefit not just one organization, but many organizations facing similar challenges and opportunities. These 9 questions will ensure your nonprofit project has the maximum impact.
OneZero
Social media is the jar my brain sits in
Brain-in-a-jar images of the future are usually presented as dystopian. But for many years, I found the brain-in-a-jar lifestyle nothing short of enviable: what could be better than eternal life, or even just regular old life, than dispensing with the annoyances of...
The Rule of 84: Social media for your limited budget or small audience
Creating a social media presence in 2010
Where The Social Network fails, does Gossip Girl succeed?
My latest blog post for Harvard Business Review talks about what The Social Network tells us about social media. Or rather, it looks at what The Social Network doesn't tell us about social media, since the movie used the birth of Facebook as the backdrop for a...
The Social Network: A Good Movie That’s Not About Social Networking
Singin’ in the Rain has been my favorite movie for almost 30 years. It’s got classic music, extraordinary dancing and,…
13 tips for using Facebook events instead of pages, groups or apps
If you’re creating a participatory project on Facebook, consider creating an event rather than a Facebook page. An event can provide an easy way of inviting people into your Facebook conversation, and you can use these 13 tips to make the most of it.
Coming to terms with groupness, on- and offline
How your life online can satisfy your need for belonging, community and “groupness”.
Locative technologies help us redefine what presence means
Simon King has a provocative blog post about the relationship between using technologies on-location, and actually being present in the location where you're checking. He begins by comparing e-readers and smartphones to books or magazines: In my experience, there is a...
JSTOR DAILY
Social media is the jar my brain sits in
Brain-in-a-jar images of the future are usually presented as dystopian. But for many years, I found the brain-in-a-jar lifestyle nothing short of enviable: what could be better than eternal life, or even just regular old life, than dispensing with the annoyances of...
The Rule of 84: Social media for your limited budget or small audience
Creating a social media presence in 2010
Where The Social Network fails, does Gossip Girl succeed?
My latest blog post for Harvard Business Review talks about what The Social Network tells us about social media. Or rather, it looks at what The Social Network doesn't tell us about social media, since the movie used the birth of Facebook as the backdrop for a...
The Social Network: A Good Movie That’s Not About Social Networking
Singin’ in the Rain has been my favorite movie for almost 30 years. It’s got classic music, extraordinary dancing and,…
13 tips for using Facebook events instead of pages, groups or apps
If you’re creating a participatory project on Facebook, consider creating an event rather than a Facebook page. An event can provide an easy way of inviting people into your Facebook conversation, and you can use these 13 tips to make the most of it.
Coming to terms with groupness, on- and offline
How your life online can satisfy your need for belonging, community and “groupness”.
Locative technologies help us redefine what presence means
Simon King has a provocative blog post about the relationship between using technologies on-location, and actually being present in the location where you're checking. He begins by comparing e-readers and smartphones to books or magazines: In my experience, there is a...
THE VERGE
How much social media is enough?
Today's practice: Focus on quality, not quantity. Today's tweets are full of references to New Year's resolutions: "Tweet more". "Tweet less". "Blog more". "Blog less." "Check Facebook no more than once a day." "Check Facebook at least once a day." You get the idea....
Top 2011 posts from other sites
For the past week, I've been rounding up the top posts from 2011 on this site -- both your favourites and my own. Today, I'm closing out the year by sharing 11 of the best posts I've read elsewhere this year. There are many others that belong on this list, too! Social...
Our online future: Top 2011 posts on the Internet and society
Top how-tos and tech tips of 2011
These top 2011 posts offer tech tips and how-tos on social media, web apps and blogging. From creating a desktop folder that stays in sync with Google Docs, to configuring Facebook to protect your kids’ privacy, you’ll find step-by-step help for getting things done online.