Some of the power has shifted from companies to people. Using social media tools (blogs, wikis, tagging, etc. ) more individuals are creating semi-spontaneous 'groundswells' of opinions to which companies and other institutions are realizing they must respond. From marketing to consumers organizations are being pulled into engaging with individuals.
In theory, it makes a lot of sense to combine the two operations, especially on the back end. But merging the two actual portal consumer experiences into a unified site will be a nightmare.
People often say to me, "How come you don't want to be CEO of a company?" And I tell them, "I don't want to. " I know I can do it, but I don't enjoy it. Why does that have to be the definition of success?
If the ad is bad people get turned off. That's 125 million potential viewers, so you just killed reach. But there's also a big potential payoff. I think it does pay off because you get a lot of traffic, a lot of free public relations(in media stories). It helps position themselves for the next round of financing.
I think that women no longer have to set up a boundary between work life and home life. One of the hallmarks of my thinking is that I bring a lot of my personal life into my work. That's a huge advantage I have over men, who may feel they have to separate the two.
We're all learning here; the best listeners will end up the smartest.
The 800 pound gorilla just entered the blogosphere, with Google launching its blog search.
From the consumer point of view, there may be questions about whether you'll have to be an AOL subscriber to get Time magazine,. . . That combination of media with the access is one through which you may be able to block access to your competitors' subscribers.
Leadership is defined not by the position you hold but by the people who follow you.
If you think you are in control, you're fooling yourself. As soon as you start listening, you realize you're not in control. And letting go will yield more and better results.
It's the same reason why someone has a Web page or why people feel comfortable going on reality TV.
Then they show up at the door and the reality is that they are 5-foot-8, 240 pounds and have not run a mile in years. A background check is not going to help you with that.
I see women going anywhere they want to. And I do mean want to. Because a lot of people measure success merely by position, title and salary. I think women feel comfortable enough in their own skin to put that secondary to what they want. They don't have to define success by the measure of society.
Taking a close look at all technical options is the right thing for them (AOL and MSN) to be doing.
Companies need connections to their markets to create long-term loyalty.
Twitter is not a technology. It's a conversation and it's happening with or without you.