Recently Read – 02/17/2010
Posted on 17. Feb, 2010
Categories: IT Projects, Social Media
A few highlights from the blogosphere this week and an incredible book.
Navigating the Many Social Networking Sites
In Attention as a Currency and Noise, Chris Brogan describes the importance of attention and priorities in the context of limited time.
Simon Says
I can see why Brogan is, like me, a bit skeptical about Google Buzz. I also agree with him that Google Wave is so much more than just another IM tool. You can save serious time collaborating and minimizing the amount of email back-and-forth.
Square One
In Microsoft Starts Over in Phone Software, Ashlee Vance of The New York Times writes about how Microsoft has recognized the need to blow up the current version of its mobile operating system. Vance writes:
The revamped software represents a rarity for Microsoft — it scrapped previous versions of its software to build something from scratch. Microsoft spent the last 18 months trying to add gloss and sophistication to a product that had been ridiculed as clunky and too wedded to the company’s PC roots.
Simon Says
Give Microsoft Credit. They know when it’s time to call it a day. Turning your back on a product with so much history (and dollars committed) is much easier said than done. From what I understand, however, the Redmond-based giant couldn’t patch its way out of this one. The decision to go in a different direction is probably the correct one if Microsoft is going to compete in the white-hot mobile market.
The IT/Business Chasm
In his post IT failure? Blame your CEO, Michael Krigsman examines the role of the CEO in IT project failures. Normally, CIOs are the ones held accountable for IT projects gone wild. In a post of a similar vein entitled Charm School: It’s Not Just for IT Anymore, my friend Jill Dyché makes some related points.
Simon Says
Michael’s completely on point. IT is no different than other areas of the business. In his post, Michael writes about the history of IT and the “high priests” who used to develop software. We’re not in the mainframe days anymore, though, and haven’t been for quite some time. It’s time that traditional barriers come down.
Jill’s premise is that IT can’t always be the scapegoat and, as usual, she’s right. If I had a nickel for every time that “business” users couldn’t articulate their requirements during the middle of a project, I’d have at least two bucks. I’d hope that more technical functional folks can meet more business-savvy IT folks in the middle, as the diagram in Jill’s excellent post suggests.
The Greatest Tennis Match Ever Played
OK, this one has nothing to do with technology but I like to pretend to be multidimensional. In Strokes of Genius, L. Jon Wertheim recounts the story of arguably the greatest tennis match of all time: the 2008 Wimbledon final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Simon Says
This is easily the best tennis book I’ve ever read and one of my favorites in the last five years. Expertly told and weaved with fascinating anecdotes, Wertheim somehow brings drama to a book whose outcome is already known. Among the best sports’ books out there.
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