Phil Simon » Misc. Writing

Interview with Sue Collier

philsimon — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:29:55 +0000

I recently did an interview with author Sue Collier about self-publishing. Here’s a sample:

What is your background? I am an independent technology consultant, author, writer, and dynamic public speaker for hire. I focus on the intersection of business and technology and have written two books: Why New Systems Fail and The Next Wave of Technologies. My next book is called The New Small and will be out in November. I also write for a number of technology media outlets and sites and host the podcast Technology Today.

To listen the entire interview, click here.

Eleven Questions for the Indie Publisher: Featuring Phil Simon

Interview with Sue Collier is a post from: Phil Simon

A Little Yarn about The New Small

philsimon — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:35:19 +0000

In May of this year, I was on an edition of The New York Times’ TechTalk Podcast. I discussed my second book, The Next Wave of Technologies. At the end of the show, the host asked me, “What’s next? Another book?”

I responded with something along the lines of, “I can’t imagine doing another one but, knowing me, I’ll probably do it again. It’s kind of like a woman having a child. Immediately afterward, she can’t imagine repeating the experience. After a few years, though, the kid is kind of cute and you want another one.”

Click here to read the rest of my guest post on AriWriter’s site.

A Little Yarn about The New Small is a post from: Phil Simon

Cover for The New Small

philsimon — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:16:52 +0000

I’m pleased to present the cover for my third book: The New Small: How a New Breed Of Small Businesses is Harnessing the Power of Emerging Technologies. This is the handiwork of my cover guy, Luke Fletcher. Luke and I had worked together on the second edition of my first book, Why New Systems Fail. He set the bar high that time and I didn’t want to work with anyone else. There’s something really exciting about seeing your vision of the cover become a reality, and this guy just makes me want to write more books.

While I’m at it, I’m also pleased to announce that Chris Brogan is going to be writing the foreword to The New Small. I am beyond stoked about this. I’ve been a big fan of his blog, talks, and books. I’m confident that Chris will get the book off on the right note. He knows more about social media that just about anyone out there, and one of the pillars of the book is the effective use of social media and networks. He’s also no stranger to the other topics covered in the book, to put it mildly.

While not on Amazon yet, you can contribute to the publication of the book by clicking here.

Cover for The New Small is a post from: Phil Simon

Finding Inspiration at the Counter

philsimon — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:32:06 +0000

About two months ago, I needed to get my primary tennis racket restrung. Rather than go to a chain store like Sports Authority, I try to support local businesses and go to What a Racquet. After all, I run a really small business here in northern NJ as well. At the time, I hadn’t begun working on The New Small. I wanted to write another book for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which is the relative paucity of consulting work these days.

As I paid at the counter with dreams of playing like Federer, I started chatting with one of the business’ co-owners, a woman named Linda. She mentioned asked if I thought if they needed a proper website or could get away with just a Facebook page. Never one lacking opinions, I offered mine: Why not both?

I have had more than a few conversations like these with small business owners over the last six months and, in early July, decided on my next book. It seems to me that many owners of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are awash in a sea of technology. Whether its mobility, cloud computing, social networks, or others, they aren’t keeping up with many of the changes that can help their businesses grow, reduce costs, reach new people, and do many more things.

Reasons

While not definitive, I wonder these days about why so many SMB owners are unaware of these transformative technologies. I have a few thoughts on the matter:

Some people are just overwhelmed
Some people just don’t care
Some people are probably intimidated
Some people just aren’t aware
Some people think “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

I’m sure that they’re others.

Feedback

What say you?

Finding Inspiration at the Counter is a post from: Phil Simon

Help: A Call for Case Studies

philsimon — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:52:39 +0000

Update 07.19.2010

Thanks for the responses, retweets, and Facebook likes. I have had more than I can handle.

Original Post

Call me silly. Call me delusional. Call me stubborn. I can take it. As a technology consultant, I have been called much worse. Just don’t call me Verizon. (You see what happens, Verizon?) Because of your apathetic, exceedingly difficult, and anachronistic customer service, you have now:

lost me as a customer
incurred the wrath of a guy with a really big mouth
become a routine punchline on my site

How you like them apples?

But I digress. I mentioned something about calling me silly. Oh, right…

I am writing a third book, an act that some would consider foolish in this day and age. At a high level, it will focus on how small businesses are successfully utilizing emerging technologies such as cloud computing, SaaS, social networks, mobility, etc. For those of you who have read any of my books, posts, or articles, you know that I am big fan of stories. To that end, the book be rife with case studies and examples.

This is where I need some help. At the risk of being really formal, consider a few questions:

Have you recently worked with or for a small business–either as a consultant or employee?
Did your work entail emerging technologies?
Was the project able to circumvent the problems of traditional technology deployments? Did you get a decent bang for your buck?
Are you able to go on record? I ask because I really want to use the real names of people, organizations, and vendors. By way of comparison, I had to use pseudonyms for the case studies in my first book.

If the answers to these questions are yes, then let’s chat.

How do we start?

Feel free to contact me directly:

phil at philsimonsystems (dot) com

You mean that you’re giving me homework?

No, I don’t expect you to submit case studies to me. We’ll have a conversation and I’ll write it up.

What’s in it for you?

I’ll send you a copy of the book for your trouble.

Help: A Call for Case Studies is a post from: Phil Simon

George Orwell and Why I Write

philsimon — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:30:14 +0000

I recently read–and was struck by–this quote from George Orwell:

All writers are vain, selfish, and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives there lies a mystery. Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.

Now, I don’t know if I’m vain, selfish, and lazy. I’ll certainly cop to one of the three on most days. Equally interesting in that piece, though, is Orwell’s four main motivations for writing (condensed):

(i) Sheer egoism. Desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, to get your own back on the grown-ups who snubbed you in childhood, etc., etc.

(ii) Aesthetic enthusiasm. Perception of beauty in the external world, or, on the other hand, in words and their right arrangement.

(iii) Historical impulse. Desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity.

(iv) Political purpose. Using the word ‘political’ in the widest possible sense. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples’ idea of the kind of society that they should strive after. Once again, no book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude.

Beyond Orwell, I started thinking about why writers do what they do. It’s an interesting question and, to be sure, there are no “right” answers. I can only speak for myself which is exactly is what I’m about to do. Without further ado, here are my seven reasons for writing in no particular order:

1. Economic Necessity

As I’ve learned by primarily working for myself over the last ten years, consulting can be a fickle beast. The phrase “feast or famine” comes to mind. I’ve had months in which I’ve made a small fortune and others that were downright brutal. The paid writing that I do for a number of companies allows me to do the following:

diversify my revenue streams
be productive when I’m not on a consulting gig
potentially gain additional exposure (more on that later)

2. Enjoyment

I’ve said this many times: As a general rule, you should like what you do. Yes, everyone has a bad day now and then–and I’m no exception. For the most part, though, I really enjoy the writing process:

Starting with an idea and a blank screen, sometimes inspired by recent events, what I’m reading, or personal observations
Getting a few thoughts out there
Playing around with different imagery and words
At some point, believing that I’ve “nailed it”
Seeing the final product
Reading comments and general feedback on what I’ve created

3. Catharsis

At times, life can frustrate me and writing is cheaper than therapy. Much cheaper. Things don’t always go the way that I hope, as evinced by the vast majority of my golf scores over the last few years. If something troubles or irritates me, I find that I can make more sense out of it by writing about it. Not to get all zen-like, but this allows me to find some degree of inner peace after something has affected me.

4. Skill

While I may not be the world’s greatest scribe, I’m improving every day. I’m constantly tweaking my approach, hoping to find the right words and subjects for the right audience. I’ve had enough positive feedback from people I respect to know that I’m not completely wasting my time. (Again, this isn’t the golf course.) I also believe that my best writing is ahead of me. I’m curious to see what I’ll produce next and at least a few people in the world seem to share that sentiment.

5. Ego

I’ll agree with Orwell here. It would be apocryphal for me to claim that my ego gets no boost from seeing my name in print, on a book jacket, or on a reputable web site. Yes, I endeavor to write in a self-deprecating and accessible style. However, I do take my work very seriously. It doesn’t matter whether you’re reading my stuff on my site (gratis) or a company has commissioned me to write something.

6. “Political” Purposes

Again, I’m with Orwell on this one. At some level, I strive to improve one little piece of the world with my observations, recommendations, and analysis.

7. Business Development

I’m an independent writer, speaker, and consultant. I don’t have a massive marketing or PR budget. Creating what I hope is interesting content is a way of promoting my wares, as I wrote about on recently. Good writing may beget more paid writing, books, consulting, or speaking engagements.

Feedback

Why do you write?

George Orwell and Why I Write is a post from: Phil Simon

Tell Me a Story

philsimon — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 10:40:03 +0000

I recently appeared on the New York Times’ Tech Talk podcast, answering a number of questions about emerging technologies. Now, all of these questions were squarely in my sweet spot. No one asked me to name the most famous 17th century French Philosopher. But there was one question that gave me more pause than the rest:

What’s been the biggest change in technology over the last five years?

Wow. So many technologies and developments, and I had to choose one. After some reflection, I went with “the massive explosion of content–legal and otherwise.”

In other words, there’s just so much content and information out there that it’s often hard to determine what you need to be consuming. For more on this, check out my friend Jim Harris’ excellent post on filter failure and cognitive load.

What’s more, this trend shows no signs of abating. If anything, we’re going to see even more content in the foreseeable future, especially given the announcement that self-publishing is moving directly to Kindles and iPads. I’ll be you $100 that Andrew Keen must be cringing over that one.

Filter Failure vs. Information Overload

Some have called this phenomenon information overload. Not Clay Shirky. In a recent talk, he explains:

What we’re dealing with now is not the problem of information overload, because we’re always dealing (and always have been dealing) with information overload…Thinking about information overload isn’t accurately describing the problem; thinking about filter failure is.

So, is Shirky right? I honestly have no idea. To quote Louis Armstrong, “You like potato and I like potahto.”

I can only speak for myself. I like to think that I have pretty good filters. I only subscribe to and read the blogs that interest me. I’ll quickly put down a book that doesn’t do it for me. I no longer finish every one that I start. I’ll walk out of a movie even if I paid $13 to get in.

Simon Says: It’s All About Stories

How do I choose what to read–or keep reading? In a word, stories. My favorite writers are the ones that draw me in with interesting narratives, making their points without being preachy. Think Malcolm Gladwell. Would Outliers, for example, be as popular if Gladwell cited dry statistics about how success hinges just as much on luck as skill? No. But reading about how Bill Gates slaved away at terminals when computers were rare sticks with you more than dry prose about the importance of hard work.

To me, this seems obvious but it’s hardly universal. For example, I recent picked up a short and potentially promising book about IT. Lamentably it was devoid of case studies, stories, and examples. There was nothing wrong with the content and the author actually wrote solid prose in a welcoming style. But I couldn’t get through the book. I can only read so many pages of truisms and recommendations. After 60 pages, I thumbed through the remaining chapters, looking for anecdotes. I couldn’t find any and put the book down, probably for good.

In my own articles, posts, and books, I try to tell stories that convey larger points and messages. At least in the non-fiction world, I believe that it’s the best way to communicate, garner and retain reader interest, and rise about today’s din.

Feedback

Why do you read what you read? What are your filters? How do you navigate the deep sea of content these days?

Photo from Linda Cronin.

Tell Me a Story is a post from: Phil Simon

A Blogging and Service-Related Mystery

philsimon — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:28:58 +0000

Last week, I introduced a new thread on this site: a series of modern day technology and business mysteries. The target of my curiosity (or venom, depending on your point of view) was publishers. The post was very popular so I’m eager to continue my eternal quest to comprehend the incomprehensible–at least to me. This is where you come in. Yes, you.

I don’t know how to accurately categorize the following story. I can tell you two things, though:

it’s completely true
it offends my business sensibilities

Background

A guy from a company that makes project management software contacted me on via my site to discuss writing and content. Let’s call him Steven for the purposes of this post. I offer these services on my site and I was thinking to myself, “Maybe I have scored a paid writing gig.” Ka-ching, right?

Nope. It turns out that this ostensibly intelligent guy had an entirely different idea. Y’all ready for this?

After a few emails, Steven and I set up a time to talk. Steven told me that his company employs a full-time writer of some sort to blog about project management issues. In a nutshell, Steven wanted me to resyndicate his company’s content, of course linking back to his company’s site. Below is the crux of conversation to the best of my memory:

Me: At the risk of being entirely selfish, “What’s in it for me?”

Steven: Well, you get content on your site.

Me: My site is vendor-agnostic. I’m an independent consultant, speaker, and writer. That aside for the moment, would I be able to post my content on your site if I agreed to your proposal?

Steven: No, we don’t really allow that.

My cynical but probably accurate translation of Steven’s “pitch”: Will you help promote our company without any money or exposure in return?

Rant

I almost don’t know where to start here. First up, I called my sometimes therapist Jim Harris in disbelief. He agreed that this was an interesting proposal, and by “interesting” he meant completely insane.

Second, what am I? The Smart Data Collective or some other type of aggregator? Nothing against aggregators but it’s pretty clear that they take the content from other bloggers and sites. A 30 second review of my site ought to eliminate that theory.

Next up, I pride myself on my independence. If I’m going to sell out, at least I want to get paid, right? Overt advertising is one thing and I do have a few affiliate links of my site. But to routinely pass off another company’s posts as valuable “content” for my readers would erode or destroy the credibility, brand, and reputation that I have spent a long time building. I don’t need a branding expert like Chris Brogan to tell me that.

On a different level, I understand the freemium model, outlined in Chris Anderson’s Free: The Future of a Radical Price. I do my own share of guest posting, albeit on a limited basis. I’m completely fine with having others guest post on my site, but those are one-off posts designed to give my readers a different view point. Steven wasn’t suggesting limited guest posting and, at least to me, a one-way street makes absolutely no sense.

Feedback

Am I overreacting again? Does this make any sense to you? What harebrained ideas have people proposed to you?

A Blogging and Service-Related Mystery is a post from: Phil Simon

Cover for New Edition of Why New Systems Fail

philsimon — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:21:05 +0000

One of the questions that people often ask me is, “What’s the difference between self-publishing and going with a traditional publishing house?” Well, there are many. It’s a topic that I’ll be addressing more and more over the next few months based on some reader feedback.

One of the cool things about publishing through a firm is that you have access to some pretty accomplished professionals at pretty much every point in the process. You see, when you self-publish, you’re kind of on your own. Sure, you can pay for proper designers, proofreaders, copy editors, and the like, but those on a limited budget can pretty easily break your bank. Plus, you’re having to take some pretty big leaps of faith on professionals who claim to have expertise. To make a long story short, I had my challenges on many fronts a year ago dealing with a random collection of folks.

With some of those headaches behind me, I am pleased be working with some very talented folks at Cengage. Collectively, these folks have made the next edition Why New Systems Fail markedly better than its original. This edition is a vast improvement on many levels.

Perhaps the most obvious is the cover. My designier, Luke Fletcher, did an amazing job. He took what I was going for to the next level, incorporating my feedback quickly to provide a product that Cengage and I just love.

Mad props to this guy…

Cover for New Edition of Why New Systems Fail is a post from: Phil Simon

My Second IT Education

philsimon — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:20:30 +0000

My friend and fellow Wiley author Vinnie Mirchandani writes the popular and well-respected Deal Architect blog. Vinnie covers a vast array of technology-related issues. He recently started a series called “The Real Deal”, allowing IT practitioners to chime in with thoughts on different topics. In this installment, I write about the “real world” IT education that I received working with so many experts on my second book. I also offer a few nuggets from the book on business intelligence, social media, cloud computing, agile software development, and mobile technologies.

Excerpt

A few months after I published Why New Systems Fail, Vinnie was kind enough to review my book on his site. In a post entitled ERP Déjà vu, Vinnie praised the content of the book while offering a few mild criticisms. To paraphrase Vinnie, the book looked backward more than it looked forward. ERP issues have been well documented but not as much is understood about emerging technologies or, as some would call it, Enterprise 2.0.

To read the entire post, click here.

My Second IT Education is a post from: Phil Simon