Facebook, Google, Apple are progressive corporations. Most of the human race has an opinion on them. We have all worked with fine people, the word that often arises about the best I have worked with is that they are "difficult" and the words added are they have a " vision" - "know what they want ".
Usually translated that means difficult to please with high standards or progressive in thought , word and deed.The quiet life is not an option.
The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, currently in progress this week, is famous for making connections among the global leaders and will no doubt have many of those present who are considered difficult but we hope are considering the future.Bill Gates at the World Economic Forum saw the next 10 years as the Decade of Vaccines - a time when we will make more progress than ever on immunisations that save lives in the developing world.
Steve Jobs, the boss of Apple, who launched the company’s latest creation this week is seen by some as difficult, the iPad is progress and so is Apple. Jobs unveils 'revolutionary' Apple iPad
Others complain about the connectivity of Facebook which celebrates its sixth birthday next month and is now the second most popular site on the internet after Google. The globe’s largest online social network boasts over 350m users—which, were it a nation, would make Facebook the world’s third most populous after China and India. That is not the only striking statistic associated with the business. Its users now post over 55m updates a day on the site and share more than 3.5 billion pieces of content with one another every week. 70% of its audience is outside the United States.
In Wales Assembly Member Mr Peter Black the Liberal Democrat well known blogger commented that researchers have provided scientific weight to the writer George Bernard Shaw's famous saying that "all progress depends on the unreasonable man".The Welsh Ramblings blog this week said "Any progressive should be extremely concerned and upset at the latest child poverty figures for Wales, which show that 96,000 children are living in relative 'severe' poverty."
But back to those who lack seeing the progress in this World.Within companies there is plenty of doubt about the benefits of online social networking in the office. A survey of 1,400 chief information officers (not seen as progressive) conducted last year by Robert Half Technology, a recruitment firm, found that only one-tenth of them gave employees full access to such networks during the day, and that many were blocking Facebook and Twitter altogether. The executives’ biggest concern was that social networking would lead to social "notworking", with employees using the sites to chat with friends instead of doing their jobs. Some bosses also fretted that the sites would be used to leak sensitive corporate information.
The Guardian’s Alan Rusbridger provided an insight this week into Google: Google as a country. "Google is not a country" said CEO Eric Schmidt – who would be prime minister if it was – kept repeating the point at a briefing he gave at Davos . They didn't have a police force, they didn't have jails, they didn't have their own prosecutors. Only once did he slip and say : "Nevertheless we have to secure our borders."
I saw the progressivecommentator Jeff Jarvis at Davos asked Mr Schmidt about Google’s reputation: he asked whether it was lonely at the top, getting grief from France to Germany to News Corp to China. Is it because Google is so big? Is it because it is putting itself on the ledge? Is it a PR problem? Mr Schmidt said no.
“Google is fundamentally disruptive because of our innovation,” Schmidt said.
“Google, because of our architecture, does things at a larger scale than others can. We are in the information space, which everyone has an opinion on. … You asked me how does it feels from a Google perspective? It feels as if we’re in the right place.” These aren’t crises, Schmidt said. He treated them as a factor in doing business. “It’s constant. It’s because it’s information that matters.”
Information is important for progress and making innovative decisions.
Sources:A special report on social networking Online social networks are changing the way people communicate, work and play, and mostly for the better, says Martin Giles Jan 28th 2010 | From The Economist print edition
http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15351002&source=hptextfeature
Peter Black AM -
Grumpy Old Man
http://peterblack.blogspot.com/2010/01/grumpy-old-man.html
Welsh Ramblings