Updated April 10, 2012. Core slides (with links and footnotes) for 2011-2012 talks at Computers in Libraries, NDIIPP, OpenText, J.Boye/Aarhus, Sharing is Caring: Digitized Cultural Heritage for All (Copenhagen), and DISH (Netherlands).
Also see the updated text version of this talk (with hyperlinks and citations) at http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm/michael-edson-let-us-go-boldly-into-the-present-text-version
4. Michael Edson
Director, Web and New Media Strategy
Smithsonian Institution, Office of the CIO
edsonm@si.edu | @mpedson
@mpedson
5. Michael Edson
Director, Web and New Media Strategy
Smithsonian Institution, Office of the CIO
edsonm@si.edu | @mpedson
@mpedson
slideshare.net/edsonm
6. slideshare.net/edsonm
Text version of this talk
(with links and footnotes)
http://www.slideshare.net/edsonm
/michael-edson-let-us-go-boldly-
into-the-present-text-version
7. Michael Edson
Director, Web and New Media Strategy
Smithsonian Institution, Office of the CIO
edsonm@si.edu | @mpedson
@mpedson
slideshare.net/edsonm
www.si.edu/commons
8. Michael Edson
Director, Web and New Media Strategy
Smithsonian Institution, Office of the CIO
edsonm@si.edu | @mpedson
Doesn’t make policy,
not a spokesman
11. “But now he saw, however
briefly but
with peculiar clarity,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Quartier_Commons.jpg
12. “But now he saw,
however briefly but
with peculiar clarity,
an aerial penguin
cross the intersection ahead
of him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Quartier_Commons.jpg
14. “A penguin
wrapped in
fluid mirror,
reflecting a
bit of neon
from the
street
below.
rue in Latin Quarter by Charles Hutchins, CC attribution
http://www.flickr.com/photos/celesteh/396424823/in/faves-46758972@N00/
15. rue in Latin Quarter by Charles Hutchins, CC attribution
http://www.flickr.com/photos/celesteh/396424823/in/faves-46758972@N00/
“Swimming.
16. Moving as
a penguin moves
underwater, but
through the
Latin Quarter air,
at just above
the height of
second-story
windows.
“Swimming.
17. “Moving down the center of the street that
crossed the one he walked on. So that it
was revealed only as it crossed the
intersection.
2008_06_27_paris_walk_06 by Doc Searls, CC Attribution
http://www.flickr.com/photos/docsearls/4745436344/sizes/l/in/photostream/
18. 2008_06_27_paris_walk_06 by Doc Searls, CC Attribution
http://www.flickr.com/photos/docsearls/4745436344/sizes/l/in/photostream/
“Moving down the center of the street that
crossed the one he walked on. So that it
was revealed only as it crossed the
intersection.
Swimming.
19. Propelling itself, in a
gracefully
determined
but efficient
fashion, with its
quicksilver
flippers.
2008_06_27_paris_walk_06 by Doc Searls, CC Attribution
http://www.flickr.com/photos/docsearls/4745436344/sizes/l/in/photostream/
“Moving down the center of the street that
crossed the one he walked on. So that it
was revealed only as it crossed the
intersection.
Swimming.
20. Photo by paige_eliz, CC attribution,noncommercial, no derivatives
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paige_eliz/480028794/sizes/l/in/photostream/
“Then a bicycle crossed,
on the street, going
in the opposite direction.
21. Photo by paige_eliz, CC attribution,noncommercial, no derivatives
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paige_eliz/480028794/sizes/l/in/photostream/
“Did you see that?”
Milgrim asked
the cyclist…
35. The Future
is stuff that
hasn’t happened yetThe future is stuff that
hasn’t happened
yet…Well, that’s what
we used to think.
That’s what this talk
is about.
37. The strategist as a visionary
15 years ago, I
thought it was the
strategists job to look
far out over the
horizon…
38. The strategist as a visionary
15 years ago, I
thought it was the
strategists job to look
far out over the
horizon…
But now, much of that
distant, misty future
has already happened.
The present is what’s
interesting and difficult
40. Strategy is language that does work
The strategist as a visionary
Somebody smart
said “software is
language that does
work.”
41. Strategy is language that does work
The strategist as a visionary
Somebody smart
said “software is
language that does
work.”
Strategy is the
same—it’s a tool
that helps you get
difficult things done.
42. Strategy is language that does work
The strategist as a visionary
This is not just idle philosophy,
our work matters
45. date
T.F.O.Technology Fetish Object
A pattern I’ve noticed:
speakers often have
a slide with a date at
the top and a
Technology Fetish
Object at the bottom,
to show how quickly
the gadgets of our
youth go out of date.
72. http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/
“Build an online collection
of 10 million portraits of
citizens and their stories,
created and uploaded
without official curation
by members of the
public. Build a
community around this
initiative to fuel
engagement with
national history,
biography, and artistic
creativity.”
Proposed
73. http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/
“Do a website about
family portraits”
Proposed Adopted
“Build an online collection
of 10 million portraits of
citizens and their stories,
created and uploaded
without official curation
by members of the
public. Build a
community around this
initiative to fuel
engagement with
national history,
biography, and artistic
creativity.”
74. http://www.flickr.com/photos/invattur/4013772522/sizes/l/in/photostream/
“Build an online collection
of 10 million portraits of
citizens and their stories,
created and uploaded
without official curation
by members of the
public. Build a
community around this
initiative to fuel
engagement with
national history,
biography, and artistic
creativity.”
“Do a website about
family portraits”
Proposed Adopted
Disconnect between
different
understandings of the
present
75. • 2002: Howard Rheingold’s Smart Mobs
• 2002: Lawrence Lessig’s The Future of Ideas
• 2005: Tim O’Reilly’s what is web 2.0
• 2006: Wikinomics
• “You” were the person of the year IN 2006!!!
They nailed it
5 – 10 years ago
78. 2002
Howard Rheingold’s Smart Mobs
“The first signs of the next shift began to reveal
themselves to me on a spring afternoon in the
year 2000. That was when I began to notice
people on the streets of Tokyo staring at their
mobile phones instead of talking to them. The
sight of this behavior, now commonplace in much
of the world, triggered a sensation I had
experienced a few times before—the instant
recognition that a technology is going to change
my life in ways I can scarcely imagine.
79. 2002
Howard Rheingold’s Smart Mobs
“The first signs of the next shift began to reveal
themselves to me on a spring afternoon in the
year 2000. That was when I began to notice
people on the streets of Tokyo staring at their
mobile phones instead of talking to them. The
sight of this behavior, now commonplace in much
of the world, triggered a sensation I had
experienced a few times before—the instant
recognition that a technology is going to change
my life in ways I can scarcely imagine.
80. 2002
Howard Rheingold’s Smart Mobs
—the instant recognition that a
technology is going to change my
life in ways I can scarcely
imagine.”
82. 2002
Lawrence Lessig: The Future of Ideas
“The open and neutral platform of the Internet
has spurred hundreds of companies to develop
new ways for individuals to interact. …Groups form
easily to discuss any issue imaginable; public
debate is enabled by removing perhaps the most
significant cost of human interaction—
synchronicity.
83. 2002
Lawrence Lessig: The Future of Ideas
“I can add to your conversation tonight;
you can follow it up tomorrow;
someone else, the day after.
And this is just the beginning, as the technology
will only get better.
84. 2002
Lawrence Lessig: The Future of Ideas
“I can add to your conversation tonight;
you can follow it up tomorrow;
someone else, the day after.
And this is just the beginning, as
the technology will only get better.”
85. “I can add to your conversation tonight;
you can follow it up tomorrow;
someone else, the day after.
And this is just the beginning, as
the technology will only get better.”
2002
Lawrence Lessig: The Future of Ideas
Two years
before
Facebook was
founded
Four years
before Twitter
launched
87. 2006
Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams
Wikinomics
“Smart companies are encouraging, rather than
fighting, the heaving growth of massive online
communities—many of which emerged from the
fringes of the Web to attract tens of millions of
participants overnight. Even ardent competitors
are collaborating on path-breaking scientific
initiatives that accelerate discovery in their
industries.
88. 2006
Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams
Wikinomics
“Indeed as a growing number of firms see the
benefits of mass collaboration, this new way of
organizing
will eventually displace the
traditional corporate structures as
the economy's primary engine of
wealth creation.
89. 2006
Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams
Wikinomics
“Indeed as a growing number of firms see the
benefits of mass collaboration, this new way of
organizing
will eventually displace the
traditional corporate structures as
the economy's primary engine of
wealth creation.”
90. 2005
Tim O’Reilly
What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and
Business Models for the Next
Generation of Software
91. 2005
Tim O’Reilly
What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and
Business Models for the Next
Generation of Software
1. The long tail
2. Data is the next Intel Inside
3. Users add value
4. Network effects by default
5. Some rights reserved
6. The perpetual beta
7. Cooperate, don't control
8. Software above the level of a single device
93. December 25, 2006
“And we didn’t just watch, we also
worked. Like crazy. We made
Facebook profiles and Second Life
avatars and reviewed books at
Amazon and recorded podcasts.
We blogged about our candidates
losing and wrote songs about
getting dumped. We camcordered
bombing runs and built open-
source software.”
94. Note: More examples related to
open content and intellectual
property are in Addendum 1
at the end of this show (slide 152)
104. These are not new ideas
anymore
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/99432/jimmy-wales-aps-landing-pages-a-good-if-late-idea/
“Nothing in this [strategy]
couldn’t have been written by
someone actually savvy in the
Internet culture five years
ago. ”
-- Jimmy Wales on
AP’s Digital Strategy
105. These are not new ideas
anymore
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/99432/jimmy-wales-aps-landing-pages-a-good-if-late-idea/
“Nothing in this [strategy]
couldn’t have been written by
someone actually savvy in the
Internet culture five years
ago. ”
-- Jimmy Wales on
AP’s Digital Strategy
OUCH!
118. 20 million items in Europeana
66 million books in Librarything
250 million items in Trove
6 billion photos in Flickr
100 billion photos in Facebook
19M Wikipedia articles
And we have this
“now” in great
abundance
119. “If you wanted to start a company back in 2000 it was a lot
more difficult than it was today. You’d actually have to go out
and buy dedicated servers, and there was no Amazon S3.
There was no EC2. To get an idea off the ground today…
[compared with] even just a few years ago…over this last
decade the barrier to entry has been lowered quite a bit, to
where if you have something new you want to explore it really
is a couple thousand dollars to get something off the ground
and launch it.”
Digg founder Kevin Rose
This Week In Tech, episode 228, at 22:00
120.
121. The present is far more interesting than
most organizations have noticed
[paraphrase W. Gibson]
124. Now, let’s get practical.
Once you believe that the present moment is interesting…
What should you do about it?
125. This document describes a
transformational change for the
Smithsonian, which will have impact on
the Institution’s culture, operations,
allocation of resources, talent
recruitment, and priorities. The Smithsonian Commons
http://www.si.edu/commons/prototype
http://smithsonian-webstrategy.wikispaces.com/Strategy+--+Table+of+Contents
126. Design Patterns for
Going Boldly to the Present
1. The extra-terrestrial space auditor
2. On ramps and loading docks
3. Edge to core
4. Focus on mission
5. Place the bet
128. Oh, and please stop
innovating…
Failing fast…
Risk taking…
Collaborating…
Don’t focus on having more innovation!
Focus on making progress towards well defined
goals—doing “work that matters” [via Tim O’Reilly]. If
you need more innovation or collaboration to get
there, then remove the obstacles and step on the
gas.
See Forget innovation, from Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund
http://www.sitra.fi/julkaisu/2011/forget-innovation
129. 1. Extraterrestrial Space Auditor
http://www.flickr.com/photos/markusram/2060743986/sizes/o/in/photostream/
130. 1. Extraterrestrial Space Auditor
http://www.flickr.com/photos/markusram/2060743986/sizes/o/in/photostream/
131. 1. Extraterrestrial Space Auditor
http://www.flickr.com/photos/markusram/2060743986/sizes/o/in/photostream/
132. 1. Extraterrestrial Space Auditor
http://www.flickr.com/photos/markusram/2060743986/sizes/o/in/photostream/
The British navy, "at the peak of
their dominance in the 17th
century," took 150 years to adopt a
proven remedy
for scurvy
Via Scott Berkun
The Myths of Innovation
133. 1. Extraterrestrial Space Auditor
http://www.flickr.com/photos/markusram/2060743986/sizes/o/in/photostream/
The British navy, "at the peak of
their dominance in the 17th
century," took 150 years to adopt a
proven remedy
for scurvy
Via Scott Berkun
The Myths of Innovation
134. 1. Extraterrestrial Space Auditor
http://www.flickr.com/photos/markusram/2060743986/sizes/o/in/photostream/
“Andreessen’s advice
to old media…”
137. 2. On Ramps and Loading Docks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/debcll/2359690453/sizes/l/in/photostream/
138. 2. On Ramps and Loading Docks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/debcll/2359690453/sizes/l/in/photostream/
“I’m all about building flexible
networks so we can move ideas
and goods between us and our
customers, partners, and
beneficiaries—quickly knowingly,
and efficiently.”
Carl the Loading Dock
139. 2. On Ramps and Loading Docks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cycleologist/3780757186/
140. 2. On Ramps and Loading Docks
“A platform beats an
application anytime.”
Tim O’Reilly
What is Web 2.0
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cycleologist/3780757186/
142. 3. Edge to core
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcocastelli/3313416138/sizes/l/in/photostream/
143. 3. Edge to core
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcocastelli/3313416138/sizes/l/in/photostream/
“Innovation at the Edges:
A Commons in the Middle”
Smithsonian Web and New Media Strategy
144. 3. Edge to core
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcocastelli/3313416138/sizes/l/in/photostream/
Innovation becomes
infrastructure
145. 3. Edge to core
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcocastelli/3313416138/sizes/l/in/photostream/
Innovation becomes
infrastructure
Help it!
146. 3. Edge to core
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcocastelli/3313416138/sizes/l/in/photostream/
Innovation becomes
infrastructure
Help it!
Even if the edge
and the core are
outside your own
organization
147. Smithsonian Strategic Plan
Grand Challenges
1. Unlocking the Mysteries of
the Universe
2. Understanding and
Sustaining a Biodiverse
Planet
3. Valuing World Cultures
4. Understanding the
American Experience
4. Focus on mission
148. 4. Focus on mission
65 million people died in
World War II
149. 4. Focus on mission
The National WWII Museum is
very focused on their mission
152. 1. What world am I living in?
2. What impact does my country,
my city, my organization want to
have in that world
3. What should I do today?
153. 1. What world am I living in?
2. What impact does my country,
my city, my organization want to
have in that world
3. What should I do today?
154. 1. What world am I living in?
2. What impact does my country,
my city, my organization want to
have in that world
3. What should I do today?
Keeping these three things in working memory at the same time is
what we have to practice and get good at.
This is it. This is the job.
156. 5. Focus on mission
Thanks!
@mpedson
slideshare.net/edsonm
157. Addendum 1
The following slides were added to the
“They Nailed It” section for
Sharing is Caring: Digitized Cultural Heritage for All
Copenhagen, Denmark, November 11, 2011
They are specific to that conference’s focus, intellectual
property policy and openness in heritage organizations.
;)
158. • 2001: Creative Commons founded
• 2001: MIT Open Courseware founded
• 2002: Lawrence Lessig’s The Future of Ideas
• 2002: Howard Rheingold’s Smart Mobs
• 2006: Wikinomics (IBM)
• (2008: Smithsonian Web and New Media Strategy)
They nailed it
5 – 10 years ago
162. 2001
MIT Open Courseware founded
“I was amazed that a university such as MIT would
freely give access to its educational information.”
Triatno Yudo Harjoko
University of Indonesia
163. 2001
MIT Open Courseware founded
Other universities may be striving to
market their courses to the Internet
masses in hopes of dot-com wealth. But
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
has chosen the opposite path: to post
virtually all its course materials on the
Web, free to everybody.”
164. 2001
MIT Open Courseware founded
Other universities may be striving to
market their courses to the Internet
masses in hopes of dot-com wealth. But
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
has chosen the opposite path: to post
virtually all its course materials on the
Web, free to everybody.
165. 2001
MIT Open Courseware founded
''Selling content for profit, or trying in
some ways to commercialize one
of the core intellectual activities of
the university seemed less
attractive to people at a deep level
than finding ways to disseminate it
as broadly as possible.'’
[Professor Stephen Lerman]
Faculty Chairman
Professor Stephen Lerman
166. 2001
MIT Open Courseware founded
''Selling content for profit, or trying in
some ways to commercialize one
of the core intellectual activities of
the university seemed less
attractive to people at a deep level
than finding ways to disseminate it
as broadly as possible.'’
[Professor Stephen Lerman]
Faculty Chairman
Professor Stephen Lerman
167. 2001
MIT Open Courseware founded
''Selling content for profit, or trying in
some ways to commercialize one
of the core intellectual activities of
the university seemed less
attractive to people at a deep level
than finding ways to disseminate it
as broadly as possible.'’
[Professor Stephen Lerman]
Faculty Chairman
Professor Stephen Lerman
168. 2001
MIT Open Courseware founded
''Selling content for profit, or trying in
some ways to commercialize one
of the core intellectual activities of
the university seemed less
attractive to people at a deep level
than finding ways to disseminate it
as broadly as possible.'’
[Faculty Chairman
Professor Stephen Lerman]
172. 2002
Lawrence Lessig: The Future of Ideas
“If the Internet teaches us anything,
it is that great value comes from leaving core
resources in a commons, where they’re free for
people to build upon as they see fit.”
173. 2002
Lawrence Lessig: The Future of Ideas
“If the Internet teaches us anything,
it is that great value comes from leaving core
resources in a commons, where they’re free for
people to build upon as they see fit.”
174. 2002
Lawrence Lessig: The Future of Ideas
“If the Internet teaches us anything,
it is that great value comes from leaving core
resources in a commons, where they’re free for
people to build upon as they see fit.”
181. 2008
The Public Domain
James Boyle
“The public domain is not some gummy residue
left over when all the good stuff has been
covered by property law.
The public domain is the place we quarry the
building blocks of our culture.
182. 2008
The Public Domain
James Boyle
“The public domain is not some gummy residue
left over when all the good stuff has been
covered by property law.
The public domain is the place
we quarry the building blocks of
our culture.”
185. Goal 7. Business Model
“The Smithsonian’s basic
business model is to create
social and economic value
through the increase and
diffusion of knowledge…
Ultimately, the most valuable
business asset we can
cultivate—and the one that
is most fundamental to our
core mission—is a
community of engaged and
committed Smithsonian
enthusiasts.”
186. Goal 7. Business Model
“The Smithsonian’s basic
business model is to create
social and economic value
through the increase and
diffusion of knowledge…
Ultimately, the most valuable
business asset we can
cultivate—and the one that
is most fundamental to our
core mission—is a
community of engaged and
committed Smithsonian
enthusiasts.”
187. Goal 7. Business Model
“The Smithsonian’s basic
business model is to create
social and economic value
through the increase and
diffusion of knowledge…
Ultimately, the most valuable
business asset we can
cultivate—and the one that
is most fundamental to our
core mission—is a
community of engaged and
committed Smithsonian
enthusiasts.”
189. Goal 7. Business Model
Revenue Generation in Harmony with Mission
Attempting to directly monetize access to, and use of,
museum content does not appear to be a sustainable
business model. Through these low-margin business
practices, we alienate users, perpetuate the practice of
institutions charging each other, discourage research and
publications, and undermine our civic mission.
It is likely that the Smithsonian will make more money by
promoting “free” resources to a large audience than it can
make charging small amounts for small transactions to a
small audience, and it is a much better fit with the mission.
190. Goal 7. Business Model
Revenue Generation in Harmony with Mission
Attempting to directly monetize access to, and use of,
museum content does not appear to be a sustainable
business model. Through these low-margin business
practices, we alienate users, perpetuate the practice of
institutions charging each other, discourage research and
publications, and undermine our civic mission.
It is likely that the Smithsonian will make more money by
promoting “free” resources to a large audience than it can
make charging small amounts for small transactions to a
small audience, and it is a much better fit with the mission.
191. Goal 7. Business Model
Revenue Generation in Harmony with Mission
Attempting to directly monetize access to, and use of,
museum content does not appear to be a sustainable
business model. Through these low-margin business
practices, we alienate users, perpetuate the practice of
institutions charging each other, discourage research and
publications, and undermine our civic mission.
It is likely that the Smithsonian will make more money by
promoting “free” resources to a large audience than it can
make charging small amounts for small transactions to a
small audience, and it is a much better fit with the mission.
192. Goal 7. Business Model
Revenue Generation in Harmony with Mission
Attempting to directly monetize access to, and use of,
museum content does not appear to be a sustainable
business model. Through these low-margin business
practices, we alienate users, perpetuate the practice of
institutions charging each other, discourage research and
publications, and undermine our civic mission.
It is likely that the Smithsonian will make more money by
promoting “free” resources to a large audience than it can
make charging small amounts for small transactions to a
small audience, and it is a much better fit with the mission.