Crossing my fingers for Copenhagen

Seal the Deal!

The whole world is paying attention to the news coming from the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. The talks started yesterday and will end on December 18^th.  Representatives from 192 countries and 100 heads of state are working together to reach a new deal that will supplant the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

There are huge expectations to strike a deal, but lately the soundbites coming from politicians and campaigners predict that the talks will not be very successful. The people of the world are demanding less talk and more action. This is the time to do something meaningful to save our planet. Our survival is at stake and billions of people depend on wise decision making. I hope this time the politicians of the world rise to the ocassion because this deal is urgent.

There are plenty of campaigns putting pressure to delegations and thousands of people are attending the conference. For example, one very good campaign is Hopenhagen. Another innovative campaign is Tck Tck Tck that has Kofi Annan as its spokesperson. Others come from the World Wildlife Fund, Oxfam International, Conservation International, Greenpeace, and many other organizations.

I always wonder why are humans so destructive. We kill each other, we can destroy everything at our hand. And the worst is that we know that we need to do something radical to change our destinies, and still we are always too slow to react and the improvements we need are very difficult to attain.

The environmental issues we face are very serious. One of the most scary ones is the water crisis. And what about the world food crisis? Over one billion people are now are dying of hunger. As the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said three weeks ago, food security and climate change are deeply interconnected. Hence the critical importance of this year’s negotiations.

It is time for action, we need to save our planet.

Scientifics findings clearly show us that we can’t wait any longer to lower carbon emissions. otherwise the human, economic, and environmental costs will be unimaginable. What are politicians waiting for? They have a huge responsibility in their hands, and I hope that something good will come out of this conference next week. Let’s wait and see. Otherwise, it will only be the usual lipservice, the unwanted inaction, the same charade…

2012: An The Winner Is…

The U.S. 2012 Presidential Campaign promises improved strategies, new technology and lots of drama!

I read Amanda’s post and I agree with her completely. The 2012 U.S. Presidential Campaign will have to use innovation, opportunity and visibility. Personally, I agree more with the innovation factor. I imagine new media trends being ready to be used for the next campaign, and it will help that the grassroots movement that supported Barack Obama is already used to a tech-savvy campaign. I am sure the Republicans learned their lesson very well and will be ready and fired up to fight back with all their strength. They will also use the best media available to win the White House. I already know that Obama will pursue his reelection, so in terms of visibility, I don’t think he will have any problems at all.

I wonder about the issues that will drive the next campaign. I suspect that the Republican candidate will be Mitt Romney. I think that the most important factor for Obama’s reelection will be his performance during this first mandate. So far, so good. He even won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, and no one saw that coming! I imagine there will be many surprises along the way. What will Sarah Palin do for the Republican Party? Will the people that supported Obama will still support him as feverishly as they did in 2008? Will all the interest groups will be satisfied with what they received from the President?

At this point, we are still in the middle of health care reform, the war in Afghanistan, the severe economic crisis and scary job statistics. We still need to hear about immigration reform, as Hispanics were a strong constituency for Obama. Then we will need to hear about clean energy and climate change. We all hope for the green economy to come and revolutionize our lifestyles. We need to hear about advancements in science and technology and education. And what about foreign policy and the war in Iraq? What about nuclear proliferation? All of these issues are going to define the scenario in which Barack Obama will be fighting for a new chance to lead this country again.

Sometimes I think that people can be forgetful and ungrateful. We are living in very difficult times, and hopefully the Democratic party will have supported this President strongly enough in the Senate and the House of Representatives in order for people to still believe in his amazing rethoric. At the end, I think actions and results will define who wins or looses in 2012.

Ecuador 2012: YES WE CAN!

Content Management and Web 2.0 were key at the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election.

While reading “The First Campaign”, I couldn’t stop getting emotional about what it means to fight for democracy and social progress, as I remember with awe and profound respect an unforgettable 2008 U.S. Presidential campaign. I never experienced a political campaign so powerful in my life, one that touched my soul. It was so exciting and inspiring that the whole world followed it with true passion.

This excellent book made me think a lot about the political and economic situation of my country. I have mixed feelings about its fate in the next years. Personally, I think that the two most serious problems that Ecuador faces are lack of leadership and corruption. We are now experiencing a deep polarization of our society, thanks to a leftist government that follows Hugo Chávez’ malignant steps and that is trying to change our core democratic values into and old and failed paradigm of communism. The only difference is that they rebranded it as “21^st Century Socialism.”

Corrupt and incompetent governments created so much poverty while stealing left and right, and nobody helped us. What happened? The gap between rich and poor created a unique opportunity for all kinds of demagogues to brainwash poor uneducated people. Now we see the consequences. The majority of Latin American governments are leftist, the most rational being Brazil and Chile. We needed help in creating leaders, in fostering the rule of law, in understanding the importance of good governance.

As I think about the next great grassroots campaign that will use cutting-edge technology and the power of social media, I wonder if this kind of Web 2.0 campaign is only possible in the United States.  Every politician will try to emulate Barack Obama’s masterful campaign, but it costed millions of dollars. A small country like mine might not be able to afford it, and we also lack the know-how, so we will have to rely on political consultants to make something so incredible to happen. The most important ingredient that is still missing is an amazing candidate. I will keep praying…

Strangely, I  know in my heart that my country is waking up. People are not stupid, and I know that the majority of Ecuadorians are starting to feel the economic and moral damage of Rafael Correa’s government. I have all the hope in the world that we can make it happen, and that ideals of progress, freedom and democracy will not die for the next generation of Ecuadorians.

Your Majesty Rafael Correa

The Satisfaction of Doing Something that Matters!

Helping others is a very rewarding experience.

I was reading Elisabeth’s post in which she talks about wanting to dedicate more time to volunteer for local community causes. I find this really commendable, because the norm is to get so caught up in our own life drama that we forget to think about the rest of the world and the innumerable causes that need people to contribute not only with money, but with time, knowledge and love.

I have been volunteering for some years now. I have to say that coming to the United States opened my eyes about how concerned and committed Americans are about their communities. This example is contagious!  I started being a tutor for Hispanic children that had parents that didn’t speak English and couldn’t help them with school work. This experience was very humbling. Every Saturday I spent four hours with children whose parents had three, even four jobs, and their personal situation was extremely difficult. I learned to be thankful for everything I have: my education, my health, my family, my friends. But this experience also ignited inside of me a deep sense of social responsibility. I understood that having received so much, I needed to give back.

I studied in a catholic school back in Ecuador, where I learned to reach out and help the ones in need. I usually like to give. I think the most sincere answer is that I truly care for those in need. Fortunately for me,  I encountered two of my high school classmates here in Washington D.C. who were founders of an Ecuadorian organization that was working to provide decent education to empoverished Ecuadorian children and adolescents. I didn’t think twice, I jumped into the cause with heart and soul.

Working for Ecuador Mi Pais has brought me one of the most incredible rewards that I have experienced in my life. First of all, I met amazing people, and I am now lucky to count them as my near friends. Sharing a dream can be very powerful, and this is something that keeps our friendship solid and our imagination and passion growing. We still have many things to do and ambitious goals for the organization, but with my studies at Georgetown University I am being able to bring forward new iniatiatives that I am confident that will bear good fruits in the near future.

Volunteering brings good karma. The truth is that what goes around comes around…

Members of Ecuador Mi Pais during an event in Washington D.C.

Global Voices Online: The Iranian Blogosphere

Thousands of Iranians protest against government repression.

I was reading several blogpostings on the Iranian page of Global Voices Online. The first thing I noticed is that the postings were outdated. The last one was posted on November 5^th, a month ago. Indeed, many things have happened during this last month, but I wonder if the censorship in Iran is so heavy that bloggers are unable to post new developments quickly enough. For example, I just heard of new Iranian anti-government protests that students in Tehran organized, calling “Death for the Dictator”. According to CNN, the police and the students are clashing strongly.

The majority of postings that talk about cyber-activism, governance, freedom of speech, and political repression are generated by the blogger Hamid Tehrani. What struck me the most was that Iranian people are fighting very hard against their repressive regime, and that they are relying heavily on mobile technology to film the protests and send their message out. Citizen journalism is definitively a great grassroots movement that helps rescue true democracy in countries where political turmoil is extremely complicated.

It is also surprising and encouraging to know that, even under extreme violent and fearful conditions, citizens are brave enough to fight for their rights and for the progress and openness they so much demand and need. This new generation of Iranians is an example for the rest of the world. I can only imagine the profound discontentment and frustration they feel for not to care about their own safety and keep fighting back.  It is a citizen revolution that defies a very powerful Islamic revolution! Again, the power of tools like YouTube enable activist bloggers to report better with images that can quickly travel around the world. The support and solidarity that they receive confirms that we are globalized and connected, and that true democracy is an ideal that moves citizens all over the world.

Other few postings were about groups of youngs leaders from different countries in the Middle East meeting to discuss how social media can help civil society groups develop innovative communication projects that can recruit new members and disseminate information about their causes and activities.

My Wonderful Wikipedia Experience

Almost 10 million people use Wikipedia

Two weeks ago, while writing about Wikipedia’s reliability, I suggested that it will be better to allow only specialists and experts to contribute to certain topics. I guess at that time I really didn’t understand the utility and the beauty of open source. Only when creating my Wikipedia entry I realized that it is indeed a great service and a unique opportunity that allows you to write about something you know very well and publish it without problems. What a joy it was!

My entry was about an Ecuadorian NGO called “Ecuador Mi Pais” for which I have been volunteering for some years. It was a very nice and useful thing to do for the organization, and Wikipedia made it fairly easy for me to do it. Their system reminded me of an application I use at work to publish articles for the IMF’s Civil Society webpage.

I surely will contribute with some money to save Wikipedia. This on-line encyclopedia was a fantastic idea and it needs the support of all users that benefit from its services. I sincerely hope they reach their financial goals so they can keep the encyclopedia up and running. It will be important for other users to understand that there are costs involved to provide services for free, and that it is a noble cause to help this idea survive for many other people that are in much need for free information.

For example, in developing countries, poor children don’t have access to good public or school libraries, but if they have one computer, how many children that can read will be able to keep learning? I am sure the big hearts of users around the world will allow Wikipedia to keep offering great and interesting information easily and at no cost.

The world is hungry for information and knowledge.

The Wisdom of Crowds

In this book, James Surowiecki talks about how under the right circumstances, groups are remarkably intelligent, and are often smarter than the smartest people in them. He presents enough evidence to support the notion that when our imperfect judgments are aggregated in the right way, our collective intelligence is often excellent.

The main argument of this book is that chasing the expert is a mistake. According to Surowiecki, the wisdom of crowds has an important and benefitial impact on our lives and huge implications for our future. Unfortunately, this wisdom is often dismissed and neglected by corporations, governments and societies.

In the quest to find the best answers, an ideal group should be big and diverse enough. “Diversity and independence are important because the best collective decisions are the product of disagreement and contest, not consensus or compromise,” Surowiecki says. Wise decision making is possible when independent individuals bring new information and diverse perspectives simultaneously. The author mentions Google’s success because it surveys three billion web pages precisely using the wisdom of crowds.

Trust and transparency are major forces influencing collective decisions. At the same time, the more people trust, the easier they are for other to exploit. In this sense, corruption is very damaging for societies. A great example is the current financial crisis, where corporate corruption and greed are the culprits of severe social unrest around the world. But even if some take advantage of the system, the truth is that the majority contribute to the common good.“People want to do the right thing, but no one wants to be a sucker”, Surowiecki says

Groups want to find the right answers, and they keep relying on leaders to show them the way and tell them what is right and what is wrong. “An idea needs a champion in order to be adopted by the group as a whole”, Surowiecki says. He also talks about the influence of  information access, the merit of good ideas regardless of the reputation of a person’s personal or social attributes, and the importance of debate and minority opinions.

James Surowiecki tells us that one essential ingredient of a healthy democracy is competition because it keeps politicians in check. A smart goal should be to trust ourselves more, to tap into our intuitive intelligence and trust our collective wisdom, instead of only listening to powerful leaders and influential experts.

A Whole New Mind

The six conceptual senses

Daniel Pink has written several thought-provoking books. Among those are “Free Agent Nation”, “A Whole New Mind”, “The Adventures of Johnny Bunko” and his upcoming “Drive”. In “A Whole New Mind”, Pink talks about the conceptual age and its implications in the future of business, jobs, and careers.

According to Pink, the future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind. I truly resonate with this idea. I also think that we are entering a new age that requires a different set of emotional and intellectual skills. This book offers an interesting and compelling idea of the importance of creativity, innovation, design, and meaning. This new age would be the age of art and heart.

There are powerful forces changing our lives: material abundance is deepening our nonmaterial yearnings, outsourcing is a strong effect of globalization, and automation is eliminating certain kinds of work. Pink says that professional success and personal fulfillment now require a new holistic approach from us.

His proposal is one where synthesis, emotional expression and context work together with logic, sequence, and analysis (right vs. left brain). We then need to start using both parts of our brain, especially activating our right brains, where imagination, emotion, artistry and the pursuit of transcendence originates. Right-directed thinking will be the predominant force in the years to come, and, according to Pink, the greatest rewards will go to those who move fast. He tells us that the first group of people who develop a whole new mind will do extremely well.

Pink also suggests that, in order to survive in this age, individuals and organizations must ask themselves three questions:

Can someone overseas do it cheaper?

Can a computer do it faster?

Is what I am offering in demand in an age of abundance?

Under these new circumstances, left-directed thinking remains necessary but no longer sufficient. It will be imperative to master aptitudes of artistry, empathy, synthesis, emotional expression, context, and seeing the big picture. “We must perform work that overseas knowledge workers can’t do cheaper, that computers can’t do faster, and that satisfies the aesthetic, emotional, and spiritual demands of a prosperous time,” Pink says.

He invites us to use the six conceptual senses: design -not just function, story -not just argument, symphony -not just focus, empathy -not just logic, play -not just seriousness, and meaning -not just accumulation.

The Open Brand

In this excellent book, Kelly Mooney and Nita Rollins from Resource Interactive talk about the new way in which brands should communicate with their customers. The O.P.E.N brand stands for on-demand, personal, engaging and networked. This new model needs new talent, new thinking, and new risks and interpretations of investment.

Resource Interactive thinks that the most important new skill to have is deep digital expertise. It is evident that the internet is the world’s best platform for connecting people. We are now living in a web-made world. For the authors, it is hard to dispute the fact that digital technology and the internet have become the greatest equalizers by opening unprecedented access to information to people around the world.

Under these circumstances, it is time for marketers and communicators to let go. Mooney and Rollins believe that brands are already shifting from predetermined messages to the consumer and instead moving to support experiences that pull consumers into brand participation in a way that is relevant to their lives. Brand management can no longer operate from the top down, it must build from the bottom up. It is then imperative to tap consumers to co-create the future of brands.

Brands need to be on-demand if they want to capture the hearts and wallets of today’s consumers. Managers can no longer target broad markets, a brand must get personal, building relationships through constant consumer dialogue that bring the brand closer to each consumer’s real-time needs and expectations.

Nowadays, audiences have taken the stage and brands must share the spotlight with creative consumers. To engage them, marketers must develop relevant content in order to earn a place in the social web and consumer conversations. The key for this is interactivity. Open brands should also become part of social networks by marketing to the niche of consumers who interact with other like-minded consumers online. “The more the brand works for the network, the more the network works for the brand”, the authors say.

The internet should work as chief opening officer, and brands should move the digital channel to their internal center of gravity. In this sense, a well-designed website with interactive content invites more consumer dialogue. Examples of successful open brands are Google, eBay, YouTube, Amazon, Wikipedia, and Flickr. These companies are the innovators and openers of the collective, creative and collaborative Web 2.0 experience. Markets are conversations constantly evolving through openness, powered by the amazing magic of the internet.

Trust vs. Doubt: The Wikipedia Challenge

I have been asking some people about their experience with Wikipedia. Their answers showed that all of them use it frequently and like it a lot because it is a free resource. Indeed, Wikipedia has lots of good, reliable information on many subjects and it is easy to access. Others also told me that, depending on the entry, they notice a clear bias on the information they read. Many said that they would welcome more people working on quality control and that, overall, they trust 80% on what they read on Wikipedia.

Personally, I must confess that living in the digital era has made me forget about the importance of regular encyclopedias. I now wonder about Wikipedia’s reliability. I use it often, but I read a lot of additional information sources. Sometimes, I have trusted Wikipedia 100%, especially when it is about topics of which I have no knowledge. The idea of open source is very interesting, and the fact that many can contribute is commendable. On the other hand, I think that not everybody should be writing entries on certain topics that they don’t extensively know or where there is a clear case of conflict of interests involved. Some of us can detect quite easily the quality of an entry by reading its tone and objectivity. I imagine that the Wikipedia team spends huge amounts of time trying to improve it and make it a more reliable source of information.

Information is power, and Wikipedia is consulted by millions of people around the world. Many of us don’t use regular encyclopedias anymore and rely heavily on information that we find on the internet. The key is to have perspective on when to use Wikipedia as a sole source. The best practice then is not to rely exclusively on Wikipedia. In this sense, I would support Wikipedia using just verified “experts”, people who master the subject matter and that can contribute to a pool of high-quality information.

I wonder how many people have read questionnable Wikipedia entries without even bothering to verify the legitimacy of the information or even consulting other sources of reliable data. There are a lot of bullies out there that use Wikipedia as a tool for misinformation. Everybody should be aware of cyber thugs, online vandalism and digital extortion. The fact that every company or organization should monitor their Wikipedia entries shows that tight control and monitoring is very much needed.