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Blogger has been my friend for a long time now.  We go all the way back to May of 2004 when I posted my first 3 posts that were merely links to my own websites.  Did anybody know what a blog was in 2004?  I'm working on streamlining and de-cluttering my life and figured merging my two main sites together would eliminate at least a little time in website administration. 

I've already updated my feeds so if you got this post in an RSS reader please CLICK HERE to add the new RSS feed. 

Thanks for reading my blog.  Please visit www.TylerJorgenson.com and leave a comment.  I'd love to know that you stopped by.

Happy Web Surfing,

Tyler Jorgenson

Disruptive Behavior

While discussing business plans and ideas with a friend today the concept of causing a market disruption was introduced.  Reference was made to Clayton Christensen, a Harvard professor and author of whom I had not yet been acquainted.  Upon visiting Christensen's site I found this key concept:

Disruptive innovation, a term of art coined by Clayton Christensen, describes a process by which a product or service takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves ‘up market’, eventually displacing established competitors. 

As readers of this blog know, I am a big fan of Seth Godin.  Seth often quotes a banner he saw in Wal-Mart that says,

"You can't out Amazon, Amazon"

What that means is that you can't beat them at their game, their model or their business plan.  To become a major player in that marketplace you have to disrupt the market and cause a shift.  If you think of companies that have made it big in the last 5 years I doubt you will think of any that are following an old business model or operating under and aged paradigm.  To make it big a company must shift the market through innovative ideas and brilliant execution.  It certainly isn't easier, but it's certain to be a short cut.

Consider this concept in your job or in a relationship.  If you truly want to get things to the next level can you really expect to get there by doing the same old thing?  'If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got'.

Don't Get All Simon Cowell On Me

I don't normally even open email forwards, but I did the other day and found this gem. 
Quick Lesson in Judgment

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

'And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'

Judge not & Remember...

Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.

Every saint has a PAST...
Every sinner has a FUTURE!

Seth Godin - Low Tide

During his amazing presentation at LinkedOC Seth Godin shared this bit of inspiration with the crowd.

"Just because the tide is out doesn't mean there is any less water in the ocean." - Seth Godin

If Twitter is a good indicator, it hit a chord with a lot of people.

Consider this quote in relation to today's economy or job market.  Sometimes it's a matter of changing where you are looking rather than giving up.  It wouldn't make much sense to cast your lines from the side of a boat that was beached.  Get the boat back in the water, then go fishing.

Here's to your success!  Happy fishing!

The Seth Godin Pyramid

I'm a fan of Seth Godin. To me he is a lot more than a marketer and businessman, he is a thought leader and 'agent of change'. I had the privilege of meeting him a couple of weeks ago when he spoke here in Southern California. There are a few major points that stuck with me and I'll post about them separately.

Seth's new book, Linchpin is about being indispensable. It's a great read so far and I highly recommend picking up a copy. One thing he covered that stuck with me was a hierarchy of work skills. I've outlined them in the hierarchy below.
Taking a look at this hierarchy, where do you fit in? The lower down the list you get the easier it is to be dispensable. Just after returning from Africa I worked at UPS for 2 months. I lifted stuff, and I was easily replaced. If you are on the bottom 4-5 levels of the hierarchy you must take great strides within your company or market to become that one individual that can not be lost. I challenge you to find something that you can do in your work today that will set you apart from the partially cognizant cogs working around you.

Tyler Jorgenson and Seth Godin at the LinkedOC event at the St. Regis in Monarch Beach November 11th 2010

To The Dump

Starting the weekend off right with a trip to the dump with my best
friend.

The Long, Slow Death of Blogging

Blogging is dying, or maybe it's already dead. I've been noticing that people still do blog posts and that blog activity is still high (so say our analytics) but that people have started to comment less and less. This may be happening for a few reasons.

Why Blogs are Dying

1. When the blogging craze was picking up steam a few years back people followed 10-15 other people's blog posts. Today it seems to have bloomed to dozens. In the old days if I were a Mommy Blogger sitting down in my spare 45 minutes between laundry, soccer practice, cooking dinner and church meetings I would have been able to squeeze off a post about cheerios in the nose and still blog surf and leave a few comments. But now, after writing that post I have to try and navigate 50 blogs with updates just so that the next free moment doesn't greet me with 100 new posts. I'm fighting a losing battle.

2. Facebook. The present of the internet landscape has changed the way we interact. The advent of the 'Like' button has greatly sped up the ability to leave our stamp upon a status update, note, picture, etc. Plus, everything streams to one central place. No more hunting down, link to link, somebody's most recent post. It shows up in a summarized feed.

I've had this blog since before the word was well understood and I haven't always been the most active poster. I enjoy the medium but have found the centrality that facebook offers much more appealing in the long run.

Why Blogs Will Still Exist

1. Some people still use postal mail for letters. Some people haven't adopted the reality that facebook isn't a fad. Some people are slow to change.

2. It's great for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Although I feed this blog into my facebook profile it's still a good source for increasing search engine rankings. Although the present and future of the web may be more focused on social networking sites blogging can be a great tool when properly applied.

3. Many people do it more for themselves than for others. For many, especially 'Mommy Bloggers' posting a new post on their blog provides 2 things. A sense of accomplishment and a journal for the future.

What's Next?

I have no idea. I understood why Facebook would work but am still surprised that Twitter was such a crowd pleaser. There will certainly be new things in the future as change is the only constant. One thing I would recommend, don't be afraid of change. Enjoy the technology and advancements, just don't forget that real life relationships are what matter most.

If your car could fly

I love this concept, but I guess it had a bit of a tough go after it crashed during a test flight. Still, bring on the flying car!

in reference to:

"The Convaircar (image via: David Szondy) If you think the other flying cars all look a little too much like airplanes, join the club. Industrial Designer Henry Dreyfuss decided to design an actual flying car in 1947, and the Convaircar was the result. It was, quite literally, a car that could fly. The car itself sported a lightweight fiberglass body and could seat four. The wings and engine/propeller snapped onto the top of the car, and when not in use were towed behind the car. The idea was well-received until the vehicle crashed during a test flight, killing the pilot/driver and scaring potential investors (and prospective customers) off."
- Drive the Friendly Skies: The History of Flying Cars | Design + Ideas on WU (view on Google Sidewiki)

How to stop worrying and start living

Wake up to this outside of your window:

Options

1. Wait inside a stuffy old Dennys for my next meeting.
2. Wait here (see photo) and check email.