According to co-founder Steve Newcomb: ““I started looking at activism as a potential start-up industry”.  Right on Steve!

“Virgance’s role is to find campaigns that it can help to succeed through a four-pronged support strategy that Mr Newcomb says draws heavily on the way in which Barack Obama motivated and managed his activists.”

The four pronged support strategy includes a potent blend of:

• volunteer network on the ground level
• social networking initiatives
• word of web from blogosphere
• leveraging youtube as a distribution platform

“Carrotmob is suitable for paid sponsorship by firms that want cause-related branding,” according to the article.

Another option they’re exploring is creating a socially driven venture fund open to microinvestments–what an outstanding idea.

“Mr Newcomb says being a for-profit company enables it to grow faster and achieve more social impact than a non-profit, because it can afford to pay its employees competitive salaries and can raise capital from investors, rather than relying on donations.”

This reasoning makes sense, especially from a budding social entrepreneurs perspective.  Ironically, I’m in the middle of forming a legal entity and have toiled with for-profit vs. not for-profit.  It seems that the NFP format has failed to evolve with the market; it’s current structure is too limiting and cumbersome to serve the very goals it aims to achieve.  As a result, we’re about to enter a completely new space in American business: the for profit built on a foundation of social responsibility-a completely innovative hybrid of profit and social value.

In short, I believe that part of the solution to rebuilding our economy is to create more corporate transparency while re-establishing  corporate social virtues/intentions.  Trust is in very short supply and the next generation of start-ups that can address the inadequacies of the full-fledged profit based outfits that have been running the show (into the ground) for last era of business are poised to benefit as the tide turns.   The pendulum will swing back the other direction at an accelerated rate due in part to the networked effects of the web.

Some questions worthy of exploration include:

What other companies, outfits, initiatives, orgs, and people also share similar thoughts and outlooks?

Although this concept is relatively new to the US, are there other business cultures in other parts of the world that are also pioneering the cause?

This is a fascinating time to be in business.

Eric Schmidt on CNBC tonight:

SORKIN: GIVEN YOUR STRENGTH IN THE MARKETPLACE RIGHT NOW AND REALLY WHEN YOU LOOK ACROSS THE BOARD, YOU ARE THE 800-POUND GORILLA RIGHT NOW. WHY ARE YOU NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS PERIOD TO TRY TO MAKE ACQUISITIONS?

SCHMIDT: WELL, WE LOOKED AT A FEW. FIRST, I’M NOT SURE PRICES ARE AT THEIR LOW YET. THE SITUATION GLOBALLY IS PRETTY DIRE. AS YOU TALKED ABOUT ON THE SHOW THIS EVENING, THERE IS JUST AN AWFUL LOT MORE BAD NEWS TO COME.SO IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO MOVE FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE UNTIL WE GET NEARER THAT POINT.

(a) rampart: an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes

(b) an immaterial or intangible barrier, obstruction, etc.

(Just a refresher)
I’ve got to be honest and direct (maybe a little critical) about something that has been on my mind for a while.  Something that I think deserves more attention, sadly enough.

The background:

About four months ago, I contacted the Advertising Federation of Minnesota (www.AdFed.org) regarding an invitation they had extended in search of guest bloggers/content providers for their website and it’s offshoot- “The Edge Online”.  According to their site lit:

“Edge Online is the newest creative offspring of the Advertising Federation of Minnesota. Like most progeny, “it takes a village” to mold, form and guide it through the frivolity of youth to successful maturation. That’s where you come in. Edge Online is looking for intriguing, instructional and even inspiring articles for and about the Minnesota advertising community. We want our new publication to grow up to be something of which we can all be proud.”

Cool, sounds nice, simple & straightforward, I can dig it: I provide content in exchange for publicity, perhaps a link to my blog, bio, contact info, etc.  It’s really a great concept from the AdFed perspective to seek guest bloggers to contribute for more of a community site-they’ve definitely got the right idea.  So I proceeded to email the coordinator for the go-ahead and a details.

Then it hit me like a brick wall-literally.

Wall #1: Submission Guidelines (My comments in Italic).

“Query us with your ideas for articles including length. (Query? For what, your explicit approval? Who is “us” anyways and what are they basing “approval” on? This already has censorship and control written all over it, something the net hates) . Articles can run between 500-2000 words in length. (Are you saying a great 300 word piece can’t “run”?) We will consider previously published articles if you hold clear copyright and will give us written permission to reprint the material ( I’m glad they’re worthy of your consideration)

Your query should be 150-200 words describing your idea and how you plan to develop it. Include your CV or credentials along with examples of any relevant past work (Include a CV? Is this an interview?  “Relevant past work”-it’s sure starting to sound like a hassle). Submit your query via email (no attachments please) (Yes, ma’am) to edgeonline@adfed.org. Be sure to include your name, phone number and email address and the best time and means to contact you. Edge Online retains first-serial rights to accepted pieces. Edge Online retains first-serial rights to accepted original pieces. (OK, I get it) Copyright reverts to the author after publication. (What’s with the rights anyways?  People just want to blog about things they like- leave the legalese out of it-you’re starting to scare me).

We will respond to your query within 1-2 weeks. (So it’s  not going to be a priority is what you’re saying?)

Am I being overly dramatic? Absolutely.  But the point is clear: the words, tone and approach alone are a major turn-off.  Call it what it is: Adspeak, corporate, rigid– it’s anything but human.  How many people and how much time was spent on that little bit? Geez! I sure hope the board approved it. Getting over that, it’s clear that The Edge Online is looking for some fairly specific stuff, which is totally within their right considering it’s their site/space.  That I get, but what I don’t get is this:  if their objective is user contributed content, why are they setting up more hurdles and obstacles than necessary?  Why put anything in between but a green light and a smile? It’s just not all that inviting and could definitely use a make-over by a human being with some humility and humor, even if the protocol/guidelines were exactly the same.  In other words, get off the stage and come down to my level if you want to chat face to face.

Enter Wall #2: Writing your article-style and tone. (say what?)

Your tone should be professional, clear, honest and direct, as well as conversational with research to back up any opinion or idea.  (Sure, I’ll play along, just tell me how you’re editors define: professional, clear, honest, direct, and conversational and I’ll fit right into that little box!) We recommend you follow the suggestions made by William Strunk in The Elements of Style:  (LOL! The Elements of Style was penned in the year 1918; nearly a century ago.  Welcome to the information age AdFed!  My name is Jeff, and I come from the Net Generation.  MIHYAP? AFAIC, YRYOCC! Hint: People my age and younger are literally re-defining the laws of language in our digital world and you want us to abide by writing rules so archaic they pre-date the invention of the television?  GTFO!)

• Be specific, concrete, definite.

• Use the active rather than the passive voice.

• Put the statements in positive form.

• Write with nouns and verbs.

• Don’t overstate.

• Avoid the use of qualifiers.

• Don’t explain too much.

• Avoid fancy words.

• Be clear.

And finally, though it’s tempting, no shameless self-promotion. (Oh really- cause I thought that was the whole point?  OK, I promise not to be shameless ) Your article should illustrate your area of expertise, but not be used as an advertorial or ad to specifically promote your business or firm.

Refer to the Chicago Manual of Style as your guide for article style standards. (Just as soon as I finish The Elements of Style.  You can anticipate my submission in 1-2 months, because now you’re a priority!)

Wall #3: Deadlines & Timelines

Submit your completed article via email MS Word doc attachment to edgeonline@adfed.org. Your first draft will be due around the 15th of the month (approximately two weeks from the time you receive the big thumbs up from our editorial staff.) (Due?  I thought this was supposed to be voluntary? “Big thumbs up”? wow- I hope I pass! Editorial staff?  This is worse than the newspaper!) We will edit your article (if in fact, edits are required) and send back to you promptly, requesting that you submit your final draft by the 15th of the following month.  So for example, if your query is accepted for the March issue, we would like to see a first draft by January 15th and a final draft by February 15th. (Ok, so this is a month and a half process, more or less?)

Three walls and you’re out – unless you can come up with more reasons for those interested not to submit content to The Wire, in which case I’ll have to come up with a stupider slogan.

As I pointed out earlier, I truly do see a great concept from the AdFed perspective to seek guest bloggers to contribute for more of a community driven site-they’ve definitely got the right idea. And I’ll stick to that even after losing any interest whatsoever in personally contributing. They’ve got all the tools to create a great community of local professionals / aspiring amateurs alike and to encourage/foster conversation (and own the square) , but sorry to say, they are totally off the mark  in their implementation, approach, and voice. I might hesitate to say that if there were more than 15 or so entries over the course of the past year…last one being June 3, 2008.

The moral of the story is this: Tear down the walls or face isolation. This applies to any and all attempts at conversational/social media, business big and small, profit or not.

If anyone from AdFed happens to stumble over these ramblings, I’d encourage you to reach out and say hi-don’t be a stranger. Come down to a human level and we can talk about how to do this thing right…that is, if you care enough to create something you can be proud of.

From an enterprise perspective I see the cause as two fold:

(a) It’s a natural side effect of being too big as an organization, as it indicates a gap between the company and its customer(s).  Somewhere in the hierarchy, someone hasn’t relinquished enough authority or instilled the confidence necessary for the representative (ie customer service) to say anything but no to any question or request that falls outside the scope of the norm.  Understandable to a limited extent (corporations train us to initially think no), but considering that markets are dynamic and evolutionary, what is the norm?  Hint: there isn’t one, so don’t fall into the thinking trap that a customers questions (needs, requests, expectations) are so unrealistic and unreasonable that they deserve a real-time rejection.  Certainly don’t say no before the customer has voiced themselves and you’ve really thought about what it is their saying.  Think about it for a second-do you even want to say yes or are you looking for any reason to say no?

It’s ingrained, imprinted, and accepted-not for much longer though, cause people are running out of patience in a world of options. Look for a reason to yes any chance you get, it may be your last.

(b) The say no mentality has everything to do with an organization  hell-bent on trying to fit every person into their own mass market mold with their own fixed profit margin.  In the era of mass production, people were transformed into consumers and consumers then are morphed into numbers.  As these numbers  were herded into markets they ultimately ended up as profits on  financials.  So it wasn’t long before some corporate stiff (in the inflexible sense) started to pigeon hole their end user (the customer) into a profit center with a  pre-determined value to maintain.     To say yes, would likely require resources (expenses) from outside the standard protocol: time, energy, maybe additional hard goods or soft services, etc.  Therefor, from a short term financial perspective – to say yes is costly- as microscopic as it may seem.  Keywords: short term.

People who are respected and appreciated are reasonable; they can understand that to say yes means an exception is being made and while the company on the other side doesn’t have to say yes, they want to say yes, because they value  people,  customers, and profit centers.   Often times, they will pay a premium just because they can get what they want in every sense. With the concept of customer loyalty only diminishing, I can think of one way to keep customers coming back time after time: embrace the culture of yes!  Deliver a brand that they know wants to say yes to them  and they will always give you first stab at their business.

<>

Yes or no is more than a verbal response to a person or customers questions, requests,  needs or expectations.  Yes or no is more than an unexpected cost, an inconvenience,  a deviation, or a risk to an organization.

Yes or no is an operating philosophy; it’s acceptance or rejection, it’s respect or hubris, it’s love or hate, black or white, make or break.  In a world where everyone looks for reasons to say no, I’d bet on the business built around a burning desire to say yes time after time.

Despite the disappointment of not physically living there at the moment, all things considered, it was great to getaway for a few days and a chance to breath some entrepreneurial air-for that I am thankful. But I’m not going to lie: Driving down Sand Hill Road made me feel like a kid in a candy store: There are literally millions and billions of dollars moving right there I thought to myself. As I caught some silhouettes through the business park windows from afar, I managed to forget that I was driving. Putting it all in perspective (realizing that I was in the midst of this market), it wasn’t long before I was reminded of an important lesson I learned in my earlier days in San Diego: in a general sense, you never know who you’re talking to.

Who’s driving in front of me? Who did I just chat with at the grocery check-out? Who lives in that mansion up in the mountain and what do they do for a living? What judgments am I making about this person based on their material/physical image or their body language? I relished in childlike curiosity as I explored my environment, just taking it all in and soaking it up, which brings me to some personal ramblings on my own curiosity:

Genuine curiosity demands a deeper level of self honesty and it requires the confidence to admit that which I don’t know and to questioning that which I already assume I do know. All too often I fall victim to the false security of “knowing” and thus being “certain” about some aspects that compose my “wordview”, so I can see the value in challenging my assumptions and the ability I have to consciously change them as needed. In this sense, it’s important for me to constantly be reminded of just how much I don’t know because it’s important that I practice humility. I think it’s essential for me to stay curious and I plan on continuing my curiosity quest.

“Seriously, when are these companies going to learn to stop fighting the inevitable….idiots…..”

His reaction was based on this link & letter (and supporting documentation) from Intuit to Mint.com:

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And of course there’s Mint.com’s rebuff:

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My thoughts on the subject:

Mixed feelings here: I agree that for the most part “these companies” are fighting the inevitable losing battle but I don’t blame/judge them as much as I want to because it’s in their nature to play the game this way and really they’re only hurting themselves in the long run, hence the losing battle.

But really, this is all they can do!  And conversely, I don’t know what was so threatening about the letter from Intuit (sensationalist TC?), it seemed more like a call for clarity (which I see as fair practice) especially considering the astonishing growth that Mint.com is claiming.  The scare tactics, coercion, litigation, etc. are the tools at the dispense of the established and it’s within their rights to leverage them when needed (think MPAA/RIAA vs. society and how that war is turning out).

What do you expect them to do?  What would you do if you fell asleep at the wheel and woke up in the midst of these challenges? Concede defeat? They’ve spent their entire business lives in one world and that world just got turned upside down…clearly they are running scared.  They can fight to defend their status-quo and die by 1,000 cuts or they can throw in the towel and commit suicide. Just because they suck doesn’t mean they should quit; of course there is a middle ground and ways to slowly change/adapt but it’s like a tugboat vs. a jetski here.  They need to buy some time and make it inconvenient for their competition to operate even when the odds are they’ll eventually be eclipsed.

Intuit & Mint.com is a microcosm; I just don’t think our markets are mature enough to change/adapt as fast as they should be–yet.  There’s resistance and friction  because if there wasn’t the whole broken system would have already collapsed and been replaced by a more efficient one with different people and different motives in charge.  But yes, it is inevitable by now,  and indirectly, this behavior pattern  is starting to adversely affect a lot of people, which makes it hard for me not to pass judgment or pick a side just yet…

When does it end and how?

“I invite you to comment on this column on my blog, On the Ground. Please also join me on Facebook, watch my YouTube videos and follow me on Twitter.”

Beautiful. The invitation (call to action), the hyperlinks (simple & direct) and the diversity (4 separate social tools) are perfect. Just beautiful.

“Go search the web near and far for search results” great god bellowed down upon thee.

“Yes sir, actually sir, I have come prepared…in fact, I have compiled all the necessary search results data and I  emailed you on my way through the great gates just moments ago, sir” I stuttered as I cautiously inched closer to thy great god.

“Hmmm” he exhaled almost knocking me off my feet as he checked is PDA for my email “Well, here it is!” great god exclaimed grinning ear to ear…”Excellent”…gleaming down upon me while the file downloaded and opened.

Slowly, my heart started to beat again as the clouds parted basking me in his great rays of godliness.

Then came the loudest and brightest thunder and lightening one can imagine…as my iphone exploded within my hands, I was brought to my knees.  I can barely recall what happened next, my eyes blinded by the intensity and body crushed by the force.

“Where’s the Yahoo data?” great god of research bemoaned over the crashing lightning

“Oh dear….great god of research…forgive me sir” I squeaked out

“This is inadequate…and unacceptable…finish this immediately and return to me within 24 hours!” great god demanded.

“Yes sir”  I whispered, my energy drained as I crawled back out through the great gates, descending back unto earth.

<>

Fortunately I remembered hearing stories of such “Yahoo”.   Upon my earthly arrival, I thought about the “Yahoo” and how/where I would find it…driven by fear of the great god of research, I went to see the the gimp under the bridge, for I knew he would know more about this “Yahoo”, if anyone.

“What do you want” he hissed hobbling toward me as as I entered his habitat.

“I’ve come to ask you about Yahoo” I pseudo-confidently responded.

“Yahoo!?!?” Yahoo!?!? Did you say Yahoo!?!?” he quickly remarked scurrying over to me and into the light.  I tried not to look to closely as he stepped up to me staring into my eyes, the breath of thousands of dead animals, one leg severed by self inflicted wounds, his torso, chest, and neck burnt and charred . I was stunned speechless.

“Yes, Yahoo!?!? I said breaking the silence, holding back my tears.

“Yahoo?!?!” his teeth clenched as though he would  kill me right then and there, never a soul to know.

“Right” holding my ground…I tried not to look into the gaping hole that once held an eyeball…our faces were now aligned, inches apart.

“Here, but don’t say I didn’t warn you…and don’t ever mention this to anyone” handing me a Dell Inspiron pre-loaded with the Yahoo toolbar.

<>

As I ventured into the Yahoo search space, I became perilously distracted such unpleasantries as “Angelina Jolie’s Dress”, “101 dating tips” and “OMG”.  It was pure poison, a literal hell on earth, and I was in the midst of it.

“Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo” I cried to the great god of research…”Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo”

“Virgance is a for-profit, web 2.0 company that takes new activism ideas and uses the power of online social networks to scale each idea into a large-scale, citizen-powered global campaign in order to improve the world. Virgance plans to build social web applications on top of a platform that auto-deploys our apps to Facebook, MySpace and other open social platforms in order to make activism and civic engagement more fun, more effective, more social, and more widely embraced”

What I’m most interested in is their unique commitment to corporate transparency and the subsequent culture created.  According to a recent write-up on TC,

“The company also stresses transparency, holding regular meetings where team members can ask each other questions that they “have to answer”.

I sure would like to listen in that!

I remember reviewing the original Virgance site (known as Carrotmob back when this concept was just launching) and I came across a single and separate web page created by Founder and President Brent Schulkin detailing a level of personal transparency I’ve yet to see elsewhere, anywhere.   From political positions to social issues I can recall a page full of challenging Q & A’s  put right out there for everyone to see; very uncommon in today’s business environments.

I also remember the disclaimer: “This information will be posted on a temporary basis and removed shortly.” Fair Enough, but why I wonder?!?!

It’s in this sense that I see the web tearing down the walls between us to continuously create deeper and deeper levels of transparency by forcing out the harder questions that ultimately lead to intimate answers.   These answers  can support both our individual and collective thoughts, opinions, and beliefs on a wide variety of topics that may serve to define our “whys” (defined as motivations & intentions.)

Ultimately, these questions give us peoples a greater sense of who we’re dealing with and can double-up as a litmus test for accountability; consider it the end-game of transparency-we’ve got a ways to go…