Together with Mark and James, I'm running a workshop at NESTA on Monday 9 February, called Innovation and Networks of Influence. Here's a snippet from the blurb:
In a networked world, lots of people are looking for ways to exert more influence. Viral marketers, lobbyists and others are competing to identify and pull the supposed “levers of power”. But are we inadvertently bringing some very old world assumptions to a system that works in complex and unexpected ways?The gig starts with breakfast at 8.30am and ends with lunch at 12.15. It will be very interactive. There is little risk of death by powerpoint but considerable danger of interludes of fun. And it's completely free. So book now while stocks last.In this morning workshop, we’ll explore a different view of how networks operate and how influence really works.
We think this will be of interest to anyone involved in marketing, public policy making or collaborative innovation.
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Comments (6)
I'm sure the gig will be great fun for all involved. Pondering for a moment (as is my want). We often seek to influence others - as tho influence was uni-directional. Beams of influence emanating like a Doctor Who special effect from our heads.
And with my trusty interweb dictionary, I discover that the word "influence" means "to flow in". Which brings to mind tides, channels, waves, drains. All very fluid. But most influencer models seem to treat messages as very solid things - that aren't transformed and changed in the act of transportation.
Anyways, good luck.
January 30, 2009 00:58 Permalink for comment
Or, is at least one new medium more vertical and less 21st C than we'd like to think? Johnnie, a useful link to maybe spice up the NESTA repartee: some wonks at HP find that tweeters may be densely packed, but they maybe ain't no flock. Pertinent bits to save wading the paper: Does twitter have a really low dunbar number?
January 30, 2009 06:54 Permalink for comment
Thanks, both. Yes, these are both things we want to explore at the event... especially highlighting the way folks sometimes talk about influence as if it's control, rather than something that flows in more than one direction.
January 30, 2009 08:00 Permalink for comment
Heh, I'm reminded of the breathless AMA webinar email about "Controlling blogs" from 3 or 4 years ago, johnnie. And also jealous of NESTA. I'm gonna ask you soon to take a look at something we're putting together here in Richmond along similar but much more modest lines for now. Good luck w/ the workshop.
January 30, 2009 12:57 Permalink for comment
Love this line: There is little risk of death by powerpoint but considerable danger of interludes of fun.
Oh, that I could be there! Some day will hope to be part of such an event.
Keep creating...with abandon,
Mike
January 30, 2009 22:24 Permalink for comment
Hi Johnnie
Would love to see some feedback from the session and even some content that you guys brought.
I am noticing that my main message when speaking to people about the so called 'behaviour change' projects in the sustainability/climate change arena is something like ... participants don't really care about you or your project, they care about 'them' and get influenced by others like them who also show up ... so how can your project make their lives and interactions with others more interesting? Sounds very Mark Earls'ish but for me this worldview makes more sense than other theories.
February 13, 2009 11:24 Permalink for comment