EchoDitto - What I'm Working On

National Presidential Caucus set for December 7th - posted by Cristen Perks

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:46:27 -0700

Just when you thought your entire political life had moved online...reading news, scouring blogs, researching candidates... the National Presidential Caucus (NPC) launched a site today aimed at bringing those conversations back to the real world at a National Presidential Caucus on December 7th.

Never fear, EchoDitto and NPC haven't lost faith in the power of online organizing - quite the opposite actually. We both recognize the importance of harnessing these tools to facilitate one of our nation's most important processes -- choosing a President.

In 2004, about 5 million people organized online to participate in face-to-face political Meetups, town hall meetings and the like. This momentum sparked an idea that has now come to fruition as National Presidential Caucus - a day of face-to-face meetings with your friends, your neighbors, your community, and your country deliberating the issues that matter most - organized fully online. Working with NPC has been really exciting. I'm anxious to see what happens next.

Empowering Nigerian Women Online - posted by Meaghan Lamarre

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:35:30 -0700

It's no secret, I think, that I have a particular interest in gender in technology -- I came to EchoDitto from the National Organization for Women, after all. I started my computer career with computer camp during my elementary school summers, where one of the women physicists in the building (thanks, Dr. Minichino) took all the girls to lunch one day each summer to give us a little extra encouragement about sticking with the tech stuff. Lucky for me, the lesson took.

So I'm really excited to be able to repay the favor this week as I'm participating in an online mentorship program called Networking for Success. Organized by the Women's Technology Empowerment Centre in Nigeria, the project is designed to encourage Nigerian women in technology to learn more about technology and to use online tools more effectively. Through the Networking for Success blog, I am part of a group of experts who are sharing our experiences and lessons learned about online technology with a really excellent group of participants. Thanks go to Beth Kanter, a fellow mentor, who introduced me to this project via her blog.

There are some really interesting conversations going on and I hope you'll check it out: http://www.w-teconline.org/nfsblog/

Do Journalists Care About Blogs? - posted by Gisele Toueg

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:04:56 -0700

During the course of my time at EchoDitto, I've been asked by many clients about whether traditional journalists and reporters actually care about blogs and other forms of new media like podcasts and Facebook. The question has been very hard to answer, mainly because there hasn't been a ton of research on the subject, seeing as how it's so new. So many of our answers are anecdotal, citing a changing newsroom where the line between online and offline journalists is increasingly blurred, and the jump in traffic we see when websites are linked to from the Drudge Report, compared to a mention in a major metropolitan newspaper.

That's why we were thrilled to see a new study published by our friends at Brodeur last month. The study asked reporters to rank blog and social media news sites by beat: travel, technology, politics, health care, and lifestyle. The results are not terribly surprising, but they are incredibly useful, as they represent one of the first attempts to quantify the role of new media in traditional journalism. Some highlights include:

Over half of all reporters from all beats said social media and blogs are having a positive influence on the editorial direction of reporting.
4 in 5 reporters indicate a positive influence of social media and blogs on the diversity of reporting
Over two-thirds of political reporters (77%) and half of lifestyle reporters (53%) felt that social media had a negative impact on the tone of coverage in their area.
Over two-thirds (67%) of lifestyle reporters said that social media was having a negative impact on the accuracy of reporting in their area.

The study also lists the top blogs and online news sites in each category, with TMZ, Huffington Post, Engadget, TripAdvisor and NIH leading the lifestyle, political, technology, travel and health categories respectively.

To see the entire study, visit:
http://brodeurmediasurvey.com

As a side note, I also loved that they used the flickr slideshow widget to display the data from the survey, although the slides are a little small to fully appreciate in the widget. I recommend viewing them on flickr directly.

A call with Bill McKibben: Brighter Planet and the 350 Challenge - posted by Michael Silberman

Tue, 27 May 2008 07:47:38 -0700

Just before the holiday weekend, I had the honor of facilitating a call with Bill McKibben and an incredible group of almost a dozen bloggers -- from Julia at WorldChanging to Kristen at Motherhood Uncensored to Dave Roberts at Grist, and others. I'm pasting the audio of the call at the end of this post, so you can listen to the entire conversation with Bill.

Produced by our friends at Brighter Planet, the roundtable was a chance to dig into everything from carbon offsets to federal policy to personal carbon-cutting lifestyle changes.

The call also marked the launch of the 350 Challenge -- which we're proud to join by placing this badge on our blog. (Full disclosure: this was a campaign idea that we developed in partnership with Brighter Planet.) For every other blogger who adds the 350 Challenge badge to his/her site, Brighter Planet will offset 350 pounds of carbon in your name. Which is actually a lot -- the equivalent of shutting off 100 light bulbs for a day, or going two full weeks without your car.

If 350 bloggers join in (more than 100 already have!), we'll together do the equivalent of turning off all the power here in Washington DC for five minutes. What are you waiting for? Get your badge here.

As McKibben said himself during the call, it's clear that offsets are not the cure-all for this climate mess we're in -- that's why we have national and international political campaigns like 1Sky and 350.org -- but they're a great way to minimize the impact of your own footprint after you've done what you can to conserve. That's why I like Brighter Planet's line, "conserve what you can, offset the rest"

Here's the call with Bill -- also here:

Celebrate Earth Day with 1Sky! - posted by Meaghan Lamarre

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:04:17 -0700

In honor of Earth Day today, we at EchoDitto are joining with individuals around the world who are committing to do something to combat climate change. Most of us already walk, bike, or take public transportation to work; we're adamant recyclers; and we use environmentally-friendly cleaning products from Seventh Generation. But today we're especially proud to contribute to the fight against global warming with the relaunch of 1Sky.org.

1Sky was created in 2007 with one primary objective: to harness the power of the millions of Americans who are concerned about climate change in order to pass federal legislation by 2010 that can reverse global warming. Since its founding, 1Sky has built a platform of specific solutions, partnered with organizations and allies around the country, and activated a network of over 50,000 citizens who are actively lobbying for policy change and garnering support for the 1Sky solutions in meetings with their members of Congress.

1Sky's power is in its broad base and decentralized structure. It's a truly open-source collaborative campaign, uniting supporters from among traditional "green" activists, communities of faith, business groups and civil rights organizations. All of us have something at stake in the fight against global warming – and individuals are sharing their diverse stories through 1Sky's Faces of Climate Change campaign. Check it out and share your story!

It's been an exciting project for us here at EchoDitto as the site has some neat features that totally embrace our philosophy of building vibrant communities and allowing authentic voices to be heard:

The Faces of Climate Change campaign collects stories, photos, and videos from users and plots them on a map so you can see how climate change impacts people around the country.
The new blog, The Skywriter, features posts by campaign staff and guest posts from the field; complete with comments so readers can contribute to the discussion.
More to come!

We're thrilled to be relaunching 1Sky.org and handing it off to the dedicated folks at 1Sky to run with. More importantly, though, we can't wait to see how it grows as all of us who care passionately about ending climate change share our thoughts and stories with one another.

Strategic Swedish Planning - posted by Anne Keenan

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:56:47 -0700

The new New York office is a dream. An Ikea-furnished dream. Gisele mentioned that we went to Ikea, but I have to elaborate.

We drove to Ikea on Friday morning at 11 am. Traffic was light, Gisele was an excellent driver, I navigated as only a girl from New Jersey can, and Harish made back-to-back calls from the back seat. I did a little pre-gaming with the team regarding decisions that needed to be made, an overview of the trip, and areas of the store we would avoid.

Despite my schedule and lists, Gisele and Harish got overwhelmed at the top of the first escalator. “We should have hired a consultant to help us furnish the office at Ikea...” Harish said mournfully. “Wait” I replied. “I am a consultant helping you to furnish your office at Ikea. In fact, I’m your consultant. You pay me to consult.” Thus was born EchoOffice.

EchoOffice will be available for all of your office furnishing services, including online and offline strategy, on-the-ground engagements, and strategic communication. Whether you need a cute couch, or have to furnish an entire office, we will serve as your guide and coach. Until we get staffed up and off the ground, let me be your virtual consultant for making your next Ikea shopping trip the best it can be:

1. Do preliminary research. Although I find the Ikea site to be incredibly hard to navigate and not intuitive, spend a little time researching the items you are interested in. You might want to also check some similarly-priced competitors: cb2, west elm, and maybe pottery barn. Make a spreadsheet that includes photos, prices, and colors. Pages has an excellent template for just this sort of thing.

Note: if you are really set on an item, save yourself some heartache--search to see if it’s available in your local store.

Plan your space. Draw out a sketch of the room (bonus points if it’s to scale) and approximately where you want everything to go. Before you leave the house measure anything that looks handy and mark it on your map: windows, walls, doors, closets. I promise this will come in handy when you are staring at 6 different lengths and widths of curtains.
Make a plan of attack and a list. Ikea is overwhelming, and people who don’t have a clear plan or goals tend to start snapping at each other around the paper-napkin area (overheard in Ikea: “fine, I don’t really care. Pick whatever you want. You never listen to my opinions anyway.”) Don’t let this happen to you. Decide what you want to focus on, which decisions you need to make during this trip, and which items you really need. Sure, you’re going to leave with some random wrapping paper, and a sheepskin rug that you couldn’t resist, but at least make sure you get what you came for.
Bring provisions. About half to two-thirds of the way through Ikea, just as you are starting to hit your stride, you will become famished and parched. Sneak a little snack into your bag and you will be much happier.
Ask for help. Don’t throw your back out trying to lift that giant BIlly bookshelf alone, ask an employee. Don’t wander back through 17 living rooms looking for the desks, ask someone for a shortcut. The Ikea workers are generally helpful and kind, so don’t hesitate.
Enjoy yourself. If you get tired, kick back in the living room, or try to sneak a nap on one of the beds. Harish took a conference call from the puffy, floral couch. I pretended the 612-square-foot apartment was my apartment. I think I saw Gisele squeezing a plush cat toy. Ikea is fun.
Bring sturdy bags. Unless you’re shopping for plastic storage boxes, it helps to bring a few sturdy tote bags to schlep back the odds and ends you’ll inevitably acquire.

Now, go out and buy low-priced, stylish home furnishings. And... if you get a chance, would you pick me up some lingonberry drink? It’s my favorite.

UPDATED: Things Taken, Lessons Learned. - posted by Anne Keenan

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:08:50 -0700

Just in case you aren’t subscribed to my Twitter feed, my big news of the past two weeks is that someone broke into my house and stole a few things. Long story short, I came home from a trip to DC for work, surprised to find my apartment door unlocked (hmm, I thought, I always lock my door), and even more surprised to notice a few changes (hmm, I swear I had a TV hanging on that wall... weird!). They took several things of moderate to high importance:

My television
A stack of sweaters (the red/pink pile), a stack of long-sleeved t-shirts, and my friend’s down jacket
My computer
The peripherals to my computer including a USB hub, and my 2 back-up hard drives (wah!!!)

In short, it was a total bummer, and I’m trying to make the best of it (“I’m happy I wasn’t there” or “well, it’s mostly replaceable” or “it’s good, I was feeling like things were a little cluttered in here,” depending on the day). Another way I’m trying to make the best of it is to offer some lessons I’ve learned from the experience. Here they are:

1. Have insurance for your stuff. My only solace when looking at those sad, sad cords hanging limply from the wall was that my homeowners insurance was going to pay to have it replaced. And when I called them, they were so lovely, and comforting and knew just what to say.

You do have insurance right? No?!? Well then, for the love of god, stop reading and get yourself some renters’ or homeowners’ insurance. If you’re lucky and have a family member who served in the armed services, you can get USAA insurance (thanks Grandpa Keenan!). It’s simply the best, and the people there are so wonderful and sweet. If not, they probably have something available through your work, or just search on google. Do it now!

2. Make friends with the cops. I know, I know, you’re subverting the dominant paradigm and the cops are The Man. Great, I understand, but when you call 911 in a panic and the flashing lights show up, you might want to be a little friendly and try to relate. For instance, name drop The Wire or talk about how CSI is so unrealistic to the forensic team who show up to dust for prints. You can even get an head start by saying hi to the beat cops on your block or attending community meetings or hanging out at cop bars. I promise, no one at Critical Mass need ever know. For instance, I happen to know a lovely (and tough) homicide detective. Then when you are in a panic, you have someone on your side to go down to the precinct and yell at them for not calling you back.

3. Back up your computer early and often and *remotely.* There’s nothing that is more of a bummer than thinking: it’s okay someone took my computer, I back it up twice a week! Let me just grab my external hard drive and... they took the hard drive. Rough. Now I will back up in at least two ways: external hard drive (stored away from my computer) and DVD and maybe online. Back up options that might have been a better choice are covered here. Additional ideas? Please add them to the comments!

4. Create an inventory of your stuff. When the cops are over, taking down the report, and ask for the serial numbers of everything that was stolen, do you have any idea where to find them? I sure didn’t. So the moment I purchased my new television I entered everything I knew about it into a brand new Google Spreadsheet. Serial number, model number, purchase date, cost, the whole nine. I also added non-stolen items: iPhone, digital camera, memory card...

Also, take a few minutes to walk around your home and take photos of everything, with a focus on important items. Then upload them to Flickr as private. Sure, this sounds like a mom thing to do, but I promise a few hours now will save you time and frustration later.

Other ideas for home inventories are here Add it to Things as a weekend project for a rainy day.

5. Find an advocate. Just like when you’re going to the doctor for something big, you need an advocate on your side. Someone who will work from home with you when you feel scared to leave your house. Someone who will bring you comfort food. Someone whom you can send an email to with the subject line “I give up on trying to reach anyone at the police station” who will then call that police station and pretend to be you. (Thank you, Alexis!)

6. Trust yourself. Everyone who hears your story will have a million “suggestions” and “advice” on how you could have done everything different/better. Smile like Hillary Clinton and thank them, and then just do what you need to do. You need to treat yourself to a Wii and spend all of your waking moments playing Guitar Hero? Go for it. You need to take a day off from calling the mean lady at the 77th precinct? Not a problem. You need to whine about it? Feel free to call me.

So, those are my lessons learned. I know some of these sound excessive, but I think all of them will help you to feel like you have some control when you walk in to a house stripped bare of your electronic devices.

UPDATES:
1. INSURED. I'm happy to report that after reading my sad, sad story of loss, two of my friends got renters' insurance. Congrats! This is my last motherly reminder to you to *get insurance now.*

2. LOCKED. When I was buying my new tv, the guy at the store told me that you can actually lock your tv to the wall, by putting something in the hole at the bottom of the bracket. Genius. My padlock is being amazon primed to my house as we speak, so future thieves beware. While on Amazon, I also picked up a new laptop lock. There is no clear-cut best product, so I bought one that I hope can't be picked with a penny, a bic pen, or a piece of paper.

3. RESTORED. So, it turns out Leopard doesn't let you move music from your iPhone or iPod back to your computer. The Apple Care experts told me that they might be able to restore iTunes Store purchases, but not any music I'd ripped from CDs. (Thanks, Apple.) Then I found Senuti--what a godsend. You can easily move music onto your computer from your iPod/Phone with no problem. (Now, if someone can help me figure out how to deauthorize all computers even though I've already done it once this year, I'd really appreciate it!)

Spring Cleaning - posted by Gisele Toueg

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:39:54 -0700

Now that spring is here (well, maybe not so much in NYC, but it's coming!), thoughts turn to chocolate bunnies, March Madness and of course, spring cleaning. It's a good thing that EchoDitto recently launched the new Seventh Generation website to help smart, environmentally conscious consumers not only find the right cleaning products, but also connect with like minded individuals. Some highlights of the new site include:

consumer-generated product reviews
forums for discussing the environment, new product ideas, healthy living
a new corporate blog called 7Gen, in addition to the Inspired Protagonist, SVG President Jeffrey Hollender's well-respected blog
a new loyalty program where members can create profiles, share tips and ideas, download coupons and special offers and more

The techies among us are also quite thrilled with the innovative implementation of the new Drupal Panels2 architecture on the site (they told me to say that).

So before you head out for a game of ultimate frisbee this spring, check out the new seventhgeneration.com and join the Seventh Generation Nation. Enjoy!

Whatchya gonna do? - posted by Jason Yovanoff

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:24:44 -0700

One of my favorite clients through the years here at EchoDitto has been the Clinton Foundation. We've worked with them at their annual conference, helped them launch a book and inspired thousands of people make a commitment to change the world.

This week we helped them with the inaugural meeting of CGI University. CGI U is a project of the Clinton Global Initiative that challenges college students and universities to take on global problems with real, concrete solutions. For us, that meant helping them get those commitments on the web, as well as updating the site to emphasize some of those new commitments.

You don't need to be a college student to make a commitment - anyone, anywhere can give time, money, or resources to help solve global problems. So, what will your commitment be?

Unconferencing You In - posted by Anne Keenan

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:13:00 -0800

I have to admit that the idea of an “unconference” made me a little uncomfortable. No set agenda? No prepared presentations? No experts? What was there to prevent the entire thing from dissolving into chit chat about the best Woot items and JLo’s babies? The answer, I discovered, is a good-sized group of smart, thoughtful people with a variety of experience, who are willing to share new projects, discuss best practices, and admit to not knowing all of the answers.

So what did those smart people say? Here are 5 insights--one per session.

Session One: Online Communities for Social Change
This session started my conference with macro questions: how do people negotiate identities online, and how do these on- and off-line identities influence online activism? (It made me think a lot about Danah Boyd’s article on Friendster and negotiating complex identities in an online space that wants to flatten people into profiles.)

Also, when we’re building campaigns should we seek to aggregate activist campaigns into one central place (“I care about the environment and human rights and Darfur--and want one place where I can go for updates/action” or “We are building a Progressive Movement”) or should we continue to build separate online communities for each cause (“I care about the environment, but I’m a Republican and don’t want to be bombarded by leftist propaganda” or “we need a diverse group of supporters to pass this legislation”)? Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and every campaign requires different tactics.

Session Two: OpenID
This session was more traditional, with an expert and lots of questions. I have to admit it was my first time learning about OpenID and I spent a fair amount of the session searching for terms on wikipedia (RSA, SAML, etc.). My biggest take-away was the idea of switching from a Customer-Relationship Management (CRM) model to a Vendor Relationship Management (VRM) model where the user is the center.

For example--I move across the county and want to change my address universally. The current system makes me do all the work, changing my address with any number of companies. With VRM, I put the data out once, and enterprises I have relationships/accounts with can choose to pull this data in. In the future, users might broadcast their desires to companies, to be marketed to (“do you notice how much paper I’m buying? sell me paper at a lower cost!”). Read more about all of this at projectvrm.org.

Session Three: Social Shopping
In his amazing book, Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, Paco Underhill reveals that the more time you spend in a store, the more you spend. And how do you get people to spend more time in a store? By making it a social experience--preferably with two women shopping together. (For more insights on the gendered dynamics of shopping, you should immediately buy this book with your Amazon Prime.) So how does this translate to the online world? Customer reviews, affiliate programs, facebook apps, and more. But, this was a moment when an expert would have been really handy. Who has data on the actual value of reviews? Do they really sell more things? Our consensus was that they must since Amazon pushes you so hard to review your purchases, but... maybe you know?

Session Four: Mobile Communities
After we went over the reasons why mobile technology is so mediocre in the US (no standardization, multiple platforms and providers, no widespread access to high-speed connections, carriers with veto power over content), this was a session for dreaming of what mobile could be. For instance, it could take advantage of all of the properties that make mobile unique: geographic data, voice access, and the sheer number of mobile devices: Travel services could hook you up with instant recommendations of places to visit, along with audio tours of them. Social networks could let you know if any of your friends were nearby. Billboards could be interactive... it’s all so amazing. In the meantime, we’ll have to content ourselves with this cool audio blogging site: http://www.utterz.com/

Session Five: Identify, Engage, Recognize
It was a long day, so thank goodness that the last session of the day was so amazing. Sean O’Driscoll gave a great presentation of Microsoft’s MVP program--how they find, recognize and reward their users. Something that struck me was his idea that there are three groups of people: “I like you” (satisfaction level) is 90% of your base, “I love you” (loyalty level) is 9% of your base, “I defend you” (affinity level) is 1% of your base.

So at Microsoft, he asked “what are the drivers that move people between these levels?” One of the answers that came back was that co-creation is one of the main drivers. The more people were engaged in the process of development, the more tied the felt to the outcome. I can think of, oh, about a million applications for this idea.

Phew! I really did try to limit it to one idea from each session, and there are still so many more things to talk about. Maybe I’ll host an unconference of my own. Maybe at my house. Maybe over dinner and wine. Maybe I’ll call it a dinner party. Who’s in?

Last Night a Dorkbot Saved My Life - posted by Anne Keenan

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:43:37 -0800

A few weeks ago, I read an EchoDitto Labs blog post about Dorkbot DC, which prompted me to search for a NYC equivalent. Bingo! Dorkbot NYC meets the first Wednesday of every month only a few blocks from our office. Perfect, for someone like me who is essentially lazy.

What is Dorkbot?
dorkbot-nyc is a monthly meeting of artists (sound/image/movement/whatever), designers, engineers, students, scientists, and other interested parties from the new york area who are involved in the creative use of electricity. dorkbot meetings are free and open to the public. Since we started dorkbot-nyc in 2000 many other dorkbots have sprung up around the world. See them all at: http://dorkbot.org
Well, I mean, of course it started in NYC.

I got to the gallery a little before 7 and found a seat toward the front. Being shy and a little nervous that someone was going to ask me to solder or explain how the internet works, I then had 15 minutes to busy myself with my iPhone, and furtively check out the room. Things looked promising: all projectors and mics seemed to be working; everyone seemed pretty friendly; and someone had brought my favorite snack, kettle corn, to share. Ready.

The first presentation was two guys explaining their new open-source program to push user interfaces to mobile devices (called Mrmr). The premise is that you can build interfaces to control computer programs and then send them to someone’s mobile device. Then that person can control the program from their phone. Their example was a computer visualization program where you could adjust the angle, static, distortion, etc.

The best part was that they actually explained it in human language. When open for questions, the discussion became a little more robot-based, but I pretty much followed. If you are a robot, and would like more robot details, check out their site.

The details of how this will actually be helpful in real life are a little vague, but they did suggest we could use it in museums to send interactive content to people or add it to interactive billboards to let passersby interact with them. Pretty fricking cool…

When the next presenter, Andrew Senior, started talking, my heart skipped a beat. His three projects were explorations of artificial life—life forms that live on television radiation, words that come alive and crawl toward each other, robots that help plants achieve optimal energy storage. Amazing. I recommend watching this video immediately. And then swooning.

All in all, I left the meeting filled with nerdy hope for the world. There are people out there working on amazing projects, not for money, not for fame, just for the joy and intellectual challenge of it. I love these people. And plan to spend the first Wednesday night of every month with them. Wanna join me?

P.S. One other thing filling me with nerdy hope for the world: the Obama Yes We Can video. It’s #1 on CNN and on Google Video for a reason. These geniuses (or… celebrities) have turned a political speech into a relatively catchy video. The kind that makes you want to listen again and again so you can sing along to it. Just when you think there’s nothing new in the world, smart people come along.

Who's the new guy? - posted by Brian Reich

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:42:53 -0800

Hello, my name is Brian. I am the newest member of the EchoDitto team/family/gang – effective today.

I have been asked to write a post introducing myself – announcing my arrival. For days I have been trying to figure out what to write, how to make myself sound smart, creative, funny, warm, interested, professional, passionate and accomplished – in a word, awesome. I could post a bio, but that seems boring and certainly doesn’t scream ‘awesome.’ I could offer some thoughts on politics, technology, PR, marketing, or sports – all subjects I spend a lot of time reading, writing and speaking about -- but there will be plenty of time for that going forward.

So, I thought I would try an experiment. I set a timer for ten minutes and wrote a list of all the things that came to mind, in the context of who I am and how I work and live. Then I went back and filled in a few details, fixed the grammar (I think) and spelling (I hope). Some of the items below appear in my regular bio, which will be posted to the site in the coming days. Some of them are just about me and my personality. And some, well... I'm not sure where they came from.

Anyway, here is what I came up with:

I am 5’6” tall. (Why did that pop into my head first?)

I am 30 years old.

I am married – to Karen Dahl – and have been since October 2003.

I am a new father – my son Henry was born November 16, 2007.

I read a dozen newspapers a day – some online, some offline – and subscribe to 19 different magazines.

I do the New York Times crossword puzzle every day. I can finish Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday on most days without any help. It gets pretty ugly the rest of the week. Together, my wife and I teamed up to finished the Sunday puzzle once – a very proud moment which we are still working to recreate.

I love books. I read exclusively non-fiction, with very few exceptions. Read might be the wrong word though, since I fly through the text trying to absorb important tidbits of information. Then I keep all my books on a shelf and call on them for reference as often as possible.

I wrote a book, Media Rules!: Mastering Today's Technology to Connect With and Keep Your Audience, about how organizations must adapt to our changing society to communicate more effectively. I hope you will consider purchasing a copy (here is a link.

I am a regular writer and speaker on the issues involving the impact of the internet and technology on politics, society, and the media. But I don’t like panel discussions – too structured, not enough good conversation. I would much rather have a conversation or do a Q&A. So, invite me to speak at your event, or to your group.

I love baseball. I will attend a baseball game – any level (from Little League to professional) – every chance I get. I drove around the country and visited all the Major League Baseball stadiums in 1997. Today, because of turnover, there are a few new ballparks that I still have to visit (Houston, Philadelphia, etc.), but I am working on it. I would love to coach my own little league team some day.

I am a Seattle Mariners (and yes, I grew up in Seattle).

I also love football – college and pro – and root for the Michigan Wolverines and Seattle Seahawks, respectively. I love NASCAR, soccer (especially international leagues and the World Cup, golf, tennis, snowboarding and bowling. I watch college basketball, but mostly during the NCAA tournament. I have a passing interest in professional basketball, mostly to keep up with my Seattle Supersonics. I like hockey, but don’t have a favorite team. I watch the America’s Cup and pretend I know something about sailing (which I do not). I was a rower, a coxswain and I also coached rowing. I ran the Pittsburgh Marathon in 1999 (my finish time was 4:06:04). Because of injuries, I don’t run as much as I used to, so instead I like to spin.

I have been to all 50 states.

I have been to the UK, France, Ireland, Canada, Israel and Mexico and maybe a couple of other countries outside the United States. I haven’t done much international travel, but I hope that will change – I really want to go to Asia and Africa.

I am currently tracking 227 feeds in my bloglines account. I read about marketing PR, the environment, sports, economics, and parenting, gossip, and organizing, as in how to keep your files clear and your pens in order.

I am not a techie. I can’t code (aside from some very basic html). I can’t fix my computer when it breaks. I have figured out my Tivo, but it took a couple years to really master. My focus is on how people use technology to consume, create, and share information. I have been living and working that area of focus for over a decade now.

I went to elementary school in Seattle, middle school in Westport, Connecticut, attended a small arts-humanities focused high school in Seattle, attended the University of Michigan and graduated from Columbia University in New York. I learned enough French to graduate from elementary school and enough Spanish to graduate from both high school and college. I wish I could speak a language other than English, but I have never committed the time to doing it.

I have profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, EONS, MySpace, Zaadz, and about a dozen other sites and communities. I update nearly all of them regularly, but not as often or as fully as I could.

I have my own blog, Thinking About Media, which I use to share my thoughts about media consumption habits and the future of communication, politics, and our society (among other things). I haven’t updated it lately, but I expect to back posting on a daily/regular basis very shortly. I contribute to a handful of other blogs, including serving as a Fast Company Expert.

I have a Dell laptop, a Macbook and a Macbook Pro (for work) – I like being dual-platform because there are different attributes about each system that are positive.

I have two cell phones – one personal (a Motorola Razr), and one for work (an iPhone).

I have two iPods (one regular, one video) and I use them almost exclusively to listen to podcasts. I love music, and I have hundreds of CDs, but I would rather listen to music without headphones – in my home, at the office, or in my car.

I like to travel, to be on the road. I like airplanes. I love trains. I’m not a huge fan of cars, and I much prefer to drive than ride as a passenger if I have the option. I don’t like boats very much.

I listen to NPR, mostly when I am driving. My favorite shows are “Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me” and "Only A Game" (which is recorded here in Boston).

I watch ESPN – mostly in the morning, to catch SportsCenter. I prefer MSNBC to CNN or Fox News (but I watch both as well) and turn it on when I first sit down in front of the television, just to see if there is any breaking news.

I have two TiVo’s – networked, so I can send programs back and forth between the TVs in my house. The shows that I record and watch regularly include: Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Better, The Biggest Loser, Friday Night Lights (best show on TV!), Oprah, The Real World, The Amazing Race, Cashmere Mafia., The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report. I don’t record it, but I would never turn off an episode of CSI or CSI: Miami if I come across it.

I have a Slingbox, but I have never activated it (and that really bums me out). I also have Apple TV, and I haven’t activated it yet (I just got it a week ago).

I was previously the Director of New Media for brand strategy and communications firm in Boston and a Senior Strategic Consultant and Director of Boston Operations for an interactive agency which helped many of the leading corporations, associations, non-profit organizations and governmental entities leverage the communication opportunities created by technology. I had my own consulting business – Mouse Communications – which helped political and non-profit organizations use new technology to improve communications, drive action, and support fundraising.

I am on the Board of the Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences and the Humanities (www.MAASH.org) and serve on Committees with the Ad Club of Boston and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, helping direct public relations and marketing programming. I am on the advisory board for iFOCOS (www.ifocos.org) and the Sustainable Brands Conference.

I feel comforted when I am surrounded by office supplies – pens, folders, paper, thumbtacks, clips, tape – all of it.

I have spent much of my life working in and around politics, helping to direct dozens of campaigns across the country. During the 1996 cycle, I was the youngest campaign manager in the nation, leading a U.S. Congress challenger-race in Connecticut. I spent 1999 and 2000 as Vice President Gore's Briefing Director in the White House, handling official activities and support him during his presidential campaign. Some days I miss politics – and that feeling that I am doing my part to make the world a better place. Then I remember the punishing lifestyle and know that I can still have an impact on the world without having to sleep on the floor or subsist on cheese and crackers to do it.

I am not afraid to stop and ask for directions. But even with good directions, I get lost all the time.

This is just a partial list, I hope, of all the things that define me or offer insights into how I conduct my life. I try to work hard, work smart, and use every experience in my life to learn something. I like talking to people, listening, and hearing their stories. I am interested in a lot of things, more and more each day. I don’t know if any of this makes me seem smart, creative, funny, warm, interested, professional, passionate and accomplished – but I hope that you will not hesitate to reach out, ask me a question, and decide for yourself if I am someone worth talking to, working with, or getting to know.

Most importantly, I am honored and excited to be a part of EchoDitto. Now it’s time to get to work.

The View from the Lower Ninth Ward - posted by Gisele Toueg

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:48:56 -0800

As many of you know, EchoDitto recently returned from New Orleans, LA, the site of this year's company retreat. We spent an amazing four days enjoying the grandeur of the Buckner Mansion, gorging ourselves on gumbo, jambalaya, po' boys and bread pudding, and of course, laying the groundwork for an exceptional year ahead. We come back to our offices in New York, Washington and Boston feeling smarter, stronger and excited to share our learnings with our incredible clients.

This year's retreat was a bit different from previous years in that it included a day of community service. At seven am Wednesday morning, we piled in our minivans and headed for New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, a neighborhood that was largely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2004. We were met by Britney and Melody, two amazing staffers from ACORN, which is the nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families. ACORN has been at the forefront of Katrina relief in the Lower Ninth Ward since the beginning, and, with the help of 15,000 volunteers across the country, has preserved more than 2,500 homes in New Orleans.

Our project for the day was to gut a church that had been destroyed by Katrina, and the ensuing floods. The entire neighborhood was a disaster, from the school across the street to the empty lots that once housed residents of the Lower Ninth Ward. Many of us were stunned to see how desolate the area remained, more than three years after the Hurricane struck New Orleans. In many spots, it looked like the levees could have broken the day before, the destruction was still so apparent.

After donning our goggles, gloves, respirators and tyvek suits, we set to work. All we knew was that we had to take apart the church, from the pews on the first floor to the baptismal bath upstairs, everything had to go. As most of our clients know, we're a pretty nerdy bunch, and spend most of our time attached to our MacBook Pros, not crowbars and sledgehammers. Still, we walked into the church and somehow, we just knew what to do. Together, we ripped apart benches, knocked down sheet rock walls, unhinged doors, broke apart wall fixtures, swept up countless piles of dirt and debris, and even tore apart the bathrooms. We were pretty much suited up from head to toe, and the respirators prevented us from being able to talk most of the time, so we were fairly indistinguishable from each other for most of the day. Tina described it as "a waltz," moving in tandem with each other, trusting one another to lead and follow when necessary.

Once we finished up at the church, Britney and Melody took us on a tour of the Lower Ninth Ward. Our first stop was the Lower Ninth Ward Village, a community center in the making that hopes to serve the residents of the Lower Ninth Ward as they attempt to rebuild their lives. We had the opportunity to speak with Mack McClendon, the center's owner, who described feeling "chosen" to lead this project. His faith, and that of the numerous volunteers and staff of the fledgling center, was one of the most inspiring parts of the day.

Residents are starting to return to New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, but in order to sustain vibrant community, they need schools, places of worship, community centers, businesses and social services to follow. With the help of countless staff and volunteers, the church we gutted last week will be rebuilt alongside a school and new homes. EchoDitto was honored to be a part of the effort, if only for a day. We return to our daily lives with a renewed sense of pride and focus on the mission of our company--to create vibrant communities and empower people through the use of emerging technologies.

Speaking of emerging technologies, check out our flickr feed.

Got Scrum? - posted by Cristen Perks

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:40:06 -0800

If you do, you're probably better off than you think.

In case you're a client or partner of mine and were wondering--- I'm alive and well. I just completed a two-day training on agile project management given by Sanjiv Augustine of LitheSpeed. I have to admit it, I'm kind of a sucker for information organization and process theory.

Even though I may be a process junky, I'm generally pretty skeptical about any type of training. Am I going to learn anything? Will I be able to apply this to what I do? What is the point?

Turns out that agile methods (with their roots in lean production and thus lean thinking) isn't too far a departure from the way that we currently do work. I was amazed at how applicable agile methods are to all types of processes - even the training facilitation. Specifically, we spent a lot of time studying the scrum method.

Agile project management takes the project planning phase and blows it into pieces. Instead of doing all the planning in the beginning and limiting the scope changes throughout the process (and creating huge gantt charts and critical paths and all the other documentation that we know from waterfall/SDLC methods of project management), APM breaks down the requirements and forces a prioritization of those requirements. I think that's probably the scariest part of it all. You then go through an iterative process where you complete a certain amount of functionality within a predetermined time frame and re-evaluate requirements and process at the end of each time frame. Agile methods can really be applied to anything that's iterative.

I won't bore you with the all the details (if you haven't quit reading this far), but it's pretty exciting and could really add a substantial amount of value to the work we're doing for our clients - and in turn, hopefully impact the social change that we are able to facilitate.