Shared Spaces ... the Collaboration Advisor

Does this mean the Mack Won?, Sep 28

I had to travel on business today. Apart from shutting my RoadWired bag (thanks for the idea Michael!), I'm packed and ready to go. Does this mean that the Mack won?

Next Action for Eric Mack, Aug 26

My colleague Eric Mack has been forced to become a "de-Productivity Consultant" this week, with his new Tablet PC crashing while away. He knows what he ought to do, but since reason can't convince him, perhaps inspiration will:

The PC world is an uncertain realm filled with crashing operating systems, honor undermined by missing product install CDs, freedom sacrificed when the apples are trodden on the by the strong. But there are those who oppose these powerful forces, who dedicate their lives to OS beauty, OS stability, and eProductivity. These men are known as Macintosh users. Arise, D'Mack, and join them.

Thank you to David Sampson, Aug 17

I was away on business today, and didn't want to lug a third laptop to Wellington for the purposes of a 30 minute demonstration. So I left it in the office, with Citrix GoToMeeting up and running. At 2pm, I called back to the office and asked my 9 year old son--David--to initiate a session and then pass control to me. He'd never seen GoToMeeting before, and I had not explained the task in advance. We had a bit of difficulty initially, but I was eventually able to control the machine and provide the demonstration.

Major thanks to my technologist-in-training ... I'm very proud of him.

P.S. I guess I could have used Citrix GoToMyPC.

Do I smell cake?, Jul 26

The guy with the reddish shirt is 43 today! Happy birthday Eric ... 1fa-aaf1

Wellington GEEC Dinner on Wednesday August 17

It's time for another "GEEC" dinner ... that is a Global Experts in Electronic Collaboration dinner. I'll be in Wellington (New Zealand) on Wednesday August 17 ... if you'd like to attend, please drop me a note to register interest. Time and location to be advised.

P.S. The "Experts" part ... well, it's really about a group of people interested in collaboration and collaboration technology within organisations getting together for an informal discussion. If you come, you will have one public speaking piece to do ... a 3 minute overview of why you are into collaboration. But we'll do that after dinner!

London, Jul 8

Yesterday's bombings in London are beyond comprehension. I've only been there once (in 1994), but I have many friends who live there (John, Ben, Lars, and Michael, among others). My thoughts and prayers are with you each, and especially those individuals and families who have suffered loss in the past 24 hours.

Eric Mack: The aProductivity Specialist?

I met Eric Mack, the eProductivity Specialist, during my recent trip to the US. Eric and I share a professional interest in productivity amongst business teams, we both home school our children, and we both love the same swashbuckling movies (eg, Pirates of the Carribean, The Man in the Iron Mask, and the Three Musketeers)! I got to spend a day in Eric's "digital sandbox", that oft-discussed electronic and digital haven in the hills above Los Angeles. Eric has created an amazing environment full of digital tools to enable business and personal productivity, ranging from a Xerox LiveBoard, to an HP Digital Sender (or two), a Toshiba Tecra M4 Tablet PC, and many other things. His sandbox was the paragon of all things digital!

You can imagine my surprise, therefore, when during the next week Eric spent a great deal of time using paper and a pen! And in the past week, he's started to post about "analog productivity" (see Print a Next Action Form on the Back of Your Business Card and No Digital Tool Beats My Paper Scheduling Tool). What's going on? Is Eric changing from being an "eProductivity Specialist" to an "aProductivity" one? Look at the evidence and decide for yourself.

Firstly, I got an (amazing) welcome at LAX with paper welcome signs. What happened to Neon lights?

Secondly, when he was away from the conference and the need to be seen with his new Tablet, what was his notetaking device of choice? See for yourself (and this is on two different occasions!).

Finally, when we visited the wonderful Levenger store in Boston, what item did Eric most want? The new Levenger Tablet ...

The writing on the pad says "Eric's Next Tablet" ... and this photo was taken with his camera!

Seriously though, I had a neat week hanging out with Eric. We had numerous discussions about technology and productivity, although not as many as I would have liked. Regardless of what happens next for Eric, here's my final word: There are many people who become so enamoured with electronic tools that they fail to see the pure simplicity of paper, pens and pencils. Eric defly demonstrates a clear understanding of the pros and cons of each, which is why I have no reservation in recommending his thinking and approach to eProductivity. Keep up the good work Eric (once, of course, you get back from a supplies trip to Staples).

GEECing out in Boston, Jun 23

The Boston GEEC Dinner (okay, to be 100% correct, the *Cambridge* GEEC Dinner) went great tonight. Six of us met at what was Jake & Earl's (in 1997), but has since been renamed the East Coast Grill, on Cambridge Street. After a neat dinner and lots of laughing, we each shared how we became a GEEC, and in some cases a geek. Thanks to Richard, Eric, Bob, Peter and Thomas for sharing a very fun dinner. Let's do it again soon.

Thanks to MediaLive International, Jun 22

The Collaborative Technologies Conference in New York is all over for me. It was an awesome event to attend--so many great sessions, lots of neat people to meet, and incredibly good care on the food and watering side. For a first time event, serious kudos to Eric Faurot (above), James Smith, Jennifer Pahlka, and the other MediaLivers for pulling together a truly great event.

The dates, focus and location for CTC 2006 are yet to be determined ... but if you're a vendor, ISV or end user customer with an involvement in collaboration technology, *plan on being there*.

New York GEEC Dinner, Jun 21

We held the inaugural GEEC (Global Experts in Electronic Collaboration) dinner tonight at The Lighthouse, Pier Sixty, in New York. It was a great evening ... we laughed a great deal. After desert, we talked in turn for 3-20 minutes about how we each became a GEEC. Thanks much to the 9 other participants who joined in ... it was an *absolute delight* to meet you each.

Here's the view we had from The Lighthouse out on to the Hudson River ... STUNNING!