A Lightbulb Morning: Facebook, Bill Clinton, Anita Roddick
Sometimes, everything just seems to converge. It's like the stars are all aligned and everything just falls into place. It's happened to me many a times, where I think...and think...and think...and nothing...absolutely not a drop in the bucket...not even a flicker of light from the light bulb. And then, all of a sudden, out of the blue, it's as if someone turned on the switch and the room is flooded with light and you just see everything so clearly. This morning was one of those mornings.
It all started this morning when I woke up at 6am and checked emails on my iPhone and found that PT had left a message on my Facebook wall: "Why are you throwing sheep at me? I don't get it...". To be honest, I didn't really get it either. AI had SuperPoked me first and I thought it was kind of cute to throw sheep at a couple of friends. But I didn't really think much of it. And in fact, I've been quizzing my Facebook friends on why they've become so addicted to Facebook. Really, what's the point of throwing sheep at someone or sending fish for a virtual aquarium or sending a "growing" plant. It all seemed rather silly and pointless. But the Facebook phenomenon is one of the "legs" underpinning the business plan I'm working on. So I felt I needed to understand the appeal and it bothered me a little that I hadn't quite "got it".
And then, around 7am, I finally got it! I was on the train heading to the gym, listening to Bill Clinton read his book Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World. He was reading Chapter 7: Gifts That Keep on Giving and talking about the work that Heifer International does. In a nutshell, one of Heifer's initiatives is to provide a "living loan" of livestock such as goats, sheep, duck, chicken etc. Loan recipients are then trained in raising the livestock and using them to create a sustainable livelihood. Once that has been achieved, the recipients are obligated to pass on the first offspring of their livestock to another family in need. Thereby, extending the chain of giving. And then it occured to me that this is what a lot of Facebook applications are trying to do. While it's not giving to the financially needy, it's giving of a different kind. When you're poked, you feel obligated to poke back or send a fish back. And then while you're at it, you think of sending something to a friend you haven't seen or spoken to in ages, just as a way to let them know you haven't forgotten about them. And this is one reason why Facebook has become so viral. FT Magazine had an article this past weekend ("Here's Looking At Us", BM emailed the article to a bunch of us after our Saturday evening discussion on Repulse Bay beach) and today's FT has another article -- Route to social success: How Facebook's founder aims to use his network. That's two FT articles in less than a week; Facebook is now the new youtube, ripe for the picking.
Then, I got to work this morning and one of the BBC News feeds was: Mobiles for the "world's poorest". And as if I needed more inspiration in addition to all these relevant news articles, there was the news of The Body Shop founder, Anita Roddick's death. The Body Shop was probably the first social enterprise I ever came into contact with, a company that championed social causes while turning a profit. In 2006, Roddick had sold her company to L'Oreal for GBP652mn.
Just goes to show that sometimes, you can chase and chase and chase and still end up with nothing. But then, on those rare occasions, when all the signs just seem to confirm that you're on the right path, it's wonderful.
It all started this morning when I woke up at 6am and checked emails on my iPhone and found that PT had left a message on my Facebook wall: "Why are you throwing sheep at me? I don't get it...". To be honest, I didn't really get it either. AI had SuperPoked me first and I thought it was kind of cute to throw sheep at a couple of friends. But I didn't really think much of it. And in fact, I've been quizzing my Facebook friends on why they've become so addicted to Facebook. Really, what's the point of throwing sheep at someone or sending fish for a virtual aquarium or sending a "growing" plant. It all seemed rather silly and pointless. But the Facebook phenomenon is one of the "legs" underpinning the business plan I'm working on. So I felt I needed to understand the appeal and it bothered me a little that I hadn't quite "got it".
And then, around 7am, I finally got it! I was on the train heading to the gym, listening to Bill Clinton read his book Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World. He was reading Chapter 7: Gifts That Keep on Giving and talking about the work that Heifer International does. In a nutshell, one of Heifer's initiatives is to provide a "living loan" of livestock such as goats, sheep, duck, chicken etc. Loan recipients are then trained in raising the livestock and using them to create a sustainable livelihood. Once that has been achieved, the recipients are obligated to pass on the first offspring of their livestock to another family in need. Thereby, extending the chain of giving. And then it occured to me that this is what a lot of Facebook applications are trying to do. While it's not giving to the financially needy, it's giving of a different kind. When you're poked, you feel obligated to poke back or send a fish back. And then while you're at it, you think of sending something to a friend you haven't seen or spoken to in ages, just as a way to let them know you haven't forgotten about them. And this is one reason why Facebook has become so viral. FT Magazine had an article this past weekend ("Here's Looking At Us", BM emailed the article to a bunch of us after our Saturday evening discussion on Repulse Bay beach) and today's FT has another article -- Route to social success: How Facebook's founder aims to use his network. That's two FT articles in less than a week; Facebook is now the new youtube, ripe for the picking.
Then, I got to work this morning and one of the BBC News feeds was: Mobiles for the "world's poorest". And as if I needed more inspiration in addition to all these relevant news articles, there was the news of The Body Shop founder, Anita Roddick's death. The Body Shop was probably the first social enterprise I ever came into contact with, a company that championed social causes while turning a profit. In 2006, Roddick had sold her company to L'Oreal for GBP652mn.
Just goes to show that sometimes, you can chase and chase and chase and still end up with nothing. But then, on those rare occasions, when all the signs just seem to confirm that you're on the right path, it's wonderful.
posted by 10000miles at 10:23
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