So why do newspapers think they should be different? If they don’t change they will become irrelevant. In their financial panic along with their “holier than though” lens and energized by the mission of journalism, newspapers are making stupid decisions, one after another.

Now they want to charge the net users for reading stories. The AP is even launching a program to scour the net for illegal use of their content. It’s their right, but towards what goal? For the record, users traditionally have never paid for stories.

The closest most users/readers come to paying is paying for the delivery of the paper to their home, just like they pay for Internet connections to gain access to the near infinite volumes of content.

Perhaps we should send a copy of the book: “Who moved my cheese?{ to Rupert Murdock et al.

There are many who play, some better than others, but the great thing about the game is that it doesn’t matter. Even better, you can mix old and young, the good and not so good and still have a great run…hell, no…exhilleration. I’ve played with on the same field: fathers and their sons, a woman or two, JFK Jr., several Eagles from the US team, and a 67 year old.  And then after the game, you have a few beers with your new friends.

This 67 year old guy plays a position called “prop”. I play “hooker”. He and the other prop’s job is to protect me in the scrums against the opposing side’s same. They protect me physically by holding the scrum together…comfortable for me and not so for the opposing hooker. The scrum is roughly equivilent to an unfair face-off in hockey.

Prop is the one position where I don’t care for incapable players. The hooker position has the near exclusive trait of the most broken necks of any sport. The props hold the scrum up. Hence, I always buy them beers and give them kudos for every scrummage we win.

More to follow…

In response to Steve Ely’s LinkedIn Question:
What is the Failure Rate for Outside Management recruited to Founder, Family, and Owner-Operated Businesses? I am specifically interested in the durability of CEO, Presidents, and Strong #2s (COO, GM, etc.) in companies with revenues between $10 Million & $110 Million.

I responded as follows:
Personality, ego and transparent two-way expectations. I’ve been involved in 4 situations and consulted with the CEO in others. By far the most important issue is the honesty and transparency of the teamwork between the hired-gun and the CEO/founder.If the goals and agendas are not insync, the one with the power (board votes & money) will end up preventing success.

In the situations where the CEO and board treated the business (and the COO hire) like an investment, the hired gun will have clear goals and deliverables. Durability for me in two situations lasted as long as the financials exceeded expectations. One was three years, the other nine.

In the situations where the CEO needs “assistance, more experience, sales/channel experience, spin, spin” ego inhibits on both sides and prevents the company from being able to take full advantage of the hired-talent. In my view, the CEO is typically threatened at an emotional level and this will override economics. Every relationship between the CEO and each of the employees/customers are “family” and only the truly secure AND goal centric CEOs will be able to cope and allow the equation of CEO+COO to be greater than 2.0.

For some of those I follow, I feel like I’m stalking them.

The network cloud errrr I mean cloud computing is in (or back). In 1974 I helped the Fortune 500 implement “Excel” type applications accessed remotely via 110 and 300 baud dial up computing in a language called APL. Centralized software offered as a service. What a concept…well it actually is, particularly now with comparatively infinite bandwith and disc storage. A $50 3 GIG thumb drive worth of storage in CompuServe’s 1977 version of SAAS cost the their commercial customers $50,000 PER MONTH.

The real difference is the FREE part and the potential of seemingly unlimited bandwidth and disc storage, and the blurring of media and mediums. What can Google or the next Googlettes think up next?

Social networking…or as I would say super-group unsuspecting-colaboration networking businesses. Think behive (plagarized behive from “We smarter than me” front cover). Networks will be the force on the Internet, no longer will a web site be able to stand alone. Soon dead will be brochureware sites and “find me and buy from me” sites. What’s in…remote volunteer data entry, network news reporters replaced by YouTube, remote volunteer quality reviews, encylopedias, software and….

Summing it up: Clowds and Crouds(c) drive the new Internet models.

Oh yes, I’m in San Fran at a SIIA conference…always good networking. Off I go…