NLLUG April 17th & 18th (site launched!)

 As I mentioned in my earlier blog NLLUG will be back this year as part of a larger Social Business convention on April 17th & 18th in the Amsterdam Arena. The official site just launched and although it still is very empty and doesn't yet have any info on speakers & program I'm sure we'll be seeing some major updates soon!
Keep posted.

The Twitter censorship storm: Hype or reality wake-up call?

A storm has been raging on Twitter today after it announced on its corporate blog that it will implement an option to re-actively censor tweets or twitter accounts for readers in specific countries if a valid request to do so has been made by a legal entity. The example was given of France and Germany using this to block prohibited pro-Nazi statements.

It caused a host of blog posts and tweets from people strongly opposing this and calling it an infringement on the freedom of speech. Some better researched then others. Now Twitter certainly didn't do itself any favors announcing it the way they did and corrected it by adding more info about the solution to be implemented after the storm erupted but what does it really mean??

A lot has already been said about this so I'm not going to repeat it all but in short it boils down to this.

• Legal entities will be able to report Twitter accounts and individual tweet messages to Twitter and ask them to censor those to readers in a specific country based on local law.

• After reviewing Twitter might decide to honor the request. The specified Tweets/Accounts will not be deleted or blocked from posting but readers in the specified country will get a replacement text stating the account or tweet was blocked for that country. The text will still be available to readers in other countries.

• Censoring is done on a per request base, meaning tweets will not be blocked automatically but after they've been placed (except when accounts are blocked) and reported to Twitter.

• Determination of the users country is made based on IP address but can apparently be overruled by the users own country preference settings in the Twitter settings (I predict this option will be restricted pretty soon by the way if it is a working work around).

• Twitter is doing this to comply with local law but at the same time more or less says this doesn't mean it feels it has to agree with all regimes ideas of freedom of expression: "...we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression. Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there....".

• Some call Twitters' action a way of actually ensuring its existence as an activist platform in oppressive countries (link). Given the previous statement I doubt that. If regimes find that it is to much of an opposition platform they will block Twitter regardless of its policies.

• A large group of Twitter users is opposing this change by calling out for a #TwitterBlackOut on January 28th.

Ok, to be honest it really doesn't set off any alarm bells to me right now. I actually think Twitter has found a pretty nifty way of working around something that would have inevitable come around anyway. What some seem to forget is that Twitter is not an idealistic or activist entity that transcends laws, it's a company. With people working for it, offices, accountability and (uhoh... blasphemy) a goal of making money. That means it is required to obey the common law restrictions imposed on it by law makers as would any other company. And operating globally means being globally accountable.

The other thing that really intrigues me here is the fact that most people automatically associate this with the freedom of speech restrictions in oppressive countries while in fact most countries (including Europe and the United States) have certain restrictions on the absolute right to Freedom of Speech as well. Mostly when it comes to things like racial or religious hatred, discrimination and slander. So it isn't just about protecting itself and its employees from prosecution in rogue states and dictatorships, it's just as much a way of complying to the rules in open minded regions like Europe and the United States.

So do I think that what Twitter announced is a bad thing? Not necessarily. I regret it, but having to obey to law restrictions is an inevitable fact of live if you operate a company and at least they are making an effort to be open about it.
Am I opposed to the boycotting Twitter for a day (#TwitterBlackout)? No, but I think it should be about an awareness call to address the universal Freedom of Speech rights. Not to address a company trying to walk the tightrope between upholding the ideals of Freedom of Speech while obeying local law restrictions at the same time.

Lotusphere Comes To You - February 22nd Silverside

It's time for the annual Lotusphere Comes to You events! This year Silverside will be hosting one in Houten, The Netherlands on the 22nd of February. KeyNote speakers include Brian Cheng from IBM and Daan Quakernaat who will be speaking on building cathedrals.How that relates to Social Business? Come find out!

To see the program or to register visit our site at: http://silverside.nl/lotusphere/

Lotusphere.... what Social is about!

Just home after a very long day/night of traveling it's finally time to do some reflecting on the past week. It's hard to put into words what it is I've been experiencing this week and while writing this blog post thousands of images, experiences and faces shoot through my head that made this week so special. It was only my second Lotusphere but I felt at home there as if I had been there for at least 20 years. And most of that is due to the incredible community.

How strong that community is was probably best shown in the "NERD101 Spark ideas" session. A very a-typical session as it wasn't about software or business, it was about life and life's lessons. With 6 speakers chosen from the community talking about items that inspired them hoping to inspire others. The room was packed and it was a fantastic session. With some very personal stories.

Now what made it extra special to me was that on Wednesday I happened to find myself in the elevator with one of the outside press analysts specially invited. He was on his way out and we got talking (shortly). When I asked him how he'd found the Lotusphere experience and what had surprised him most he mentioned the Sparks session. He'd seen it in the schedule and visited it, not knowing what to expect. He loved the topics and the fact that there was a group of NerdGirls organizing it. But most importantly he was surprised to see how close a community we really are.

@CuriousMitch talking about 'Get cancer, get social'

So although I'm sure that didn't make it into his article I can't help but feel proud of this. Social business is about getting people to work together and connecting in ways they haven't tried before. Sometimes that means going off the beaten track and exploring new grounds. Having an purely inspirational session at a Tech conference, lead by the community and presented by the community is, in my eyes, definitely going off the beaten track. And I couldn't think of a better community then the Lotus community to embrace it!

Lotusphere 2012 wasn't just Social, it showed what Social is about!

Video's!

Just two of dozens of video's popping up around the web that really caught my eye. Love how they give a sense of the great atmosphere around Lotusphere!

Lotusphere Arrivals


Lotusphere Closer


ps. Still searching for a video of the 'PretzelCookie'  incident at CGS so if you got some video....post it!

UX Labs

I spent a good hour yesterday in the User Experience lab. Talking to UX specialists about Social Software and how I think it could improve. Now why is that important? Well it's not and it is... My opinion on it's own isn't important at all but by being one of those thousands that is actually sharing it I might be able to make a tiny difference in how the products I work with, and my customers work with are build. And isn't that what 'being social' is all about? Making a difference together...?

Now apart from it being good it's also a lot of fun. People who know me know that I can be a very opinionated person who will not shy away from speaking her mind. And if there's one thing that is really.... correction: REALLY close to my heart it is usability and UI logic. So being able to sit there and just tell about all the pet peeves, ideas and possible improvements I've got swimming around in my head with someone who is not just politely nodding but actually taking notes is just fantastic. Ofcourse there is no guarantee that any of it will be used but at least you get a chance to talk to the people who do have the ability to make a difference.

So if you haven't done so yet get your butt down there and start talking! They will ask you questions if you don't have any direct ideas and you'll be surprised how much you actually have to add!

Confumbled - Social Media breaking down language borders

So I'm Dutch and I'm in no way a native English speaker. I do ok, blog in English, get myself understood and can even be relatively 'witty' in my Social Media responses. It has allowed me to interact and connect to numerous people around the world and it has even given me some new friends. Ok, yes, I know. How can you call them friends without ever meeting them?!? But with some of them they really do feel like friends.

And in about 48 hours I'm flying out to Lotusphere to actually meet them....

I can't wait! I look forward to really meeting these people but at the same time I'm a bit apprehensive too. Truth is that connecting over the internet really isn't the same as connecting in real life. Apart from the obvious facts that Social Media allows you to filter out the less attractive and boring elements of your personality it also helps eliminate language borders.

Again, as a non-native English speaker I think I do pretty well, but I do mess up.... regularly.... This has lead to several funny (and embarrassing) instances and confusions where I tried to express something which actually came out as something totally different.

My Dutch colleagues would now argue I don't just do that in English, bytheway...

Saving factor here though is that as Social Media is mostly a 'written' form of communication it has something of a grace period. Allowing you to at least think for two seconds and read back that post, tweet or chat message (as well as having a spelling control) before clicking the 'send' button. Believe me, I've become a regular speed-Googler over the last few months and have Urban Dictionary bookmarked as a favorite.  Problem is though, these don't yet come as build in options for my mind and so I will have to do without my regular safety nets next week...

....So that's why, even with all my enthusiasm about going to Lotusphere I'm also still feeling a bit apprehensive about talking to all of you with whom I've been chatting, Tweeting and Facebooking. Not knowing, whether I will be able to actually have the same kind of spontaneous interaction without having Google & spell checker at my fingertips is daunting....It almost feels like sitting my high school exams again.

Luckily for me I'm also pretty sure most of you guys will forgive me for my little language-mishaps. And if I do 'confumble' my English big time and mess up I can only hope you guys will look through it and have a laugh with me about it. It's all in good spirit!

"Burning the midnight Soc'oil"

Definition:
To be Socially engaged on online Social Networks into the wee hours of the night.

Meaning:
The incessant staying up not to miss out on all the social fun. Often caused by having a very lively online Social Network that is mostly located on the other side of the pond and the abundant availability of devices that make accessing ones social tools (Skype, Twitter, Facebook, etc) possible everywhere and anytime (eg. in bed). Doing it long enough could have detrimental consequences for sleep patterns and cause the subject to dream in 'tweets'. (Though that could be seen as a good pre-Lotusphere training where sleep is hard to come by anyway).

Origin:
Derived from a combination of the word 'Social' and the phrase "burning the Midnight Oil": To work late into the night. Originally this was by the light of an oil lamp or candle but is nowadays replaced by the blueish shine of electronics and iShinies, hence the figurative terminology.

Related terms:
Insomniac, hermit, Twitter-critter

NLLUG 2012 returns!

W00t! NLLUG is coming back!

After a very successful 2 day NLLUG in 2010 and missing out on it last year it is time for NLLUG 2012! As part of the Social Business Convention, NLLUG is returning to the Amsterdam Arena for a two day, 4 track, 45+ session event.

It's all still very fresh (as of today the NLLUG site is still showing 2010 stuff), but I'm sure more details will follow shortly. For those that weren't there two years ago: The Amsterdam Arena is one of the biggest soccer stadiums of The Netherlands and a great venue for such an important event. The picture above was taken during the 2010 OGS.....

So if last time was anything to go by then this is going to be one you shouldn't miss! Make sure to block the 17th and 18th of April and keep an eye out for further announcements!

Follow up "Lotusphere-less"

A few weeks back I posted a blog with helpful links to Lotusphere resources for those of us that won't be going but want to taste the atmosphere anyway. An updated follow-up of that blog with additional links is now posted to the IBM Insights blog. Check it out!

Structure for an unstructured mind

I just created a new tab on my Lotus Notes Workspace. 'Workspace?' you ask. Yes, workspace. Ok, I know, it has been more or less buried by Lotus since Lotus Notes V5 came out. But every time I install the Lotus Notes Client the first thing I do is to reinstate the Workspace back to being the Homepage. I just find it so much easier to work with.

It's a visual thing. I hate having to scroll through extensive lists and if you'd see my current workspace you would know I have a lot of databases listed.

On my workspace I can easily find certain databases blindfolded (CRM database: 1st tab, 1st line, 1st tile from the gap). But if you asked me what the application name was though....
This is because I use visual indicators for finding an application. Things like location on my tabs, icon image and relative position towards other applications. I rarely look at the name.

Having a workspace allows me to structure things visually and in a way that is logical to me, like placing templates below the databases and grouping things the way I want them to, not just into alphabetically sorted lists by name.

Why don't I like the alphabetical lists?

Well... people who know me will recognize this but I'm simply horrible at remembering names! Be it people, brands, databases, etc. I will make a mess of it. I'll easily call a Volvo a Volkswagen, mix acronyms up and still sometimes search for the names of my own cousins. So to put an alphabetical list of 100+ database names in front of me is like saying :"Good luck!". Give me a workspace and tabs though and I have no problems what so ever.

I think this is also why I'm so fond of my iPad. Things are more visually-orientated then list-orientated and that makes it easier to work with for me. I think Lotus could learn a thing or two from Apple there. The visual way of working that Apple has developed would really benefit a lot of people like me that just don't work in structured lists. Take for instance the "Application-Open"  control. Wouldn't it be a lot easier to find databases if it was portrayed in an AppStore like fashion? With a search box and tiled overview, suggestions lists and maybe even preference recognitions? Ok, yes, I know the list-lovers now cringe but I'm sure a lot of ordinary users would absolutely love to have a more intuitive way of locating apps.

How often have you had users you literally had to walk through opening an application on the server?

"Ok, press CTRL and 'O' keys simultaneously. You should see a window called 'Open Application'. Now enter 'x' in the server name field. Do you see a list of names below it? No? Ok, press the [Open] button. Do you see the list now? Yes? Ok. Scroll down until you see the yellow folders and locate the 'x' folder. Double click it. Yes. You see another list now. Find the "xx" name and double click it".....

So until Lotus decides to permanently take out the workspace (or comes up with a better replacement) I'm really happy with my Workspace and the 14 tabs and 100+ tiles I have on it. Let me work in my own quirky way of visual structuring. I'm sure I'm not alone!