The Joy of Fansourcing

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I talk about Fansourcing quite a bit.  It's because it's important, because it is good for people, and because I'm blatantly trying to get people to use the term to promote the idea.

Now of all the benefits I've talked about, let me note there's one that is important to remember: Peace of mind.

Not peace of mind for the person doing the work – though they may get some from the experience or the pay or the thrill of doing the work.  I'm talking the peace of mind you get from finally Fansourcing something.

  • You know the work is in good hands and don't have to worry about the outcome.
  • You now have freed up time to do other things, and can tackle them.
  • You have the peace of mind of just letting go.
  • You have the peace of mind of knowing you made a decision to not do something.
  • You put the work in the hands of a fellow fan, geek, otaku, etc.

We often fret about things we need to do, we worry where they are in our schedule, we're not sure what to do.  When you Fansource everything becomes clear for you.

So among all the other advantages of Fansourcing, remember the sanity and clarity it can bring you!

– Steven Savage

News of the Day 8/2/2010

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The economy sucks, but you may be able to use your cell phone as a credit card. It's a slow news day, but we've got some interesting stuff still!

Economics/Geekonomics:
Bob Herbert is angry, and he may have a right to be. Evidence that job cuts were worse than needed and people aren't sharing in a recovery. If he's right, then there's a gap in expectations, employe/employer relations, and social expectations of economic growth.

Internet connectivity and economic development.

Technology:
It seems almost every carrier is working on a way to replace credit cards with smartphones. That's just a boost to the smartphone market if any of this works.

Social Networks and gaming account for a third of time online – I'm surprised it's that low.

Video Games:
Zynga has a new CFO. Which isn't surprising considering the changes going on. Now what that means for how they spend money may affect the future . .

How playfish demonstrates the use of the cloud in games – A thoughtful read.

Total Nerdity:
Using an episode of the Last Airbender in a class on manga. And you thought you couldn't use this stuff . . .

Question of the Day: So when do you think the media will panic over smartphome-as-credit-card security?

– Steven Savage

Hello Kitty Is Not Your Role Model

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I know Hello Kitty has fans.  In fact, I have to admire Sanrio for creating a sort of Seinfeld of cuteness.; Hello Kitty really isn't about anything.  Hello Kitty is sort of a brand of general adorable cuteness and pathological amounts of pink.  It's just that when it comes to it, there's not a whole lot of "there" there.  Hello Kitty just sort of is.

She's darling, as is her collection of friends, but she's not about anything.

Sanrio's success aside, you don't want to use her as a role model for personal branding.  Even if you like Pink. A  whole lot of Pink.

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