I considered the possibility of tackling recession, joined up public and private sector initiatives, transformational government or a whole host of other issues in my initial post, in this, my third and most recent iteration in the blogosphere.
Instead, having chosen to expose myself as a digital optimist I thought a quick definition of what this blog is about might be in order.
The digital optimist
To understand a digital optimist, you need to understand its history.
I have used computers since the age of 16 (a Commodore 64 in 1982) to communicate with people. My experience rapidly expanded from early Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), to email and IRC, and eventually, the World-Wide Web (WWW).
In those days we didn’t have Yahoo, MSN or Google, Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari. I used Lynx and Mosaic, and the WWW Virtual Library.
I went on to study engineering in the communications field, write, design and develop websites, work for and manage digital agencies, and eventually develop and run my own digital agencies.
I’ve seen how digital – through the internet and WWW – has transformed how (many) people communicate and interact with one another. I’ve watched as entire industries formed around these communication technologies and how traditional industries have transformed themselves in the span of a couple decades.
I have an optimism that is born from the transformation and extended communication that I have seen made possible through the embracing of digital technology.
Inspiration, collaboration, innovation
While I have worked for over 16 years specifically in the digital space, I have operated in digital environments since my first Commodore 64 in 1982 – for nearly 27 years. I am continually inspired by new developments in the industry and by the possibilities they create.
Inspiration is a part of my DNA.
Perhaps because I have been around since the inception of the WWW, I see the nurturing of inspiration – wherever it exists – as a fundamental necessity on the road to innovation. It is the idea of nurturing that leads me to collaboration.
The Internet and WWW are themselves collaborations of individuals and institutions around inspired ideas. Whether we are talking about BBN’s development of the underlying technologies of the Internet (or the fact they put the “@” symbol in your email), or the individuals and organisations that came together around Tim Berners-Lee in developing the WWW, collaboration has been a fundamental driver of innovation.
There is always the challenge of “what’s next” ahead of us. While for some this means developing completely new technologies and protocols, for others it means making better use of what already exists today – but even in that there is room for innovation.
Deep breath
So what am I really trying to get at with all of this:
- Inspiration requires you to be open to new ideas and possibilities
- Collaboration helps shape ideas into new products or services
- Innovation takes place when ideas are shaped to create new products or services that fulfill future or latent needs.
Therefore, innovation is only sometimes about the development of new technologies, methodologies or protocols. It can be as simple as applying an existing way of doing things to a new area – uncovering and fulfilling a latent need.
Enough history and lecture. Enjoy.
Filed under: Uncategorized, digital, innovation, optimist
