The value of social media

In harsh economic times, organisations exercise tighter control. Control over costs is the obvious example. However, the means by which tighter control is exercised can often(but not always) be more centralisation, and consequentially less freedom. This can in turn impact the amount of freedom people are given to engage in social media activity, or can create an environment where they are afraid to. This scenario means it is even more compelling that we are able to articulate the value that an organisation can derive from social media. Otherwise we’ll be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Accepting that there is value in social media is one thing, but unless we can articulate and quantify that vlaue, the days are numbered.

Dissolving boundaries.

I’ve written about blending before, so here’s a quick reminder.

o business & personality

o inside & outside

o home & work

o collaboration & fun

They’re all going to be blurred in future. That’ll impact technology, our work lives, our home lives, and attitudes to work in general.

Work really is no longer a place, it's just one of the things we do during our daily lives. And it's mixed in with all the other things.

Organisations think big.

Organisations think big. They think in terms of enterprise solutions, signing enterprise agreements with big vendors. Organisations also like to claim agility. Are these two things compatible? As we move to smaller devices, like the iPhone, with consequentially smaller apps, will this have a knock-on effect in the way CIOs view their technology platforms and procurement choices? Not for a long time I predict. Which is unfortunate as lots of small steps often brings benefits much faster than waiting for one big step.

Why would you do that?

I just bought a book off Amazon.co.uk. It cost 1p. I paid £2.75 for postage. The book arrived this morning and the postage label showed the sender had paid £2.25 to send it to me. Plus the cost of the jiffy bag, and the ink to print the label. And the time to take it to the Post office.

Why bother?

Pace of change 2

Change is constant. We all know that. But in a fast moving world, change takes much longer than we expect. I remember in the mid-1990s talking at conferences about how, with intranets, the paperless office was almost with us. Yet today, for many organisations that is still not reality. When social media started to gain traction three or four years ago, we all said it was going to have a fundamental impact on business. But when? In my experience, what we think will happen quickly, takes much longer.

Not long ago adoption of technology used to lag behind the technology – we’d have a new system, but persuading people to use it was often the hard part. However, now we often find the technology we want is struggling to keep up with the way we use it. Which is great because it gives us the opportunity to drive technology developments from real, not imaginary, demand.

Well I suppose it had to happen

I was knocked off my bike on the way home from work last week. Quite a nasty incident. I was riding in a cycle lane on a downhill stretch, probably doing about 15mph when a car pulled through a line of traffic right in front of me. I was too close to be able to take any evasive action and I ploughed heavily into the passenger's door. With a heavy impact like that I don't remember too much about it. I know I was knocked into the air and came down heavily on my back, banging my head on the ground in the process. It took me a few minutes to come round, and then I started to assess where it hurt. Which was pretty much everywhere! I do also remember clearly going limp when I realised impact was inevitable, there was no instinct to put my arm out or anything like that. Just let the body go limp.

Eventually I was on my feet, exchanging details etc. and checking my bike for damage. My new bike that is. The front wheel was buckled, but I couldn't see much other damage, so I limped off home.

The next morning, following a very restless night I paid a visit to the casualty department of the local hospital where various x-rays and tests showed damaged tendons and joints in the shoulder and a possible cracked rib, but no fractures. In addition I had scraped my knees, badly bruised my wrist and thumb and was quickly developing a sore back and neck.

A week on, and after another visit to the fracture clinic I am about to start on a programme of physiotherapy to assist the healing process in the shoulder.

And the bike is back from a crash assessment at the local shop which concluded there was no damage to the frame or the fork, but the front wheel needed a new rim and spokes as part of a re-build. Unusually, I was commuting on my steel framed Audax bike. I think the strength and quality of the frame prevented any more serious damage. I'm convinced my usual aluminium commuter, or a more expensive carbon bike would not have fared so well.

All in all, it could have been a lot worse. A second or two earlier and the car would have hit me, instead of me hitting the car, or I could have gone over the top.

It's not going to stop me riding though, and I still have my sights on Lands End to John O Groats in 2010.

A final thought. I hit my head hard, and I am very grateful that I was wearing a helmet. I see a lot of people cycling in London without one. They are fools! Wear your helmet.

Social media adoption curve

A while back I read a report from Gartner which outlined three phases of social media adoption – denial; don’t ask, don’t tell; embracing. It made the assertion that the mid stage – don’t ask, don’t tell – is the most dangerous place as organisations hadn’t banned social media (therefore couldn’t stop worrying about it), nor had they embraced it (so they weren't getting value from it). However, I feel there is an additional step between stage two and three, which I call ‘reality/recoil’. This is characterised as a knee jerk reaction once the organisation is on the way to acceptance. I think this moment is short term and transitory and comes when the reality of the change becomes clear to individuals and they start to realise there are implications that will affect both them as individuals and their organisation.

The pace of change

Melrum asked me today if they could reprint an article of mine first published in one of their reports 'How to use social media to engage employees'. It was first published in summer 2007 and I've just re-read it and realised that, although things have moved on a bit, it's not a hugely different picture than it was two years ago. This illustrates quite nicely my assertion that change in business communications always seems to take longer than we all expect. I think one of the contributory factors is the resistance and reluctance we face from the traditionalists who still far outnumber the progressives in the employee communications industry.

Mobile intranet

Being able to access the intranet from anywhere is already a reality for many organisations. However, very few are providing effective mobile access on devices such as Blackberrys or iPhones. Mostly, the service is set up for the PC, but increasingly people want access through a truly mobile device – and which may not even normally be part of their corporate network. The danger is that it will take some time for our IT colleagues to step up to this challenge, which will be in stark contrast to the speed with which apps for these small devices are appearing which, of course, is setting our expectations.

Intranet Futures

Last week I was invited by Paul Miller, founder of the IBF to be ‘in conversation’ with him in front of an audience at an IBF meeting. The idea was that we’d have a conversation about the future of intranets and then turn it into an open forum. And it worked very well. There was an audience of about 25 people, from a range of different organisations. It was also good to catch up with some people in the audience whom I interact with on Twitter etc., but had never actually met.

We had a wide ranging discussion, covering a variety subjects and we certainly stimulated a useful debate amongst the audience.

One subject we discussed was senior awareness and ownership of the intranet – where many organisations are moving to more of a shared ownership model, to replace the single ownership model that existed up to now. This is happening because of the continued elevation up the criticality scale of intranets and an increasing role in business process and change, rather than being exclusively the domain of comms activity. At present, I think most intranets are managed out of communications – primarily because they’ve been communications led, not because of any underpinning logic. However, the changing role of the intranet does not seems to be putting pressure on communications people to relinquish their role and I think that may be because we’re adapting into this new, broader, business focused role.

We also discussed why some organisations with excellent intranets give poor customer service and whether the intranet could be an enabler for improvement. This opened up an interesting discussion around the difference between intranet, internet and extranet. Although I’ve been saying this for some time and it is yet to happen, I firmly believe the distinction is breaking down and that in future we’ll just have The Net and people will be able to access any information that is relevant to them no matter where it sits, or where they are. There are one or two technical challenges with that approach however, and there’s also a usability challenge as people take comfort in knowing where they are. In other words, knowing that a particular piece of content is ‘inside’ an organisation (and therefore may be privileged) is important in terms of how people view it and use it.

Platform wars

When will technologists stop arguing amongst themselves about which platform is best, and start to think about what is going to be best for users? When will technologists realise their platforms are a means to an end, not an end in themselves?

Please!

Digital Divide

I spent a fair amount of time thinking about digital futures. I have recently been looking at the take up of social media in the organisation where I work. In the early days of social media, people used to talk about 95% of people reading, 5% of people contributing and 0.1% of people originating. However, as social media have matured and found its place in many organisations, I think we need to re-think this. I witness a fair proportion of people who simply don't engage at all. Look at Facebook. How many people do you know who have "no friends", or who signed up once and never went back, or just can;t be bothered? And who never read a blog. Or don't really know what Twitter is. Or Wikipedia. It's not that they don't have the technology - the traditional Digital Divide - it's more that they don't see any need to engage. There's nothing in it for them. Translate that into the workplace and you can quickly see how the 'transformational effects' many commentators say will come from these services may take a little longer to deliver than we think.

But then, isn't that always the case?

Philadelphia

As the Phillies won the 2008 World Series, the baseball tour this year was to Philadelphia. It was a great tour. Four of us travelled out from Heathrow and met up with two more of the guys who'd spent the previous few days watching baseball in New York and travelled down and meet us. The ballpark was great and we saw the last four Phillies games of the season. Unfortunately, the Phillies had won the pennant the night before, so we missed those celebrations, but we were there for the last game of the season - which the Phillies won - complete with fireworks and plenty of give-aways.

Philadelphia is a great city. Older than you'd expect for the US, and we stayed in one of the oldest buildings in town - the Alexander Inn - pretty central in downtown. The hotel was very comfortable, good sized rooms, a great price and with a very friendly staff. Should I ever return to Philadelphia it's where I'd stay.

As is tradition, I took an open-top bus tour of the city, and also did a fair amount of walking - not something you can do in many US cities. Naturally, I ran up the 'Rocky' steps in front of the Museum of Art, although it is a little disappointing that the 'Rocky' statue has been relegated to a spot at the bottom of the steps under some trees. The statue was donated to the city after the filming had ended and it took pride of place in front of the Museum for a few years until the city luminaries decided it wasn't really art and needed to be moved. So it was moved to elsewhere in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, there followed a big decline in visitors to the Museum and so eventually the City came to its senses and the statue was moved back.

Of course, we had Philly Cheesesteak - at Jim's Steaks on South Street, which is probably the most famous 'restaurant' in Philadelphia. Huge queues, moving slowly through the restaurant, just like at a London Pie and Mash. In fact, it was just like a Pie and Mash shop. Only instead of "pie, mash and liquor please" it was "Wizz, With, please".

The main evening hang out was Dirty Frank's Bar just round the corner from the hotel. An old Prohibition era dive bar, which had no name outside it, was filthy dirty and is only called 'Frank's' because of the murals painted on the outside walls - all of which as famous Frank's (Sinatra, Frankenstein and so on). However, it was a bar full of character, full of characters.

So, with the New York Yankees winning the 2009 World Series, we need to decide where we go on tour. It won't be NY as we've already been there. But we will need to see the Yankees. That's a tour rule.

Thorn Audax

I've had the new Thorn Audax bike for a few weeks now and have put about 500 miles on it. It's a beautiful ride. Smooth and comfortable, and you can really feel the quality in the components. The braking is impressive and the gear changes wonderfully smooth. And it's faster than I expected for a steel bike, with wider tyres than my normal road bike.

All I need to figure out now is how to break in a firm leather saddle!

Tiger Tales

Now the weather has turned, it is time to put the Tiger away until the Spring. Before then however, a group of us drove the Kent countryside down to Deal for breakfast on the pier. Beautiful weather, some great driving and a pretty decent breakfast made for a fun morning. In fact, the breakfast was huge - as you can see in the photo.

The only hiccup was an odd noise coming from the engine on the way back. Which got louder and louder and sounding very much like a wallet threatening catastrophy. I made it home okay and left the car for a few days before daring to go and investigate. When I did, I couldn't find the source until, just as I turned the engine off there was a bang and out from under the car rolled the alternator pulley wheel. So, not so serious after all as I was able to put a new pulley and fan on the alternator using parts from an old broken one I had in the garage.

And that's probably it for the year, with just a couple of small jobs to do over the winter - re-fixing the new seats and installing an oil pressure guage, which I think is essential for track days. Oh, and I'd probably better clean it.

Baseball

I've decided to start playing baseball again. I was injured for much of the season before last and last year I decided not to play so I could fit in all the other things I'm up to - the car, bike, exercise and so on. And now I'm really looking forward to it. I was elected chairman of the the Kent Mariners club, which is a non-executive position, but allows me to help out with the running of the club. When it comes to playing however, I think I'm now too old to play competitively, but in many ways that takes the pressure off, allowing me to enjoy the opportunities I do get more than I would have.

The club looks like it will have some useful fresh playing blood in the team and we're finally going to have some strength in depth. 2010 should be a good year for The Mariners.

And training begins properly right after Christmas.

Borough Market

Borough market has become one of my favourite places. Full of character, full of life, full of good food. Quality food. Food like it should be. Food like it used to be.

And the other day, after a successful shopping trip and wander through the market we rose up in the lift for lunch in Roast. A great, honest, restaurant using fresh market ingredients, sering great English dishes. I started with Haggis and poached egg, followed by a burger and Kim had suckling pig as a main course. Beautifully cooked, great service and a friendly and lively atmosphere. We'll certainly be returning. And you should try it too.

39 Steps

I went to see the West End production of the 39 Steps at the Criterion the other day. I got a great seat off Lastminute.com - four rows back in the centre of the stalls. It was a show I'd been meaning to see for some time, but it was never quite top of the list, so I never got round to it.

But last week I did. And on balance I'm glad I went.

It was an entertaining, ripping yarn. Only four actors playing all the characters inevitably meant an original production, which bowled along at a frantic pace. But it was well done, even if there was a touch of farce about it. A little bit childish. A little bit public school. But still good fun.

Five or six out of ten I think.

Mott the Hoople

A few weeks ago I was in Philadelphia. When I was there I discovered that Mott the Hoople were playing at the Hammersmith Apollo. But the concerts were taking place whilst I was away. I was gutted. One of my favourite bands from the seventies, I regularly have Mott tracks on my MP3 player.

So I couldn't make the concert. But I could get the CD. I ordered the live concert CD the moment I got back. What a disappointment! Mott had been stuck in time for me, and hearing them playing some of the early material and some of their big hits just made me realise that Ian Hunter is now in his seventies..... and sounds it. He's still a rocker, but I'm afraid these gigs were simply a step too far for this great band. You should have stayed at home boys!

Reasons not to commute London on a bike...

Taxis.

Red buses.

White vans.

Rain.

Lack of drying facilities at the office.

Cycling home in wet gear.

La Cage Aux Folles

I saw John Barrowman in the leading role in La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse Theatre a couple of days ago. Not a show I'd seen before, although I have, of course, seen the Hollywood interpretation - The Birdcage - with Nathan Lane and Robin Williams.

What a delight. I found this Menier Chocolate Factory production a delight. The theatre was perfect for this production, with a smaller stage favouring a simpler set, and a great view from my seat in the central stalls. The show was deliciously camp, over the top in just the right places, and featuring one of the greatest musical scores. The humour was well done, and there was a real, and seemingly genuine, connection with the audience - unusual for a West End production.

Simon Burke (Georges) - who I'd previously seen in The Sound of Music - was excellent, particularly in one of the show's big numbers (and my favourite) Song on the Sand.

Special mention has to go out to John Barrowman however, playing Albin. I'm not his biggest fan, but I do think this was a role he was destined to play. He has terrific stage presence, his delivery is not too precious and his singing voice is great - better live than any of the recordings I've heard.

All in all, one of the best London shows I've seen for a while. I may even go back.

Norton

The other day my PC had 'a moment' and the Norton security software crashed and wouldn't re-start. I did a quick internet search and ended up on the Norton support site. Rather than try and fix it myself, I opted for the remote help service - which is free. In no time at all an agent in India had taken control of my PC, diagnosed the problem, fixed it and in the process, upgraded me to the next version of software.

All in a very short space of time and for free.

Throughout the process he kept me informed of what he was doing, what would happen next and how long we had left to go. I was very impressed, and the experience has left me feeling a sense of loyalty towards Norton because I know that if I have any problems in future, they will be sorted promptly and effectively. What a delight!

Tiger Tales

Last weekend a group of intrepid kit car owners set off from Kent for the Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum near Uckfield. We were joined along the way by several other cars, and at a refreshment stop in the Ashdown Forest it turned out there were upwards of 25 cars - which surprised those out walking their dogs! Most were of the 7-type (Tiger, Westfield, Caterham, Robin Hood, MNR), but there were also Cobras and Fisher Furys amongst the rest. The route took us along some of Kent and Sussex's best roads - accompanied by great weather. On arrival at our final destination we joined quite a lot of other cars which had come from other parts of the country. In total there were 78 cars of all varieties and although it wasn't an organised show, such a good turnout certainly would have pleased visitors to the museum. Great fun, and great to talk to other like minded owners.

Sickly Sweet

Last week I went to see Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket. It wasn't the first time I’d seen it. Whilst I find the music interesting and melodic (albeit commercial), I think the overall production has become a little bit of a parody of itself. Over the top, lush and sickly sweet. But then again maybe that’s what the tourists want. I shan’t be going again.

LeJog Update

I've been on holiday from work for a couple of weeks and had planned to complete three consecutive 100 mile rides as a measure of how much work I would need to do to be ready to complete the Lands End to John O Groats ride as seven 200km days. Unfortunately, having a bad cold Sunday to Tuesday ruled that plan out, however, I felt well enough yesterday to set out for Brighton. I left the house at 6.15am and headed south, taking in the stunning views over Kent from the top of Ide Hill, eventually making it to Brighton in time for breakfast at the Marina. A pretty straightforward ride, although Ditchling Beacon just before arriving in Brighton is always a challenge. This was the first time I had been up it without being surrounded by thousands of other cyclists on the London to Brighton bike ride. That didn't make it easier, it made it harder as I was not forced into a slow pace. More stunning views from the top though.

The journey home was more of a challenge. I returned via Lewis and the Ashdown Forest eventually arriving at the foot of the North Downs wondering how I would make it up the hill. Normally I would go via Ide Hill, but this time I opted for the quieter Toys Hill. That was a mistake as it was longer and steeper! I made it however, leaving only Polhill and a final 9km downhill stretch to home. For the last two hours if the ride, my feet were hurting - I was wearing road cleats which have no give in the sole whatsoever to ensure maximum power goes to the pedals. Next time I'll change the pedals and try it with MTB cleats which have a slight give, and which have the extra benefit of not making you walk like a stiff penguin! My legs were very tired and I was making full use of the gearing - as even small hills started to be difficult.

It was a very hot day, but I made sure I was drinking constantly. I took the opportunity to try out some of the so-called sports hydration drinks. I tried Gatorade, Powerade and Lucozade Sport. Powerade (made by Coca Cola) had added sweeteners and sugar, as did Lucozade, which meant they didn't sit so well in my stomach. However, Gatorade was much better, having no added sugars (natural or otherwise), and it tasted much less sickly. This will be my choice from now on.

I arrived home 11 and a half hours after leaving, but moving time was only eight hours 22 minutes. The difference accounts for traffic lights, an hour for breakfast people watching in Brighton Marina, pee-breaks, and two or three short snack breaks to admire the views.

My legs were a little achy in the evening, and my backside was a little tender, but this morning nothing hurts and, although tired, I feel I would be perfectly able to go out for a long ride again.

You can find details of the ride on the Garmin site.

Volunteering at Mile End Park

The week before last, about 25 of us from the office took a day out from paper-pushing and email to help the Mile End Park community project in Tower Hamlets. Tower Hamlets is one of the UK's poorest borough, suffering from many of the problems that blight innner city communities. As such, a facility such as Mile End Park is a God-send for many of the residents, and so it was no hardship at all for us to spend a day helping the wardens.

The task they had set aside for us was to clear the weed, algae and rubbish from the large ornamental pond. It was very overgrown and took all of us most of the day to get it back into shape. Not only did we end up make a good job of the tasks set for us, but we went away with a real sense of having helped in a small way, and of having got to know each other a little better.

The highlight of the day for me was when a few of us went to the local pub at the end of the afternoon for refreshments. We ended up in the Palm Tree which was orginally the corner pub on the slum streets of London's East End, and had survived the blitz in WWII. It now stands resplendent in the middle of the park, yet inside, still has the atmosphere and ambiance of a traditional London local. Standing there, you could almost feel the long gone houses that would have crowded round the pub. Well worth the visit.

Center Parcs

We're just back from our first ever stay at Center Parcs in Elvedon Forest. I was very impressed and can see why almost everyone I spoke to before going said it was a great place.

Butlins for the middle-classes.

The place was clean, well maintained and everyone we came into contact with was friendly and helpful. During our 5 day stay we managed plenty of bike riding, swimming, golf, crazy golf, crossbows, high wire adrenalin challenge (including the Jacob's Ladder), roller skating, foil fencing, badminton, huge zip wire, canoing and pedalos. And we fed plenty of ducks and geese.

The accommodation was very well presented, if a little small, and all the food we had was good. The main criticism I'd heard before we went was that it is expensive. I didn't find that to be the case. The prices we paid for the activities we did were pretty much on a par with the price you'd pay if you did it locally. And in fact, some were cheaper (such as the badminton). Just compressing so many things into such a short space of time inevitably means you will pay a lot of money.

It's certainly a holiday I would consider again. And if you are thinking about it, make sure you go with active people, as those less keen on physical activity will probably not have so much fun.

My highlight - the crossbows, which turned out to be more technical, and therefore harder, than you'd expect. However, we benefited from a good coach for the morning, which made all the difference and made it really good fun.

LeJog Update

June/July 2010 seems a long way off, but I guess it's never too early to start to prepare for an adventure like the Lands End to John O'Groats cycle ride.

I now have a riding partner, possibly two, and have decided that the 60-odd miles per day organised events from companies such a Skedaddle is probably too leisurely, and that the 110 mile daily distances of the James Cracknel organised Ride Across Britain [RAB] are closer to what we should be aiming for. I had considered signing up for the RAB, but have decided against it for two reasons. Firstly, they're doing it in the wrong direction which would mean a strong possibility of a headwind for the duration, and secondly after a day in the saddle, I really feel I need a proper bed and shower, not a camp site with a mat on the floor of a tent.

So it very much looks like we'll be organising the trip ourselves. David - who I will be doing the ride with - is a regular Audax rider and has suggested we do it as an Audax Permanent event. This means 7 days riding of at least 200km (roughly 125 miles). We'd have a total of 14 hours (including breaks) to complete each 200km leg. Allowing for say 3 hours of breaks (very generous) that's an average of just over 18km per hour. My normal average speed on a long ride is between 24 and 26km per hour, so not too scary, except it has to be done again the next day. And the next day. And we'd have to ride all 7 days within a total of 10 days, which would allow one rest day. The downside of doing it this way is that we'd have to be self supporting and carry our clothes etc for the overnight stops.

Next step is to start the route planning, drawing on the resources of all those fools who have gone before us.

22 reasons to ride a bike

1. It's good for your heart
2. It's good for you lungs
3. It builds stamina
4. You burns calories which means more curry
5. It relieves stress
6. Exercise leaves you feeling good
7. It's better for the environment, no fumes.
8. A bike uses fewer natural resources to make than a car
9. You see more
10. You hear more
11. You smell more
12. In town, it's faster
13. Parking is easy
14. It's cheaper than the train
15. Leg power is cheaper than petrol
16. It's good thinking time
17. You get to talk to people
18. Trains get cancelled
16. You don't pay congestion charges
17. You can commute in shorts
18. It's trendy
19. It's more flexible - you can vary your route
20. People smile at you
21. You can race every day
22. You can be lycra-man!

Thorn Audax

After several weeks of research, I've finally taken the plunge and ordered a new bike. I was looking for something that would be suitable for winter training, comfortable for the long distances I seem to be doing these days, and would be strong enough for Lands End to John O'Groats next year.

It had to be a steel frame for comfort, strength and longevity, yet I didn't want the weight of a full tourer. Obviously, it needed a wide range of gears, good quality components and have comfort options like mudguards. A bike built for Audax events seemed the obvious solution, and of the ones specifically built for these events the Thorn Audax comes very highly recommended.

So after a chat with the very friendly folks at SJS Cycles, one is now on order and should be made for me by about the middle of September.

Forbidden Broadway

Kim and I went to see Forbidden Broadway at the Menier Chocolate Factory. It had been recommended by a friend who had seen it in New York, and it turned out to be a great recommendation. It’s a tongue in cheek look at the big commercial shows on Broadway and London’s West End, focussing particularly on musical theatre. If you’re fan of the big musicals – Phantom, Les Mis, Hairspray, Lion King and the rest – or are just a little bit ‘camp’ you’ll love this. Cruelly funny, bang up to date and brilliantly performed it was an absolute delight. And it was made all the better by the intimate and participative atmosphere of the Chocolate Factory – a very small off West End venue. Wonderful.

We went on a ‘meal deal’ ticket, which at £34 for a two course meal, plus show tickets, was excellent value. Forbidden Broadway is running for a limited season only, so don’t delay, book now!

100 miles

Last weekend I took part in the London to Southend bike ride in aid of the British Heart Foundation. At 59 miles it is slightly longer than London to Brighton, but with 3,000 riders – instead of the 27,000 on London to Brighton – it is a much more sensible field allowing for clearer roads and faster progress. I had decided I would ride up to the start in Victoria Park, complete the ride, then ride home. That would make for a round trip of about 100 miles.

Getting to London early on Sunday morning meant I had a choice of river crossings, none of which I’d used before – the Woolwich foot tunnel, the Greenwich foot tunnel, or the Rotherhithe Road tunnel. I’d read that the Rotherhithe tunnel was safe for bikes if you stayed on the walkway, but that pollution from the cars could make it a very unpleasant experience. However, both the foot tunnels have lifts that operate only during regular hours and would definitely not be working at 6.30am on a Sunday morning. That meant walking down and then up the stairs at either end hauling the bike whilst wearing cumbersome bike shoes. In the end I opted for the Rotherhithe tunnel figuring that at that time of day on Sunday, the traffic would be light and the pollution would not have had time to build up. That turned out to be a good call, as it is an easy ride and made the journey to the start very straightforward and direct. I was fascinated that the tunnel bends at the start and again at the end and have since found out that this is so that when it was originally built, the horses could see the light ‘at the end of the tunnel’ and make a bolt for freedom too early!

The ride from Victoria Park to Southend was delightful, passing through some of the better parts of Essex. I stopped at Battlesbridge for a comfort break and some refreshments, where I got talking to a guy riding a Thorn Audax bike – identical to the one I’d just ordered. I’d never even seen one on the road before, so that was a little spooky.

The last few miles into Southend became hard work as the winds were very strong across the open farmland we were riding through, however, arriving at Priory Park we were met by a large crowd of people cheering and clapping to receive our medal, certificate and bottle of water. That was a great feeling!

For many that was the end of the day, but for of course, I still had to ride back home. I got chatting to a guy in full Saxo Bank pro race gear, and on a very expensive full carbon bike and who was obviously fairly new to cycling. He was moaning about how much his rear end hurt. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that his ultra stiff pro-bike was probably contributing to his woes! He looked good though ;-)

The ride home was uneventful, although I had to contend with the very strong headwind the whole way, and there were a couple of very heavy, sharp showers which I confess I sheltered from. I met up with another guy at the Dartford Crossing also making his way home, although he had cheated just a little by taking the train from Southend to Upminster.

All in all though a good day, and I proved to myself that 100 miles isn’t so scary, and is possibly a daily distance for next year’s Lands End to john O’Groats ride.

Tiger Tales

I’ve recently had the car out again at Brands Hatch. Two track days in fact. The first was on the legendary Grand Prix circuit, and then earlier this week on the Indy circuit. Getting another chance to drive the GP track was brilliant as it has to be one of the best anywhere in the world. It’s the place of legends, and it’s easy to see why – Paddock Hill bend, the hairpin at Druids, and the turn out into the country at Surtees. I particularly love the series of corners from Dingle Dell through Sheene, Sterlings and back down to Clearways where you need to get the line just right in order to maintain speed for the main straight.

It’s also fair to say that the GP circuit always attracts a fair amount of exotica, and this time was no exception. The usual Lambos, Ferraris and Porsches were in evidence, together with a couple of Russian Touring cars, with full supporting crew. And although the Tiger is built for acceleration and cornering, not really straight line speed, it held its own very well and was by no means the slowest out there.

This week, I took some people from work to an evening session organised by Focused Events for a taste of track day fun. It was sold as a sessioned event, but there were insufficient cars booked and so it became an open pit lane – meaning cars could go in and out as often as they liked for the two and a half hour session. This time, there was not much exotica around, being replaced by a lot of novice drivers and a surprising number of road going saloons. The large number of first timers in relatively slow cars made for some interesting and at times, frustrating laps. However, the track soon started to clear and we had a much better run at things.

Unfortunately mechanical troubles cut out evening short by about 45 minutes though. The trigger wheel – which indicates the position of the crank and pistons to the Megajolt electronic ignition – decided it had had enough of Brands and made a break for freedom. As we speak, it lies forlorn somewhere on the grass by the side of the track on the way down from Druids. Of course, without it, the car won’t run and so we had to be recovered by the excellent marshals at the track.

I’m very grateful to Dave for the tow home after we’d finished, although I suspect Dave doesn’t tow regularly as at times we were doing 60mph!!

This is the second time the trigger wheel has come loose – it is welded to the crank pulley – and the welds were pretty good. However, I suspect the absence of any damping and the sheer forces involved – track days are a harsh environment, even for a race prepared engine – have worked it loose over ht past few weeks. Fortunately, no other damage was done as the wheel, which is (was!) thick steel the size of a side plate, broke away. A quick call to 7-Indulgence, who carried out the installation, and we’re already thinking of fitting a new one in a different way. This time, I think we’ll need to replace the cast crank pulley with an aluminium one which can be drilled so the trigger wheel can be bolted in place. Until then, Tiger is off the road.

Change is happening

1. From communications to engagement

2. We can do stuff without IT…..

….. and they don’t like it.

3. Uses are emergent, and business benefit is emergent…..

….. so business case processes are inappropriate.

4. Communications people don’t understand it, so…..

….. they ignore it, or try to control it…

5. Users don’t understand it, so…..

….. they just use it….

Another bike

As a typical 'bloke', I love machines and gadgets. Also, in the last three or four years I've become an enthusiastic cyclist, using a bike both to commute to work and for leisure/training rides at the weekend.

Putting these two things together, means I am always on the look out for a new bike. Sometimes, the excuses are quite thin, however, sometimes they are genuine. This time its genuine. I need a new bike.

I'm in the early stages of planning to do LeJoG next year, and such a serious undertaking will require a serious machine. So I'm looking at Audax, touring and Cyclocross bikes as potential steeds for such a long trip.

If you have any advice on what would be most suitable, let me know! And if you know me and fancy LeJoG as well, give me a call!!

What is an intranet

Whilst preparing to present to the Intranet benchmarking Forum the other day, I started to think about what an intranet actually is. Of course, it's many things to many people, and for sure our definition has changed over the 16 years or so since the term was first coined. However, here is my stab for what it is. It is:

• A critical part of your organisation's landscape
• A platform for the paperless office
• A place to collaborate
• A catalyst for change

All of which are pretty obvious and probably not too contentious.

However, and intranet is also:

• Taken for granted (or at least it should be)
  
• The battlefield between technology and business
• The place where people can have personality, opinions and express themselves.
  

These are not so obvious, and are certainly not so comfortable for the organisation. However, as has always happened, intranets are once again challenging the old paradigms - and that can be quite threatening for those affected. The one thing we can be sure of though, is that change in this space is pretty much unstoppable as an intranet world is a democtratised world and has an organic life of its own. The most successful intranet managers will be those who can harness that development and growth through the various phases.

I am a Philistine

This week, I went to see Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan and Simon Callow in Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. I'm afraid I didn't get it.

No story line, juvenile character development and a pointless production left me feeling I'd wasted my money. As it's such a famous play, put on by famous actors and watched by a theatre full of people who laughed at everything, even though none of it was funny, I can only conclude I am a Philistine. Or maybe I'm just too superficial and it was all over my head.

I can't wait for the panto season ;-)

Tiger Tales

Yesterday I had the Tiger on track at Brands Hatch. It was a track day organised by Focused Events. Although it was very hot, the car was impeccably behaved and the event very well organised and run. It was a ‘sessioned’ evening (as opposed to an open pit lane), however, this was probably a good thing as limiting drivers (and their cars) to 20 minutes of track time at a go was very sensible in the heat. As is often the case, it was an eclectic mix of cars – a couple of TVRs, a Porsche GT3, several 7-type cars (including a guy in his brand new Caterham, and someone in a yellow Tiger), a Radical, and a few racing saloons. A good mix, and plenty to talk about in the pit garages. We were on track right after the Formula BMW series cars had completed testing, so they were also around to chat to.

The marshals at Brands Hatch are excellent, but last night there were several novice drivers who seemed totally oblivious to the correct racing line, or other cars behind them trying to get past. In these circumstances, drivers need to be extremely patient and not take any risks trying to overtake. The marshals could have helped the more experienced drivers in the faster cars by using the blue overtaking flag a little more often. I only saw it being waved once.

Other than that, it was a great evening.