Communities are projects

I know, I know, it’s been 3 months and 12 days and some hours since my last post. I know I told you all that I would deliver four weekly analyses on the subjects of misconceptions of collaboration. But the reality was that I overestimated the work required to accomplish this feat.

Between then and now, I have produced a methodology for managing virtual collaboration, and I’ve applied it to a couple projects. It isn’t perfect, but I’m reminded by a good friend, that in the field of Web 2.0, there are no experts, only degrees of amateur.

So instead of focusing on the negative aspects of my original series, I’m proposing on highlighting the positive steps that I have found to ensure successful projects.

These are the ones that I have focused on. My goal is to share my findings with you, so let’s get started.

Communities are projects

That’s right; I said projects, not communities. This is the biggest revelation that I could have stumbled on this year. We have to stop treating all collaborations like communities, and focus on the reason for their existence. Some might exist to bring people of different stripes under a big tent to discuss common interest, but others strive to achieve a specific goal, product, or conclusion.

So instead of looking at it from a community management perspective, we should be focusing our energies on the project management aspect of these endeavors. For us to achieve a goal, we must identify a plan on how to get there.

For example:
If your goal is to determine the diverging opinions that exist around a certain policy;
Your plan may be as simple as finding 5 friends, and asking them over coffee. Or it may be complex as having 20 policy experts, having specific discussions through an organized schedule of weekly exercises.

Both have the same outcome, but require a different methodology to achieve that outcome. The effort is less when dealing with easy tasks versus complex ones. Gathering 5 friends and asking them a question is simple. Engaging 20 policy experts might be too complex to manage alone.

This brings me to my Next post:

Foundations make for better buildings

Misconceptions of collaboration

As I stated last week, I’m re-branding this space to share some of my experiences regarding community management. Over the next 4 weeks, I will attempt to demystify some of the most common misconceptions surrounding collaboration.

Here are the topics of exploration:

1 - build it and they will come
2 - training is engagement
3 - documentation equals collaboration
4 - real communities never die

The goal is to create a concise fact sheet to help others when faced with the challenges of working in a collaborative process.

So stay tuned for next week’s first installment titled:

Build it and they will come, where I discuss the role & responsibilities of project managers in a virtual office.

My Recent #Lost Rant

A note to the writers of Lost: It's time to start looking for a new career path. Especially after you reveal that your entire structure is nothing more than a wet dream by 14 year old christian fundamentalist with massive hard-ons for morality plays masquerading for deep thought provoking Science-Fiction. Gentlemen, you suck holy donkey balls

Am I a movie snob?

A close friend sent me an email, requesting my opinion on an upcoming release, and it got me pondering about the following question: Am I a movie snob. Here's the Q&A. I'll have you the reader decide if I was too arrogant in my Statements.

Hi Blaze,
did you see the ad for Surrogates?
I saw it and I thought 'What would Blaze think of this Bruce Willis come back?

Blaze would say: “Brucee, it’s time to rediscover the joy of golf and crossword puzzles, because quite frankly, after seeing Live free and Die hard, I think you’re too old for this shit!”

Yes, I’ve seen it, but I’m very skeptical of any sci-fi fox production this year, or any year for that matter. I think, I’m just sci-fied out. We had some very crummy movies this year, and I’m afraid the Surrogates might just add more parts to the robot junk pile. Also the director doesn’t really inspire much, with his past credits which include: Terminator 3 and U571 (Jon Bovi’s failed movie resurgence). But I might be wrong, it might be entertaining…(I’m not putting money on that)

Sorry if that craps your expectations of it, I’m just super selective, and highly skeptical with movie releases in September and January-February. There considered movie dump times, for pictures that have utterly failed.

Cool beans!

I don't know about you, but i spent a good part of my childhood playing with hot wheels. Some of my favorite times we're spent with my brother building outrageous tracks for our collection of metal cast machines to barrel through at break neck speeds. Nothing really compares to that anymore, 'except maybe a few hours of Burnout 4...

Well it seems that the Wachowski brothers want to cash in on my nostalgia for imaginative racing with their remake of the Classic Speed Racer. From the look of the latest trailer, they seem to have peered into the deep of my childhood fantasies and come up with an ADD fueled, hyper stylized trip down memory lane.


I know that this coming may the 10 year old inside me will spring back to life. If only for a few hours.

The end of the world has never been so kitch!

I have come across some very funny trailers from such unheard classics like "1990: The Bronx warriors" and "The new barbarians". have a look.

1990: The Bronx warriors



The new barbarians


Equalizer 2000

Can't wait to watch the Watchmen!

For those who don't know, the Watchmen is Alan Moore most epic creation. It follows the lives of government super heroes and the tragedy that brings them down. The Movie is being directed by Zach Snyder who brought us extremely faithful and visually stimulated adaptation of Frank Miller's 300.

Today on his production blog, mister Snyder has given us a glimpse at the people who inhibit his world, and i must say I am blown away by his insistence to stick with the original material.

Have a look.

The movie comes out in a year from today.