The move is on.  Change is constant, but slow down when you can and see how things are happening.

The mad rush towards social media grows more momentous every day.  It’s easy to get ahead of ourselves, running passionately just after truly realizing it’s time to change our behavior and shake our old ways.

A big ship turns slowly, but if many people can connect and paddle in sync…the ship can reposition more quickly.  That’s what’s happening now.  The step forward when Intel began blogging openly in January was followed by a few additional groups blogging, even from other parts of the world.  They’re seeing the real value of participating through social media.  They’re also learning first hand how to carry a forceful, engineer and ROI-based company out in the open among crowds of more people.  There are groups of friends out there, sure, but there are also groups of not-so-friendly people and people who could really care less.  But many of the paddlers believe the efforts have upside, the chance to better connect with friends, fans, families, counterparts, clients, governments, experts, interesting people, who can all can somehow help make the company better.

Moving from blogs to building communities is a way to spur the next wave for connecting and collaborating with others who have expertise and similar drive to advance technology.  It might’ve been a good idea to join existing IT communities rather than try and build a new one from scratch — ala Open Port.  But just look at the world and it’s many cultures, types of food and music.  Look at the media.  We’ve been seeing and hearing about major media consolidation, but to me media appears to be more fragmented than ever before (and now people are socializing media!).  Compared with 10 or even five years ago, I have more choices to find what I really like on TV, Radio or the Internet.  So let’s help build new communities and have the right communities intermingle where and when appropriate, and create bonds that make them stronger together.   If some communities or parts of communities don’t grow, or even atrophy, then the efforts were no wasted.  Instead, choices were made that didn’t click or add value to people who found what they wanted in other communities. Learn by doing and trying new ways to communicate better.  Share passions and knowledge more freely and timely and from there the truth stands out.

Below are a variety of videos related to Open Port.  They have similar flavor, but each video tries to connect with particular audiences.  It’s good to remember that we have more things in common then not, but the more invovled we get, the more the world opens up — like the Powers of 10 (here’s the more official Powers of 10).  And that is why I believe the move towards nurturing communities will be valuable, if and only if valuable content, discussions, resources, trust and insight are shared vigorously.  Let the naysayers and ranters rail against trying.  This is a time for building and networking, not time for over-strategizing perfection or clinging to status quo.

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2007/08/PID_012309/Podtech_Intel_Open_Port.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/3953/intel-launches-social-media-experience-open-port            &totalTime=267000&breadcrumb=de7009dd97a04f85ba7c2123de258fe3]

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2007/08/PID_012348/Podtech_IT_at_Intel.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/3964/intel-unveils-online-it-community-itintel&totalTime=336000&breadcrumb=8d46785075aa456c92435b9a9c897324][podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2007/08/PID_012329/Podtech_MV_at_INTEL_Folsom.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/3967/the-inside-scoop-on-launching-open-port-intels-it-community-site            &totalTime=489000&breadcrumb=fd47ccfafb604ea99b4482d1c8fa73f8]