Article Suggestions

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Overview (for convenience add the title here):

Series: Profiles of Smart People
Feature: Why We Don’t have a Smart Government
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Series: Profiles of Smart People

People who have used networking, collaboration, publicly available research resources and their own unique strategies to achieve success and help the world.

Augusto Odone – Lorenzo’s Oil
Barack Obama – first truly “wired’ president won’t let go of his blackberry
...This list looks like you can only make it if you are famous. There is much to be learned from ordinary people doing extraordinary things by being 'smart' about how they do it. I suggested earlier that we Profile Life Long Learners. This is different from famous. Also, in Colvin's book, Talent Is Overrated, he highlights several practices that lead to high achievement one of which is deliberate practice, another is deep knowledge (life long learning). From other research that I am familiar with, it also comes from persistence. I'd like to see us be a bit clearer about what we want to specifically offer readers. Do they learn about things? Do they learn how to do things? Are they entertained? Are they impressed? All of the above? None of the above?

I have done many profiles of life long learners which I can't share directly, but I am willing to write one for purposes of this magazine. Madelyn

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Feature: Why We Don’t have a Smart Government

Suggested by Neil Olonoff

Blurb: Strict bureaucracy and hierarchy are the enemy of knowledge sharing and collaboration. So why does government insist on utilizing “factory” methods for a postmodern knowledge economy? This article will answer the question and provide a roadmap for Smart Government. (Based on the Federal KM Initiative Roadmap, in the KM Working Group Wiki).

Comments from Jerry Ash

In an email, I have already asked Neil Olonoff to consider the Obama story as a sidebar to the feature on Smart Government, and so it would not kick off a series Profiles of Smart People.

But such a series has always been in the back of my mind in that we need to constantly recognize and showcase truly smart people who have used their smarts to accomplish something important. My question is whether an explicit Profiles series is enough. Seems to me the magazine should be salted liberally with smart heroes.

I think it's important to share with our group my email to Neil:

Hi Neil.

I like the first two ideas best. The feature on Smart Government (incl. blurb) is problematic. Our messages are always to smart people, and so the roadmap would have to be pitched toward smart people in government who are frustrated by bureaucracy and want to affect change. The Obama story as a sidebar to the feature might emphasize the people angle and could suggest that perhaps now's the time to emphasize Smart Government.

See, it's just the angle we need to follow, not the point(s).

If you are comfortable with that, I am keen to have you write as soon as possible. The quicker the full first magazine comes together, the better we will be positioned to begin marketing, sales and distribution. And, of course, this first issue is of great importance in establishing the essence of our publication.

Please let me know your thoughts. And thanks so much for thinking with me.

Jerry
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And, may I add that you don't have to commit to write an article just because you suggested it. If you don't feel comfortable with writing, then we'll find the right person for the job.

From Jerry Ash

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