BlogU

  • 5 BlogU Company Guidelines

    By Joshua Kim November 18, 2010 9:30 pm EST

    I like writing about ed tech companies, particularly startup companies and the products/services that emerge from innovation centers within established industries. Writing and teaching are the best ways to learn. A large chunk of the innovation in teaching, learning and educational productivity will come from companies. I've worked in a publishing / ed tech semi-startup (Britannica.com Education), and learned that companies are filled with educators who see market mechanisms at the fastest and most efficient manner to disrupt the higher ed status quo.

    So I want to write about your company. IHE is a terrific community to discuss and debate ed tech companies, and the role that they will play in transformation of higher ed. Each day I get a number of e-mails about companies or products, inviting me to investigate what they are up to and potentially blog about what I find.

    If you are interested in having me kick-off a discussion about your company, product or service in "Technology and Learning" please consider the following pointers, or guidelines, to help us both:

    1. No Press Releases: Please stop sending me press releases. I don't read them. If you don't have the time to write me a real message than I don't have the time to read what you have sent.

    2. No PR People: I'm PR people are very smart, very nice, and PR is an important and creative profession. But I will almost never respond to a note from a public relations agency. If your company is too big to have someone working for you shoot me a message than you don't really need to talk with me in the first place.

    3. Be Part of Our Community: I'll be much more interested in your company, product or service if you have been an active member of our IHE community. Comment on stories and blog posts, engage in professional and proactive dialogue, and show you are interested in events beyond your company.

    4. Teach Me Something: I'm most likely to write about something if I'm likely to learn a bunch of stuff when putting together the post. The blog I wrote yesterday about Eleven Learning is a great example. In chatting and e-mailing with the founders, I learned a bunch of things I did not know about the economics of the publishing industry. Writing the blog helped consolidate my knowledge, and I hope the synthesis of the information was useful to this community.

    5. Be Passionate and Collegial: The best result when I write about a company is when I get to know the people who work for (or founded) the business, and these people become valued colleagues in our world of educational technology. I think people that start something new and who take risks (either with a new company or within an existing enterprise) are the most interesting folks on the planet. Entrepreneurs are not just found in startups. It is the risk takers and the true believers who will create the disruptive innovations in education. If we can make a personal connection, and I can get excited about your passion, then I'll be thrilled to share what you are doing in this space.

    What are you and your company doing that is innovative, exciting, and possibly disruptive?

    What is it about your job and your company that you are most excited about?

    How will you and your company make higher ed better for my daughters? (They leave for college in 2015 and 2017).

    On a turkey note - this blog will return on 11/29 as I take next week off to celebrate an extended Thanksgiving.

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Comments on 5 BlogU Company Guidelines

  • Confirmation Bias
  • Posted by Dismayed on November 19, 2010 at 11:45am EST
  • Hi Joshua,

    Please don't get me wrong. I like a lot of what you write, and I am interested in the intelligent design and application of technology, but I have one criticism to offer (amid much praise).

    I'm sure this is a refresher, but I feel it appropriate to remind you about Confirmation Bias (this comes from Wikipedia, a source I'm certain you trust more than the average bear)

    Confirmation Bias is a tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions or hypotheses regardless of whether the information is true. As a result, people gather evidence and recall information from memory selectively, and interpret it in a biased way. The biases appear in particular for emotionally significant issues and for established beliefs. For example, in reading about gun control, people usually prefer sources that affirm their existing attitudes.

    Understand, this is a common affliction, but it is an affliction: you exhibit this bias nearly every day, as you filter your thoughts through the lens of your own personal views about how "technology should be done."

    Much of the time, in my view, you are dead right. But if you are ever outright incorrect, or merely off by just a bit, it comes from confirmation bias.

    In this case (and I could cite many others), you assume that technology companies ought to fit into your mold. While this may be true for, say, Moodle, it may make no sense for other successful technology companies.

    Honestly, I think it's time to get a drum kit, and play some other tunes once in a while. Please don't just get out your one drum and bang it the same way over and over.

  • I'm a fan of this post
  • Posted by Eric Stoller , IHE Blogger on November 19, 2010 at 2:45pm EST
  • I received a ridiculous amount of boilerplate PR releases prior to the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference. I only responded to those companies/PR firms who tried to engage with me. A dull form letter that doesn't capture my attention is an instant "delete."

    Asking me to blog or tweet about a product or service is also another no-no. I'm consistently surprised by the amount of emails that I receive that are blatant in their request for free publicity. I write for my readers. Do I filter information? Absolutely. In my experience as a blogger, the best stuff rises to the top. Companies that make an effort to build community with me and their users are companies who generally have a thorough understanding of what it means to connect, engage and communicate.

    PS: If you're a tech vendor, please pay attention to timezones. Calling me at 6AM PST does not a blog post make. ;-)

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