The SA Blook - in retrospect

A week has passed since the SA blook went live and it sure has been a fun ride.

Thanks to everyone that supported the idea. The main references I've seen out there are:

• Media Update
• justB[coz] - Support the SA Blook
• Brand South Africa blog - Look at Blook
• Mike Stopforth - the SA Blook
• Mobile Marketing - Brand significance through building communities
• Waiting in transit... - South Africa's first on-line book
• Living the Glugster life - Never too old to learn new things

I also want to thank Andy for posting about the blook on Techleader [and also on mygenius], and Mandy, who wrote a quick biography of the various authors just prior to the launch.

In considering how it's turned out, there are two distinct aspects I want to look at:

The topic of the blook and content of the various chapters

This topic proved to be a popular one, although at the time I distributed it to the authors I never would have dreamed we would be publishing this just after all the furore around the xenophobic attacks. Some of the authors even changed their chapters late to refer to what happened.

I believe this is a highly relevant topic, and that we only scratched the surface. Henre also alluded to this in his very interesting synopsis, and perhaps there is room to expand on this topic from here.

However, it seems that the chapters came together really well - especially considering that none of the authors saw any of the other posts before theirs were published [other than my introduction a few days before going live]. With this in mind, wouldn't you agree that there was an amazing amount of consistency to the content? [This might sound crazy, but it was part of the experiment].

The experiment, namely publishing an online book on blogs with a number of different authors

Some of the important things that I learned through this:

• Everything takes longer to do than you think it will. Everything. Take your estimate and multiply by four to get closer to the real time involved.
• Plan for the worst [have a backup plan]. On go-live day I encountered laptop troubles [my screen gave in so I had to use another computer]; Blogger went down for quite a while; one of the authors was away in Durban and was offline; a few other authors were difficult to track down; and a myriad of other business and personal matters arose rather suddenly that day.
• Don't think the worst of people when they don't respond - apparently quite a few of my mails regarding the project ended up in spam folders... darn gmail. So I had to resend. and resend. and resend. [nobody's fault, just causes communication problems and delays]
• No matter how well you [I] think you [I] write, there are many people out there who write way better than you [I] do. C'est la vie, so get over it.
• An average idea put into action is waaaay better than a brilliant idea that you sit on.
• Never make decisions for others or be afraid to ask people to be involved. All of the writers that took part are way better writers than I am, but they were willing to take part anyway.
• Bloggers are very willing to support other bloggers, as proven by the above fact and the links referred to at the top of this post. [I saw this post on Problogger shortly after contacting the various authors. A good read for those interested in blog projects]
• Venturing into the unknown is a wild, fun ride... and probably even more so online where information moves [almost] at the speed of thought.

One thing I also want to comment on is the mention of this being SA's first online book. I'm not sure if that's true [although I hope it is], but interestingly, Tertia Albertyn probably published SA's first real blook - and got nominated for a Lulu Blooker prize in the process. I don't know if she won, but that is a brilliant achievement regardless.

Now that I've said all this, the most important point - your thoughts and comments.

Please take a minute to leave your thoughts about these questions:

1. What do you think of the blook's content [each of the chapters] and did it mean something to you?
2. Do you think the blook as a concept/experiment worked, and what would you change to make it better?
3. Is this blook something that others should read [ie people that don't frequent blogs or social media sites]? If so, how would you suggest it would best be distributed to be relevant and effective?

Thanks for joining us on this exhilirating ride. It's been a blast! Please check back as we try to take the blook to South Africa, and hopefully shine a light on the amazing opportunities that await us.

SA Blook: A Piece of Significance

Contents

Introduction
1. The new South Africa - is it real?
2. Is SA rich or poor?
3. What the world thinks of South Africa and what our global opportunities are
4. The importance of each individual's contribution collectively
5. SA Inc and the business of doing business in SA
6. The beauty and grandeur that surrounds us
7. The importance of technology in SA's global emergence
8. Building brand South Africa
9. Making the most of SA's creative talents and abilities
10. Innovate for a better South Africa
11. The role of the younger generation in SA, and what we need to do to support them
12. Connecting South Africa - Communities that transcend technology
13. We are African - the role of collaboration in South Africa's growth


Image above copyright Darren Gorton 2008. Content copyright of the respective authors and indicated on the relevant posts.

SA Blook, Introduction

Introduction

Welcome to the SA blook, a collaboration between South African bloggers with a strong belief in the future of our nation. Essentially, it is a book, originally published online and written by a diverse group of writers with strong views about our country and the reality South Africans find themselves living in.

There are countless books about South Africa’s history and how it developed, and there are bound to be many more. There is also an endless supply of daily news that reminds us about the real and difficult challenges that our country faces and has yet to overcome. While most South Africans understand and feel the pain of these challenges, we will never be able to move forward unless we lift our eyes to the horizon and step boldly forward, aiming to build a foundation for a better future for us all. This blook is about South Africa - a constructive look at our present, our future and the opportunities we have.

While this blook is admittedly an experiment in online writing, this fact should not detract from the importance of the topic at hand – something relevant to all South Africans. Every topic touched upon is intricately linked to South Africa’s present and future, and although we would not like to suggest that our present challenges are simply remedied by positive thinking, we hope to stimulate strong debate and new thinking around these topics. By doing so, the writers hope to contribute to a new perspective in this country, knowing that thinking is the precursor to action.

I trust you will enjoy reading this as much as we all enjoyed writing it, and that you’ll participate in a way that is impossible with traditional books – by leaving your comments, thoughts and ideas on the relevant online chapters as you read them.

Before you go on to read the rest of the blook, I would just like to extend a huge thank you to all the writers who were willing to take part in this blook. They have invested valuable time and thinking into this, and for that I am truly grateful!

[I also want to point out that each author is the owner of their respective chapter, so please do not reproduce, redistribute or alter it in any way without their consent]

South Africa. Actually.

With a GDP (in millions of US dollars) at least 50% higher than any other African country, South Africa is a critical component of the African continent, and possibly even a key to economic and social revival in Africa. Yet, in spite of this success, we find ourselves trailing global leaders by quite a large margin in so many ways.

It’s plain for everyone to see that South Africa has a lot of problems, but its important to remember that we are not alone. Every country has its own struggles, and considering where we’ve come from and the changes that have taken place here over the past 15 or so years, it’s not surprising that we find ourselves here.

As far as challenges go, you name it and we’ve probably had it at some point. Crime, financial crises, unemployment, illiteracy, poverty, droughts… and the list goes on. What surprises me is that we fail to realise that so many [although not all] of these are merely symptoms of a greater problem rather than the cause itself, and we don’t get to the real issues behind the problems we face each day. We often hear the problem of skills shortages mentioned, but if you ask me, our real problem is not a shortage of skills, but rather a shortage of people who really care! Skills can be taught [over time, I admit]. Caring cannot be taught – it’s a conscious decision each of us has to make. And its not an easy decision to make either, as evidenced by the fact that so many people find it easier to move to a different country overseas than to change their attitude and remain here.

It is immensely important that South Africa positions itself to take advantage of the windows of opportunity that are flying at us at staggering speed, even if we don’t yet understand exactly what they are. That responsibility cannot be delegated to a select few political or business leaders within the country, no matter how capable they may be. A leader’s job is to envision those that they influence. Each of us is a leader in some respect, and we all have a circle of influence, no matter how large or small. It is up to each of us to take responsibility for this if we truly want to build this nation.

South Africa reloaded

So, Leader, let me ask you - is it time for us to reload?

In his State of the Nation address on 8 February 2008, while referring to Eskom’s plight at the time, President Thabo Mbeki said “We are a minerals resource economy. We must therefore continue to support the mining industry. It is inevitable that if we are to continue on our growth path as a manufacturing country, we will also have to continue supporting the processing industry.”

There’s no denying the importance of resources to South Africa, and indeed to Africa, but surely there is life after gold? After all, if there’s one thing that history has taught us, it is that stagnation has been the downfall of many an empire – both in terms of countries and businesses.

We have seen that the success of much of the western world, and the United States of America in particular, has been in becoming a post-industrial society, represented by a shift from provision of goods to services and an increased reliance on white-collar as opposed to blue-collar work. It’s true that this does not come without its own problems, and I’m not suggesting this as an end to itself, but rather that we need to take the lessons out of these changes that contributed to those nations’ economic and social successes and implement them here to the extent they are relevant.

We cannot continue to rely on those things that we have always done to take us where we want to go.

“Business Unusual”? No, this is not a reference to corruption or to accounting scandals. In fact, this is our government’s approach to improving the quality of life of every South African. Surely it also means a commitment to developing our South African levels of creativity and knowledge… and therefore our [potentially highly valuable] intellectual capital?

As I said earlier, perhaps it’s time for us to reload, in two senses of the meaning:
Reloading often refers to getting a fresh supply of ammunition ready for use in a weapon. Just like a bee without its sting is harmless, a weapon without ammunition is also harmless, and if South Africa is to play a significant role in the new global community [and economy], we are going to need some new ammunition, in the form of new ideas, new approaches and a strong emphasis on the importance of creating and increasing the value of our intangible assets [our intellectual capital] as opposed to our tangible assets.
Applied to technology, when something is reloaded it generally means overwriting what was originally in memory with new information. We have a history full of painful lessons, so how do we learn the lessons from this history without living and remaining in the past? For if we forget these lessons, we are no wiser now than we were when we made the mistakes, and if we keep living in the past, it becomes impossible for us to move into the future.

With the advent of a global technology revolution, we are watching history unfold and realities change as a global community increasingly becomes a reality.

With this in mind, I trust that this blook will stimulate our approach to handling these issues, as we learn to better appreciate South Africa’s amazing opportunities and better understand our role in envisioning and creating a planet-rocking, mouth-dropping, awe-inspiring future.

When the opportunities present themselves, let us be ready!


Copyright Darren Gorton 2008. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No-derivatives 2.5 ZA license.


This post is a chapter of the SA Blook: A Piece of Significance, an online book written by a diverse group of writers with strong views of our country and the reality we find ourselves living in. The other chapters in the Blook are here:

Introduction
1. The new South Africa - is it real?
2. Is SA rich or poor?
3. What the world thinks of South Africa and what our global opportunities are
4. The importance of each individual's contribution collectively
5. SA Inc and the business of doing business in SA
6. The beauty and grandeur that surrounds us
7. The importance of technology in SA's global emergence
8. Building brand South Africa
9. Making the most of SA's creative talents and abilities
10. Innovate for a better South Africa
11. The role of the younger generation in SA, and what we need to do to support them
12. Connecting South Africa - Communities that transcend technology
13. We are African - the role of collaboration in South Africa's growth

Is it 2009 already?

That's the only way I can explain why I thought tomorrow was the 1st of June, and not today.

You will have seen the countdown timer to the right, indicating that the blook is not due for several more hours. I intended for it to be released on Monday 1st June... which is apparently actually Monday 2nd June.

My apologies for the mixup... but at least it allows the anticipation to build!

If you're here looking for it, please check back tomorrow [Monday 2 June 2008] for the official release of the SA Blook.

Promise :-)

The final list of SA blook authors

One thing I love about the blogging community is the willingness to take part in new things, as evidenced by the brilliant team of writers who have agreed to be a part of the SA blook group of authors.

Last week I announced the initial list of authors, with a promise to reveal the remaining two writers soon. Well, last week was one of those crazy weeks where the unimaginable happens, to the point where today I can't give you the remaining two writers...

... but only because there are more than two more to announce.

And here they are [again, in no particular order]:

• Kerry-Anne Gilowey
• Tycoon's Geoff Candy and Hilton Tarrant
• Mandy de Waal
• Andy Hadfield
• Grant Brewer
• And in true blog tradition, there will also be a guest post, written by someone who's writing I greatly respect [and who doesn't have a blog yet, even though I keep telling him he should have one!] - Siyabonga Nhlumayo
  

So then, the complete list of authors [bloggers] looks like this:

• Andy Hadfield
• Duncan Drennan
• Eve Dmochowska
• Grant Brewer
• Justin Hartman
• Kerry-Anne Gilowey
• Mandy de Waal
• Melissa Attree
• Nic Haralambous
• Paul Jacobson
• Saul Kropman
• Tycoon's Geoff Candy and Hilton Tarrant
• Siyabonga Nhlumayo - our guest writer/blogger
  

And some other information that people have been looking for - the blook goes live on 1 June 2008, so make a note in your diaries. I'll post an update next week listing some of the topics allocated to our writers.

In the meantime, here are some fun facts about the blook and the authors:

• At least six of the writers have their names as domain names [should be seven by the time the blook is released].
  
• There are a couple of Thought Leaders on the team, four Tech Leaders and a Times Blogumist.
  
• Many of the writers have ties to some of SA's great media players, including the Mail and Guardian, Avusa and Moneyweb.
• The field includes a bunch of entrepreneurs, an engineer, a lawyer and three CA's.
• The average age of writers is 30 [okay, I'm just guessing here - I figure the average must be somewhere between 20 and 50, but that just doesn't sound the same].
  
• Of those invited to write, two courteously declined to take part, and two did not reply at all.
  
• There are five awesome volunteers.
• At the time of posting this, eight of the writers are listed on the satwitter wiki.
• Bloggers use a variety of platforms including Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad and Movable Type [although Wordpress seems to be the clear favourite].

For those interested, you can find more information about the blook here

A blook for such a time as this

Most people would agree that we live in challenging times. This is true globally [with talk of a world political and economic crisis getting louder], as well as here at home in South Africa, where many are negative and heading for greener pastures.

And not only do we sit in the midst of uncertainty now, but our history is littered with tales of wars, disputes and general discontent. But this is true of almost every country, and having spent my whole life here and seeing so many people fleeing the country for no reason other than to get away, I wish that people could see the opportunities that sit right on our doorstep.

So with that in mind, here it is, the central theme that some brilliant writers have been tasked to work around and play with, along with the guidance of specific topics.

The blook will be about South Africa from the perspective of bloggers [taking into account their different viewpoints] - a positive and constructive look at where SA is today and the opportunities that lie ahead of us. There are many books about SA's history and lots of stories about how SA is struggling today, so I think that for a moment we should stop looking at history and problems, and start looking at the present, the future and some great opportunities.

City Press has an interesting billboard in Johannesburg that tells passers-by something along the lines of "Either you break it, or you build it". This is also true for SA - in the end, it comes down to nation building. I believe it was Augustine that said "I believe in order to know" - an amazing truth that often escapes us. I know that everyone who wants to help build this nation we live in has chosen to believe in its future. I hope that after reading this blook, all of us will see more of its amazing potential!

Certainly, the blook is aimed at the wired community [and could therefore have a slight technology bias], but hopefully it will also reach the eyes and ears of those who don't read blogs very often and mean something to everyone.

For those who missed it, the blook was mentioned on Media Update earlier this week. Many thanks to Pat for taking the time to look at this and include it in there.

Next week I will release the names of the other writers in addition to those already published [it's been an interesting week, for sure] and give some more details about the release.

Oh, and I have to give a quick mention to Nic's unusual approach to writing his blook chapter - you gotta love it!

SA blook - meet the authors

Here it is - a first look at some of the awesome writers that have agreed to take part in the SA blook.

One criticism often levelled against blogging and bloggers is that anyone can do it, and therefore the quality of writing in blogs is generally rather poor [here's a humorous take on this by Wired]. Although there is some truth to this, I must say that since I started blogging, I have come across a number of brilliant blogs, with writing that is both easy and enjoyable to read. So to the critics all I can say is: Don't generalise - there are some bloggers out there who have real talent and skill.

While it is impossible to include all the good SA bloggers in a project like this, I'm proud to say that our team for this one consists of some absolutely brilliant writers.

So without further ado, here are the bloggers taking part, in no particular order [since I would only do them injustice by trying to describe them myself, I have also included links to more information about each of them]:

• Eve Dmochowska [read more about Eve here]
• Duncan Drennan [read more about Duncan here]
• Paul Jacobson [read more about Paul here]
• Melissa Attree [read more about Melissa here]
• Nic Haralambous [read more about Nic here]
• Saul Kropman [read more about Saul here]
• Justin Hartman [read more about Justin here]

In addition to the above awesome writers, there are two more that are in the process of being finalised and will be unveiled within the next week.

While each writer has their own distinct style and opinion, I believe all these writers have one common characteristic being their positive outlook on our current environment and willingness to explore ways in which to shape our future into something stunning.

I have to say it again - I'm absolutely astounded by the quality of writers taking part and could never have imagined when I started that this would include writers of their calibre - so to all those taking part, all I can say is "Wow, thank you!".

I'll be posting the theme of the blook early next week and some more details about how it will be put together. I look forward to seeing what will come of it, and hope you'll enjoy it too!

If you have any thoughts, questions or suggestions, please leave a comment - it would be great to hear from you.

Blook bloggers [authors] to be announced soon

Watch this space for the names of the bloggers who will be writing as part of the SA blook.

I will be putting these up over the next couple of days, as well as giving some more info about the theme.

Hold onto your hats...

To let the cat out of the bag... or not....

I'm thrilled to say there are some awesome bloggers/writers confirmed to take part in the SA blook, although I'm still looking for suitable bloggers for a couple of topics I would like to include in addition to those already taken.

Not surprisingly, it seems that people are more interested in who is writing than in what the blook is actually about [one of the great characteristics of a social community]. Over the past week I've had a lot of queries via e-mail and twitter asking who the bloggers are... and so far haven't revealed to anyone.

Although I will be posting more details about the theme and how it will work soon, my question is this - Should I reveal who the bloggers are before the blook is published online, or leave it as a surprise?

I would prefer to leave it until it is published, the reason being that the final product will be a true reflection of a blook written with completely different viewpoints and expertise. Although a part of me would like to publish the names because I believe the bloggers/writers deserve a great amount of credit for agreeing to take part in this experiment, not knowing what will come of it, I also think there is more fun for everyone in not knowing... and the reading, links and credit will come soon.

What do you think? Reveal before, or only reveal when published?

A social media book for South Africans

How do you teach those who don't read blogs or take part in social media about social media?

It seems there is a good answer - target offline readers by putting together a book about social media [seems obvious in retrospect - isn't that we always say about good ideas].

Thanks to Eve Dmochowska for the heads-up on Linked by design, one of her newer projects. This is something which might be looked at as long overdue, but in actual fact is probably perfectly timed [considering the recent rise in popularity of social media usage beyond facebook and myspace].

Quite strange actually, with my recently noted desire to make an online book [the SA blook] and now this - seems that the lines between traditional- and tech-publishing are blurring faster than we realise... where to next?

Introducing the SA Blook. An online book written by SA bloggers.

*An experiment in online writing*

Yes, blog + book = blook.

But unlike a traditional blook [not that I've seen many myself, really], where chapters are written by one blogger and published one by one on the blog, how about a blook written by a group of bloggers and published across a spectrum of different blogs?

[Image courtesy of Flickr]

And I'm not referring to fiction either. I mean a blook about a subject that is relevant to all of us, something that a variety of writers could each contribute to - using their own specific skills, knowledge and experience.

This is an experiment in online writing. With the rapid development of blogging and social media , globally and in South Africa, it makes sense to try something new every now and then. This is something like that, trying to bring together great writers/bloggers by allowing a group to write about a variety of themes relating to one topic, just like chapters in a book.

Here is a rough explanation of the process I have in mind:

• Several bloggers have been identified [I'm still looking for a few more - so don't be shy to let me know if you're interested in participating] and will be asked to write one chapter around a specific theme - they will have full freedom to choose the title and content as long as it matches the theme and is positive/constructive.
  
• Posts should be suitable in length and easily readable [ie the book should be easily digestable by readers used to reading blogs, rather than being a several day or week undertaking].
• Everyone will be asked to publish on their own individual blogs [there is no point redirecting content from individual blogs as this will dilute the impact and audience reach], with a link to the contents page at the bottom with a brief explanation of how it works.
• Everyone will be asked to publish on the same day at around the same time.
• The main blook post will be published here on OutThink once all are live. I will post the introduction and contents here, with links to all the relevant "chapters" posted by the participating bloggers.

As I said, its an experiment, and I have no idea whether it will work or not. But hopefully it will be part of the online collaborative learning curve and people will be able to take good parts of this idea and develop it further... who knows what could come of it.

As for the subject of the blook and the themes, for now that's a secret and each blogger will be the only one informed of the theme that they are writing about...

... I'm hoping that this will make the final blook all the more interesting - it's part of the experiment, to see whether this can work. Another approach would be to disclose everything upfront and allow everyone to collaborate and work together, but I've decided on this approach for the first one.

There's still a bit of a way to go, but I will post updates here as it progresses.

If you have any thoughts or suggestions, please leave a comment or contact me here. I would love to hear it.