Strategy

Why do so many organizations waste the opportunity to hook their email subscribers with the first line of the email message? I hadn't really noticed this sooner because of the way I consumed email: through a series of complicated email aliases and gmail filters.  Honestly, in Gmail, I was basically ignoring most solicited bulk email (organization email lists). But since I've been taking a first look at my email through my iPhone and iPad using the iOS mail app, I've begun to notice this shocking fact.

Here are some facts about viewing email via the iOS mail app:

• Approximately 35 to 40 characters of a subject are displayed
• Approximately 100 characters from the top of the email message are displayed

Two lines at 50 characters, and a subject of 35 to 40 characters. That's basically a Tweet.  And that (plus the "from" name) is all you have to get your reader's attention and convince them to open the email message and read on.

Why do so many emails waste this space with something like:

• "Click to view this email in a browser" (37 characters)
• "Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser." (64 characters)
• "If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may see it online." (68 characters)
• "Web version | Edit your subscription | Unsubscribe" (55 characters)

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Yesterday I wrote about a recent study suggesting that millions of baby boomers want to start their own nonprofit organizations or social ventures. This morning I returned to a tab opened in my browser a day or two ago, an article on the Harvard Business Review blog, "Don't let What You Know Limit What You Imagine."  I'd highly encourage reading it, but for now I will draw some connections between it and my post yesterday.

The author, Bill Taylor, references a book by Cynthia Barton Rabe, The Innovation Killer, in which she talks about how experience in a field can become a detriment to innovation and success. Her answer is that organizations should hire "zero-gravity thinkers," innovators "who are not weighed down by the expertise of a team, its politics, or 'the way things have always been done.'"

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This is a good question to be clear about when it comes to strategy.  It's so easy to get caught up in the details of implementation or the anticipated benefits of successful execution.  I've found it a good practice every once in a while to step back and ask the question...

(click comic for larger version)

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Wow, our institutions really are failing. That’s the feeling I have watching the debt ceiling fight and conclusion. What are some broader and possibly more durable lessons that progressives can take moving forward?

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I recently had an exhilarating strategy sprint with SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science). SACNAS, is an excellent organization with unique and important mission. My work with SACNAS focused on how to connect their ambitious open technology strategy seamlessly with their organizational mission of stakeholder engagement and community building. Integral to this work was an understanding of creating compelling Plausible Promises, the core benefit or meaning derived from movement participants, for the community.

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Recently, I wrote about Clay Shirky’s Plausible Promise, Tools and Bargain framework. Establishing the Plausible Promise or individual value derived from joining a movement is essential. The Plausible Promise is an incredibly helpful model for establishing a connection with potential movement participants.

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Have you ever come across a picture of this guy at your local booksell

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Another brilliant stroke by the Yes Men, who released CoalCares.org yesterday to an enormous amount of online publicity.

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We all are aware of the immense benefits of the online space’s ability to connect us across regions and geographies. This expansion of global connection is occurring at the same time as more and more people are deepening their connections to local community resources. These trends can and do compliment one another.

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So my head and heart are still spinning from my experience at Web of Change.  So many incredible ideas, and perhaps more importantly, a really deep, integrated sense of the network of good people doing amazing things in the world.

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