The Digital Art of War, revisited with Sun Tzu 2.0

It reminds me the pleasure when I read this famous book about “art of war”, according to Chinese philosophy, from Sun Tzu. This masterpiece became as famous as strategic gentles like Porter, Christensen, Chan/Mauborgne and so long, in the art of NOT making war in any case. I as thinking about some quotes and some parts remind me, as I’m surfing along, in the digital cage.

Yes like Tzu said, we have to spend some time to discover and share anything, on social networks, while there is any trust, in the fact that we often know our “friends”, only in virtual life. I know now, virtual life online is supplying more and more details about “friends” (sometimes too much I guess…), and I can think, there is still privacy.

I selected some quotes, that, in my opinion, show some unrevealed faces of social web.

• “no war can be won in a static behavior”: whatever the position and your investment in the furious waves for web, with agreement or consciousless, you have to express yourself, give an idea of your digital welfare. Yin or Yang, but something. Move, but not too fast or too slow…
• “war is a skill: no engage without all the reflexion that it needs”: guess everybody wants to make some noise, lot of noise, and make lots of friends on web (and/or life). But what for? give an idea of which goal you score, what aim you follow will make you more accurate and relevant in your expressions and sharing.
• “…army will be close and team builded, happy for one goal…”: social networks and communities, can give opinion and pressure to lots of modern topics, peacefully of course…aimed in the same direction.
• “bulk forget about death”: let’s see beyond first sight, to get the essence…death could mean “meaningless, excluded, apart” ; while networking and blogging, nobody cares about being apart, when rules and rites are clearly respected. Nobody wants to exclude no one.
• “the general must create situations that lead to achievement”: when one launch a discussion or debate, that leads to result and building a collective enhancement.
• “the masters in art of war, will lead without fight…and win”: know how lead a debate, without any opposition, leveraging each collaboration and answering to words sharing, that means wise behavior.
• “know enemy and know you too”: guides you to a strong vision in your strengths and weaknesses, works for debate, identify your abilities and know how to withdraw.
• “what depends on me, I can do it”: answer, send congratulations, thank people…all kind of shapes of participating and animation of debates and communities.
• “respect laws (lords of war do)”: there are some behavior laws and rules to know. Listen, Stare and Engage. Not too fast…
• “in art of war, there is no fixed rules. They can change, adapting to context…”: be flexible, but be kind and drive the discussion. No obvious idea, no prejudgment, feel free to be brought wherever you’ve maybe never been. It’s a principle of “bring and pick”, the essence of conversation.
• “so, we just need few force to make lots of result ; like a rolling stone in a steep slope”: social media is viral, and there so much leverage in using it carefully.

I was really happy to read and consult this book of good sense and harmony quest, by the old gestures of wisdom. Guess, if you’re patient enough, there’s a lot of wisdom to care and get in socializing web and media. That’s why we need each other to complete our facing challenges and interrogations. Gear up collaboration, collaborative rooms and friendness, and let’s use the web as it is: a big disruptive tool reducing the fence, recovering harmony in relations.

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The new game for television: social, mobile and ubiquitous

Old TV set is out. Out of 20th century, he passed through revolutions (black&white, digital, HD, 3D…) and got some changes in uses, life and consideration. Started with information, public managed, it opened to others pleasure: entertainment, sports, discovering…Households then were completely hypnotized and caught in kind of dependance, like one said. And then this old device was hottin’, from ugliness to useless and energy consuming. At that time people was talking about “convergence”, the loneliness idea of a wired future, centralized, and started a competition in electronics manufacturers to invent this new TV device: THE screen. Where? How? but the screen. Then households turned their view to web audience…and naturally TV went to the web. People started to move, changed their social practices, became careless about the place and the moment…Mobile, mobility, then TV went to mobile.

While this was going on, facts were there: TV is not the same anymore. And even if the contents were the same, we don’t want to consume them like we did. All the sector from media and television didn’t see the web wave (like lots of sectors anyway…), thought they had to change something…but what? when and how? for who?
It quickly became the great riddle for TV value chain actors. Which contents to acquire, which rights, for what kind of usings, on which platforms and devices, and how long in terms of duration? Over for black Ford T, entering marketing and segmentation, need to make sense to believe that consumers are customers like other: because TV artifacts and rules have always been settled on fidelity, without any CRM management, and with the sole economic: audience = ads = buying intention. Brain available time for ads is not the same anymore, nor same profile and needs.
Trying to put sense into an industry that started revolution after being involved into, I tried to build a working matrix, resuming how behaves now, reflexes about television consuming.

You could be surprised but it is: it’s no talking or thinking about complexity, but really taking the influence of this new “market” of consuming TV. But where is my old housewive?…How does she can handle with such a purpose? That is, several ways of consuming television. And the real battle is not AGAINST other distribution channels, but WITH. Shaping the new landscape of TV means having imagination, beyond household. Where else, in the family, in mobility…? Fair enough, I can find my way because I can find A way of consuming MY TV.

We do and everytime, watching television, not really much more than survey scores generally speaking, but IN A BETTER WAY. That means, we’re able to choose, learn and decide when and where, and for how much time. Famous framework about triple “A” theory (Anytime, Anywhere, Any device) is more than ever, a fact. and that changes the business. We’re not talking about HD or 3D, because it’s “only” quality enhancement, while others are “ways of life”, ways of consuming. Yes of course, according to CES now, where 3D is a star product, we can see that 3D in a certain point of view, can change vision of family entertainment, globalizing services – games, interactive, learning, art, museum experience…-. But changes are there and it’s not really a small pill for the business sector.

How we receive television leads the way we consume: satellite in living room, 3G/4G in mobility, DSL in hotspots places…But the true is that we have to follow the same soaps and movies, wherever we are. And that’s why the real key for television is not really quality, but the triple A model. And what could be a simplistic draw, is in fact, determining:

• the technology needed (for broadcasters, but for public audience)

• premium rights to buy in the different program teams of these several network actors (live rights, exclusive, VOD, catchup, web window, first pay tv window, catalog…)

• equipment and wiring in household and in mobility, adding compatibility for future devices using

• key competences for media companies: doing broadcasting television has nothing to see or relevant with podcast or web tv streaming or downloading, HDTV made some revolution in several jobs and organizations, like probably 3D will do

It’s the “Rubik’s cube like” for television. Technology is already there, web is stepping like a giant (wiring, services, economy, networks), market is there too, with a huge demand on more and more services and self-learning, convergence and user’s centric functions. Maybe television has an amazing opportunity to catch some added consumers, by convergence and be the central “screen” for all household’s pleasures. My own network, whenever and wherever I want, is my concrete dream now and can be solved…we’re are at the threshold for new experiences. Social TV is taking off, with some events (Social TV Forum Europe), 3D revolution too with recent deals with ESPN, Disney’s, Discovery Channel, TLC, with  CES, à Las Vegas…, and the next big event in London, on May.

Old TV is alone, while everything has changed: but contents and pictures, needs and desires are really there, for a new entertainment world.

Found an interesting source about new tv ideas…get here on agoramedia.

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Freeness, Freedom, Free us!

I was scared about French claims about web, according to new idea of taxation of…Google (or whatever search it could be). I ‘m wondering why, each time a company, a man, an idea makes money, it’s unbelievable to see what kind of jealousy it draws, and in the same time, seeing lack of innovation running…but criticize, steale or law sues. It seems like everybody is jealous about his neighbour, ready to kill to spread on his wealth.

I can’t see any reason why old skills or traditional sectors, have to complain about web, that gives us so much freedom, reduced social fracture, gave access to information all over the world and so much more. Complains from creators, authors and editors, that always search to build walls to protect their business (with sometimes and local politics agreements…), while there is so much opportunities, when they only see threats…What a pity, a lack of imagination (remember lack of imagination was the FIRST reason why the 11th of september terrorism’s attack has been possible…imagination), when imagination can make all the walls disappear, send us back hope, ideas and innovation. Does business only consist to copy, be jealous or sue competitors? Is this the only level of motivation right now?

I can’t see why music, newspapers, books, all these traditional markets, complain about the web: they didn’t while they were referenced and googled so many times, rising their notoriety for free…They didn’t while that boosted some unknow artist like never, for free. They didn’t while their “pagerank” and fame indicator was green. But now they deny the one that put them at their level. Why? Because they lack imagination, the constant key able to think of future, tomorrow, and invent their future business. They want cash for free. But they don’t want freeness. They want service for free, but want to be payed for their notoriety…that costed nothing for them.

I like Chris Anderson’s point of view, not why he wrote a book, but because his vision lives with the market: he’s clever about what’s going on, and probably what could exist tomorrow. And many of companies don’t even try to understand how disruptive they can be in the future, because they are followers, and just hope to make a good M&A with their competitor.

My shout was really about, waking up, “let’s reinvent our ability to re-learn”, to think and give value to future, not in lazying so far, but doing the necessary efforts, to value customer service, and have an award from him. What can be more pure than, rise the level of purpose and satisfaction, creating a new field of business…

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