For those who work in global or regional roles, which assume personal presence of some kind on a regular basis, negotiating the models of work is often left to the individuals involved, and this can be difficult. The biggest difficulty comes from the fact that it is often left to that individual to reach out rather than to the many who should be reaching in. You are left to negotiate when you are available across global time zones for work, to think nothing of interrupting dinner for work and urgent mobile calls and other things – all by yourself.

I have observed extreme global situations for some 15 years and the most extreme situations still only happen to a few people. Enterprise models remain in regional and local modes for interacting with everyday business matters. This is good, as there is still plenty of evidence to suggest that face-to-face is the way to go for team building, customer relationship building, and other sensitive “get to know each other” moments.

However, if our global roles were present, in real terms, in the corridors of the organization, things would be very different. There would be more corporate assistance for making our presence felt globally. So the question is: How to replicate the corridor? Instant messaging is not yet adopted in a way to cover it. E-mail is not it either. What is it that we’re going to add to our connected world design to have a company culture that matches the challenge of global roles? I envisage a combination of corporate guidance on how to behave with these types of roles as if they were people in the office next door, and the tools to help out. Is the glacial pace of progress on this due to the issue being seen as one of convenience, of culture, of simply needing to prioritize the face-to-face people (because we know them better), or what?

Apple is scared of Microsoft’s Zune, the iPod killer and more, which will launch to the market in the US just in time for Xmas and later next year for those of us outside the US, according to a Playlist article. The reasons are things like: the device is actually rather cool and so is its marketing, the content has scope well beyond Apple’s partnering, and the Zune will be part of the Xbox and other MS product programs. MS Zune is better connected: in partnering, in business model, in content, in MS internal programs and in funding. (See article.)

I have an iPod. In fact, the whole family has one - though two of them have issues. I bought a Mac Powerbook (a born again Mac fan - MacSE was my first own computer), use iTunes and iPhoto, and despite the nifty way these all worked together - for a short while - I am not convinced Apple will hold on to a leading position for long.

My reason for why Apple is going to have difficulties is that they’ve really annoyed a lot of reconverts with bad quality, poor service and signs of scaling issues in their business. Based on the numerous quality and service hickups this family has had with the iPods and other products - and the many articles I have read of similar experiences - I do not think we’re rushing back for more from Apple when others are catching up and moving on so quickly.

Got a BlackBerry? You’ve got mail!  Got a Treo? You’ve got mail!

What about us common folk that don’t have the extra $$$ for these devices and services?  Now, Flurry (www.flurry.com) provides a service that allows Java-based phones to receive e-mail and RSS feeds suitable for reading.  The pecking function on the small keypads is said to leave a lot to be desired for the send side, but at least you might be able to keep up with the influx in your inbox.

Flurry is said to work with a large number of basic phones from Cingular, T-Mobile and Sprint, but not Verizon (no reason provided).  See article.

SBC bought the old AT&T in November 2005 and took its name.  Verizon bought MCI in January 2006.  The new AT&T then offers to buy BellSouth for a “paltry” $67 billion in March (deal still pending).

As lawmakers debate the soundness of all three mergers, the FCC has taken steps to approve the AT&T-BellSouth consolidation, possibly as soon as at its next commission meeting October 12.  (See Philiadelphia Inquirer article.)

The question then becomes:  With only three Baby Bells remaining after the AT&T monopoly breakup, are we returning to the way things were?  Not a chance, contends the Connected World report. In particular, the “... proposed AT&T-BellSouth merger could accelerate the move to hybrid Internet-cellular phones because the two companies jointly own Cingular, the largest U.S. cellular provider, and could, as one owner, more easily integrate their Internet networks with Cingular’s cellular network.“ (pg. 31)  The theme of convergence (touched on in the September 28 blog entry on dual-mode Wi-Fi/cellular) continues its evolutionary movement in the arena of the fixed-mobile world.

This is my entirely self-diagnosed and profiled definition. The symptoms of connectedness addiction are: you enter your home/work/car (any space you are connected in) and the first thing you do is check messages. You forget where you are (home/work/car) and you sit and deal with those messages immediately. Two hours have gone by and you realize you did not mean to stay dealing with the messages.

Some sociologists were afraid that anomy would be the serious consequence of connectedness (i.e., virtual worlds).

Anomy (or anomie) means:
1. A lack of regard for the generally accepted social or moral standards either in an individual or in a social group.
2. The state or condition of having no regard for the generally accepted social or moral standards.
(See definition.)

This means that some sociologists were concerned that people would withdraw from society to a fantasy world and forget to live the “normal” life (whatever normal is).

On the other hand, I have lately read articles on people who now have well over a thousand “friends,“ whom they have met through the net, games and communities. These people have also met a subset of their virtual friends in real life.

Is connectedness making us play out our extremes harder because we can? The workaholic is even more so, the withdrawn person is even more so, the extrovert is even more so….?