Knowledge Broker
February 09, 2008
The burgeoning "Internet Economy" is redefining operational assumptions and models for all organizations within the public and private sectors. This is particularly evident as free access to information increases and the clash between open source and proprietary development of software intensifies. But the transformation underway does not stop in the realm of bits and bytes; it is spilling into the traditional mainstays of agriculture and all types of industry and threatens to alter our most basic tenets of how to market, value, and receive compensation for our creativity, collaboration, and contribution. This posting explores some of the novel approaches underway in response to these changes and set the stage for viable business models in the near future.
The long tail of the Internet provides opportunities for individuals to post information, knowledge, experience, and insight from one location and reach potential audiences almost anywhere else in the world at any time. Countless millions of individuals, businesses, and organizations of all types use websites, wikis, blogs, etc. to do just that. Collectively, the number of intelligent insights and innovative ideas posted every minute is sufficient to change the world many times over.
Despite the countless, remarkable observations and viable solutions presented, it is difficult for all but a narrow slice of contributors to make a living from doing so via Internet media. Unless there is a subscription fee to the site, the content of postings is free to read. In many instances, incorporating or reproducing that content elsewhere only requires acknowledgement of the original contributor / author to do so.
Under these circumstances it is difficult to receive payment for the work itself. Instead, payment is made based on what else readers do in and around the material they are reading: how many embedded links they check in the posting, how many advertisers around the periphery of the posting do they visit, how many RSS feeds and email notifications to they elect to receive, to name a few.
Continue reading "Giving It Away, Making Money"
posted by Steve Bosserman on Saturday February 9 2008
updated on Monday February 11 2008
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October 09, 2007
Rick Nelson is the inventor of SolaRoof, a novel approach to greenhouse design and function that integrates a unique covering, heating / cooling system, and infrastructure / framework. It will revolutionize the greenhouse industry. More than that, once the materials are certified for use in human habitation, it will be disruptive to the housing and building industry as well. So what is SolaRoof, anyway, and why does it carry such potential to change the world? Let's find out.
Revolutionary Technology:
The greenhouse construction is unlike any other. Rather than a single layer of covering or glazing there are two. Each layer is a laminate of woven fiber mesh sandwiched in between two sheets of transparent plastic material. The laminated layers are sealed against the top and bottom of the roof and wall frames to create air-tight spaces. This combination by itself offers hardly any insulating value. However, fill the space with bubbles--yes, bubbles--and the equation becomes totally different!
The distance between the two layers varies depending on the desired amount of insulating value. Each inch is roughly equivalent to an R-factor of 1. A distance of a little over a yard yields an R-factor of nearly 40. That is almost unheard of in traditional construction techniques. And given the transparency of the two layers of covering, over 80% of the photosynthesis-catalyzing sunlight reaches the inside of the greenhouse.
In the SolaRoof webpage: Green Buildings for Urban Agriculture and Solar Living, two illustrations show how the process works from one extreme season to the next. Quite ingenius!
Continue reading "Greenhouses That Change the World"
posted by Steve Bosserman on Tuesday October 9 2007
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December 10, 2006
On 31 January, President George W. Bush delivered his 2006 State of the Union Message. In it he made a very powerful declaration:
Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources -- and we are on the threshold of incredible advances.
While history will be the final determinant of President Bush's impact on history and the degree to which it was favorable or not, the statement, "America is addicted to oil…" may standout as a turning point for America. While this reality was not new news for millions who listened to or read his speech, the mere fact that he gave voice to it as the elected leader of the American people was a powerful expression of what it represents. It may very well constitute the most key assertion of his administration.
Continue reading "Addicted to Oil"
posted by Steve Bosserman on Sunday December 10 2006
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April 16, 2006
Through the three hundred-year reign of the Industrial Age, businesses "pushed" their products and services onto consumers. Limited choice accompanied by considerable marketing hype was enough to make the consumer buy. It was a sellers' market. Now, thanks largely to the Information Age, consumers are evolving into customers who can select what they want from a variety of providers. It is becoming a buyers' market. But further changes are afoot. As customers get more they expect more, especially in terms of their business performance, their quality of life, and the welfare of the planet. Customers are beginning to "pull" solutions toward them rather than take what is "pushed" at them. Just like the challenges confronting the two-headed llama in Dr. Doolittle's menagerie of strange animals, the implications of "push" or "pull" on business strategies are enormous. The differences between a business model intended to push products and services to consumers vis-à-vis a model built in support of customers pulling solutions into a shared reality are significant. While many companies will be impacted by this switch from "push" to "pull," few will be prepared for the transition.
As indicated in the diagram below, there are numerous dynamics at play in the understanding and application of the push and pull business models. Can any business traditionally steeped in a push model operate concurrently with a pull model? It's a question well worth consideration. There are no quick and easy answers. Read on…
Continue reading "Push Me, Pull You--Dueling Business Models"
posted by Steve Bosserman on Sunday April 16 2006
updated on Thursday January 26 2017
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Giving It Away, Making Money
February 09, 2008
Greenhouses That Change the World
October 09, 2007
Addicted to Oil
December 10, 2006
Push Me, Pull You--Dueling Business Models
April 16, 2006
Tackling Population Density, Diversity, and Disparity
November 06, 2005
Ménière's Disease: Requiem for My Left Ear
October 22, 2005
Changing Organizations
September 11, 2005
Forums and Agendas
September 10, 2005
Conversations and Stories
September 06, 2005
Integrity Expanded
September 01, 2005
Integrity and Ground Truth
August 31, 2005
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