Scobleizer - Latest Comments in Scoble has a productivity problem

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Paul St. Amant — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:22:33 -0000

Social networking is a fine outlet for social people. Maybe Bob is the type that still takes photos with a Polaroid like my father-in-law and doesn't have many people who want to chat with him online. It is possible that he isn't much for socializing on or offline. I think Elisa saw right through the letter.

I have, relatively few friends on Facebook, a conservative LinkedIn connections page, a blog that only gets comments from me, and a Flickr site with cute kids, but rarely a comment, but I am hardly a celebrated author. It doesn't bother me because I'm a nobody.

Bob is a big time author and I really like his books and he has a lot more to lose to have a less than stellar social network. So keep your eyes out for his next book. This has been a pretty damn good publicity stunt.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

perde — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:06:28 -0000

"an email asking him why he wastes so much time with Web 2.0 services and technology gadets, Scoble wrote: Lately I’ve been asking myself a lot of similar questions that Bob has been asking"

Yes. Thanks

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

perde — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:38:46 -0000

[...] simpatico: hace 21 min Robert Scoble publico un post explicando su uso de estas herramientas. Muy recomendada lectura. Sabias que el Mars Lander esta en Twitter explicando “Que esta [...]

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

David Johnson — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:42:32 -0000

I've been a big fan of Bob Bly for a long time, I give him credit for my copy writing career as I have read about 10 of his books. He is old school and I did notice that he asked for clarification in his letter to Robert, not to be attacked.

While I don't want to be on anybodies side I think we should share why and how technology has brought us all together as a society. I have no doubt that he gets more done than I do because I'll spend more time on things I shouldn't, like forums. They will sure suck up your time! But they also have their marketing benefits that I contribute a lot of work to.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

pbx — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:41:20 -0000

Bob's letter could apply to many of us... and he might be right. There are more serious matters the world over and people that love us that go without during times of tech. obsession. Its a drug, like heroin.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

sam — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:25:59 -0000

Life is a very short journey and we are not here to waste it in using Twitter, Facebook, iPhone, Flickr,ETC.. then simple die.I just don't get it how do we benefits the community and the people by using these things what is the meaning of these things in life. people are dying all over the world and we are using Twitter to stay in touch with friends.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

shel israel — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:29:34 -0000

Bob sounds like he should be reading me and not you. I wonder about what excites you as well sometimes. Let's discuss in front of the camera today at the WorkFast rehearsal.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Amanda MacArthur — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:54:55 -0000

Bob is a friend of mine so I have some bias on the subject, but I think what Bob is looking for is how social media and gadgets help a blogger/copywriter/author.

Not to say that he has no benefit in getting a facebook or twitter account (infact, I think Twitter is a great way for authors to sell books), but really, I think what Bob is missing is how SOME of this new technology is really about marketing more than anything.

Until you have a network of friends in social media, it's really hard for someone to understand the benefit.

As a copywriter, he doesn't necessarily need Google Docs or the latest cellphone to satisfy his copywriting clients. Everyone must stil use Microsoft Word in his client industry. If he had clients asking him to use Google Docs, he'd be using it by now.

And I think he might be probing you a little more than he is letting on in order to get a full response, as Bob has a blog and has copywritten, very well, on Internet marketing for some time now.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Mark Amtower — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:02:42 -0000

As to the comment that Mr Bly started his blog AFTER his comment on blogging, that is simply not accurate. It was the first comment ON his blog.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Brent P. Newhall — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:22:11 -0000

Hmmm. Looking at my comment again, I realize it's unclear.

Bob made a solid point in his original letter to Scoble. His followup comments reveal an argumentative attitude towards a respected person. I've lost respect for him, which means I plan to avoid his work from now on. Might be good stuff, but I personally don't put up with that.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Brent P. Newhall — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:17:23 -0000

Bob Bly's just lost this reader, alas.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

John Locastro (Jlo) — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:15:40 -0000

Technology is great for a number of reasons, including productivity and connecting with others.

At the end of the day with all things said and done......here's the real true reason why we should use technology:

FROM: http://bullfrogsnbutterflie...

I dropped DH (dear husband) off at the airport last night for his 15 + 2 hour LA trip to Sydney, Australia. He is working over in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne for two weeks and then he heads to Malaysia and Singapore.

The girls and I miss him already!! I have to say though, I absolutely love my MacBook! DH landed a few hours ago safely and we just got done chatting via video iChat! I was sitting in my kitchen in suburbia Texas and he was at an Italian Cafe having a cappuccino outside in the heart of Sydney, Australia.

Isn't that incredible?? It's Sunday morning there...

Also, hubby's cell phone died and he wasn't at the hotel room so we communicated via our MacBook's! As an added bonus, DH already took some great pictures of his view from the hotel room and already uploaded them to Flickr. Now when the girls wake up in the morning I can show them pictures of where daddy is at on the AppleTV. It just keeps getting better...

Thank you Apple!

BTW...tell terrystorch from lifechurch.tv I said hello....hope the Google conference is going well.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Aruni — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:09:48 -0000

Wonderful, well-written post. Wish I had been able to read it earlier. How we define productivity is what it comes down to. What you do is productive for you because you seem to enjoy doing it and it apparently 'pays the bills.'

I think is trying to figure out what you really like to do and even if it appears non-productive to others it is productive to you and for you. I think 'time' is the element that we often overlook to figure that out for ourselves and our companies. It just takes time!

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Robert Scoble — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:20:35 -0000

Zoli: that's true, but WHO changes them IS optional. Sometimes. :-)

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

toivo — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:18:37 -0000

It is good that Scoble has not lost the abilty to think and he is not totally blinded by twittery things.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Zoli Erdos — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:22:54 -0000

Gee, Robert, changing diapers is not optional...
:-)

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Mary Zolinett — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:31:39 -0000

Wow... does this make you think, Robert??? :-)

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Markus Göbel's Tech News Comme — Wed, 28 May 2008 06:50:10 -0000

I don't want to see your cemetery photos nor does the age of a cameraman matter to me. Please stay focused on technology!

These new social media make the people bring up so much noise, simply because it's technically possible. I see no difference in Twitter or Friendfeed.

Please no more tagging, hyperlinks and additional information! I am missing the good old technology magazines on paper, because they didn't have distracting hyperlinks which always give me the feeling to miss something.

I hope they still exist.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Gary Wisniewski — Wed, 28 May 2008 02:09:26 -0000

Somehow, social media "tools" have spawned a religion. It's no longer good enough to look at a tool and assess it's purpose and suitability. No, you have to believe that it is "the answer". You have to believe that being an early adopter somehow imbues participants with insight which reaches beyond the specifics of a tool's utility and into the very fabric of social quality. No longer are tools "suitable for some and not for others" but instead there are "new exciting tools" and "outmoded tools". Tech tools have become the varsity badges of the winning team these days. It seems that typewriters are useless and new social technology tools are supremely good no matter how they are applied.

To me, this is utter horse shit.

If your job is to communicate, then you need communications tools. If your job doesn't involve communication but, let's say, requires that you invent new characters for a work of fiction, or derive a new chemical formula, or paint a landscape, you may require endless weeks of uninterrupted time. Some people thrive by being on top of things. Others thrive by being on the bottom of things.

Maybe some of those who use Twitter are the ones who don't get it. Maybe they have never done anything which required six months of silence and uninterrupted concentration. The tech culture of absorb, regurgitate, and mash-up has its value. But, let's not make it the only answer.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

@CoachDeb — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:23:04 -0000

LMAO

Quote by Scoble:

"Markus: I think we have a reading problem here. I can’t help it if you can’t read fast."

ooooh i can SO attest to how Twitter has turned me into SUCH a better speed reader!

I can't believe how much I know about new media technology & resources for my clients ever since I joined TWitter & followed the early adopters. WOW! I never read this many blog posts before - b/c they often were "long" and I didn't think I had the time for them.

But Twitter is actually a time SAVER for me in regards to getting all the latest & greatest resources out there FAST!

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Joaquin — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:04:35 -0000

Great place for people with differing ideas to spend a great deal of time unsucessfully convincing others they are right. Thanks for the 4 minutes of entertainment. I'll wait until the movie comes out to see how it ends.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Jimmy Dell — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:01:02 -0000

The sad thing, that I've discovered in being in this industry for at least as long as you, Robert, is that besides the constant sugar high of getting something new every day, that it doesn't confer any advantage, so unless the journey is it's own reward, so it's just not worth running like a hamster jumping at each new idea coming from twitter or techmeme. For a long time, I used to think that somehow getting it first would somehow give me the leg up, and I found that it didn't, and worse, that the truism of the pioneer getting the arrows in his back was correct. There's room for one Scoble, you get to be the food taster that chokes on the poison burrito, but there's no need for anyone to emulate you, we'll be able to capitalize on your great discoveries and avoid your dismal failures. You're the Russian roulette player who pulls the trigger again and again and again...

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Peter Corbett — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:57:30 -0000

Mr. Bly you are an absolute master of self promotion. Well played.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

S.P. Gass — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:49:15 -0000

Bob Bly, I agree with you on Twitter, Facebook, Blackberry, iPod, and the iPhone. Their cost and/or time investment is not worth the benefit for me at this time in my judgement.

I have tried Flickr and do like the feature where you can order photobooks from qoop. For me that is easier than putting the prints in an album myself. What I don't like about Flickr is that they limit free-account users to just three albums at a time stored on their site.

At a previous job, I was issued a laptop and do appreciate it's portability vs a desktop. Since then, I've purchased one and enjoy blogging outside on the screened-in porch.

Also, I avoided purchasing a cell phone for a long time, but my wife finally talked me into it. It's a pay-as-you-go plan that costs $100/year which isn't too bad. I have it in case of emergencies or other times when it occasionally comes in handy. But in general, I keep the phone turned off.

Robert S., I believe you are wrong to suggest that those who choose not to spend their money/time on the latest unnecessary hi-tech gadgets and services are ignorant. More on my site if interested...

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Christopher Coulter — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:33:21 -0000

http://globosphere.blogspot... too dated...but my answer is there, click under Links.