by Jeffrey Barrett*
In desperation many things, both good and bad, happen to organizations, cultures and people. For those in the newspaper industry there is a seeming conflict playing out publicly and behind closed doors and in many forms: free content vs. paid content; new formats vs. old; content changes vs. the familiar; changing careers vs limited advancement. The list goes on…
Where there is a passion to survive and a determination to maintain the effectiveness of one’s work – even within a single person at an organization – there is hope of renewal. For me this theme comes to light during a short presentation given by Jacek Utko, a Polish newspaper designer, on how changing the design of a series of Eastern European newspapers helped to potentially breathe new life into the industry – as demonstrated by a 100 percent circulation increase in some areas. Be patient, for some of the key points were at the end.
As I have started to explore more TED talks, I have found many examples of similar “saviors in desperation.” With the overall economic gloom and extreme anxiety felt by many, there may be tremendous benefit in learning from others who have successfully emerged from the pits of despair.
While it is wise to learn from such failures, I think when surrounded by epic financial, personal, and corporate debacles, there needs to be a focus on those individuals who have, for a long time, succeeded because they’ve embraced the potential opportunity for innovation when so many others have only been overwhelmed by change…
I encourage those of you struggling to find or to be a savior in desperation to check out the talks on TED.com; there is a new free one added every day. And when you find one you’re interested in, be sure to share it with the other readers of BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas.
*Bio: Currently I am the chief architect of BurrellesLuce 2.0, the portal used by thousands of PR professionals to monitor, share, organize, and measure online and print news. I started as a web developer for Merck & Company and I am an accomplished technologist with a focus on large scale system architecture and implementation. With over ten years of experience designing and deploying technical solutions for a wide range of companies, I most recently managed web projects for NBC Universal, where I delivered social networking applications and supported high traffic applications. Prior to that, I served as director of technology for Silver Carrot, a marketing firm, creating and delivering the technology that powered high-performance online campaigns. In my spare time, I enjoy reading about economics and anything that has to do with modeling social interaction and social media. LinkedIn: Jeffrey Barrett; Twitter: @BurrellesLuce; Facebook: BurrellesLuce
