How we live our lives

Here are two excerpts from Thomas Friedman's NY Times op-ed piece "The Whole World Is Watching". Of course, the message that we should watch how we live our lives because others are watching and taking note is one I've gotten for years from my parents, as well as the notion that our actions can speak volumes about the content of our character. But it is fascinating how new technologies are bringing this to the world's attention in a new way. Particularly the business world, I would think. It's no longer as easy to hide behind glossy P.R. spreads, when anyone you upset, be it an unhappy customer or a disgruntled former employee, can share their views with the world. Or at least that small snippet of the world who bothers to look at their blog or MySpace page.

On the other hand, this also allows people to publish blatant untruths and the web is full of both trustworthy and less-than-trustworthy sources. Huge amounts of damage to reputation can be done based on hear-say and rumour; but hear-say and rumour that have added clout, because they are appearing in print.

When everyone has a blog, a MySpace page or Facebook entry, everyone is a publisher. When everyone has a cellphone with a camera in it, everyone is a paparazzo. When everyone can upload video on YouTube, everyone is filmmaker. When everyone is a publisher, paparazzo or filmmaker, everyone else is a public figure. We’re all public figures now. The blogosphere has made the global discussion so much richer — and each of us so much more transparent.

The implications of all this are the subject of a new book by Dov Seidman, founder and C.E.O. of LRN, a business ethics company. His book is simply called “How.” Because Seidman’s simple thesis is that in this transparent world “how” you live your life and “how” you conduct your business matters more than ever, because so many people can now see into what you do and tell so many other people about it on their own without any editor. To win now, he argues, you have to turn these new conditions to your advantage.

If you would like to read more, you can contact me or become a member of TimesSelect. If you have an ".edu" email address, this is free (according to Texas In Africa ... I haven't had the chance to check it out for myself). Otherwise, it's really not all that expensive. Personally, I enjoy having access to all of the op-ed pieces and the blogs, as well as some of the Magazine articles, etc.

Addendum: I tried to register for NY Times Select with my ".edu" email address, but it seems to be the same price as usual. Sorry to mislead you or give you false hope!! There is a 14-day free trial, should you like to check it out.