This big, shining, entertaining, addictive, exclusive, monopolizing, universal thing which is called Internet.

Liberally taken by Chris Brogan


What are we doing?

Forget innovation. Forget thinking up new ways to make businesses. Forget the fact that lots of people get along just nicely without this wired up rectangle in their lives. We are ALL on the Internet, and those who aren’t? Well, they will be soon. Heck, we’re giving them all laptops, right?

What are we doing to make an impact on the universe? What are we doing to move the technology ball forward, the green living ball forward, any of it? What the hell MATTERS to us?

Where are We?

We have to step back from all this and look at what the heck we’re doing with our time. We have to see if all this stuff we’re reacting to and using actually matters to our day. We have to audit our time spent on various social networks, and ask whether it’s doing something different for us than what we had before.

What are we doing that’s new? Better still, what are we doing that’s helpful?

Over the past week, I’ve heard of some interesting projects. Look at this one, about bringing art to impoverished places. Or how about a project in Bangladesh to help with crops for the drought-threatened region?

My Plans

My knowledge is in technology, community, and people. So with what I know, I’m going to find some ways to be helpful over the next year that I hope align with some bigger things. Here are some thoughts for what I’m going to do:

Teach companies how to virtualize their data centers, cutting heat costs, materials costs, and space needs.
Conduct and promote virtual conferences and webinars, to cut down some carbon from travel.
Promote and support more small giving projects like Beth Kanter’s college project, OLPC, and more.
Do at least one offline, non-internet project a month.
MAKE something NEW, either online or off over the next year.
Support shows like Real World Green, which show easy ways to live greener.
I’m sure more will come to me. But this is what’s on my mind this morning. It just struck me that sometimes, maybe just now and again, we should step away from the shiny rounded corners and look at some of the other stuff going on as well. Just some thinking. What do YOU think?

Chris Brogan

Here's what I think:

There is this big, shining, entertaining, addictive, exclusive, monopolizing, universal thing which is called Internet.
All the rest is just life.