I'm on the First Page of Google !

This week I got the pleasant surprise to discover that when one searched under Google.com for ICT Director then I appeared on the first page of results. It works also under Google.be and quite a few other countries as well.

Wow, I feel proud. :)

Two months ago I had indeed decided to increase my visibility on the Internet. By this I wanted my profile (and mostly my professional profile) to be easy to find. In order to reach that target, I looked at some of the existing online tools but at the same time, I knew already I would not want to waste too much time into this and certainly not spend a dime for it.

Therefore, I started with what I had: LinkedIn (which I find quite useful to keep tracks of friends' and former colleagues' career). I made sure to complete my profile, added a few more connections, and joined a couple of pertinent mostly IT-related groups.

Afterwards, I considered the too-famous FaceBook and filled a profile soon discovering that I really hated it. To me, FaceBook seems the best way to waste time and I am still waiting for any return from it. I already decided not to invest more time in it but to loosely maintain it.

My third step was to start this blog - The Voice of Recyclable Electrons - where the title is based on a sentence I used at the end of all my emails since the mid-nineties. I had first wanted to share impressions about movies but since then, I discovered that I preferred talking about ICT topics or experience. You could have guessed so from the recent posts by the way.

The fourth steps was to join the newly created Naymz network. I can tell you already that Naymz is extremely powerful to promote your profile, especially once you reach their RepScore level 10. At this stage, I am not even sure that you can go down after you reached level 10. Naymz uses all tips and tricks to promote your name and a few associated keywords through Google. It works quite fine with minimal effort from your part. I reached the level 10 within two weeks and started harvesting the benefits.

But all these registrations would probably not have worked as effectively as hoped if I had not decided to cross-link them all. On my blog, you find links to my LinkedIn, FaceBook, and Naymz profiles. On my Naymz profile, you will find again links to this blog and my other profiles. And so on, and son. Thanks to this mini web, I increased my own pertinence according to Google ultimately benefiting from the power of each site. Quite an interesting experience.

Book Review: Wikinomics

I just finished reading the book Wikinomics from Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams and wanted to share my feelings about it.

Wikinomics describes various examples of how mass collaboration already started changing the world-wide economy, in many sectors and levels. It is a book that clearly depicts Web 2.0 technologies and some of their impacts on how to conduct business. As such, you will find information about FaceBook business models, about Ideagoras, about the mashups culture and trends, about Wiki and peer-production. For all these parts, Wikinomics is a great book and probably a must-read for any CxO or manager. It opens your mind and update you on a few recent Web 2.0 concepts.

I would add however that some of the concepts or theories pushed by this book are to be taken with a grain of salt. It was obviously written by Evangelists of the concept and as such, they sometimes tend to create theories from examples instead of illustrating demonstrated theories with these examples. Similarly, it sometimes goes "too far" in some directions but maybe it does so hoping that half of the message will pass through.

In short, Wikinomics is a great book for managers interested in some consequences of Web 2.0 but as every new theory, it has to be pondered.

A Day at CeBIT

Let's face it, CeBIT is huge. Compared to that location in Hanover, the Brussels Expo site (Heysel) is a confetti. As first consequence, my day at CeBIT was first and foremost a walking day. I walked a lot just to cross all 23 buildings tentatively trying to look at every stand. At least I did try. Happily, the weather was nice and shiny allowing me to walk outside all facilities while enjoying the architecture and design of the place. Well to be more precise, I should say I kept doing it while passing from one palace to the next one. For the rest, I spend most of my day in overcrowded facilities.

Now what can I say about the content ? For someone working in IT, an IT fair is not much surprising. All large IT companies are present but these are also present in your country when trying to push you from prospect to client inside their funnel. Some of these will have huge stands fully equipped with banners, gadgets, sexy hostesses to attract people and serious male managers to actually do the talk !

Among the funniest gadgets, I noticed a fully automated warehouse management system built using some toys I played with back when I was a kid (Fischertechnik). It was fully controlled by a program and I could watch the crate moving all along the supply chain path while different robots were detecting it and automatically performing the right operation with it (pick, move, store, lift...). A real pleasure for the eyes.

I won't hammer you with all Chinese copies of keyboards, video cards, computer fans, mobile whatever, USB sexy sticks and other electronic devices I saw. You can find them all at Wal-Mart or on the Internet. Most "consumers" devices exhibited there are well-known anyway. Instead, I will only list a couple of the most interesting innovations I could test. First, there is video on paper. Right, you print it like a picture, then when put in front of a special lamp, it starts moving. Think about an animated GIF picture but on a sheet of paper. Then there were computers you could command with your eyes. It is easy to use and quite relaxing for your right hand (no more mouse to use).

All in all, a day is just too short to get into everything, especially as there are so many technical sessions you cannot attend because you have not the time to spend there. However and on second thought, it did not really matter as 85% of all explanations or documentation was in German. That was the negative surprise of the day. it was a permanent fight to track and find English documentation !!! And I thought there were no IT outside English ...

Free Ride to CeBIT

I just learned that I won a free ride to the CeBIT. From Brussels to Hanovre, all-in (place, food, entrance ticket, freebies...), this is a great opportunity that I got from IT - JobBank.

About CeBIT:

CeBIT is the world's largest trade fair showcasing digital IT and telecommunications solutions for home and work environments. The key target groups are users from industry, the wholesale/retail sector, skilled trades, banks, the services sector, government agencies, science and all users passionate about technology.

Don't miss my next posts, as you will tell you more about this one-day trip into the trands of the future of ICT.