Behind the scenes.
A short note to update everyone.
Things may seem ‘quiet’ but Juggernaut has been working on a new concept to enhance OJar.
He has taken ideas from the existing site, ideas from some other sites and has really come up with some new concepts that are very exciting.
Imagine elements of myspace/hotornot/blogging/wikipedia combined with things that already work on OJar.
I can’t say much more for now, stay tuned.
Also, keep posting your ideas as many of them are going to be used.
- Michael.
OJar changes from a Sun Tsu perspective.
“Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all; amid confusion and chaos, your array may be without head or tail, yet it will be proof against defeat.”
The same idea from a different framework:
Web 2.0 (or, community driven sites) work because enough people are passionate, interested and motivated to make a difference.
We can follow these well-worn steps and solve the OJar paradox by building a “vast array of new sapling” channels.
– Michael.
What would OJar look like with more topics?
I have asked Joe (Juggernaut) to lead a dialog with OJar members about potential visual metaphors (look-and-feel) for OJar if it had more topics.
- How would the home page appear?
- Navigation?
- Colors?
- Layout?
- Visual Cues?
If you have ideas please contact him.
Thanks, Michael
Teleconference Recording and Slides
I invited 6 people to a teleconference to begin a dialog about the future direction of OJar. There were many more I would have liked to invite but I wanted to get a good mix of individuals into a very small group. Old-timers, newbies and a few “trouble makers” in the hope of getting the widest possible feedback. I am hoping over time we can grow this group into multiple groups with a variety of responsibilities in many areas.
Tonights 1.5 hour call was recorded so you can listen in. I have also made available the slides I used. If you wish to become involved in the future of Ojar you can send me a note and list your strengths. There are currently several groups being formed, content, technical, business development (revenue) and strategy. You can choose one or more of course.
Here is a links to the files which you can Right-Mouse click to save on your computer
The audio link (10MB in size) is found on this Audio MP3 LINK
The slides in Adobe PDF format, SLIDES LINK
If you need a free Adobe Reader for your computer you can find it here, PDF Reader
I wish to thank everyone that joined us tonight!
– Michael.
Mommy look at me… now!
This isn’t about OJar changing but I am hoping this will answer a riddle for some.
Why do some people create trouble on a forum?
Kids scream, “Mommy look at me” when they don’t feel the love.
People going through a breakup/divorce need love so they assume that any attention is a substitute for love.
Its all part of a well known self-destructive cycle that comes about when you are dealing with the end of a part of your life (grief).
I have seen it all before. Sad part is, “been there, got the T-shirt myself.”
Oh, if it makes you feel any better some people that go through this cycle do the attention thing in a public place like a bar and land up spending some time in jail.
There are a few of those stories posted on the board somewhere. Check them out when you get bored later.
Peace, Michael.
A Thousand OJar’s?
Thought for the day:
“As the roots rot and the tree falls, a vast array of new saplings appear.”
- Michael.
If You’re Not Growing, You’re Dying.
I remember hearing this phrase at a conference once, “If You’re Not Growing, You’re Dying” and at the time I filed it mentally under, “load of crap!”.
OK, yeah I have a cynical streak but who hasn’t right?
Well I was talking to Chris (OJar-Chris) tonight about the possible future plans for OJar and this phrase popped back in my head.
It seems that OJar has to either transition to a much more aggressive grown model or it will die. The ‘good ol days’ of OJar where everything relied on the forum had a place and a time but it is now time to move to a more Web 2.0 (collaborative) mode. Sites like Youtube.com and MySpace.com and Wikipedia have really shown what can happen when large groups of people come together under the banner of a mission.
I don’t see any reason why OJar couldn’t go to the next level. If the right people share a common vision, understand what needs to be done, and make sure that it happens, amazing things can happen.
Conversely, if the mission does not resonate and thing do not grow then as in any life-cycle, things must end.
I guess all of this sounds a little cryptic but I will be revealing more soon.
Tonight I shared my vision with Chris and got the first feedback. The basic response I got from Chris was, “If this does happen, OJar will be amazing”.
Every mission has to have its believers, tonight I found one. Tomorrow I hope to find a few more.
– Michael.
The OJar ‘Paradox’
Let me start by saying that using this blog is helpful for me because it will be used to create the slides needed for the first conference call. In this post I will describe the problem which I call the ‘OJar Paradox’.
Stated in the most simple of terms, “those that need help the most cannot effectively contribute to OJar and those that have benefited from OJar usually leave the site.”
So what does this mean?
Well, when someone finds that they do not need they site I usually get a polite and friendly email that says, “thanks for your help, I don’t need the site anymore, Bye”.
In general this is terrific news but on the other hand these are exactly the people that can help the most.
Do I understand their position? Absolutely!
Anyone that has gone through a traumatic relationship change wants very little to remind them of what has taken place. Of course, this is a generalization and there are those that build extremely intimate relationships that continue to visit the site and move ‘down the boards’. But for a large majority, 6 - 12 months after posting heavily on the site they are gone, forever.
I have known about this ‘paradox’ for several years now and I suspect this has a lot to do with the inability of other sites to clone this site. It takes a steady stream of ‘newbies’ to keep this site active as there is a natural attrition and most clone sites don’t have the volume of traffic to gain momentum.
For many site visitors OJar is a natural method of journaling their emotional growth and/or changes. Also, as new people visit the site they benefit from the enormous number of existing posts to which they can relate. In other words, the stories posted at the top of the board often have a familiar ring and only the characters change.
So, let’s bring all these thoughts together and summarize.
1. OJar needs to find a way to broaden its audience and keep those that have moved beyond their emotional upheaval - this is essential for future growth.
2. OJar must also offer something that resolves the current ‘OJar Paradox’.
3. Those that choose to take an active role in OJar’s future must have an interest beyond the sites original mission of dealing with a relationships demise.
– Michael.
All about ‘human’ networking.
Over the weekend I was busy helping at a trade show booth and a couple of things struck me which may be helpful to people on OJar and also the direction of the site in general.
First, let me say thank goodness for e-mail and Instant Mesg. as I have lost my voice which may come as a blessing for some that know me. (kidding!)
As you watch several thousand people pass your booth you can’t help but create parallels with a website like OJar.
Some people just wander by and look at the banners and keep walking, while some take the time to ask questions, swap ideas and actually walk away with a small piece of the puzzle we call ‘life’ answered. Dramatic, maybe but isn’t that what happens every hour, every day on OJar as a site?
I asked one person of the hundreds I met over the two days, “why did you come here today?”. The answer was, “I came to network”. What I noticed that was unusual about this person was they had very specific questions but instead of stopping by at each booth and asking a little or taking a brochure they simply walked up and down the aisles until I happened to catch their eye and begin a conversation.
OK, so what has this to do with OJar I can hear the impatient asking silently. Well, there are 3 types of people on OJar. Those that lurk and hope to stumble on some answers. Those that will ask a question from time to time and those that will involve themselves on a daily basis.
The latter category are those that probably get the most out of the site and probably out of a lot of things they do. Why? Well, they are genuinely interested in that which they do, that which they learn and also they ‘pay forward’ by helping others.
It is those people that ultimately will help make OJar a better site and take to a far better place than I will ever be able to do.
Peace, Michael.
More thoughts - nothing critical.
Three ideas occurred to me today. Sometimes good ideas happen in the oddest of places like the supermarket. Yeah, odd I know.
1) If we all decide to move forward there should probably be a few different groups given the skills everyone is offering. So for example we could have a content, technical, business development and strategy group. Unless each person that chooses to contribute works to their particular strengths, things tend to go ‘pear shaped’ fast.
2) Also, I should really put my ideas in a few PowerPoint Slides before the first group meets so I can share the context, objective and constraints that OJar faces. It is important that the people that are involved understand ‘why’ things are the way they are and/or are not as they are (confusing or badly worded, you decide)
3) Last point. When people do contribute to helping this site become a much wider reaching site then it is only fair that some form of ‘profit share’ mechanism is incorporated. There are several models to discuss. Each model has its own pro’s and con’s but I am of the belief that contributions should be rewarded. I don’t think money should be the motivating factor given the sites original mission but it is not unreasonable to come up with some kind of benefit or gift for contributing to the site after the sites expenses are covered.
Let me say finally, I don’t want point 3 to be the exclusive focus of this post, just something that will be discussed and addressed at some point in the future.
I know some of this approach seems a little ‘corporate’ but the only thing that lasts beyond the capabilities of a single person is an organization with defined roles. Hence the need to adopt this type of model.
– Michael.
