art
Social Change: Art or Science?
Sunday, May 31st, 2009 | Blog Talk, Interesting Articles | 2 Comments
When explaining social media, I find myself, at times, explaining how it is half art and half science. Last week, marketing guru Seth Godin brought up the age-old question again in terms of the marketing field, stating that marketing is both. He explains:
“Some marketers are scientists. They test and measure. They do the math. They understand the impact of that spend in that market at that time with that message. They can understand the analytics and find the truth.”
“The other marketers are artists. They inspire and challenge and connect. These marketers are starting from scratch, creating movements, telling jokes and surprising people. Scientists aren’t good at that.”
A solution Godin gives is that we must wear hats, and be willing to switch hats. A mental image of my boss immediately flashed in my mind as he loves Harvard’s creativity tool “6 Thinking Hats.” There is a heap of value from this exercise that I too have become quite a fan, but that is a blog post for another day.
On the social marketing list serv, Godin’s post inspired a discussion on how this debate applies to social marketing. Though social marketing, is in many ways, the “science behind social change,” my favorite perspective came from thought leader and the mother of social marketing herself, Nancy Lee:
“Personally, I think we need the scientific approach for the situation analysis, determining desired behaviors, selecting priority audiences, and identifying the competition, barriers and motivators. Then, the artists uses this input to inspire the strategy. Then, the science comes back to measure outcomes and impact and what to do better the next time.”
Applying this to Godin’s “hat” analogy, Lee offers us insight, as social marketers, when to wear which hat. Brilliant.
Applying this debate to social change, I believe it is both part art and part science, along with some sweat mixed in, buckets of perseverance, one strong vision, a diverse set of hands and a dash of luck. And, this is a good thing. Take architecture for example. There is no denying that there is a science to building strong foundation that support people, systems, and communities. But on the same note, there is no denying that certain places–the Sear Tower, Sydney’s Opera House, the Great Wall, the Eiffel Tower–emulate an artistic vision and ring a certain bell of inspiration upon viewing. It takes many, many types of hats at different times. The key, is knowing which hat and for what purpose.
Thus, to me, it’s not a question to debate, but a question that expands your closet (and your horizons!)
flickr credit: doc.holiday41
Nominated Neighbor: Len Edgerly shares his love for social media, art and his motto to: TLFC
Friday, May 2nd, 2008 | Blogger Neighbors | No Comments
Please forgive my delay in posting. I had to defend my thesis, travel from DC to KC to Columbia and get all my paperwork together in the past 5 days! However, Len is a great sport and was nominated by our previous neighbor Beth Dunn, over at Small Dots. Read below to learn more about the newest addition to the blogger neighborhood!
Blog Name: LenEdgerly.com
Blog Topics: Arts, technology, politics, travels.
About the Author: Len Edgerly lives in Denver and Cambridge, Mass., and is retired from careers in journalism and the natural gas industry. He podcasts every Wednesday, alternating between the Audio Pod Chronicles and the Video Pod Chronicles, both available at iTunes and from links on his blog. He is a board member of the New England Foundation for the Arts and the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs. He enjoys giving presentations to arts groups and introduce them in non-technical terms to the wonders of the Internet and why they should be playing around with things like Twitter, podcasting and Qik. He is a Kindle enthusiast, an avid photographer, and an Obama volunteer.
If you could live on any street, what would that street be named and why? Easy Street, and I already live there, it seems. I’m very fortunate since age 45 to have been able to work hard at what I love, without having to worry about finances.
Who would be your dream real-life neighbor? The poet W.S. Merwin.
If you customized your own license plate, what would it say and why? In fact, I do have a customized license plate. It reads TLFC. My wife, exasperated with all my spiritual striving in Zen and elsewhere once asked me, “Why don’t you ever just take life as it #$%*& comes?” This struck me as an inspired formulation for a good life, something we could agree on, thus the plate. Please don’t tell the state of Colorado Motor Vehicles Department, though. On the form applying for the plate I said the letters stood for “Take Life as it Fully Comes.” Either way, I like it.
What would you gift to a new neighbor as the perfect welcoming gift? A fresh bag of coffee beans.
What’s your favorite blog post and why? “La Belle Grammaire,” one of the posts I labored long and hard to write in French three years ago when my wife and I spent two months at L’Institut de francais, near Cannes.
What’s one lesson you’ve learned from blogging? Twitter is hell on my blogging habit. [You can follow Len @LenEdgerly.]
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This continuous weekly series highlights different blogs and their respective bloggers in the blogosphere neighborhood. Following the great Mr. Rogers, who tells us to ‘Get to know your neighbor,’ this series introduces us to our blogger neighbors, making for a more unified, collaborative voice for the social sector. Like to nominate someone or be featured yourself? Contact me @ socialbutterfly4change@gmail.com.
Going Green
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008 | Experience This?, Green Marketing, Interesting Articles | No Comments
Any Oprah fans in the atmosphere? On last Friday’s show, Oprah’s show featured: Going Green 101 where she shared many tips and insights on how individuals and families can join the fight to save our earth. Feeling inspired, I wanted to provide my own list of simple and easy ways to Go Green this upcoming year. Some of my favorites from Oprah’s show are also shared.
Bathroom
1. Turn your water off in between brushing your teeth.
2. Unplug straightener, shaver, blow dryer, etc. when not in use. When items are plugged in, they still use up to 40% power.
3. Buy a shower timer to conserve water.
4. Use tissue and toilet paper sparingly.
Kitchen
1. If you’re making a picnic, choose plastic over paper plates. They can be reused and recycled.
2. Buy energy saving appliances to help global warming. Look for the blue Energy Star label when purchasing or visit www.energystar.gov for more information.
3. Use reusable containers to put away leftover rather than plastics wrap or foil. Also, in the same line of thinking, use rags to clean up messes when possible to conserve paper towels.
Cleaning
1. Instead of adding yard waste or lawn clippings to landfills, use a mulching mower. Not only is it healthier for your yard, but its healthier for all of Earth.
2. Use healthier cleaning products. Good clean doesn’t have a smell and are safer for our bodies too. Good companies to look into include Shaklee and Method.
3. Remember to inflate your tires about every two weeks. This allows your tires to last longer, meaning more rubber is conserved.
House
1. Turn lights on and off when entering and exiting rooms.
2. Caulk your windows to get the most out of your heating and air conditioning. This will save energy and money. Double bonus!
3. Use energy strips. This helps save power and cuts down on your energy bill. When something is off, but still plugged in, it still uses power.
4. Use GE energy smart light bulbs. According to Oprah.com, GE Energy Smart bulbs use 70 to 75 percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs and last up to 10 times longer than most bulbs.
5. Donate books and magazines to public libraries.
6. Use rechargeable batteries instead of throwaway ones.
Food
1. If you haven’t heard about the questions surrounding bottled water, go no further. Bottled water is more expensive…to our pocketbooks, bodies and our world. Save all three. Invest in a Nalgene water bottle or an aluminum water bottle that can be reused, is safer, cost effective, healthier and saves the earth.
2. Buy less packaged food. Read the labels and packaging to see if food is healthy for your body, but also take notice if wasteful materials are being used to sell the item.
Shopping
1. Paper or plastic? Neither! Eco-friendly canvas bags are the new ‘it’ item to have at the supermarket. Check out these places for your very own: eco-chic shopping bags, Delight.com or Skeeda.
2. Donate old clothes and items you no longer use to The Salvation Army or the Goodwill.
3. Do not throw away leather shoes. Leather takes 50 years to decompose. Donate them.
4. Resell or donate your old, used cellphone even! Lots of companies buy back phones, spruce ‘em up and then resell them at lower rates. Green mobile is one such company.
5. Just say no…to receipts. When an ATM or a gas pump asks if you want a receipt, say no. This will save many precious trees.
Activities
1. Visit a landfill. As Oprah’s show told us, throwing something away, doesn’t mean that it goes away. It goes somewhere else.
2. Plant trees. The more CO2 we can create, the better.
3. Adopt a cause and become an activist. Green is the new pink everyone. Just check out Matt Damon’s favorite organization Greendimes, Stop Global Warming!, or Gwenyth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz’ organization ‘act green’ that works to reduce dependence on oil and for energy conservation.
4. Use newspapers as wrapping paper.
5. TreeCycle 2008. Recycle your now old Christmas trees.
6. Take up Shard Art. Also known as Pique Assiette mosaic art. Use pieces of broken glass to create wonderful new pieces of art.
7. Visit and shop at your local farmer’s market.
Entertainment
1. Beg, borrow or buy Al Gore’s documentary: An Inconvenient Truth.
2. Read The Green Book by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostige.
3. Watch the television series Planet Earth.
4. Attend a Drive-In movie, according to Eath911.org.
5. Carpool. This web service helps you connect with others looking to carpool in your area.
6. Catch Leonardo DiCaprio’s film The Eleventh Hour, about the growing dangers of global warming, set to come out soon!
And lastly, one way to recycle I would not recommend….using old condoms as hairbands. True story.
And on that note, hope this was enough to get motivated. Feel free to leave your favorite recycling tips below too!
Eco-Friendly Websites for further information:
Green People
Greenpeace
Idealbite
Global Green USA
TreeHugger
Alexandra Bornkessel
Email: abornkessel@fly4change.com
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If you have questions, comments or concerns, email me at socialbutterfly4change@gmail.com.
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