As I just posted my last entry, I began to think about one of the final sentences: "We need to think outside of the box, or at the very least outside of the web."
I think that maybe the issue is we're all so stuck on trying to think outside of the box, we miss the target. Perhaps we need to bring things back a few steps.
It seems to me that all we try to do is 'spread awareness'. In all reality, what good does awareness do? I agree that educating people on whatever it is you're promoting is necessary to achieve change, but it isn't what drives change. What does? I'm not sure. I do know that I see no results from the oh so ubiquitous 'awareness campaigns'.
Here's an idea: Instead of having free worldwide concerts that attract hundreds of millions of people to spread the awareness of ____________ (poverty, aids, the environment), charge something for a ticket. Charge anything. One dollar. That would make a difference. Money makes a difference.
We can't be ignorant to the fact that it is money and it is power that drives change. Awareness a great, but if the right people with the deep pockets don't listen, there's no point. Sad? Yes. True? Yes.
I guess I do know what drives change.
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1 comment:
T-bone, thinking "outside the box" is great sometimes, but hardly every productive. The trick is to create new boxes for people to think within. It requires a bit of a paradigm shift, especially for those looking to drive change, but I think that's the key.
Harvard Business Review (and others) has written plenty about this:
"When you ask questions that create new boxes to think inside, you can prevent people from getting lost in the cosmos and give them a basis for making and comparing choices and for knowing whether they're making progress."
The web is a pretty powerful tool for that; asking the right questions and guiding people through the mountains of 'ideas' floating around out there.
What's really needed is a "hub" to connect ideas with those who can actually execute and drive the change, namely thinkers, funders, promotors, and doers.
I've been working with a new organization, Rebearth, and we plan on launching something similar to this soon, to address almost exactly what your post entails. Keep your eyes peeled on rebearth.com
Enjoying the blog so far!
Kev
http://www.thekevblog.com
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