was,Magic,for,How,Was,For,You, DIY It was Magic for Me, How Was it For You?

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and

Trade shows will naturally draw those with high end interest andthe technical knowledge that leads to that jargon spewed bykeynote speakers. Enterprise-speak vendors display their waresand attendees at break-out sessions are full of techno-geeksseeking the latest knowledge enhancement for their narrow interestarea. But I'm stunned at the techno-babble being directedat the atttendees of conference Keynote speeches. What SHOULDthey say? I'd like to offer my highest compliments to Craig Conway, one ofdozens of keynote speakers at InternetWorld. He is President andCEO of business processes software company, PeopleSoft. Conway made a compelling case for EVERYONE to care about what is goingon behind the scenes at large businesses. Because it will directlytouch us all in ways we haven't taken the time to understand. Mostspeakers are so jargon-bound they are tongue-tied if it's usingplain-easy-to-understand English.In fact, understanding software is much easier when you haveConway doing the talking. Clearly PeopleSoft is aptly named whenmost would call it ERP-CRM-Soft. Maybe that's why he proudly proclaims that his company is profitable and has $2 Billionin the bank - In Cash! He makes it apparent that business needs tocommunicate it's BENEFITS to PEOPLE, not the software features toIT geeks in the IS department, staffed by the HR department andfed by the HS (Hunger Solutions) department serving NU's(Nutrition Units)."Any sufficiently advanced technology," Conway quoted, "isvirtually indistinguishable from magic." This 1972 statementby science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke has subsequentlybecome known as Clarke's Law. I'd like to suggest Clarke'slaw is true of the inner workings of advanced technology,but not in the RESULT of those advanced technologies on ourlives. I can't tell you anything about the technology behindmy magical one-inch-thick notebook computer but I can tellyou it has a profound effect on my life and allows me towork from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.That's magic! Nobody will believe in that magic once thetechnology advances further. Do you think your phone magic?Mr. Conway spoke in terms that everyone can comprehend abouthis company and the changes resulting from virtually allcommerce moving online to operate in real-time. He spokeof going through a fundamental shift in the way businessis conducted. He referred repeatedly to "companies movingtheir business online" and the major cost savings, andimmediacy of the resulting human experience. He pointed to the example of banking and the financeindustry move to universal use of ATM machines and howthat has since changed our expectations about how thebanking world operates and how it touches all of us.We want real-time access to our money and instant,always-accessible information about our transactionsthrough those machines. This, he says, is how the web affects ALL businesses. Nolonger do you need to call for verification of funds ata bank (it's online or ATM) and no longer does it matterthat the bank is closed or that you are not at your ownbranch. The central server for any and all businesses,large and small, will be open 24/7 and always accessibleto any customer to track their orders, check inventory foravailability of any product they wish to buy and makeinstant buying decisions at 3am. If not yet, then soon.This sweeping change hass come in banking and commerce, ingovernment, philanthropy, academia and even many personalinteractions. While I commend Mr. Conway for his speakingability, I still see a place for helping the world tounderstand how this change affects the broad majority ofthe public, small business and the vast middle ground --the rest of us. Conway talks about how BIG business, BIGfinance and BIG government is moving toward total webadoption, but this affects the rest of the world too.Because business, government and finance is "moving online"it means that instant access to every aspect of our worldwill be available to everyone via the web. It hasn't happened yet, but I believe the web will soonmake it possible to do previously unimaginable (even mudane)things like lock your front door via the web from your caror office if you forgot to do it when you left home. I thinkwe'll be able to do a long list of things undreamt currentlywithin a very short time. But my question is . . . must italways be top down? Does BIG business, BIG money and BIG eGovernment need tomake sweeping, worldwide changes before John Doe learnsabout those changes or is it possible that something simpleJohn Doe does will soon affect BIG business just asprofoundly? I submit that the web-enabling of our worldwill have a reverse profound effect on BIG business. Theywill know instantly how the public perceives their company,it's products and it's business philosophy because thatfeedback will be available in real-time via the web. Ifstart-ups had that power, they might fail less often thanthey do now.I now routinely check the web for weather information, maps forupcoming travel destinations and local public transportationroutes in cities I'll soon be visiting. I make hotel and carreservations, book airline tickets and I even found freeparking and airport shuttle online for my most recent flight.Admittedly, this stuff is all travel related, but you can lookup recipes online and find lawn care tips just as easily andinstantly. Our expectations are moving this direction for everyhuman activity. The web is pervasive, always on and mostlyaccessible for most people. It's magic for me, how is it for you?