The last time I spoke before taking a short break for open heart surgery, was to discuss Userville [formerly Blurring Boundaries] at SNCR's NewComm Forum. It was well-received, but candidly, it did not generate the kind of excitement I sensed when announcing either Naked Conversations or Twitterville.
Sometime, after they rerouted my heart at Stanford Hospital, I realized that there was less of my heart in the new book than there had been in my two prior attempts. I started thinking that maybe I was working on this book because I like writing books rather than, a sense that I had a great story to tell and was just bursting to tell it.
Two weeks ago I came home. I found myself more enmeshed in the Gizmodo-Apple fracas than I was the Userville story of how big companies like IBM, Intuit, Microsoft and SAP were finding, measuring, scaling and sustaining business value in social media.
I put Userville aside and started something new under the working title of "iPhoneGate--not a hero in the room." Since I was confined to home until a few days ago, I spent a good deal of my time reading every word written by journalists covering it.
Once I could be mobile, I'd go out and start conducting my own interviews.
A few days ago. my friend Ken Yeung stopped by to help me with a project that I could not yet handle on my own.Ken had been a big booster of Twitterville, one of the project's most passionate supporters.
He didn't like the iPhoneGate idea. He told me he already knew more about the story than he wanted to know. He did not share my interest in how it redefines who and what press is and how laws must adjust.
I found myself quietly simmering.
After he was gone, I realized that I had just spent two weeks, and written over 10,000 words without checking with anyone on the concept, not in social media and not off.
Over the last few days, I have learned that most people share Ken Yeung's view and few people share my continuing fascination with iPhoneGate.
So here's the bottom line. I am abandoning both book projects, the first for lack of passion and the second for lack of audience. I'm going to take at least a short break on the book-writing business
I now have a repaired heart and vocationally a blank sheet of paper in front of me. Think I'll do some gardening and then figure out to do with the remainder of this extended life that I now have.
I could end up being something completely different.
Got any suggestions?
{ 10 comments }
Shel,
How can companies tell stories? Who are the story tellers ? How are they getting their published ? From Padmasree Warrior , Jon Scwartz, Jeff Hazylett, Tony Hsieh, Arie Ball all are telling their stories and are part of large corporations. Is there a story here?
Corporations need more story tellers than formal communicators
Shashi
Hi Shel -
I'm very appreciative that you shared your idea for iPhoneGate with me and my intention was not to be dismissive to your idea. The specific topic about Gizmodo and Apple is something I personally have moved past, but during our conversation you raised some interesting questions that had me stuck on and I'd appreciate some insights on. I would encourage you to write something along the tales of iPhoneGate, but frame it from the points that we spoke about while searching for that elusive patio umbrella:
- How has social media changed journalists and just WHO are journalists?
- Where should we draw the line on standards and ethics when it comes to new media?
- Are there any more global issues at stake with more innovations and use of new media that have inevitably changed the journalistic profession that we're not aware of?
Whatever your next book is, I'm sure that I'll need to save money to buy the next 824,203,138 copies of it. :)
Clarification: When I wrote to "write from your heart," I referred to writing about your recent surgery and how both blogging and tweeting and the comments on both helped you through it all. Write about the global neighborhood that surrounded you and followed you wherever you went. Write from your heart as if your heart is a thing that could talk.
Potential first line: "Hi everyone! I am Shel Israel's heart and man oh man, I had a busy life but nothing could prepare me for what Shel's eyes saw and my muscles felt that fateful day in 2010..."
Write from your heart. Literally, like it is a character.
Hi! I'm trying to read http://redcouch.typepad.com/weblog/2008/01/who-should-be-t.html, but within seconds I'm switched to your current page, it's very strange. Might there be a way for me to read that earlier post? tx! -Bruce Spear
I'm with Ari on this one.
What do people need to understand better to improve their life?
Or what storytelling techniques do you want to pass on to others?
How will you equip people with the best of what you know how to do so that they can go forward and do it for themselves?
If you were to council a would-be PR graduate on their next moves, what would they be?
How could you help PR professionals re-cast themselves in our new world?
These are my guesses.
I'm with Ari. And beyond that, if iPhoneGate is the story you're longing to write and tell, then do so. Just because Ken doesn't share your passion shouldn't make it burn any the less. Surely people pooh poohed your efforts with Robert. You're a good writer, a smart and savvy man with a lot of insight. iPhoneGate could be damned interesting, to read and to write.
An idea I've started developing & will start writing on when I've finished my first book is around failure...
There are lots of books using case studies of successful businesses, and while I agree it's a good idea to focus on how to succeed, I also understand that human nature being what it is we do tend to enjoy reading things that don't go so smoothly!
You could write a book showcasing how companies have failed.... everything that you need to avoid, in order to succeed :)
Topic could be social media, but also include other internal & external methods of communication too.
And I do agree with Ari too- whatever you do, write from your heart. Maybe to kick the creative juices flowing you could write about your experience with having your heart fixed?
These are great and very candid thoughts that you share with us (and your sense for the audience and storytelling is always present and fascinating). I can relate to your thoughts very well. Every time I have a great idea it is either my accounting dept that tells me NO GOOD IDEA or the publisher says GREAT and gives me a bad deal to cry over. I still think that in the surroundings of SAP and sdn as one of the largest social communities a lot of stories evolving (see SAPHHIRE). Who contributes, who conducts, who follows and who anticipates technology is still a fascinating question when a storyteller like you is weaving the storynet. I tried to find companies here in Europe who really anticipate social media on a larger scale, but everybody is still looking a little clueless at the things that are happening.
To cut a long comment short, ENTERPRISEVILLE would be a great book. best wishes to you from @industrialist
Yeah, here's an idea: Write from your heart. Literally.
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