Exciting news: Today, I am delighted to announce a new partnership of my company, The Futures Agency, with Futurist, Author / Blogger and Social Technologist Stowe Boyd. Starting immediately, Stowe will curate the most interesting, relevant and timely content on TFA’s blog, our Facebook page, our @futurefeed Twitter channel and our FutureMemes video blog (to be relaunched soon). We are excited to have Stowe aboard!!
Stowe is an internationally recognized authority on social tools and their impact on media, business, and society. He is best known for his commentary on the social revolution, the rise of social tools, and the new world ahead of us at www.stoweboyd.com and his public speaking.
In recent years Stowe has spoken at Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, Office 2.0, Net:work, Reboot, Defrag, 140 Characters, Lift, Shift, Sibos, TEDxMidAtlantic, and many others. A longer, first-person bio can be found here, and contact info, here.
This year I am embarking on a new, additional mission. You may have already noticed in my Twitter feed and via my Facebook updates that I am expanding my work into various 'green' topics such as sustainability (in particular what has been termed 'sustainable capitalism), climate change and global warming, and renewable energy. While investigating these new topics I am also hard at work on my new book "From Ego to Eco" which will cover some of these issues (in addition to media, culture, politics and what I call 'the networked society) as well.
My new site / blog at GreenFuturist.com was launched a few months ago and is shaping up pretty well, already; I am using it primarily to share updates and interesting snippets culled from my research and 100s of RSS feeds that I scan for the latest developments. Please take a look, read the announcement (also below), comment, follow me on Tumblr, or subscribe to the GreenFuturist RSS feed. You may also want to visit (and like?) my new Facebook 'Green Futurist' page, or check out my new @AGreenFuturist Twitter channel.
I also recommend you follow my new public Kindle notes on Amazon - this is starting to be a good resource and I am sharing notes on 30+ books there.
I have just confirmed my first public appearance as 'Green Futurist' at the EcoSummit 2012 in Berlin, on March 22nd (first thing in the morning), and look forward to maybe seeing you there (on-location or virtually) if at all possible.
Here is the official announcement of my new Mission 2012.
ANNOUNCING GREEN FUTURIST
I have worked in digital music, media and in the Internet business since 1995. Since 2001 I have worked as an independent Futurist with a focus on media, content, entertainment and publishing, technology, telecom as well as in marketing, branding and communications.
In 2012, I will expand my activities into a new direction which I like to call ”Green Futures”, encompassing issues such as sustainability, climate changeand carbon reduction, alternative and renewable energies, the future of transportation, a new type of capitalism that is not (just) based on profit and growth (as I call it, shifting from EGO to ECO), environmental action, eco-tourism and the future of the tourism, the ‘greening’ of business; and in general, the radical changes that a post-growth society will certainly demand of us, very soon.
Venture capitalist John Doerr said in his seminal and deeply moving 2007 Ted talk on green technologies, quoting KPCP Founder Eugene Kleiner: “there are times when the appropriate response is panic”. Without wanting to push the panic button even more frequently, or harder, than other futurists before me, I must admit that I also feel that we urgently must consider sweeping changes in how we live, work and do business.
I therefore want to use my somewhat tried-and-tested speaking and presentation skills to address perhaps the most important issue there is: how we can we change the way we live, how we operate our businesses, define our policies and direct our governments; and how we will use and replenish our planet’s resources, going forward.
I believe that if we don’t stop borrowi ng from our own future, and if we don’t start paying the real price for what our ever-increasing consumption actually costs (or maybe even curtail our consumption??), we have a very good chance at losing everything we value, today, in the next 20-50 years. We may lose our oceans, our forests, our glaciers, our rivers, our wildlife, our breathable air and our clean water - and this is not a world that I want my children, or grand-children, to live in.
Maybe we can no longer be content with ‘tinkering around the edges’, making only minor dents into this rapidly widening path to destruction. Maybe we need large, sweeping actions that will require significant sacrifices from us. It is these conversations and actions I want to further with my work as Green Futurist.
"I am a longtime commentator on how the digital, mobile and social-media revolution has left Publishers reeling and in a state of total change or even disruption. This is a call to action to transform your business to embrace and conquer the digital age. Failure to do so will mean inevitable friction, market confusion and possibly a dysfunctional content ecosystem, when on the other hand you could stand to profit from long term revenue generating opportunities.
It is often said that where attention flows money follows (*Kevin Kelly kk.org), but the question is how, where and when to convert them. Today, digital natives are viewers, users, followers, friends, co-creators, co-producers or crowd-sourced collaborators, all-in-one. Going forward, data is becoming the new oil, and understanding, analysing, predicting and staying ahead of your ‘connected consumers’ is quickly becoming a MUST for your business in 2012 and beyond!
So far, technological content protection measures have not been successful. Instead, future ‘protection’ will need to come from the business models and from social cohesion. Delivering tangible value and inventing new free, freemium, feels-like-free models will be crucially important. Just look at Skype, Spotify, Amazon and the undisputed master of ‘free’ – Google. You need to asses the role ‘free’ will play in your business. How will you monetize your content and which new and innovative revenue generating concepts will transform the commercial prospects of your business? Yes, methods of monetizing content are fragmented, but also much more powerful, immediate and liquid than ever. This industry, this transitional period and the World e-Reading Congress 2012 are all key opportunities to harness your digital footprint and develop strategies that will pay dividends in solid revenue. I look forward to meeting you all at the World e-Reading Congress next May.” Gerd Leonhard, CEO, The Futures Agency – Opening Keynote Speaker 2012.
Many of you may be following my various Twitter streams such as @gleonhard (my main and most popular channel, usually delivers short comments on what I read elsewhere, always-a-link-concept), @futuresagency (my company's account, with news, updates and retweets from our partners and speakers), @dailywisdoms (the name says it all), @futurefeed (where all Futures Agency partners can tweet futuristic stuff they find relevant), @futurememes (where we are building a video-centric twitter stream based on the budding FutureMemes.org tumblr blog), @music2dot0 (all tweets pertaining to the topic of my 2nd book, Music 2.0) or @derfuturist (tweets and updates in German, mostly).
What is sometimes lacking is the ability to actually reply publicly and have something akin to a conversation, i.e. less broadcast and more narrowcast. This has been hard to do using my @gleonhard account because many of my followers seem to find it rather irrating to see too many replies in my twitter stream, and have let me know that they don't like to have to follow other people's conversation.
I have therefore decided to establish a twitter channel that is dedicated only to conversations, at @talktogerd . You can follow me there and ask any question you want, or comment on my work, and I will try to respond to you right away. I hope you like the idea and will follow me there, as well.
My company, The Futures Agency, is hiring a talented and creative Content Curator. This position is virtual i.e. not in our office, so you can be based anywhere. Start date is January 10, 2012.
The Futures Agency and its 25 partners helps companies, organizations and individuals to better understand - and then, act upon - the challenges and opportunities facing us in the next 2-5 years. We aim to develop and make tangible the most important foresights, and work with our clients to imagine and create their preferred futures. We are structured as a virtual organization with global reach, and offer a variety of unique and customized services to our clients, worldwide, such as think-tanks and seminars, keynote speeches and provocations.
To enhance our online presence and to better contribute to the conversations via our many social media platforms we are looking for a part-time, freelance digital media expert to serve as content curator for our various online channels such as our blog, our various Twitter channels, Youtube, Tumblr, Facebook and Slideshare.
Your role:
Research, identify and evaluate suitable sources (including those run by TFA's partners)
Publish the best and most relevant content (i.e. realizations, stories, bottom-lines and other valuable nuggets) via our various online / social media channels, as well as on our mobile apps
Occasionally write summaries of posts and essays submitted by our team members
Develop and implements strategies to build TFA's relationships and visibility online
Follow new media developments and introduce new tools to enhance TFA's global reach
Your skills
Deep interest and some experience in discovering future trends and delivering foresights, specifically in digital media, content and communications as well as in the topics listed below
Excellent understanding of social media and online publishing platforms
Ability to work fast and curate a large number of incoming content on many different topics (including video)
Excellent command of the English language (you don't have to be a native speaker but flawless English is required)
You must be able to work independently i.e. remotely with our CEO (Gerd Leonhard) and the team in Switzerland as well as with our partners, globally, and in various time-zones
Some of our topics
The Future of Business
Media / Content
Social Media, Social Networking & Social Commerce
eCommerce and Retailing
Telecoms & Wireless
Advertising, Marketing & Branding
Public Relations & Communications
Copyright and IPR
Recorded Music & Music Publishing
Radio, TV & Broadcasting
Online Gaming & Virtual Worlds
Film / TV / Video
Print / News / Journalism
Education & Training
Cultural Policy
Travel & Tourism, Future of Conferences & Conventions
Banking and Financial Services
We offer an exiting, open and highly interesting work environment with a high potential for learning, self-realization and growth and are open to candidates from any and all global regions. This position is being offered on a flexible free-lance basis at an estimated 10-12 hours per week. You will be working from your own (home) office and bill us by the end of the month.
Please send your Resumé/CV and a brief summary of our qualifications for this position to [email protected]
This ITU’s Quickfire Storytelling session brings together some of the world’s leading futurists to share bold ideas and conflicting predictions of how the world might look in 10 years’ time. -> October 26, 2011, Palexpo, Geneva, starting 16h, Storytelling Session #2 F17
The adoption of connected technologies is driving change at an unprecedented rate. ICTs will transform the very nature of business, education and the way that global citizens communicate and share information. Short snappy stories will offer insights into the future, from a variety of perspectives in a variety of styles. These science-fiction tales will be based on science-fact; sometimes contentious, sometimes irreverent, but always thought-provoking, will catalyze dynamic debate.
All stories will be presented in the Quickfire Format: 10 slides // 30 seconds per slide // up to 10 words or an image per slide // once they click they can’t stop. This session was co-curated with The Futures Agency.
Las tendencias mundiales y previsiones: El futuro de los contenidos en una sociedad digital. Gerd Leonhard (Suiza):
Gerd Leonhard, el Futurolo más importante del mundo en el sector de las Telecomunicaciones e Internet, en su conferencia abordará dos temáticas importantes para la industria; "Global trends and foresights: The Future of content in a digital society" y "The future of content: Where is the money?, How to monetize content in a digital society". Habrá lugar para un panel de discución con Alejandro González, CEO de Braiz Games- a Zio studio, Liliana Andrade de Parlante Amarillo y Tuyo Isaza.
Organizador:
Ministerio de Tecnologías de Ia Información y las Comunicaciones
Join me for this event next week - should be fun (and it’s free :)smarterplanet:
Join our next live, interactive virtual panel discussion on the IBM Global Business Services Video Channel on Livestream. SIGN UP HERE
Date: Thursday, September 8, 1230pm ESTTopic: Mobile commerce is poised to take a great leap forward over the next ten years. How will it change the digital landscape in the process?Panelists:Alon Kronenberg, Practice Lead, Mobile Applications Practice, IBM Global Business Services (Host)James Wester, Editor of Mobile Payments Today (@jameswester)Molly Garris - Director, Digital Strategy at Arc Worldwide (@girliefromthed)Gerd Leonhard - CEO and Founder, The Futures Agency (@gleonhard)Set a reminder to join IBM and our virtual panel of thought leaders to examine how mCommerce may reshape our lives over the next ten years.See all our past vPanel webcasts (as a bit.ly bundle), and subscribe to the vPanel Series.
I started using Tumblr a year ago, and because of its easy use of viral tools and instant-post options via Instapaper etc I have build a pretty good following there, already. I usually post interesting snippets I find via Twitter, Flipboard or my 1000+ RSS feeds (no, I don't actually read all of them), and only the most crucial ones are presented. In other words, this is not a river but a drip-feed:) Check it out at Futureof.biz , on any mobile devices try the new Conduit-powered mobile app.
It's about time to get a bit more precise about what my new company - The Futures Agency - actually does; and so I did what I do best - make a presentation:). We are very lucky to be extremely busy; with many think-tanks, workshops and seminars already booked for 2011, with many really amazing clients. Be sure to also visit (and LIKE:) us on Facebook, Twitter, Slideshare, Youtube and LinkedIn. Let me know how you like my preso, below.
My new company, The Futures Agency, just launched its own company page on Facebook, here. Many of TFA's partners will be posting regular updates here, and share videos, slideshows and images, so be sure to come by and LIKE us to stay connected. Thanks!
Keynote Speaker, Think-Tank Leader, Futurist, Author & Strategist, Idea Curator, some say Iconoclast | Heretic, CEO TheFuturesAgency, Visiting Prof FDC Brazil, Green Futurist
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