But JJ is close to CC, right?

A mystery box: what a great metaphor! JJ – thank you for this conversation. As a relative newcomer, I must admit it’s felt a little Pandora’s box to me at times. I’m intrigued by the magic and mystery, not to mention the sheer hubbub, AND scared that that opening the box will unleash more than I know how to handle!

Just learning the lingo is a wowza. And yes, many do talk techie and forget its still a new and foreign language to most – its almost a secret handshake kind of thing! Did I miss the primer or something…?

I’m not sure how anyone could help but feel a little intimidated by the sheer size and complexity of it all. One thought has really helped me keep it in perspective came from Lois Kelly over at Foghound.com (her book Beyond Buzz is very helpful) when she said its really just about value-driven shared conversation, and we’ve been doing that since we learned how to build fires…

As a ‘newbie’ podcasting life coach learning the ropes (and picking my jaw up off the floor on a semi-regular basis), I see remarkable things out here in fun-land: it’s the perfect platform to refine your capacity to go slow in the fast lane no matter who’s honking at ya; to make best use of – but not be used by – a wired-up-world; to find and stay true to your own voice in a cacophony of sound.

And the remarkeable power and natural wisdom of unleashed creative collaboration combined with the irrepressible urge in us all to share experience and grow together for the benefit of all once free of the mandate to commoditize everything blows my mind!

Transparency. Connection. Real Value & Real Values. Authenticity. Cooperation. Passion. Win/Win/Win. No borders. No boundries. These are the new shared imperatives in the Web 2.0 – and it is a very good thing.

But as I poke about, learning and contributing, its also clear that if you don’t have yourself some good solid life practices – and a strong sense of self – its real easy for your True North to re-align with the revved-up magnetic north of the new tricked-out juggernaut and it’s wide, wide wake of influence and urgency.

Ah well, as my tiny but too-cool-for-school grandma used to tell me, look both ways +1 before crossing the street. Then, when the way is clear, take your time crossing – and be sure wave at all the drivers! You never know when it might be be someone you know.

For some clients, they want to know that New media is not just another gimmick that everyone wants, and for them, providing the groundwork will be important. For others, they just want to feel they have some o’ that Web 2.0 someone told them they had to have, and the underlying issues aren’t necessary. I think the Meatball Sundae applies here, though- you have to make the organization work with an online strategy, which means not all tools will work for all people.

And I think it’s difficult to always appreciate how much we do know, when our work and play seem so integral to each other- social media and new media is a 24/7 thing, not a 9 to 5 clock-punching job.

JJ is incredible, I absolutely loved this talk.