I've been writing about this connecting thing for several years, and in a way all of my posts are about seeking connection points in one way or another. Think about how influence depends on a couple of variables, all dealing with relationships to varying degrees.
When treating content as a product, you are connecting ideas with people by building value in it for them. The technologies I review here are executions of the same concept. And I bring conversations with people who are advancing their industries or creating new fields.
Marketers and entrepreneurs do the connecting thing when they identify white space in the market -- we call it innovation.
When you do the connecting thing, you're making a story real, affecting those who are hearing it, and stimulating action -- either by following up with it yourself, or by selling the idea of a follow up to others.
Business executions of connecting
The reason why storytelling is so powerful is that it's open to interpretation. Which is where business executions in a competitive market come in to provide diversity, differentiation, and potentially partnerships along with that competition.
Increasingly, co-opetition, and collaboration are viable business models to solve new problems, some of which brought to the fore by connected people and their relatioships with services and products.
Here are some recent conversations that highlight the need for business executions that connect ideas and people -- to solve a problem, create value, or realign a whole industry to where the value has gone (and by value, I mean things people will pay for or it won't be sustainable):
- many ideas for the news industry from Jeff Jarvis
- Jesse Thorn built a business model for his podcasts
- there are still many areas of opportunity for connection in retail health. Jane Sarasohn-Kahn highlights two recent executions
- using video to reinvent education was Salman Khan's idea, and now a reality that is being sponsored to exist
Helping a client see where they should focus their energy and resources when making a recommendation is about connecting people with ideas through storytelling.
These are just a few I noticed recently. What examples of emerging businesses or executions are impressing you?
[image hat tip Brand New]
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