I overheard someone the other day say, "We want to get into social media, but we'll just start by watching our competition."

I remember thinking, your competition would love you!  Because while you watch, they'll keep discovering and grow beyond what you can do by just watching.

Around the same time I went to hear Ray Avery, social entrepreneur, scientist, inventor and 2010 New Zealander of the Year and Blake Medalist. Inspiring!

Above all else observation was crucial to his early inventions. After that he headed into his garage to apply the magic.

Ray's Intra Ocular Lenses for cataract surgery are expected to restore sight to 30 million people by year 2020. It wouldn't happen if Ray were still just watching.

Whether you're facing change, learning a new skill or pondering whether to make that leap into the unknown, test it then do it! You will never know until you try.

If skill could be gained by watching, every dog would become a butcher
Turkish Proverb

(Photo courtesy of Debbles)

Congratulations to Beth Kanter and Tony Hsieh on their latest books! 

I've been following Beth Kanter for some time now and have absolutely admired her tireless work with non profits, especially in Cambodia.  Her book is called The Networked Nonprofit. 

Tony Hsieh is an inspiring young leader. He's CEO of Zappos and now a New York Times bestselling author of Delivering Happiness.  He's managed to redefine why customer service and culture is fundamental to any business success.

What's on your bookshelf that you can't wait to read?

His industry is recruitment, but it could just as well have been education, publishing, advertising, entertainment ... you name it.

The culprit in all of these cases is social media. And the answer is social media, too, combined with the right mindset.

If you're facing possible extinction in your industry, it's time to get curious. And yet, that's the opposite of how you feel. You feel like you need to do something decisive, to get the right answer, to get the guaranteed result you need.

But there are no right answers. We are all discovering the answers that work for us, as we go. So get curious. Get plugged in. Join a social network that suits your style like Twitter and start following some people who interest you.

I keep saying this a lot but listening is key then engage the way it suits you. Most of all enjoy it and, "be yourself, everyone else is taken" - Oscar Wilde

You also might be interested in Marie Workshops where you get to experience Social Media handson with other professionals facing exactly the same questions as you :)

Have a great weekend!

When was the last time you went to a live music concert? Do you remember walking away with ideas, questions and your thoughts provoked?

Over the weekend we invited some friends to a concert. It wasn't your usual concert, the artist invited a few friends he trusted
to listen to a handful of songs he wrote over the last couple of years. The event was small and intimate and we weren't really sure what to expect.

A few songs into the evening and we were plunged into some deep stuff. I couldn't help but noticed that I missed being around live music of any sort
so I started to image what the sounds would be like if we added percussion, drums, bass, violin etc. Heck I even started to sing along (quietly of course) so I can hear what other part harmonies I could add. 

I came away grateful that my senses were treated to a completely different genre. I hadn't been a passive consumer; I felt like I was at a yum cha restaurant, sampling and tasting different ideas.

What are you listening to lately?

Hello! It's a great day here in Auckland and we are taking some awesome creative people through their first blog post on Posterous.

It's actually Simon writing this message; Marie is leading the workshop.

Talk later.

You probably haven't heard of Kataraina Lio, Lars Malungahu and Ofoi Tamumoelau... let alone being able to pronounce their names.

These 14 year olds traveled to Boston, Massachusetts for the global Teen Summit hosted by Intel Computer Clubhouse Network 2 years ago.

Together with 300 youths from 20 countries they shared their ideas on issues facing our own politicians and communities, such as youth gangs and urban violence.

They went to Boston because of Clubhouse 274, an organisation that's part of the worldwide Computer Clubhouse movement, supported by Intel and Adobe. The clubhouse model, created by MIT's Media Lab and the Museum of Science in Boston.

Clubhouse 274 is the first of many Computer Clubhouses in New Zealand. It's where young people from underserved communities can learn how to create music, video, learn digital media and animation - as well as growing and learning in leadership and interpersonal development.

Otara's an area where many families don't have internet, let alone broadband. It's an opportunity for these young people to participate in the world we're starting to take for granted. 

I'm extremely privilege to be involved and will be sharing more about Clubhouse 274 in Sydney at a workshop for ConnectNow conference.

How can you help? If you can give ANY time - even if it's one hour a month - to invest in the lives of these promising youths, please consider becoming a mentor. Find out other ways you can help :)