Insight Community

One of the most difficult concepts to grasp, at times, is the difference between a zero-sum game and a non-zero-sum game. This becomes especially evident when discussing skilled immigration in America. There are many who are quite against the idea of giving visas to skilled foreigners to come to the US, believing that these individuals "take away jobs" from Americans. The only problem is that this is not supported by the data. That's because jobs are not a zero-sum game. There is not a set number of jobs that cannot change. And skilled immigrants have a long history of not just coming to the US, but also in creating a significant number of new jobs.

The importance of skilled immigrants in driving new jobs has been known for years, but the trend has only accelerated over the past decade. That older study found that 25% of Silicon Valley companies were founded by immigrants. A more recent Duke study found that this number has spread throughout the US: of tech- or engineering-related companies founded across the US, over 25% were founded by immigrants. In Silicon Valley, the number is now 52.4%. These companies are creating tremendous new job opportunities, not taking them away. Growing jobs is quite important.

Furthermore, it's difficult to see how keeping skilled immigrant labor out of the country helps the US. Those same workers do not disappear. Instead, they join tech companies in their homeland, where they end up competing against US companies. Shouldn't we want the best and smartest individuals working for US companies and helping to create US jobs, rather than the alternative?

Many of the concerns about skilled labor immigration tend to focus on the controversial H-1b program, with most of the complaints pointing to various abuses with the program. But we shouldn't be throwing out a good idea (encouraging skilled labor to come build companies in the US) with the fact that the program itself has been abused at times. If there are abuses, let's fix the abuses, while looking at better ways to encourage immigration from those we want to help us building our economy.

The Innovation Movement is an effort by the Consumer Electronics Association to make more people aware of such issues, and to make sure that Congress actually takes these issues into account, rather than just focusing on the patriotic headline while ignoring the unpatriotic results.

In this Insight Community Conversation, we're looking for thoughtful and well-written discussions on skilled labor immigration, and how to best encourage it. These can be ideas on how to respond to critics of skilled immigration programs, how to improve our current programs (such as the H-1b), or even brand new ideas for how the US could best encourage skilled immigration and enabling the creation of more jobs in the high tech sector. The best results will be used as posts on the Innovation Movement website.

We all know that the economy is in tough shape these days, and (as always happens in such situations) there's often a misguided push to put up trade barriers to try to force people to "Buy American." Of course, time and time again, such trade barriers have proven to actually do tremendous harm to Americans, rather than help them. We're already seeing this with friendly trading partners like Canada threatening to retaliate. That retaliation harms American jobs much more than any jobs "gained" from such protectionist barriers (as pointed out by the non-partisan and highly respected Peterson Institute). On top of that, by adding barriers on goods that Americans want, the end result is only that Americans end up paying *more* for their goods -- not exactly an outcome consumers are likely to appreciate during an economic downturn.

Granted, it's quite easy to understand the patriotic feeling behind a "Buy American" clause -- and we all want to support our country. But the problem is that in not paying attention to the actual impact, and pretending that there are no "unintended consequences," a Buy American clause can be detrimental to America in the long run. That doesn't seem particularly patriotic.

The Innovation Movement is an effort by the Consumer Electronics Association to make more people aware of important policy issues, and to make sure that Congress actually takes relevant data into account, rather than just focusing on the patriotic headline while ignoring the unpatriotic results.

In this Insight Community Conversation, we're looking for thoughtful and well-written discussions on the pros and cons of a "Buy American" clause for US policies. The best results will be used as posts on the Innovation Movement website.

As anyone who reads Techdirt regularly knows, copyright is a big issue around here -- with particular concern in how certain industries have used copyright law not for its intended and stated purpose (to promote the progress) but for exactly the opposite reason. It's been used time and time again as a weapon against progress and innovation, by industries who saw that innovation as a threat to their business model. In the 1980s, Hollywood tried to outlaw the VCR, declaring it "the Boston Strangler" of the movie industry. The reality was exactly the opposite. The VCR helped revitalize the movie industry and provided the fuel that grew the industry throughout the last two decades. Then, a decade ago, the music industry tried to kill the first MP3 players, again insisting that a portable MP3 player would destroy the music industry. Once again, they failed -- and once again, their own failure has helped to save them. A recent Harvard study found that the success of the digital music market has grown the overall ecosystem and resulted in much greater output in music.

But, still, the industry fights such advances, often using a variety of different tactics, including lobbying and lawsuits. On this front, they've been winning a lot more than losing lately, to their own detriment. Copyright has been extended and changed over and over again, now covering significantly more than it ever did and ever was intended to cover. And certain industries are using that to their advantage. In two recent court rulings, the Hollywood movie studios were able to prevent two different innovative products from hitting the market, since both involved making backup copies of DVDs. Even though these were both designed for perfectly legitimate reasons, both were banned, due to copyright or copyright-related issues.

Imagine how different the movie industry would be if the VCR were not allowed? Imagine how different the music industry would be today if the iPod was illegal? Yet, we're unable to know how different the music industry would be today if Napster has been allowed to live, and the industry had found a way to monetize via its platform. And now we likely won't be able to find out how the movie industry would be different if people could back up their movies legally (there are, of course, unauthorized options for both, but that, too, limits their ability to advance and innovate).

The Innovation Movement is an effort by the Consumer Electronics Association to make more people aware of such issues, and to make sure that Congress actually takes these issues into account, rather than just focusing on the patriotic headline while ignoring the unpatriotic results.

In this Insight Community Conversation, we're looking for thoughtful and well-written discussions on the importance of not letting copyright stand in the way of innovation. How can politicians better understand the negative impacts of certain industries using copyright to protect old business models and take away consumer rights? The copyright system supporters can always point to the past -- noting the successes of the industry and (often incorrectly) attributing it entirely to copyright. But it's hard for innovators to point to the future of what could be if they were allowed to innovate freely. We're looking for discussions on ways to better make this point to politicians, journalists, consumers and (yes) the very industries that have been fighting so hard to protect their old business models. Present a convincing argument on why innovation is key, and holding it back with copyright is bad for everyone. The best results will be used as posts on the Innovation Movement website.

 

The business of print has always been a risky one. While the printing press made it much cheaper to print, there were still significant fixed costs involved. In order to make it economically feasible to print something, you had to make sure there were enough buyers, which involved significant forecasting. There were also significant costs associated with setting up each print run, such that it wasn't economically reasonable to do really custom work. Thankfully, in the past few decades advances in various technologies have made it cheaper and cheaper -- even as the rise of the internet has led many to write off the opportunities for print publishing, and even suggest that paper was dying.

Yet, what if that same trends, of ever decreasing technology costs combined with increasing quality and internet connectivity, enable a new era of print? These trends have the ability to enable things that simply couldn't be done before. We're seeing the beginnings of this with print-on-demand and self-publishing services, but where does it go from here? How far will these technology trends take us in creating totally new opportunities for print? When it's easy and cost effective to not just self-publish, but *micro-publish* suddenly the entire stream of possibilities becomes different. A photographer can publish a special magazine for every attendee at a wedding (even with the attendee's photo customized to be on the front). Or a novelist can let fans buy each chapter to be delivered fresh each month (or week!) as she finishes it. A textbook maker can create a totally customizable textbook, listing out a series of chapters online, allowing professors/teachers/students to create their own combination based on what works best for them.

And those are just a few starter ideas. HP is sponsoring this conversation (with more info at futureofprint.com) about how these trends will enable all sorts of new possibilities and business models. What new opportunities will be enabled thanks to ever cheaper print-on-demand offerings that combine customization, high quality and the connectivity of the internet? What new businesses may spring out of this convergence? What new hobbies, side projects, cultural artifacts? We're looking for creative thinking on where these trends will take us and what they'll enable.

Continuing our string of useful conversations, Register.com is sponsoring a series of discussions at the Insight Community concerning the development of a web presence by small business owners. Selected insights generated here will be featured on Register.com's Learning Center to benefit beginners in the small business community who are looking to build robust online websites.

For this first case, we're looking for recommendations on how business owners and entrepreneurs can get started with their efforts to expand their business online. Given the maturity of online advertising and the internet as a communication channel for customer service, how can small businesses take advantage of email, websites and web services to acquire new customers or increase customer loyalty? What metrics should a small business monitor to judge its online efforts? What kind of expertise does a business need to create a long-term online plan?

These are not the only questions to answer, but merely a sampling of some interesting topics. When submitting your contribution, avoid simply answering the questions listed here and develop your own unique insights for an approximately 200-500 word article that a small business audience would find interesting and enlightening.

Selected insights from this case will be re-published on Register.com's small business resource website, and the goal is to create a collection of educational articles aimed at a non-technical audience.

Intel and IBM would like to get the Insight Community's thoughts on what virtualization (in the IT context) means to you.  

They will be hosting the best thoughts on this subject on their new site, Virtualization Conversation.

Pick ONE of the following topics and expand on it to discuss your views on the subject in approximately 750 to 1,500 words.

• Maximizing the business value of data centers
• Virtualization benchmarks
• The benefits of virtualization
• Improving efficiencies in the work environment

We're looking for views from folks in the IT world, giving some insight into their real world experiences on these topics. Eight Three responses will be chosen and placed on the Virtualization Conversation site.

Update: Intel and IBM were so pleased with the quality of responses, that they have increased the number of insights that they would like to use from three to eight.  Thanks everyone for your excellent insights!

From both the digital nomad's perspective and the perspective of anyone who manages digital nomads, one of the biggest challenges is in maintaining productivity on the go. For some, the freedom of being a digital nomad allows them to be more productive, by letting them work at the best time and the most convenient places. However, for others, the lack of structure makes productivity difficult. For those of you who are digital nomads, what strategies do you employ to make sure you remain motivated and productive on the go. For those of you who manage digital nomads, what strategies are there to employ to keep your workforce motivated, even if they're not under the same level of supervision and communication as in-house employees?

Dell is sponsoring the conversations here, and the best results will be placed on a site sponsored by Dell: http://whitepaper.digitalnomads.com/. The content may later also be added to a whitepaper and a wiki on the subject, representing the world's first "crowdsourced whitepaper." While Dell is sponsoring the conversation, the content is vendor neutral. Just provide your insights on the question at hand.

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular Cases here for the Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each Challenge Case will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

Talking loudly on a cell phone in public is pretty much universally frowned upon. There have been plenty of attempts to ban mobile phones in classrooms and theaters, but is there a better way to let phone users know when it's not appropriate to use their phones? Are there technological solutions that would help? What do you think of subvocal microphones or software that would prevent dangerous or impolite phone use? What kind of etiquette rules would you suggest for various locations? How could these rules best be enforced?

 

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular Cases here for the Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each Challenge Case will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

More and more mobile phones are flaunting Qwerty keyboards and fast internet connections, and at the same time, smaller than sub-notebook computers are trying to break into the market to offer phone-like portability. Will these approaches eventually converge? Would you buy a Nokia subnotebook? How will 3G data plans affect the evolution of mobile computing? How would you predict the growth of smarterphone (or sub-subnotebook) adoption? What factors will accelerate the growth of mobile computing? What sort of milestones will signify a new era of mobile internet devices? When will these milestones occur?

We're looking to get insights into how individuals and the workplace are changing due to an increasingly "mobile" workforce -- thanks to things like widespread laptop and mobile device usage, as well as wireless connectivity. These days, "working" no longer means "being in the office." People and employees have truly become "Digital Nomads."  We're hosting a series of cases exploring different aspects related to this new mobile workforce. Dell is sponsoring the conversations here, and the best results will be placed on a site sponsored by Dell: http://whitepaper.digitalnomads.com/. The content may later also be added to a whitepaper and a wiki on the subject. While Dell is sponsoring the conversation, the content is vendor neutral. Just provide your insights on the question at hand.

One of the biggest challenges a digital nomad faces is keeping in touch with coworkers, team members or partners, when the group is not in the same physical space most of the time.  These days, many rely on tools like instant messaging, wikis, collaborative workspaces, email and other tools to keep everyone on the same page.  What are some tips and tricks that you've found for keeping a group of digital nomads working together well?  What were some of the downsides and challenges?  How were those overcome or minimized?

We're looking to get insights into how individuals and the workplace are changing due to an increasingly "mobile" workforce -- thanks to things like widespread laptop and mobile device usage, as well as wireless connectivity. These days, "working" no longer means "being in the office." People and employees have truly become "Digital Nomads." Over the next few weeks and months, we'll be hosting a series of cases exploring different aspects related to this new mobile workforce. Dell is sponsoring the conversations here, and the best results will be placed on a site sponsored by Dell: http://whitepaper.digitalnomads.com/. The content may later also be added to a whitepaper and a wiki on the subject. While Dell is sponsoring the conversation, the content is vendor neutral. Just provide your insights on the question at hand.

We all know that more employees are becoming Digital Nomads, but from a business and IT perspective, how do you determine if this is a net benefit or a net loss?  Do you do anything to measure the specific ROI of having a dispersed workforce?  If so, how are you measuring it?  What have you found?  What would make it easier to determine the ROI of having a distributed workforce?  Basically, we're looking for any discussion that can speak to the ROI (good or bad) of having a workforce made up of Digital Nomads.

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular Cases here for the Techdirt Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each Challenge Case will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

Many years ago, mobile phones were seen as gadgets that could come in handy for emergencies. Obviously, now that mobile phones are ubiquitous, mobile communication is seen more as a convenience. Emergencies that call for the use of a mobile phone now include letting someone know that there's no more milk in the fridge. But mobile phones are still extremely useful in emergency situations, so before we forget about that, what are some best practices for using mobile phones for safety purposes? What phone features or services are useful for parents to keep track of their children? How can GPS functions on mobile phones make users safer? Besides not driving while talking on the phone, what other activities should people avoid doing with their phones? Can you dispel any 'dangerous' myths about using mobile phones? How can mobile phones be used to keep everyone safer?

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular Cases here for the Techdirt Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each Challenge Case will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

If you've used a mobile banking interface, we're looking for reviews on how well it performs. Which kinds of banking-by-phone interfaces are the most useful? Is the traditional automated menu system (eg. "press 1 to transfer funds") still your favorite? What kinds of mobile banking or payment services are becoming more popular? Do you think 4-digit PINs are secure enough for mobile banking -- or can you imagine more secure authentication methods for banking-by-phone? How else can mobile phones help you to manage your spending or financial affairs?

 

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular Cases here for the Techdirt Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each Challenge Case will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

As the new TV season begins in the US, plenty of new shows are trying to engage their audiences with additional mobile content and communication with viewers. So what kinds of mobile offerings are most interesting for TV audiences? Reality TV shows such as American Idol have always had voting lines, but are there more interactive mobile services that tie into TV shows? Which popular TV shows have made mobile games, mobile audience participation, mobile phone art or streaming mobile videos? What is the quality of these offerings? How do you see TV shows and mobile content converging -- or staying apart? Do you think people will start watching their favorite shows on their cell phones, and if so, when?

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular Cases here for the Techdirt Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each Challenge Case will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

Google has announced its Android Market for its up-and-coming mobile technology platform, and Microsoft has similarly publicized its SkyMarket for selling applications on its Windows Mobile systems. While these developments still need to gestate for several more months before consumers can get their hands on them, what are the prospects for these projects? Do you think that more developers will result in better mobile applications for these platforms? How do you think Google and Microsoft will handle issues such as security (ie. making sure apps don't contain viruses) as well as usefulness? Will other players like Nokia follow suit? What will so many mobile app platforms mean to consumers? Will phone apps need to be compatible with other phone apps?  Are you looking forward to more open mobile platforms with third-party applications?

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular Cases here for the Techdirt Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each Challenge Case will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

The US Presidential election is getting closer and closer with major political conventions on the way. For those who can't seem to get enough news updates on the candidates, what are the best mobile-friendly communities that track the political campaigns? How can a politically-active individual keep up with their favorite politicians or issues on his/her mobile phone (beside using Google/Yahoo news)? Do you know of any innovative uses of mobile phone technologies to promote political efforts? Also, we're looking for how to follow local politics as well, not just national elections -- as long as your submission isn't too focused on a specific small town. Additionally, feel free to suggest your own topics within this subject.

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular Cases here for the Techdirt Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each Challenge Case will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

Schools and colleges are about to resume session, so what kind of mobile phone services could make starting classes a bit easier to handle? What kinds of mobile phone tips are there for students about to meet a bunch of new classmates and roommates? What phone services would you recommend for students who may be adapting to a new and unfamiliar location? Are there services for parents to help kids adjust to new schedules -- such as the Wal-Mart/Disney wakeup call service featuring Hannah Montana? What other mobile services might help students get the most out of school or make classes more enjoyable?

We're looking to get insights into how individuals and the workplace are changing due to an increasingly "mobile" workforce -- thanks to things like widespread laptop and mobile device usage, as well as wireless connectivity. These days, "working" no longer means "being in the office."  People and employees have truly become "Digital Nomads." Over the next few weeks and months, we'll be hosting a series of cases exploring different aspects related to this new mobile workforce. Dell is sponsoring the conversations here, and the best results will be placed on a site sponsored by Dell: http://whitepaper.digitalnomads.com/. The content may later also be added to a whitepaper and a wiki on the subject. While Dell is sponsoring the conversation, the content is vendor neutral. Just provide your insights on the question at hand.

The fact that workers are so mobile these days increases the challenges from a security perspective.  No longer do IT folks have full control over what's being done on a computer and what network they attach to.  Suddenly there are entirely new challenges for keeping corporate information secure.  On top of that, there are additional challenges from the threat of lost or stolen computer devices and data snooping on open WiFi networks.  So how are IT professionals taking on this challenge?  What tricks have you learned to keep a diverse workforce secure?  And from an individual standpoint, how much do you rely on your IT staff or how much responsibility do you take in keeping yourself secure?

In general, as a guideline, answers should be around 500 words. That's not a definitive guideline, but that's about what we're expecting. You don't have to answer all of the questions here, but can pick just the one or two you feel you have the most insight on. Or, if you feel you can answer multiple ones in detail, feel free to write up separate insights.

Entries chosen to go on the site will get a share of the pot.  The pot will be split depending on how many insights are chosen.

 

We're looking to get insights into how individuals and the workplace are changing due to an increasingly "mobile" workforce -- thanks to things like widespread laptop and mobile device usage, as well as wireless connectivity. These days, "working" no longer means "being in the office." People and employees have truly become "Digital Nomads." Over the next few weeks and months, we'll be hosting a series of cases exploring different aspects related to this new mobile workforce. Dell is sponsoring the conversations here, and the best results will be placed on a site sponsored by Dell: http://whitepaper.digitalnomads.com/. The content may later also be added to a whitepaper and a wiki on the subject. While Dell is sponsoring the conversation, the content is vendor neutral. Just provide your insights on the question at hand.

While a dispersed workforce has many advantages these days, it also creates some challenges: such as keeping workers on the same page and functioning as a team. There's no more watercooler to gather around, and a lot less informal chitchat over cubicle walls. What strategies have you taken to keep dispersed mobile teams on the same page and working productively as a team, rather than as a group of separate individuals? What strategies work best? Which sounded good but didn't live up to expectations? What other tools would make keeping a nomadic workforce even easier?

In general, as a guideline, answers should be around 500 words. That's not a definitive guideline, but that's about what we're expecting. You don't have to answer all of the questions here, but can pick just the one or two you feel you have the most insight on. Or, if you feel you can answer multiple ones in detail, feel free to write up separate insights.

Entries chosen to go on the site will get a share of the pot. The pot will be split depending on how many insights are chosen.

 

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular Cases here for the Techdirt Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each Challenge Case will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

More and more mobile applications are aimed at monitoring people's health and recommending healthy foods/activities. What are some interesting mobile services or applications that can help mobile phone users stay healthy? (Note: please try to avoid iPhone-specific apps!) Do you think more mobile phones will integrate biophysical sensors -- such as heartrate monitors? Are there good mobile exercise applications or mobile dieting programs? Do you have an anecdotal story of how a mobile phone app has helped you (or someone you know) maintain a healthy regimen?

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular Cases here for the Techdirt Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each Challenge Case will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

With the Olympics poised to start in early August, how can sports fans follow their favorite events? Will NBC cover everything? What other sources of Olympic games news can be accessed on mobile phones? What do you think of Yahoo's mobile services for following the Olympics? How good do you think Fring's coverage will be? Which Olympic Twitters will be the ones to follow? How can mobile phone users keep track of the events and discuss the games?  Do you think the less mainstream sources will be more engaging to sports fans?