Since technological advances are a huge part of an "Innovation Society," addressing the appropriate uses of technology, user expectations of immediate attention and response, nearly unlimited access to information (some of it probably private and confidential), and the credibility of internet sources need to be investigated and discussed as part of a leader's continuous learning.

I hope we will be talking about this more in the weeks ahead. -- Nan

From my coaching background we believe all people are complete and whole and able to tap into the wisdom within. When it I apply that to technology and the struggle I have at my age to adapt to it, I have to keep reminding myself how to find the balance. I am delighted with the internet from the standpoint the world library is at my fingertips. I am overwhemed with it because there is so much. For now, I use what I can, in the best way I can and trust the knowledge that attracts my attention is true and good. And if that is not the case at some future time, I will adjust my perpeception of what the truth is. For now, I survive the best I can.

The 'preview' function should be working properly now. I apologize for the frustration--it was all my fault! I had accidentally pasted in the wrong template code into the preview comment template for this blog.

Given my focus on Internet/Web credibility and ethics, I found Betty Jo's comments about trusting Internet sources very interesting and, although disturbing, not unsurprising -- I'm sure the majority of users feel the same way.

My personal warning to all of you is to check your sources and do not trust everything you read. There's a lot of baloney and unsupported claims wandering in cyberspace. Before deciding to take something you read on the Web as absolute truth, check other sites. If you see the same information on three sites, then you can feel more comfortable with it (think of it as getting a second/third opinion). There are plenty of healthcare sites that dole out opinions that are based on misinformation or on a small sector of patients.

And, as the Medical Director of our campus heme/oncology clinic warns, "stay away from HGH!" (This is the Human Growth Hormone that Suzanne Sommers touts along with many others you'll find on the Web -- and it's dangerous.) He finds many of his patients are sucked into that "web" of deceit and suffer consequences. That's just one example of how the Internet can be misleading. While the Internet has virtually formed a flat world and connected us globally, almost as next door neighbors, there is much to be cautious about.

While Suzanne Sommers uses her fame to construct credibility and trust, believes heartily in HGH, and walks the talk, her disseminated information is not complete. Is she a leader?

Re: Cheri's comments...

I would like to reiterate Cheri's comment that information on the internet needs to be verified (I'd even argue that much of what's in print these days needs to be verified as well).

In response to her question regarding Suzanne Sommers, I would have to say she is a leader if people are following. We assume that leaders have to be ethical, credible, etc, but that is what an "exemplary leader" is by our own definition. Leaders can really fall anywhere on the ethical spectrum (e.g. Hitler) and anywhere on the intelligence spectrum (e.g. G.W. Bush--no offense to any Republicans in the class, he's just not the brightest bulb on the tree and I think most everyone agrees on that at this point).

Re: Scott's comments....

There's no avoiding technology anymore and regardless of what form it takes (blogs, PDAs, cellphones), it's not so much what it is as how people use it. Each technology can be as useful as we make it.

I'm ecstatic, personally. I think technological innovations have already proven to have enormous potential for all sectors of life. To get a taste of the power (and to get inspired to conquer it), I recommend the following books:
Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution by Howard Rheingold, The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers, and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics by Matt Bai, The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman, and Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken (which isn't specifically about technology, but highlights its use in global social networking and advocacy).

This exchange about credibility of websites and information they provide is a great example of how the blog can facilitate learning. You now have some suggestions for how to judge content on the web.

Let me add more. Look for information about the authors of the site and try to discover the sources of their information. This relates to something I ask you to examine in your reading reflections: What is the source of the authors' credibility -- credentials, reputation, research methodology, their experience?

We'll also talk about different types of validity in research later in the semester.

I would add to Janelle's list of suggested reading James Surowiecki, Wisdom of Crowds.

Barbara

Credibility on the web is a very interesting issue. Even if you can't determine who wrote what or whether they are credentialed or their information is accurate, there is a certain amount of credibility that is imparted by a website's "pagerank" in google, the number of people are linking to the website, and how far and wide information from that website has been spread around the internet.

It may seem strange, but on the internet, attention=authority. As a web author, if you have a large and dedicated audience or if you are linked regularly on "established" websites, then you essentially have authority on the web.

Also, consider the way in which people search for information on the web. You put your keywords in Google and you look at the first few results returned and maybe (that's a big maybe for most) go on to the next page of results to search a bit deeper. What does this mean? If you are non on the first page of Google Results for a given search term you have little to no credibility on the issue. It used to be that if it wasn't on television, it didn't really exist (for all intents and purposes) in the public mind. Now, if you're not on Google's first page of results when someone's searching for you or for something you have done, you do not exist. Especially considering that the current 20-something generation (e.g. mine, now getting older) and younger folks tend to think in this way, the predominance of Google search listings will become ever more pronounced over time.

Graham,
I'd be interested in hearing how you would go about keeping your Web presence on the first page of Google searches.

I made a new post on this subject, Cheri! Check it out.

Let me twist this thread about leadership and technology to a slightly different place, if I may. In about 1994, I became interested in telephony systems, where information is exchanged between telephones and computers. A company called VoicePoll was founded near Seattle specifically to develop affordable telephony applications for public education. The founders were innovators in the education community who were on good terms with leaders at nearby Microsoft. Needless to say, the kids who attend public schools in the King County area have very savvy parents who want information and want to offer advice, and the school systems knew they needed to "amp" their services.

I was the state communications director for MN School Boards Association as a consultant (and board member in Farmington Public Schools), and few out to look at VoicePoll. Somewhere in this house is a file box with an outstanding study in it that showed a direct relationship between FREQUENCY of contacts and the level of trust a person feels toward an institution initiating that contact. It mattered very little whether the news was good or bad. In fact, to nod toward Terry for a moment, the more authentic the information, the better, as long as it was given as a routine of communication, not a rare event.

I thought this would sell itself. The communications and human resources professions know quite a lot about 360 degree feedback. In fact, if you've seen a 1800# at the bottom of a receipt from a restaurant or gas station or any other retailer lately, you probably linked your touch-tone answers through either that company or one that brokers space on their server just like VoicePoll attempted to do. Schools couldn't afford the infrastructure, but for a relatively low fee they were afforded expert help crafting valid survey questions, out-dial and in-dial services, and completed reports downloaded every 24 hours to the client. You name it, they thought of it, from supressing calls more than once to a fax service to distribute results.

Here's a fun fact I've had trouble explaining to leader clients: If we survey 100 people, the first time response will be typically low (under 10 percent). Many institutions want to quit at that point ("See...! They don't care..."). However, if those answers are compiled and faxed out, fully 90 percent of people who were invited to participate will read the results! If a second survey is offered within a reasonable time, participation goes up tremendously, and again, at least 90 percent will pay attention to results. It's the pattern that makes the difference, along with evidence that the leadership is listening to, and using, the advice it receives. That means it's critical to report back the results to prove the leaders were listening. That's a step that is easy to forget or justify in a time of tight resources. And it's a mistake.

Telephony and Survey Monkey and all kinds of tools exist to build a habit of ask-advice-listen-consider-ask-advice-listen-consider. Leaders need to figure out where to slip in a "decide" in that chain. My experience is, it's always too soon. Wendy

You make an excellent point about continuous communication and ongoing feedback. Asking someone for feedback sets an expectation that you value that information as well as an expectation that something will CHANGE based on that feedback. Using the Survey Monkey is such a leap forward for so many groups -- good opportunity for INNOVATION to leapfrog their activities into a new realm. There is an opportunity to get tech savvy and LEAD this transformation among many institutions and organizations. Can you direct me to some source material? -- nan