David Notik

Search Google for globalization. Click the fourth result. See the latest post. (Thanks, Keith!)

Search Google for future of work. See the second result (it's the first result, really). See the list of important blogs on the right. (Thanks, Jim!)

Searching for either globalization or future of work brings you within two clicks of Woven.

Can you guess what I'm up to?

"What if you fail?", I've been asked by those close to me. They know I'm taking a risk, pushing forward on my ideas, struggling to make it all work.

Well, I certainly ain't going to start flipping burgers. Not that I have anything against that -- my first job was doing just that (I must have been 10 or so) for an informal kosher diner ran out of our small community synagogue in Long Beach, California (might have been worse than Mickey D's in many ways).

So why forgo the security and sanity of a full-time job in the industry?

I'm an impassioned believer in what I'm doing. I believe information technology and the Internet, when applied properly, serve as a catalyst for positive change, and, when combined with the effects of ethical globalization, can radically alter the world for the better. I believe I was given certain skills and blessed with certain experiences for a reason, and that I need to apply them properly. I believe in my mission of empowering people with the tools to work together, regardless of where in the world they are. I believe I have some solid ideas, and I need to take a shot at turning them into reality. And heck, I believe I'll make a lot of money, further enabling me to do the things I believe in.

I came across a fascinating interview with Richard Stallman, the founder of the free software movement. The movement's aim is to give freedom to computer users by replacing proprietary software with restrictive licensing terms with free software. It's very similar to the concept of open source software, where the software is free and its underlying code open to all to mold and enhance, except that Stallman's movement believes proprietary software to be immoral whereas the open source movement does not necessarily. These movements are a vital part of the discussion around software and technology, and indeed have dramatically altered the technology ecosystem, affecting anyone who uses a computer or the Internet.

I haven't blogged in a month, right? Wrong. Well, sorta.

I recently launched the organization I've been pushing towards, called Woven, dedicated to empowering people with the tools to work together effectively regardless of where they are in the world. Just a few public pieces are up while I work on our first product, Workspace.

One of those pieces is the Woven blog, centered on helping people understand the global forces re-shaping our world and how we do business, and exploring how technology can help.

So I've been posting there. I hope you check it out, even though the subject matter is more focused and caters to a more narrow audience. This blog here will continue to be more general, housing my thoughts on technology and the revolution and whatever else, and will evolve as I move forward.

I think Guy Kawasaki's The Art of the Start is an excellent book for those starting a business, especially a technology one. His direct, and often humorous, writing style makes his message really easy to grasp, and his book is filled with clear, practical advice. I really enjoyed reading his book, and I appreciated his take on many of the things I've dealt with, am dealing with, or surely will be dealing with.

With your organization, he stresses, make meaning. That is, have a vision, a purpose, a reason to exist. And make mantra, clearly spell that vision out in a few words that are easy to repeat and that will excite the troops.

With my new organization, Woven, I believe I've made meaning. I believe that empowering people to work together effectively, to change the world, is as a great a cause as any. While I believe I have a clear mission statement that reflects that, I should have a clear mantra. Offhand, I think it might be "empower people" (doesn't it all?) or "connect people" (too vague) or maybe "let people work together globally" -- I obviously need to give it more thought. I want it to reflect a passion for people and our ability to work together to change this world, and that we're empowered via technologies that help us collaborate regardless of where we are. Guy, if you find my blog, can you help?

Today is the day I was born, twenty four years ago.

And today I introduce what I hope will become my magnum opus: the organization I've been pushing towards.

It's called Woven.

Seems Google Spreadsheet is to launch tomorrow.

Rochelle [Google product manager] said the program's main goal is to make it easier for family, friends or co-workers to gain access to the same spreadsheet from different computers at different times, enabling a group of authorized users to add and edit data without having to e-mail attachments back and forth.

"We are totally focused on the sharing aspect," he said.

With this product, Google will have best-in-class e-mail (Gmail), calendaring (Google Calendar), and now spreadsheets (Google Spreadsheet) -- all web-based, nothing to install, accessible from anywhere, and with killer sharing features. Easy to see why the Microsoft empire is being challenged, eh? And that's just looking at the obvious front.

At 15 years old, I was missing alot of school. I was spending many a late night on my computer, and failing to get up at 6AM (if I had even gone to sleep) and be on my way. I was online, by way of a phone wire I had pulled through the heating vent in the ceiling of the basement in my parent's home. I was savoring the relative peace and tranquility of the nights (I have 6 siblings), not to mention the superior connectivity (we shared one phone line at the time).

School, when I made it, paled in comparison to my little world on the computer. Mind you, I went to a great school by most measures, and I regard many of my teachers very highly. Yet, I found most of it uninspiring and unchallenging, and my classmates even more so. (My terrible teens weren't a help either.) I felt like I was somewhere else. And I was.

Google's done it again. Masked in yesterday's seemingly mediocre announcements during Google's Press Day 2006, came what I consider to be major news: Google knows what the future of search looks like, and is well on the way to implementing it.

Then again, maybe Google did in fact let us in on the bigger news, though I'd venture to say most did not understand the enormity of what was being said. Take this quote from Google's press release:

The products all incorporate new capabilities that leverage user communities, enabling users to either share more information with others or benefit from other users' expertise to improve the accuracy of search results.