Tipping Points

Rights Group makes Fast Company Fast 50!

Speaking of an auspicious beginning to the New Year, kudos to Jed Alpert and the rest of the Mobile Commons/Rights Group team for being named to Fast Company Magazine's Fast 50 list!  The theme of this year's Fast 5o list is Report from the Future, 50 Profit-Driven Solutions for What Ails Our Planet.   What Jed has created is a solution that taps into our frustration with the state of things and allows us to give voice. Wouldn't you make that call to your Senator if it only took one click from your cellphone?  Hundreds of thousands have, which is why NRDC, ACLU, John Edwards, Aveda and Working Assets are among dozens of other clients that have embraced this. 

Mobile rich media platforms are a great dream, but Jed has proven that mobile can do good - and do well - today.

I am proud to have been an investor and part of Jed's first team as his CFO, along with my Tipping Point colleague and CTO Christopher Muscarella and the dynamic duo of Schall Russo. 

Trust and the Press, an Oxymoron

'Trust' seems to be a major preoccupation in big media - at least in the U.K.

Last week, I was in London to speak on a citizen media panel, alongside representatives from three of the UK's large media companies. The three delivered a seamlessly choreographed show of hand-wringing and serious nods over the ostensible lack of quality control among citizen media. 

My own knee-jerk empathy was on full volume during the panel.  But, afterwards, the waves of regret washed over me.  Trust?  Media?  Quality control?  Citizen media?  Wasn't it the constant barrage of citizen media that forced the issue of WMDs to the forefront?  Who bit that story, hook, line and sinker?

Outright lies aside, what about selective data presentation, of which sensationalism is but one flavor?  I was reminded of this in Dan Gillmor's elegantly simple post responding to a Washington Post headline.   

We know that truth is relative, and may be unique based upon the confluence of history, science, and time.  We also know from history that consolidation of power in the hands of a few leads to consolidation of information access, and the inevitably resultant distortions of the truth.  In that environment, we the people should be grateful for our citizen information watchdogs - bloggers.  Keeping big media honest.