I love the road. Whether it is the open road for driving or the roads to the future. Last year, Ford and I teamed up for the pitchstops on the road to the Web 2.0 Expo. Today, I am happy to announce that Ford and I will be getting on the road again. This time I will travel to the Somesso conference in Zürich on the 2nd and 3rd of November.
Somesso focuses on corporate social media and this time has a very clear focus on the combination of social media and finances. And as Somesso is held in Zürich, it is a perfect conference to visit if you are into finances. So far, many of the main financial institutions will be attending to learn about the combination of social media and finances.
I know that many have their own thoughts on how social media should change the way in which we approach money. This is why I have chosen to use this trip as a platform to share these thoughts. This time you can climb in the back of Ford’s luxurious Galaxy to share your views on how social media could change the financial sector. Anyone and everyone with a clear vision on social media and finances is welcome. Naturally, we would love it if you have taken action on your vision and have a business that leads the way. If not? We would love to hear your vision anyway.
All the interviews we will record during the trip will be posted on www.pitchstops.com. I say “we” record as I will be joined on the road by Steven Kruyswijk who will be on camera duty during the trip. And besides posting the videos on the site, we will also be officially presenting them to the audience at Somesso, on stage. So, your thoughts will be heard by a very influential group of financial professionals. Another reason to take part.
For our last trip you needed to be present to take part. This time however, I have decided to broaden the scope. After all, the financial sector has had a huge impact on our lives over the past year. This has gotten a lot of people thinking about alternative ways to organize finances. If you have your own view, but cannot make it to the car, you can still participate. Make a short video of yourself of three minutes maximum, upload it to youtube and send me the link to the video. Yes, I will be screening the videos first, but all worthwile contributions will be added to www.pitchstops.com.
So, lets get shooting! The Pitchstops car will make its first stop in Amsterdam on Friday the 30th of October. After that we will stop in Antwerp, and possibly in Brussels, Luxemburg, Strasbourg and Zürich. None of these stops have officially been planned yet, so give us your ideas for a great location that does not take long to get to (from the highway) and get people to come join us in the Ford Galaxy.
Gisteren met opperste verbazing zitten lezen over de rechtzaak die Autobedrijf Zwartepoorte heeft aangespannen tegen Miljoenhuizen.nl. Uiteraard heb ik het uit de media moeten vernemen, maar het lijkt erop dat Autobedrijf Zwartepoorte Miljoenhuizen.nl enkel aanklaagt voor smaad op basis van de zoekresultaten van Google. Door “Zwartepoorte failliet” in te tikken en er op te zoeken vind men dat de indruk gewekt zou worden dat het autobedrijf inderdaad failliet is. Doordat de geruchten al een tijdje gonzen, zou de zaak behoorlijke schade ondervinden van mensen die nu geen zaken meer met Autobedrijf Zwartepoorte willen doen.
Het artikel in de PZC
Het is een geweldige rechtzaak die goed laat zien hoe weinig er eigenlijk nagedacht wordt over de manier waarop Google werkt. Maar ook een zaak die aantoont hoe klakkeloos er overgenomen wordt wat op internet gezegd wordt. Bij Miljoenhuizen.nl komt het zoekresultaat blijkbaar voort uit de combinatie van twee comments waarin in een iets wordt gezegd over een ander bedrijf dat failliet is en in een ander wordt iets gezegd over Autobedrijf Zwartepoorte. Een toeval dat een zoekresultaat oplevert waarmee de eigenaren niet blij zijn. En op zich wel begrijpelijk. Alleen is het wel zo dat een zoekresultaat op deze manier nooit voorkomen kan worden.
Ik ben heel benieuwd naar het resultaat en de uitspraak. Mocht Autobedrijf Zwartepoorte in het gelijk worden gesteld, dan stem ik er in ieder geval voor om in hoger beroep te gaan. Want op het moment dat hierover een negatieve principe uitspraak gedaan gaat worden, lopen we met z’n allen een duidelijk risico op beperking van vrijheid van meningsuiting. Want wie weet welke woorden je dan niet meer in combinatie op een site kunt gebruiken.
(Overigens ben ik benieuwd wanneer ik mijn eerste mail ga ontvangen, want in de zoekresultaten kom ik nu ook al redelijk hoog naar voren…)
There has been a debate going about the American automotive industry that I have been following with great interest. You will probably be aware of the fact that there is a danger of the ‘great American brands’ to go broke over the current financial crisis. And that is where the world seems to split up into two camps. One is in favor of rescuing the large corporations with huge amounts of money. The loss of employment when it is not done is one of the greatest drives for their argument. The other camp is in favor of having the big giants die their natural economical death. The latter camp usually says that by removing the big companies, the market will be open for new players that will be more innovative. In my opinion the thought is great. I would love to go back to smaller more innovative car companies, but reality will show a different story.
If we look back in history, seldom has succesful innovation sprung from an economic decision to have other companies die. Innovation has come from people who walk besides the big companies and one day decide that they can do it better. Or from people who are on the outside and decide that what is built now does not meet their requirements, so they will make it themselves. Or from completely new techniques that allow people to build something out of the ordinary that is a much better match for the demand out there. Forcing it will not be the answer to this debate. It will not lead to the innovation we dream of. And besides, there is a lot of interest in the old giants from new economies like the Chinese, to buy it if nobody else wants to anymore.
I don’t have a clear cut answer here, but I would love to see more innovation stimulated to allow people to develop their view on the automotive industry, because there is much room their for innovative players that do not only cater for the happy few who can buy supercars. But players that can give average families greener, more distinctive and more enjoyable transportation.
