Broadcast Your Friendsourcing Needs to the Whole Network

One thing I’ve learned about Friendsourcing ( ref, ref, ref) is that engaging EVERYONE, though somewhat sloppy, is always more responsive and rewarding than narrowcasting your need.

You Never Know

When looking for help, or asking a question, or trying to solve a problem, or finding someone a new job, you never know where the solution is going to arise. So ask everyone. There are lots of ways to skin a cat, lots of impressions and ideas that might offer the right mix to give you what you need. The more you ask, the more you might discover.

Sometimes, it’s not even the person I ask that ends up solving the problem. The best friendsourcing happens when your network of friends reaches out to THEIR network and extends the request. That way, even more “computers” are processing the request. It just makes sense for some needs, right?

Is it better to ask 2 people where to order Chinese to be delivered in Manhattan, or ask 300? What if the 300 could ask THEIR 300 each? Now we’re talking, right? (I still don’t know the answer to which Chinese place delivers to JFK, but the best answer back was Steve Garfield, who pointed out that there’s a Chinese place at the JetBlue terminal.)

Don’t Be Afraid to Reach Out

The question unasked is always answered with no. Jeff Pulver talks about that a lot, and I’ve been a fan of the thought for a while, too. If I don’t ask, I get no. If I ask, I might get yes. Thus, the more times I ask, the more likely I’ll get what I need.

Some folks don’t ask questions because they want to be perceived of as in control, as the leader. Not me. I’ve been willingly stupid for years. I’m the guy at business meetings who raises his hand and says, “Maybe everyone else in the room knows, but can you explain EBITDA and why I should give a rats ass?”

Whatever the reason, if you’ve read Ori Brafman’s work with Rod Beckstrom, The Starfish and the Spider, you’ll see when friendsourcing (or wisdom of crowds, or distributed networks) works best.

More Reading

This was also on the mind of Christopher S. Penn over at his blog, but specifically related to PodCampNYC. He has some good follow-on points.

Do you have an example of friendsourcing in action?

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http://www.podcampnyc.org John C. Havens

Great advice, Chris. I’d like to add something to this and say sometimes I don’t ask for help because I’m a control freak. I don’t mean I need to be perceived of as being in control, mind you. I mean that as an entrepreneur type I haven’t always been blessed to be in an organization where I can call on others for help. So it’s built into me to try and do things myself.

Secondly, in regards to PodCamp NYC I’m also very aware that how/when to present certain facts can be perceived in a certain way. Like today talking about our need for more sponsors. We are in fact doing well in the sense we’ve got our basic needs covered (space, Internet, certificate of insurance) but would like to get enough coin to pay for food, T-shirts, etc. It’s sort of strange to ask for sponsorship money to cover those costs when essentials are met-but we want to maintain the “branding” (or expectations) of what people have come to expect at other amazing Podcamps.

Finally, it’s also really hard to delegate, especially when you’re dealing with a group of amazingly talented organizers who are luminaries, mavens, parents, and so on. So leading becomes more about sort of shoving everyone in the same direction to maintain a time frame, etc.

Finally finally, it’s also just weird/hard to ask people for money. I’m not a big fan. My preference is to create content, invite people to come to PodCamp NYC, arrange schedules, and talk about the cool stuff we’d love to do for all participants (film every session, etc.) But I’ve arranged a lot of conferences before and there’s a lot of that type of stuff that has to be done. My logic has always been, “I’m the first guy to show up and the last to leave.” Having been in numerous bands/theatre productions over the years, that’s they only way I know the level of professionalism/integrity of an event can be maintained. (Not that my standards dictate those things, mind you-I just mean for myself).

That said, ANYONE who want to help volunteer for PodCamp NYC, here’s some specifics:

-We need up to 10 people and their cameras to film rooms at PodCamp NYC so we can provide copies of sessions to all session leaders. We’ll pay for the tape if we can afford it, but keep in mind you may want to have someone else sign up for this with you so you won’t miss all the content on the day.

-We’d love up to 10 people to help move traffic at the New School on Saturday, April 7th to be available from 8:30-6:00. Again, so you don’t miss content, this would be good to have more than 10 folks so we can do the shift thing.

-We’d love as much media/blogging coverage/love as possible to start putting together a PodCamp NYC and a united (for lack of a better term) Podcamp press kit. In my pounding the virtual pavement for sponsors, many corporate-type folks asked for a Proof of Concept that included specific demographics, press, and a list of who was attending. The more press Atlanta, NYC, Philly, Boston, and so on get (in my opinion), the more it helps the overall movement as a whole. Sometime after April 7th, I volunteer to put this together if people think it’s of value. If I can make it ANY easier for other people to get sponsors, I cannot tell you how happy that would make me.

JCH
http://www.podcampnyc.org John C. Havens

Great advice, Chris. I’d like to add something to this and say sometimes I don’t ask for help because I’m a control freak. I don’t mean I need to be perceived of as being in control, mind you. I mean that as an entrepreneur type I haven’t always been blessed to be in an organization where I can call on others for help. So it’s built into me to try and do things myself.

Secondly, in regards to PodCamp NYC I’m also very aware that how/when to present certain facts can be perceived in a certain way. Like today talking about our need for more sponsors. We are in fact doing well in the sense we’ve got our basic needs covered (space, Internet, certificate of insurance) but would like to get enough coin to pay for food, T-shirts, etc. It’s sort of strange to ask for sponsorship money to cover those costs when essentials are met-but we want to maintain the “branding” (or expectations) of what people have come to expect at other amazing Podcamps.

Finally, it’s also really hard to delegate, especially when you’re dealing with a group of amazingly talented organizers who are luminaries, mavens, parents, and so on. So leading becomes more about sort of shoving everyone in the same direction to maintain a time frame, etc.

Finally finally, it’s also just weird/hard to ask people for money. I’m not a big fan. My preference is to create content, invite people to come to PodCamp NYC, arrange schedules, and talk about the cool stuff we’d love to do for all participants (film every session, etc.) But I’ve arranged a lot of conferences before and there’s a lot of that type of stuff that has to be done. My logic has always been, “I’m the first guy to show up and the last to leave.” Having been in numerous bands/theatre productions over the years, that’s they only way I know the level of professionalism/integrity of an event can be maintained. (Not that my standards dictate those things, mind you-I just mean for myself).

That said, ANYONE who want to help volunteer for PodCamp NYC, here’s some specifics:

-We need up to 10 people and their cameras to film rooms at PodCamp NYC so we can provide copies of sessions to all session leaders. We’ll pay for the tape if we can afford it, but keep in mind you may want to have someone else sign up for this with you so you won’t miss all the content on the day.

-We’d love up to 10 people to help move traffic at the New School on Saturday, April 7th to be available from 8:30-6:00. Again, so you don’t miss content, this would be good to have more than 10 folks so we can do the shift thing.

-We’d love as much media/blogging coverage/love as possible to start putting together a PodCamp NYC and a united (for lack of a better term) Podcamp press kit. In my pounding the virtual pavement for sponsors, many corporate-type folks asked for a Proof of Concept that included specific demographics, press, and a list of who was attending. The more press Atlanta, NYC, Philly, Boston, and so on get (in my opinion), the more it helps the overall movement as a whole. Sometime after April 7th, I volunteer to put this together if people think it’s of value. If I can make it ANY easier for other people to get sponsors, I cannot tell you how happy that would make me.

JCH
http://www.podcampnyc.org John C. Havens

Great advice, Chris. I’d like to add something to this and say sometimes I don’t ask for help because I’m a control freak. I don’t mean I need to be perceived of as being in control, mind you. I mean that as an entrepreneur type I haven’t always been blessed to be in an organization where I can call on others for help. So it’s built into me to try and do things myself.

Secondly, in regards to PodCamp NYC I’m also very aware that how/when to present certain facts can be perceived in a certain way. Like today talking about our need for more sponsors. We are in fact doing well in the sense we’ve got our basic needs covered (space, Internet, certificate of insurance) but would like to get enough coin to pay for food, T-shirts, etc. It’s sort of strange to ask for sponsorship money to cover those costs when essentials are met-but we want to maintain the “branding” (or expectations) of what people have come to expect at other amazing Podcamps.

Finally, it’s also really hard to delegate, especially when you’re dealing with a group of amazingly talented organizers who are luminaries, mavens, parents, and so on. So leading becomes more about sort of shoving everyone in the same direction to maintain a time frame, etc.

Finally finally, it’s also just weird/hard to ask people for money. I’m not a big fan. My preference is to create content, invite people to come to PodCamp NYC, arrange schedules, and talk about the cool stuff we’d love to do for all participants (film every session, etc.) But I’ve arranged a lot of conferences before and there’s a lot of that type of stuff that has to be done. My logic has always been, “I’m the first guy to show up and the last to leave.” Having been in numerous bands/theatre productions over the years, that’s they only way I know the level of professionalism/integrity of an event can be maintained. (Not that my standards dictate those things, mind you-I just mean for myself).

That said, ANYONE who want to help volunteer for PodCamp NYC, here’s some specifics:

-We need up to 10 people and their cameras to film rooms at PodCamp NYC so we can provide copies of sessions to all session leaders. We’ll pay for the tape if we can afford it, but keep in mind you may want to have someone else sign up for this with you so you won’t miss all the content on the day.

-We’d love up to 10 people to help move traffic at the New School on Saturday, April 7th to be available from 8:30-6:00. Again, so you don’t miss content, this would be good to have more than 10 folks so we can do the shift thing.

-We’d love as much media/blogging coverage/love as possible to start putting together a PodCamp NYC and a united (for lack of a better term) Podcamp press kit. In my pounding the virtual pavement for sponsors, many corporate-type folks asked for a Proof of Concept that included specific demographics, press, and a list of who was attending. The more press Atlanta, NYC, Philly, Boston, and so on get (in my opinion), the more it helps the overall movement as a whole. Sometime after April 7th, I volunteer to put this together if people think it’s of value. If I can make it ANY easier for other people to get sponsors, I cannot tell you how happy that would make me.

JCH
http://www.free-stuff-offers.info Celestria_hi

At last…
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http://www.free-stuff-offers.info Celestria_hi

At last…
*
http://www.free-stuff-offers.info Celestria_hi

At last…
*
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Broadcast Your Friendsourcing Needs to the Whole Network

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