Matt Meola – $100,000 Innersection edit from ACL Digital Cinema on Vimeo.

Here is Matt Meola’s winning edit from the Innersection contest, filmed & directed by Elliot Leboe of ACL Digital Cinema. For more information on the contest check out www.innersection.tv. We are so grateful to everyone who voted for Matt’s part! Special thanks to Taylor Steele & Nathan Myers of Innersection.

Additional filmers for his part include:
Marlon Lewis
Curt Morgan – Brainfarm
Quincy Dein
Theo Niarchos
Raegan Ritchie

For many, individual tips to help you with your business are helpful. But how many of you sit around researching business tips regularly? I bet many more of you tend to go with what you know and what has worked in the past. I’m not saying tips aren’t helpful. In fact, my hot potato today is partially about multiplying the effect.

For example, delivering business tips to 50 of us at a time. Would that be better than 35? Or what if we could reach a hundred? Gee, what if we could get our hot potatoes out to entire groups of businesses?

Although we’re a powerful group, reaching our largest trade associations or entire workforces around the island could surely create more change than our small group.

Of course we know this to be quite easy. Many of us are already doing this with our own marketing messages. You just need their email addresses, right? The primary vehicle for reaching large audiences from email blasts and websites have become commonplace. Yes email, the killer app of the nineties is still the killer app for most.

But my business tip for today isn’t about using email. Those days are quickly waning. What I’m talking about is an understanding in the broadest terms of the impact the Internet has had on your business. Consider the role the Internet has played in your business and quality of life.

Now think for a moment where your business would be without the Internet? Without email, without PDFs, without online shopping, without online resumes, forms, banking or websites. Remember the thrill of sending a business proposal using an envelop and a stamp? Remember waiting 2 weeks for a reply. If it was positive and they wanted to learn more you could call them and follow up with a form to fill out and return with their partner or customer information? Does anyone even remember how long these conversations used to take? Does anyone remember when it was most efficient to just fly to meet the person and sign the contract. Of course we do. But the successes of the Internet are closely woven into the fabric of our existence. Do you remember you pants have pockets?

As our own Jeff Gray kindly points out, The Internet now carries more than traffic on your website. The Internet carries your data and your voice communications. Not just time saving but life saving information, every second somewhere. So when Jeff asks folks to join in the Hawaii Island Broadband Revolution, a lot is at stake.

Think of the impact Internet speeds could have on telecommuting from the island. Imagine working anywhere from anywhere. Imagine the impact on families.

Imagine stay at home Moms or Dads working from home instead of paying $300 a month for gas. Imagine these same parents taking care of their keiki and their kupuna instead of hiring professionals to care for their families at $300-$600 per month. Imagine these same parents saving another hundred dollars a month at the grocery just by growing some of their own food. One of my favorites is to think of a 3 day work week. Okay, you get the idea.

Now then, a couple statements to help you glean a tip or two in your business.

Statement #1 – Many consider the Internet to be in it’s infancy but growing quickly. It took television 12 years to get 50 million users. It took Facebook 2 years. The Internet is accelerating. It’s gaining momentum and users every day. It’s still sorting out job descriptions like webmaster, search engine marketer and web designer. It’s still reinventing the way we communicate across cultures across generations and around the world and it’s just a baby. It could even be considered a driving force behind the feelings of millions that we’re heading towards a global consciousness.

After listening to Sir Tim Berners-Lee make his second request in twenty years (his first request was that we all start linking documents on the web), my first bold statement is this.

Of 100% potential, the Internet has only reached 5%. Meaning, I believe the Internet will become at least 90% more effective at solving our world’s problems within twenty years.

Statement #2 – To create a global model for sustainability most experts currently believe our key indicators include food, water, shelter, healthcare and energy availability.

While these may be the current measurements of sustainability, food, water, shelter, heathcare and energy availability will all quickly become mere indications of our ability to effectively harness the Internet. 

At Green Collar Technologies we’ve started to help create a global model for sustainability which not only takes into consideration our offline sustainability practices but also our online sustainability. We’re engaging all generations but focusing on the youth to insure this happens at all levels well ahead of the Hawaii 2050 plan.

In these two statements I hope you’ll find a gem of insight you can use in your business. Remember what has worked best for you over the last ten years. Real-time conversations with your customers are happening everywhere from anywhere at once, right now. Carefully consider getting into that conversation and learning how this will impact your business and your community in the next ten years.

I’ll leave you with 2 bold statements from Sir Charles Darwin.

You may have heard this one,
“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed. ”

And you’ve probably heard this one,
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. “

Broadband is as it’s often referred to is an access speed currently possible and probably for rural areas. Boradband is also via for telecommuting and it’s wide-spread adoption could be considerd the corner-stone in a stronger digital economy for Hawaii Island.

I’ll do my best to keep updating these resources over time. If anyone is interested in managing a site with a “Broadband in Hawaii” focus, I’ll set you up.  

Broadband in Hawaii Resources

• Contact / Point person in the effort to proliferate broadband on Hawaii Island – Jeff Gray, Netcom Enterprises.

• Broadband Census Resources:

  • Hawaii Broadband Task Force web site
  • Hawaii Broadband Task Force initial report [PDF], December 2007
  • “Task force targets expansion of Hawaii’s broadband capabilities,” article, Pacific Business News, August 8, 2008
  • “The State of the Internet,” Akamai Report, May 2008
  • “17-member consortium to invest $500m in 20,000 km Asia-America Gateway submarine cable system,” Press Release, Telstra International
  • “Oceanic debuts turbo Road Runner in Hawaii Internet-service war,” article, Honolulu Advertiser, October 1, 2007
  • Federal Communications Commission Data on Hawaii Broadband(BroadbandCensus.com, August 9, 2008)
• June Meeting of Broadband Breakfast Club :  Spending the Broadband Stimulus - Technologies That Enable Universal Broadband Connectivity
• SpeedMatters.org speed test results for Hawaii (PDF) also visit SpeedMatters.org

It’s an amazing time and perhaps the first time ever that anything can be researched online. The possibilities are huge and opportunities for economic growth are potentially game-changing for remote locations with perceived geographical limitations. That’s us.

We learn on the web just as fast as the next page loads. I’ll cover more about the speed at which the pages load here in Hawai`i and our digital opportunities. For now, there are still a few choice moments left in the campaign for mayor, so let’s have some fun!

So exactly what do you expect from the next mayor’s website?

Should you be able to leave the mayor a message? Should you be able to discuss current issues with other people on the mayor’s website? 

Should we be able to see what the mayor has accomplished on a timeline, with relevant photos? Should there be any polls on current issues? Should the mayor’s official website include an organizational map? Should other interactive tools be available online to help us understand how our local government functions on a day to day basis? Should there be video, animations or podcasts from the mayor or the mayor’s staff? Should we be able to know exactly who is posting information on behalf of the mayor?

The incoming mayor is only limited by his or her awareness, ethics, transparency and ability to communicate online. All the tools are free and with a little more than email, your next mayor can blog and reach out to us in our homes when we want, if we want.

Will the mayor’s official website ever be as good as their campaign website? Are ethics and transparency only reserved for kids. Kids are quickly learning that to adapt to online social networks with their classmates they must be honest and ethical. Should mayors be held to the same standard?

Grandmas are selling products on ebay. Grandpas are blogging about politics. Is it time for us to expect a better online relationship from the folks we elect to represent us? I think so and those of you out there with your own business or organization would probably agree.

With this mindset, I’ve entered a few comments and first impressions in a brief review of the mayoral campaign websites. The official filings from the candidates were used for this review. You can get the same information here: http://elections3.hawaii.gov/candidates

Joseph Barrozo Jr.

ReportList2Candidate Name: Barrozo, Joseph Committee Name: Joseph Barrozo, Jr. J.B.J.. List of Reports Filed. Report Name, Reporting Period, Filing Date, Amended …

Website Suggestions: Buy the domain, “JOEBARROZO.COM”. It’s available. Then build and host a website with the help of local web professionals.  Possibly make it a memorial site?

Stacey K. Higa 

Stacy Higa - Hawaii Big Island mayor 2008
Official Campaign site for mayor 2008 campaign on Big Island of Hawaii.

Website Suggestions: Make a statement on your site about the need for free wi-fi across the island. More people could watch your video in your district with increased bandwidth. Maybe use a local company to host your site?

Lorraine Rodero Inouye

 Official filing: email, senlrinouye@rzm.blackberrry.net website, none listed

Lorraine Rodero Inouye –Candidate For mayor of the County of Hawai’iHawaii Senator Lorraine Rodero Inouye represents District 1 on the Big Island of Hawaii. She is a member of the following committees: Water, Land, …

Website Suggestions: Consider transparency when posting in Wikipedia. You come up fifth for “mayor of Hawaii” points to your “accomplishments” page. Maybe remind your supporters that there are lots of issues to help define on Wikipedia. You surely get my vote for most savvy campaign supporters.

Billy Kenoi

 Official filing: email, wkenoi@gmail.com website, billykenoi.com

Billy Kenoi For mayor – Campaign `08
Billy Kenoi is a trusted advocate for our Hawaii Island community. He listens to our concerns and responds with programs and services that address the …

Website Suggestions: Maybe include the sustainability video on your homepage? Remove the tiny text and replace with your sustainability or vision videos you have posted on blip.tv.

Sam Masilamoney

 Official filing: email, sammasila@hotmail.com website, none listed

Sam Masilamoney’s vision for The County of Hawaii – Truveo Video …
Sam Masilamoney, candidate for mayor, shares his vision for a better, fairer and kinder Hawaii. 

Website Suggestions: Start blogging on your site. Use Twitter.com and FriendFeed.com to get your message out. Save money marketing online. Use more relevant keywords for improved search results. 

Jasper Moore

 Official filing: email, mooreformayor@gmail.com website, none listed

Jasper Moore – News and commentary from Puna, Hawaii
On Friday, February 1st Jasper Moore launched a brand new campaign that, he says, …What was it that Jasper Moore remembers most about the times? …

Website Suggestions: Lots of single comments on your pages presents you with an opportunity to increase service to your visitors. Allow them to subscribe to their comments (“subscribe to comments” plugin) when they post on your site. This can help flow the discussion once it’s started. Maybe allow video comments? There’s a free tool from seesmic.com which integrates nicely with discus.com giving you a complete solution for free. Use equivalent text links for your graphical buttons on your homepage. This is a free way to improve your search rankings and help aid web accessibility for persons with disabilities. It’s a legal requirement if you get into office. 

Angel Pilago

 Official filing: email, apilago@hawaii.rr.com website, angelpilagomayor.org

K. Angel Pilago - Hawaii County mayor, 2008
K. Angel Pilago for mayor of Hawaii County, 2008 - Official Campaign Website.

Website Suggestions: Fix the broken link behind the “Recent Questions” link. Get your videos in front of more voters.

Randy Riley

No way to tell what was relevant without changing search criteria.

Website Suggestions: People may think you are trying to hide something when they can’t identify or find you on the web. Try get a Linkedin.com or Facebook.com account. It’s easy and they’re free. 

Conclusion