There are about a million things that I want to talk about in this blog, and we will see how that goes. Please take a look at the "About Me" for more, but, in the meantime, I am just going to jump right into it!
Okay -- so, the New York Times had an article today talking about Intrade.com:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/business/14leonhardt.html?ex=1329195600&en=5af2f211e2418739&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalinkIntrade.com, if you don't know, is a type of stock market concept where you pay to wager on the outcome of, well, basically anything. For example, you can put money on the prediction that Barack Obama will win the Democratic presidential nomination or that Helen Mirren will win the Oscar for The Queen. It's a cool concept and according the Times article, was actually more effective in predicting the final outcome of the last elections than the pundits.
In any case, the point that I found most intriguing is that certain corporations have set up a similar type of system for their employees, at all levels of the organization, to wager on issues affecting the company. Everything from what vendor will ultimately succeed on a bid, to whether a new product should have this feature over that feature.
What a neat idea and what a great way to engage everyone in the corporation on issues big and small. I am not suggesting this is the way to make major decisions in the company -- I just think that it might provide an interesting and sometimes useful perspective. I love technology and the innovative ways it can be used to get new types of information, so, this has really captured my imagination for the time being.
And, that leads me back to this new blog. I know that I am way behind in blogging and that is unusual for me -- I am usually all over new technologies. But, between working and having babies, I just have not been ready to start a proper blog. My excuse now is that because of my new job -- where I provide advice on e-commerce issues -- I really need to understand the blogging community from within its midst.
As I said, we'll see how this goes!
2 comments:
Welcome!!!
Hey Mercedes! Glad to see you penning (or typing) your thoughts. Specifically to the point of Intrade and the possibility of engaging employees, it does seem to have promise. Many employees will spout the lines that they think are safe and "correct" by their management. This idea allows individuals to "put their money where their mouth is." Maybe no money is involved, but certainly pride is on the line. The issue this brings up is the responsibility of the corporation to embrace the feedback and realistic opinions of its workforce. This is similar to the double-edged sword of the corporate blog. Can they handle the truth?
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