It annoys me to no end.
Yesterday I was talking with Adam Broitman of A Media Circ.us and asked if 'something'(have to be vague here) would be a first. While the exact thing might be a first, there is a lot already that would force the first claim to be pretty narrow, IMHO, and be at risk to be ruffle some feathers.
Eric Rice posted today about first-ism in the blogosphere and made some good points. I pointed Adam towards who blogged a response to it.
Eric ended with:
"If you give me a choice between being first or being best, and I'’ll strive for being best."And Adam's opinion:
"My bottom line; go ahead, be first. Be first at everything you do if that is what your gut tells you, but be calculated. Make sure it is the right move. Don'’t be first for the sake of being first."My own opinion is that,I don't mind if something is first. But you have to be aware where you are the first, because if you enter SL first, it only means you are the first on the track. You can shout and waste energy about it, but the triathlon still has to be run.
It will just give the impression that you care more about being at the start and getting some publicity then actually performing well. You can better use that energy to tell why you are doing it and how it will help you and/or your clients. People will know the difference and greater credit for being a leader in your field will follow in due time. If you actually where the first on the track will not matter in the end if you didn't use that extra time figuring out why you are here.
Some classic observations on being first vs being best, and in no particular order...
ReplyDelete1. Be First, Be Last, Be Different!
2. The pioneers go up front - they are the ones who get the arrows through their necks!
3. Quote from Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach: "The gulls who scorn perfection for the sake of travel go nowhere, slowly; Those who put aside travel for the sake of perfection go anywhere, instantly"
I guess, on balance, this lot comes out in favour of being best rather than first!
Although there may be kudos associated with "being first" (and even that is debateable), it is inevitably short-lived, unless you use that headstart to make your proposition the best.
ReplyDeleteCompanies in particular are struggling to provide "the best" - perhaps not surprising given the clunky nature of the SL environment at the moment.
Whereas libraries, universities and other eductional institutions seem to be far more imaginative in their use of the environment.
It frustrates me that my own company is still resistant, despite the hordes of companies pouring into SL, but I have at least had the time to assess the successes and failures of the early adopters. It's not called "the bleeding edge" for nothing!
After the pioneers come the farmers, and they're the ones who exploit the environment fully.