[webproducers] Re: Jeff Dachis: Big Ideas sans Implementation
- From: Lydia Sugarman <lsugarman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: webproducers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 08 Sep 2003 07:56:04 -0400
Hay, Michael, I have to commend you on taking the bold step of
recruiting Jeff. Obviously, he has a knack for polarizing people. The
companion one day seminars should be very exciting and great
opportunities to share information and ideas.
I think Jeff Dachis' persona and pronouncements had a larger-than-life
dimension that in some instances was downright obnoxious and
diametrically opposed to what many felt was in the best interests of New
Media and its disciples and evangelists. But, in that he certainly was
not alone. He *is* a bit of a lightening rod.
I have such mixed feelings. At the same time I hope there's some
contrition on his part, I think I'd be disappointed if there is. I'll
lay odds that the ego won't allow for the former and the latter will be
the rule!
I promise I'll behave myself. It'll be interesting to see if everyone
else does!
Michael Randazzo wrote:
> At the risk of painting a big target on my back, I have to take
> responsibility for the title of the lecture and class Jeff Dachis will
> be giving - this Wednesday night as well as this Fall at the New School.
>
> The ideas on Wednesday and the class will be all Jeff's - and as you all
> know he has quite a few of them - but the forum itself was my idea; not
> only to give Jeff a place to discuss what he is thinking about now, but
> also to elicit a response from folks such as yourselves. I am therefore
> not surprised to hear Michael?s, Ari's and Lydia's comments - in fact, I
> welcome them and encourage you to quiz Jeff directly.
>
> I will editorialize and say it is convenient to bash the Razorfishes and
> Organics and Agency.coms of the world ? big on vision and fees; short
> (from what I can tell) on organization and deliverables ? but there was
> a grand, exciting "big think" going on at the turn of the century about
> new media; perhaps it was over-ambitious and arrogant but I sure enjoyed
> it.
>
> Maybe I am still hung over from the 90?s; which is why The New School
> embarked on a series of 1-day seminars to compliment Jeff?s class, with
> titles like Information Design, Game Theory, and Business Intelligence.
> I still believe there is an important transformation going on with
> regard to digital media and internet-enabled commerce (e-comm being so
> discredited!) that it is worth examining and is super important. For
> example, look at the buzz and rush to imitation that MoveOn.org has
> caused. Aren?t all the politicos and fundraisers rushing to figure out
> how this could work for them?
>
> My quest ? as always ? is to figure out how these
> trends/practices/phenomenon can be captured and explained ? not for
> those who are already involved or "in the know", but for those who want
> to take the next step and learn how to keep current (and employable).
> And I hope that The New School is the place where this type of
> dialogue/reaction/education can take place.
>
> So, please do join me on Wednesday night. Sounds like it will be quite a
> discussion.
>
> Michael Randazzo
> Director
> Computer Instruction Center
> The New School
> 212-229-5876
>
>
>
>>>>lsugarman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 09/07/03 13:50 PM >>>
>>>
> Michael, the very reasons you cite for not attending are the ones that
> should prompt your attendance. I can't wait to see what he says and, if
>
> necessary, call attention to this emperor's now old clothes. I am
> somewhat aghast that The New School is actually giving him a forum for a
>
> lecture series for which people will pay hard dollars.
>
> I've told several people who are survivors of those years and we're
> planning on having a great time. Please join us! How about drinks
> after?
>
> My favorite memory of RazorFish was their grossly blundered attempt at a
>
> client newsletter using in-house solutions. What a disaster! It really
>
> was a big nail in their coffin since it go graphically demonstrated
> their shortcomings. I've always wondered how many clients they lost
> after exposing their emails to everyone else in the list with the
> subsequent complaints going out to that entire list as well.
>
> It's going to be great fun! Hope to see you there.
>
> Lydia
>
>
>
> Ari Feldman wrote:
>
>>good points.
>>
>>the same could be said for most of the industry darlings
>>featured like so many playboy centerfolds in the industry press
>>during the good old days.
>>
>>while i think there might be some value gained by having people
>>like jeff dachis lecture, i've always thought that having real
>>industry veterans who "manned the fort" during the 90s and still
>>are eeking out a living doing the real grunt work would be just
>>as valuable, if not more.
>>
>>while dachis and his ilk were enjoying caviar at launch parties
>>and media events, most of us in the biz were developing ulcers
>>trying to turn their hype into reality... :-)
>>
>>
>>
>>--- Michael James Pinto <michaeljamespinto@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>--- Michael Randazzo <randazzm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Digital Media: The Big Ideas w/Jeff Dachis
>>>
>>>This is a very timely topic, just yesterday I discovered an
>>>old issue of the Silicon Alley
>>>Reporter and it was hard not to laugh when reading it. It was
>>>full of profiles of rising stars
>>>like Jeff for whom the spotlight has gone out. Silicon Alley
>>>in the 90s was very much a place
>>>where style was more important than substance, and Jeff lead
>>>the pack. This wouldn't have been so
>>>bad if we were in an industry that created fashion where style
>>>is all important, but folks like
>>>Jeff were selling the idea of a "business revolution". What
>>>that revolution was we will never know
>>>because unlike those silly Marxists they never quite spelled
>>>out what the revolution was other
>>>than to say "I was into the web before you and I GET IT".
>>>
>>>As a mailing list which is focused on project management it's
>>>important that we discourage people
>>>like Jeff from acting nostalgic. The problem with that entire
>>>era was that folks like Jeff used
>>>buzzwords and hype to sell things to clients that they just
>>>didn't need. What was even more sad
>>>were the clients themselves who acting out of fear (or a
>>>following a heard mindset) followed Jeff
>>>off the cliff with their budgets.
>>>
>>>As a project manager I think the one thing that I've learned
>>
>>>from folks like Jeff is that it's so
>>
>>>very important to keep away from the buzz. In fact if I find a
>>>client using a techie term as
>>>"something our project needs" I always make it a point to
>>>review what the buzzword in question
>>>means and what it's really used for, or if it has any use.
>>>Even if your selling creative work and
>>>not technology, while it's alright to be sexy you have to have
>>>something to back it up with.
>>>
>>>The other core lesson that was learned from Jeff is that
>>>having a bigger company isn't as
>>>important as having a profitable one. At the time Razorfish
>>>was one of the firms that would keep
>>>adding employees in some sort of strange arms race - it didn't
>>>seem to matter that the company
>>>wasn't making money, but look 1000 people work here! Of course
>>>the painful side of this was when
>>>so many of the folks lost their jobs, and also for the folks
>>>that lost so much value in their IRA
>>>or 401k plan.
>>>
>>>Now that the new century is under way and it's time to think
>>>about rebuilding NYC, my hopes for
>>>this industry is that we build something that has some value
>>>to our clients. So while I'm not
>>>going to go and see Jeff talk about his "big ideas", I hope
>>>that the people who go to see him
>>>speak won't let him get away with acting like he is some sort
>>>of visionary. I hope he gets asked
>>>some very hard questions, and I also hope for his sake that he
>>>has the honesty not to do a spin
>>>job and admit to the public that he in fact didn't get it. It
>>>would be very sad if he was allowed
>>>to go on stage and continue his masquerade as if the bubble
>>>never burst.
>>>
>>>Jeff was right, the internet and the web aren't a fad, however
>>>his business and creative approach
>>>to it were very much a passing phase. I can see by the subject
>>>line of the lecture that Jeff
>>>hasn't learned much from the crash; yes he may have had "big
>>>ideas" but very little to back them
>>>up with. While it's unfair to blame the sins of an entire
>>>decade on him, it wouldn't hurt if he
>>>had a bit more modesty and perhaps titled the lecture "a few
>>>things we all learned the hard way".
>>>
>>>Michael
>>>
>>>
>>>=====
>>>Michael James Pinto | http://www.vm.com
>>>
>>>Join my mailing list on the arts and technology:
>>>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EIA_list
>>>
>>>"I wish my life was a DVR so I could fast foward through the
>>>sucky parts and replay the cool bits." MJP
>>>
>>
>>
> __________________________________________________________________________
>>
>>=====
>>"To have ambition
>>Was my ambition"
>>
>>-- Gang of Four (1982)
>>
>>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>>http://www.arifeldman.com
>>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
--
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