Blog this blog that…

blog, blog, blah, blah, blah…  Why the craze…?  I just didn’t see it,… it seemed like a hobby for techies that had too much free time.  Then it happened.  Someone who I consider an expert in their field sent me an email with a link to a blog.  I figured he’s not the type to waste my time,… so I ‘clicked’ on it.  Two hours and three cups of coffee later,… I not only realized I was late for a conference call,… but that I had learned a thing or two, had questioned several others, and had strongly disagreed with one statement.  I posted a response.  I was hooked.

This still doesn’t explain why ‘I’ should start a blog…?  Why me…?  Then I thought,… my role at Steelcase has me talking to, emailing, or meeting with insiders and outsiders on a daily basis.  And it never fails that somewhere in the conversation,… they either ask for my opinion on a subject, or I offer it up anyway to make a point.  That’s what we do in research, we ask questions -- tough ones -- then spend whatever time it takes to study, explore and create answers to those questions.  So my team and I have definite opinions,… thus having a POV is not something we shy away from.

But, admittedly, we don’t have all the answers, and we certainly have not asked all the questions,… which is another reason why it made sense to start a blog – to extend our network.  Even though we are engaged in pioneering efforts at leading universities and major corporations, and collaborate weekly with the world’s thought-leaders in ours and related fields,… it honestly just scratches the surface when one considers the domain of work experience – for individuals and groups.  We could, we can, learn so much more by hosting a dialog.  Whether you design spaces, manage spaces or simply work in a space, your opinion matters. 

“So why not…?” I said.  Why not share and learn together,… using this blog to forge an entirely new level of connectedness?

I plan to go deeper on specific insights and specific challenges in the weeks ahead,… for now, welcome…!  Join the conversation.

Comments

[Vincent Lau]

This is great! I have always been a fan of Stealcase's products and am excited to see what subjects are on the minds of the consumer as well as the manufacture. I'm a graphic designer, but workspace has always been a subject of interest to me as it often involves many aspects of design. Most importantly, I'm looking to discover new ideas and solutions for workspaces I may not have thought about. Keep up the great work and welcome to the bloggosphere!

[Christie Cordiano-Roanoke, Virginia]

The furniture business is hard! However in the short time (3 weeks) I have been working for my Steelcase dealer, I realize how dedicated Steelcase is to making life less complicated for their dealers. Coming from the competition, it is nice to realize that I am working for a truly awesome company, and this blog is just another testament to its dedication.

So I now find myself hungrily studing every exciting and competitively different product Steelcase has to offer, and thinking of the difficult office situations I will now be able to fix. Looking forward to future issues!

[Cheryl Pallas]

I work for an office supply dealer in California and stumbled on your blog. This is a great idea. So many times we design and sell what we think the consumer wants, and I hope businesspeople will respond to you so we can learn what people really want.

[Luke Rumley]

Welcome to the blogging community. You are now considered by many a techie with too much time on your hands! Wait until you realize how much time you spend checking for comments on your posts. : - )

Here is an interesting article, related to the book you are reading, about ubiquitous computing: http://www.alistapart.com/articles/everyware/. Sounds pretty sci-fi still, but interesting.