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What’s the latest on Drone Journalism? A panel including Professor of the Practice, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Matt Waite, Project Lead, African skyCAM, Dickens Olewe, Journalism Technologist, Buzzfeed OpenLab/African skyCAM, Ben Kreimer and moderator Executive Director, Yale Information Society Project, Valerie Belair-Gagnon see what’s flying now. #ona15drones #ona15

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Had a ball seeing Nashville like a tourist. Went backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and had to get this shot of comedian Minnie Pearl, aka Sarah Cannon. Grew up watching Hee Haw. As I saw the different portraits at different historical sites, it occurred to me selfie's really are self portraits and previous generations were just as narcissistic. They just didn't have a public, permanent, instant and international distribution platform. The larger the portraits in Southern homes the more wealth and power perceived or real. Still processing the connections. This is how my book Innovate: Lessons from the Underground Railroad. I visited historic sites, read books and realized over and over again there really is nothing new under the sun.

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Breakthrough!

It's time to believe what you cannot see, exercise your faith.  Enslaved Africans, typically young, single men walked off of plantations in the dead of night, in the dead of winter to find life.  It was one hell of a risk.  Their fear could have consumed, dogs could have smelled them, slaver catchers could have caught them, other slaves could have told on them, the weather could have destroyed them and the Ohio River (in many cases) could have drowned them.  Yet, they focused on their vision to be free.  A mission may be delayed or even aborted but your vision will be realized.  

Take a chance Walk into the unknown, you just may find liberty.  Think about it. 

Insights based on "Innovate: Lessons from the Underground Railroad", available on Amazon.  

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Speaking at my alma mater, Vanderbilt University was an honor, a privilege and a responsibility. Honoring the late Walter Murray, the Vanderbilt alum who founded the undergraduate Black Student Association, the Association for Vanderbilt Black Alumni and diversified the Board of Trust.  Murray sacrificed more than we will ever know or can repay.  He was in school during the late 1960s, early 1970s, a tumultuous time in American history.  

Sharing the plight of enslaved Africans as chronicled in my book “Innovate: Lessons from the Underground Railroad” afforded the opportunity for dialogue. One student asked an excellent question and I want to take more time to respond here. She asked, “What can we do to help young people learn Black history”?  

1. Read (and watch movies Google them make sure they are NON-FICTION)

Before we teach, we need to learn.  Teach empirical, factual information not handed down emotionally testimonies.  During my undergraduate years at Marquette University, I took a course called Black Social Thought, it piqued my curiosity and led be toward my current path.  Here are some of the books, I enjoyed the most. 

The Souls of Black Folks W.E.B. Dubois

The Mis-Education of the Negro  Carter G. Woodson

Black Feminist Thought Patricia Hill Collins 

Black Bourgeoisie  E. Franklin Frazier

The Rage of a Privileged Class  Ellis Cose

Our Kind of People  Lawrence Otis Graham 

Black Looks: Race and Representation bell hooks (her name is in lowercase)

Narrative life of Frederick Douglass  Frederick Douglass

Harriet Tubman: The Moses of her People Sarah Bradford

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria Beverly Daniel Tatum 

2. Leverage Churches and Community Centers

Church plays were a major way I learned Black History. I even wrote at least  one play. Be creative, intentional and successful.  There are so many plays sitting on library shelves waiting to be performed. 

3. Make a Movie

Why not create fun, interactive webisodes.  That’s what Issa Rae did with The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl. Now she has a deal with HBO.  Using historical facts, create meaningful vignettes with lessons applicable and relevant today.  

4. Go to Hear Speakers on College Campuses

Colleges offer FREE speakers on a regular basis. This is an opportunity to hear from some of the world’s greatest scholars, community activists and contributors to Black History. 

5. Watch documentaries like Eyes on the Prize, Google it. 

6. Visit historic sites and museums like The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, The Birmingham Civil Rights Museum  , The National Civil Rights Museum and even libraries like The Civil Rights Room in the Nashville Public Library.  

7. Ask your parents, grandparents and grandparents questions.  So often if you don’t ask, they won’t tell.  Your history is amazing. Find out what you don’t know.

I hope this is a better answer to an extremely important question. Schools should teach all of history.  You should seek truth beyond reality.  Things are not always as they appear to be.  Please add to this list. Add your favorite books, movies (I didn’t go there), places to visit etc.  

Peace! 

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It's an "Innovate: Lessons from the Underground Railroad" type of day.  Preparing to engage an audience at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN at 7pm this evening as part of the Walter Murray Lecture Series to be held in the Board of Trust Room in the Student Life Center. 

Speaking truly is God's gift to me. I rarely use notes, hardly practice and truly go with my heart, soul and spirit.  Reading more than 100 books, articles, blog posts etc doing research for the book fills every talk with different possibilities and of course current events do too.  

As some Americans argue over a Cheerios and Coke commercial, the hard cold truth remains, America is divided by ideology, income and ignorance.  As the enslaved Africans learned, they couldn't outsource the solution, they had to find it within themselves.  And the young men who were brave enough to walk, yes I said WALK off of a plantation in the middle of the night in the dead of winter into an unknown future deserve our recognition, admiration and praise.  They didn't have metrics. They couldn't quantify the number of escapes for fear of revealing the Underground Railroad.  

Strangers in the form of friends, Quakers, free Blacks, other enslaved Africans, Northern and Southern Whites came together in flash mobs to aid the fugitive from unjust laws.  The multicultural coalition was solidified in the 18th and 19th centuries as slave owners took liberties with enslaved Africans, Native Americans, their own wives and anyone else they deemed subservient.  This is how America became the proverbial melting pot Schoolhouse Rock sang about years ago. 

My mind is truly on fire as I get more and more excited to break down the problem, principle, purpose, perspective, pioneering, passion and play from the UGRR and the Internet. The more things change, the more they stay the same. 

Then hatred was spewed in the press, newspapers, pamphlets and newsletters, now it is spread on Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, Blogs and Facebook.  No matter the medium, some people will find a way spread hate.  It caused a CIVIL WAR! Somebody! It's time for more flash mobs to form to avoid a repetitive history lesson and enslaved Africans, abolitionists, free Blacks and total strangers are the teachers.  

I feel my help coming, hope to see you tonight! 

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You Can Pick My Brain, What's Left Anyway!

How, you may ask?  Let us count the ways.

1. Keynote Speaker

My favorite way to share wisdom, wit and whatever comes to mind.  From speaking on the People's Stage at the Web Summit in Dublin to Tedx Nashville and all of the blessings in between, sharing knowledge is my passion. It is my oxygen.  Whether sharing ways to apply the research from book Innovate: Lessons from the Underground Railroad to how to use social media tools personally and professionally to digital trends, tailored talks are my specialty.  Here's a podcast from a talk for the Association of American College and Universities on e-portfolios.  

2. Seminars

Making presentations interactive, intentional and relevant is a gift.  Helping participants personalize ideas, information and Internet tools is necessary in this technological revolution.  Whether speaking to groups like the Tennessee Department of Transportation Disadvantaged Business Enterprise on how members can market their small business or encouraging leaders to try something disruptive, half and full day workshops are an ideal forum to create concrete strategies.

3. Google Helpouts 

Through Google Helpouts, right now you can learn about Twitter basics and receive an introduction to social media. Or if you are new instructor, professor, lecturer or administrator, my session on creating syllabus may be useful to you.  Helpouts is a new learning platform powered by Google. It is another way to access information online. Right now, the sessions are one on one but it is clear the platform will expand. Given Hangouts can accommodate 10 people at a time, it makes sense Helpouts will do the same eventually. 

4. Google Hangouts

This is a great way to "beam me in Scottie." I am happy to use this video conferencing platform to speak to classes, communities, conferences and congregations.  Sessions can be 30, 60 or 90 minutes.  

5. LearnitLive

Most recently, my Developing Your Personal Brand session was archived and is available for viewing.  

6. Scribd

Need a sample syllabi? The curriculum I created on Digital Citizenship, is a substantive source for information.  

7. Slideshare

Some of my older presentations can be found on Slideshare.net.  And, I even bootlegged a visual resume. It needs work but it will give you some ideas.  

8. You Tube

My You Tube channel is public.  You can search for samples of my speaking and benefit from learning along with me.  

9. Get Innovate: Lessons from the Underground Railroad

This book will be a best seller. Join the movement and invest in the present to promote the past and the future.  The UGRR is among the most effective, innovative and disruptive networks in history. It's true. And the Internet will be too. 

10. Get The Color-full Alphabet Book

Published in 2009, this book provides positive images and words for children of color in a Dr. Seuss manor.  

11. Follow me on Social Networks

I'm most active on Twitter @drsyb, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Plus.  I have Pinterest, Instagram and other accounts yet I clearly have my biases.  

12. Just Ask

Often, I'm happy to answer a quick question.  When it turns into consulting, the clock starts just like it does for a lawyer, doctor or any other professional. Of course, I mentor a LOT of people but let's keep it real. Rutgers' students paid Snooki $32,000 without explanation.  Now I value myself, my work, my sacrifice and the dues I've paid.  So I expect others to do the same. 

Remember, fair exchange is not robbery. Thank you Vickie Stringer "Let That Be the Reason." Poet extraordinaire Dr. Maya Angelou said, she does not "work" for free.  Some of the ways you can access my brain are free, others are not.  After 22 years in school, counting my Ph.D. work, two books, two Emmy awards, a book award, becoming a full professor, surviving more than 40 years in the wilderness, my wisdom, wit and experience are worth your investment.  

So feel free to pick my brain. Just respect me and every professional for what they have sacrificed adding value to the table. 

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If you or your children grew up watching Dora the Explorer, you know about the fox named Swiper.  He was constantly being told "Swiper, no swiping." To which he would reply, "Aww Man!"  Austin Kleon advocates stealing in his book "Steal Like an Artist." Picasso did it. Steve Jobs did it. In a very short, readable and reachable book, Kleon not only promotes a vice, he shares various virtues by which to live.  

1. Steal Like an Artist

Really, there isn't anything new under the sun. For real, Ecclesiastes 1:9 is accurate. "There is no new thing under the sun." There are remixes of a multitude of ideas but it is difficult to truly track the original.  Kleon says, "Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas." Another quote I underlined was "If we're free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it."  And before you go copyright crazy, research copyright.  Harvard University Professor Yochai Benkler found companies with copyright were not financially better off than companies with copyright and in a networked Internet age the law originally created for the rich to get richer is antiquated.  Read "The Wealth of Networks." Use empirical evidence not emotional sentiment. Kleon goes on to encourage readers to study one thinker, google everything, read, collect books, get lost in library and carry a notebook to document your ideas. 

2. Don't Wait Until You Know Who You Are To Get Started

Don't be an impostor. Kleon notes impostor syndrome is "a psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their accomplishments."  Show up and do your thing everyday.  Channel the late Saturday Night Live comic actor, Phil Hartman's character Stuart Smalley. His signature line was "I'm good enough, smart enough and doggone it people like me." It was funny then, now self-help is all the rage. 

Here Kleon suggests faking it until you make it.  Dress for the job you want. My mom always says "dress the part."  Practice don't plagiarize.  Kleon basically says copy excellence to become excellence. "Don't just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style."  

3. Write the Book You Want to Read

Kleon used to write what is known as "fan fiction," "fictional stories based on characters that already exist.  Somebody, anybody write a healthy love story for Olivia Pope that would be Scandal(ous). Write what you like. 

4. Use Your Hands

According to Kleon, cartoonist Lynda Barry said, "Your hands are the original digital devices.  Use them."  Work from your heart not from your head.  He suggests balancing your computer and non-computer space. Have a place where you can actually write, draw, sketch and experiment in a real and natural environment. Then once you've played and created something figure out how to share it using technology.  

5. Side Projects and Hobbies are Important

"Practice productive procrastination."  Go down the rabbit hole from time to time to see where it leads.  A relaxed mind is a creative mind.  Roll between your passions. Don't give up something you love for something else you love. Balance, blend and believe they are connected and relevant to who you are.  "...What unifies your work is the fact that you made it."

  6. Do Good Work and Share it with People

While in college, ENJOY the freedom to experiment, experience and make mistakes in obscurity.  Leverage your resources and relationships. "Step 1: Wonder at something. Step 2: Invite others to wonder with you.  "Think about what you have to share that could be of value to some people."

7. Geography is no Longer our Master

Years ago New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman told you "The World is Flat." It is instantaneously international.  Create your own world on and off line.  Surround yourself with people, books and objects you love.  Home is important yet traveling is too.  

8. Be Nice. The World is a Small Town

Don't be a troll. Back to Dora, don't be the grumpy old troll who lives under the bridge. Say nice things. EVERYTHING you post is public and permanent. It is your digital footprint, thank Digital Leader, Erik Qualman. Follow people who are smarter and beyond where you are now.  Kleon says "If you ever find that you're the most talented person in the room, you need to find another room."  When you need encouragement, go to your praise file. Yup, a file you create full of wins.  Why focus on what doesn't work? 

9. Be Boring. (It's the only way to get work done.)

Plan to live. Eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, spend quality time with your family.  Increase your odds for joy.  Regarding money, Kleon adds, "Make yourself a budget. Live within your means. Pack your lunch. Pinch pennies. Save as much as you can. Get the education you need for as cheap as you can get it. 

Let's put a pin in that last point.  Go to an accredited school. Stop running after every 9 month program. Most are not real or rigorous. GO TO YOUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE.  Then transfer the credits. You can even start while you're in high school. Email (for the paper trail) your desired four year institution and ASK what classes will meet their general education requirements. STOP going into debt for school. It's nearly impossible to pay it off in a lifetime. THINK! This ends our commercial interruption, we not return to our regularly scheduled blog post. 

"Establishing and keeping a routine can be even more important than having a lot of time."

Kleon tells readers to get a calendar. Plan your work and set concrete goals.  Also, he says to keep a logbook. It's kinda like a journal but less restrictive. Just list what you do each day. 

MARRY WELL is a piece of valuable advice.  And he doesn't just mean in a life partner. He adds do the same with friends, business, etc. 

10. Creativity is Subtraction

Indeed it is.  Feeling lighter each day decluttering and deep cleaning every room of the house.  (My fault, listening to Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project on Audible.) That's not exactly what Kleon means. "Start a business without any start-up capital. Shoot a movie with your iPhone and a few of your friends." Do more with less. Don't make excuses, make it happen.  It's all right to leave some things out. Don't your ideas and creativity overwhelm you. Break them down so you can break out. 

Well, that's the book in a nutshell. Please leave comments, share this blog and encourage a sistah. Trying to do this everyday.  Cue Katt Williams, I said KATT, not DRAKE playing KATT! HUSTLIN'! 

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     Netflix  is disrupting the cable the industry.  Raise you're hand if you're surprised. In Innovate: Lessons from the Underground Railroad, the foundational theory is disruptive innovation.  Based on the research of Harvard University Professor, Dr. Clayton Christensen, disruptive innovation is, "a process by which a product or service takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of a market an then relentlessly moves 'up market' eventually displacing established competitors."   Hmm, let's see, when Netflix started, it was dismissed and degraded.  "It won't work." "Whose the audience?" "It's never been done before." Netflix HAD to go where no others had gone before.  Sound familiar?   

On the Underground Railroad (UGRR), few believed enslaved Africans had the mental capacity to devise let alone execute a plan of escape. So here are three quick lessons from the UGRR.

1. Don't Underestimate your Opponent  

Sun Tzu comes to mind for some strange reason.  Can't get The Art of War out of my head.  

2. Think Local, National AND International

In an international, instantaneous wired world, an audience is easier to reach.    Enslaved Africans received help from people, friends and strangers.  Don't overlook networks and relationships.  

3. Everyone is Not your Enemy

Fugitives could not view everyone as their enemy.  Don't create imaginary adversaries.  In Matt Mason's Pirate's Dilemma, he states established companies have a choice.  They can quit, fight, join or innovate.  

Like Hip Hop, Punk and the UGRR, Netflix is redefining the rules of engagement.  Don't hate, emulate.  But don't copy, remember the original fades.  Ask Kodak, picture that. 

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The UGRR and the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

          As the world remembers the life, legacy and lasting contribution of one of America's most prominent freedom fighters, it is an ideal time to hit the historical pause button.  During slavery, enslaved Africans fought for freedom, ownership, privacy, boundaries and access.  During the Civil Rights Movement (CRM), their oppressed descendants demanded freedom, ownership, privacy, access and respectable boundaries.  

     Today, it is unclear who, if anyone is fighting for anything.  It's an extremely painful reality.  It seems after all of this time the children of African royalty have forgotten their roots, lost their minds and sold their souls.  It must be said.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  wanted equality. He even sacrificed his life for the principles upon which he stood.  He wanted Black people in America to experience true freedom, brotherhood and meaningful livelihoods. That ideal has seemingly been lost in a sea of reality television, celebrity lifestyles, pimps in the pulpit (I said it), pushes for privatized prisons and a loss of a collective desire to hustle to improve the community. 

     Most recently, the poster featuring Dr. King "twerking" has received more news attention than it deserved. I wonder will the King celebrations garner such media coverage.  A people without a vision perish.  Let's learn the lessons from our ancestors who participated in the Underground Railroad. 

1. You must work together

When enslaved Africans attempted escape, they had to depend on strangers.  Random acts of kindness were absolutely necessary.  Flash mobs of disconnected people connected to help facilitate an epic win. During the Civil Rights Movements, the exact same thing happened. Strangers opened their homes to marchers, protesters and those traveling around the country to help secure freedom for all Americans.  Be kind, do something nice for SOMEBODY everyday. 

2. Recognize the season 

Most who left a plantation were single, young men disappearing more than likely in the winter.  It was more difficult for dogs to track their scent.  It was more dangerous yet the best time to try to secure freedom. The campaign in Birmingham April-May, 1963 is example of leveraging timing, Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference leaders had enough marchers to fill the jails and others to continue protesting. Dr. King was one of those jailed writing The Letter from Birmingham Jail, one of his most noted works.  When they needed more people to execute their plan, children were asked to participate. Some brave parents gave permission while others did not. The plan worked provoking then Birmingham Commissioner of Public Safety (see the irony) Bull Connor to let the dogs out for all of the world to see. Don't try to reap out of season, it didn't work for slave owners with King cotton either.  When your time is up, move on.  

3. Play crazy

Enslaved Africans played sick, dumb and even dead in order to survive the brutality of the American system of slavery.  Civil Rights activists did the same. Don't tell all, don't know all.  

4. Get your education 

Some slaves were blinded, maimed and/or killed for learning how to read.  A people with knowledge will prosper.  Frederick Bailey learned how to read from his master's wife.  It was against the law and ultimately fueled Bailey's determination for escape.  You know Bailey as the great orator Frederick Douglass . Civil Rights workers had to know how to read to understand directions, voting rules, strategic plans and more. They focused on the value of educating children. It WAS a priority not taken for granted.  Dr. King was an educated man who wanted all people to have access to a better life and opportunities. READ a book EVERYDAY! 

5. Don't tell everything

On the UGRR and in the CRM, secrets had to be kept.  Some escapes and sit-ins were timed brilliantly because of the covert communication. Speaking in code was a common strategy to avoid detection.  Success speaks volumes.  

There are SO many more parallels and lessons to be learned from the UGRR and the CRM. Take the time this day to learn one thing you didn't know about this two epic movements. 

Happy Birthday Dr. King! Thank you, some of us have not forgotten and we will continue the fight for freedom.  

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2013: An Award Winning Year

From beginning to end, it was absolutely amazing!  From day one, it was declared the year of JOY! Indeed, good news was spreading when I decided to stay home alone on New Year's Eve. It was a unique decisive decision. It was time to embrace my reality and appreciate the silence and spiritual time.  Without tears or fears, prayers were said and a really good night's sleep was cherished.  Gratitude sprang from the lips to the sheets to the pillow to the dreams. It was pure contentment.  Learning to be like Paul in Philippians being satisfied whether up or down. It isn't always easy but is is necessary.  Highlights from 2013 include: being promoted to Full Professor at Belmont University, Nashville, TN., publishing a second book, Innovate: Lessons from the Underground Railroad (Tennessee Tribune Take 10 , NewsChannel 5's Talk of the Town, Fox 17, Tennessee Mornings, ETPCast.com, Southern Alpha, WFSK 88.1 FM, Essence.com) the winner of the 2013 USA Book News Award multicultural non-fiction category, being chosen for the IABC Nashville EXCEL Award for leadership in communication, experimenting with Google Glass and receiving media attention (Fox 17 , Tennessee Tribune and WTVF-CBS Nashville) speaking at Tedx Nashville and for international organizations including on the People's Stage at the Web Summit in Dublin, Ireland and at the Association of American Colleges and Universities E-Portfolio luncheon at the annual conference. There's so much more but deliberately sharing a few highlights to encourage you and to encourage me.  Thank you to every loved one, friends, family and strangers who are supporting me on this journey. Your love and support are not taken for granted.  Realizing it's not about me is my motivation.  It would be easy to stop and chill but peace would not be found.  Destiny must be fulfilled.  

This year 2014 is the year of love, loving God, loving yourself and THEN loving others. It's imperative to put the oxygen mask on yourself first.  This does not advocate selfishness.  This means your needs matter and if you do not preserve self, YOU won't exist.  Knowing you are worthy and worth it makes all of the difference.  Setting a standard and maintaining it professionally and personally is a must.  No more apologies.  It is what it is.  You have a choice, exercise it.  The late Whitney Houston was SO right, learning to love yourself really is the greatest love of all.  Find your strength in love.  Happy New Year, the calendar may have changed yet the season did not.  Grateful to be Great-FULL! Speak LOVE over yourself! 

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Using @GoogleGlass during Innovate: Lessons from the Underground Railroad talk at the Web Summit in Dublin, Ireland.

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With @WebSummitHQ People's Stage emcee Eimear McCormack in Dublin, Ireland.

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Amazon's Relevance and the Washington Post

Nothing surprises me anymore.  In an age of "anything goes", it's hard to allow anything to really rattle your cage. However, the sale of the Washington Post to Amazon's Jeff Bezos has caused me to hit the pause button.  

Many journalists have publicly shared their concern and dismay regarding content, direction and the fate of one of the flagship institution's of journalism.  My questions pertain to the notion of relevance.  Ironically, I am reading Eli Pariser's book "The Filter Bubble: How the New Personalized Web is Changing What We Read and How We Think."  In his Ted Talk, Pariser explains the way search engines cause bias in search results by tailoring them based on a users previous searches. So if you prefer entertainment news, sports or business, the results three people receive from the searching the exact same topic will be different.

From "The Filter Bubble" "Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, was one of the first people to realize that you could harness the power of relevance to make a few billion dollars."  Given Amazon's dominance in customer recommendations even if the Post continues its excellence in investigative journalism a large segment of the online population may never get access to it.  The more a consumer consumes the more tailored the recommendations and results.  After all, saving a user time is a service. Or is it? How can democracy thrive when its citizenry is not well informed? Will Bezos, the owner of a multi-billion dollar empire value journalism as the fourth estate? Search Me.

This sale in not a shock, what could happen as result may be.  That's my recommendation. Is it relevant?

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Overview of Google Glass Apps HippflowHippflow for Glass is the first ever Google Glass app that helps VCs to track their portfolio startups'