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School started today, and I'm getting ready for a rush of productivity: new projects, new clients, and new writing projects. But first, let me recommend a few books I read this summer. It's not exactly "what I did on summer vacation," but they might just kick-start some ideas that aren't part of your typical day.

I read Jeffrey Carr's Inside Cyber Warfare back in the spring, so when Richard Clarke's Cyber War started getting mainstream coverage, I knew I needed to read it. Carr made the point that we need better computer security on systems that do important things, but Clarke really bangs the drum and demands attention. Plus, his background guarantees that he gets attention when he wants it.

Clarke emphasizes the nightmare scenarios—power outages, train wrecks, and refinery explosions—so it's not bedtime reading, but if you stick with it through the scary parts, he makes some good points. If you've never thought about how quickly the lights can go out, this might be a wake-up call.

Over dinner at a conference (what do you mean, cyber attacks aren't dinner conversation?), Clarke's book drew a laugh and the comment that I was reading science fiction after starting with the science (Carr). But the real science fiction scare came from Daniel Suarez's Daemon, recommended by my old friend Dave Thomas. Daemon is the story of an AI (articial intelligence) from the world of MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) that takes over the world. If you believe this is possible, you might change your mind about the Internet off switch. Or at least check your offline contingency plans.

And oh, look, there's a sequel. Who needs sleep?

Vinnie Mirchandani's The New Polymath celebrates innovation in, and especially at the intersections of, various technology specialties. It's loaded with examples, and if you're like me—interested in too many topics to pick just one—it provides affirmation that that's ok.

The only problem I had with this book is that Mirchandani makes a major point about And not Or thinking, and people might think I got that from his book. It's really just something that becomes obvious when you regularly share ideas that cross boundaries. The New Polymath is great for pointing out ideas from many fields and connecting them to meaningful outcomes; read it and you'll be challenged and inspired, whatever your usual niche.

The summer's been long and hot—and realistically, we have another month to go before fall weather arrives here—but these books started the gears moving. Now we'll see what happens as a result.

Here's a simple tip that leads to thinking bigger thoughts: when confronting a list, think and, not or.

If we've talked in the last few weeks, you've probably heard a version of this. It's central to how I think about things, and it's why I'm having trouble with most of the usual labels for listening tools and services—the labels imply boundaries that limit the potential applications.

Most people seem to approach things as a series of or questions. I see a lot of it in social media circles:

• Just social or just media?
• Monitoring or measuring?
• Analyzing or responding?
• Marketing or customer service?
• Software or human intelligence?

The thing about or questions is that they expect right and wrong answers. What if both choices are right (possibly in different contexts)? What if options not on the list are also right?

Focus with Or; Explore with And
Or questions simplify things, which makes them easier to understand. They're great when you need to be very clear about what you're doing or what you need. When choosing between a hammer and a screwdriver, it helps to know if you're driving a nail or a screw. Once you know your objectives, or questions are invaluable.

On the other hand, I do a lot of exploring around the edges of the market. I want to know what change is coming, and where it's coming from. Approaching the market as a series of and questions helps me find the adjacent spaces that the or questions exclude. A typical yes, and question is "what else can it do?"

I find that most questions are more interesting if we replace the or with and, and see where it leads.

Soapbox photo by Steve Rhodes.

Searching for a title made up entirely of Boolean operators: priceless.

I was in London for the first time last week, having a great time. After a lunch meeting in the shadow of Tower Bridge, I walked around the Tower of London. As I looked up at the main residence, the first thing that came to mind—no kidding—was, "Oh, king, eh? Very nice!"

Which would have earned me the wrong kind of castle tour back in the day.

Among the many sights I saw, I think the funniest was the warning sign on some construction scaffolding: "Pedestrians beware: water on sidewalk and pavement."

It was raining.

Posting has been light here lately, but I have a good excuse, really. I've just gone through 30 demos in a comparison of 23 social media analysis platforms, from Alterian to Whitevector and including all the usual suspects. Now, I'm in the testing and writing phase of a comparison report that will be available in a few weeks. I'm getting hands-on with a lot of software, so blogging, tweeting, and even lunch are taking a back seat to the project.

The focus this time is on software that's designed to support social media capabilities in a multi-user, multi-project environment (which describes most companies and agencies). While asking the usual questions about features and coverage, I'm noticing interesting trends:

• Tools are aligned with the 5 modes of listening; not all platforms try to do it all.

• At the high end, companies are getting serious about social media analysis as enterprise software, adding features that address IT interests like user administration, security and system integration.

Nose. Grindstone.

Update: The report is now available: Social Media Analysis Platforms for Workgroups.

In my copious spare time, as they say, I'm also working on an analytics unconference—mostly because it will be an event I want to attend. We're not quite ready to announce the details, but the wiki gives the general idea.

I've been busy behind the scenes, but some of my contacts missed the news. If you saw the not-quite-announcement on my not-exactly-secret vendor mailing list, you know what's going on. If you didn't—and your company sells social media analysis products or services—let's get you on the list.

A better way to keep in touch
When I set out to find all of the companies that monitor or measure social media in 2006, I thought I was researching 20 or 30 companies. Today, the database includes more than 170 companies, and it's become impossible to stay in touch through individual emails. To better manage the volume, I set up a mailing list for my vendor contacts.

This is not a client newsletter (that's later). This is my tool for staying in better contact with over 200 vendor contacts around the world. I'm replacing scattershot conversations with a more systematic way to include everyone in what's going on at Social Target. I'll use this list to share:

• New research projects to participate in
  
• Requests for information for the Guide to Social Media Analysis
  
• Case-study requests
  
• Questions to support specific client projects
  

The first big announcement went out three weeks ago. If you missed it, let me know, and I'll send you a personal copy.

I had seen a review of The Decline of Men earlier, but when I read Robert Rosenthal's interview with Guy Garcia for Ad Age yesterday, it made me think. About things I have learned and things I want my son to know. So while the 25 things meme circulates endlessly on Facebook, let's do something different: five manly things I can do and will pass on to my son. Tag, I'm it.

Male-targeted reality shows such as "Ice Road Truckers" and "The Deadliest Catch" tap masculine nostalgia for a time when physical brawn and bravery—not PowerPoint and spreadsheets—defined manly work.
—Guy Garcia

1. Might as well start with the basics. I can start a fire without using paper or chemical accelerants.

2. I can empty and right a canoe that has capsized and filled with water without first moving to shallow water.

3. I can build a pasture fence, from digging the post holes to stretching the wire with one of these. Not all work shows up on the résumé, you know.

4. I am installing my own hardwood floor, starting with removing the old underlayment and repairing weak sections of the subfloor.

5. I can carry on an informed conversation on current events, whether we're talking about bank bailouts, Pakistan's increasing instability, or the local school reassignment situation.

Tagging David Armano, Mack Collier, Mark Hopkins, Marshall Kirkpatrick , and Jake McKee, just in time for your Friday Fun posts.

Paul Dunay (@PaulDunay) mentioned this morning that he's developing a "ctweet" list of company chiefs on Twitter. If your card says something like CEO, COO, CFO, CMO or CIO, Paul wants to add you to his list. Which reminds me. Are we connected on Twitter (@gilliatt)?

This is a bit off-topic for me, but as it's not possible to have your eyes open for five minutes without seeing another reference to the economy, I have to say it. We have officially reached the point where metaphor is hampering, not aiding, our understanding of events. Especially as commentators speculate about what may be next, the language they're using to simplify—or to avoid concrete predictions?—is adding to the fear without adding to understanding.

Analysis Hits the Wall
I lose track of which talking head on TV ended his comments with "or things will really go over a cliff." What does that mean, really? It's the analytical equivalent of shouting "boo" in a crowded bank. If you're going to predict, make a prediction.

Let's not even get into the many variations on "worst [fill in the blank] since the Great Depression." True, but is it helpful or just inflammatory?

"But I was taking the metaphor literally"
Howard Lindzon—one of several in-depth finance sources I've started reading—advised readers this morning to "keep your powder dry." I think I know what he means in context, but it's a troubling choice when some people are applying that advice literally.

Yes, It's Hard
Just by reading about current events, we're all becoming finance experts and macroeconomists (maybe just a little). Complicated and opaque transactions are a big part of why we're in this mess, and the consequences are playing out on a global scale, so of course it's hard to figure out. A lot of people will never understand what's happening (which won't stop them from forming opinions, of course).

People who traffic in news and opinion are going to look for metaphors to simplify, but I'd like to see them exercise more care in avoiding the choices that incite fear while failing to explain. The colorful descriptions of what might happen, in particular, need to be toned down. Specific, literal descriptions (and predictions, if you insist) are scary enough.

If you want to come up with a dozen creative ways to say the same thing, stick to covering sports.

At last look, 30% of sales of the Guide to Social Media Analysis are outside the United States (as are half of the companies profiled in the Guide). Making international contacts is one of the more fun parts of tracking social media analysis companies. It's nice to see that a global scope is good for business, too.

Beyond the small thrill I get out of traveling the world virtually, international coverage is just not optional—especially for supporting clients who do business globally. The need shows up in some recent questions:

• Client: "Does anyone monitor social media in [langage]?"
  Yes. Whatever language you're looking for, someone can handle it for you.

• Investor: "Is there a company in France measuring social media?"
  Sure. How many do you want?

• Vendor: "I'm going to be in [city in a distant country], is there anyone there I should meet?"
  Yes. I'll introduce you.

You know how a rocket works. You point it where you want it to go, light the fuse and stand back. If it's a big rocket, you stand farther back.

You know what a rocket is good for. It moves stuff really fast, around the world or into space. It burns lots of fuel and money in the process.

You know that a rocket would be helpful if you wanted to put a satellite in orbit or explore the planets.

You know to hire a rocket scientist when it's time to design your rocket and plan the flight to take a specific load to a specific point in space.

What else do you need to know?

Don't let the underlying complexity of something useful stand in the way of learning its value. You don't have to know how to build it to understand how to use it.

Photo by Steve Jurvetson.