We are in the midst of a visual revolution or return really.

When you think about it, go back to 3000 BC the 1st forms of communication codified on clay tablets were visual.

Then we have Egypt, visual.

China and early writing! Visual.

And then in and around 751AD we start moving away, fighting and screaming, from visual communication to the written word.

OK this is an over simplification but the point is visual communication was how we did things and now we are finding our way back!

Hugh as an artist, pr guy, tech guy, writer, machine… has hit the nail of culture right on the head and I suspect others, like myself trapped in the Ivory Tower, need to re-think how we are seeing the world given the huge mesh-up of ideas taking place.

And technology plays a role in all this as well!

Here is Hugh’s TWITTER post!

Culture = Business = Marketing = Language = Communication = Art = Culture…

And this year for the first time the event will have its own official blogger to tell the story behind the story from the floor!

That blogger is none other than me!

How did this happen? What training do you need? What is the payout?

The short and simple response to how it has all come about is I asked who was doing the blogging at the conference and when there was a pause I said I would… 2 seconds later I am the official blogger!

LESSON LEARNED #1 You have nothing to lose by asking!

LESSON LEARNED #1a Sometimes the obvious things are the most overlooked.

How do you train to blog? Just do it and think what is the value of the content!

LESSON LEARNED #2 Our everyday education, on the street, is as valuable as a Ph.D.

We spend a lot of time asking the simple question, “what is in it for me”, and too often the answer is some how linked to money.

What will I get out of the official blogger job for Leaders in Dubai? Simple, access to a cool event and an opportunity to experiment with WEB 2.0 with a bunch of corporates who probably spend too little time thinking about this type of communication tool.

LESSON LEARNED #3 Bragging rights are invaluable!

You may have seen the work of Hugh MacLeod, he is the author of the blog gapingvoid in fact I have a feed to his cartoons on the right of this post.

Hugh is a great example of looking at your environment, knowing what you do well, usually the things you love, and then finding a way to do it.

One of my favorite Hugh MacLeodisms is the PDF he has published, over 2 million downloads, and now there is a book deal in the process.

I suspect we can all do as Hugh MacLeod has done, really.

I also suspect less than 1% of us will do anything near what Hugh MacLeod has done simply because we are not focused enough.

Focus is, as I see it, our greatest enemy!  We need to focus!

What do you love? Focus on that.

What are you amazing at? Focus on that

Sell yourself! Focus on that.

Take advantage of the environment, be WEB 2.0. Focus on that!

FOCUS!

A conversation with Hugh MacLeod.