NEW WORKSHOPS ADDED

Phil Simon

THE WORLD’S FOREMOST INDEPENDENT EXPERT ON WORKPLACE COLLABORATION AND TECHNOLOGY

On Collaboration, E-Mail, and the Discman

A parallel between antiquated tools.
Jun | 14 | 2021

Jun | 14 | 2021
}

If you’re of a certain age, then you remember the Sony Discman. (Yes, showing my students a picture of one never ceased to bewilder them.) I’ll assume that you don’t. It looked like this:

I could explain what it did (or still does if you own one), but I’ll cede my time to the inimitable Gary Gulman.

Oddly, I’ve been thinking more and more about these technological relics as I do press, speaking, and consulting around the new book.

Let me explain.

It’s been two decades since you’d regularly see people exercising with Discmen. The launch of the iPod in 2001 caught Sony off guard—the company has never really recovered. For some reason, however, far many of us “collaborate” via e-mail when affordable, user-friendly, and powerful internal collaboration hubs exist.

It makes no sense.

Simon Says

In 2021, you wouldn’t rely upon a Discman while getting your sweat on. Far better alternatives are available. The same holds true with e-mail for collaboration. 

Feedback

What say you?

Receive my musings, news, and rants in your inbox as soon as they publish.

 

Blog E Collaboration E On Collaboration, E-Mail, and the Discman

Related Posts

Book Review: Wonder Boy

In 2011, I moved from NJ to Vegas. It didn't take long for me to hook up with the Vegas tech scene and the Downtown Project. Over the course of my five years in Sin City, I attended events, spoke at Zappos's HQ a few times, met plenty of smart cookies, and learned a...

Book Review: Wonder Boy

In 2011, I moved from NJ to Vegas. It didn't take long for me to hook up with the Vegas tech scene and the Downtown Project. Over the course of my five years in Sin City, I attended events, spoke at Zappos's HQ a few times, met plenty of smart cookies, and learned a...

Collaboration, AI, and the Long Game

Your department or employer has embraced Slack, Microsoft Teams, or another internal collaboration hub. You regularly send your colleagues direct messages. You frequently post messages in channels. Some contain brief videos that you record to save time. As you type a...

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *