I am spending this week at Said School of Business at Oxford University as part of their annual Silicon Valley Comes to Oxford event. Much more on this entire experience later.
Right now, however, I am in the midst of 50 MBA students from around the world who are being led through a fascinating process by innovation and creativity consultants Synectics to brainstorm and collaboratively problem-solve.
I was asked to pose the problem to be tackled by this eager group. I called upon these bright minds to arm the "good guys" in the Net neutrality debate with a metaphor/analogy/catchphrase which will help the masses quickly and painlessly understand the importance of an open and neutral Net. Up until now, the efforts of Google and its many allies on this issue have not succeeded in making this realm one around which the average layperson can wrap their head.
Nevertheless, it is vital that non-technical Net users understand the stakes here and be empowered to ask their representatives to protect the Internet. Similarly, the lawmakers themselves could no doubt benefit from concrete illustrations to help grasp the underlying concepts (look no further than the "Series of Tubes").
All told, this has been an exhilirating, eye-opening, and frankly inspiring session. The student body here at Said is wildy international and the diverse perspectives have been nothing short of moving.
Just a moment ago, one student, hailing from the developing world, said with all sincerity, "Charging for Google is like charging for air." Wow. A sentiment soon echoed across this room by students from the far reaches of the globe as they recalled life without the Internet and Google. Tales from Kazakhstan, India, and from across Africa each charged with such compelling energy and passion. The Internet is an escape, a laugh, an education, a weapon, it is medicine, it is family, it is resistance to oppression.
I need to jump back into the fray and work over some of these ideas with the students, but in the meantime, this is one of those days that reminds me of how lucky I am, and how lucky we all are. The Internet is nothing short of a gift.
Dear Chris,
It was great working on resolving a problem, which I must admit I wasn't even aware of. Internet has become a 'given' in our lives today, and this debate leaves a lot of room for introspection and possible outcomes and solutions.
Thanks for coming to Oxford. It has been a learning experience.
Posted by: Gaurav Kishore Bahri | November 20, 2006 at 11:39 AM
Dear Chris,
Thanks so much for mentioning about me in your blog. It's a pleasure to be noticed by a high profile strategist like you, that too from my dream company Google. I keep saying to my friends at the biz school that, if I ever have to work for free that would be for Google.
Keep the good work goin...
Many Thanks,
Sunil
Posted by: Sunil | November 20, 2006 at 11:50 AM
One small problem... people are selling air:
http://www.failedsuccess.com/index.php?/weblog/comments/canned_oxygen_flavored_air/
I'm not sure how many people are paying $70 for flavored air... but if the number is greater than 1 we're in trouble.
Posted by: Brian Duffy | November 20, 2006 at 03:47 PM
I just read that you are an Associate Fellow at Said Business School Business. That makes us colleagues :)
All The Best with your protest to maintain status quo on free and neutral internet.
Gaurav Bahri
MBA Student (2006-07)
gaurav.k.bahri@gmail.com
Posted by: Gaurav Kishore Bahri | November 20, 2006 at 06:47 PM
Google==Air?
That's a very bad analogy. If Google is free in that way then couldn't the same argument be used to say that Google should offer all of it's services for free as well? Would Google be willing to allow people to use AdWords for free? I mean, if Google is air then wouldn't it stand to reason that AdWords is equal to shouting into the air?
All this story does is illustrate the naivety of college students.
Posted by: HMTKSteve | November 21, 2006 at 12:08 PM
The battle for the neutrality of the net is taking some interesting forms beyond just the legal forums - its happening in the streets!
I am heading up a regional non-profit community networking initiative in south Texas that we hope will be a model for how communities can ensure that all networks have equal access to resources like Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and others, in addition to the free, uninhibited exchange of internet traffic.
We are experimenting with a regional network model that by its very nature will make it very unattractive for carriers to create non-neutral dikes in the network. There will be an immediate competitive disadvantage and market penalty if they do - that's a stick they understand. This battle will never be won in Washington.
The Internet was born free and there is an entire generation, as Chris notes above, that knows nothing but that environment.
From what I'm seeing out here, the market, and by extension the net, will flow around those who would build non-neutral Internet dams. God help us if we have to rely on Washington to save us...
PVH
Posted by: Paul Van Hoesen | November 23, 2006 at 07:43 AM
I am not an expert on the internet but I do use it most days.
For me, this debate is very interesting although I do not follow it closely. Seems to me, a better analogy than air, is the electricity generation and distribution business.
Back in the day, public investment and scientific advancement developed our "grid". Over time, we allowed our grid to become the province of the semi governmental(sometimes completely private) beauracracies which, together, have taken alot of our money and allowed a great resource to become the fragile skeleton you see today.
Let us work together to make sure this does not happen with the internet. I do not need AOL nor Microsoft to access the internet. Of course, I do not need PG&E for my electricity either.
Posted by: joe | November 25, 2006 at 08:36 AM
interesting debate - have you read this?
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/11/349881.shtml
net neutrality is extremely important.
Posted by: Holden | November 29, 2006 at 11:34 AM
Well said, such a person should be a good sentence, or the future will be more rampant.
Posted by: abercrombie and fitch uk | July 26, 2010 at 03:25 AM
houghts on aerodynamic stabilization? What would a white sail with blue wedge lined by silver look like? Real pretty I recon!! Is this design known as the flying wedge?
Posted by: Abercrombie and fitch london | July 26, 2010 at 09:37 PM
It is hard to say such a thing is clear.
Posted by: abercrombie fitch | August 01, 2010 at 09:25 PM
Caution to readers: do not confuse the tactics of a rookie like Saddam with an experienced gesticulator like1
Posted by: hollister clothing | September 11, 2010 at 11:58 PM
We have just had others see the thomas sabo review beautiful scenery, the boy grew constantly chasing a beautiful angel, but I never frame for the thomas sabo price list girl, I am not his angels. That's a thing, we do its sweet, eat every sat back sedan. Countless The whole world is thomas sabo jewerry both of us, then open store, I play a shopkeeper, he play customer, I play an, but he still is the thomas sabo charm bracelet price customer... But after several years, the relationship between us like this game thomas sabo charm watches in childhood, he was destined for ever is that I, love and caring person, but I was free thomas sabo bracelets jewellery in a different identities,
Posted by: thomassabouk | October 31, 2010 at 12:14 AM