Wednesday, February 25, 2009

WEB 2.0

PROFITING FROM THE DARK SIDE OF WEB 2.0
By Andi P Rahim
http://andirahim.blogspot.com

Artikel Mas Siwo di (http://yuswohady.com) berjudul The Dark Side of WEB 2.0 yang disarikan dari buku Mas Tapscott Grown Up Digital adalah inspirasi dari tulisan ini. Salah satu peluang bisnis yg besar menurut saya adalah bisnis yang sifatnya bisa menarik perhatian para peselancar dunia maya untuk kembali ke dunia nyata. Sedikit flashback ke belakang yaitu pada saat syndrome coke and cake menggejala, maka kemudian binis kebugaran tumbuh kembang dengan subur. Daya tarik dari bisnis ini adalah mencegah orang jadi gemuk, jelek dan penyakitan. Intinya adalah mengkaunter semua efek negative yang ditimbulkan oleh Coke+Cake tadi.

Menurut pengamatan saya bisnis yang akan booming kedepan salah satunya adalah bisnis outbond. Mengapa bisnis outbond? Mengacu pada bekembangnya bisnis kebugaran yang sedikit banyaknya dipicu oleh Coke+Cake Syndrome, maka bisnis outbond pun akan berkembang serupa. Alasannya adalah Outbond itu adalah upper level dari kebugaran karena di outbond selain bugar juga ada intensive interaction. Kalau kebugaran itu padanannya adalah WEB 1.0 maka Outbond itu levelnya adalah WEB 2.0. Berikut adalah table komparasinya:



Saya tidak akan membahas masing-masing parameter tersebut di atas secara panjang lebar. Instead, saya akan membahas keterkaitan satu sama lain yang mendasari mengapa bisnis Outbond akan booming.

WEB 2.0 dengan karakter teknologinya yang lebih advance memungkinkan terjadinya pola komunikasi yang tidak hanya one way atau two way communication, tetapi bisa multi way atau bahkan all way communication (atau entah apalah istilahnya). Dengan demikian jejaring komunitas itu pola pertumbahannya sangat cepat. Ditambah lagi saat ini hampir semua tools jejaring yang ada bisa diakses secara mobile. Dan lebih anehnya lagi orang dengan sukarela memaparkan apa saja aktivitasnya setiap saat( sedang apa, dimana, sama siapa) bahkan status dirinya lagi bertengkar dengan pasangan pun dipublikasikan (narsis yang aneh).

Berawal dari sinilah kemudian mengundang banyak komentar dan diskusi antara sesama netter. Bayangkan saja ada seorang cewek cantik disuggest secara otomatis ke anda di facebook, bisa dipastikan anda tidak akan nunggu sampai lebih dari 3,5 detik untuk langsung meng-add dia. Tentunya dengan harap-harap cemas semoga saja cewek tersebut di profilnya khusus bagian “relationship status” tertulis “single” atau “It’s complicated” karena itu berarti ada peluang bagi anda menjadikannya “in a relationship with anda”.

Harap punya harap, begitu “friend request” anda di “confirm” oleh dia ternyata di profilenya tertulis in a relationship with someone. Serta-merta sama gesitnya ketika anda meng-add cewek tersebut hanya dalam waktu 3,5 detik dari MP3 player anda mengalunlah lagu Dewa 19 “Ingin kubunuh pacarmu saat…..”. Masalah pun berlanjut. Sejurus kemudian dengan perasaan ancur lebur anda posting di “wall”: Ingin kuraih bulan apa daya tangan tak sampai, adakah seseorang yang sudi membawakanku tangga untuk dapat meraihnya, atau adakah bulan yang lain…? Sontak, dalam hitungan 3,5 menit “comment” pun datang bertubi-tubi, maka terjadilah diskusi/conversation yang benar-benar crowded. Beberapa contoh comment sebagai berikut:

- Kawan, percayalah jika dia memang milikmu, maka jodoh tak akan kemana
- Bro, hidup itu adalah perjuangan untuk meraih apa yang kita impikan. Jika dia impianmu Teruslah berjuang…berjuang….MERDEKA…!
- Cengeng amat sih loe, kayak ga ada yang laen aja, nyari yang laen dong
- Kasian amat sih abang yang satu ini, makanya jadi orang itu jangan belagu
- Mas dari dulu aku tidak pernah berubah, aku selalu ingin jadi bulan untukmu, tapi kenapa mas…….....
- Boss, gue ga punya tangga untuk ke bulan. Klu tangga untuk perbaiki genteng gue ada, anytime gue bisa meluncur
- Boro-boro bantuin sampeyan nyari bulan, saya a ja sekarang jadi bulan-bulanan isteri saya gara2 fecebook ini

Cerita ini akan berlanjut terus tanpa ada habisnya. Setiap hari anda akan tongkrongi profil cewek tadi sambil terus berharap kapan statusnya jadi single. Mungkin suatu saat anda sudah mendapatkan bulan yang dimaksud atau telah menemukan bulan lain, tapi percayalah bahwa diujung dunia sana-sini setiap saat akan ada yang melalui jalan cerita anda, bisa persis bisa lebih complicated. Hari ini anda dapat bulan, boleh jadi pada hari yang bersamaan ada dua orang teman anda justeru kehilangan bulan, dan belum terhitung barapa banyak yang lain lagi yang sementara berusaha keras mendapatkan bulan. Ini hanyalah contoh kasus dalam satu konteks masalah yang sangat kecil.

Masalah yang saya ilustrasikan di atas ternyata tidak hanya dialami oleh anak muda. Semua kalangan mengalaminya dari anak-anak sampai kakek-kakek, pria dan wanita, bahkan yang sudah bersuami dan beristeri sekalipun. Pendeknya dalam satu rumah semua anggota keluarga keranjingan teknologi WEB 2.0 ini. Jadi, perhatian keras buat yang tidak kuat mental agar menjauh dari WEB 2.0. Bayangkan saja perubahan psikologis dapat berubah-ubah hanya dalam hitungan menit bahkan detik. Baru saja anda membaca comment yang mensupport, eh satu dua menit kemudian sudah muncul lagi comment yang menjengkelkan, demikian seterusnya. Pada gilirannya terjadilah ketidakstabilan kondisi psikologis dan emosi yang sifatnya mengarah pada Behavioural Disorder.

Apa yang terjadi kemudian adalah munculnya masalah baru yaitu apa yang saya sebut SIDS (Social Interaction Deficiency Syndrome). Dari segi tingkat keparahannya SIDS ini hampir sama dengan AIDS. Bedanya hanya pola ”keterasingan-nya” saja dimana SIDS orangnya sendiri yang mengisolasikan/mengasingkan diri dari lingkungan karena behavioural disorder tadi sementara AIDS kecenderungannya adalah diasingkan oleh lingkungannya karena sifatnya adalah Physical Disorder yang bisa menular. Oleh karena itu penanganannya pun harus beda, kalau AIDS dikirim ke rehabilitasi yang tertutup sedangkan SIDS dipandu ke lingkungan/alam terbuka.

Bagi para pengidap SIDS berita baiknya adalah bahwa dalam konteks probabilitas kesembuhan tidaklah separah AIDS dimana ajal sepertinya sudah diujung jalan sana. SIDS punya harapan sembuh yang sangat tinggi. Salah satu caranya adalah dengan outing yang diisi dengan acara yang bernuansa social interaction. Dasar pemikirannya adalah kalau di dunia maya hampir semuanya bisa di dapat, kecuali satu yaitu ”Real Experience”. Dan juga perlu diingat bahwa mengapa berinternet itu diistilahkan berselancar (surfing)? Itu tak lain karena sifatnya yang adventurous. Oleh karena itu solusi untuk mencegah dan mengobati SIDS ini salah satunya adalah Outing. Di outing bisa disajikan real experience yang adventurous, hitung-hitung juga bisa sebagai ajang copy darat.

Sebagai penutup saya ingin sampaikan bahwa tulisan ini dibuat untuk sedapat mungkin bisa memberikan solusi penyeimbang antara dunia maya vs dunia nyata. Dengan outing diharapkan dapat mengkaunter dampak buruk dari WEB 2.0 bahkan kalau bisa kenapa tidak Profiting From The Dark Side of WEB 2.0 (baca: mencegah sambil berbisnis).

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Syukur

'ALHAMDULILLAHI RABBIL AALAMIIN'
(dari seorang sahabat)
Aku bermimpi suatu hari aku pergi ke surga
dan seorang malaikat menemaniku

dan menunjukkan keadaan di surga.
Kami berjalan memasuki suatu ruang kerja
penuh dengan para malaikat.

Malaikat yang mengantarku berhenti di depan

ruang kerja pertama dan berkata, " Ini adalah Seksi

Penerimaan"
"Disini, semua permintaan yang ditujukan pada Allah diterima".
Aku melihat-lihat sekeliling tempat ini dan aku

dapati tempat ini begitu sibuk dengan begitu banyak malaikat yang

memilah-milah seluruh permohonan yang tertulis

pada kertas dari manusia di seluruh dunia.
   Kemudian aku dan malaikat-ku berjalan lagi melalui
koridor yang panjang lalu

sampailah kami pada ruang kerja kedua.

Malaikat-ku berkata, "Ini adalah Seksi Pengepakan
dan Pengiriman"
"Disini, kemuliaan dan rahmat yang diminta manusia diproses
dan dikirim ke manusia-manusia yang masih hidup yang memintanya".

Aku perhatikan lagi betapa sibuknya ruang kerja itu.

Ada banyak malaikat yang bekerja begitu keras karena ada begitu

banyaknya permohonan yang dimintakan dan sedang dipaketkan

untuk dikirim ke bumi.
Kami melanjutkan perjalanan lagi hingga sampai pada
ujung terjauh koridor panjang tersebut dan berhenti

pada sebuah pintu ruang kerja yang sangat kecil.
Yang sangat mengejutkan aku, hanya ada satu
malaikat yang duduk disana, hampir tidak melakukan apapun.

"Ini adalah Seksi Pernyataan Terima Kasih", kata

Malaikatku pelan.
Dia tampak malu.
"Bagaimana ini? Mengapa hampir tidak ada pekerjaan

disini?", tanyaku.
"Menyedihkan", Malaikat-ku menghela napas. " Setelah
manusia menerima rahmat

yang mereka minta, sangat sedikit manusia yang

mengirimkan pernyataan terima kasih".
  "Bagaimana manusia menyatakan terima kasih atas
rahmat Tuhan?", tanyaku.
"Sederhana sekali", jawab Malaikat.
"Cukup berkata, 'ALHAMDULILLAHI RABBIL AALAMIIN, Terima kasih,

Tuhan".
  "Lalu, rahmat apa saja yang perlu kita syukuri", tanyaku.
Malaikat-ku menjawab, "Jika engkau mempunyai makanan

di lemari es, pakaian yang menutup tubuhmu,

atap di atas kepalamu dan tempat untuk tidur, maka

engkau lebih kaya dari 75% penduduk dunia ini.
"Jika engkau memiliki uang di bank, di dompetmu, dan
uang-uang receh, maka

engkau berada diantara 8% kesejahteraan dunia.
"Dan jika engkau mendapatkan pesan ini di komputer
mu, engkau adalah bagian

dari 1% di dunia yang memiliki kesempatan itu.
Juga.... "Jika engkau bangun pagi ini dengan lebih
banyak kesehatan

daripada kesakitan ... engkau lebih dirahmati

daripada begitu banyak orang

di dunia ini yang tidak dapat bertahan hidup hingga

hari ini.
"Jika engkau tidak pernah mengalami ketakutan dalam
perang, kesepian dalam penjara, kesengsaraan penyiksaan,

atau kelaparan yang amat sangat ....

Maka engkau lebih beruntung dari 700 juta orang di

         dunia".
 "Jika engkau dapat menghadiri Masjid atau pertemuan
religius tanpa ada ketakutan akan penyerangan,

penangkapan, penyiksaan, atau kematian ...

maka engkau lebih dirahmati daripada 3 milyar orang di

dunia.
    "Jika orangtuamu masih hidup dan masih berada dalam
ikatan pernikahan ...

maka engkau termasuk orang yang sangat jarang.
"Jika engkau dapat menegakkan kepala dan tersenyum,
maka engkau bukanlah

seperti orang kebanyakan, engkau unik dibandingkan

semua mereka yang berada dalam keraguan dan keputusasaan.
   "Jika engkau dapat membaca pesan ini, maka engkau
menerima rahmat ganda,

yaitu bahwa seseorang yang mengirimkan ini padamu

berpikir bahwa engkau

orang yang sangat istimewa baginya, dan bahwa,

engkau lebih dirahmati

daripada lebih dari 2 juta orang di dunia yang

bahkan tidak dapat membaca

sama sekali".
Nikmatilah hari-harimu, hitunglah rahmat yang telah
Allah anugerahkan kepadamu.
Dan jika engkau berkenan, kirimkan pesan
ini ke semua teman-teman-mu untuk mengingatkan mereka betapa

dirahmatinya kita semua.
"Dan ingatlah tatkala Tuhanmu menyatakan bahwa,
'Sesungguhnya jika kamu

bersyukur, pasti Aku akan menambahkan lebih banyak

nikmat kepadamu' ".

(QS:Ibrahim (14) :7 )

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Between Love, Wealth, and Success

LOVE


"Three Old Men" Italy Circa 1535
By Paramigianino (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola)


WHEREVER THERE IS LOVE...

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men
with long white beards sitting in her front yard.
She did not recognize them.

She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry.
Please come in and have something to eat."

"Is the man of the house home?", they asked.
"No", she replied. "He's out."
"Then we cannot come in", they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home,
she told him what had happened.
"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!"

The woman went out and invited the men in.
"We do not go into a house together," they replied.
"Why is that?" she asked.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth,"
he said pointing to one of his friends,
and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love."

Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband
which one of us you want in your home."

The woman went in and told her husband what was said.
Her husband was overjoyed.
"How nice!!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth.
Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"
His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house.
She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love?
Our home will then be filled with love!"

"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife.
"Go out and invite Love to be our guest."
The woman went out and asked the three old men,
"Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house.
The other two also got up and followed him.
Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success:
"I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success,
the other two of us would've stayed out,
but you invited Love, and wherever he goes, we go also.
Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!"

... Especially For You ...

Where there is pain, may you have peace and mercy.
Where there is self-doubting, may you have a renewed
confidence in your ability to work through it.
Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, may you have
understanding, patience, and renewed strength.
Where there is fear, may you have love, and courage.

~ Author Unknown ~

The gift of love


THE GIFT OF LOVE

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg. It had been a year since Susan, thirty-four, became blind.

Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity. Once a fiercely independent woman, Susan now felt condemned by this terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden on everyone around her. "How could this have happened to me?" she would plead, her heart knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted, she knew the painful truth her sight was never going to return. A cloud of depression hung over Susan's once optimistic spirit. Just getting through each day was an exercise in frustration and exhaustion. And all she had to cling to was her husband Mark.

Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all of his heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed to become independent again. Mark's military background had trained him well to deal with sensitive situations, and yet he knew this was the most difficult battle he would ever face.

Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city.

At first, this comforted Susan and fulfilled Mark's need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task. Soon, however, Mark realized that this arrangement wasn't working — it was hectic, and costly. Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. But just the thought of mentioning it to her made him cringe. She was still so fragile, so angry. How would she react?

Just as Mark predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again. "I'm blind!" she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to know where I'm going? I feel like you're abandoning me." Mark's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang of it.

And that is exactly what happened. For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a seat. He made her laugh, even on those not-so-good days when she would trip exiting the bus, or drop her briefcase.

Each morning they made the journey together, and Mark would take a cab back to his office. Although this routine was even more costly and exhausting than the previous one, Mark knew it was only a matter of time before Susan would be able to ride the bus on her own. He believed in her, in the Susan he used to know before she'd lost her sight, who wasn't afraid of any challenge and who would never, ever quit.

Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, his love. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better. She was doing it! She was going to work all by herself!

On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure envy you." Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year? Curious, she asked the driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?"

The driver responded, "It must feel so good to be taken care of and protected like you are." Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and asked again, "What do you mean?" The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady."

Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For although she couldn't physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift she didn't need to see to believe — the Gift of Love that can bring light where there had been darkness.

~By Chaplain Jerry Vintinner
Contributed by Ellie in
Albuquerque, New Mexico 

No Regret (A Husband Who Really Love His Wife)


LOVE

NO REGRETS

Not many people have heard of Bill Havens. But Bill became an unlikely hero of sorts — at least among those who knew him best. Here is his story:

At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the sport of canoe racing was added to the list of international competitions. The favorite team in the four-man canoe race was the United States team. One member of that team was a young man by the name of Bill Havens.

As the time for the Olympics neared, it became clear that Bill's wife would give birth to their first child about the time that the US team would be competing in the Paris games. In 1924 there were no jet airliners from Paris to the United States, only slow ocean-going ships.

And so Bill found himself in a dilemma. Should he go to Paris and risk not being at his wife's side when their baby was born? Or should he withdraw from the team and remain with his family? Bill's wife insisted that he go to Paris. After all, competing in the Olympics was the culmination of a life-long dream. But Bill felt conflicted and, after much soul-searching, decided to withdraw from the competition and remain home where he could support his wife when the child arrived. He considered being at her side his highest priority — even higher than going to Paris to fulfill his dream.

As it turned out, the United States four-man canoe team won the gold medal in Paris. And Bill's wife was late in giving birth to their child. She was so late, in fact, that Bill could have competed in the event and returned home in time to be with her when she gave birth. People said, "What a shame." But Bill said he had no regrets. For the rest of his life, he believed he had made the better decision.

Bill Havens knew what was most important to him. Not everybody figures that out. And he acted on what he believed was best. Not everybody has the strength of character to say no to something he or she truly wants in order to say yes to something that truly matters. But for Bill, it was the only way to peace; the only way to no regrets.

There is an interesting sequel to the story of Bill Havens... The child eventually born to Bill and his wife was a boy, whom they named Frank. Twenty-eight years later, in 1952, Bill received a cablegram from Frank. It was sent from Helsinki, Finland, where the 1952 Olympics were being held. The cablegram read: "Dad, I won. I'm bringing home the gold medal you lost while waiting for me to be born."

Frank Havens (see photo) had just won the gold medal for the United States in the canoe-racing event, a medal his father had dreamed of winning but never did. Like I said — no regrets.

One of the most common complaints I hear from families is that they are not close. They may be close in proximity, but still not feel close as a family. They may live next door or in the same house, but not feel close emotionally.

Closeness is not about latitude; it's about attitude. We feel close when we feel understood, when we feel loved and when we simply enjoy being together. We may live far apart and still feel close, or we may share a home yet feel distant.

Closeness is a family trait that grows over time. It is planted by love, watered by honest sharing and fed by true listening. It grows slowly and sometimes takes years to mature; but its roots grow deep. It can weather most any storm and sustain a family through the most difficult of times.

I received a letter from a reader in Hawaii. She pointed out that the CEO of one of the island's largest banks was considering a run for governor. Since he is well-liked, he seemed to have a good chance of winning.

But, before filing papers, he changed his mind, stating that he wanted to spend more time with his family. Not that elected officials cannot be family-oriented, but he felt he needed more time at home than the job allowed.

Ronald A. Young, in the Honolulu Advertiser, said this about the candidate's decision: "No matter what you accomplish in the business world or the social world, if you fail 'ohana' [family], then you have not accomplished much. Failure or success does not lie in the material wealth you provide them. It is measured by what of yourself you give to them."

He made a decision to give the best of himself to "ohana." He chose family closeness first, despite pressure to put more time elsewhere. It's likely a decision he'll never regret.

Thomas Kinkade eloquently said, "When we learn to say a deep, passionate yes to the things that really matter... then peace begins to settle onto our lives like golden sunlight sifting to a forest floor.


~By Steve Goodier © 2002 and 2003 Life Support System
from his book: A LIFE THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE