We've been going around for months, years even saying that we are listening, learning and changing and our actions have been showing this quite nicely so when I was given the chance to lead both the Community Clubhouse and the Community Day for Berlin I started to think of interesting ways to get the conversation started sooner than once we are all in Berlin. How best to do this? This got me thinking about the whole concept of conversation and what it means, this of course lead me back to the Cluetrain Manifesto.A powerful global conversation has begun. Through the Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed. As a direct result, markets are getting smarter—and getting smarter faster than most companies.These markets are conversations. Their members communicate in language that is natural, open, honest, direct, funny and often shocking. Whether explaining or complaining, joking or serious, the human voice is unmistakably genuine. It can't be faked.
Most corporations, on the other hand, only know how to talk in the soothing, humorless monotone of the mission statement, marketing brochure, and your-call-is-important-to-us busy signal. Same old tone, same old lies. No wonder networked markets have no respect for companies unable or unwilling to speak as they do.
But learning to speak in a human voice is not some trick, nor will corporations convince us they are human with lip service about "listening to customers." They will only sound human when they empower real human beings to speak on their behalf.
(via Cluetrain Manifestio)
So I came up with what some might thing a corny gimmick, which is not the intention at all. The idea was born out of some thoughts last year and the fact that it's just the right thing to do! The idea is about what I do on a daily basis, it's help get conversations started and more importantly empower others to have conversations!
With that let me introduce you to the...
The SAP TechEd '08 "Cluetrain" is about empowering our attendees to get the conversation started the before they even reach Berlin. Encourage blogging, podcasting and video blogging along the way it's a 4 hour ride, strike that it's a 4 hour conversation with the people themselves. SAP jumps on board the Deutsche Bahn together with it's customers and partners from Frankfurt to Berlin. October 12 at 16:17 the party starts. 25 attendees of the SAP Community Day taking place on October 13th will board and make their way to Berlin, from there they will bring that conversation to the attendees of the Community Day and then into the SAP Community Clubhouse, all the while SAP and SAP TechEd will be listening and learning along the way!
Several hundred kilometers of conversation, community, collaboration and co-innovation!
Join the "SAP TechEd Cluetrain!"
Those pesky little details? Well it's the Deutsche Bahn and we start in the Frankfurt Haupt Bahnhof (main station) in downtown Frankfurt. We depart at 16:17 (so 4pm in the afternoon), if you are already a registered Community Day attendee (and of course one of the first to sign up) I've a ticket waiting for you! It's first come first serve though! This will be from Frankfurt to Berlin!
Register here!
