My Open Letter To Rochelle Riley

On October 8th, 2009 I read an article authored by Detroit Freepress journalist Rochelle Riley on the lack of African-American males called upon to join the "Save The City" committee. What started as a thoughtful response turned into a tear inducing heart wrenching mea culpa for leaving a city I loved that needed to call upon every citizen to help keep it from falling apart. Rochelle received over 1000 emails for her piece, and knowing the likelihood of her responding to mine was small, decided to post it on my blog for all to read.

Dear Rochelle,

My name is Craig Daitch, and for 30 of the 34 years I've been alive, I have been a resident of Detroit.

Though I'd like to continue this letter speaking in the present tense, I won't been able to do so because unfortunately I no longer live in metro Detroit.

A part of the mass exodus caused by the economy, I chose to take a job in New York three years ago. Heartbroken, my wife, 2 year old daughter and I left colleagues, friends and family behind all the while asking ourselves the rhetorical question "Why is this happening?". When we arrived in the New York area, I quickly realized that there are a few of us Detroiters out here, anonymous in a city that doesn't understand our idiosyncrasies. So you could imagine the relief one feels when finding a stranger wearing a Tigers hat, or a Red Wings shirt walking down Broadway or when you get home from work to find a Vernors care package from parents. And don't get me started on the near emotional breakdown I felt when a quiet woman approached me on the Newark train platform, pointed to my J. Dilla t-shirt and said "he changed my life too."

Here on the east coast, it doesn't matter if you grew up on Joy Road or Long Lake Road. The comradeship felt knowing of the shared experiences that were connected by a love for a city outweighs any prejudices, generalizations or other outlandish stereotypes associated with the current suburban/city boundaries.

I will concede that my perspective on the city is unique amongst my circle of friends, who for the most part, have lived their lives in Detroit's suburbs. Like many parents, my father, found it difficult to recover from the riots and stay committed to living inside Detroit's city limits. The emotional scars of watching as the national guard turned his front yard into a battleground certainly affected him, and with that, when my brothers and I were born, his silent oath of over-protectiveness relegated our city experiences to annual trips to the North American International Autoshow. We were never given a true sample of Detroit culture outside of a coney dog and the occasional Tigers game.

This changed when I decided to finish school at Wayne. Instantly the bleakness of the city dissipated while being exposed to the beautiful multicultural pockets that surrounded the city.

My passion for Detroit continued past graduation, when I joined a Detroit based technology start up that set up shop in Greektown. I was fortunate enough to have witnessed the renaissance Mayor Archer brought to the city, spending nights in Harmony Park and my weekends at the DIA, going from feeling completely out of place to a vocal advocate of the city. Some of my most vivid memories:

• Having worked at Lafayette and Beaubien, I'd marvel daily, peering out my window while watching the progress of the Greektown Casino being built.

• Remembering Ford Field being constructed, and sitting on a step outside the Chameleon Cafe (a Detroit treasure long gone) sharing a laugh and a couple strawberry banana smoothies with Gil Hill. That was the beauty of the city - everyone was accessible regardless of age, occupation, race or social class.
  
  
• Discovering the Charles Wright museum for the first time.

I continued to stay committed to Detroit, incorporating my new media marketing agency in the city and taking residence in Smart Detroit. I felt the momentum of the city could carry my company and my vision to the stratosphere.

But then we hit a wall. Mayor Archer, whose hard work and collaborative spirit won us the Superbowl, and the Tournament, parted ways from political office. In his wake, we were left with the vibrant, youthful and ultimately criminally petulant, Kwame Kilpatrick.

I used to scoff at every speech he gave that ended with "I love you Detroit.", not because I didn't find him credible, for some strange reason I did. But I believed he loved himself more. I also believe if he were allowed to run for mayor again, he'd win, regardless of his sociopath-like tendencies that were boldly on display during his farewell speech.

By the time the blackberry black eye made its way to main stream news, I was gone. And while the city gasped for breath with the hands of city council's corruption wrapped firmly around its neck, I sat in my Manhattan office with pangs of guilt, instant messaging friends across the United States with ties to the region who felt the same as I did: helpless.

To reiterate, I'm not the only one. Bonds forged in my new surroundings with other indigenous, displaced Detroiters reveals a feeling I can only describe as extreme panic to help the city recover. Some nights I'd walk to the subway depressed thinking about the friends I left behind. Other nights, enraged, wondering if because the demise of Detroit transpired over 5 decades verses the 5 weeks of a post New Orleans Katrina, the economic disaster my beloved city continues to face could never fully win the hearts and determination of those outside our own to fix the damage. Man made disaster always seems to concede to mother nature unfortunately and I couldn't envision Brad Pitt pleeing with the Red Cross to help.

Which is equally part of the problem. We're in denial. Current Detroiters who swear at Mayor Bing for delivering the cold realities of an ever shrinking city population. And me, a former 3 decade resident for continually thinking this is nothing but a correctional mistake that Detroit can recover from.

So while I understand your disappointment in the Committee To Save Detroit's absence of African American males, I implore you to look past race and work as diligently as possible to be their voice. The perception of our city to those who reside outside of it is overwhelmingly negative, that is obviously not a secret. A wedge between those who were called upon verses those who volunteer to bring the city back to respectability should not be derailed due to the insinuations of race playing a role in leadership. May I respectfully remind you that this is the time to shun those inferring, qualm those who grumble and remind sternly that we are all in this together. As Detroit falls, so does its surrounding cities.

At the time of me writing this email, I am on a plane returning from a business trip. I have thought introspectively between pauses in typing as to how I can help the city of Detroit recover and I think back to the metaphors long forgotten that symbolize the statue which represents the spirit of Detroit.

Be it book drives to buy students the learning materials they need, or writing letters such as this one that I hope finds its way to press, I will work as tirelessly on the outside as the courageous do within the city's walls and I encourage others to do the same.

You Rochelle have a tremendous gift - the power of the press. And while the world of print media has its struggles it was your article that found its way to me online while waiting to board my plane, 1000 miles away, that compelled me to write you this letter and make a promise to help so I can come back proud of the city I never wanted to leave.

My name is Craig Daitch and I am an ex-Detroiter but I'll never abandon Detroit.

Kindest Regards,

Craig

Open Source Cars Are The Next Frontier

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When General Motors and Chrysler declared bankruptcy, a series of questions flooded my head. I questioned the concept of mass industrialization, and what drove companies to maximize profit for their shareholders. Were corporations legally bound to maximizing profits (they aren't). The laws of supply and demand, of mass surplus and car banks seemed to encapsulate an entire generation of flawed business direction.

In fact, in my mind, the bureaucracy of the automotive industry was a metaphor for the seismic meltdown we've felt throughout the global recession. Opinions appropriately associated with the process:

• Slow and lumbering decision making
• "Analysis paralysis" of innovative new products
• Fear of risk taking

All of this resulted in a homogeneous product that couldn't distinguish itself outside of the ever growing competitive set that now included vehicles from Japan, Germany, and Korea.

So when bankruptcy occurred, there was a real opportunity to rethink the way these companies manufactured products. Unfortunately, the bail out money allowed the big 2.5 an opportunity to live another day without the ramifications or desire to rethink the process.

While Chrysler is yet to announce its plan to profitability (rumored to be delivered by CEO Sergio Marchionne sometime over the next few weeks), GM has laid its cards on the table. Sure they shed Hummer (allegedly) and will be shutting down Pontiac and Saturn, but while the brands that needed to close did indeed close, the process remains the same.

Enter Local Motors, a new means of sourcing, producing and deciding how a car is manufactured. Local Motors uses an open source model, empowering their community of advocates with the ability to determine what is verses what isn't a desirable product. As the above video demonstrates, their model is built on agility, innovation, and a commitment to communication. Local Motors utilizes hundreds of designers and engineers from throughout the world to help them build a vehicle with true global appeal.

Whether a process like open source vehicle development is scalable is yet to be proven as a model. But, what we do know, is the concept of mass industrialization needs to change. The long tail may be shorter in the context of automotive manufacturing, but never the less, consumer choice has left the domestic manufacturers with a fight they never saw coming: the fight for the admiration of their customers.

Vishal Vaid's hypnotic song

Poor Honda...

Autoblog has a somewhat sad post (depending on which side of the coin you're on) regarding Honda hitting the panic button and pulling negative comments around the launch of their controversially designed Crosstourer.

In addition to pulling negative comments, a Honda employee took to defending the brand without formally announcing his association with the company. This lead to an instant sniffing out of poor Eddie Okubo as a shill.

Unfortunately for Eddie, Honda pulled his comments, as he wasn't qualified as a spokesman for the brand. Unfortunately for Honda, someone pulled a screen shot and sent it to Autoblog before it was pulled. Honda Claimed:

Eddie Okubo is a manager in Honda Product Planning. His post was removed for two reasons: 1) He did not first state that he is a Honda employee and that his posting is his personal -- not Honda's -- opinion. 2) He is not a spokesperson for Honda.

Look I get it. By not introducing himself as an employee, he could've gotten Honda in a heap of trouble. At the same time, by pulling negative comments around the Crosstouer on their Facebook page, started the fire that may have died down.

What Honda failed to do was listen. The blogosphere was abuzz about the less than desirable physical attributes of the Crosstourer. In fact, Tuesday, when the car was revealed, the comments almost instantly turned negatively with comparisons to everything from old soviet style transportation to the Pontiac Aztek.

While the Crosstourer may have passed the focus group test in a controlled setting where structured questions dominate the conversation between brand and consumer, social media becomes a free thought free-for-all and the immediate reaction to this vehicle wasn't too great.

Coincidentally, GM had faced a similar issue when it announced that it would put a badge engineered small SUV into market under the Buick brand. After a few photos were revealed however, the negative response caused GM to pull the idea and decide against producing the vehicle.

Anyway in conclusion, Honda has a wonderful fan base. They typically choose function over fashion and remain loyal to the brand through every right of passage, graduating from Civic to Accord and never wavering. This has been a difficult year for them however, as their hybrid, the Insight, failed to move the needle while taking a considerable amount of criticism from magazines such as Consumer Reports.

The Crosstourer may be a great performer, but by ignoring the very customers who may be in dealerships, they're already at a distinct disadvantage.

Bill Gates Quits Facebook: Sites Too Many Friend Requests As The Reason

After reading the article on Bill Gates leaving his Facebook profile behind due to his inability to distinguish who he knew and who he didn't, I coudn't help but wonder if LinkedIN had it right all along? What I mean specifically is LinkedIN's system of showing pathways to recognition; should Facebook look into implementing something similar? We're not all Bill Gates but I'm sure you've received a request or two where you ask "How do I know him?".

As I've written about previously, I believe we've dawned on the new age of relevance. For example, the social currency accrued on MySpace was based on scale of connections within one profile (i.e. John124 has 50,000 friends/popularity contest) yet your "top 8" or first degree of friends was what you paid the most attention to.

Twitter may be the first to marry scale with relevancy, through opening up its API and allowing 3rd party developers to create products such as Tweetdeck that give users the ability to filter or group conversation.

But let's go back to Facebook for one moment. Facebook has done a plethora right. They've recognized the migration patterns of aggregate social networkers who move in crowds from one site to the next (friendster > myspace > facebook) and developed tools to migrate with the herd (e.g. fanbox, facebook connect). Yet every tool in the universe can't keep the attention of its user base if networks swell to a size that makes social networking counterintuitive.

What I found most interesting about Bill Gates' decision is simple. Bill Gates does not need 10,000 friends on his social network. When he opens his mouth, he has a core of press ready to dictate every word and push it to mainstream media. What he was looking for was a true method of connecting with individuals who have relevance and meaning in his life.

We get so caught up in the celebrity of owning share of voice within a network. In fact the other day, someone I'm connected to had mentioned he was frustrated with Facebook's cap on friends at 5000 and is interested in starting his own Ning page. After thinking about this, the individual who made that statement doesn't need another social network. They need a broadcast tool. And that is not what the fundamentals of social networking is about.

Frenzied Waters Takes A Bite Out of Shark Week

One of my former clients, Discovery Channel, recently sent me a link to their viral campaign for Shark Week, called “Frenzied Waters”.

The campaign itself is pretty innovative. Using Facebook Connect to log into frenziedwaters.com, the site takes you through a first person video of someone (presumed you) splashing and swimming in the ocean. Panic sets in however as you’re attacked by a shark (shot non-graphically, as it’s alluded you’re being attacked). As you go down under water, you begin to have hazy flashbacks.

This is where Facebook Connect comes in. The flashbacks pull from all of your Facebook content, including status updates, occupation and pictures.

The Facebook Connect piece is just the beginning however. This is a viral game that also blends elements of geocaching which has sparked online community involvement through message boards, twitter, and online communities.

In order to promote the game, Discovery seeded the campaign through outreach, sending key entertainment bloggers “care packages”. These care packages included items such as a ripped swimsuit, a rusty key, and the blogger’s obituary. They also received a phone number and a link to the URL for the game.

The buzz around the campaign is just beginning. Using Twitter Venn, I was able to see that roughly 47 people per day are mentioning “frenzied waters” and 81 are mentioning “shark week” on twitter. Approximately 10 per day are referencing both terms in the same tweet.

In addition to Twitter, bloggers are beginning to catch on and mention the campaign. Social Mention states that there is approximately 1 mention of the campaign per hour with 47 unique bloggers speaking about the viral campaign.

Viral marketing is always difficult to measure. Do you measure on the engagement or the conversation? All I know is that Ryan Seacrest mentioned the campaign on air, giving credibility and awareness to Shark Week and subsequently the effectiveness of this campaign.

While there is no true success science that determines what goes viral, I think in this case, Discovery Channel has a hit on its hand.

the story of hipstr

Many nights, many weekend and many friends helped make hipstr a reality. What is hipstr? hipstr is a social rating site similar to digg and reddit in the sense that users can upload links to content they deem relevant and the community can vote on its popularity.

There are some immediate differences that really set hipstr apart however. The first being that hipstr is as dependant on the image telling the story as it is the link to the content. Yes, posting on hipstr can be difficult to some, but it's a labor of love. I've found myself absolutely addicted at night, scouring online to find the perfect image to compliment my link.

The other difference you'll find is the preview pane. Clicking on the image itself will provision a nice in-browser window that shows the page linked. Think of this as a browser in a browser. When finished, you can close out the preview pane and voila! You're back at hipstr.

Conversely, if you want to open the story in a new window/tab you can do so by just clicking on the URL below the the description.

Additionally, we kept the categories relatively high-level. We felt digg and reddit are awesome at who they target. hipstr is a different crowd who may have never experienced social bookmarking before. We wanted to keep the categories light and easy to remember.

Once a story is linked to on hipstr, there are 2 primary methods of engagement to choose from. First you can rate the story posted. Do you like it (represented by a thumbs up) or does it suck (represented by a thumbs down)? Additionally you can discuss the link by submitting a comment about it. Comments can be rated as well.

Finally, if you find a news story on hipstr that you want to share, you can do so through clicking on the Facebook and/or Twitter icon. Once clicked, the link you like will be automatically populated in either your Twitter submission window or in a Facebook post to site/share with friends window.

I know hipstr has a ways to go. But it's only the beginning. The impetus for building the site can't really be nailed to one specific reason - my partner, Ramsey Isler (@ramsey_isler on twitter) and I have been sharing links to each other and our friends for at least 10 years. I'm convinced I could communicate through links. :-)

We'll continue to improve the site experience. In the meantime, feel free to post your favorite links, rate the ones on the site, and create conversation around the ones you love or even hate! Regardless as to how you participate, I appreciate it.

-Craig