Using a Blog to Improve Organizational Success

"Larpmania", a small organization located in Montreal, is devoted to Larping and its related activities. What is Larping you ask? LARP is an acronym for Live Action Role Playing, and "Larping" is the act of participating in it. Participants will usually relocate to a secluded area where they will adopt new personalities and engage in a variety of games and activities. Larpers go to great lengths to remain "in character" so that the game is as vivid and as immersing as possible for all players.

Larpmania has never had much of a budget for spreading the word about their meetings and activities. As a result, they've had a difficult time garnering support and popularity for their chapter. All that changed when they discovered blogging.

Some Advantages

Committed members began blogging about the latest developments in the Larping domain and also began freely sharing their knowledge and expertise[9] on how to create quality and engaging Larping sessions. They were able to provide quick and complete updates on all their activities which could be viewed by anyone with an internet connection.

They initially notified Larpers of their new blog by word of mouth, but this soon translated into blogsite hits and then links to the site being spread by avid participants. As more and more members contributed to the Larpmania blog, it became a hub for all Lapers in Montreal to share information and coordinate activities [9].

Larpmania managed to use a blog to get the word out about their organization without having to resort to costly marketing schemes[9] and expensive adds. Such are the advantages of using a blog for an organization. (The previous story is fictive).

Some Disadvantages

A blog, in some cases, can reflect poorly on the quality of your organization. For example, if you were a manufacturer of high grade steel products, you wouldn't want to be advertising or taking orders on a blog. This would reflect negatively on the competence, seriousness and integrity of the company[10].

Blog users also have very little control. Anyone can come in and write whatever they want on the blog and spam bots could also display unwanted advertising which would tarnish the image of the company. Site management control is also lost as users must endure periods when their blog is disabled by the blog company as it upgrades the site or does maintenance work on it[10].

References:

[9] http://www.nprcenter.org/knowledgebase-mainmenu-203/web-20-for-nonprofits-mainmenu-402/benefits-of-blogs-mainmenu-404.html

[10] http://www.thesitewizard.com/general/blogging-pros-and-cons.shtml

Disadvantages of Smart Dust

One of the most glaring disadvantages (or controversies) of Smart Dust would be the invasion of people's privacy. Smart Dust can be used extensively for surveillance, monitoring and recording of people's locations, communications and activities[8].

For example, a company could use Smart Dust to track an employee all day, everyday and in real time[7]. The motes on a company employee could link with the company system and provide management with complete time records of every single one of the employees activities and how long they spent doing the activity[8].

For example, the motes could be used to track how long an employee spends at his desk, away from his desk, in the break room, in the washroom, in the parking lot, in the stairwell, etc. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Motes could even be used to track an employee's vital signs and act as tiny cameras hidden almost anywhere. Companies could hide motes with microphones anywhere in order to eavesdrop on conversations between employees as well[8].

It's quite clear that Smart Dust can be used for nefarious purposes as well as in the grey area of surveillance. Companies who use Smart Dust to monitor people or employees (even with good intentions) could easily slip into a legal trap if people being charging them with invasion of privacy. Court cases of this nature could damage the company's reputation and in extreme cases, the viability of the company as a whole[8].

References:

[7] http://smarterthandust.blogspot.com/2008/11/disadvantages-of-smartdust.html

[8] http://innovationwatch-archive.com/choiceisyours/choiceisyours.2006.12.15.htm

Advantages of Smart Dust

The advantages of Smart Dust are numerous. For example, three ways that an organization can benefit from using Smart Dust are in safety, productivity, and compliance[5].

The safety applications of Smart Dust are well suited to factories. For example, they can be used to detect rusting and corrosion in old pipes before they burst as well as gathering valuable data from dangerous environments[5]. Smart dust can also be used to monitor the condition of any type of machinery and emit reminders when preventive maintenance or repairs are required.

The productivity applications are also many. For example, Smart Dust can be used to automate many ritual and monotonous tasks which still require careful attention and precision, such as calibrating instruments and making precise measurements. Motes can perform all sorts of repetitive tasks so that employees can focus on other, less routine tasks, and therefore be more productive[5].

Smart Dust will also have incredible application to quality control systems as they can detect all sorts of defects and anomalies in products. Smart Dust can be inserted into almost any product and continuously monitor things that ensure the products quality from Carbon Dioxide emissions, tire pressure, humidity to determining the presence of toxic materials and even the structural integrity of buildings[5][6].

The applications listed above will provide tremendous advantages to companies in terms of safety, productivity and quality control.

References:

[5] http://smarterthandust.blogspot.com/2008/11/advantages-of-smartdust.html

[6] http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/techexec/2004/0607techexec1.html?page=1

Smart Dust: Endless Applications

The broad range of applications and the low cost of Smart Dust means that many types of currently used technologies and systems will be replaced by it. Because there are so many ways to use smart dust, we can narrow our focus to one field of application: environmental monitoring[3].

Again, because billions and billions of motes will be able to be manufactured, it will be theoretically possible to distribute them globally to create a sort of "central nervous system of the Earth"[4]. This system would be able to provide massive amounts of accurate and vital information on anything from impending earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes, to temperature readings, humidity, crop growth and pollution control[4].

By environmental monitoring, we could also include their ability to help monitor our energy consumption. When installed in offices or large buildings that have many unwatched areas, Smart Dust can be used to: shut off unused lights and air conditioning, make real-time thermostat adjustments to rooms and basically turn off any power consuming device that would otherwise waste energy[4].

Much of the technology that exists today for the purposes listed above is much too costly and large to be used as pervasively as Smart Dust. The sheer number of motes that can be used will allow users to obtain much a much higher quality of data that can be provided by current monitoring technology. Smart Dust will be a cheap way to provide massive amounts of data accurately and seamlessly[4].

References:

[3]http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-smart-dust.htm

[4]http://www.northjersey.com/columnists/84759412__Smart_dust__aims_to_revolutionize_lives.html

Introducing: Smart Dust: Next Generation Ubiquitous Miniaturized Computing

The next generation of computing is just around the corner and it will be nothing like we've ever experienced. Computing and data sharing is about to be revolutionized by a new information technology known as Smart Dust. When perfected, Smart Dust will consist of tiny computers no larger than one cubic millimeter that could be placed just about anywhere. Unlike today's computers, Smart Dust (otherwise known as "motes") will be very cheap to produce and use in massive numbers. These motes will be able to track data, network with each-other and transmit all types of information to users[2].

Because they will be used in such large numbers, the term "ubiquitous computing" was coined to describe their operation. Smart Dust will have endless applications from traffic control, environmental monitoring, military surveillance and much much more[1].

So what exactly is a mote and how does it work? Well, a mote is essentially a tiny, embedded low-cost computer. Although we're used to associating a computer with something relatively large like a laptop or desktop, computer size decreases with functionality: the less a computer does, the less hardware it requires, and thus the smaller it can be. Such is the case with motes: your average mote is built to do almost just two things: track some data and transmit it[2].

The mote is outfitted with a tiny sensor that can monitor things such as light, sound, optics, temperature, vibrations etc. The computer then links this sensor with a tiny radio link that is used to transmit the information to a user [1]. Of course, motes also need something to power them: and here again, their small size works to their advantage: because they're so small, they can often be powered by things freely available in most environments such as heat (solar) and even vibrations. Because they're so small, the tiniest amounts of these energy sources can be used to power them. Of course, tiny batteries can also be added to the motes just in case[1].

In summary, the mote: a tiny battery-powered computer with a sensor and a radio link that can network anywhere with billions of other motes and relay information back to an end-user.

References:

[1] http://computer.howstuffworks.com/mote.htm

[2] http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-smart-dust.htm