Fallout?
The response to the NDAs in the Berklee classroom post has been pretty interesting thus far.
I have only 310 friends on Facebook and only about 1/3 are from Berklee. In a little over 24 hours the post was read by over 500 different people and most are presumably from Berklee.
The reaction was fascinating. Many people were surprised to hear about what happened in that Berklee classroom but even more of those that read were happy to have been presented with an opportunity to learn about non-disclosure agreements, something that has never been discussed in any of the course I had attended at the college.
There were of course some people that disagreed with my post. It usually had less to do with the idea of NDAs in the classroom and more with the perceived value of an idea that has yet to be executed and the desire to protect it. Some people thought the post was harsh but I don’t believe it was.
The post was not about shaming anyone. If that had been the purpose I would not have been so careful to be vague in my descriptions of the events. We had all been presented with a teachable moment.
My hope is that this post started a conversation in the Berklee community about ideas, protecting your creations, and whether or not legal documents belong in the classroom.
Personally I feel Berklee as an institution should take this time to reflect and consider if it might be sensible to enact a policy similar to that of Stanford University.
“NDAs are generally NOT permitted for class projects at Stanford. Students should not be asked to sign an NDA in order to participate in a class project, and companies should not provide any information to project-based classes if they are not willing to permit the information to be made public.” (link)
It’s good to have these conversations. Hopefully we can move forward as a more informed community and reconsider the way we share ideas and innovate.
“Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.” - Henry Ford
Ship Fast But Not Without Purpose.
There are many reasons to continually create and release new content regardless of your industry/profession:
- It keeps you sharp and forces you to not let yourself grow stagnant.
- You will learn what the users/fans like without asking. Most people will not know if they actually like something until it is presented to them.
- You may discover that your strengths are actually better used in a different direction.
- It causes continual engagement and stimulation of users/fans.
- Conversations about each release can draw people more in. Even if the release is hated by some, the loud and passionate conversation can still be of value. Facebook’s release of timeline is a good example of this phenomenon.
While shipping fast and constantly building are both good tenets you should not turn your brain off after the creating is done (is it ever?). You should ship fast but with a purpose.
Releasing something without a goal or motive could squander a good idea by not giving the content the attention and thought it deserves. You likely spent some time creating the next piece you plan to unveil so you should make sure to take the time before (or after) the creation process to identify what you are trying to accomplish with the release.
- Are you trying to gain followers on Twitter or YouTube views? Is that really the end goal or is it just the first step in the conversion process of an outside observer to a passionate fan?
- Are you trying to make money now or build social equity that can be turned into sales later?
- Are you trying for a big reaction or are you just trying to see if anyone notices at all?
Knowing your purpose for shipping a new creation is just as important as the constant experimentation that precedes each release.
Keep shipping.
Keep thinking.
Keep hitting Command + S!
(Above photo of Mark Zuckerberg’s desk at Facebook)
Hi, I'm 