Twitter has been the topic du jour recently especially after the recent antics (Aston Kutcher vs CNN) and star power ( Celebrity Tweeters Give Twitter a Huge Boost) driving even more attention to it. A lot of people have been asking me what all the interest is about and I’ve been a bit pressed to come up with an explanation that captures the essence of Twitter in a way that appeals to everyone. In doing my normal rounds I came across a pretty powerful video that does a more effective job of explaining what I was trying to. In this TED talk, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams reveals that many of the ideas driving their skyrocketing growth came from unexpected uses invented by the users themselves. This video captures a few of the reasons why Twitter is so powerful.

It’s easy to get caught up in specific facets or aspects of the broader Internet that we use regularly or that makes our lives easier, more connected or more informed at the expense of losing perspective of what is going on in the broader context. Often it helps to take a step back and survey where the road we are traveling is leading and what the implications of following that path will have. And while many experts and pundits have their own opinions of where we are going or what lies ahead few have the respect and clout of Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf.

In celebration of Google’s 10th anniversary, here is what he had to write on the Official Google Blog when asked about the societal and technological impact of the Internet over the course of the next ten years.

In the next decade, around 70% of the human population will have fixed or mobile access to the Internet at increasingly high speeds, up to gigabits per second. We can reliably expect that mobile devices will become a major component of the Internet, as will appliances and sensors of all kinds. Many of the things on the Internet, whether mobile or fixed, will know where they are, both geographically and logically. As you enter a hotel room, your mobile will be told its precise location including room number. When you turn your laptop on, it will learn this information as well–either from the mobile or from the room itself. It will be normal for devices, when activated, to discover what other devices are in the neighborhood, so your mobile will discover that it has a high resolution display available in what was once called a television set. If you wish, your mobile will remember where you have been and will keep track of RFID-labeled objects such as your briefcase, car keys and glasses. “Where are my glasses?” you will ask. “You were last within RFID reach of them while in the living room,” your mobile or laptop will say.

You can read more from Cerf here: The next Internet

His He goes on to offer a number of other analogies and examples to reinforce his thinking. I am struck by the ubiquity, convenience and connectivity that he suggests while simultaneously being fearful of the implications of the same. All gain comes with a cost and the cost for this enhanced connectivity could be the potential loss of privacy; at least if this information is used in a less than ethical or scrupulous manner. It’s an interesting thought to ponder but one that must be considered especially in this age of increasing business and governmental involvement in all things we do. I’m not suggesting that we revert back to the way things were or recommending that we retreat into isolation but I do think we need to be aware of the actual price of what we are getting. With great power comes great responsibility. Thought provoking no doubt.

On a similar vein it would be interesting in hearing from those involved in the association world to hear some of your thoughts on what the challenges and opportunities that the next 10 years, specific to leadership, learning and technology, of the Internet may bring. Share your thoughts below.

No matter how busy I am or how little time that I think that I have, the one website that I find myself frequently visiting/revisiting is TED. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design and its genesis in 1984 was as a conference that brought together individuals representing those three worlds. The annual conference now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

While I have never had the opportunity to attend one of the conferences, I have been able to reap many of the benefits through their website which makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free, called TEDTalks. TEDTalks began as a simple attempt to share what happens at TED with the world. Under the moniker “ideas worth spreading,” talks were released online. They rapidly attracted a global audience in the millions. In fact, the reaction was so enthusiastic that the entire TED website was re-engineered around TEDTalks, with the goal of giving everyone on-demand access to the world’s most inspiring voices.

As of today, more than 250 talks from their archive are now available, with more being added each week. These videos are released under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely shared and reposted. With 50 million views since the debuted online two years ago, TED talks have become a powerful cultural force. To celebrate this milestone, they have released a never-before-seen list: the Top 10 TED talks of all time, as of June 2008. You can watch the video below:

The top 10 TED Talks of all time include:

1. Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight
2. Jeff Han: Touchscreen demo foreshadows the iPhone
3. David Gallo: Underwater astonishments
4. Blaise Aguera y Arcas: Jaw-dropping Photosynth demo
5. Arthur Benjamin: Lightning calculation and other “Mathemagic”
6. Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?
7. Hans Rosling: The best stats you’ve ever seen
8. Tony Robbins: Why we do what we do, and how we can do it better
9. Al Gore: 15 ways to avert a climate crisis
10. Johnny Lee: Creating tech marvels out of a $40 Wii Remote

I have seen many of these Talks, but a few I had never seen and will be heading back over to TedTalks to watch them. What I like most about them is that they are intelligent, on-point, and full of wisdom and inspiration. They are perfect for getting an idea of what is going on in the world today and more importantly what is possible. If you have some time, I’d highly recommend spending it there.