On Relating to the Marketplace
Yesterday and today I’m attending a VRM gathering in northern California. This is where conversations are happening–some technical, some organizational, and some theoretical–about putting people in charge of their relationships with the world. One important part of the world is the marketplace, which includes all of the stores and people that we do business with.
The notion of VRM is about enhancing the personal control that we have over our data, our money, and our lives. The people here, many of them developers and marketing people, are discussing structures, formats, and methodologies on how to do things with technology that is all about your needs.
Today, for example, the discussion I’m sitting in is about how to make a personal request for something (like a request for proposal, or RFP). A couple of examples of a personal RFP:
- I need new shoes, of a specified size, color and style, in the city that I’m now in, at the best price available today
- I am looking to buy a car within the next two months, and only want to know about used cars listed in my neighborhood as they get published, or new cars from specific dealers or people.
- I need a ride downtown tomorrow sometime between 8-9am. Is anyone going that way that I could catch a ride with?
- Some of my friends are talking about something new. It sounds interesting and useful, and I need to learn about that. I’m new to this subject area.
Some of the questions raised here: is this request shareable or tweetable? is it going to lead to a purchase or is the request just information-based? how do vendors or stores find your request? do (specialized?) search engines fit into this picture? Do you need help building specifications for your goods or services (which somehow implies that you are a qualified and ready buyer)?
Coaching moment: This post isn’t about answers. It’s about thinking about how we recognize ways that we need or ask for things, how we learn, and how technology can help. If you have thoughts on how YOU would like to process this very complex area, please add your thoughts to this post.
![[del.icio.us]](http://digitalidcoach.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Facebook]](http://digitalidcoach.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[LinkedIn]](http://digitalidcoach.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png)
![[Ma.gnolia]](http://digitalidcoach.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/magnolia.png)
![[Technorati]](http://digitalidcoach.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://digitalidcoach.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Email]](http://digitalidcoach.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Possibly related posts:
If you’re interested in following the Twitter feed on this conference and topic generally, it’s rich with links and questions.