Recently Read: November 28, 2009

Recently Read is an OCDQ regular segment.  Each entry provides links to blog posts, articles, books, and other material I found interesting enough to share.  Please note “recently read” is literal – therefore what I share wasn't necessarily recently published.

Data Quality Blog Posts

For simplicity, “Data Quality” also includes Data Governance, Master Data Management, and Business Intelligence.

• What’s in an eMail Address? – Henrik Liliendahl Sørensen examines different types and uses for e-mail address as a master data attribute, as well as issues relating to real-world duplication and multi-channel marketing and sales.
• Are You Really Ready for Data Governance? – Jill Dyché explains the difference between disruptive and non-disruptive data governance, and why you're really ready for data governance only when you're really ready to get out of your comfort zone.
• Another web form of shame – Graham Rhind continues his personal crusade to bring better data quality to web forms.  In this post, his latest example (trust me, you don't want to be used as an example by Graham) is the B-eye-Network.
• A data geek's list of things he's thankful for... – An excellent Thanksgiving-themed post from Rich Murnane.
• With Gratitude – An excellent Thanksgiving-themed post from Dan Power.
• Data Governance at the Front Line – Charles Blyth explains how pushing data governance to front line business processes and applications must be the ultimate goal.  The post includes a description of the five front line resource categories.

Social Media Blog Posts

For simplicity, “Social Media” also includes Blogging, Social Networking, and Online Marketing.

• Blogging Business Models – the actual title of this ProBlogger guest post by Kelly Diels is much longer and more enticing to click on.  This post contains great advice and useful links about how, if you want to make blogging a business (i.e., if you want to make money from blogging), then you really need a business model.
• Social Networking in the Workplace – Phil Simon discusses the value proposition of social networking in the workplace.  This great post is made even better by the excellent comments it received (and not at all diminished by my comment).
• The Serendipity Engine – Chris Brogan's keynote speech from the Web 2.0 Expo – great ten minute YouTube video.
• Are You Getting Off Track With Your Readers? – in this Copyblogger guest post, James Chartrand discusses the common blogging problem of going off on tangents that, although somewhat interesting, don't really relate to the point of the post.
• Five Social Media Predictions for 2010 – On Social Media Today, Joel Postman shares some very interesting predictions.

Book Quotes

An eclectic list of quotes from some recently read (and/or simply my favorite) books.

• From The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki – “Refuse to allow the merit of an idea to be determined by the status of the person advocating it.”
• From Purple Cow by Seth Godin – “We mistakenly believe that criticism leads to failure.”
• From How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer – “The best decision-makers don't despair.  Instead, they become students of error, determined to learn from what went wrong.”
• From The Whuffie Factor by Tara Hunt – “Whuffie is the residual outcome—the currency—of your reputation.  You lose or gain it based on positive or negative actions, your contributions to the community, and what people think of you.”
• From Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith – “You accrue social capital as a side benefit of doing good, but doing good by itself is its own reward.”