Just a quick note to let you know that Fight is getting its Facebook act together. We’d like to use it to engage in more free-form Fight-related discussions there (rather than the blog where we control the topics).
So please drop by and feel free to start a conversation there (and heck, if you decide to become a fan, all the better 
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[Note: The title of this page ("Process") has a number after it to indicate that the way we talk about our process - and perhaps the process itself - will change over time. We encourage you to put your thoughts, suggestions, questions, or challenges (be firm, but don't be a jerk) in the comments and let's discuss. Periodically we'll incorporate changes into a new version of this document, and the process can begin again. We're strong believers in learning and then doing better; here's a chance for you to participate in that process.]
We are not big believers in the Hail Mary pass as a strategy for success.
You have no doubt seen this in the form of the “big idea”. That idea that is so beautiful, if only because of its sheer magnitude, that whatever your goals are, they must surely come true.
Hail Mary passes may be fine when the risk is low or the project is small, but when you are spending real money, that’s a whole different game.
Our approach is to establish a solid foundation for the project, create an insightful strategy, outline an operationalizable roadmap, and then run the project in a series of iterations. At the beginning of each iteration, we do some bit of work with the express purpose of learning something specific from it. At the end of the iteration, we evaluate what was learned and adjust the strategy as necessary.
Each iteration tests a part of the strategy, and each iteration builds on the previous one, enabling the strategy to become more efficient at maximizing the goals of the project with every iteration.
Each iteration ends with a refined roadmap for moving the project forward, and an increasingly solid strategic case for doing so.
We love to share what we’re thinking about, what we’re working on, and what we’re inspired by, but we also know not everyone is interested in everything we have to say. With that in mind, we’ve set up three accounts, each with a different focus.
@MadeByFight is our main account. This is where we’ll post information both about what Fight is working on as well as what we’re thinking about and inspired by.
Mickey Slater is our most prolific tweeter about social media and other Fight-related things, so if you’re interested in keeping your finger both on our pulse you can find him on twitter as @verymickey. Don’t be shy, say hi.
Want to know about opportunities to work with Fight? Follow @fightwithus
Using evolutionary graph theory to study social networks:
“Lieberman developed the theory with Harvard mathematics professor Martin Nowak, who helped to lay its foundation through the observation that while most of evolutionary theory deals with populations that have either simple shapes or no structure at all, the world around us is full of evolving systems with all kinds of internal structure – whether it’s the networks of cells present in the human body or the social networks that occur in cyberspace.
“Our work was the first really systematic attempt to study Darwinian evolution on arbitrary networks,” says Lieberman. “The problem for theorists is that when you try to account for the network, the maths can get much harder. There’s a back-and-forth that goes on between networks and Darwinian evolution. On the one hand, the network structure affects the direction evolution will take; but on the other hand, over time evolution will remodel the network.”
Read the whole story here.
IBM has released a report entitled The End of Advertising As We Know It. It’s a global survey of more than 2,400 consumers and 80 advertising experts. Below is an extract. Here is the executive summary. and here is the full report.
The next 5 years will hold more change for the advertising industry than the previous 50 did. Increasingly empowered consumers, more self-reliant advertisers and ever-evolving technologies are redefining how advertising is sold, created, consumed and tracked. Our research points to four evolving future scenarios – and the catalysts that will be driving them. Traditional advertising players – broadcasters, distributors and advertising agencies – may get squeezed unless they can successfully implement consumer, business model and business design innovation.
