The Buzz 1-20-12

Our quick read on the top tweets, news, and buzz circulating in the field of changemaking for the past couple of weeks. Tell us, what's got you talking? And what do you want to be talking about?

• Bronnie Ware, who has been a palliative care nurse for many years, shares the most common regrets people share on their deathbeds. You might even be able to come up with them without reading her moving essay. Don’t let them be your regrets. http://ht.ly/8CjTb

• Researchers at Harvard Business School have been analyzing data on social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship as a field. They have discovered some interesting trends; a big one—hybrid business models are growing and investment models must change to accommodate them. They’re data comes from Echoing Green Fellows from 2006 to 2011, so stayed tuned for more: http://ht.ly/8CkyM

• SOPA, or the Stop Online Piracy Act, took over the internet this week. Wikipedia went black for 24 hours on Monday, as did GOOD, and Wired, with thousands of other sites showing their solidarity in a variety of ways. Don’t understand what all the fuss is about? Here’s your one-minute guide: http://ht.ly/8CkBP What’s most compelling is the shift in Congresspeople changing their support of the act, or lack thereof, on Tuesday. Movements continue to lead to big change.

• “Manufacturing solar powered lanterns? Easy.” So many social entrepreneurs focus on innovating on or creating new products to support communities to earn more income, gain efficiencies, or save the environment. But, that doesn’t mean that your community will use your product. Behavior change is the most challenging and, sometimes, the most overlooked side of social change. Without it, though, your product will surely fail: http://ht.ly/8CmMt

• The magic and madness of the creative process. An infographic from Virus Comix that puts us all on a road we can identify with: http://ht.ly/8CmXl

• Does innovation really stem from collaboration? Data shows that we actually work much better without interruptions, without excessive brainstorming, and the space to think in solitude. Our digital environment may be the perfect medium to allow us to do our best work—we collaborate online, but we can step away and continue to work on our work. Given the move toward more collaborative work in recent years, maybe it’s time to assess if it’s been worth it: http://ht.ly/8CnDf

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