Twitter’s fail whale is a hero for modern times.
It’s become an icon for those who appreciate and understand that modesty can be charming, engaging. What it’s also done is drawn fans into twitter in their thousands and as such it’s a superb piece of brand communication. Alongside the charm there are guts and integrity.
Technology and the speed of change presents significant challenges to humans and the irony here is when we understand that perfection is for the Gods, then we understand how to fail.
It’s important to know how to fail because when new is exciting, we don’t always want stable. Stable is not remarkable or a thrill, it doesn’t move people on a visceral level.
The online environment offers an opportunity for a golden age of entrepreneurship, where this play between technology and humanity is in motion and where networks that engage build reputations, intellectual capital assets and in turn generate value.
The potential of technology to reach out and build rich communications with constituencies around the world is significant, not least because it also asks us to be more human.