Henriette Weber

Glastonbury 98 “it rained every day, all day, for three days and three nights. I’ve not been back since” picture by Mark Walker Brighton

A person in my network is going to the Glastonbury festival in a couple of weeks – I’ve always had a liking for british music festivals because the lineup is often the most sublime. I was there in 98, 18 years old in the most horrible weather of all times and having the time of my life. This year I will be at Roskilde festival, dreaming of glastonbury and the leeds/reading festivals in the fall. Now about the festival there’s one thing I remember more clearly than other things, normally at roskilde festival you make a joint toast all over the camping site once every 10 mins or so. At glastonbury that year people weren’t shouting “SKÅL” which means cheers – they shouted “BOLLOCKS” (which I am quite sure they still do)… In one of those toasts where everybody was going “BOOOOLLLOOOCKS” a guy suddenly shouted “PINEAPPLE”. A guy from another camp then shouted back “why the f*** are you shouting PINEAPPLE”?. He didn’t get any reply. A couple of hours later the joint toast went on again and suddenly there where 100 people shouting “PINEAPPLE” after the “BOLLOCKS” shout.

Next day it was all of the area that we where camped in.  Just because some guy started to shout “pineapple”.

All I am saying is that I am madly in love with people who shouts pineapple. They do it for about a day or so and then they shout something else that people can relate to. I can’t relate to a pineapple, but I love the story of being in the middle of a whole section of a festival that shouts pineapple.

I guess that’s just how we roll as people. That’s what I personally want: do things with a creative/unusual edge that people think is cool.  To make the crowd go “PINEAPPLE”.

Sometimes sales processes mystify me – it’s something I have looked upon for the last couple of months and it’s something that intrigues me. One of the conclusions I have reached for myself in this process, is that sometimes what your selling isn’t necessarily what people are buying. Have you ever done a purchase not with the product in mind, but because you could identify so well with the person behind the product? Because you wanted to get to know them ?

When I was in college there was a girl that kept copying me. She did not have her own sense of fashion at that point, but she had way more money than me, and could spend it as she pleased.

So one day when I came to school (and I will never forget that day) she was sitting in class, having the same curly haircut as me (she wasn’t curly haired at all before), same haircolor and she wore the shoes that I had sworn where the first on my priority when that next paycheck came in. It made me so furious that I went to extremes to find my way away from her. I cutted up two feathered boas (one purple and one orange) and sewed them to the hood and the sleeves on my jacket. I didn’t want anyone to identify with me at all – I soo wanted to be unique, one of a kind. It has haunted me ever since.

Today I found out that I was so much over it. There’s one thing that the girl could never get – no matter how hard she tried. My mind. My personality. My fanatic ways of escaping from normal. She couldn’t get the outsider that desperately wanted to be the outsider, because it was cool. She could only copy her.

Sometimes what you’re selling isn’t necessarily what people are buying. Most times these days  and in the future  products are not sold, products are bought. Identification is a reason for that. Coolness and diversity is a reason for that. I should have thanked her for finding me so fascinating that she was copying every detail of me. But it scared me to pieces. It drove me further away. Today I find peace in who I am, and I think it’s a beautiful feeling to be able to express myself freely and inspire people. I think a large part of what people are buying from me, is me. Henriette.

two things that has shaped me as a business owner and a creative ideahead… Agile development and Pinko marketing..  read the original blogpost.

there was a 6 words story meme a while back, which stated great things in 6 words. I think it was originally featured by wired – but I don’t remember really.. anyway here’s me and JC Fischers 6 words story:

“babysteps will get you there too”…

read the original blogpost here

one of the funnest things I have done as an entrepreneur was BarCamp Copenhagen. I can see that the first was launched on the 15th of August 2006. I so want to do more of those at some point =)

here’s some words from the original blogpost:

“BarCamp is a mashup of minds and ideas – every participant has to show a 3 minute presentation – of something they want to share ( could be anything really)”

original post here …

I want to ask all bloggers to post a picture of themselves from 1999 on flickr…
so tag blogposts/images with 1999 – and lets see how lovely we we’re 7 years ago.. it’s just fun… I am going to look through my drawers and scan mine in right away..

well last blogpost I gave you my expectations of les blogs 2 – here’s my afterthoughts from the les blogs 2 conference in 2005.

now when the bloghosphere is cooking over with the “Mena Trotti vs. Ben Metcalfe” issue that happened at les blogs ( Im not going to link to it – just look at technorati) – I want to adress some issues that was completely absurd to me at the conference.

first I want to be a real good kitten and say that the crowd was interesting, variated and lots of people conversating ( I never managed to get to talk to any french people btw). but the networking part of the conference was excellent – there could have been more youngsters though.

I mean – you could always talk about the lack of food – so the first obstacle to start a conversation was removed.

anyway there was nothing especially remarkable on day 1. except I liked Nikolaj Nyholms
question saying to the “fon” guy on the panel ” now, DIDN’T you delete comments?”
and the french guy from monputeaux.com the blogger who was putted to trial by the city he lives in.

the evening party was (except for the lack of food and a bar running out of beer after 1½ – 2 hours) real nice. I got to talk and mingle with a lot of excellent people from all over the world. my point of being there exactly…

day number two was a bit better and Ben Hammersley kicked ass as always, Hugh Macleod and Anina
did real good. I don’t know how I would have reacted on a panel with Hugh Macleod and Mark Canter – so you go girl.. ! excellent.

but in a retrospective, these two talks are all that I found made me wonder, and take notes -the rest was panels and I had to stop liveblogging it – the structure was nonexistant. the moderators did not do a good enough job- sorry guys.. my opinion

now the absurd parts:

I am in PR myself, and it was so completely ironic that you had the head of Edelmans ( one of the sponsors – and one of Europe’s biggest PR companies doing a speech where she claims that they are in control of PR blah blah blah… and you have 300 hungry people sitting there.. that’s not exactly what you will call good PR is it – it’s basic PR – it’s what needs to be in order.

Also Mena Trotti doing a keynote on ethics in the blogosphere, lashing out after a blogger who is not of the same opinion as she is.

to me, she was the perfect example of a business leader who tries to control the organic and uncontrolable, and I wasn’t impressed…

anyway I will stop here, but it could have been a whole lot better – and a lot more interesting, and please stop doing panels all the time ?

Because a lot of the people I love to hang out with (i mainly meet them at conferences)  are going to be in Paris for Le Web next week – I thought I would share my expectations for les blogs 2 (which was le web in 2005)
So I am flying off tomorrow evening. Paris naturellement, encore un fois !.. just the thought of going back there makes me sizzle, and I promises myself to prove myself competent in the french language ( which I know I am)..

so what are my expectations about Les Blogs 2.0 ?

first off all I must admit that I am not as prepared as I wanted to be – Ohh well I call myself a social person don’t I – so I guess I will be fine!

well my biggest fear is that I am ( like at reboot) going to be the only one amongst people who is not connected to the WIFI…

my expectations is not an eyeopener, but an eye-widener, I want to learn more from some of the best in the field, especielly evolving PR/marketing – perhaps even networking and communities.

and I just want to feel the buzz,that’s what’s it’s all about.. just kids in a playground really… being creative, inventive, innovative…

conversations and people. that’s my expectations.

And then I want to go to Atelier Renault for lunch and hang out at Marche de Vanves.. if it is open on wednesdays…

the little shops at the foot of the hill at sacre cæur – has always made me feel alive..

I could babble on forever, I would need more then a week in Paris to catch up on nostalgic times…

This post is from the 10th of november 2005 – and it’s some thoughts I am still asking myself, they where even a chapter of my book on Return on Involvement anyway here it is – again =)

here it is. my silent revolution manifesto – I’ve worked hard on this and I am currently developing into an essay ..

The silent revolution is a movement WITHIN people to cope with the everyday information overload due to consumerism and marketing.

Nowadays we get so much information that there is no way that we can cope with it.

Not convinced? take a look at your inbox, or television or kids. Add your rss feed and your personal network. Stir it up with the products the media wants you to buy. Add a little touch of whatever the society wants you to be like  and you are almost there

Every company in the world wants you as its target group. They customize and scale themselves across branches and media  just to get in your head !

In the world of today (and tomorrow) you will always be pressured. Deal with it!

What we need now is the best tools to make more time available  and they are currently being developed and marketed.

As a PR person, by now I know, that the chances of getting through to your audience via mainstream media ( TV, Radio and newspapers) are almost nonexistant.
Its deathexpensive too.
And it doesnt succeed.

There is nothing new under the sun. Companies are desperate looking for growth, and still, everybody ( including your neighbor) wants to sell you something.

I know, you want to sell something too.

So what happens?

People start to make their own media, global mikro companies, freelance companies etc.

You can even start your own bank now.

Everything is possible.

I had completely forgotten I had written this – it has a lyrical/poetic touch to it and I re-fell in love with it instantly. it’s from the 7th of october 2005  - Here we go again:

I am here to learn
It excites me to be capable of learning and use what I have learned
It excites me to know that I am nothing and day by day I get smarter and smarter
I need to use this knowledge to change the world
What knowledge have you got ?
What knowledge do you want to give to the world ?
Products do not excite me
Brands do not excite me

Interaction is what I do, every day
I am not a networker to benefit
I am a networker to give
To pass it on
To make people smarter
To hear their voice getting euphoric

I am an ideatank
Every person is
Stating you�re not, is your biggest enemy
You

Other people are the most significant part of my life

I want to
Give
Share
Listen

To network is to contribute

Networking and contribution will change the world

Take the focus of yourself , your business

Recognize what knowledge you have that you can share with other people

Sharing is very selfish

Everybody knows that what you give is what you get