Who is Ron Passfield?
What the future Wikipedia page will read...
Dr. Ron Passfield was born in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1946. As the son of a soldier he had a fairly nomadic life in his early years. After moving to Brisbane at age 3, he was placed in an orphanage for 18 months as his mother was very ill and his father was with the occupation forces in Japan. Ron left the orphanage with a terror of the moon and of people to start Grade 1. He spent Grade 2 in a boarding school, 100 kilometres from home.
Ron completed his primary and high school years in Brisbane. He then joined the Carmelite Order and became a contemplative monk for 5 years (back in Melbourne). After leaving the Order, he worked for 20 years in the Commonwealth Public Service in Brisbane rising to Senior Executive Service level.
Then on to become a lecturer at Griffith University for 10 years after which he became an organisational consultant in his own business with his wife (who had escaped the public service earlier). In true nomadic style, Ron has a Bachelor degree from Queensland University of Technology, an MBA from the University of Queensland and a Doctorate from Griffith University.
Ron has been working from his home office since 1999. He lives and works in a Queenslander home at Bulimba, two blocks from the Brisbane River, surrounded by trees, Rainbow Lorikeets and the occasional Kookaburra and pair of Rosellas. In his spare time, he undertakes freelance academic work for a number of universities.
Ron is an accomplished tennis player, a dedicated educator, passionate Squidoo lensmaster and affiliate marketing junkie. He is also the author of the Squidoo Marketing Strategies e-book.
Ron Passfield's e-Portfolio can be found here.
Brisbane Story Bridge at night
Source: by Cryon on Flickr
Ron frequently travels under or over the Story Bridge on his way to and from the City. He lives 10 minutes by car and 20 minutes by ferry from the City Centre.
Brisbane Garden
Ron loves trees...and writes poetry about trees.
He believes that trees reflect their ecology just as we do - the nurturance, conflict, competition, interconnection, history, interdependence, shared energy.
Ron maintains that trees reflect our lives if we look, listen and learn.
The Solitary Sentinel
Reaching out and bending back
Fragility and strength
Standing firm and gently yielding
Bowed and straight
A solitary sentinel, contrasting hues.
Ron Passfield
Inspiration : Jacaranda on footpath near coffee shop at Coorparoo, Brisbane.
Copyright 2001 - Ron Passfield - all rights reserved worldwide
Ron is building a lens for his poems about trees.
Indisputable Facts about Ron Passfield
Did you know that...* Ron is known to retire frequently into his cave to spend many hours on the computer - learning, writing and sharing,and getting lost in another world.
* Ron often works as a sub-contractor in his wife's Human Resource Consultancy business when he is not engaged on his own National or State-level organisational consultancy projects (or having fun on Squidoo).
* Ron has five children - Luke (a lawyer/environmentalist/primary teacher/guitarist/songwriter), Eliza (radiographer/creative art/extrovert), Sarah (business analyst/HR specialist/introvert/caregiver), Ben (drummer/music lover/19 year old career explorer) and Sean (extrovert first and foremost, life explorer at 16+). Ron is productive in more ways than one!
* Ron is an INFP in Myers Brigs typology (if you don't know what this means, you'll have to look it up!) - basically he is considered a really nice person by other INFPs (and some Leo's) and a pain-in-the-neck by ISTJs (opposites in many respects).
* Ron is a "resource investigator" and "co-ordinator" in Belbin's terms - explains his long Squidoo lenses and penchant for teaching, coaching and sharing knowledge.
* Ron is a sports fanatic - he will watch Rugby League, Rugby (with some tolerance), Australian Rules, Cricket, Soccer and Tennis all day if you let him. He is also very vocal at sport's events and has been known to throw his then 3 year old son in the air in a moment of excitement (he is often reminded of this by his now 19 year old, 6ft 4 son).
* Ron has also been escorted from the field of play by over-zealous officials during an Under 7's soccer match when his son was participating (he maintains that he was not on the field of play, only near it and he is not as bad as the parent who tripped the winger of an opposing team when he was running down the sideline towards the goal!!)
* Ron actually enjoys writing and believes that the more you write the easier it gets - so GET TO IT.
P.S. Ron experiences occasional bursts of humour usually when the full moon is up - so don't knock it! Creative urges occur more frequently, usually between 4 am and 6 am daily.
City Cat
City Cat by Cyron on Flick
Ron frequently gets this ferry to and from the City to meet clients as he can walk to the ferry and enjoy a pleasant 20 minutes journey up the Brisbane River. This is Ron's floating office - where he reads, writes, examines and creates.
Check out this video about Ron's morning river walk:
Bulimba, Queensland - morning walk
Ron loves music and loves to sing....
He recently heard about Eva Cassidy from a friend and has been mesmerised by her singing ever since.
He plays her songs on his iPod, in his car and on his computer.
Eva died in her thirties from a Melanoma.
She was very shy and shunned the spotlight.
Her music was released posthumously and she achieved 3 No.1 hits, making her the greatest posthumous success ever.
Some people suggest that Eva had an prescient awareness that she would die young and when you listen to her music it is possible to hear this unusual consciousness in the lyrics and her beautiful tones.
Ron has created a Squidoo lens as a tribute to Eva:
Eva Cassidy Music
Ron loves Squidoo...
Ron has written an e-book on Squidoo Marketing Strategies and a Top 100 Lens on Squidoo Marketing.
Ron loves Squidoo because it enables him to be creative, research and share information, help others learn, contribute to charity, learn daily himself, earn some income and HAVE FUN.
Press release: Ron Passfield has discovered The Secret Behind Squidoo
This is written with tongue in cheek - do not take it as gospel!
Dr. Ron Passfield claims that, through his many hours working on Squidoo, he has gained some insights into the workings of the unusual mind of Seth Godin.
Seth Godin is the creator of Squidoo and that unusual creature, the Purple Cow.
Dr. Passfield says "Seth has used his unique marketing skills to segment the market for his new internet service, the Squidoo Platform".
Dr Passfield maintains that Seth designed his unique Squidoo service to address the frustrated needs of these identified segments:
- Leo's - those lovable leonine creatures who crave recognition (Ron's one of them) and shrivle up if their recognition needs are frustrated. Squidoo lets Leo's become famous and recognised by just doing what they are passionate about.
- Teachers - who are barred from access to blogs, free Open Sourceware and MySpace by bureaucratic rules and Firewalls (where's the fire?) - you don't have to look too far on Squidoo to see all the teachers cutting loose with this multimedia platform. (Just look at Rebecca Newman, for example.)
- Freelance writers - those creative souls who frequently suffer rejection by blind reviewers who have no real appreciation for creative genius. Just look around Squidoo's Top 100 and find the many freelance writers lurking there.
- Affiliate marketers - who have suffered many broken promises and given up on the "Push Marketing" approach because no one wants to listen to them and they can't work out how to segment their market or differentiate themselves from the masses - Squidoo does it for them by creating a platform for "Permission Marketing".
- Prisoners - those imprisoned by their jobs and lack of acknowledgement of their skills. Squidoo lets them use these skills to their hearts content and their bosses' dismay (check the bosses' rant against FaceBook at the moment).
Dr. Passfield forecasts the future of Squidoo, "I believe that technology has the power to create major shifts in organizational culture. I think the time is right to integrate the connectivity, fun and energy of Web 2.0 technology into the very fabric of organizational life. Hence I predict that the next stage of development of Squidoo will be the creation of a new Squidoo-like platform that employers can use on an organisation-specific basis to re-engage disengaged workers."
Ballooning over Brisbane...
Ballooning over Brisbane by Cyron on Flickr.
Colourful hot air balloons float over Ron's rooftop ever weekend as they make their way up the river.
Brisbane on Amazon
Cruise Experience Australia New Zealand
Amazon Price: (as of 08/30/2008)
Brisbane Australia's Sunshine City
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 08/30/2008)
Great Train Journeys of Australia: Brisbane
Amazon Price: (as of 08/30/2008)
Brisbane: A Candid Biography
Amazon Price: $25.80 (as of 08/30/2008)
The Devil in Brisbane
Amazon Price: $15.00 (as of 08/30/2008)
Ron loves online learning and digital stories...
Nephews at work - mobile learning on Palms by thomchochrane on Flickr
Ron played a major role over five years in helping to develop the online learning capacity of the vocational educational sector in Australia.
As National Change Management Facilitator for the Australian Flexible Learning Leaders Program he worked with senior managers in TAFE Colleges around Australia to help them to develop whole-of-organisation change management plans to build their flexible learning and online learning capacity.
He also built collaborative networks across the State of Queensland to encourage the exchange of information and resources on online learning across the sectors. His Partnering for Professionalism team blog was developed to stimulate this exchange between vocational educational teachers in schools, TAFE Colleges and Private Colleges.
Ron is continuing this work for teachers in the online learning and e-learning arena through his lens:
Online Learning Resources
Through his work around online learning, Ron has been fascinated by the power of digital storytelling to engage disengaged students, including autistic children.
Anyone can turn their photos into movies using free software so Ron has developed another lens dedicated to digital storytelling:
Digital Storytelling: Turn Your Photos into Movies
Ron loves playing tennis...
Melbourne Tennis Action - Birds eye view of the Aussie Open, Grand Slam tennis. Court next to the Margaret Court Arena. By Etolle on Flickr
Ron played competitive tennis fixtures at A Grade and Pennant level for twenty years. He has even played (once!) on Centre Court at the now demolished Milton Tennis Centre, site of many great Davis Cup matches.
Ron has played against State-ranked tennis players but now enjoys a relatively sedate social game once a week.
Ron is noted for his persistence in all fields of endeavor. This is no more true than on the tennis court.
He can still remember a match in an interstate carnival where he was 5-1 down and fought back to be 6 all. He was then 6-2 down in the tiebreak but eventually won the tiebreak and the set.
Ron has written a number of articles and published a Squidoo lens on The Inner Game of Tennis.
He is working on an e-book on the topic at the moment.
Ron loves rainforests...
Misty Water in the Brisbane Set by Cyron on Flickr.
Ron lives 30 minutes from Mt Glorious and its rainforests and 40 minutes from the Gold Coast and Mt. Tambourine.
Why not go for a walk in the Mt. Glorius Rainforest with Ron:
Walk Through a Tropical Rainforest and Experience the Sights
View this rainforest walk as an animated, music video:
Rainforest Walk Video
Ron Passfield on Google...
Why not search on your own name and discover your "footprint on the internet".
Ron was surprised to discover that some of his articles have been translated into other languages, e.g. Spanish and Greek.
He was even more surprised and pleased to read this unsolicited testimonial from Jinger Jarrett:
I am a big fan of Ron Passfield. Before he released his ebook, Squidoo Strategies, he had me take a look at it.
Ron is amazing. This is really a no fluff deal here. He's committed to teaching you how to build Squidoo lenses and make money. If Ron visits your lens and leaves you a nice comment, it's really high praise indeed.
Anyway, I wanted to tell you about his blog. He writes about Squidoo, and you'll find some pretty good strategies there...
Again, if you want to know more about this free marketing opportunity [Squidoo], then check out Ron's blog. He's my go to guy on this one. Thanks Ron!
Source: Ask Jinger.com
Ron loves action learning and action research
Action learning and action research are forms of collaborative learning that are undertaken in context, that is in schools, communities, organisations and across countries and cultures.
They involve learning by taking action with others and reflecting on the outcomes.
They have a strong focus on improvement and the creation of social justice.
Ron has been involved in this area for more than 20 years and has established an international reputation.
He was a founding executive member and President for 6 years of the Action Learning, Action Research and Process Management (ALARPM) Association and is now a life member.
Ron has co-edited three books (one pictured here) and many articles on action learning and action research:
Ron's publications
He has contributed to the design and conduct of four World Congresses and international and national conferences.
He has had fun running workshops for teachers, academics, managers and students across Australia and in Singapore, U.K., New Guinea, New Zealand and Colombia, South America.
In his spare time, Ron supervises and examines action research Master's and Doctoral theses for five universities in Australia.
World Congress 4/8 In Catagena, Colombia
World Congress of Participatory Convergence in Knowledge, Space and Time
City of Cartagena photo by oliverh
The following photos give some insight into Ron's contribution to the 1997 World Congress on Action Learning and Participatory Action Research in Catagena, Colombia. He participated as Global President of one of the key organising and sponsoring Associations (ALARPM).
Ron's roles included officially opening the World Congress with the Convenor, Orlando Fals Borda, planning as a member of the international organising committee, convening a discussion stream, facilitating a workshop and sharing reflections on the Congress as a panel member. The bilingual Congress (English and Spanish) was strongly focused on participatory economic development in developing countries. 1,850 delegates attended from 61 countries.
Ron is curently writing the script for a digital story of his participation and experience during this event - the pictures do not say it all.
Opening the World Congress in Caratgena, Colombia
Lauding the Congress as a truly global event
1,850 participants from 61 countries
Joining together with Orlando Fals Borda (Convenor) and dignitaries
Reviewing the Congress with other members of the International Planning Committee
An active participant in the bilingual Congress
Sharing reflections on the Congress on the last day.
Member of panel sharing reflections on the Congress
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena Beach ...an example of an action research project.
Cartagena Beach by JackPiranha on Flickr
Every Sunday, Cartagenans gather in their thousands on Catagena Beach to eat seafood in tents, marquees, cabins and fixed buildings. This tradition of large family gatherings on Sunday has been around for a long time.
Some enterprising action researchers built on this ritual in collaboration with local fishermen, to establish the focus on seafood lunches on the beach as a way to save the local ailing seafood industry.
Ron remembers being driven for kilometres along the beach in a bus with other Congress delegates to eat at a fixed building towards the end of the line of tents and marquees.
This great photo by JackPiranha on Flickr has the new City of Cartagena in the background.
An Ethnographic Study of Cartagena Taxi Drivers: Life in the Fast Lane(s)
Horse and cart in Cartagena - a much slower mode of transport than taxis. Photo by carlosfpardo on Flickr
One of the great features of the World Congress in Cartagena, Colombia was the link participants had with the outside world.
Cornell University (USA) had provided computers and links to their Participatory Action Research (PAR) Network - 600 people in about 40 countries. This was to enable participants to communicate with people who were interested in the goings-on of the Congress but not able to attend.
In a fit of humour (Ron gets it in fits and starts), Ron wrote a humorous piece about Cartagena Taxi Drivers, couched as a research study (to engage the academics).
Ron sent the piece down the PAR network during the Congress and was surprised to receive an email from the CEO of a Global on-line learning college that Ron had been working for at the time.
The CEO was so impressed that he asked Ron to write a weekly humour column for his College's monthly magazine. Ron declined on the grounds that he could not guarantee when the next humour fit would arrive (and he absolutely hates routine).
Ron's ethnographic study starts this way:
While I have been here in Cartagena for World Congress 4, I have taken the opportunity to conduct an ethnographic study of the behaviour of Cartagena
taxi drivers.
I chose the ethnographic approach because I was frequently (though unwillingly) in the position of participant observer and because I had no control over the action or outcomes. A limitation of my study was the fact that observation was sometimes interrupted by my perceived need to take evasive action (eg. duck under the dashboard).
The study concludes as follows:
Although it is dangerous to generalise across cultures from a single study,I have come to the conclusion that Cartagena taxi drivers are the best in the world; their evasive skills are unsurpassed.
To access Ron's findings from this brief, non-scientific study, click the link below to read the brief pdf document:
An Ethnographic Study of Cartagena Taxi Drivers: Life in the Fast Lane(s)
BTW: "Ethnographic" is a naturalistic study involving the study of human societies and cultures. Ron defines it as the study of idiosyncratic behaviour in context.
Note: Ron extends his gratitude to Seth Godin and Squidoo for the opportunity to publish this previously unpublished creative piece.
Article feed for Ron's articles on Ezinearticles.com
Ron is an expert author on Ezinearticles.com and his articles cover Squidoo Marketing, The Inner Game of Tennis and Affiliate Marketing.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byRon was a nomad at work as well
* internal organisational auditor
* tax assessor
* academic lecturer
* supervisor and examiner of Master's and Doctoral theses
* management development consultant
* change management facilitator
* trainer
* systems analyst
* online learning change agent
* organisational development consultant
* human resource manager
* Director, Computer Operations and Productivity
* Director, Corporate Services
and today Ron is some of the above plus:
* Professor of Management, Gibaran Learning Group
* Associate Professor of Organisational Learning (IMCA, UK)
* Principal Consultant, Merit Solutions
* Director, Scope Consulting
* Freelance academic
Quick, what do you think ?
Cartagena on Amazon
Cartagena (Ulysses Due South)
Amazon Price: (as of 08/30/2008)
Cartagena Forever
Amazon Price: $25.00 (as of 08/30/2008)
Cartagena de los Indias: Panoramic Vision from the Air
Amazon Price: $50.00 (as of 08/30/2008)
Manual de Diseño para maderas del Grupo Andino - Manual of Design for wood of the Andean Group
Amazon Price: (as of 08/30/2008)
Pedro und die Bettler von Cartagena. ( Ab 11 J.). ( Lesen und verstehen).
Amazon Price: (as of 08/30/2008)
P.S. If you buy something from this page...
... you'll automatically be making a donation to The Acumen Fund, working to solve global poverty.Doesn't that feel good?
(Note: This does not apply to the "Effective Change Management" book published by Southern Cross University Press, Lismore, Australia)
Featured lenses from Ron Passfield
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Lensography: lenses created by Ron Passfield (ronpass)
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Well I have joined the ranks of Squidoo lensographers. Just putting all my lenses together has given me insight into how to progress my Squidoo marketing. I live near the River in the suburb of Bulimba in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. I love tenni...
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Maroochydore through the photographic lens of Barbara J H
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This is a Squidoo lens with a difference. Its sole purpose is enable you to see Maryoochdore through the camera lens of Barbara J H, a local photographer. This unique perspective is designed to showcase not only Maroochydore but also Barbara's photog...
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Noosa Biosphere: action to conserve the Noosa Biosphere Reserve and limit human impact
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Noosa is 170 kilometres north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Noosa Biosphere was added by UNESCO to the global biosphere reserves on 20 July 2007. Noosa Biosphere includes everglades, beaches, rainforests, national parks, rivers, colored san...
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Twitter: how to use twitter.com and the value of tweets
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"Twitter" is a social networking site that enables you to do micro-blogging. You can post messages of just 140 characters long which can be seen either by all the people on Twitter or just by the people who have chosen to "follow" you. Your "follower...
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Squidoo Marketing Strategies: Help To Develop and Market Your Squidoo Lenses
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This lens is designed to provide resources to help you improve your Squidoo marketing and help you to increase your Squidoo lensrank. Here you will find articles, tips, strategies, tools and techniques that will help you to develop as a Squidoo...
Ron Passfield interviewed by Kris Jones, Peppperjam Network CEO
I explained in the interview that the real marketing benefits occur when Squidoo is treated as the marketing hub and other approaches such as blogging, article marketing, Facebook, Twitter, etc are treated as the spokes.
To read the interview on the Pepperjam Network blog,
CLICK HERE
Shout Out For Ron Passfield!
Share your stories, sightings, thoughts, rants, raves...
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JaguarJulie
Ron -- your SquidWho is truly amazing -- looking forward to seeing that Wikipedia soon. You're "footprint on the internet" is inspiring. I've been reading snippets about you here and there and thought I'd stop in to read more. Applause! Posted August 23, 2008 |
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KimGiancaterino
Ron, I was so happy to learn that you made Giant Squid. I'm giving your amazing biography a Squid Angel Blessing. Posted July 07, 2008 |
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daoine
I really enjoyed "meeting" you :) Posted July 04, 2008 |
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sethgodin
great stuff, Ron. Funny too. Posted June 03, 2008 |
Your writing is mesmerizing..I couldn't stop reading.. I love to write but I don't write nearly as eloquent as you.. I want to learn more.
http://www.squidoo.com/Rhonda-K-Smith
Posted June 02, 2008
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mulberry
I'm impressed, can't imagine how you get so much done! Great lens. Posted April 20, 2008 |
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buffalo
Thank you for the very nice comment you left on my lens. That was a huge compliment coming from someone such as you. Posted April 18, 2008 |
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collagen
You have a nice set up in your home town. I am sure it must be a beautiful and refreshing view. All the best and thanks for your dedication to help others. Posted February 08, 2008 |
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OutsourceSuccess
Cool Ron Posted November 28, 2007 |
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SoundFinance
Great work Ron. Another 5* effort. I hope you'll drop by and check out the changes I made to one of my lenses after your recommendations. Soundfinance Posted October 07, 2007 |
