Making Room In My Head

Internet Communication Sucks

Tue, 29 May 2012 08:42:12 -0400

I created this site so I’d have a place to vent. I’ve done a bit of it - mostly related to social media. That still has me flumuxed. I like to post here as way to cleanse myself of negative thoughts. Consider it psychiatry for the internet world.

To clean my headtrash I thought I’d relate a couple of things that happened in the last few weeks. Both of which left me wondering what to do.

First - LinkedIn Groups

I posted an article on a blog. MY purpose for writing the post was to get people thinking differently about a topic by introducing a similar but different area of thought. In other words - I borrowed the logic from one place and applied it in another. I thought it was a somewhat interesting “thought experiment.”

I put those words in quotes because I wasn’t offering facts. I wasn’t offering a dissertation with research and footnotes. It was simply and idea based on another idea. I was offering a way to think about something that may have been different than what had been thought of before. I posted a link to the article in LinkedIn - to a few of the groups I belong to related to the topic. I got a few bites… nice comments… interesting points of view. Some were pro “nice post” - some were con “never will work.”

I responded and tried to clarify that my post wasn’t really about proffering a solution to a problem but a new tangent on the thinking that currently exists. I got a response - again it was..

“won’t work. you’d be laughed at if you tried to do this in the real world.”

I’m not offended. I expect anything different and new to be looked at sideways. It is always that way with a new idea. But what is bugging me is that the responder is shutting down the avenue for conversation. His responses are all about - no, no, no. There isn’t one hint of…

“in the current line of thinking it won’t work but if you think this way it might.” Or… “won’t work that way - but you may need to take a different route like this to get to your end game.”

It’s just -

“No. Won’t work. Stop.”

So the question is —— How do you respond to that?

Do you continue to engage? Try to get my point across. Continue the conversation? Or do a I just send a note back saying “Uncle. You win. I’m an idiot, you’re smart.”

I want to “win” so to speak and convert this person (they seem smart) and see if they can offer some value to the discourse. But I’m a bit put off by the tone and the veracity of their arguments (and I use the word argument in its most positive connotation.)

Does it do me any good to continue the conversation?

Situation #2 - Email Chain

Working on a project with someone where they asked for input. I offered mine. They said great - add it to a document in google docs. I tried. Didn’t work. I sent them a note and said I couldn’t add it to the doc. They said… email updates to them. I did. They said “can you put them in an email to me.” I said I just did and thinking that the “way” I sent them didn’t work with their process, I offered another option on how I could get them my input. They said “forget it…” (but not so nicely.)

So, there I was, sitting there in front of my computer on a Friday trying to get work done before my family comes in for the long weekend (and we all know what that means from a stress and anxiety standpoint) and trying to make someone else’s life easier by responding to their request, and because we’re trying to do everything on email, we’re not communicating effectively.

I’m pissed. But I don’t want to be pissed. I know they’re working hard. I’m working hard. We’re all trying to get something done.

In both cases I walk away from the computer in a pretty bad mood. I’m trying real hard and not getting anywhere.

We Don’t Give Good Internet

My point in all of this rambling is that in two instances in the past few days I’ve been pissed off and full of unrequited rage. And it is all do to the fact that we don’t/can’t communicate well via the written word.

In one case the person is providing their “opinion” in a way that sounds condescending. I only “hope” they really don’t want to sound that way. If they so, they succeeded. In the other case I think the person is trying to be funny (but wasn’t and therefore didn’t succeed.)

In both cases the overall communication effort was a bust.

I know the other person thinks it is my fault - that I’m a poor communicator. I’m also sure it is their fault because I KNOW I’m not a poor communicator.

I find there is no easy way to extricate myself from either of these situations except to surrender. I am not communicating - they are not communicating. I am mad. I’m sure they are mad.

We all lose.

We really, really need to find a way to do this better. I —— really need to find a way to do this better.

I know - maybe we talk.

Nah… that’s so 1980s.

Old Man Problems and Social Networks

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:43:33 -0400

In July of 2011 I wrote a post here called “Tragedy of the Google+ Commons.”

In that post I talked about all the ways Google+ could fail. One of the ways was through the “automation” of push from other networks into G+. And it’s happening.

I just noticed the other day that I was seeing “tweets” in my G+ stream.

I don’t want that. I have tweets in my tweet stream. I don’t need them in my G+ stream. A friend started doing it an I hit him up on twitter and said I’d be uncircling him on G+ and he responded with - #oldmanproblems.

And he’s right. These are old man problems. Getting chocolate in my peanut butter. Getting tweets in my G+.

I’m not a luddite. I’m not a purist. I was an early adopter of many different tools on the internet. Heck - I was in chat rooms in AOL in the late 80s/early 90s. I’m not new to this stuff. But I am having my own difficulties with the way this is evolving.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to stop the evolution. I know that would be tilting at windmills. But it makes me feel better to write about it here - where no one will hear me scream.

But I really don’t believe I’ll be the only one screaming. At some point the entire house of cards will have to come crashing down from the narcissistic weight of everyone posting everything to every platform. Our brains won’t allow it.

We will ultimately rebel and we will start to ignore people. And then the value is gone.

We will be our own worst enemy.

We Are 3-D

Here’s how I see it. Humans are 3-D by nature. We like to see things in “places.” It’s how we make connections. Have you ever bumped into a “work” friend at a tattoo parlor? Remember how that felt? Weird huh. It was a disconnect.

I’m sure you’ve also had the experience of running into a friend from high school that you spent a drunken debouched weekend in Vegas with at a client meeting. Probably didn’t even recognize them at first because the context was off.

I think we see things based on context. We need the context in order to turn on and off those parts of the brain that are important at that point in time. Friends from the neighborhood - cool - they can see me in shorts. CEO that I want to do business with - they don’t need to see the inappropriate Scooby-Do and Jessica Rabbit tattoo on my thigh. Those streams should never cross. Not at least until I get the business with a multi-year contract.

We need that context for us to feel safe. I should say “I” need that context to feel safe. There seem to be a ton of you out there that don’t, but hey - you’re profersonal, and I’m not.

All of our networks are morphing and connecting. But instead of them connecting to form a sweet spot of interaction - they are connecting and pulling the worst things from each.

We’re not getting better at this stuff. We’re getting worse.

Facebook was about friends and family. It was about pics of kids and weddings and reunions. It was about bachelor parties and good times. Now it’s about networked blogs, business speaking gigs, links to fan pages. It’s not really personal any more. It’s not professional either. It found that spot between the two that has the least value.

Twitter was about freedom, quick witty reportee, more personality driven. It could be both personal and professional - but it is primarily business with an edge. Now twitter is about promotion, mass marketing and links to new posts and speaking gigs. Hey -guilty as charged. But I do try to make it about 3:1 fun versus biz. But not all of you do. It’s crowded. It’s noisy. It’s a bit random. As someone said early on in twitter’s arc - it’s like a cocktail party. And it is. But it’s moved from the “club scene” to the “conference scene.” Still a party… but without the Ecstasy and rave music.

LinkedIn - well - that’s pretty obvious. Not much has changed there. That site is all about the Benjamins. It was, is and will be about income. Next.

And then there is google+. The odd kid in the family. The one that no one really gets yet. There’s a glimmer of genius but then they trip over their own feet. So you’re really not sure what to make of it.

I have old man problems.

I don’t want to mix my streams. I don’t want the same information in 10 different places. I want to be able to connect with friends as friends do. I don’t want to connect to friends and then hear all about their presentation. I want to hear about chinch bugs in their lawn and what kind of grill they’re going to buy next summer.

I want to talk biz with biz people. I want to know how your career is going and I want to help when I can.

Sure there are times when those conversations overlap. Sure, I’ve talked business at cookouts. But only for a few minutes. Not the entire freakin’ time.

So… for all you “socially networked” people out there… I’m going on record and say this - all of this stuff will be falling apart soon. It will be unmanageable. It will become a hassle.

I’m convince that all these networks will become less valuable the more we add to them and the more we use them as a fire hose. They will only become valuable again when we inject context into the discussion.

I know I’m going to lose some great conversations on google + as I remove people from my circles. I’m also going to miss some great photographs and some of your family updates as I unfriend you on Facebook. I will truly miss that.

But what I gain is sanity. Calm, cool, sanity.

At the end of the day all these networks are really about how “I” use them - not how “you” use them. I know… sacrilege … it’s not about you.

Sorry. It just isn’t. It is really about me.

Now… Pull up your pants, get off my lawn, get a job and quite mumbling.

Do you have a toilet in your living room?

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:35:46 -0500

It’s been a long time since I posted here. Seems this is becoming my default location to bitch about everything social media. Yup… that’s what’s ahead…

I just went through my Facebook page and it seems that everyone I am connected with is clueless about twitter or LinkedIn or RSS feeds. My Facebook stream is clogged with updates on business crap. Conferences, blog posts, updates on buyouts and mergers. A quick count shows about 4-1 business to personal/fun.

Don’t get me wrong - each person I’ve allowed into my Facebook stream (and that’s what I do - allow you in… kinda like inviting you into my house) is someone I wanted to get to know on a personal level. Mostly because I got to know them in some professional vein - in real life at a conference, via their blog, through their twitter stream - whatever.

I got to know you most likely in a professional manner and thought …

“Hey - they were fun to talk to - I wonder what they’re like OUTSIDE OF WORK!”

I guess I’ll never know.

I Don’t Have A Sink In My Living Room

I have a normal house. Got a kitchen, a few bedrooms, living room, back porch. Couple of bathrooms. Nice little place - and I do specific things in each of those rooms. When we entertain we usually have some folks in the kitchen - some in the living room. Very few folks get to the bedrooms (unless it’s a particularly good party.) Rarely do I sleep on the porch and I rarely sleep on the couch in the living room.

See - I have rooms in my house that are designed around the functions they serve. Kitchen - food stuff - oven, sink, dishwasher, stove - designed for making stuff we eat, eating it and cleaning up the stuff we just ate.

Living room - TV, stereo, some comfy chairs - designed for conversation and relaxation.

Home office - computer, desk chair, task light - designed for writing, getting work done.

Bathroom - well - I won’t go into details.

See - each environment is designed around a function.

Facebook Now Has A Toilet In It

Unfortunately, I now have to walk around all the extraneous elements in my Facebook feed - all of you guests decided I needed a toilet in my living room. I didn’t want it. You put it there after I invited you into the house.

Facebook used to be a place I went to have casual, personal conversations about what up in people’s lives. What’s up with the kids? What’s with the extended fam? New pics of the puppy doing something cute with the cat. That’s what I wanted from you when we connected. That’s what I wanted out of Facebook.

Now I feel like I’m sitting across from a mahogany desk… being interviewed.

I’d like to limit your business updates in Facebook - but I’d have to eliminate all your updates. I can still mute services that automatically post to Facebook - but people are posting directly to their streams - and therefore I only have two choices… put up with their toilet in my living room… or kick them out of the house.

It’s getting real close to the latter.

Just Because You Can - Doesn’t Mean You Should

I could put a toilet in my living room. But just because I can doesn’t mean I should.

Please - think about how these various social media streams were initially designed. Just because they want to be the one - you don’t have to let them dictate how you use them. Just because you can post to your “friends” about your newest blog post - doesn’t mean you should. Why not put that in the business feed of LinkedIn - or at least use twitter where I can see it and then decide if I want to subscribe to your RSS or email updates.

And don’t tell me it’s profersonal - that’s crap. While we CAN meld those two lines it doesn’t mean we should. And - if I REALLY want to know you “profersonally” I’ll subscribe to your professional and your personal feeds and do the mixing myself.

Don’t force me.

Get off my lawn - and get your toilet out of my living room.

The Washington “Elite” Have No Clue If you all want...

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:04:38 -0400

The Washington “Elite” Have No Clue

If you all want to know what’s wrong with our country jump to 3:53 in this video from the Daily Show last night.

Our representatives just don’t live in the world we do. There is no excuse for the stupidity and disconnect that this woman exhibits.

I am only a few years younger than her (less than 10 more than 1.)

68% of the US Population sent a text message as of December 2010 (cite: http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats#mobilebehavior )

People like this are passing policy (or not as the case may be) - and they are in the minority of people as it relates to the technologies and life-processes the majority of us use every. single. day.

C’mon people - vote smarter.

Tragedy of the google+ Commons

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 08:45:01 -0400

Have you ever heard of the “tragedy of the commons”?

Yes…?

No…?

Well let me ‘splain it to those in Rio Linda… From the oracle called Wikipedia…

The tragedy of the commons is a dilemma arising from the situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately deplete a shared limited resource, even when it is clear that it is not in anyone’s long-term interest for this to happen.

That my friend is google+.

We are the individual, rational actors, and the scarce resource is our time and attention. Read the tragedy definition again. Now think about your social networks.

Dead on IMHO.

We graze the initial social network common pasture until our attention and time resource is depleted and then we move on to new common land - and do it all over again.

I ask you…Can we do it different this time?

Google + - Heading off the Tragedy

I’ll go on record that I like google+.

I like it because…

I feel like I have more control of my experience with the way circles work (real or imagined - it works the way my brain works)
I believe that google will innovate and change based on the input they receive during their “beta”
I think they will innovate faster than other platforms
If I’m going to invest the time and energy in a social platform I want to be on one that works the way I do and will grow and change as my needs change - in sync with my change schedule.

I believe google+ will do that.

However, But, Although…

The tragedy is developing - but we can stem the tide.

Because google+ is new we are at a point where we can actually manage the commons and make it what it could be.

Here are my thoughts on how we can better manage the commons…

First and foremost - Guy Kawasaki.

Sorry dude. Loved your book Rules for Revolutionaries. Don’t love that you feel the need to push every freakin’ thought, link, idea, brain-fart out to the public.

Jeez Guy… take a break. Add value. You’re a marketing and VC person - I don’t follow you to figure out how to take better pictures. Find a niche and stick with it.

Unfortunately, there is some corn in there now and then, so I do have you in circle by yourself and a few others who have a huge noise to signal ratio.

Ultimately, this is about one or two people using more of the resource than others… even though it is common and pretty abundant now… it won’t stay that way forever.

Sustainability isn’t just for Mother Earth. Is is for Aunt Internet too…

Second - Businesses staking claim in the G+ land grab.

Hey - google said they’d do something for you in the future - something built around your needs and desires. How about you wait for it and let the rest of us just enjoy the conversation? I don’t need you showing up at my party and interrupting my discussions with friends and acquaintances with information YOU think is valuable and “I” find insulting. Wait your turn.

Just so you know - I’m keeping track and when you finally get your space on G+ I’m gonna make sure you get blasted as being a spammer and a pain in my ass.

Third - The Need to PUSH everything to somewhere…

I addressed this issue in my previous rant on G+. But please google - DO NOT ALLOW pushing INTO G+ from other services. Let me push out - but not in. Please, please, please. That just makes it easier to be a spam haven and to deplete our resources faster.

Fourth - People who forget that google is a business and that they are providing a service (the commons) to us and it’s their product.

The metaphor of G+ being “common” kinda breaks down a bit here - but they have set aside some land for us to play on - and some rules. We should try to abide by some of them.

So you don’t like the fact that google wants you to have a real name? Tough. It’s their ball - they can play whatever game they want and you can deal with it. I’m sure they will make allowances for those that want to go by hipster-cool weird made-up names (can you say “Situation”.)

I for one, like the fact they have some strict rules about creating profiles. It makes me feel like this might stay a conversational medium and not a spamfest (see previous point.)

I know you don’t like it… but to say that G+ is bad because your hippie Mom and Dad named you “7” isn’t my problem or google’s.

Will they allow pseudonyms in the future?

Probably - but don’t think they have a moral obligation to allow any form and manner of naming convention. This is their product. You don’t like it - leave - go back to Facebook or twitter or MySpace. How about just providing constructive feedback and keep the holier-than-thou attitude to yourself?

Fifth - Public Posts 100% - 24/7

I watch whether folks are publishing to limited circles or to the public. If 100% of what you’re publishing is going to “public” - you don’t want conversation - you’re worried about conversion. I get it - you got a business to run.

Me too. I do it different than you. Cool.

But realize, pushing everything to your public circle means you aren’t thinking - you’re just broadcasting. And I don’t need another medium for that - I got twitter.

I know I shouldn’t be telling folks how to use G+. I’m really not. I’m saying if you choose to use it that way (your right) I will choose to not pay any attention to you (my right) - see how this works - cool huh?

The Net Net

Acting in our self interest - I get that.

Heck I do a lot on social networks myself. But I watch what I do and take into account the limited resources we all have. But acting in self interest - when ultimately it will not help you is just stupid.

Hence the tragedy and the dilemma.

Please - let’s not have a tragedy on google+.

Let’s preserve the landscape and use it to the best use of ALL of us.

Automation Killed the Social Network

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 07:32:14 -0400

I was watching my G+ stream yesterday and last night and enjoying the conversations. I was thinking that this was what twitter was like a few years ago. It was what Facebook was like about 5 years ago.

Then it hit me… it was like any social network “BA.”

What is “BA”?

“Before Automation.”

All my social networks were wonderful places of interaction, interchange and social intercourse (love to use that word when it isn’t “dirty”) when they first started.

Then - to make things “better” the services released their APIs and allowed third parties to provide services not built into the social app. And in many cases, the new apps were ways to automate updates.

Automate updates to twitter from my blog, automate updates from twitter to Facebook. Automate and schedule updates to twitter AND Facebook from my blog. Automate updates to twitter, Facebook, AND Linkedin from my blog. Automate updates from Instagram to my blog, twitter, gowalla, foursquare, Facebook, Linkedin, AND my blog.

You get the idea.

Automation killed the social network.

When people have to exert effort to put their stuff on a network they inherently make sure it is worthy of posting. They put thought into it. Manual updates equals better quality.

Automation killed the social network.

I really hope google figures this out so they limit the way in which their API will work. I don’t want automatic updates to G+. The manual labor involved with posting, linking, commenting, etc. means I get better stuff.

If google really wants to make their platform the defacto social network they should allow and promote the ability to automate posts FROM G+ TO the other networks but limit the ability of other networks to update G+ automatically.

In that scenario - G+ gets better content - and the other networks get noisier and noisier until they are no longer valuable.

What do you think? Is automation the social network Achilles heel?

Gangland In Social Networks

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:38:00 -0400

I’m a bit in awe right now. I signed up for Google+ the other day. You may have seen the post on “circles” here. I like the approach they are taking. And, it seems others do too…

Link to: Google+ About to Hit 10 Million Users

Whether the numbers are right or not is irrelevant - it’s safe to say it came out of the gate screaming.

I’m not surprised - it was launched on top of the google platform - the only stat I can find is about 100 million gmail users - which means they’ve only garnered about 10% of their potential audience. Match that against twitter/facebook - which had to build their audience from scratch vs. sending out an email to an existing audience asking them to add a new “feature”.

So call me unimpressed with the numbers. Don’t get me wrong - I’m impressed with the technology - smart guys those googlers.

But that’s not what I’m in awe of.

What is getting my attention is the fast and furious discussions (at least in my world) about whether google+ is good, bad, indifferent, stupid, creative, unique, valuable - whatever - as compared to the old stalwarts (if you can say that about twitter and Facebook - neither of which are out of Elementary School.)

I’ve seen Facebook posts saying - “10 million users sitting around doing nothing, amazing.” - referencing the above statistic and the subtly deriding google+ users. I don’t know if the poster saw the irony in that statement since Facebook has 700 million users who probably are doing the same thing.

And I thought - wow… people don’t like google+.

Then I started to defend google+ in posts and in tweets.

Then I took a step back and asked myself - “why the hell do I care what others think about goolge+?”

What is it that is getting me to respond - to engage - around a social network technology?

I’m thinking there is something deeper at play here than the new tech shiny object. There is something else bubbling beneath the surface that is creating this division.

Something human.

I think, that while I thought I was having a conversation about my service vs. your service it was really about “my values” vs. “your values” - my gang versus your gang.

I wasn’t talking about google+ anymore - I was talking about whether I was smart, whether I was connected, whether I was valid. Whether my chosen network was the “right” one. I was taking sides in a gang war.

We are members of social network gangs.

Up until now the gangs had pretty much staked out their territory. Twitter was short, searchable and openly connected. Facebook was more personal and more guarded. Other networks pretty much stayed in there area of focus too.

In this situation - much like real-world gangs, territories are clear and rarely intersected.

Then google+ decides it wants to have a gang.

But they didn’t stake out a different territory - they decided they wanted a little bit of every gang’s territory.

It makes me think of this…

Google+ Is Taking Territory

Google+ honed in on someone else’s territory. And people react when you try to take territory. And the territory they are taking is the user’s time and energy. And time and energy are just different words for commitment.

What I’m finding is that those that have spent the time and the energy in a specific network - want that network to win. They need that network to win because it validates their effort and their commitment.

The more someone uses facebook the more they will defend that platform. Doesn’t matter that it truly is better - you can’t take the chance that all your previous work and effort might be for naught as the new kid in the family takes all the parent’s attention.

Users of social networks know - sooner or later there will be one network (Skynet anyone?) - it’s the nature of social networking.

Google+ has to understand that there is a huge installed base on Facebook or twitter that CANNOT see another platform win, without admitting they were wrong.

And… those who have unabashedly adopted google+ will have to fight tooth and nail to make sure that google+ wins - just to prove they were right.

In the end - it will be about the psychology not the tech.

I know this isn’t a huge new idea - but I thought it was interesting to see this play out so quickly online. It only took about a week.

What will be interesting for the future is that as google+ takes some from twitter, some from Facebook, some from, skype, and friendfeed - whatever… you have to ask - can google+ fight a gang war on four fronts - or five - or how ever many… and win?

Google+ Circles

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:09:00 -0400

South Carolina has pretty liberal laws associated with fireworks. I think you can light off anything so long as it doesn’t have a recent military serial number (WWII stuff is okay I think.) That probably explains the high number of people with nicknames like Lefty, Stumpy, Cyclops and Bubba. Not sure how we got Bubba but I’ll guess it had something to do with fireworks (or deep fryers.)

However, due to SC’s love affair with fireworks I was up kinda late last night listening to the bombs bursting in air and seeing the flicker of rockets red glare through my window shades. What kinda jobs do my neighbors have that allows them to be up drinking and playing with explosives until 2:00 am? Something to do with fireworks and deep fryers I guess.

So while I was waiting for the celebrations to end I played a bit with google+.

The new, new thing.

The next bright shiny object.

The newest social media/networking tool.

And I kinda like it.

And It’s Not Facebook - Thank God

One of my big problems with Facebook is that everyone was connecting - whether they were real friends or simply people you woke up with after a really fun conference. There was little segmentation and distance between friends, acquaintances locally, acquaintances from work and those that you just wanted to spy on. And it was becoming another marketing avenue for consultants, and social media experts. Everyone was in one big bucket. In order to clean up your FB news you’d have to block people, or the apps they were using to connect to you. In any event the outcome was they were “unfriended” - kinda defeating the purpose.

I don’t think that was the original intent of FB, but that’s where it went. I’m on FB - but I don’t contribute much - mostly because I like it for personal stuff and I lead a pretty uninteresting life.

And I keep my professional stuff off it - rather, I’ll put it out to twitter, LinkedIn and my company website. For me there is a real distinction between what I want to say and do in PUBLIC versus what I might say and do in PRIVATE - or with people I know and respect.

It’s not that I’m that different in public vs. private - it’s just that I think there needs to be stronger bond than a few tweets before I’ll use a swear word or call someone an idiot. I guess the manners my folks taught me have stuck. Way to go Mom/Dad.

I’m just don’t buy into the “profersonal” stuff - just not for me.

But - hey - you go ahead and do it. It’s your reputation.

But Circles Are Different

But google+ has, and I’m just getting into it, the ability for me to put people into different classifications, or circles as they call them. They give you a starter set of circles labeled Friends, Family, and Acquaintances. You can then create your own circles and assign folks to the buckets you develop.

That’s what I wanted from Facebook.

I want to be able to put you in the bucket that makes sense for ME - not the bucket that you think you belong in. You may think we’re friends, but I may think we’re just acquaintances. Google+ circles lets you put me in your friend list - and I can put you in my acquaintances list.

So last night during the blitzkrieg in my neighborhood I started outlining my different circles and thought you all might like to see what I came up with…

People I can say the “f” word to
Family (including my Mom)
Family (not including my Mom - see Circle #1)
Acquaintances from business
Acquaintances locally
Friends locally
Friends in different cities
Friends who I’m only friends with because they might give me business some day
People who think I’m cool
People who I think are cool
People who only post pictures of their kids
People who only update their status with business stuff that I could care less about. But… see Circle #8
People I followed on FB because they followed me on FB and now they’re connected to me on google+ and I am too chicken to not connect to them (see Circle #8)
People who think I still go to church EVERY week
People who don’t really know me and wouldn’t follow me on google+ if they really did

I’m sure I’ll come up with more - but you get the idea. I can now slice and dice my online relationships the way I want to!

And the beauty of goolge+ circles - your connections don’t know which circle they are in!

Just like real life!

I can fake smile on line now!

My Father's Day Gifts

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:13:00 -0400

Sunday is Father’s Day - so I’m told. I really don’t remember it each year, it kinda creeps up on me and I’m not aware of it until my two kids try to subtly weasel out of me what I would like as a gift…

Kids…

“So Dad - what do you want for Father’s Day?”

Me…

“Nothing really. Just be good. Be honest. Be kind. Be YOU.”

I’m sure many parents (I’m assuming mother’s utter the same pat response on Mother’s Day) really don’t want their kids to buy them a present. At least I hope not. I didn’t have kids just so I could get few more ties, slippers, gag toilet paper rolls with $100 bills on them.

I had kids because I forgot - or she forgot. Really, do we need to blame anyone? In any event, we forgot something.

Kidding.

We wanted them. And we got them.

I got my Father’s Day gifts 20 and 18 years ago. And they are the best presents I have ever received. They were not only a gift the day they were born - but they have been a gift every day since.

They give me:

A smile from my 18 year old son who tries to hide the fact that he thought my comment was funny when his friends are around (you can’t think your Dad has a real sense of humor.) - And then overhearing him say exactly the same thing to his friends later
A look from your 20 year old daughter that says … “hey, I’m grown up and can make decisions for myself - but don’t go too far - I may want to double check with you in a bit.”
Comments from other parents that our kid is the responsible one in the group and they like it when they hang around with their kid - they think our kid is a good influence.
The pleasure of hearing them say “yes sir” and “no ma’m” when they don’t know I can hear them.
Satisfaction that my constant prodding means they put their napkins on their lap before dinner without being asked.
The opportunity to see them make the right choices - even when they are hard - like when they get themselves into a tough, tough situation with a group of friends and their first call is to me - even if it means they might get in trouble for being somewhere and doing something I don’t approve of.
The knowledge they are being themselves first and part of the group second.
Unsolicited compliments from other adults like: “I just love your daughter. I could talk to her all day.”

I could go on.

My Father’s Day presents over the years included the above plus two-week old dirty dishes in bedrooms, the little tie thing being left off the loaf of bread and two decades of exaggerated eye rolls.

My kids are gifts that keep on giving.

Thank you kids - for being the best Father’s Day gift I could imagine.

PS - however, an iPad2 is pretty swanky as well… just sayin’.

I’d Rather Create Drama than Live It – The New American Way

Thu, 26 May 2011 09:48:00 -0400

I’ll admit it. I’ve watched a few episodes of Real Housewives (insert city with more money than brains.) I always feel terrible later. Kinda like eating too much pizza. Tastes great while doing it but you feel lousy afterward. RHW is like that for me. I can’t stop watching. I know it’s wrong and I’ll feel horrible later.

But. I. Can’t. Stop. Watching.

As I was watching a NYC RHW episode the other night I thought about how far out of their way these women go to create drama in their lives. Drama with little, if any, purpose, other than to raise their adrenalin levels. They poke, prod, prevaricate and posture with their “friends,” all in the hope that an argument or meltdown will occur. They cannot survive without living in a constant whirlwind of drama. I don’t get it.

Most of us live our lives hoping to reduce the drama to a minimum but these women seek it out, create it when in short supply and feed on it for days, weeks and months. No slight – however unintentional – goes without punishment. These women have terabytes of data stored away, loaded and in the chamber, ready to used at a moment’s notice to hurt and demean their fellow housewives.

It’s a sick, sick set up.

And we watch it. And we get involved in it. And we tweet it (for hoots follow the tweet stream during an episode.) And we blog about it (I. Am. The. Problem.) And, maybe, we’re a bit envious of it?

Outsourcing Life = No Adrenaline Rush

About 10 years ago I read what is now a highly prescient article about how American’s were “outsourcing” life. The article pointed to the increase in the number and use of nannies, gardeners, day-care, private chefs, cleaning people, personal shoppers, etc. I’ve watched as what were luxuries of the rich and famous become necessities for the middle class. I’ve watched as more people find “help” to do those things that members of the previous generation would have considered “life maintenance” responsibilities.

Life maintenance is now “staff management.” We’ve switched from doing stuff to keep our lives in order to managing people who keep our lives in order.

I wonder – as we outsource our lives – does that create a vacuum of drama?

With no kids around the house there is no bickering and power struggles. No dirt to clean up – no broken vases, no mud tracked in from the creek.

With someone doing the yard work there is no concern for crabgrass and dandelions. There is no changing the oil on the mower or sharpening the blade.

With private chefs (and I count frozen lasagna from Stouffer’s a poor man’s private chef – but damn is it good) there is no figuring out what each family member will eat, or when to have it ready when they come home from soccer practice. Creating menus and doing grocery is now a drop down menu on the web – with a button that says – “same thing as last week.”

Outsourcing reduces the day-to-day drama we normally deal with. And when we reduce that drama to a minimum, we need to fill the vacuum.

What Do They Do All Day?

As I’ve watched these women on RHW I noticed they have outsourced their lives to a degree only a few of us could ever imagine. Stay at home Mom’s with two nannies – and two kids. Really? My Mom did six kids without a nanny, housekeeper, chef or gardener.

What now?

The nanny fed them, changed them and put them down. The cleaning crew is here and dinner is either a reservation, or the food the caterer brought and put it in the “old” Sub-Zero in the 4 car garage (or in a “holding area” off the kitchen if you’re a “real” housewife.)

“God I’m board. I know – I’ll call Gloria and tell her that Mary said she was a slut and see what happens.”

Fill Your Life With Life Stuff

Without daily trials and tribulations – we seek our adrenaline rush elsewhere – we look to create environments where we can “feel” something real. I’m guessing if these women on the RHW shows suddenly had to fill their life with life stuff they wouldn’t have time to create unnecessary and hurtful drama amongst themselves.

They would be happier.

And I wouldn’t be camped out on the couch watching their antics, eating pizza until I’m too full and maybe, just maybe, the weeds in my mulch beds would be gone, the rotting board on the deck would be fixed and I’d actually feel good about myself…

Or….

I can access Angie’s list on line – get someone over here to fix that crap and then call a friend and tell them I thought I saw their wife coming out of the Shamrock Motel at noon on Thursday.

Whoopee! I’m ALIVE!

Get A #CincoDeWempen Badge!

Thu, 05 May 2011 08:45:06 -0400

You asked for it… you got it. An official, unofficial #CincoDeWempen button for your blog, twitter, facebook and whatever account. Feel free to copy and paste wherever.

I thought about using some sort of “revolution” inspired music...

Thu, 05 May 2011 08:32:38 -0400

I thought about using some sort of “revolution” inspired music track but that would be too obvious. I chose the song “When A Moment Changes Everything” by David Gray because I think the real power of #HRevolution is in the connections and moments we we each had and shared. Those individual moments of connection are what start the ball rolling.

I couldn’t get all the images posted to the web in the video but I grabbed as many as I could. Sorry if you’re not represented.

I’m probably breaking 100 copyright laws but what the hell. Enjoy, share, have fun!

BTW - stay till the end of the video for a very special shout out. Attendees will appreciate. Everyone else. Not so much.

#HRevolution - Why It Sucked

Wed, 04 May 2011 10:17:00 -0400

It sucked ‘cuz it’s over.

Yeah, I know, the title is a bit of click bait. Sorry for the subterfuge but with all the positive posts on this conference I thought mine might get lost in the mix. And since I am a honorary member of Gen Y (or think I am) narcissism is inherent in all I do and I couldn’t stand to not be noticed.

I’m posting here on my personal blog because my experience at #HRevolution isn’t related to the incentive, reward and influence space and I’m trying to get back to the roots of that site - incentives and rewards.

But my experience at #HRevolution was interesting enough that I needed to post here.

Interesting because it challenged a few long-held notions about what it means to be a presenter at “conferences.”

#HRevolution

For those not familiar - #HRevolution is a loosely contained conference started (and continues to be) a grassroots movement by a few passionate HR professionals. I won’t call it an unconference in that there was organization. The conference topics, or tracks, weren’t expressly driven by attendees and there was some “presenting” vs. facilitating. It’s a mashup.

And based on the numerous (and I do mean numerous) praising posts that have been popping out from attendees these past few days it was a huge (HUGE) success. Attendees got a lot out of it. They loved the format. They LOVED the people. And they can’t wait to do it again.

Repeat business is the business result you want and that was achieved in spades.

But… those are all “attendee” opinions.

I, on the other hand, presented, facilitated, herded, followed and floundered.

I was supposed to lead a discussion on how to influence behavior in an organization through incentives, rewards, and some psychology - lead hell - I barely kept up with the conversation.

Here’s Why It Was A Challenge

Traditionally, a presenter at a conference prepares their talk, rehearses their schtick, places the jokes appropriately during the presentation, finds images (hopefully) that reinforce what their main points are, loads it into PowerPoint or Keynote, takes the stage, runs through the slides, gets the applause, tries to sell the next gig, gets on a plane and goes home.

It’s easy really.

But that’s not what happens at #HRevolution.

Here’s a more likely scenario…

Presenter creates a general topic, collects and packages some main points around that topic, runs through those points with minimal technology shielding, opens the discussion up to an audience that is smarter than hell (most likely smarter than him/her), holds on for dear life, dodges bullets, takes a few kudos, pisses off some people (and you know about it right then and there - no behind the back stuff here), collapses in exhaustion as the audience leaves the room, and then has to re-live that all again through the twitter back-channel.

So you can see it’s a bit different.

Changing the Rules

I love presenting. Something I’d do if I didn’t do what I do now to make rent. But all my history, training, experience presenting had no value in Atlanta last weekend.

None.

I would have to train like Seal Team 6 to be prepared for #HRevolution.

It’s stressful. You’re not in control. You don’t know where it will go and what people will think. You can’t rely on autopilot and canned responses.

And truthfully…

I really, really, really, hope I can have that experience again. Doesn’t have to be #HRevolution - could be anywhere.

I am better today because of it. A bit more bruised but better.

So to all of you who made me better - thanks so much for your kind attention, your kind comments, your unkind comments and your arguments.

Viva La #HRevolution

Here's to the old farts...

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:55:46 -0400

My Dad had a hat once. A trucker hat with the words “Old Fart” on it. I’m sure it was a gag gift from a long-past Christmas. Maybe even given by me to him. Not sure. I don’t remember him ever wearing it in public but I’m confident it made an appearance at a few family get together’s once the Martinis were mixed.

You may be wondering where this is going. You’d be wrong if you thought flatulence was the goal… it’s about recognizing the impact “old farts” can have on a company, a family or a group.

I know we’re youth obsessed. You need only count the number of fake boobs on the Real Housewives of “Insert any city over 750,000 residents.” (here’s to hoping it’s an even number.) We think youth is where it’s at. We think our youth understand technology and social media and computers and the “new economy.”

Truth is, I have a couple of those “yutes” at home (and college) and they don’t know how the internet works, or the network in the house, or how to set up a blog, or twitter account. Sure they can text in T9 like a meth-addled court reporter - but they don’t get “how it works.” Which - in most cases - is much more important than just knowing where the ‘on’ button is.

But what I wanted to hit on today is the misguided way in which we celebrate youth and their brashness, ballsyness, and their fearlessness. We do “25 Under 25” - we do “30 Under 30” - we do “20 Under 20” - and, believe it or not, “10 Under 10.”

Age - Wisdom - and yes… some fear…

Now, maybe, just maybe, because I’m closer to 50 than I am to 20, this is bothering me.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s because so many of the displaced workers in our economy today are proportionately older.

This from a June 2010 report on MSNBC:

…For workers 55 and older, the rate was 7 percent as of April — more than double the rate in December 2007, when the recession began.

The Pew report found that 29 percent of unemployed people 55 or older had been out of work for a year or more, compared with 18 percent of unemployed people between the ages of 20 and 24.

The average duration of unemployment for jobseekers ages 55 and over was 42.1 weeks in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is more than six weeks longer than the national average.

And the job hunt has been particularly difficult for workers 55 and older in the current recession. Younger workers statistically are more likely to lose their jobs, but once unemployed, older workers are much more likely to stay unemployed longer.

And it’s not that we simply like to “watch” youth - it’s always fun to watch cluelessness at any age (aforementioned Real Housewives and Jersey Shore) - it’s that we are actively courting it while marginalizing the “not-youthful.”

Where are the 50 over 50 Lists?

I’m just thinking out loud here but I’m pretty confident that there are 50 people over the age of 50 doing some outstanding work. Where is that list? Why don’t we see value in…

Experience with downturns and recessions - the youth have no clue - they’re dumbfounded that money doesn’t grow on trees (or in Mom and Dad’s wallets - yeah, they’re magic.)
The ability to temper enthusiasm with logic. I’m not against enthusiasm but for any one who’s raised kids - you know they don’t think things through.
Fear… yeah, I said fear. A good dose of fear keeps you from leaping before you look. I’m all for taking risks… but stupid ones? Most “youngsters” haven’t see enough life to know when there is a risk - let alone if it is an acceptable or unacceptable risk.

I’m ranting I know - but with all this attention being paid to youth - it seems that a few wisened old farts in a meeting might just be a good addition to anyone’s company, charity, etc.

Who wants to take up the challenge? Who wants to put together a 50 over 50 list?

Or is time for a nap before the early bird special at Perkins?

Do Big Shots Need to Know Excel?

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 08:35:00 -0400

Over a couple of beers and a fabulous finish in the Butler-Pitt game this weekend I got into a conversation with someone about their job.

They mentioned someone they worked with - and not it a good way.

The person they worked with is a muckety-muck PhD. at their firm and is pretty well-known in their industry and pretty well-paid.

As a clueless parent of teenagers might opine - “they think they are all that and a bag of chips.”

The discussion centered around some of the “requests” they get from this person.

Things like - sending an email with an MS Excel worksheet attached and asking my friend to “bold” one cell in the sheet before sending to the client. Yeah - bolding one cell in an entire worksheet. This isn’t an anomaly. It happens a lot according to my friend. She’ll get emails about changing a typeface in MS Word, moving a cell in Excel - nothing hard mind you - just some basic manipulation within the programs. In addition, they’ll get a call asking how to set up an “out of office” message in Outlook as well.

My friend - ever the one to worry about efficiency - will call the PhD and want to help them walk through the process of bolding type, or changing a typeface or whatever - in the interest of educating them - making the process more efficient. The response?

“I don’t have time to learn this stuff. That’s your job.”

In other words…

“I’m too important to learn this software - I’m paid to think, not type.”

I’m Paid to Think - Not Read and Write

I believe (VERY strongly) that programs like, Excel, Word, Outlook, hell - the internet in general - are the tools of business today as much as reading and writing were a few (20 maybe) years back.

Those that think learning the most rudimentary tasks in these programs is beneath them are dinosaurs and losers. A few decades ago - no matter how smart someone was - if they couldn’t read and write - they weren’t real valuable.

I’ll go on record as saying if you can’t do some of the fundamental things in Word and Excel - you’re not valuable either.

So, to those of you who can’t figure out the software that 99% of the business world uses every day - retire.

No matter how smart you are (or think you are), no matter how important you are (or think you are), no matter what your title is (earned or not) - it isn’t making up for the time you’re stealing from everyone else. Your intelligence/importance has a half-life that is shorter each day you can’t communicate, educate and connect with the rest of the world. Your input is valuable only in the sense I can get it to the client quickly.

Time is our competitive foundation today. I can be 80% right quickly - or 100% right too late. Which one do you want me to choose?

If I’m late - you being smart (or important) didn’t help.

So to those of you who are too smart, important or full of yourself to figure out know how to use styles in Word, can’t format a spreadsheet, don’t know how to set up folders in Outlook…

Go home and login with your AOL email account, check your my_space status, and let the rest of us stupid people get some work done.

Positional Awareness - You won't know if you don't have it

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:00:59 -0400

Most of us have had the experience of driving on a busy 3-lane highway with one car ahead of you that isn’t getting the whole - “drive with the traffic or get out of the way” - thing. Either they are in the far left lane (supposedly for speedier folks) with about 200 cars behind them, bumper to bumper. Or, they are in the middle lane - seemingly in a contest with the cars on either side of them to see who can match each other’s speed exactly - causing a rolling roadblock.

These people don’t have positional awareness.

FYI - If you’ve never experienced it - then take Matt Damon’s advice from Rounders - “Listen. Here’s the thing. If you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.”

And if that is too subtle - If you have never experienced a rolling roadblock on the highway - you are the cause. Move over!

I define positional awareness as the ability to understand where you are in the world, the room, the universe or even a conversation. People with positional awareness have a firm grasp on what came before them, where they currently are and where things might go.

They know where they are in relation to other things in their environment. You know people who have “positional awareness” when you see them… they are “there.”

“Positional Awareness Deficit” - “PAD”

PAD on the other hand is a deficit disorder in which the afflicted have no clue as to their position in the universe. It’s not hubris in the way that some folks think they are the center of the universe so there are no other ”positions” to worry about. Those folks really believe the rest of the world is set up in relation to them, so they are very sure of their position - it’s at the center.

What I’m talking about are people in a meeting who think that 4:57 p.m. on a Friday, is the absolute best time to start an entirely new branch of discussion around something that won’t affect anything on the large (or for that matter, small) scale - but it MUST be discussed as everyone else is slinging on their backpacks to get out of the room quickly.

Or the person who doesn’t seem to get the fact you’re taking calls while they give you the run down on their new idea (which is really an old idea with a new theme) in minute detail (none of the details actually help communicate the main idea at all - kinda like taking 11 minutes to tell me the elemental makeup of the asteroid that’s going to wipe out humanity in 12 minutes.)

Here’s my theory…

I believe you can be successful in business - and in life - by simply paying attention to where you are.

Success isn’t about smarts. Or timing (okay, timing might matter.) Or grades. Or experience.

Success is about positional awareness.

Knowing where you are in the big, medium and little picture is more a predictor of success than anything else.

Work on being positionally aware.

And again - if you’re not sure what I’m talking about - move the hell out of the way and let the rest of us by!

Where Are The Flying Cars? It seems that if you want to live in...

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:34:51 -0500

Where Are The Flying Cars?

It seems that if you want to live in the semi-open neighborhood of the technology-enabled social space your Home Owners Agreement includes a clause that you have to weigh in on Social Media. Here’s mine…

What is the future of Social Media?

Who the hell knows?

I’ve been having a lot of conversations with folks telling me that SM is a fad. Other say it’s the next steam engine. Others say it will be just another marketing tool.

If history is any predictor - it will be will be different than I think. It will be different than what most people think. It will be different than any logical extrapolation of current facts and figures.

It will be different.

Why? Because we don’t have flying cars. That’s why. We were promised flying cars by Popular Science magazine from the 1950’s forward and we still don’t have them.

Why?

‘Cuz the future is never what you think it will be.

The future is always something else. Don’t predict it. Live it. Be a part of it and hope (fingers crossed) that you’re somewhere close to where reality and fantasy collide.

That’s my plan.

Innovation Needs More McDonald's

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 09:15:00 -0500

I was traveling by car yesterday to a client meeting. I used the GPS on my DroidX (works pretty darn well BTW.) It got me right to where I was going with no problem. But I was a bit early (if you call an hour a “bit” - but I’m anal about meetings.) After I was comfortable with where I needed to be for the meeting my next thought was COFFEE.

So I dug into the google maps function on my DroidX and begin my search for a place to get coffee. My first two search terms?

Starbucks
McDonalds

Looking For Familiarity in Chaos

As I got my coffee at McDonald’s (it was closest to my meeting location) I started thinking about why I picked those two locations.

I picked them because they were familiar.

When I looked for coffee I was in an unfamiliar location. I had other things on my mind and I didn’t need an adventure. I needed coffee.

Innovation In Your Organization

When you ask your employees to innovate you’re asking them to go to an unfamiliar location/city/place. And a little unfamiliarity is important if not necessary to drive innovative thinking. But you don’t want EVERYTHING to be unfamiliar.

I thought it might be a good idea to make sure innovation efforts in your company included some familiar way-points for employees to check in with during their journey. It could be a person, a department, a group. Something that let’s them relax, take stock, and remove the unfamiliar.

Too much adventure drives anxiety not performance.

Just like me in an unfamiliar area of an unfamiliar town I needed a place that provided some semblance of order in the chaos of the day.

What does McDonald’s look like in your innovation plan? Is it a check in meeting with no judgments? Is it a third-party with no dog in the fight that can provide input, reassurance, guidance?

I don’t know.

What I do know is that you’re more likely to go somewhere new when you know there is a place to get a burger or a cup of coffee in familiar surroundings.

Does Social Media Create An Infinite Empty?

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:18:19 -0500

Last night, like I often do, I listened to @steveboese and the @HR_Minion do that thing that they do - the #HRHappyhour blogtalk radio show. They had as a guest, Professor Sherry Turkle (@sturkle) of MIT, and author of ‘Alone Together’, to talk about the implications the advances in social technologies have (will have?) on us as human beings.

It was one of the more interesting shows they’ve had (and they’ve had quite a few.) At first I thought it was a slam-job on social media/social networks. But it ended up being more a suggestion to pay attention to how these tools may help, and hurt us as humans.

@sturkle made some interesting points - few of which I totally agree with. I won’t recap the show here - you can listen in the player.

But listening to the conversation made me want to put down some thoughts that have I’ve been playing with in my head.

Here’s my thesis…

…social media (and I’ll lump all connective/conversational/linking technologies under that broad moniker just to make it easier to write this post) fills voids in our lives for validation and recognition of us as humans. However, while it does fill those voids via technological connectiveness - it also increases our need to connect in real life (IRL).

In other words, the more one participates in connective technologies - the more one wants to meet those same folks in the 3d world. Social media reinforces IRL. And, I think, as a sidebar - vice versa.

However, and this is purely my opinion…

The more we interact on line with people, and the more we want to meet with people in 3d - the bigger the need becomes - never filling the void completely. Increasing the need without ever satisfying it.

A Little Math To ‘Splain Myself…

Think of our need for social connectiveness, the sum total of our online and IRL social need as a number, say, 100.

As we play in the online space we get points - 1 point for twitter connections, 10 points for Linkedin connections, 20 points for a Facebook update and a whopping 50 points for an IRL connection.

Our goal is to get to our needed 100 number. We need 100 points to feel fulfilled socially.

Unfortunately, as we add points - our target number goes up as well.

Target = 100 - interact on twitter, facebook, etc., we earn 50 points toward our target number. But our target number went up by 51 points - now making it 151. We now need to have more interactions, more tweets, more Linkedin updates and more IRL experiences in order to catch up.

But we can’t.

As we add more points to our score to get to our target number - it adds more to our target number. We can never catch up. We will continue to interact and tweet, and meet, and Facebook and whatever - in order to get to our target number where we will be fulfilled and happy.

But it keeps moving just out of reach.

It’s A Space Time Thing

In the good ol’ days - our ability to interact was limited by space and time. We couldn’t meet with more than the number of people we could see in a day - or within a good long walk. Our social sphere was smaller because our ability to connect with them was limited by space and time.

The internet kinda eliminated that constraint.

Now I can interact 24/7 with as many people as the service I use will allow. In ye ole times - we didn’t have that option. It’s not that we didn’t have the need to interact back then - we still had the same starting target number - 100 - but we could never have enough IRL connections in a lifetime that would ever satisfy that number.

We died shy of our goal.

Now, however, we can hit that goal in one Mountain Dew-fueled weekend of blogging, tweeting and Facebook status updates. But just as we approach our number - it moves.

It’s like a limit in Calculus - never reaching the line - always just approaching it but never connecting.

Social networks may be creating an infinite empty - a desire to fully connect that never can be met, but always just within reach.

Maybe it’s time to put away the bong….

My Super Bowl Recap – I know you won’t like it (Hint – It Has Something to do with Groupon, Twitter and Stupidity)

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 07:35:00 -0500

I watched the Super Bowl on Sunday like a few million others – and really enjoyed the game. Not that I’m a fan of either team but it was exciting and interesting down to the last few minutes. It’s been a long time since that was the case. I also followed twitter a bit more than I have in the past – mostly ‘cuz I stayed home so it was just the wife and I watching and there’s only so much you can say between plays and commercials. It’s not like you get a lot of different opinions to discuss. Just the one.

“Like that ad?”

“Yup.”

“That was a cute commercial.”

“Yup.”

And on we go…

Commercials Commercials Commercials

I have to say the crop of commercials this year was pretty bad. When you can only pick maybe three good ones and 100 bad ones you know you’ve hit the bottom of the barrel.

My General Recap…

Godaddy – go away. It’s 2011 – misogyny is so late 80’s (if it ever was in style). Actively looking for new dns service just so you know. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Doritos – sorry folks – I laughed out loud on the finger licker – dog through the door – predictable and not funny.
Volkswagen – good stuff all around. I want an insect with racing stripes.
Homeaway – huh? Child abuse? Always good – not.
Bestbuy- best line – “what’s a Beiber?” Gonna be a meme, just watch.
PepsiMax – making bad slapstick is never a good branding strategy. But I guess guys getting hit in the ‘nads never fails to please a large segment of the population.
Snickers – wow – didn’t even recognize Richard Lewis. There needs to be a rule about how long grey hair should be. Slapstick again but frankly – I got no problem with Rossane getting logged. But I’m just that way.
Chevy, Mini, BMW, Audi, - sorry – not that memorable.
Bud Light – really – Tiny Dancer? All that pre-sell stuff and that is what you come up with? Maybe if they picked a song from the “Tumbleweed Connection” album there might have been some connection. Nah… prolly not.
E-trade Baby – You gotta love talking baby’s (except when it has Rosanne’s voice see Look Who’s Talking Two) – maybe combine that with the Snickers commercial? Oh, we did that with the Homeaway one… never mind.

I’m sure there were a few others I’m leaving out. That would be because they sucked and didn’t stick with me.

But the real reason for me going on and on about the commercials is the twitter backchannel on Chrysler and Groupon.

Wow did the twitter-verse light up with these two commercials.

Me on the other hand was shocked and surprised by the reaction to both.

First the easy one… Chrysler.

History is a good teacher. Remember that. Remember history.

Unfortunately, it would seem that absolutely no one on the twitter stream was alive in 1986 (oh wait.. they weren’t.) Let me educate y’all…

Back in 1986 when Chrysler was coming out of a government bailout they created ads called “The Pride Is Back – Born in America.” Iacocca – the CEO at the time - wanted to use Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” but The Boss said no. So they got Kenny Rogers and Nickie Ryder to record a song pulling on the heartstrings of the American public to buy American and support an American car company. Complete with pictures of working-class Americans and big burly guys hugging babies. (Full transparency - I worked on the Chrysler account during this time on a Dealer customer service incentive.)

Fast forward to 2011 – Chrysler coming out of a – wait for it – a bailout – reaches into its advertising top hat and pulls out – wait for it - a commercial full of imagery and underdogedness. Not much of a stretch really.

I’m sure the agency said –

“hey, the public fell for it last time – let’s do it again, but let’s use a really well-known artist (maybe Bruce said no again?) But we can’t use America – we did that last time. I know – let’s focus on Detroit – more targeted. Done. Cut. Print.”

So for all you Chrysler ad lovers – wait another 24 years and you’ll be seeing a Chrysler ad talking about underdogs, and Americans – this time focused on one street in Detroit that needs to make a comeback.

Sorry folks – wasn’t impressed. I wasn’t impressed in 1986 either. Lousy car. Lousy car company. Just sayin. Maybe they should have brought back Lee baby… he, I liked.

Groupon

This will get me in a ton of deep, dark, dirty water I’m sure.

I liked the Groupon ads. Maybe I liked them because unlike the rest of the ADHD twitter-ers out there, I checked out the ad to find out what the heck was going on.

Let me ‘splain.

I saw the first Groupon ad with Cuba Gooding, Jr. about saving the whales. At the end of the commercial I said – WTF? How could CBJ do that ad?

I couldn’t believe he’d sign on to make fun of saving the whales. As it turned out - I was right. He didn’t sign on to make fun of a charity. I jumped onto the interwebs and saw how Groupon was donating money – and how consumers – if they donated, could get free credits at Groupon.

I thought – okay – that makes sense. They are supporting the charities they are poking fun at. Win-Win – Win. I win, Groupon wins, the charity wins.

I’m guessing 90% of those on twitter didn’t bother to check it out. They just saw the ad – assumed Groupon was an asshole and started tweeting. Then the avalanche started.

Pile on folks – pile on.

Tweet after tweet about how horrible Groupon was. No fact checking at all. What was really funny to me was that the whales and rainforests didn’t raise an eyebrow. Just the Tibet one. I guess it makes sense – those are real people. But you’d of thought that there would have been some nose-lifting about those charities before the Tibet one hit.

So all you twitter-ers who piled on – you didn’t check the facts and you followed the herd off the cliff.

Now…I agree – execution-wise – big fail. There were many things they could have done differently to get the word out that this was parody and there was a positive social agenda.

But the fact remains – no one even bothered to check it out.

Twitter = Lemmings

Twitter-fail as a medium IMHO.

Twitter’s true colors came out – a group-think tool (the meaning of the word as both a utensil and a douchebag.) Twitter became what we really don’t want.

Twitter became an emotional tsunami of erroneous information that couldn’t be stopped.

I tried. So did others – tweeting out a link to the site – telling folks that there was an agenda behind it that would help the charities involved. But Twitter would have none of it. Folks told me that they weren’t wrong (even though in reality they were) that Groupon was still evil. Go figure.

I get that the tools are only as good as the user. But that showed me that the vast majority of those on twitter just don’t have the critical thinking chops they need to use the tools.

Sorry folks, you disappointed me. You should have checked before you jumped on the bandwagon. You should have asked the same question I did –

“What The F***? That doesn’t make sense. Let me check into it.”

Paraphrasing a quote attributed to Mark Twain (and there is some discussion that he’s not the first to say it…)

“A tweet can get all the way around the world before the truth can get booted up.”

(btw – notice there isn’t too much out there today on the Groupon ads – guessing all the enraged twitter-ers figured it out.)