Recently in blogging Category
del.icio.us
The party's over, folks.
I came across a rather detailed, eloquent, and easy to understand explanation of the current 'sub-prime' fiasco. Being that I work in the finance industry, I've been dealing with a lot of the back-end issues regarding it. Not the "OMG we're losing our house!" issues, but the "OMG we're a bank and we don't have any money" or the "OMG we're a pension plan and the AAA rated bonds we bought are worthless" situations. Suffice to say, it's not happy time. And before you start pouncing on me for being a vulture, remember that (a) I didn't buy any of these things myself, and (b) I tend to stay away from math that I can't explain myself. But I digress.
The party that I am referring to is the one that many people, including myself, have engaged in. It's the "I can pay for it later" mentality. I am not saying that credit is bad. In fact, I am saying that credit is fantastic. It's the reason I own a home, that my wife was able to get a new car recently (since her last one had horrible gas mileage), and other stuff. But we consume FAR more than what we can afford. Environmental aspects aside, we simply spend more than what we make. Consistently. And while the basic idea of "I'll have more money later" may be correct, the fact that we continually do this defeats that point.
Many people are getting a tax rebate check soon. And the government has flat-out said that they DON'T want you to pay off debt or (gasp!) save it, they want you to spend it. On crap you don't need. Most likely made in another country. Granted, I have already spent mine. When my truck was broken into, I had to purchase a new laptop. And I'll further admit that I like gadgets as much as the next guy. But when we spend money we don't have, on shiny crap we don't need, then all hell breaks loose.
So how's that iPhone look now?
Face it: we're all basically consumer whores. The only difference is what we whore about. I love cigars and computer-geek stuff. My wife has a fetish for office supplies and shoes. My dad just likes gadgets that do stuff. And another friend is a vinyl record nut. So we all do it. And there's nothing wrong with it. But to believe that it's genuinely OK to spend money you don't have? Not so much. My grandparents (and parents, for that matter) had the old thinking that "if you can't pay cash, you can't have it" when it came to the non-essentials. While obviously if the washing machine breaks at a random time, and you have to replace it, hello Home Depot card! But what's another gizmo that'll just collect dust with the other gizmos?
I came across a rather detailed, eloquent, and easy to understand explanation of the current 'sub-prime' fiasco. Being that I work in the finance industry, I've been dealing with a lot of the back-end issues regarding it. Not the "OMG we're losing our house!" issues, but the "OMG we're a bank and we don't have any money" or the "OMG we're a pension plan and the AAA rated bonds we bought are worthless" situations. Suffice to say, it's not happy time. And before you start pouncing on me for being a vulture, remember that (a) I didn't buy any of these things myself, and (b) I tend to stay away from math that I can't explain myself. But I digress.
The party that I am referring to is the one that many people, including myself, have engaged in. It's the "I can pay for it later" mentality. I am not saying that credit is bad. In fact, I am saying that credit is fantastic. It's the reason I own a home, that my wife was able to get a new car recently (since her last one had horrible gas mileage), and other stuff. But we consume FAR more than what we can afford. Environmental aspects aside, we simply spend more than what we make. Consistently. And while the basic idea of "I'll have more money later" may be correct, the fact that we continually do this defeats that point.
Many people are getting a tax rebate check soon. And the government has flat-out said that they DON'T want you to pay off debt or (gasp!) save it, they want you to spend it. On crap you don't need. Most likely made in another country. Granted, I have already spent mine. When my truck was broken into, I had to purchase a new laptop. And I'll further admit that I like gadgets as much as the next guy. But when we spend money we don't have, on shiny crap we don't need, then all hell breaks loose.
So how's that iPhone look now?
Face it: we're all basically consumer whores. The only difference is what we whore about. I love cigars and computer-geek stuff. My wife has a fetish for office supplies and shoes. My dad just likes gadgets that do stuff. And another friend is a vinyl record nut. So we all do it. And there's nothing wrong with it. But to believe that it's genuinely OK to spend money you don't have? Not so much. My grandparents (and parents, for that matter) had the old thinking that "if you can't pay cash, you can't have it" when it came to the non-essentials. While obviously if the washing machine breaks at a random time, and you have to replace it, hello Home Depot card! But what's another gizmo that'll just collect dust with the other gizmos?
Recently, I've seen a lot of posts about comment nazis, typo police, forum trolls, and people of that ilk. Since I have a limited (i.e. non-existent) readership, I've been spared the problem. But it doesn't change the fact that it's there. And eventually, I'll have to deal with it.
I'll admit that I am at somewhat of an advantage. My mother is an English teacher, and as such has corrected my grammar and diction for as long as I have been speaking. In addition, my father does a lot of public speaking, so that has naturally developed into my use of the vernacular. That, and I like to be a snarky a**hole sometimes, and sounding like an idiot tends to mess that up.
But where did it come from? I think it's something that's always been there. The jerk who posts a comment about a typo, or blasts an article because of some obscure fact that wasn't brought up, or starts a flame war about anything (Mac vs PC on ZDNet always is funny). Even Goodwin's Law comes up from time to time. But why? Because that's who they are.
Now I'll admit that I've gotten involved in these from time to time. Usually, it's when (a) I have direct experience and knowledge of a topic, and (b) the original writer / commenter is just WRONG on numerous levels. But I'm not looking for a fight. I'm contributing.
These people are the same ones who gossip at the office water cooler, or make quiet comments under their breath after a meeting. Face to face, they'd never make these comments at all. But when given the anonymity of the internet, they feel 'empowered' to show everyone how smart they are, how they are superior in all facets of life, and that people should look to them for support, guidance, and moral standing. In other words, they're assholes who feel insignificant.
So what to do? Sorry folks, but I don't have the answer. After all, I am the person who sometimes has issues with playing well with others, so my advice may not be the way to go. But either way. Just relax, ok?
I'll admit that I am at somewhat of an advantage. My mother is an English teacher, and as such has corrected my grammar and diction for as long as I have been speaking. In addition, my father does a lot of public speaking, so that has naturally developed into my use of the vernacular. That, and I like to be a snarky a**hole sometimes, and sounding like an idiot tends to mess that up.
But where did it come from? I think it's something that's always been there. The jerk who posts a comment about a typo, or blasts an article because of some obscure fact that wasn't brought up, or starts a flame war about anything (Mac vs PC on ZDNet always is funny). Even Goodwin's Law comes up from time to time. But why? Because that's who they are.
Now I'll admit that I've gotten involved in these from time to time. Usually, it's when (a) I have direct experience and knowledge of a topic, and (b) the original writer / commenter is just WRONG on numerous levels. But I'm not looking for a fight. I'm contributing.
These people are the same ones who gossip at the office water cooler, or make quiet comments under their breath after a meeting. Face to face, they'd never make these comments at all. But when given the anonymity of the internet, they feel 'empowered' to show everyone how smart they are, how they are superior in all facets of life, and that people should look to them for support, guidance, and moral standing. In other words, they're assholes who feel insignificant.
So what to do? Sorry folks, but I don't have the answer. After all, I am the person who sometimes has issues with playing well with others, so my advice may not be the way to go. But either way. Just relax, ok?
After the events of this week, I remember now why I was always hesitant about working for myself: stability. It started on Sunday, where the person I was rebuilding a massive website (800+ pages) for decided he "couldn't afford it" and canceled the whole thing. All the time I spent (including 7 hours straight on Sunday...I was in the zone) went wasted. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Here's a brief rundown of how it went:
Him: I can't do the site anymore. People owe me money, I am still paying for someone to build the ecommerce store, blah blah blah. Also, your proposed setup (using a site structure) is too detailed. I'm not a "path" person.
Me: I understand. Money's tight for everyone.
Him: I still need you to set up my Dreamweaver installation so I can edit the site myself
Me: I've done that already. The problem is your code has no standard structure to it. Your code needs to be set to point to the location of the image.
Him: I CAN SEE THE FILE ON MY MACHINE! WHY WON'T DREAMWEAVER WORK!!! (He's now very upset)
Me: Because your server files are a mess. And you code looks like someone ate a website, partially digested it, then vomited the code back on to the page.
Him: I'M NOT A PATH PERSON!
Me: That may be, but servers and HTML code depend on them. I can make Dreamweaver upload the files to Burt Reynold's personal website if I wanted to, but that won't matter because you don't know what the hell you're doing. I can't make Dreamweaver adjust to your inability to understand and use basic syntax.
And that was that. I don't think he'll be calling me anytime soon.
Then this week came. I feel like I've been kicking water uphill all week. Tomorrow is Friday, and I'm not sure what I've even done this week. Stressful, putting out fires left and right, and dealing with people who are downright idiots.
But the difference between this and the a**hole who canceled on me? I'm still getting paid for this week. And that's enough to make me feel good.
On a side note, I had to change my blog email address, because I was getting destroyed by spam so much it was crippling my server (150+ spam attempts a day). But I've got a Gmail address for it now (let THEM handle it) and I've integrated an easy code trick to stop 99% of the spam bots getting my address. Feel free to email me and I'll give you the syntax for it. I also still haven't quite figured out the comment situation. So there.
Him: I can't do the site anymore. People owe me money, I am still paying for someone to build the ecommerce store, blah blah blah. Also, your proposed setup (using a site structure) is too detailed. I'm not a "path" person.
Me: I understand. Money's tight for everyone.
Him: I still need you to set up my Dreamweaver installation so I can edit the site myself
Me: I've done that already. The problem is your code has no standard structure to it. Your code needs to be set to point to the location of the image.
Him: I CAN SEE THE FILE ON MY MACHINE! WHY WON'T DREAMWEAVER WORK!!! (He's now very upset)
Me: Because your server files are a mess. And you code looks like someone ate a website, partially digested it, then vomited the code back on to the page.
Him: I'M NOT A PATH PERSON!
Me: That may be, but servers and HTML code depend on them. I can make Dreamweaver upload the files to Burt Reynold's personal website if I wanted to, but that won't matter because you don't know what the hell you're doing. I can't make Dreamweaver adjust to your inability to understand and use basic syntax.
And that was that. I don't think he'll be calling me anytime soon.
Then this week came. I feel like I've been kicking water uphill all week. Tomorrow is Friday, and I'm not sure what I've even done this week. Stressful, putting out fires left and right, and dealing with people who are downright idiots.
But the difference between this and the a**hole who canceled on me? I'm still getting paid for this week. And that's enough to make me feel good.
On a side note, I had to change my blog email address, because I was getting destroyed by spam so much it was crippling my server (150+ spam attempts a day). But I've got a Gmail address for it now (let THEM handle it) and I've integrated an easy code trick to stop 99% of the spam bots getting my address. Feel free to email me and I'll give you the syntax for it. I also still haven't quite figured out the comment situation. So there.
By now, email has become a primary method of communication. In our personal lives, email makes it possible for ongoing conversations between friends and family, who are more and more stretched across the country and the world. Gosh, I remember the days of using AOL 2.7 on my old Macintosh Performa. Seems like a decade ago…oh wait. It was. Those emails were few and far between, and the structure and flow went just about everywhere.
But as I grew up and joined the business world, I can see how this cavalier attitude, coupled with an older generation attempting to learn new technology, has created a wasteland of bad emails. Writing a business email shouldn't be difficult, nor should it end up being the mess that many of our inboxes are filled with. By now, we should all know the basics: don't blindly use "reply all", use your spell check, use a standard font type and color, etc. But what about the rest? Here's a few things to remember:
- Subject lines matter - Nothing is worse that a subject line that, when read, gives the reader no idea what the subject is. Using vague terms discourages people from reading your email. While you're not looking to market anything, you still want to have people read what you've sent. While you don't want to include sensitive information, including an account number, particular client or product name, or some other simple identifier will go a long way to notifying the recipient what they're reading, and why.
- Get to the point - While conversing with friends, use whatever tone you want. Sprinkle as much English Lit dust on it as you'd like, and really prose it up. But leave that style in your personal inbox. When it comes to office correspondence, short and sweet is where it's at. Keep in mind that as more and more people are reading their email on Blackberries and other PDA devices, you've got a 4 inch screen to pour over. If the email starts becoming long, maybe it deserves a phone call, with a follow-up summary email afterwards. There is a reason people don't read novels on their PocketPCs.
- "Reply All" is ok, when used correctly - It's often that more than one person is involved in an ongoing issue, and an email chain ensues. So when responding, make an effort to point out what parts of the email pertains to each part. I've found that splitting the email into separate parts, and using some sort of heading for each person is extremely effective. It lets people focus on what part you want them to read, then they can work on their portion and you're not left with 3 responses to 1 question, and zero to another.
- Attach nothing, unless absolutely required – We all know the risks involved with viruses in email attachments. This goes hand in hand with the idea of brevity. What's worse than reading a 3 page email on a Blackberry? Trying to read a 10 page PDF. While there are times where the file is required, don't just attach them with a simple "see attached" message, unless you're on the phone with the person and they're waiting for it. It's always a good idea to give people an idea what is in the attachment, if they're in a situation where they can't immediately access the file.
- Use the signatures – Most companies use Microsoft Outlook as an email client. If that's the case, then use the functions! One of them is allowing for multiple signatures. I have my default signature, but I also use about 10 others. I've incorporated some "standard" responses into signatures, and using a quick right-click over an email signature will give you a list of all the ones you've created. You can even go as far as to include company logos. Simple, effective, and saves a lot of wasted time typing the same things over and over again. Also, depending on what your business is, you may want (or be required) to include a disclaimer or other policy statement.
- Remember the basics – Use clear spelling and grammar, don't use ALL CAPS, and avoid words like "urgent" and "important." They're all important. Also, using the little red exclamation point isn't going to get it read any faster.
This was originally a guest post on The Urban Muse. Yes, my first guest post!
