musings

A Wish For Wings That Work (or at least working with wings)

A Wish For Wings That Work (or at least working with wings)

It’s been far too long, internet, since I’ve expressed a deep opinion on matters of employment. It’s been far too long since I’ve delved into the fractious nature of fit and suitability.

I know this will be read by potential employers; in fact, I hope they do. HR people, read up. Hiring managers? Stick through it. Fellow unemployed travelers? Only mimic my example if you truly understand what I say and why I’m saying it…

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Who cares if no one cares?

Lately, I’ve been pondering the preponderance of organizations dedicated to getting people to “buy local”, which I suppose includes my own, in a sense. While Social Gifting is not strictly a campaign it is designed to support those who have and participate in these campaigns. The goals of connecting gamblers to local businesses via the PlayerSpot platform is one of information and opportunity, not particularly activism.

Yet, as I go through Facebook page after Facebook page, website to site, I get a reasonable impression of what is similar between the efforts and what I’m seeing is interesting. Despite the different organizations (many of which are actually in competition with each other), despite the approaches, one topic resonates with me in all of them, one word sums the tide these organization fight against: impassivity.

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Thanksgiving Thoughts, 2010

I have so many things I could say, so many themes to explore on this US holiday of reflection. I sit here in front of the keyboard and topics come fast and furious; unemployment, safety nets, charitable giving, volunteerism, party politics, politics of fear, hiring practices, business confidence, economic confidence, consumer confidence, housing, hunger, and the list just keeps going.

I find that I could write almost any amount of prose on any of these and yet, I’m frozen. It’s not writer’s block, it’s writer’s firehose. By the time I finished even just a few of the topics, it would probably be next Thanksgiving, and as far as reading it? You’d probably have to be a public-affairs/economics/anthropology wonk just to enjoy it. So… let me do this instead.

I encourage you to respond, but even if not, think to yourself:

“Is there something that you should be more grateful for than you are currently?”

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard “friends and family” thrown out around Thanksgiving, with a demeanor that says “placeholder” rather than genuine gratitude. “The food in front of us,” is tossed out far too many times without considering that for some people, it truly is special to have any meal that day, much less one that might fulfill tradition. What are you willing to say that you mean?

Here’s mine. What’s yours?

I am grateful for everyone whose path I’ve crossed, for however long that was. I learn, I absorb, I appreciate, regardless of whether I agree or not. Thank you.

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More Thoughts on Social Media

Clearly, I’m not a formal internet marketer. I don’t have “new media” in my Twitter bio. I have actual programming code in another text window of the editor I’m writing this in (text editor? ABSOLUTELY NOT a marketer). I don’t have a followbot looking for trends, I don’t spam everyone I can find on Facebook. If I follow someone from one or more of my (admittedly, multiple) Twitter accounts, a human has made the decision to do so based on something that seems relevant.

So why am I writing this rant? To get some ideas across and if anyone actually reads it, perhaps find out why what seem should be standards of normal human interaction no longer apply online, or maybe (just maybe) get some people (generally, not specifically) to reconsider what they’re doing in “social media” and how they’re trying to get their businesses off the ground.

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