Insights

Warning: Old lady rant up ahead.

You know what I miss? I miss the early 70′s when stores and businesses were closed on Sundays. It wasn’t a religion thing as much as it was a family thing. Sundays were for spending time with families and that’s exactly what we did.

Most families I knew growing up during that time spent Saturdays doing some chores and visiting with friends and family. Sundays were for church, if that was your thing, and then hanging out. It was for reading the Sunday paper, relaxing in the backyard, going to the beach or a picnic, playing with neighborhood friends or having an epic Sunday dinner. The last thing on anyone’s mind was work. We were allowed to relax and didn’t think of how we could fill our day with shopping and more chores.

Closed on Sunday

Malls were closed. Utility companies were closed. Banks, supermarkets and hardware stores also closed up on Sundays because they wanted their employees to enjoy time with their families too. It was a way of life for us. There was nothing so important that we needed to go to the mall on Sunday. We went to the stores during the week or Saturday and anything we forgot, could keep until Monday – or we borrowed from close by family members or neighbors. We didn’t call customer service lines because there wasn’t anything happening that couldn’t wait until Monday. If our power went out we lit up the Coleman lanterns and played a game. It would never occur to us to find someone to handle our issue on Sunday. Sunday was a day of rest and we understood that. What kind of person would make employees work on Sunday? The only kinds of places open on Sunday was the newsstand – usually until church let out – and some restaurants, usually chains. Family run, Mom and pop restaurants were rarely open on Sunday.

Is it really so important to have everything open on Sunday?

I’m not quite sure when we lost Sundays as a business day. I can attest that life is certainly more convenient now. I can call a 24 hour hotline to offer feedback on my shampoo or buy a week’s worth of groceries at the supermarket at 11:30 on a Sunday night, but is that really so important? We’re sort of not trained to think of Sundays as relaxing family days anymore.

Are we spoiled?

I often wonder if life is better with 24 hour service. Personally, I think it’s made us more demanding. We expect service at all hours of the day and night, even stuff that can wait a while.  When everyone shut down on Sunday, it wouldn’t occur to us that someone should be working, catering to our every whim.  Now, everything has to be instant.

I once worked for someone who needed me to come in on a Sunday. I told her I had family plans and she said, “Are you telling me you have a life? Well I have a business. Decide what’s more important.” We shouldn’t have to make such choices.

I understand plenty of people choose to work weekends and don’t mind. What if this sort of thing wasn’t the norm? What if stores and businesses still remained closed on Sunday?

What would you do with your time?

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Several months back, I read a post by Seth Godin about the future of the library, and it stuck in my head. As the daughter of a librarian, this is something I think about often. As a kid, I spent many hours in the library, searching for books and bringing home as many as I could carry each week. I relied on the library for research, and for socializing as it provided a place for book discussion and showed movies every Saturday morning.

I still visit the library, but when I was a kid it was three blocks away – now it’s a ten minute drive and not always convenient. Though I try, my eight year old son doesn’t hold it in the same regard and he’s not the only one.

Many people have changed their attitudes about the library. What was once THE place to go for reading and learning material is now one of the first places to close as towns and cities struggle to find funding.

The Library Now

I’ll be honest. I love the library. I love browsing books and it’s hard to control myself and pick out only enough to read in a couple of weeks. If I had my druthers, I’d walk away with a wheelbarrow full. The problem is, I have to return them by a certain date. This is where they get me. When I lived in New York City, the library was on my way to the subway and I simply dropped off the books on my way to work. In the town I live now, it’s not in a spot that’s necessarily convenient to me, and between work and family, I can’t always find the the time to drop off. The library has become less convenient for me through no fault of its own.

For the longest time my family used the library mostly for DVDs. Now, we use Netflix and watch movies via cable. Though we have to pay, it’s much easier for us to have everything delivered  to our home. In fact,  Netflix, and Kindle gave me the idea for this post.

If everything is so automated and convenient, does the library have a future?

What the Library Could Be

I think the library needs to change with the times. There are plenty of ways for it to remain relevant and operable, but it needs a new model.

Subscription based services

Ten to fifteen years ago, my grandmother used to belong to a library in New York City specializing in large print books. She made her selections and the library sent them to her to read. They also included a postage-paid mailer so Grandma could return the books at her convenience. It worked the same way Netflix does now, except it wasn’t an online service.

The library of the future could offer the same type of services with readers selecting books online and either opting to pick them up as they do now, or paying a monthly fee to have books delivered to their homes. If you think people won’t pay, I can assure you that plenty of people buy books simply because they don’t want to have to deal with drop offs and late fees. Seeing how many books are being sold at garage sales, or donated back to the library, I’m thinking that they also take up a lot of space. My Kindle also tells me that folks don’t necessarily have to physically own the books they want to read, either.

Let’s say the average person buys two to three books each month, paying a small subscription fee such as with a service like Netflix. It might be more cost efficient to subscribe to a library service and there’s less clutter in the house.

Electronic services

Wouldn’t it be cool if the library could partner with various e-readers (or create one of their own) so we can arrange to have download books to our Kindles, iPads, Nooks and other readers? Wouldn’t it be cool if we could have a week’s access to available films, but they came straight to our television? The problem with these services is that it will take time and money to put together, and most towns and cities don’t have that kind of budget. However, People come together for libraries all the time and I hope I’m not native in thinking that this type of service could work.

In house services

The library could still offer in house services. Though I don’t borrow as many books as I used to, I still use the library for:

• Movie showings (usually free)
• Lectures
• Book discussions
• Courses and classes (usually free)
• Research
• A quiet place to work
• Community meeting spots

There is still a place for all these services, as well as borrowing books, movies and doing research, but it’s just not enough anymore.

When it comes to libraries, I don’t have all the answers. I only know that what was once an important way of life for me is becoming less convenient. Even in this economy, people are choosing convenience over free. Will our libraries be able to adapt and keep up? Or will they fall to the wayside as being irrelevent?

What are your thoughts and possible solutions? How do you see the library of the future?

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Im nt a bg rsk takr, bt I dnt sit & lt life pss me by, ethr. I <3 2 tk advntge f opps tht prsnt thmslvs, & prsnt opps f my on. Evn so, thr r a fw thngs I wnt do.

• I wnt jmp out f a pane or f a twr, evn tthrd 2 n elstc bnd.
• I wnt tke sass frm mthy 8 yr lds.
• I wnt sll my bdy.
• I wnt LOL r OMG

Wt…Wht? LOL? OMG?

Wr cmng upn a pt pve

I dnt gt 2 rnty, bt ths 1 gts my goat evry tme. F thrs a thng I cnt stnd its rcving ems wrtn n txt spk. I gt tht smetmes we hve 2 mke wrds ft whn usng Twtter, bt cm on, emls? Skpes? Blg cmmnts? We hve nlmied rm 4 r chrctrs, so whts wth the abbratns?

• Wht f ws mre old & out f tch thn I m nw? Wld I b able 2 ndrstnd my nphws txt abrvtd thnk u nte?
• Y wld I hre sm1 who cnt tk th tme 2 tpe  fll wrds?
• Y wld I do bsnss w/sm1 who wld rthr tnxs me thn thnk me?
• 140 chars dsnt trnslt 2 inchrncy.
• Do u rlly nd 2 s tht Ill BRB?

Dt lt my lst nme fl o, I cn’t prnnce wrds w/out vwls. Ths no rsn n e 1 ndr 17 shd use txt spk n a rglr bss, nlss its N 911. 4 xmpl, 911 shld rlly mn, “cll the plic my hs i on fre.” It sldnt mn, “OMG! Cll me nw. 911!!”

Smrt ppl no brvty. We cn gt R pt acrss i lss thn a par. w/out hvig 2 rsrt 2 abbrvtns, acrnms, angrms & shrtnd, spllngs. Txt spk hrts the Is, its lzy & its rde.

wlhe wrds ppl, pls. Whle wrds.

Tnx

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I’ve been wrong in the past. Quite a bit as a matter of fact. I don’t believe now is the time and place to list all my wrongdoings, but for the sake of this post I’m admitting I’m not perfect. Being right all the time is dull and if you show me someone who says he’s never wrong, I’ll show you a liar. But that’s also another post for another day. We’re not here to point fingers.

When we know we’re wrong and can admit to being wrong, we’re being offered a valuable experience. We can start over with a brand new clean slate. We can treat it as a learning opportunity and grow with the experience.

The best part about being wrong is about how there’s always a lesson.

Being wrong:

• Allows us to reflect
• Offers an opportunity for change
• Shows us we’re human
• Shows everyone else we’re human
• Allows us to learn from our mistakes
• Offers us valuable feedback
• Gives us a chance to make amends

Every time we admit we’re wrong, we have a chance at a new beginning. Learning the errors of our ways gives us an opportunity to try again, and maybe even get it right.

In short, being wrong teaches us about how to be right.

What do you learn from being wrong?

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I’m often told not to worry about what other people think, that their opinions have no bearing on how I go about life. All of us are told we make our choices, and march to our own drummer and another person’s opinion shouldn’t influence our own.

I’m not so sure I agree with this.

I get why we tell our kids not to worry about other people in a sticks and stones sort of way. We don’t want them to be hurt by name calling or have to succumb to peer pressure. However, adults and businesses absolutely do have to consider what other people are saying. Sometimes we don’t see things about ourselves or the way we do business unless we hear it from someone else.

All Feedback is Good Feedback

Say Brand X rolls out the next ultra cool gadget. There’s huge buzz leading up to it and the launch is a great success. Once folks buy Gadget X and take it home, they realize it’s a dud. They feel betrayed. Unless they call to complain, write up reviews in technical journals, or write about it on their blogs, how with Brand X know they launched a clunker? Unless we discuss specific issues with the people who make the decisions, how will they know what to fix? The feedback might hurt on the short term, but in the long run it could make the difference between going down in flames and making the comeback of the year.

On a personal level, reading about me and my blogs on other blogs allowed me to learn and grow in a way I wouldn’t have if I didn’t know what people thought of me. It wasn’t always positive, but all points were worth considering. Even when people aren’t very nice with their criticism, they might have valid points. I ignore the stuff that’s not true or just being insulting for the sake of being insulting, and take notes on the rest.

Change is a good thing

Some folk are afraid of change (due to feedback) because it means they failed or that they’re giving in to their detractors. I kind of think this is silly. I can’t think of one person or business who can’t do with a little change in image now and then. Times change, people change, and we can either change with them or live in the past.

Name calling is never pretty and mature people know how to discuss issues and grievances without stooping to petty nastiness. However, don’t dismiss all negativity. Criticism is often based on fact. Consider whether or not detractors have valid arguments.

Sticks and stones is for grade school, grownups carefully weigh all feedback – both positive and negative.

Do you worry about what others think about you? How have you made changes based on feedback?

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So recently both Chris Brogan and Chris Garrett posted travel tips, and included arguments for both the window and aisle seat. I hope they don’t mind if I weigh in with my own point of view, and also offer some of my favorite travel tips.  I’m not as photogenic as Chris or Chris, so I won’t be taking it to video as they did, but as someone who has been traveling for business more and more lately, I have a few tips to share.

Window or Aisle?

Chris Brogan prefers the window seat and left good arguments behind – go ahead, watch the vid. I’ll wait. Ditto Chris Garrett’s defense of the aisle...

As you can see, both Chrises have valid reasons for liking to sit where they sit. My preference is for the window seat and here are my reasons:

• When I’m on a plane, I like to relax. I like to take down my tray table and set up my laptop and write or play a game. I enjoy listening to my iPod, watching the little TV on the seat in front of me or reading. I don’t like to have to get up every ten minutes because the person next to me has a wee little bladder and needs to use the rest room twice every hour. I especially don’t like having to fold my laptop, fold my tray table, untangle my earbuds or stop eating because the person next to me has to go.
• The beverage cart always bumps my elbow. In the aisle, my options are either to sit with my arms drawn in tight, or have bruised elbows. Also? Plenty of people claim the aisle is great for stretching the limbs, which would be great if everyone wasn’t tripping over my legs all the time.
• I like to look out the window. I enjoy seeing city lights and pathworked farmlands. I enjoy blue skies, clouds and sunsets. I could stare out the window of a plane for hours.

Check or Carry

Chris Brogan also discussed why using a carry on bag as opposed to checking in luggage and I don’t disagree with any of his points. If I’m on a short trip I only take a carry on. However,  there are times when a carry on just won’t cut it.

• I carry more shoes than Chris Brogan.
• If I’m gone for a week, I need at least two outfits per day plus workout clothes, sleeping clothes and my toiletries and incidentals. Ok, I don’t need that stuff, but if I am away for that long I’d prefer not to be all bare bones.
• I don’t like having to carry my carry on everywhere in the airport – in the bathroom, at the restaurant, browsing the newsstand. It’s either get a locker or get caught in the aisles.
• I get through security quicker when I’m not taking out my little bag of toiletries. If I check luggage, my only carry on is a laptop case and maybe a small personal bag. I’m less likely to be stopped and having my things rummaged through without the carry on suitcase.

Mind you, my preference is for bringing a carry on bag. However, this only works for me if I’m gone for only a few days though. If I’m away for five nights or more, I have to check my bag.

Random Tips

I also want to share a few random tips, feel free to take them with a grain of salt. This is what works for me, your experience might be different.

Curbside check in

This is my best travel tip. The curbside check in takes away up to an hour of waiting in line at the desk. I check in from home and access my boarding pass from my smartphone in order to eliminate paper waste. Most of the time, it only takes a few minutes to check in. I’ve never been in a curbside check in line longer than five minutes. I can’t say the same about the line for the desks and check in computers.

Best time to fly?

I find that if I book an early flight, preferably the first or second flight of the day, there’s less chance of my flight being delayed. The later I fly, the more likely I am to wait for a plane that has to be cleaned after a long flight, or that my flight crew needs rest or that my plane is caught in a traffic jam. With the first flight or two of the morning, the plane is generally gassed and ready to go long before boarding time.

Avoid holding up others in the security check point

So one of my pet peeves at the airport is people who take forever at the security checkpoint. You know who I’m talking about – the woman with the thigh high lace up boots, or the man with 100 chains and electronics that need to be removed, and they all do it at the very last minute. I found that I expedite my own visit through the checkpoint – and others – if I wear slip on shoes (I wear Crocs for airports) and take my jacket off while waiting on line (not when I get to the bins). I don’t generally fly wearing jewelry and keep my iPod and cell phone in my purse. I remove my laptop from the bag while waiting in the security line and by the time I get to the bins, everything is ready to go.

When flying isn’t necessary

Sometimes flying isn’t necessary. For example, Baltimore or Boston are three hours away. It’s more convenient and comfortable to take a train. Flying is quick, but it’s also more expensive. A train will still get you where you need to go and it’s a better trip.

Your turn…

Those are some of my travel favorite travel tips, now tell us some of yours!

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My grandmother used to like to tell what we called the “J.C. Penney story.” It goes something like this:

At a dinner party held by J.C.Penney for his executives, Mr.Penney paid very special attention to several select execs. He was looking for someone to fill in a coveted V.P. positions.  One of his advisers suggested a specific candidate and J.C. Penney wouldn’t hear of it. “He’s not the right person for the job,” Mr. Penney said. “He put salt on his potatoes before tasting them. How did he know those potatoes needed salt? This is a good restaurant, surely the chef knows how to season food. I’d rather have someone who isn’t so quick to judge and makes carefully researched decisions.”

In researching this story I learned it’s been told in many forms with Thomas Edison, IBM execs and others making decisions based on the salting of food, and though it’s been proven to be an urban legend, it’s still a good story that bears repeating.

The Brussel Sprouts Rule

My eight year old says he hates brussel sprouts. He will go on at length about the reasons for saying he hates brussel sprouts but none of those reasons have to do with taste – that’s because he never tasted brussel sprouts (I have and don’t like them which is why we don’t eat them).  It got to the point where Mr. Ng and I now have a rule that The Boy is no longer allowed to say he “hates” something unless he tries it. He can say he hates the idea of brussel sprouts or that he doesn’t like cabbage and brussel sprouts look like little cabbages, but he absolutely can’t say he doesn’t like something he hasn’t tried.

I feel this way about all the people who are tweeting about how they hate iPads or iPhones even though they didn’t use them. How do they know they hate them? Do they dislike Apple? If so, that’s not the same as hating a product one hasn’t tried. Do they dislike the idea of an iPad? Again, hating an idea is not the same as hating a product. It’s that whole green eggs and ham thing. We have these preconceived notions that our green eggs are going to taste bad because they’re not something we see every day. We don’t realize that they might be delicious.  As the faux J.C. Penney reminds us, not all potatoes are bland, how do we know they need salt unless we try them first?

Proceeding With Caution

My mother will take an hour to submerge herself in a pool, lake, or other body of water. In fact, it will take her almost that much time to get her big toe wet because she’s afraid of stepping into cold water. Mom proceeds with caution which is way different from rejecting something outright even though we haven’t tried it, or over seasoning something we never tasted in the first place.Proceeding with caution means we’ve heard things, or read things or we’re researching thing but we’re not willing to commit until we’re sure it’s a good choice. This is a good practice to get into. Being headstrong and impulsive isn’t always an attractive trait to the people who hire us or trust us to make decisions for them. In today’s competitive job market, you can be sure someone is watching to see how you handle your potatoes.

Making Informed Decisions

Tasting potatoes before salting and peppering means making an informed decision. We try them, if they’re to bland, we season to taste.  The chef could have been a little heavy handed with the salt shaker that day and we won’t know this unless we give them a try.

How do we know we hate iPads unless we test them out? How do we know a book is boring unless we read it?

Now, we can read in a restaurant review about salty or bland potatoes and decide beforehand if the potatoes are worth tasting. We can read iPad reviews by people who already have one, and decide whether or not it’s worth the purchase. We can also ask the swimmers around us  if the water is cold, and this will determine who quickly we plunge in.

We do our research and make informed decisions.

Trusting Others to Make Our Decisions for Us

To me, the dilemma is knowing who to trust. So many “swag bloggers’ will write good reviews in exchange for free stuff because they think if they’re too negative it will prevent others from sending them free stuff in the future. Some reviewers will give a good review in hopes that you’ll click on their affiliate links, even if the product is so-so. If they give a poor review, you won’t buy the product. Some folks talk up a product or service simply because it is their job to do so. P.R. people aren’t hired to love something, they’re hired to promote it.

Making an informed decision is about going beyond the hype and any preconceived notions and prejudices. It’s also making a decision based on your own needs and not someone else’s.  A restaurant review might say that a certain place has the best potatoes he ever tasted, but he might also have received a free meal in exchange for his review. Should you trust that, or taste the potatoes on your own?

Are You a Salter or a Taster?

How do make a decision? Do you jump in and see where the current takes you, or do you try a less rudderless approach? Do you carefully weigh out the pros and cons before making a decision or just think to yourself, “eh, this looks good.”

Has being impulsive worked to your benefit or backfired

Tell us, are you a salter or a taster…and why?

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Seth Rogen and Kommein’s own David Peralty. Ever notice how you never see the two of them together in the same room? Coinicidence? I think not.

David Peralty

Seth Rogen

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Warning: This post was written a little before 4:00 a.m. just before I left for the airport home from SXSWi. Crankiness may ensue.

On Friday some of my SXSWi friends and I started a drinking game. Every time someone said the word “conversation” we drank. After the first couple of hours it was pretty clear we’d have to lay off the alcohol for this drinking game. “Conversation” was being talked about at every table in every pub. It was used in every panel and discussion topic. Conversations about conversation were unavoidable. No, we’d have to swig water if we wanted to make it through the weekend. SXSWi barely even started and it was clearly all about having, creating, or participating in a conversation.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind that it’s all about conversation. I’m the first to admit I’m somewhat of a talker. Sure, conversation is important. It’s damn important. Having a dialogue with the members of our community is the best way to learn how they use our service.  I can think of a word that’s even more important than conversation however, and that’s “action”. Talking and listening are indeed important but it’s the folks who take action who are the real rock stars.

Is “Space” Too Limiting?

Another word being bandied about at SXSWi’s every corner was “space”. As in, “it’s how you use the space.” I’m not quite sure where this space is everyone is referring to. Is there a party going on somewhere I haven’t been invited to? Does one buy the space or rent it? Am I in the right space now, or am I just a squatter? I’m obviously not involved in the right conversations. I mean, how do I find out how big my space is and where I can get more?

To me, “space”, and the discussion about how to use one’s space implies a limited area, which is why I’m not so fond of the term. When possibilities are endless, the implication should be the space we’re occupying must be unlimited as well. Like an infinityland or a black hole of community. I agree that we have to figure out ways to use our spaces (wherever they may be) rather than occupy them, but what does space really have to do with finding out what people want.

If I learned anything these past few days is that there aren’t many set rules. There’s no right or wrong. Just because one person uses Twitter as a promotional tool while another uses it to banter, doesn’t mean either is doing it wrong. Every blogger, every community manager and every social media specialist has his or her own set of rules. It’s not only about conversation or space. It’s about keeping an open mind and not using a manual or the phrase of the week to mold your community. Communities are indivdual collectives and what works for one might not be the ticket for another. Just because someone with a famous name does something, doesn’t mean it’s the perfect situation for you. By all means, have conversations but don’t forget to act and think outside your box…er …space.

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