What does the plastic cover say about you?

There are two types of people in the world, those that leave the protective plastic cover on their electronics and those that don't. This is a post about the former.

People who leave the plastic covers on, I will refer to them from now on as "Plasties", come from all walks of life, in fact you probably interact with them on a daily basis. It is my firm opinion that All of these people share similar traits.

Plasties are:

1) Stubborn - They leave the plastic on despite being constantly reminded that they have left it on and that it is supposed to come off when they start using it.

2) Custodial - They have a freakishly overbearing maternal drive that leads them to protect the shiny finish of a device from the harsh reality of the world around it. Kind of reminds me of a Mama Grizzly Bear, the most custodial animal in the world.

3) Fastidious - Not only do they leave the cover on, they ensure it is firmly attached after every use and that the plastic cover itself stays as clean as it was on day one.

4) Gainfully Employed - Plasties are not a drain on the economy they have good jobs that are filled with monotony, and offer a safe and steady income. Hip hip hooray!

5) Trustworthy - Plasties are great friends. Their protective nature is not limited to electronic devices and usually carries over into personal relationships. That is as long as their friends aren't dirty, blemished, scratched or in anyway disfigured.

If you are a Plastie, please re-read this post and put "not that there is anything wrong with that" after every point, thank you.

For those of you who think my science is off? Leave a comment, are you a plastic cover on or off kind a guy or gal?

* my thanks to thesaurus.com for help with most of the above words!

Typeroom; Content Management for Dummies?

Just a quick post about one of the cooler web services that I've checked out recently. I just received an invite to the initial beta of Typeroom, the latest in website content management.

Though I haven't had the chance to play around with it in detail, I think the concept is a solid one. Essentially, Typeroom allows anyone to easily edit any website (that they own) in a matter of seconds. Check out the Typeroom video, it explains the process better than my words will.

For those of you who have website, but aren't comfortable editing them, this could be the tool for you.

Opinion and Comment

The purpose of a manager is to enable each of his or her employees to reach their maximum potential.

What do you think the purpose of a manager is?

Don't Eat the Puke

Have you ever been puked on?

All of us have. No, not the baby throw up or the friend who drank too much and couldn't make it to the bathroom kind of puke. No this puke is far more hazardous.

I'm talking about the emotional throw up that is hurled onto us in all sorts of situations. Maybe it's a boyfriend or girlfriend or maybe it's an unhappy customer, maybe its your boss.

A great teacher of mine put it simply. She said, "Jess, in life, people will walk up to you a puke all over you."

They'll throw up their feelings of anger, resentment, self consciousness, being wronged and inferiority until it's dripping down your shirt. You will be covered, from head to toe, in other peoples regurgitation.

Now you have a choice.

You can either look down at your drenched attire and recognize the slimy mess you are covered with as it's true self, other peoples puke, their emotional entrails. Or, you can pull out your spoon and start eating it. Start identifying with all the mean, vile and hurtful things that you have been covered with. Start feeling that you aren't good enough, you can't do the job right or that you're not appreciated."

It's a colourful story with a great message; we can't control what other people think, say or do. We can, however, control how we react to it. So, next time you find yourself in a vomit covered situation, envision the throw-up dripping off of you, maybe even give it a little wipe.

Whatever you do, don't eat the puke.

Honeyshed: Another Mass Media Mistake

Honeyshed.com confuses me.

Brought to you by Publicis, Droga5, and Digitasand (a representation of the biggest advertising conglomerates in the world), Honeyshed is described as "MTV meets QVC".

In my opinion, if we're in the mood for acronyms, WTF comes to mind.

The website is based around using, as Business Week describes, "a mix of live programming and character-driven sketch shows ", to sell products. The bet is that consumers love brands so much, they will -

1) invest their time in watching paid actors fake their interest in the product and
2) eventually buy that product.

I don't think so. Honeyshed is a mix of mass media era ideas shaped into a square peg that is trying to insert itself into the round hole of reality.

The internet provides a medium for detail, for niche, for micro topics. I don't visit the Life network's web page to learn about financial management (even though I have a closet admiration for To Debt do us Part), I go to Google. Google will provide me with access to all the information I need.

Thats where Honeyshed misses the point. Consumers are looking for products, information and entertainment, on their own terms. As internet users, we have plenty of options for online entertainment, and we aren't about to waste our time, our attention spans don't permit it.

Even though it's obvious that I don't like the idea, I had a hard time being confident in my initial reaction.

Video is on it's way to redefining the way we interact on the internet. Even though Honeyshed misses the boat, it is an innovative attempt at using online video to interact with customers. Shangby, a company I wrote about a few weeks back, is another such company(see Home shopping Gone Right).

I like Shangbuy, its a niche market that offers cheaper products, in an innovative environment with a personal touch. Honeyshed offers mediocre entertainment and no value real value proposition to the consumer.

There is an opportunity here, exactly what it is has yet to be defined.

Good vs. Bad (customers that is)

Bad customers, the ones that complain, yell, demand and cause a ruckus, usually get what they want. Good customers, those who may have had one bad experience, usually don't make a fuss. They just leave and never come back.

That's the problem with the way most companies deal with customer complaints. They reward bad customers, and don't properly satisfy the good ones.

Luckily, there is a solution. Provide a venue for open interaction with your customers. Start a blog , post customer comments (good and bad) on your website, with your responses to them.

At the very least you will have a great resource for other customers. More likely, you'll end up with less complaints and more valuable feed back. You might even see customers defending you.

Open interaction with your market will build trust, support and success.

Oh, and Merry 2008!

Flat World Student Recommended by Santa!

One of the leading battery manufacturers has a radio ad touting Santa's endorsement of it's batteries. It seems there is no limit to what products Santa is now pushing.

I am pleased to announce that Santa now officially recommends this blog. Tell your friends, tell your family, it's Santa Approved!

Merry Christmas