"My life sucks."
"I don't know how I can continue living."
"So and so deserves a whack in the head."
First and foremost, don't worry, I am OK; these are not my sentiments. Second, I just shared these posts to help make a point. A clear and concise point. Not one of those annoying, cryptic posts that many people seem to dangle out there on Facebook, Twitter and other sites.
The genesis for this column was the posting of similar vague, panic-inducing posts made by people on Facebook and Twitter. For any of my friends reading this column, don't overreact and think I am going to publicly rebuke you for causing my heart to skip a beat, though, the temptation is there.
The purpose of this writing is to offer some advice to people who feel inclined to write cliffhangers without telling anyone about the plot of the story.
I've noticed a lot of people - and I have been guilty of this, too - who like to post short and sweet updates about how they feel at a given time. Usually, these posts are self-explanatory. It doesn't take much time for the reader to make the connection between the cause and effect. The weather is bad and someone feels crappy. A dog dies and the owner is sad.
What gets my dander up is when someone posts something that induces near panic among coworkers, friends and relatives. A good example is a post made by a former colleague a few years ago. The colleague in question posted something vague but clearly disturbing about something that had happened. I don't remember the exact wording but the post was alarming to the point that those of us close to the person sprung into action to find out what happened. The post was quickly pulled with no explanaton given,
To say I was miffed was an understatement. To this day I don't know what the deal was and I gave up caring long ago, but I was not happy a friend and coworker made such a blatantly disconcerting comment and never followed up with a statement like "Everything is OK now."
As humans, we thrive on interaction and acknowledgement. When we communicate with one another, we expect a response. In a face-to-face encounter, we rely on physical cues to help us interpret what the other person on saying. Even the inflection a person uses when talking triggers how we react.
In our digital interactions people have taken to using emoticons to express their emotions. That's fine, but often the communication is missing the context needed to fully understand why a person feels sad, happy or pissed off.
And that's what is happening with considerable frequency on Facebook and Twitter, where people assume their multitude of friends and followers are in the know and can interpret what is happening. I must have missed out and forgot to load the Facebook ESP ap because I really feel clueless more often than not when I am trying to decipher a cryptic posting. I will spend time I don't really have looking at the poster's previous posts or posts made by others to piece together the facts, if there are any to be found.
So, what I propose is this:
Short and clear messages are great, but make sure you set the stage first. Think back to your days in elementary school when you first learned to write a story. What is the subject?
Using Who, What, Why. Where, When and How are great prompts for crafting posts that allow people to build on the subject and express their feelings while giving the reader greater context and meaning.
Think of the people who will see your post. Be respectful. So, you want to rant and rave about something. That's fine. It's a free country but think about your audience. Whether it is a short post or a long missive words can have a great impact on the reader's emotions and reactions.
If you are looking for sympathy or support, you stand a greater chance if people know what the heck you are talking about.
NOTE: If you are on Facebook, you may want to join this site for people annoyed with cryptic postings: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cryptic-posts-are-annoying-spit-it-out-or-keep-it-to-yourself/331158968842?sk=wall
Friday, December 16, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Dirty laundry
"I have no respect for companies who use Social Networks to air their dirty laundry."
That quote is from a fairly anonymous person named Kathleen who posted a comment on a web site reporting about the Lowe's handling of its ad removal from the All-American Muslim show.
What I find interesting about this quote is not so much the fact Lowe's used Facebook to offer an apology but the fact that Kathleen chose to chide Lowe's about how they are using social media to reach their customers.
The problem I have with Kathleen's comment is her reference to Lowe's airing its dirty laundry. I could write thousands of words about why Lowe's and other companies - even my employer General Motors - need to be engaged with people on social media experts. Rather I want to address a more troubling aspect of social media - and I would love to see or hear what Kathleen thinks of this - and that is the fact that many individuals use social media to air their own dirty laundry.
By dirty laundry I am referring to what individuals post on their sites - be it Facebook, Twitter and personal blogs - that would cause one's mother to cringe and say "Oh my!".
OK, I'm not tryiong to be too self righteous here. I am all for freedom of speech, expression and a person's desire to make a fool of himself or herself. However, I fear some people lack the common sense to self-police their own "dirty laundry" before airing it for the world to see.
Just think about the news reports on people who lost their jobs because they ranted on their personal Faebook pages and a "friend" shared the post with the subject of the attack. How about the times people miss out on a job because they thought it was funny to post photos of themselves getting hammered at a party attended by underage drinkers?
I know of one instance where a young lady was denied a job because she wasn't pious enough on social media. One might assume she was posting naughty material but the opposite is true. Her posts were actually tame and professional but still not good enough for the religious organization she was courting for a job. I guess dirty laundry truly is in the eye of the beholder.
I have some acquantances who - despite having hundreds of friends or followers on various sites - insist their posts are private so they are free to post what they want, even if it is self-incriminating and harmful. My admonitions that they are playing with fire go unheeded and I doubt they will say "I wish I listened to you" after they are fired from their jobs.
The thing I fear the most is that Kathleen's ire is directed at Lowe's for trying to handle a controversy by using social media to explain its actions. Her perception of dirty laundry is skewed, in my view to not take into account that the issue was already public and Lowe's deemed it necessary to use social media platforms to address its critics.
So, what is Kathleen's attitude toward her peers who post their dirty laundry on social media sites? Or is she like many other people who are oblivious or numb to the fact that individuals are risking their careers and reputations with foolhardy posts?
The takeaway for me is this: Social media sites are great tools for building on reputations individuals and organizations have established with others. They are also sites that can lead to one's undoing if they are treated in a cavalier manner.
Post carefully because your reputation may depend on it.
That quote is from a fairly anonymous person named Kathleen who posted a comment on a web site reporting about the Lowe's handling of its ad removal from the All-American Muslim show.
What I find interesting about this quote is not so much the fact Lowe's used Facebook to offer an apology but the fact that Kathleen chose to chide Lowe's about how they are using social media to reach their customers.
The problem I have with Kathleen's comment is her reference to Lowe's airing its dirty laundry. I could write thousands of words about why Lowe's and other companies - even my employer General Motors - need to be engaged with people on social media experts. Rather I want to address a more troubling aspect of social media - and I would love to see or hear what Kathleen thinks of this - and that is the fact that many individuals use social media to air their own dirty laundry.
By dirty laundry I am referring to what individuals post on their sites - be it Facebook, Twitter and personal blogs - that would cause one's mother to cringe and say "Oh my!".
OK, I'm not tryiong to be too self righteous here. I am all for freedom of speech, expression and a person's desire to make a fool of himself or herself. However, I fear some people lack the common sense to self-police their own "dirty laundry" before airing it for the world to see.
Just think about the news reports on people who lost their jobs because they ranted on their personal Faebook pages and a "friend" shared the post with the subject of the attack. How about the times people miss out on a job because they thought it was funny to post photos of themselves getting hammered at a party attended by underage drinkers?
I know of one instance where a young lady was denied a job because she wasn't pious enough on social media. One might assume she was posting naughty material but the opposite is true. Her posts were actually tame and professional but still not good enough for the religious organization she was courting for a job. I guess dirty laundry truly is in the eye of the beholder.
I have some acquantances who - despite having hundreds of friends or followers on various sites - insist their posts are private so they are free to post what they want, even if it is self-incriminating and harmful. My admonitions that they are playing with fire go unheeded and I doubt they will say "I wish I listened to you" after they are fired from their jobs.
The thing I fear the most is that Kathleen's ire is directed at Lowe's for trying to handle a controversy by using social media to explain its actions. Her perception of dirty laundry is skewed, in my view to not take into account that the issue was already public and Lowe's deemed it necessary to use social media platforms to address its critics.
So, what is Kathleen's attitude toward her peers who post their dirty laundry on social media sites? Or is she like many other people who are oblivious or numb to the fact that individuals are risking their careers and reputations with foolhardy posts?
The takeaway for me is this: Social media sites are great tools for building on reputations individuals and organizations have established with others. They are also sites that can lead to one's undoing if they are treated in a cavalier manner.
Post carefully because your reputation may depend on it.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Monday, December 05, 2011
UAW Local 598 collects toys for tots
This is a nice segment about my colleagues at Flint Assembly, where UAW Local 598 collected more than $5,000 and purchases toys for the Annual Toys for Tots program.
http://www.abc12.com/story/16185215/uaw-local-598-gives-big-boost-to-toys-for-tots
http://www.abc12.com/story/16185215/uaw-local-598-gives-big-boost-to-toys-for-tots
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Chevy Volt wows teacher and students
What would you do if you had a Volt for two weeks? If you're Don Hammond and the Chevrolet GREEN Educator of the Year you take the car to school.
That's what Don did in late October and early November. A biology teacher at Beecher High School near Flint, Don wanted to show his students how a vehicle like the Volt can be an environmental gamechanger. Check out his story and that of a special guest who surprised students at his old school.
(Special thanks to my colleague, Todd Monty, for doing his editing magic, pulling together my video and interviews with stock GM/Volt footage to make this clip possible.)
That's what Don did in late October and early November. A biology teacher at Beecher High School near Flint, Don wanted to show his students how a vehicle like the Volt can be an environmental gamechanger. Check out his story and that of a special guest who surprised students at his old school.
(Special thanks to my colleague, Todd Monty, for doing his editing magic, pulling together my video and interviews with stock GM/Volt footage to make this clip possible.)
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