Sharing knowledge with others and explaining things to people (more or less familiar with a specific matter) is what I do on a regular basis. Not that I would make any money from it, well, not exactly. It is somehow in my very nature to try and help people that way, and I love it. Most of the time it makes me feel really good. (No, it is not an addiction. Not yet.) Especially when I get the impression that my efforts are appreciated and that I was able to actually help somebody, of course.
Some things are quite esay to explain, even on the phone, for example, where the spoken word is the one and only way to deal with things. But when a certain level of complexity and abstraction is reached, bounds of our language and imagnation are quite easily hit, and we simply fail to grasp it. As a matter of fact, this isn't an idividual problem. (Well, up to some level one might think it is, I agree.) The one and only thing we have to blame is our brain.
Ever since, humans have lived by the principle of trial and error, and have survived by finding and enhancing tools, hence the need to touch things (and other people), to learn about them. In addition to that, our brain is by far one of the most powerful image processing systems known to mankind so far. You doubt it? Try to make a computer recognise a handwritten text, or even a couple of letters that are twisted, or even just roteted. (That is one reason why some online services ask you to deal with CAPTCHAs, to post a comment on a blog or to subscribe to some newsletter, for example. I kid you not.)
Even though it might have unleashed the bounds of our imagination, the ability to talk, to communicate, has never changed our most basic, yet most powerful abilities to learn: the ability to make sense from images we see. We all know the proverb that a picture is worth a thousand words, and when it comes to explaining things and describing coherences, nothing compares to a picture or a sketch. It is all about visualisation, and the fact that is so much more easier for the human brain to memorise and process pictures (and sounds), than stuff that we would call "simple words".
Personally, I am an avid fan of whiteboards. And flip charts. But I prefer whiteboards: the bigger, the better. Like talking to yourself helps your brain to really understand your thoughts (compared to talking to yourself in your mind only), sketching out my ideas onto a whiteboard (or a sheets of paper) helps me to get the bigger picture, literally. When I am trying to figure out what makes things tick, how and why things work, or when I am trying to explain that to someone else, developing models or constructing theories - sketches, for me, are the way to do it.
So far, I have found that colleagues, apprentices and friends either like this approach, or they hate it. (Maybe it is not so much hate, but more about being scared.) Anyway, those who know me have become aware of the "risks" they are taking when asking me to explain something to them. Depending on the subject, it is a child's play for me to use up the whole space a whiteboard offers, once I have started sketching. That is why over the years, my moaning about my need for more whiteboards has become a running joke.
Apart from the fun everyone has when I start filling the whiteboards, flip charts or sheets of paper with all kinds of shapes, arrows and text, I really think that in many situations it is even a more sensible way to support a lecture or speech, compared to the omnipresent PowerPoint presentations. Please, don't get me wrong: a proper slide show can be a great way provide basic or additional informations, depending on subject and audience. It is the ongoing abuse of tools like PowerPoint or Keynote that saddens and irritates me. But that is a completely different story.
While using slide shows tends to turn speeches into quite static shows (and more often than not quite boring ones, too), spontaneously creating the images needed to help the audience to follow the presentation now, and remember what has been said later, is more active, sometimes even interactive. In addition to that, it is always a good way to show how flexible the speakers actually are, and if they really have a proper understanding of what they are talking about. (But maybe that is just me.)
So, if you would like to learn about things from my fields of expertise, feel free to ask, make sure you have enough time, and bring a whiteboard. I always need more whiteboards.
Showing posts with label communications. Show all posts
Showing posts with label communications. Show all posts
Friday, October 7, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Sitting Under The Tree, Part 5
Oh, hello! Welcome! How are you? Isn't it a beautiful tree, with its leaves starting to change their colour. Come on, sit down, don't be shy. Didn't you offer do bring tea and cake? No? Oh, well, sit down anyway. Wait, what's that? Ah, you are checking for news on Twitter. And Google+. Are you going to send an update to Facebook, too? Don't forget to take a picture (not of me, the tree, silly) and send it to Instagram. You are now mayor of what on FourSquare? Anyway.
Over the last years, a multitude of social network services has become available. They offer easy ways to share short messages and pictures with the rest of the word, letting everyone know where we are, what we are up to, what consumes or mind at the moment. They have introduced new ways of getting (and staying) connected on professional levels, as well as on private ones. And while some people can't make head or tail of this social networking bric-a-brac at all, others can't wait to sign up with yet another service of that kind as soon as it is becomes available.
Personally, I really do find some of those services sort of usefull, or at least entertaining, and for some of them I am actually aware of what could be called serious use cases. Maybe it is exatly what confuses so many people: apart from guidelines on how to exchange data and use the interface of the service itself, the providers leave it to the users to figure out how the service could be used, and what it could be used for. It is left to the personal creativity of those who take part in it to shape it the way they think it works best for them.
Now, let's step back, let's try to get a bit more of the bigger picture. It really is an impressive number of services, isn't it? And that brings me to a serious question: can it really be possible to handle all this, is there really a way to actively take part in serveral of these online social networks? If it is possible, what would be a reasonable number of services to use? Is there a number that, when reached or crossed, would render real life activities (work, of course, but meeting people, too) impossible to take part in?
You may interject that there are no universal answers those questions, and I agree. We may work in different jobs, we have (if any) different affinities for online services, and we have developped different ways and preferences on how we like to socialise. Those and many more aspects may influence how we tend to deal with offers like social network services in general, as well as how much time we are willing to invest in this kind of virtual interaction.
Maybe you can remember when everyone was making fun of those "poor creatures" who felt the constant urge to check their e-mail inbox. Fiddling around with something like a BlackBerry in public? What a poser! Actually, we had a lot of fun with those weirdos.
Poser. Weirdo. Really?
No, I am not going to ask you to have a look into the mirror and tell me what you see there. (Hopefully, you would at least see your reflection. If not, well, you may be in trouble for completely different reasons.) But seriously, have a look around you: in the city, on the platform - just think of some public spaces and places. What did you see there a couple of years ago? What can you see there now? People, holding their phones, quite likely, but not only holding those devices up to their head to make (or take) an actual phone call.
Sometimes I get the feeling that, for many people, having access to the Internet, almost everytime and everywhere, is no longer an optional feature, something that is nice to have. Always online, always connected, always ready to interact. Text? E-Mail? Basics for the digital nomads, not even worth mentioning any more. Surfig the Web, updating blogs, watching some videos online? Now we are coming to a point.
Always online, always connected. Constantly looking for more friends, more followers, more updates, more likes. More influence, maybe? Could be. Afraid to miss something? Absolutely! It is all about being important. The news? No, of course not! The people are! Or at least they think they are, entangled in their narcissistic dreams, or maybe just caught in their efforts to receive some respect, respect they think they deserve.
But with all this engagement in networking, sending and receiving all kinds of updates, it takes me wonder how it is possible for, at least some, people to get any work done at all, to have what is called a life? They seem to be on-line 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And then you learn that they have just joined another social network. Why did they do it? Because it is all hip and new and possibly trendy, too?
They have become slaves to social networking. Their minds revolve around the next update. They laugh about all the other ones, who are "parts of the corporate machine". But who are they kidding? Apart from all the shameless self-promotion they are doing, aren't they just parts of yet another machine, the social network machine? And they are so very happy to give away even the last, most private bit of information, just for the sake of... Hm, for the sake of what?
What do you think? Please, feel free to share your thoughts on that with me!
But for now, come on, let us enjoy sitting under this beautiful tree, watching the leaves and listening to the wind. - And you are sure you didn't say you wanted to bring tea and cake?
Over the last years, a multitude of social network services has become available. They offer easy ways to share short messages and pictures with the rest of the word, letting everyone know where we are, what we are up to, what consumes or mind at the moment. They have introduced new ways of getting (and staying) connected on professional levels, as well as on private ones. And while some people can't make head or tail of this social networking bric-a-brac at all, others can't wait to sign up with yet another service of that kind as soon as it is becomes available.
Personally, I really do find some of those services sort of usefull, or at least entertaining, and for some of them I am actually aware of what could be called serious use cases. Maybe it is exatly what confuses so many people: apart from guidelines on how to exchange data and use the interface of the service itself, the providers leave it to the users to figure out how the service could be used, and what it could be used for. It is left to the personal creativity of those who take part in it to shape it the way they think it works best for them.
Now, let's step back, let's try to get a bit more of the bigger picture. It really is an impressive number of services, isn't it? And that brings me to a serious question: can it really be possible to handle all this, is there really a way to actively take part in serveral of these online social networks? If it is possible, what would be a reasonable number of services to use? Is there a number that, when reached or crossed, would render real life activities (work, of course, but meeting people, too) impossible to take part in?
You may interject that there are no universal answers those questions, and I agree. We may work in different jobs, we have (if any) different affinities for online services, and we have developped different ways and preferences on how we like to socialise. Those and many more aspects may influence how we tend to deal with offers like social network services in general, as well as how much time we are willing to invest in this kind of virtual interaction.
Maybe you can remember when everyone was making fun of those "poor creatures" who felt the constant urge to check their e-mail inbox. Fiddling around with something like a BlackBerry in public? What a poser! Actually, we had a lot of fun with those weirdos.
Poser. Weirdo. Really?
No, I am not going to ask you to have a look into the mirror and tell me what you see there. (Hopefully, you would at least see your reflection. If not, well, you may be in trouble for completely different reasons.) But seriously, have a look around you: in the city, on the platform - just think of some public spaces and places. What did you see there a couple of years ago? What can you see there now? People, holding their phones, quite likely, but not only holding those devices up to their head to make (or take) an actual phone call.
Sometimes I get the feeling that, for many people, having access to the Internet, almost everytime and everywhere, is no longer an optional feature, something that is nice to have. Always online, always connected, always ready to interact. Text? E-Mail? Basics for the digital nomads, not even worth mentioning any more. Surfig the Web, updating blogs, watching some videos online? Now we are coming to a point.
Always online, always connected. Constantly looking for more friends, more followers, more updates, more likes. More influence, maybe? Could be. Afraid to miss something? Absolutely! It is all about being important. The news? No, of course not! The people are! Or at least they think they are, entangled in their narcissistic dreams, or maybe just caught in their efforts to receive some respect, respect they think they deserve.
But with all this engagement in networking, sending and receiving all kinds of updates, it takes me wonder how it is possible for, at least some, people to get any work done at all, to have what is called a life? They seem to be on-line 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And then you learn that they have just joined another social network. Why did they do it? Because it is all hip and new and possibly trendy, too?
They have become slaves to social networking. Their minds revolve around the next update. They laugh about all the other ones, who are "parts of the corporate machine". But who are they kidding? Apart from all the shameless self-promotion they are doing, aren't they just parts of yet another machine, the social network machine? And they are so very happy to give away even the last, most private bit of information, just for the sake of... Hm, for the sake of what?
What do you think? Please, feel free to share your thoughts on that with me!
But for now, come on, let us enjoy sitting under this beautiful tree, watching the leaves and listening to the wind. - And you are sure you didn't say you wanted to bring tea and cake?
Monday, August 15, 2011
What Makes Things Tick
Last night, I finished an interesting book. Well, it didn‘t sound that interesting at all, to be honest, when @hansdorsch mentioned it three weeks ago on Twitter. But as I still had to try the Kindle app on my iPhone back then, I decided to give both of them, the book as well as the app a try.
Program Or Be Programmed by Douglas Rushkoff isn‘t all about computer programming, at least not in the literal sense. As its title already suggests, it is more about the choices we made since we started using computers, especially but not necessarily networked ones, and the consequences our behaviours related to those modern media bring on to our life these days.
No one would have expected that I would agree with all of the ideas an thesises Mr Rushkoff postulates throughout of his book. But he makes some good and valid points that made me think and kept me awake quite some time. It wasn‘t exactly like looking into a mirror while reading the lines, but I realized that there really is a growing lack of interest in how things work and why they work the way they do. Furthermore, people jumping to conclusions without even starting to reflect about what they are doing has become so popular that it really scares me.
We are living in a world of tools and support. Because there is always someone who can help us we take their help for granted. And while we find ways to use the advanced tools of the world we are living in, we have so little interest in what makes them tick and what the consequences of using them are. On top of that, while taking so many things and people for granted, and somehow ignoring the changes of the ways we interact with the world around us, we fail to see the impact our lack of understanding really has on us ourselves and the world around us.
I consider myself lucky that I grew up during the decades where many of the foundations of our modern, interconnected world were layed. Seriously, I am grateful that I was raised with a good amount of curiosity and support of my interests, especially those in electronics and computers. And while I think that it is great that everyone focuses on different part of our lives and the world that surrounds us, I sense that it is quite special to have more than just an idea of what helps us to connect these days - and how it works.
On the other hand, I can understand why people prefer their tools to just work. Who needs to know how exactly this hammer and these nails where made when all you want to do is hang up some pictures on the wall. (Wow. There is something like a good way to hold the hammer handle and the nail that would make work easier and reduce the risk of injuring yourself? Weird!) Who needs to know how a cars are built, how the engine, the streering and the brakes work, as long as they do. (Crazy. It isn‘t enough to put petrol in the car‘s tank? And why would you call a car a weapon? This driving license isn‘t a license to kill, is it?)
No, seriously, we simply cannot know how everything that surrounds us and every tool we use works. And that is just fine. But someone should. And it better be someone you can trust. Lies and wrong answers can cause a lot of serious trouble. In the end, you want to solve a problem when you ask for support. You don‘t want to create another problem instantly, do you? - That is why everone is good at something. Yes, I really do believe that. In a way.
What really irritates me is when someone claims to be interested in something, wants to learn about something, but then shows no interest at all when it comes to what really makes the things tick, what goes beyond the very basics of the group of themes. It really irritates me when people are content with easy and short answers when they say that want more than just scratch the surface of a matter. And I am really worried when this someone is an apprentice or a student.
I have been in charge of training apprentices two times so far. (Insert famous Yoda quote here.) One of the reasons I really enjoyed it every time is that I like to share my humble knowledge and experience as well as the challenges that arise from the interaction with young and curious people. Sadly many young people have lost their curiosity already, and the ability to be avid for something is an abortive one. The good thing here is that many doesn‘t mean all.
Nina was the first apprentice. This young woman was quite clever and she was never shy to ask questions. She loved to learn more and she didn‘t like short answers. When it came to walking that extra mile, she was up for it. It didn‘t take her long to work independently along with my colleagues and me, and soon she became a reliable member of or team. Her interest in the matter grew far beyond the official training schedule and it was a challenge as well as a pleasure to teach her. By the end of her training period she was more than qualified to do her job and even more important: she was eager to learn even more, she wanted to know how those things she was asked to work with and take care of worked and learn about the bigger picture.
Philipp was the second apprentice. He was quite clever too, but unlike Nina he was easily satisfied with facile and general answers, by just making things work somehow. As soon as it took him a second or a third go to solve a problem or to find an answer, he tended to give up and blame someone or something for the missing progress. While Nina was aware of the fact the she knew little but wanted to change that, Philipp thought he already knew more than enough and that it would be sufficient to pass the exams. He did pass them and he knew how to use the tools at work. Everything else? Just exhausting or boring.
I have the feeling that many, too many people are like Philipp: they just decide to stop and not make that one step ahead that could open a new world to them. They think they know the world that surrounds them well enough, they are simply not interested in anything more than this. They prefer being told what they have to do, they prefer to have decisions made for them by others, they prefer consuming what they are served. Create stuff and share it with others? Why? What for? Isn‘t there someone (more) qualified to do it on my behalf?
Program or be programmed. Create or consume. Use your brain or just do what you are told. Blue pill or red pill. The decisions are up to each and every one of us. I, for one, prefer to learn about what makes things tick, what things mean and what they will or may lead us to.
How about you?
Program Or Be Programmed by Douglas Rushkoff isn‘t all about computer programming, at least not in the literal sense. As its title already suggests, it is more about the choices we made since we started using computers, especially but not necessarily networked ones, and the consequences our behaviours related to those modern media bring on to our life these days.
No one would have expected that I would agree with all of the ideas an thesises Mr Rushkoff postulates throughout of his book. But he makes some good and valid points that made me think and kept me awake quite some time. It wasn‘t exactly like looking into a mirror while reading the lines, but I realized that there really is a growing lack of interest in how things work and why they work the way they do. Furthermore, people jumping to conclusions without even starting to reflect about what they are doing has become so popular that it really scares me.
We are living in a world of tools and support. Because there is always someone who can help us we take their help for granted. And while we find ways to use the advanced tools of the world we are living in, we have so little interest in what makes them tick and what the consequences of using them are. On top of that, while taking so many things and people for granted, and somehow ignoring the changes of the ways we interact with the world around us, we fail to see the impact our lack of understanding really has on us ourselves and the world around us.
I consider myself lucky that I grew up during the decades where many of the foundations of our modern, interconnected world were layed. Seriously, I am grateful that I was raised with a good amount of curiosity and support of my interests, especially those in electronics and computers. And while I think that it is great that everyone focuses on different part of our lives and the world that surrounds us, I sense that it is quite special to have more than just an idea of what helps us to connect these days - and how it works.
On the other hand, I can understand why people prefer their tools to just work. Who needs to know how exactly this hammer and these nails where made when all you want to do is hang up some pictures on the wall. (Wow. There is something like a good way to hold the hammer handle and the nail that would make work easier and reduce the risk of injuring yourself? Weird!) Who needs to know how a cars are built, how the engine, the streering and the brakes work, as long as they do. (Crazy. It isn‘t enough to put petrol in the car‘s tank? And why would you call a car a weapon? This driving license isn‘t a license to kill, is it?)
No, seriously, we simply cannot know how everything that surrounds us and every tool we use works. And that is just fine. But someone should. And it better be someone you can trust. Lies and wrong answers can cause a lot of serious trouble. In the end, you want to solve a problem when you ask for support. You don‘t want to create another problem instantly, do you? - That is why everone is good at something. Yes, I really do believe that. In a way.
What really irritates me is when someone claims to be interested in something, wants to learn about something, but then shows no interest at all when it comes to what really makes the things tick, what goes beyond the very basics of the group of themes. It really irritates me when people are content with easy and short answers when they say that want more than just scratch the surface of a matter. And I am really worried when this someone is an apprentice or a student.
I have been in charge of training apprentices two times so far. (Insert famous Yoda quote here.) One of the reasons I really enjoyed it every time is that I like to share my humble knowledge and experience as well as the challenges that arise from the interaction with young and curious people. Sadly many young people have lost their curiosity already, and the ability to be avid for something is an abortive one. The good thing here is that many doesn‘t mean all.
Nina was the first apprentice. This young woman was quite clever and she was never shy to ask questions. She loved to learn more and she didn‘t like short answers. When it came to walking that extra mile, she was up for it. It didn‘t take her long to work independently along with my colleagues and me, and soon she became a reliable member of or team. Her interest in the matter grew far beyond the official training schedule and it was a challenge as well as a pleasure to teach her. By the end of her training period she was more than qualified to do her job and even more important: she was eager to learn even more, she wanted to know how those things she was asked to work with and take care of worked and learn about the bigger picture.
Philipp was the second apprentice. He was quite clever too, but unlike Nina he was easily satisfied with facile and general answers, by just making things work somehow. As soon as it took him a second or a third go to solve a problem or to find an answer, he tended to give up and blame someone or something for the missing progress. While Nina was aware of the fact the she knew little but wanted to change that, Philipp thought he already knew more than enough and that it would be sufficient to pass the exams. He did pass them and he knew how to use the tools at work. Everything else? Just exhausting or boring.
I have the feeling that many, too many people are like Philipp: they just decide to stop and not make that one step ahead that could open a new world to them. They think they know the world that surrounds them well enough, they are simply not interested in anything more than this. They prefer being told what they have to do, they prefer to have decisions made for them by others, they prefer consuming what they are served. Create stuff and share it with others? Why? What for? Isn‘t there someone (more) qualified to do it on my behalf?
Program or be programmed. Create or consume. Use your brain or just do what you are told. Blue pill or red pill. The decisions are up to each and every one of us. I, for one, prefer to learn about what makes things tick, what things mean and what they will or may lead us to.
How about you?
Monday, July 19, 2010
Project 'Roasted Bean'
'1500?'
The potentially conspiratorial message via IM is actually more of a project meeting request. A quick check with the current work and the open topics on the to-do list, a recount of the small change, a glance at the clock at the lower right corner of the screen - an almost imperceptible smile and a deep breath.
'1500.'
We call it 'Projekt Braune Bohne', which would turn into utter nonsense if I would try to translate it literally. That is why I took the liberty to pick the more loose translation for the project name, so from now on I will refer to it as project 'Roasted Bean'.
Let me present to you project 'Roasted Bean' in more detail. First of all: it isn't exactly a project. Yes, I have to admit that we made it up - for the fun of it and to make it at least sound somewhat important. Truth be told, project 'Roasted Bean' has become more of an (almost) confirmed habit or maybe a ritual than a project. But it is a funny, geeky name and that is why we stick with it.
Another detail: there is no agenda. This may sound quite confusing, which is absolutely understandable. At least it is because I haven‘t told you about the very nature of our project meetings. While there are lists and agendas all day long there is no room for anything like that when attending those meetings I am talking about.
In simple terms: project 'Roasted Bean' is a break. But it isn‘t just another break. It is more about making sure that the participants make it safe and sound through the last hours of the working day. And there are some interesting reasons why this break is well-deserved. Sadly there is no way to leave the place to have the meeting in a cafe just like creative people. We have a cup of coffee anyway. And we talk. As a matter of fact that is one of the most important reason why we are keeping project 'Roasted Bean': it is a kind of strategic work break for us.
Those who take part in the project meetings are more often than not members of different groups (of the same department). So one goal is to discuss problems and exchange ideas at a far less official level. Maybe it is because of this inofficial nature of the meeting that it is very likely to get some serious results. Yet the better part of this break is dedicated to subjects that are all but work-related.
Thinking of the brain as some kind of muscle, project 'Roasted Bean' is mainly dedicated to easing its tension. Aware of the fact that we are walking the thin line between procrastination and being creative we talk about things we find more relaxing or more thrilling than those that we just left for a couple of minutes on our desks in the offices - just to get rid of the knots in our brains. And most of the time we succeed in doing so.
Of course there are some colleagues who simply don‘t get the idea of project 'Roasted Bean'. Some of them seem to be able to work for up to four hours, have their one hour lunch break, and return to work for up to four hours again before leaving the office. They find it quite suspicious that some co-workers dare to devide the morning and the afternoon at their desk in half. And spending time with fellow workers others than those from the lunch posse or from the same group of the departement - that appears to be some sort of blasphemy to them.
Please, don‘t get me wrong: just because I myself find it hard to spend more than about three hours sort of focused on one particular subject without at least leaving my desk and walk around for a minute, there is nothing wrong with people who are able to do otherwise. Far from it. They have their own special way of working and dealing with their needs to get their work done. In the end it is about becoming and staying creative and productive.
Which is exactly the point: everyone has an individual way of working, and everyone has found or has to find an individual way of relaxation and recreation while at work. The only limiting aspects are the rules which are given by the employer. In case they leave the liberty to the employees to do what they found works best for them, it is up to them to act wisely - because the few that abuse this freedom and bend the rules might be the ones who make the rest suffer one day.
It doesn‘t have to turn out the bad way. And because there is nothing wrong with it where I work we will keep project 'Roasted Bean' alive as long as possible. It is such a great project, and I am happy to be a part of it, just like my colleagues.
What does your project 'Roasted Bean' look like? Tell me about it!
And - have a break.
The potentially conspiratorial message via IM is actually more of a project meeting request. A quick check with the current work and the open topics on the to-do list, a recount of the small change, a glance at the clock at the lower right corner of the screen - an almost imperceptible smile and a deep breath.
'1500.'
We call it 'Projekt Braune Bohne', which would turn into utter nonsense if I would try to translate it literally. That is why I took the liberty to pick the more loose translation for the project name, so from now on I will refer to it as project 'Roasted Bean'.
Let me present to you project 'Roasted Bean' in more detail. First of all: it isn't exactly a project. Yes, I have to admit that we made it up - for the fun of it and to make it at least sound somewhat important. Truth be told, project 'Roasted Bean' has become more of an (almost) confirmed habit or maybe a ritual than a project. But it is a funny, geeky name and that is why we stick with it.
Another detail: there is no agenda. This may sound quite confusing, which is absolutely understandable. At least it is because I haven‘t told you about the very nature of our project meetings. While there are lists and agendas all day long there is no room for anything like that when attending those meetings I am talking about.
In simple terms: project 'Roasted Bean' is a break. But it isn‘t just another break. It is more about making sure that the participants make it safe and sound through the last hours of the working day. And there are some interesting reasons why this break is well-deserved. Sadly there is no way to leave the place to have the meeting in a cafe just like creative people. We have a cup of coffee anyway. And we talk. As a matter of fact that is one of the most important reason why we are keeping project 'Roasted Bean': it is a kind of strategic work break for us.
Those who take part in the project meetings are more often than not members of different groups (of the same department). So one goal is to discuss problems and exchange ideas at a far less official level. Maybe it is because of this inofficial nature of the meeting that it is very likely to get some serious results. Yet the better part of this break is dedicated to subjects that are all but work-related.
Thinking of the brain as some kind of muscle, project 'Roasted Bean' is mainly dedicated to easing its tension. Aware of the fact that we are walking the thin line between procrastination and being creative we talk about things we find more relaxing or more thrilling than those that we just left for a couple of minutes on our desks in the offices - just to get rid of the knots in our brains. And most of the time we succeed in doing so.
Of course there are some colleagues who simply don‘t get the idea of project 'Roasted Bean'. Some of them seem to be able to work for up to four hours, have their one hour lunch break, and return to work for up to four hours again before leaving the office. They find it quite suspicious that some co-workers dare to devide the morning and the afternoon at their desk in half. And spending time with fellow workers others than those from the lunch posse or from the same group of the departement - that appears to be some sort of blasphemy to them.
Please, don‘t get me wrong: just because I myself find it hard to spend more than about three hours sort of focused on one particular subject without at least leaving my desk and walk around for a minute, there is nothing wrong with people who are able to do otherwise. Far from it. They have their own special way of working and dealing with their needs to get their work done. In the end it is about becoming and staying creative and productive.
Which is exactly the point: everyone has an individual way of working, and everyone has found or has to find an individual way of relaxation and recreation while at work. The only limiting aspects are the rules which are given by the employer. In case they leave the liberty to the employees to do what they found works best for them, it is up to them to act wisely - because the few that abuse this freedom and bend the rules might be the ones who make the rest suffer one day.
It doesn‘t have to turn out the bad way. And because there is nothing wrong with it where I work we will keep project 'Roasted Bean' alive as long as possible. It is such a great project, and I am happy to be a part of it, just like my colleagues.
What does your project 'Roasted Bean' look like? Tell me about it!
And - have a break.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Find Config.sys And Set Buffers To 99
Sometimes meeting friends who bring their friends can be quite challenging. Starting with some kind of smalltalk it doesn‘t take too long until the Q&A games reach the what-do-you-do-for-a-living point. And while there are some jobs and occupations that simply receive the ah-interesting reply before the crowd just moves on to the next topic (or victim), there are some professions that almost instantly make all fun vanish and ruin the rest of the evening. At least for the poor blighter who‘s métier(s) have been unveiled.
Suddenly people want to know more. But sadly the conversations are not about the person that is surrounded almost instantly. All those present start to ask questions they expect this professional to answer. Without even trying to keep a low profile or at least asking for allowance to do so they go ahead. What they want are high-quality answers. For free.
It doesn‘t matter what they do for a living or how they have been raised. After the first question has been shot, more and more overcome their inhibitions and leave aside their good manners. Who cares why this specialist came here! Entertainment or just having a good time with friends? Never! A source of knowledge and experience that comes at no charge, that is what he or she just has become in their eyes and minds.
Witnessing such an act of human misbehaviour and rudeness is quite embarrassing. It makes me feel sick as well as sad for the one who falls victim to the audacity of the spongers. When trapped, there is only so much one can do without appearing to affront for no reason. And it is even harder when I find myself constrained to deal with it if it is me who is in the limelight.
Generally speaking I neither have a problem with sharing my humble knowledge and experience with people who ask me, nor helping them when they are in trouble and simply need some assistance. You may call it a question of honour, you may call it professional behaviour, you may even call it geeky: when someone asks me politely there must be very good reasons for not accepting the challenge. Long story short, under normal conditions people can count on me.
Yet those sudden Q&A sessions can really be a chore, especially when out with some friends to do and talk everything but work. It was some weeks ago when I met one of them and we had a nice afternoon chat, that we - for what reason ever - brought up this subject. With head shaking in disbelief he told me about his latest encounter of that special kind. And he revealed to me how he managed to escape the situation even though he had found himself trapped in some sort of tight spot.
He had been forced into a conversation about tweaking PCs to optimize them for gaming performance. While his interlocutors seemed to spend a lot of time on research on that matter my friend told them that he isn‘t exactly interested in PC gaming at all and pointed out that he might just not be a great help there. But that left the other guys unimpressed and they kept pushing him deeper into this conversation, forcing him to help them figure out some answers.
As they appeared to be very proud of their immense background knowledge they already had and which they were eager to show as if they were trying to compete with my friend, he couldn‘t help and made up a new strategy that he hoped would help him to get out of this conversation. ‘Well, I can see you‘ve already checked more options than I would‘ve ever been able to come up with. But I can think of another thing you could try. Find Config.sys and set buffers to 99.‘
The conversation died almost instantly. Obviously he found something to make his audience ponder about. They had to admit that they had never ever heard about that tweak and because of that it would sure be worth a try. Without even thanking him or apologizing for having him kept away from all the others for almost an hour they turned away. At least my friend was able to spend the rest of the evening the way it was supposed to be spent.
Ever since this evening, when he finds himself forced into some work-related talk he didn‘t ask for he simply waits for the moment to feel right and brings up this phrase. Find Config.sys and set buffers to 99. He is aware of the fact that it isn‘t exactly nice to offer people an advice of this kind but he keeps thinking of it as a means of self-defence. And after spending some moments reflecting on this I tend to agree. In a way.
I may have to mention that his advice will not have gotten his inquisitors very far. But following the suggestions will not have done them any harm either. They may have found themselves just waisting some time, trying to find the file in question and trying to modify it in the suggested way. One may call it their nemesis, at least it was some kind of poetic justice. Well, that is what we made of it. And talking about it made us smile.
How about you?
Suddenly people want to know more. But sadly the conversations are not about the person that is surrounded almost instantly. All those present start to ask questions they expect this professional to answer. Without even trying to keep a low profile or at least asking for allowance to do so they go ahead. What they want are high-quality answers. For free.
It doesn‘t matter what they do for a living or how they have been raised. After the first question has been shot, more and more overcome their inhibitions and leave aside their good manners. Who cares why this specialist came here! Entertainment or just having a good time with friends? Never! A source of knowledge and experience that comes at no charge, that is what he or she just has become in their eyes and minds.
Witnessing such an act of human misbehaviour and rudeness is quite embarrassing. It makes me feel sick as well as sad for the one who falls victim to the audacity of the spongers. When trapped, there is only so much one can do without appearing to affront for no reason. And it is even harder when I find myself constrained to deal with it if it is me who is in the limelight.
Generally speaking I neither have a problem with sharing my humble knowledge and experience with people who ask me, nor helping them when they are in trouble and simply need some assistance. You may call it a question of honour, you may call it professional behaviour, you may even call it geeky: when someone asks me politely there must be very good reasons for not accepting the challenge. Long story short, under normal conditions people can count on me.
Yet those sudden Q&A sessions can really be a chore, especially when out with some friends to do and talk everything but work. It was some weeks ago when I met one of them and we had a nice afternoon chat, that we - for what reason ever - brought up this subject. With head shaking in disbelief he told me about his latest encounter of that special kind. And he revealed to me how he managed to escape the situation even though he had found himself trapped in some sort of tight spot.
He had been forced into a conversation about tweaking PCs to optimize them for gaming performance. While his interlocutors seemed to spend a lot of time on research on that matter my friend told them that he isn‘t exactly interested in PC gaming at all and pointed out that he might just not be a great help there. But that left the other guys unimpressed and they kept pushing him deeper into this conversation, forcing him to help them figure out some answers.
As they appeared to be very proud of their immense background knowledge they already had and which they were eager to show as if they were trying to compete with my friend, he couldn‘t help and made up a new strategy that he hoped would help him to get out of this conversation. ‘Well, I can see you‘ve already checked more options than I would‘ve ever been able to come up with. But I can think of another thing you could try. Find Config.sys and set buffers to 99.‘
The conversation died almost instantly. Obviously he found something to make his audience ponder about. They had to admit that they had never ever heard about that tweak and because of that it would sure be worth a try. Without even thanking him or apologizing for having him kept away from all the others for almost an hour they turned away. At least my friend was able to spend the rest of the evening the way it was supposed to be spent.
Ever since this evening, when he finds himself forced into some work-related talk he didn‘t ask for he simply waits for the moment to feel right and brings up this phrase. Find Config.sys and set buffers to 99. He is aware of the fact that it isn‘t exactly nice to offer people an advice of this kind but he keeps thinking of it as a means of self-defence. And after spending some moments reflecting on this I tend to agree. In a way.
I may have to mention that his advice will not have gotten his inquisitors very far. But following the suggestions will not have done them any harm either. They may have found themselves just waisting some time, trying to find the file in question and trying to modify it in the suggested way. One may call it their nemesis, at least it was some kind of poetic justice. Well, that is what we made of it. And talking about it made us smile.
How about you?
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Sitting Under The Tree, Part 4
Well, hello: Welcome back under the tree! It's been a long, long time, hasn't it? Take a seat, have a cookie, some milk (if you like) - and enjoy! (Or just do whatever you do while reading blog postings. - Wait a minute. Sounds like "copy'n'paste". Nah, never mind.)
While I've been quite lazy, at least as for writing blog postings, folks at Twitter came up with some interesting new features. Giving that a second thought I should call them just "interesting" as they were not exactly new to the community. But let's take small steps, one after the other.
The features I'm talking about are "retweeting" and "lists". And looking back they are not exactly new to Twitter users, yet they are new in the way they are implemented. We all know that people find their way to work around limitations they are confronted with. What is interesting about it is that they manage to find some common ground and make this workaround work for many or even most of us.
One of those workarounds on Twitter is about what is called "retweeting". The original challenge was to publish a received update again (for what reason ever) in a way that it could be recognized in the timeline as re-published, as re-tweeted. To learn more about retweeting please visit the Twitter Fan Wiki or Mashable - to mention two possible resources.
You may find out that retweeting isn't just a workaround any longer but it has become a special part of the Twitter culture. As with being cited, being retweeted shows that the update must have been of some value for someone - and that someone has read the update! Don't laugh, think about it: imagine the amount of updates per second published on Twitter. And suddenly there is an update that is published once more. Maybe again and again. See? It is about influence too...
But my intention is not to explain the psychological aspects or those of group dynamics. Far from it. My point is that the community using Twitter has been using a way to deal with the challenge of republishing updates for months, for years. And it is still working.
Some weeks ago the folks at Twitter introduced their approach to that challenge. As they have the means and the tools at their hand, their interpretation of how to retweet is slightly different from the workarounds that have been in use for a long time. Using the web interface provided by Twitter, there is a button to be found next to each and every update offering the retweet option.
To learn more about it, please have a look at "Project Retweet: Phase One" by @biz on the Twitter Blog or a posting on that subject found on Mashable - or use the search engine of your choice to find out more about it.
As far as I am concerned, I don't see the point in the "official" retweet option provided by Twitter. Sure, it is nice, handy and, well, it is different. Yet to me, as I'm using Twitter for nine months now, the "traditional" way to retweet is somewhat more honest and maybe even more worth reading it.
Honest? Worth reading? Why? Because - assuming that the original update didn't make use of all the 140 characters - it leaves you some space to add your own comment. You can tell others what made you republish that tweet. You can add a comment on the original statement. You can add - value. In a way. The solution provided by Twitter lacks this options. Sad fact. But sure, they offer an option.
In the end it's up to you and me which way we prefer to retweet. All I can say is that there sure will be stuff worth retweeting. Well, at least I think so when taking a look at the list of people I am following... What brings me to the other new, errr, interesting feature: lists.
Lists. Lists? Indeed. Yet another way to manage the ones you are following? Yes. Again, let's take small steps, one after the other. Good places to start from may be the Twitter Fan Wiki (to get the idea of some traditional, workaround approach), "Soon to Launch: Lists" by @nk on the Twitter blog, or Mashable.
Since I joined Twitter I came across lots of sites offering some kind of help in building groups made up of people using Twitter. There were and there are different reasons why trying to do so. One sure is to help people to get in touch with others that are sharing similar interests - whatever that might be. Even though I only use sites and services like that in a passive way (registering, signing in and leaving again), I can see: it might be useful. Another reason, especially for creating groups offline (within the Twitter client of your choice), is laziness and pretending.
Confused? Why would it be lazy to use groups? Why would I call someone using groups a pretender? Well, it is about numbers. Again. This time it is about the number of people one can follow on Twitter - and still read what they are writing. Think about it: do you read all of the tweets published by the people you are following? (Sure, if you are not using Twitter, never mind.)
Building groups or lists may help those who are following lots of people to keep in touch with and read the updates of those people they are really interested in. And the rest? Well, the rest, they may feel better as the one they are following did follow back. Or something like that. I leave that to your imagination. The point is that in case one is following hundreds or thousands of people one needs to organize and prioritize. In that case groups have been the tool of choice ever since.
Now Twitter offers its own group-building tool. They call it lists. And it is a clever approach: you can have public and private ones! Private lists instantly make sense as they are very much like the group tools other Twitter clients offer. As they offer similar functionality they are ideal for those who like to follow more people but want to read less tweets at the same time. But it is only one possible use.
Others are very similar to those offered by online services: building groups of people (one is following) because of a subject, an interest, of interesting content - and show this collections to others. That way everyone interested can easily find new feeds with possibly interesting updates. From that point of view lists can be some kind of extension to the use of hashtags. In the end it is up to everyone on Twitter interested in the lists feature to find out for themselves what lists can be used for.
As far as I am concerned, especially private lists have the aftertaste of some kind of betrayal. I would feel like a pretender if I would use a private list to read only updates of some of the people I am following. Sure, I played around and have set up some lists. But in the end, to me only reading the classic feed summary feels right. That is why I will stay with my principles: only follow people with (kind of) interesting updates and only as many as can seriously be read.
So, what are the lists about you are going to build? Well, go out there and have fun finding out! (You may find some hints and some help reading another article on Mashable.)
Me? I will lean back and sit here, whisteling my own tunes from time to time - and listen to the birds tweeting. Sitting under the tree.
CU - GU!
While I've been quite lazy, at least as for writing blog postings, folks at Twitter came up with some interesting new features. Giving that a second thought I should call them just "interesting" as they were not exactly new to the community. But let's take small steps, one after the other.
The features I'm talking about are "retweeting" and "lists". And looking back they are not exactly new to Twitter users, yet they are new in the way they are implemented. We all know that people find their way to work around limitations they are confronted with. What is interesting about it is that they manage to find some common ground and make this workaround work for many or even most of us.
One of those workarounds on Twitter is about what is called "retweeting". The original challenge was to publish a received update again (for what reason ever) in a way that it could be recognized in the timeline as re-published, as re-tweeted. To learn more about retweeting please visit the Twitter Fan Wiki or Mashable - to mention two possible resources.
You may find out that retweeting isn't just a workaround any longer but it has become a special part of the Twitter culture. As with being cited, being retweeted shows that the update must have been of some value for someone - and that someone has read the update! Don't laugh, think about it: imagine the amount of updates per second published on Twitter. And suddenly there is an update that is published once more. Maybe again and again. See? It is about influence too...
But my intention is not to explain the psychological aspects or those of group dynamics. Far from it. My point is that the community using Twitter has been using a way to deal with the challenge of republishing updates for months, for years. And it is still working.
Some weeks ago the folks at Twitter introduced their approach to that challenge. As they have the means and the tools at their hand, their interpretation of how to retweet is slightly different from the workarounds that have been in use for a long time. Using the web interface provided by Twitter, there is a button to be found next to each and every update offering the retweet option.
To learn more about it, please have a look at "Project Retweet: Phase One" by @biz on the Twitter Blog or a posting on that subject found on Mashable - or use the search engine of your choice to find out more about it.
As far as I am concerned, I don't see the point in the "official" retweet option provided by Twitter. Sure, it is nice, handy and, well, it is different. Yet to me, as I'm using Twitter for nine months now, the "traditional" way to retweet is somewhat more honest and maybe even more worth reading it.
Honest? Worth reading? Why? Because - assuming that the original update didn't make use of all the 140 characters - it leaves you some space to add your own comment. You can tell others what made you republish that tweet. You can add a comment on the original statement. You can add - value. In a way. The solution provided by Twitter lacks this options. Sad fact. But sure, they offer an option.
In the end it's up to you and me which way we prefer to retweet. All I can say is that there sure will be stuff worth retweeting. Well, at least I think so when taking a look at the list of people I am following... What brings me to the other new, errr, interesting feature: lists.
Lists. Lists? Indeed. Yet another way to manage the ones you are following? Yes. Again, let's take small steps, one after the other. Good places to start from may be the Twitter Fan Wiki (to get the idea of some traditional, workaround approach), "Soon to Launch: Lists" by @nk on the Twitter blog, or Mashable.
Since I joined Twitter I came across lots of sites offering some kind of help in building groups made up of people using Twitter. There were and there are different reasons why trying to do so. One sure is to help people to get in touch with others that are sharing similar interests - whatever that might be. Even though I only use sites and services like that in a passive way (registering, signing in and leaving again), I can see: it might be useful. Another reason, especially for creating groups offline (within the Twitter client of your choice), is laziness and pretending.
Confused? Why would it be lazy to use groups? Why would I call someone using groups a pretender? Well, it is about numbers. Again. This time it is about the number of people one can follow on Twitter - and still read what they are writing. Think about it: do you read all of the tweets published by the people you are following? (Sure, if you are not using Twitter, never mind.)
Building groups or lists may help those who are following lots of people to keep in touch with and read the updates of those people they are really interested in. And the rest? Well, the rest, they may feel better as the one they are following did follow back. Or something like that. I leave that to your imagination. The point is that in case one is following hundreds or thousands of people one needs to organize and prioritize. In that case groups have been the tool of choice ever since.
Now Twitter offers its own group-building tool. They call it lists. And it is a clever approach: you can have public and private ones! Private lists instantly make sense as they are very much like the group tools other Twitter clients offer. As they offer similar functionality they are ideal for those who like to follow more people but want to read less tweets at the same time. But it is only one possible use.
Others are very similar to those offered by online services: building groups of people (one is following) because of a subject, an interest, of interesting content - and show this collections to others. That way everyone interested can easily find new feeds with possibly interesting updates. From that point of view lists can be some kind of extension to the use of hashtags. In the end it is up to everyone on Twitter interested in the lists feature to find out for themselves what lists can be used for.
As far as I am concerned, especially private lists have the aftertaste of some kind of betrayal. I would feel like a pretender if I would use a private list to read only updates of some of the people I am following. Sure, I played around and have set up some lists. But in the end, to me only reading the classic feed summary feels right. That is why I will stay with my principles: only follow people with (kind of) interesting updates and only as many as can seriously be read.
So, what are the lists about you are going to build? Well, go out there and have fun finding out! (You may find some hints and some help reading another article on Mashable.)
Me? I will lean back and sit here, whisteling my own tunes from time to time - and listen to the birds tweeting. Sitting under the tree.
CU - GU!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sitting Under The Tree, Part 3
Welcome back again, sitting under the tree. Pleased to meet you (again), great to have you around! Especially nowadays when it appears to be hunting season on Twitter!
What? Wait a minute: hunting season? Good question - no, I didn't lose my mind! (Not yet, even though some may have noticed that I'm working on it.) Yes, hunting season!
Just a few days ago we could follow (did we?) the race between Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) and CNN (@cnnbrk). Race? For what? A race for follower no. 1.000.000. I won't get into details here. I'd like to focus on that figure: 1.000.000. Maybe you can already imagine my face when @m140z suggested (were they serious?) a similar kind of celeb race for followers in Germany. Reading my own lines, this still makes me shake my head. Anyway.
Just a week or something before that happened, @AppleInvestor (aka @Twitlinker aka @JavaChief) brought my attention to a similar playground. There are a lot of people out there trying to sell nothing less than the ultimate way to gain thousands of followers. 10.000, 15.000, 25.000 - chosse a number, it's up to you! Just hand'em the cash and they will take care. Well, they may - or may not. To be honest, that doesn't take us anywhere here. Again it's in those numbers.
Wow. I can remember the day I started tweeting I was completely blown away as I saw that the counter for followers had changed from 0 to 1, went up to 2 some hours later. Imagine: There's someone out there who's kind of interested in what you've got to say! And it's even more flattering that the number of followers did rise even higher. It's amazing to me!
But why would I feel the need push it? That's the question that's going round in my mind! To me it is one thing if you stay in one place long enough and just find an audience (or real friends, that's left to your proper definition). That may be by chance, that may be because of recommendation (as you may find in tradition of #followfriday or something similar). At least that's my kind of naive approach. Well, I like it - and a couple of people out there appear to like it that way too.
@AppleInvestor brought the idea to me (not personally but by his tweets) that you can use techniques to improve the number of followers. I'm not quite sure if he's serious about it. But assuming he's taking his own medicine it sure works out for him and it's an impressing number of followers he gained, that's for sure. But while reading his re-appearing tweets on that topics a single question came to my mind: Why would I do that?
Sure, his ideas are still kind of a classic approach on it. And he's completely right when he asks again and again: Why would I believe in someone who's trying to sell me followers for money? Why would I believe it's a one-way road that ups my follower counter by a single kick-start? And why would I believe those people won't get back on me, asking for more, offering more?
There is one point in all that, that's for sure, and I think that's why those "salesmen" get a grip on quite a number of people: Many people are around on social networks to make a show of how popular they are, how well-known they are - and they just do believe in that! They don't care about a single follower. They don't care about what they're tweeting and how they interact with their so-called network. They need the biggest house with the biggest pool and the latest Ferrari (continue if you like). That's all.
My conclusion is that - as with most things, especially on the social networks - you're much better off when you just don't judge the book by ist cover. Talking about me, I just started to develop my network on Twitter. But I already found some very, very interesting people out there. Some tweets are just entertaining, some tweets deliver interesting news or great advices. And one starts to get involved: One sends a reply here, gets a direct message there and vice versa. One gets into contact, one gets part of it.
Talking about me, that's my understanding of a social media network. And that is what I learned to like within and about Twitter. There are just great people out there like @JustTooBusy, @markshaw, @ScottGiorgini, @NinaRoosen, @nencetti - just to mention a few of those I am pround of to be in touch with. (All of you, my dear followers, that I didn't mention: I beg your pardon! Space and time are quite limited, you know...) To me it's the old story about "give and take" - I will not get into details on that here. It's just my point I want to make here: It's the respect and the exchange between people that counts - not the numbers (neither of followers nor of tweets)!
In my humble opinion there's no need to be jealous of someone's follower network growing faster than the own one. It's just not about the numbers, it's about the people and the network! There sure is a reason, but who cares. Just share that co-tweeter's happiness about his touch, that he just found his domain and that so many people seem to like it.
On the other hand - and I'm serious about that - I think one can be pround and even more feel honored if there is just one single person out there who follows one's tweets: There must be just something about it! So that is great - and suddenly there are two people who care! (Maybe just the beginning.)
That said, I want to invite everybody who managed to read through this that far to leave a comment, just to let me (and others) know what your opinion is on that! And feel free to contact me via Twitter: It is all about communication and connection!
Now I will lean back again, calm down, and start listening again to the birds singing their songs right here, right now - with me sitting under the tree.
CU - GU!
("Hello friend, welcome home!")
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Sitting Under The Tree, Part 2
Well, hello: Welcome under the tree again! Take a seat, take a cookie, some milk (if you like) - and enjoy! (Or just do whatever you do while reading blog postings.)
I've been around here for a couple of days now. Thereby "here" means as much as with Twitter. And it's quite a place, sure it is. Sometimes it's just amusing, sometimes it makes me think.
One point I came across is the follower-following-ratio that can be found amongst the accounts. It's amazing, just figure it out: people following hundreds of feeds! - What brings me to the question that suddenly stroke me: is it possible to really, seriously follow that many tweets a day?
I made up my mind a little bit on that. Aware of the saying what assuming can make of you and me I'll do it anyway: Let's assume that the good old 80/20 rule works for this one too. Which one? Oh, yes. Thinking about 100 feeds to be followed, 20 of them might create 80 percent of the tweets. If those people are less active that may lead to about 20 tweets per hour. That's all right. But what happens in case these people have quite a mind and things to say? That can lead to about 40 to 60 tweets an hour - one tweet every minute!
Now, let's step back and take a look. One tweet every minute, at least every two minutes. What about all the people out there complaining 'bout more-than-full e-mail inboxes? Am I the only one to find that a little bit strange?
Let's change point of view a little bit: Who's to read it? Again back to e-mail for comparison. There are junk filters, spam filters, inbox rules and a lot more stuff to do filtering on what's coming in. (Well, that's why it's called inbox. Never mind.) But that's done because you sometimes just don't have a choice on what you get and who might send a message to you. And after all, honestly, a lot of messages remain in the inbox (or a subfolder) kind of unread. (No, don't lie to me...)
Back to the lovely tweets. In most cases you have a choice. You choose which feeds you'd like to follow. That may be because it's entertaining, useful or anything else. But again I'll do an assumption: you only follow tweets because you read them (most of the time). - Remember the figures from above? One tweet every minute? Can that be done? Honestly?
I don't want to give answers here. It is a very personal thing. Some people just can't get enough whereas others are overstrained quite easily. Everyone has to judge this for himself. (Please pardon my political incorrectness.) It just came to my mind...
I know of a small experiment performed by @jadito. He just asked for a reply using the words "read" in the message. He wanted to find out how many of the following/followers really read and tend to the messages they receive. I may be mistaken by the proper goals of the experiment but as far as I learned the result was quite disillusioning - even though it was expectable.
Another good point is that some people just have a life. (Yes, they have!) @nencetti asked: "If I am too busy to use Social Media sites, does hat make me Anti-Social Media?" Quite a question, isn't it? Many people "like social media", but "never have the time. Day job, marriage, life, etc." Good points I think.
So, how many feeds with tweets you can follow seriously? Yes, it depends, that's right. Everyone of us is different. That's how it's meant to be. That's why everybody can feel free to ask the question and answer it for himself. (Don't get me 'bout the political incorrectness!) As far as I am concerned, I am about to follow 50 feeds - and I am about to draw the line there. Just have to see how much noise, er, tweets there will be during the next couple of days.
Until then I will sit here, whisteling my own tunes from time to time - and listen to the birds tweeting. Sitting under the tree.
CU - GU!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Sitting Under The Tree, Part 1
All right, here we go. But what is in a name - or a headline? Well, let me try to explain.
I'm not quite new to that world of networked computers, not really. Curiosity and exaltation for the new things to discover using well-known tools have driven me to use Twitter and start this blog. Kind of late compared to others, but anyway.
Now, here I am, sitting under the tree. Which tree you might ask. Sorry, let me explain. Those of you who know be sure know which company I'm addicted to. That company's logo not always has been a fruit only. Anyone remember the first one? (Search Wikipedia or Google, sure will find, what I'm writing about.) So, I may write on my experience on these products from time to time.
But now for the other tree, let me call it Twitter tree. Yes, after all I joined this community with a smile on my face. The stories about the beginning of Twitter in mind I wasn't sure at all if I would stay for long. No need to repeat the questions that were running through my mind - many others have left their notes on it on The Net.
Let me tell you, I'm no longer looking for a sense in Twitter. I still have a smile on my face when it comes to Twitter. It might lack sense frome time to time, but it can be just fun. Nothing more, nothing less. So I'm sitting under the tree with all it's birds and listen to them, tweeting.
From time to time it can be quite noisy. Following some of the people, you might find you in front of a wave of messages exchanged between them. That's what I call noisy - just like startled birds. Nayway, that's part of Twitter, like it or not.
But there are times of silence, too. Noone you follow has a thing to write about, you yourself have neither. Looking at the Public Timeline, things are going slow there, too. As annoying as the noise might be, the silence is strange to me frrom time to time.
Sitting under the tree you have to live with the droppings. Spam is everywhere, and the wave of spam sure still has to strike Twitter. Until then you just have to learn to recognize this stuff. And followers aren't all that counts.
On the other hand some birds in the tree are almost unhearable, but their tweets are that sweet you don't want to miss a single one. I call myself lucky to come across some of those tweets now and then. It's kind of an inspiration from time to time. Others just are, well, nice.
Last but not least some birds are around that take the word too serious: "Eat like a bird, poop like an elephant." I'm pretty sure that these words by Guy Kawasaki are terribly mistake from time to time. (Note to myself: Think about it!)
Well, but after all I like to sit here, whisteling my own tunes from time to time - and listen to the birds tweeting. Sitting under the tree.
CU - GU!
I'm not quite new to that world of networked computers, not really. Curiosity and exaltation for the new things to discover using well-known tools have driven me to use Twitter and start this blog. Kind of late compared to others, but anyway.
Now, here I am, sitting under the tree. Which tree you might ask. Sorry, let me explain. Those of you who know be sure know which company I'm addicted to. That company's logo not always has been a fruit only. Anyone remember the first one? (Search Wikipedia or Google, sure will find, what I'm writing about.) So, I may write on my experience on these products from time to time.
But now for the other tree, let me call it Twitter tree. Yes, after all I joined this community with a smile on my face. The stories about the beginning of Twitter in mind I wasn't sure at all if I would stay for long. No need to repeat the questions that were running through my mind - many others have left their notes on it on The Net.
Let me tell you, I'm no longer looking for a sense in Twitter. I still have a smile on my face when it comes to Twitter. It might lack sense frome time to time, but it can be just fun. Nothing more, nothing less. So I'm sitting under the tree with all it's birds and listen to them, tweeting.
From time to time it can be quite noisy. Following some of the people, you might find you in front of a wave of messages exchanged between them. That's what I call noisy - just like startled birds. Nayway, that's part of Twitter, like it or not.
But there are times of silence, too. Noone you follow has a thing to write about, you yourself have neither. Looking at the Public Timeline, things are going slow there, too. As annoying as the noise might be, the silence is strange to me frrom time to time.
Sitting under the tree you have to live with the droppings. Spam is everywhere, and the wave of spam sure still has to strike Twitter. Until then you just have to learn to recognize this stuff. And followers aren't all that counts.
On the other hand some birds in the tree are almost unhearable, but their tweets are that sweet you don't want to miss a single one. I call myself lucky to come across some of those tweets now and then. It's kind of an inspiration from time to time. Others just are, well, nice.
Last but not least some birds are around that take the word too serious: "Eat like a bird, poop like an elephant." I'm pretty sure that these words by Guy Kawasaki are terribly mistake from time to time. (Note to myself: Think about it!)
Well, but after all I like to sit here, whisteling my own tunes from time to time - and listen to the birds tweeting. Sitting under the tree.
CU - GU!
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