April 12, 2009
Stormie’s Story: The Tale of a Former Easter Bunny
Stormie (l) and Noel
On this Easter, the day when countless bunnies will sadly be given as Easter presents, only to be forgotten later, I want to share Stormie’s story. Stormie, a dainty Silver Marten, found her way – how and why I do not know – to a terrible shelter, where the bunnies were housed outdoors, shielded only from the bitter New England winter by a thin tarp, where I first met her.
On the front of her cage was a note: “Do Not Touch. Attack Rabbit.”
At first, I didn’t attempt to pet her. Cleaning her tiny cage was a challenge. She growled and boxed at me each time, but I talked to her and promised her she wouldn’t have to stay there forever. I would watch her, each day as I left the shelter, staring sadly from her cage out of the plastic window. I had already decided to adopt Thumper for Puddles and Midnight for Riley – that would give us four bunnies. Still, I couldn’t leave Stormie behind.
I will never forget the look on Stormie’s face when I let her out of her carrier and into her new home. Her eyes were wide and she immediately began exploring. She would never have to shiver through frigid nights again or have to munch on rotten greens.
Stormie, because she was without a mate, spent her first weeks with us stretched out on the couch next to me. She was still jumpy and would grunt at me when I tried to touch her, something she never really outgrew. She liked to be pet and hugged on her terms, when she wanted it. Stormie was the boss – of everyone. And, that was okay. She’d endured so much in her time before coming to us that she should be in charge.
Stormie & Noel: True Love
A year after I adopted Stormie in November of 2001, I fostered Noel. He was just a baby but quickly became the love of Stormie’s life. The two were inseparable, and Noel helped Stormie through her pain. She wasn’t an attack rabbit, after all (big surprise), nor was she hormonal (I had her spayed within days of bringing her home). She was an elder bun, and X-rays revealed severe arthritis in her back and spine. She didn’t growl because she was unhappy or because she didn’t like people. She growled because she was in pain, a burden we both shared (I have had chronic pain since I was 23).
Meds help Stormie regain some of her youth and her spunk. She lapped up her new medicine, hidden in raspberry jam, every day, even sharing it with Noel. The two spent the next few years exploring together, eating together, and lying together in front of the TV. They spent every moment together.
Then, in April of 2004, Noel was struck with a cancerous tumor. The tumor was removed, and we were all hopeful that that was the end of that.
It wasn’t.
By the end of August, cancer had eaten away at Noel’s increasingly weak body. He fought valiantly, but there was no hope. One tumor was amassed in his chest, and he would not have survived the surgery.
With Stormie by his side, Noel died on August 31, 2004.
Little did any of us know Stormie, too, would be gone a year later.
Saturday Afternoon Car Rides
In the months preceding August 18, 2005, Stormie lost a lot of her spark. She bonded with Riley and Midnight, lying closely to them and letting them know what she wanted them to do and when. If they annoyed her by eating pellets when she wanted to eat alone, she bit their butts. She battled stasis and graciously allowed me to give her a shot every five hours until she was back to herself.
She still loved going for rides in the car. I would take her with me on Saturday afternoon errands in South Jersey. My favorite memory from those times was going to a new store, a place we’d never been, on a warm fall afternoon. Stormie’s eyes were wide and she looked around as we drove. She stayed upright, checking out what was going on. She was so curious and content.
After a half an hour, she was a little less interested. By the time we were really lost an hour later, she was stretched out and sleeping on the front seat.
I miss those afternoon drives.
Goodbye, Stormie
Stormie was an old girl – my old girl – but she lost that shine in her eyes when Noel died. I awoke on August 18, 2005 to find Stormie not quite herself. We rushed to the vet, who X-rayed her, and found nothing wrong. A full exam showed no problems. I tried to get her to eat and drink throughout the day and kept her right next to me the whole day.
That night, her body started to shut down. As I held her, she took her last breath.
Life is still not the same without Stormie.
Stormie’s First Gift as an Angel
Heartbroken, I took Stormie to be cremated the next day then stayed in bed, away from the world. I later posted a message about her passing on a rabbit group I had posted to since 2001.
A member wrote to me. She remembered Stormie. She had been to the same shelter in May of 2001 and had seen Stormie, months before I had adopted her. She remembered the sign: “Do Not Touch: Attack Rabbit.” She told me she, too, had adopted a bunny from the shelter and had always felt guilty because she took her bunny from her bonded mate. She didn’t know at the time how traumatic that could be for both of the bunnies.
I was able to tell her I knew the bunny who had been left behind and she had, in fact, been adopted to a very loving person.
Because of Stormie, she was able to stop worrying and feeling guilty. She knew that the bunny (who I called Cocoa) had been adopted into a loving home.
Please Don’t Buy Unless You Are Ready for a Lifelong Commitment
Stormie spent who knows how long in a shelter because someone bought her and didn’t want her. My bunny, Puddles, (who died in 2002) was left to fend for herself in a park. Pippin, who died in 2006, spent so many years cooped in a tiny shelter cage that she didn’t know how to hop when she came home. She just sat still until she realized it was okay to run around. Noel was a forgotten present, neglected by his owners.
Stormie, Puddles, Pippin, and Noel were all the lucky ones. (And so were my bunnies Riley, Midnight, Thumper & Maggie.) Many former Easter bunnies never get the chance to have a loving home. Many end up in shelters or rescues. Those who are lucky find homes or live out their lives with loving fosters. But, more than a million every year are euthanized, never to know the love and the security of a real home and a real family.
April 10, 2009
The Rwandan Genocide: Where were the tears in 1994?
April 7th marked the 15th anniversary of the start of the Rwandan Genocide, during which an estimated 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were slaughtered, often with machetes, by the Hutu. The genocide that claimed nearly a million lives only lasted for 100 days – three months and a week. That’s 333 murders an hour.
This week the world commemorates the loss of the Rwandans during the genocide.
Planned Extermination
But, where was that same world 15 years ago when the blood was being shed? Canadian General Romeo Dallaire had been receiving intelligence, as early as January, that the Hutu were cultivating plans to “exterminate” the Tutsi. He valiantly tried to get the media and world leaders involved.
Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana’s presidential plane was shot down over Kigali airport on April 6, creating the catalyst that set the extermination plan and the genocide into motion. The plane crash and the death of the president incited the Hutu, who fully believed that the Tutsi were responsible for the crash, to seek out and kill Tutsi and moderate Hutu.
By mid-April, Dallaire wasn’t the only one crying genocide. Rwandan expert Alison Des Forges declared the massacres in Rwanda genocide as early as April 17, 1994.
Requests for Help Refused
Additionally, Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali was also adamantly declaring the Hutu massacres of the Tutsi in Rwanda constituted genocide, and in a May 26 press conference, he shared his frustration and disgust that the international community was simply standing back and allowing such atrocities to take place. Having campaigned to have 5,500 troops sent to Rwanda to stop the genocide, Boutros-Ghali was denied by the Western governments who refused to get involved.
At the time of the speech, 200,000 Rwandans had already been slaughtered. Yet, the world stood by and watched as another 600,000 Rwandans would be murdered.
Same Story, Different Genocides
Today, the world, including the same governments that refused to act a decade and a half ago, cries for the innocent victims of the Rwandan Genocide.
Where were the tears then? Where were the tears when hundreds of thousands could have been saved?
It’s easy to cry after the fact, but that’s just how it goes with genocide. After the Holocaust, during which time more than 11 million people were murdered by the Nazis, the world collectively promised “Never Again.” It has become a mantra of sorts, but the sad fact is it has happened again. And again. And again. And, guess what? The world reacts the same as it did during World War II and during the Rwandan Genocide.
In fact, genocide has been raging in Darfur since 2003. President Bush, in 2004, even called the murders in Darfur genocide, which was later confirmed by Secretary of the State Colin Powell.
Yet, what happened?
Nothing.
Sure, you’ll read occasional stories or see occasional news stories on the “atrocities” in Darfur because no one, except those fighting to give the people of Darfur a voice, calls it genocide anymore, even though that’s what it is. Politicians make promises, yet the murders still continue.
Why Don’t People Care About Genocide?
It’s frustrating. After spending two years immersed in studying genocide in graduate school, I began to understand how and why genocide happens. What I cannot understand is why people don’t care. Is it because genocide is the worst that humanity has to offer? That the sheer horror of such mass death – in gas chambers, on death marches through deserts in Turkey, from starvation in Ukraine, and from machetes in Rwanda – is simply too difficult for the mind to comprehend?
Or, is it because genocide is happening in faraway places that most people don’t even know about or think about? Are people too absorbed in their own lives to care? Will it only matter when genocide is on their doorstep or someone they love is involved?
The Answer is You and Me
More than 180 million people – men, women, and children – were murdered during genocides of the 20th century. Why is that acceptable to anyone? We can only stop genocide if we work together as individuals. It goes far beyond chanting “Never Again” and wearing Darfur t-shirts. It requires action, action that can be as simple as writing to local politicians, sending letters to the editor, joining organizations like Save Darfur, and becoming proactive. Being proactive doesn’t have to cost money: It only requires you to spend some time and to show compassion for others.
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April 8, 2009
Confessions of a Former Elancer
I was a few years out of college, temping to make money to fund my travels, when I stumbled into the online writing world. It was the late 1990s, and I was the proverbial 20-something, confused and not sure of what I wanted to do with my life. I had decided, by my senior year of college, that journalism really wasn’t for me. I was pretty sure that I was meant to be a writer – after all, it’s who I was, but I had no idea how to jump in. The confidence I exuded in college had waned during my years as a temp, and I didn’t know how to break in as a freelancer.
Then one day, when I was living in Toronto, I discovered a wonderful Web site with links to writing resources – one of them was Elance.com. The idea of Elance intrigued me. At the time, it cost nothing to become a member, but there was a project fee for every project that a member completed. Essentially, providers bid on projects and buyers chose the providers with whom they wanted to work. After the project was complete, the buyer would pay and leave feedback for the provider. The provider could also leave feedback for the provider.
Those were the days. Today, Elance has changed dramatically. By the time I decided to become a member and really start bidding, Elance charged a membership fee in addition to a transaction fee. It was costly, but that was all part of freelancing, right?
In the years I spent with Elance (which is now a thing of the past, fortunately for my self-respect, stress levels, and bank account), I dropped thousands of dollars on project fees, transaction fees, membership fees, and buyers who disappeared.
This is my view of Elance as a former provider.
Held Hostage to Feedback
Losing money to buyers is, unfortunately, an unfavorable consquence of doing business on Elance. Providers (writers, designers, engineers, you name it) live and die by the feedback they accrue on Elance. Bad feedback can prevent a provider from garnering new business.
Many buyers know this, and those who are unscrupulous will take advantage of that fact. When I was with Elance, if a provider returned payment for the project to the buyer (while Elance still collected their fees), the buyer couldn’t leave feedback. That puts providers in an unenviable position: If they end up with a buyer who just isn’t pleased with anything they do or who requests more work than the initial scope of the project for free, providers can either get paid for their work and face potentially bad feedback or can refund the money in full to prevent bad (retaliation) feedback, which means they worked for free.
I’ve been held hostage for feedback, and it’s not fun (buyers who wanted more work for no additional pay). It’s stressful and really puts a writer between a rock and a hard place (to use an old but relevant cliche): Do I give the work for free and risk not being able to pay the bills, or do I accept the payment and the potential consequences of that bad feedback I might receive from a disgruntled buyer? (I have been lucky – in my years of freelancing, I am very rarely asked to make major changes, if any, to projects, so I have a very good satisfaction rate. The problem is with the buyers who will never be happy and who only want to get writing for free.)
Disappearing Buyers
Another major problem with Elance.com, at least from my experience, is working with buyers who will simply disappear after the project is complete (one reason I added a clause to my Statement of Work that states I own all copyrights of what I’ve written until I’ve been paid in full. I also began requiring deposits). There is absolutely nothing Elance can or will do when a buyer disappears (and probably reappears on the site under a new nickname). In fact, the first few times my buyers disappeared I was not even refunded my project fees (that later changed). I lost a lot of money – thousands of dollars – that way.
High fees
Elance used to have a simple and straightforward, yet costly, structure for charging its providers. We had to pay a membership fee, which we could do monthly, quarterly, or annually in addition to a minimum $10 project fee for each project and an 8.75 percent project fee. Elance recently instituted a connects system. For a monthly fee, you get a certain number of connects with which to bid. A project with a price range of under $500 will cost you one connect, for example. If you sign up as an individual provider, you are allotted 20 connects a month, which can get quite costly as the more the estimated project budget (which often isn’t the actual budget), the more you are going to pay in connects. Previously, you paid a flat membership fee, including commission on every project, and were able to bid on 120 projects a month. The connect system prohibits such bidding unless you’re willing to pay for additional connects, which can be a pricey option.
Focus on Buyers, Not Providers
Without the providers at Elance, there would be no Elance. Elance wouldn’t be a multi-million dollar company. But, it is. And, Elance earned its millions from the providers, not the buyers. Of course, any business is out to maximize their profits. However, Elance goes out of its way to take care of their buyers, not their providers (the ones who make them the money).
Just go on Elance’s forum – the Water Cooler – and read the frustrated comments from providers complaining that Elance doesn’t respond to problems via email, phone, or the Water Cooler itself. Unfortunately, with a business plan like that, Elance might make its millions now, but they are destined to failure if they stop listening to those who pay their way. More and more professionals, fed up with the way its run, are leaving Elance.
Wade through the crap
Maybe there’s a nicer way to say it, but you really do have to wade through a lot of crap to find any projects of value. When I first started at Elance, the buyer base was much more diverse. Buyers were more willing to pay for quality. Today, you’ll find countless projects – at least in the Writing & Translation category – with buyers willing to pay only 50 cents to a dollar for high quality, researched 500 word articles (like any self-respecting professional is going to accept such a project. It would be more profitable to work at McDonald’s). I’ve seen dozens of projects where the buyer is asking for 1000 articles for $100, a full-length ebook for $50…it has become so outrageous that Elance has long since stopped being a viable resource, at least for me.
Upsides of Elance
Not all of my time with Elance was stressful or unpleasant. I’ve cultivated long-term relationships with some great clients and enjoyed a wide range of projects (this was before Elance really began taking a dive in terms of what types of projects are offered). Unfortunately, as I mentioned a moment ago, Elance has stopped being a viable resource for me as a professional.
The key to working on Elance is to understand what you’re getting in to and to be willing to expend a lot of time and a lot of money to find those really great projects.
April 6, 2009
The Internet: Making It Easier to Cheat?
Yesterday, I received an email in which a business owner heaped some praise on me – telling me I was talented, experienced, and educated (okay, I’ll agree with that) – then asked me to send her my resume, writing samples, and references. I was being considered for a writer’s position (a position for which I never applied), helping students write and edit their school papers. Not only was I under consideration, but I could make thousands of dollars a month.
This isn’t the first time it has happened. Students have personally asked me to help them cheat. The cherry on the sundae occurred when I was asked to write a student’s PhD dissertation. A dissertation! Thanks, but I’ll write my own dissertation for my own credit and toward my own doctorate.
My immediate question is: Why would I help students cheat? To give students the grades that I worked my butt off for while working on my B.A., my M.A., and now my MPW? Yeah, that’s going to happen. The problem is: There are writers out there who will help students cheat. I’m trying to figure out the reasoning from both sides.
Students, Cheating, and the Internet
I don’t understand, as a current and former student, why students feel the need to cheat. If you’re not interested in school, why are you there? We had a discussion in one of my classes a few weeks ago, and a fellow student mentioned that CNN ran a story some time ago discussing the very problem. Students apparently claimed that they had so much pressure to do well, and they just didn’t have the time. They had to get the good grades. Boo hoo. As an undergraduate, I took 18 credits a semester, worked part-time, and had an internship. I graduated half a point from summa cum laude while on a full scholarship.
I know moms with full-time jobs who are holding down a full load of courses, all doing well and getting good grades without cheating. I know students who juggle both full-time jobs and school and don’t cheat.
Such excuses don’t cut it.
But, the topic of the blog post is: Does the internet make it easier to cheat? Having earned my B.A. in 1996, I left college when the internet was just starting to gain popularity. I’m sure students cheated back then, but was it as easy to find someone – a paper mill, for example – to write papers for them? Do paper mills and desperate writers, advertising their services on the internet, make it easier for students to cheat?
It’s not only the paper mills and writers that advertise their services. Go to a freelance site like Elance.com, and you’ll find plenty of job postings from students – from high school to doctoral – asking for bids from members to write their school papers.
From the writers’ point of view, I’ve read commentary from writers who claim that they are doing nothing wrong in writing papers for students: They are simply making money. I think the ethics behind that is a conversation for another time, but it is something interesting to think about.
Ultimately, my question is, as a consumer, would I really want to go to a doctor who cheated his way to and maybe even through medical school? How about a lawyer? Or, an accountant? A teacher?
Unscrupulous Moneymakers
It’s not only students who are willing to cheat and writers who are willing to help them. (Do a Google search and you’ll find countless paper mills out there, ready to assist their “clients” in getting better grades. Ironically enough, there have been writers who have accused such paper mills of failing to pay them for the work that they’ve done.)
There are plenty of people cheating on the internet every day. One of the newest and most prevalent problems is so-called “entrepreneurs” who take authors’ text – whether articles, blog posts, ebooks, books, or other content – and rewrite it to make it their own then sell it to make money.
Some of these so-called entrepreneurs won’t even bother rewriting the content at all, simply changing the byline to their own name, which is an outright violation of copyright law.
Still, there are other so-called entrepreneurs who create information products, without checking to ensure the information they are selling is correct, all with the goal of making a quick buck.
Does the internet make it easier to cheat?
From the experiences I’ve had as a freelancer and just from reading writing and other forums, I truly do believe that the internet makes cheating easier and maybe even more acceptable. Those who steal writers’ content, for example, may never have to face the consequences of what they’ve done: After all, the internet is vast and it’s hard to keep track of the copyright violations, although programs like Copyscape help. Students, who can have their papers customized by paper mills, may also never get caught, unless the paper mill writer plagiarizes. (That doesn’t mean that some day when that student is on the job that he or she won’t be caught not knowing what he or she is doing or knows.)
If the internet does, in fact, make it easier to cheat, what can be done to stop the problem? Or, is cheating simply a consquence of such a fast and convenient technology?
March 29, 2009
Writers Beware: Scam Artists & the Internet
Professional writers understand that writing is a craft, a skill that requires nurturing and continuous education beyond the classroom’s door. Unfortunately, with the advent of the internet, professional writers are increasingly seeing their skills, especially in the online marketplace, diminished in the eyes of some. Professional writers have been called typists and glorified secretaries, among other not-so-flattering names, by those who want high quality work for pennies.
Companies like Elance.com and so-called internet “gurus” have helped push the value of a professional writer’s work way down in the online marketplace. Elance.com is ripe with calls for cheap labor (it’s gotten so bad that there are job posts requesting 500 word articles that are researched and professionally written for a whole FIFTY CENTS) while some internet “gurus” encourage their followers to pay only pennies a word, if that, for writing from a professional.
It is that kind of prevailing attitude that is turning the internet into a hotbed for scams, making it essential for professional writers to navigate the waters of the internet and online writing opportunities very carefully. Several days ago, I was on a writer’s forum, and I read a post from a writer warning other writers about the latest scam: Scrupulous “entrepreneurs” (calling them entrepreneurs is an insult to real entrepreneurs who want to build their businesses ethically and honestly) are posting job ads online – most notably on Craig’s List – asking for resumes and writing samples from professional writers in exchange for consideration for a writing gig.
The “entrepreneur” then takes the writing samples, adds his name to it, and publishes it on Web sites like Associated Content, where he is paid a small upfront fee and makes residuals based on page views. Basically, these so-called entrepreneurs are stealing content (which is against copyright law) from writers and using it as their own.
The problem is nothing new, and it’s only going to get worse as long as companies and so-called internet gurus perpetuate the idea that professional writing (editing, transcribing, marketing, Web design – you name it) can be had for next to nothing.
What you can do to protect yourself against scam artists:
- Carefully research each potential client. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.
- Be careful to whom you send writing samples.
- Always have a contract that includes full contact information for the client, including mailing address, phone number, and email address, before you begin work.
- Always get a deposit. Unfortunately, there are scammers out there who, if you don’t get your money upfront, will take your work and run with it, never to pay you.
- Avoid working with a client who writes “this is an easy job for someone who knows what they are doing” or something along those lines. The line has spread like wildfire on the internet. A so-called internet marketing guru has convinced others that, if they really want to get professional writing and other services at dirt cheap prices, they simply have to use that line.Think about it. Would you say that to your doctor? Your lawyer? Well, it’s an easy job because you know what you’re doing, so I’m not going to pay you what you’re worth. Like that’s going to fly, right?
- Avoid working with those who state something like “heck, you’ll even get a free education” from working on the project. It’s just another line some advocate and really believe will help them find cheap work.
- Keep copies of ALL communication at least until you are paid in full for your work. (I tend to keep mine longer.)
- Don’t let them get away with it. If you have been scammed, take action. It doesn’t have to cost you anything. Two summers ago, I naively accepted a writing gig and didn’t ask for money upfront. I did the work, and the guy disappeared. A few months later, I went on Copyscape and looked for my articles. What did I find? He was using them – on his own Web site and in article directories. I made screenshots of my word documents, showing when I had written the articles, made screenshots of each email exchange we had (in which I made it clear that I owned copyright and he could not use the work until he paid in full), and sent it to both his Web host and the article directories. Within 24 hours, he had been shut down.
- Keep in mind that scammers aren’t just on the internet. There are people offline who will also just disappear when it’s time for payment. I had the same thing happen when writing for a regional magazine – a magazine that was even connected with their city government. I didn’t ask for a deposit because I had been paid promptly the times I had previously worked with the publisher. After months, she paid me. The check bounced. After that, she disappeared. Even the city government I contacted, after responding at first, ignored me. I still have all of the correspondence that proves I am owed the money, money I will never see.
The moral of the story? Be careful. Protect yourself as a writer. The fact is most people who provide services – whether writing or Web design – for dirt cheap are going to provide subpar work. We are professionals, and we deserve to be paid for our work.
Wireframes: Examining Chatham University’s Homepage
The first thing I noticed, when examining Chatham University’s homepage, is the layout is very clean. Chatham doesn’t use the entire page – rather, the content is concentrated in the center of the page, which is naturally where my eyes go upon opening the page. The page is broken up into individual boxes, making it easy to navigate the page and to find for what you are looking.
I like that Chatham uses flash in the middle of the screen, and it’s fast to load. The quickly changing ads makes it easy to see what Chatham has to offer and makes it even easier to learn more by simply clicking the photograph.
The most important links are on the left side of the page – from Admissions to Moodle – making it easy to quick scan for the right link. The links on the right side of the page stand out because each is in a different color (purple for Chatham College for Women; orange for College for Graduate Studies; and greenish brown for College for Continuing and Professional Studies).
The homepage contains everything a visitor needs: From the right links and news and notices to contact information. Visitors can see all of the information on the page without scrolling. I went to my alma maters’ Web sites (Point Park University and The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey) and both require scrolling to see all of the information on the homepage, making it a little less convenient than Chatham’s homepage.
I don’t really see any problems with the layout and the content. Both seem to flow naturally together, and I’ve never had a problem navigating the homepage. (Maybe, after I take the Web design and development courses this summer, I’ll have different, more critical thoughts.)
March 28, 2009
Embracing the Groundswell and Your Customers
Groundswell: winning in a world transformed by social technologies
Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
Harvard Business Press, 2008
You know everything there is to know about social media: You’ve built a page for your business on Facebook, started a blog, and introduced a community forum. Yet, you’re still not seeing the results you expected. In fact, your attempts have been met with a deafening silence.
Or, maybe you have a vague idea about social media and its importance to your business, but you just don’t know how to get started.
Regardless of how much you know about social media, Groundswell: winning in a world transformed by social technologies will show you why conquering the groundswell is important to your business’s success and how you can harness the power of the groundswell.
Knowing about social media is a good first step to embracing the groundswell, but you have to really understand how the groundswell works if you want to successfully and effectively use it. Harnessing the power of the groundswell goes far beyond simply deciding to start a blog, for example. The fact is the very core of the groundswell is about building relationships with your customers.
“In the groundswell, relationships are everything. The way people connect with each other—the community that is created—determines how the power shifts,” according to Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, authors of Groundswell and both vice-presidents and principal analysts at Forrester Research, a global marketing and research company. (To hear more from Li about embracing the groundswell, check out this podcast.)
You can harness the power of the groundswell and use it to your advantage by working with your customers. Or, you can ignore your customers, and they will find a company that will listen. The groundswell is about relationships, although having knowledge of the current technology is important, and Li and Bernoff work hard to illustrate just how important those relationships are to success.
As Andrea Hill notes, in a blog post about Groundswell, technology rapidly changes, which could result in Groundswell becoming quickly outdated if today’s technology was the focus of the book. Instead, Li and Bernoff focus on how companies can build relationships with their customers. Regardless of whether the technology changes, the relevancy of Groundswell will remain because the importance of a collaboration between companies and their customers will never diminish.
Groundswell is geared toward any business, whether a one-man operation or a worldwide conglomerate, that wants to take advantage of the groundswell. Li and Bernoff discuss social media – including blogging, wikis, and widgets – in-depth and provide readers with numerous relevant case studies, each of which beautifully illustrates how a business effectively implemented an aspect of the groundswell.
For example, you’ll meet Jim, a loyal and vocal customer of ebags.com. After ebags.com listened to his complaint about a laptop case’s zipper, which broke on Jim, and made appropriate changes to rectify the problem with the bag, Jim became their biggest advocate, telling everyone who would listen about ebags’ great products. Ebags.com is an effective and memorable example of a company that uses energizing to harness the groundswell.
Groundswell also includes examples of forays into social media by such internationally recognized companies as General Motors and Memorial Sloan-Kettering. But, Li and Bernoff don’t just rely on groundswell success stories. They also share stories about companies that did not effectively use the groundswell, such as computer icon Dell, and how that impacted their businesses, an important lesson for what not to do and how to rectify such mistakes.
Using the groundswell to your advantage requires you to pinpoint your exact objective. What do you want to achieve through the groundswell? The authors list five objectives, of which you should choose only one: Listening, talking, energizing, supporting, and embracing. Each objective is fully explained and includes detailed case studies, making it easy to begin thinking about which objective is best for your company.
In addition to knowing your objective, you must know your customer base. What type of online users are they? Are they creators who like to start their own blogs or Web sites? Are they critics who prefer to write comments on blogs or post reviews? Or, are they spectators, who prefer to read what others publish?
As Li and Bernoff point out, if your customers are spectators, there’s little point to starting a review site because chances are they aren’t going to join in. Critics, however, will likely relish the opportunity to post their opinions of your products or services.
It is that kind of information that really makes Groundswell stand out as an important resource for businesses of all sizes. Bernoff, in a podcast last year, noted that now, as the world is in the midst of a recession, is an ideal time to take advantage of the groundswell because it is relatively inexpensive to participate in social media, such as blogging and using social bookmarking like Digg.
Groundswell provides readers, even those who are struggling in the current economic climate, with the foundation they need to effectively take advantage of social media and to build successful relationships with their customers.
Li and Bernoff also offer a peek into their own groundswell, engaging readers with their blog and encouraging dialogue on the Groundswell forum.
Ultimately, Groundswell is an inspiring read. As a professional writer and an entrepreneur, I began mulling new business ideas and approaches. For example, how can I as a writer take advantage of the groundswell? How can I use the groundswell to help clients? How can I mesh the two?
Groundswell has provided me with a very important starting point to learning even more. Because I now understand how important it is to identify one main objective, how to classify my audience and the importance of planning to ensure success with social media, I can now put what I have learned into practice.
I agree with Li and Bernoff that the key to success is to build relationships with customers. A business owner or a marketing director might be enamored with a marketing concept, such as a pop-up ad every time a visitor visits the company Web site. If the customers don’t like it, however, a company must listen, especially if the choice is between listening or losing those customers. Listening is, ultimately, a key to success, something that Groundswell reinforced for me as a writer.
The case studies offered by Li and Bernoff bring the groundswell concepts to life because they are memorable and unique, making it easy to see how some companies successfully use the groundswell to their benefit, which I as a reader can then translate into my own business.
In addition, each of the social media mentioned in Groundswell is intricately connected with writing for new media. Blogging requires a different type of writing, for example, than writing for Twitter or on Facebook. Each requires professional writers to understand their audience and to write for that audience. All also require a new, global way of thinking.
If Groundswell accomplishes one thing, it’s hammering home the point that business is all about relationships and the key to a successful relationship is listening. The groundswell will continue to change, probably faster than many can keep up. It’s hard to fathom just what’s coming next – after all, technology is developing at such a rapid pace. Who could have imagined a mere decade ago that business would be so interconnected with the internet? That the internet would give consumers so much power? That businesses could accomplish research goals in mere days instead of months or years?
While we don’t know exactly what new technologies are around the corner, there is one thing for certain: The groundswell is here for the long-term. It will one day become essential, if it hasn’t already, for every company and every individual (writers, for example) to have an understanding of the groundswell and to incorporate it into their marketing plans. Groundswell: winning in a world transformed by social technologies provides an important foundation for those readers who want to understand and to take advantage of the groundswell.
March 26, 2009
Irresponsibility’s Big Payoff and Its Innocent Victims
Apparently, at least in the United States, irresponsibility pays – and pays big time. Well, at least for a certain few.
The perfect example has been splashed across the headlines since late January: A single, unemployed, allegedly disabled woman living with her parents in California already had six children (all conceived through IVF) when she decided to have multiple embryos transferred during an IVF cycle. The result was eight more children to add to her original six, and the saga of the so-called “Octomom,” Nadya Suleman, was born.
People were outraged that a mother, who already has six children (reportedly one with autism, one with ADHD, and another with signs of autism), found it necessary to go through yet another IVF cycle to have more children. She admittedly had nowhere to live, no job, and said that once she finished her masters degree she would be able to support her children.
To many, she is delusional, a woman who saw the potentially huge payoff of having multiples. While Suleman is responsible (or irresponsible) for her actions, whichever way you choose to look at it, the media also has a role in this irresponsibility, too, as it often glamorizes the idea of multiples and large families.
Just look at the popular series, Jon & Kate Plus Eight, a reality television show on TLC that documents the lives of Pennsylvania couple Jon and Kate Gosselin and their two sets of multiples: twins and sextuplets. The children are cute. The parents are cute. Jon gets hair plugs. Kate gets plastic surgery. Both get their teeth whitened. The family gets to go on vacations, attend events as VIPs, and makes a pretty penny for every episode that is filmed. It looks like the perfect life, right?
Jon & Kate Plus Eight might be the first hit series about multiples, but others are following suit. TLC has just unveiled a new show about multiples: This time Mom and Dad have ten children, two sets of twins and sextuplets. Then there’s the show “18 Kids and Counting,” a show about the Duggars, who have had 18 children in so many years. TLC was reportedly considering offering Suleman, the mother of 14, her own reality show, too, until the backlash against her began.
The big families. The beautiful homes. The new clothes. The wonderful vacations. It all looks perfect on television, but television is edited. Real life isn’t. The fact is having multiples is dangerous both for the babies and for the mom. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine:
- “Preterm birth occurs in over 50 percent of twin pregnancies, 90 percent of triplet pregnancies, and virtually all quadruplet pregnancies.”
- Babies who are born prematurely are at an increased risk of:
- Cerebral Palsy
- Low birth weight
- Blindness
- Neonatal morbidity
- Intra-cranial hemorrhage
- Respiratory Disease Syndrome (RSD)
- Death
- Those babies who are born at a weight of two pounds, three ounces, or less are more than 25 percent more likely to suffer from lifelong disabilities.
- Moms carrying multiples are more likely to suffer from anemia and gestational diabetes.
- “Preeclampsia, also called pregnancy-induced hypertension, occurs three to five times more frequently. Severe preeclampsia may be life-threatening.”
There is no way to know what disabilities or problems, if any, multiples will have. What is known is that having multiples is much more dangerous for both mom and the babies, but you never hear about that fact, especially on these reality shows that glamorize the idea of big families. All the viewer sees are cute kids doing fun things paid for by the network.
There is no discussion about how the parents of multiples are to pay for the care of their children, especially when they are disabled or have lifelong problems. There is no mention of the very real challenge that parents of multiples face. It’s all simply a pretty picture.
The backlash against Suleman has been very real and very heated. Yet, she has still been showered with free gifts: Diapers, toys, round-the-clock care (which she just fired) for her octuplets, and money. To an outsider, she has hit the jackpot. And, therein lies the problem: Who’s next? Suleman obviously did not think her decision through when she had 14 children. She had no job with six children, lived with her parents, was allegedly on disability, and was a student.
Reports say she wanted a reality show and she is planning to sell the video of the birth of her babies. She has her own video blog, for which she is reportedly being paid. Dr. Phil hosted her and she was showered with gifts. Her family has asked for money on TV. She has her own Web site, soliciting donations. And, she’s making money now – all because she was irresponsible.
Again, who’s next? Undoubtedly, there will come along a woman or a couple – who is probably unstable – who see how Suleman hit the proverbial jackpot and will think “Why not me?” And, how many kids will she have? Will she get the reality show? The free gifts? The money? As much as reputable fertility doctors will refuse to implant too many embryos during IVF, there will always be those who will go against the industry guidelines and implant more.
The media must stop glorifying parents like Suleman who make irresponsible choices, choices that put innocent babies and children directly in harm’s way. How many of Suleman’s octuplets will have lifelong disabilities? She made the choice to have them, but they will ultimately pay the price for her choices, especially if they are sick or must deal with disabilities for the rest of their lives.
March 23, 2009
Make Mine Chocolate – Save a Real Bunny’s Life
Easter is right around the corner and that means one thing – the plight of thousands upon thousands of innocent rabbits, one-time Easter gifts who become homeless in the weeks after Easter, when the novelty of having a real rabbit wears off and the reality of taking care of a real rabbit sinks in. Those who are lucky will find their way into over-worked, overflowing rabbit rescues and no-kill shelters.
Those who aren’t that lucky will end up terrified on a gurney, their lives about to come to an untimely and an unjust end.
They will never know the security of a happy home.
They will never know the love of a family.
They will never know the life that they deserve.
Before you adopt a rabbit this Easter – whether for yourself or for your child – do your research. Really think about the consequences of your actions. Here are some quick facts to get you started:
- Rabbits are adorable animals, but the fact is most don’t like to be picked up or cuddled.
- Rabbits are high-maintenance pets who require expensive, specialized veterinary care.
- Rabbits can live as long as 12 years. Some have lived even longer.
- Rabbits should always live indoors. Rabbits who are housed outdoors are subject to illness, disease, injury, and typically have half the lifespan of that of an indoor rabbit.
- Rabbits need plenty of time to run around and socialize with the family. Most house rabbits today don’t live in cages. Instead, they run around the house, just like cats and dogs. But, before you can let your rabbit run free, you have to bunny-proof your home for your bunny’s safety.
- If you cannot allow your rabbit free run of your home, she will need a bare minimum of four hours of run time a day and will need a cage that is spacious.
- Rabbits have very specific needs. Those carrots Bugs Bunny is always eating? All those carrots with a real rabbit could cause gastrointestinal upset, which is very dangerous.
- Rabbit owners must be educated in how to care for their rabbits. Because they are prey animals, rabbits will hide their illnesses, often until it is too late, so you must know your rabbit’s behavior and personality and be able to recognize when she’s not feeling like herself.
- Rabbits are not like dogs. They’ll come to you when they want attention and will probably run away if they’re not interested when you come up to them.
- To learn more about life with a house rabbit, please visit the House Rabbit Society at http://www.rabbit.org.
Rabbits are amazing pets, but the reality is they aren’t for everyone. And, they require you to develop specialized knowledge and to have the time and the patience to care for them for their entire lives. Before you adopt, really know what to expect and be prepared for the commitment, which could last more than a decade.
If you have a child who is begging for a rabbit, teach her responsibility instead. Buy her a chocolate bunny or a stuffed bunny. Make yours chocolate this Easter season.
To learn more about the Make Mine Chocolate campaign and what you can to do help, go to http://www.makeminechocolate.org/.
March 8, 2009
Yesteryear: When new media was really new
Remember life before the internet, email, CDs, cell phones, and DVDs? I do. I can’t even sign up for the Facebook group for my alma mater because I don’t have an email address for my university. There was no email when I was in college. I had to use the old fashioned card catalog at the library and do my research with hard copies of books, magazines and periodicals. If I had a question, I had to stop off at my professor’s office. I couldn’t just shoot him a quick email.
I guess it’s like that with every generation. My parents had TV before the picture was color, and my dad and I left my school’s father and daughter square dance early so he could watch the M*A*S*H finale. Those were the days before VCRs – the kind that used the beta tapes, a few of which I have lying around somewhere.
My first introduction to the internet was my senior year of college 1996. I was in the computer room at the university – somewhere I never went – and a friend and I logged into a chatroom. The screen was black and the font was orange. It moved so fast, I felt lost. Like I just walked into a room full of people I didn’t know and was huddling in the corner all alone, not sure what to do or who to approach. Email? Forget about it. I had no idea what it was or how it worked.
Today, I don’t know how I lived without the internet or my laptop. One of the first things I do every day is check my email – find out what friends are up to, see if any clients have written and hop onto Facebook to see what’s going on. As a freelance writer and editor, I do much of my work online. When the internet goes down, I’m lost. Just about everything I do is online – communicating with clients, sending drafts of projects back and forth…it’s an integral part of my business, my career, and my personal life.
Is it that good to rely on technology?
Think of all of the ways you depend on technology.
- I rarely write by longhand anymore. Doing most of my writing on the computer, my handwriting skills have become a lot less polished than they once were.
- Instead of writing checks, putting them in envelopes, and dropping them in the mailbox, I pay all of my bills online.
- Instead of going to the university bookstore to buy my course books, I go to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Alibris. It’s easier, faster and cheaper.
- I’ve always been a procrastinator when it comes to mailing anything – e-cards are the perfect replacement for traditional cards (at least in most situations).
- Instant messengers – like Skype and ICQ – make it easy and quick to talk with clients, friends and loved ones
Just a few ways that technology is interwoven with all facets of life in the 21st century. So, is it a good idea to become that reliant on technolgy today? Even though we are in a digital age, I believe that we still have to have a firm grasp on how to do things – like conduct research at the library or pay bills – offline, too. That way, when a storm knocks out the internet or the laptop is on the fritz, we can still accomplish what we need to accomplish without having a complete meltdown.
