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The Mic Is on in Search of Pirates!

July 11, 2006 by Liz

It’s Like Open Mike Only Different

Here’s how it works.

The rules are simple — be nice.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. . . . Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.

Some things we might talk about could include

.pirates.
crayons and legos
uban legends
vacations.

AND THE EVER POPULAR,

What are the code-writing donkey and the drinking moose doing tonight?

A link anyone to was a member of the DCI related to one of the points above.

Keep an eye our for the Jolly Roger!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Open Mic at 7pm Chicago Time

July 11, 2006 by Liz

Tonight We Search for Pirates

YES, the mike will be open again tonight. So start collecting your thoughts. Remember, you get to bring what you want to talk about.

The rules are simple — be nice.

We met lots of new friends last week as we always do. If you missed it, stop by this week, and it’s your turn to come.

Tonight we go in search of pirates.

We might also talk about

crayons and legos.
uban legends
vacations.

AND THE EVER POPULAR,

What are the code-writing donkey and the drinking moose doing tonight?

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

The Mic is ON in Philadelphia!

6+1 Traits: Conventions –The 6+1 Secret Rules of Online Writing

July 11, 2006 by Liz

Writing for Online Is Different

Effective writing is writing that works. It follows a set of rules we agree on. We call those rules writing conventions, as in conventional writing. Where some writers can trip up is that they don’t realize that the conventions for writing for print are slightly different from those we use when writing online. The differences are small in nature, but big in impact. They can mean a reader stays to read or clicks on by.

Now I’m anything but conventional. Still I know the value of following convention to make my readers feel comfortable in knowing how to navigate through what I write. [Read more…]

How Sprint Pushes Customers Out the Door

July 11, 2006 by Liz

There’s Barriers, Then There’s Badly Broken

Yesterday I wanted to switch my son’s Sprint/Nextel account over to online pay. I knew the drill. I’ve done it before plenty of times on plenty of websites. I hit pay bill and enterred the data. They requested a BAN passcode. Huh? What’s that?

Under that picture was this disclaimer:

Note: The approval process can take up to 10 business days. If you have a payment due before then, please use another payment method.

I contacted Customer Care online as asked and got this reply 30 minutes later. [Read more…]

Net Neutrality 7-11-2006

July 11, 2006 by Liz

Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding these links to the Net Neutrality Page.

Good News Ã¢â¬â Maybe

We interrupt this series on Telecommunication Pricing to bring you an important message. According to a story in SaturdayÃ¢â¬â¢s NY Times, Federal District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan is considering major modifications to the already accomplished SBC/AT&T and Verizon/MCI mergers. WeÃ¢â¬â¢re going to mash that up with a quote from Vint Cerf who is now at Google.

Ã¢â¬ÅThrough the eyes of a layperson, the mergers, in and of themselves, appear to be against public interest given the apparent loss in competition,” the Times reports Judge Sullivan wrote. “In layperson’s terms, why isn’t that the case?Ã¢â¬Â

. . . follow the link to read the mash up.

A net neutrality movie: It Happened to Jane (1959)

Unlike the movie, we don’t have a Doris Day to charm “the meanest man in the world.” So it comes down to congress and the FCC in the United States, and similar government organs in your country. Grassroots activism seems the only course since it’s nigh on impossible to out-lobby phone and cable companies.

So:

What will you do for the Internet this week?

How will you defend your right to call unimpeded? And in private?

Who will you call?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Organizational Development 2.0 Style

July 10, 2006 by Liz

Organizational Development — What Is It?

If you went to business school, you probably learned about organizational development, but the world is changing and organizations are changing with it — at least the ones that have hopes of lasting. Listen in on this post by Gautam Ghosh.

The goals of OD in the the last century were to make workplaces more open transparent and honest. The focus was on generating authentic and non-threatening conversations. About creating workplaces where people were not merely ‘resources’ or ‘talent’.

Sounds a bit like blogging doesn’t it?

Yet, Gautam goes onto say that

However, the overall culture of organizational life never let these concepts come to fruition. Most organizations were and still are, places where your goals are set by others, your performance is judged by others, and your rewards are measured by others.

That’s where today’s enterprise loses the entrepreneurial spirit.

Gautuam goes on to make some great points about what today’s organizations are facing. You can check out his post by clicking the title.

Thanks Guatam, for this analsis.

–ME “Liz” Strauss