I’ve been thinking – I have been to many workshops, blogging seminars and various other places regarding “Web 2.0…..” First, is there such a thing as Web 2.0? When did we have web 1.0? Web .01? It seems to me, many are just struggling to define something so they can say they’re proficient in it. How about saying, “Internets, I have it?” Sorry, that must be too complicated.
Which brings me to my previous point, sorry for the sudden left turn…. Videos on your blog, Videos in your email, Videos are the next great thing? I wholeheartedly disagree. Here’s why:
I have a short attention span.
When I am at my computer, I’m usually doing four or five different things at once. When I click on your webpage, I can read it at my own pace, in my own time. If it’s just a video, you’re asking me to stop when I’m doing and focus all my attention on you. It better be worth it.
Uh. Um. Oh. Ah. Uh. Oh. Um.
I catch every vocal pause in your sentences… And I judge you for it. If you’re not confident in what you’re saying, how do you expect me to be comfortable with you as an expert?
Stop looking at me
If I’m watching you, watching me, watching you, I’m watching where your eyes are going, if they’re staring into the camera, I’m a little unnerved. If you’re looking off screen, I want to know what you’re looking at. I’m curious. What ARE you looking at?
(Used under creative commons, thank you SoStark!!)
Take a breath once in a while
I can tell when you’re trying to say everything all at once. Take a breath every once in a while. The video is already awkward, so a pause every now and then would not be uncharacteristic.
Hey! I like your: Office, Den, Living room, Car, Boat, Evil lair
As mentioned above, I’m creeped out by looking at you, looking at me, so I’m looking everywhere, but you. I’m looking at the pictures around you, the papers on your desk, the traffic driving by – Is it raining? – the open door – Did someone just walk by? – Oh, and when I’m doing that, I’m not listening to your message. I’m distracted and paying attention elsewhere.
(Used under creative commons, thank you JonRB)
Oh man, another video
Learning from the history of AOL member pages, Angelfire, or Geocites, if there is anything that is on autoplay on your site, including video, I’m clicking the red X as soon as I can find it. I’m usually listening to something in my own world when I’m at my computer: news, music, my mother on the phone, and I don’t need to hear your voice/music trying to compete.
For all the above reasons. Please stop forcing me to see your video, cause I’m already not watching. Put the effort into something I will pay attention to. Video is not the answer to all of the web’s problems.
Take a picture, I’ll look at it and it’ll last longer….
Top 11 Posts of 2011
Well, we’re almost to 2012 and recently I posted my top 11 photos of ’11, so I thought I would dig around in my stats and share with you the items that a plurality of you decided to visit over the year. They’re ranked by number of views.
11: (Dis)Engaging Google+ – I’ve written that I’m not a fan of Google+. Based on my experiences, my opinion hasn’t changed from August 11, 2011.
10: 10 Things (About me) – Interesting, this post, written around my birthday in 2010 garnered enough views this year to make my list. I find it funny that it’s number 10.
9: Oh, to be Popular. #199 – My 199th blog post here. A photo essay of my top Flickr photos. Be sure to check out #1 if you haven’t already.
8: Crossroads. Help Me, Pathfinder! – A great post about my future education and where I want to go from here. I say it was a great post because it offered me some good conversations with people about the state of education, what I should focus on as I continue forward and helped me figure out where I truly am in my head.
7: Good Customer Service: America’s Tire – I’m thrilled that a “Good Customer Service” story made the list. The adage goes, a happy customer will tell no one, while an unhappy customer will tell everyone. That’s not true in my case, I try to give equal time to good and bad customer service.
6: O.H. in the E.R. – On of my funnier (and sad) posts about an ill-fated trip to the ER last August. My pain is your joy. The things you hear in an ER waiting room are rather funny. If you take the time to listen.
(Photo Credit: Sea Turtle on Flickr)
5: Following the Pack (or not) – A post from last February where I offer my commentary on a “gorilla marketing tactic” on Twitter that was horribly spammy. I found it interesting that my desire to speak up was met with extreme hostility and mob mentality, which border-lined on bullying. I still stand by my opinions and observations. Sometimes you have to go out on a limb. Be bold.
4: The Lone Zebra, an Educational Opportunity – Written regarding a kerfuffle in the Real Estate Community about copyright and trade dress infringement. This gave me an opportunity to put into real life practice some things I had been learning in my Business Law class. It was a great case study.
3: Guest Post: Judgment Between The Lines – I’m so thrilled you liked, or viewed, this post. It was an important post. A guest post by my close friend Sarah Salter, she writes about something I think we all struggle with: Judgement and its many forms. An extremely timely, timeless and poignant post, worthy of read, whether it’s your first time or tenth.
2: Missing The Mark: Sears – Christmas Customer Service – Wow. This post, written just six days ago, outlined some poor customer service I received from a National big box store. Outlining the systemic issues from corporate culture, to employee detachment (An employee adds his comments to the post) it has become one of my most popular Customer Service Commentary posts.
(Photo Credit: Synchroni on Flickr)
1: You’re Welcome?!? - A post from this summer, I volunteered at a women only half marathon this year, I was struck and moved that almost every single runner, no matter how fatigued or festive, took a moment to thank the volunteers, when all I really was doing was standing in the middle of the road. I’m very thankful and grateful that this is my number one viewed post. It makes me believe that you all enjoy a little bit of gratitude in our world and maybe we/I need to be sharing a little more of it.
I’m extremely proud of these posts and some of them I think are close to “my best.” I hope that this streak continues in 2012!
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Posted in Customer Service, School, Thoughts, Writing
Tagged 2011, About me, commentary, flickr, Good Customer Service, Google, Google Plus, Gratitude, Hope, Judgement, love, Sarah Salter, Schnikism, School, Sears, statistics, thankful, Year in review