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WebGoddessCathy |
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<-- my life, by webgoddesscathy --> :: Friday, June 09, 2006 :: I just realized what a complete mess my site is. Broken links. Unfinished travel pieces. Ugh. I sat down to do ONE SMALL THING. It turned into about a hundred big projects. And here I am, geeking out after I just made fun of people who spend too much time on the Web. I'm not done. Not by a long shot. In fact, I'm hating my site more than ever. I want to redo everything. But it's bedtime. And I really don't have the time to redo my website right now. Unless there was a very cold, rainy long weekend coming up that no one told me about and all of my stuff decided to pack itself? :: Cathy 10:46 PM [+] :: 3 comments You've probably heard of speed dating? If you haven't, watch Hitch (that Will Smith romantic comedy that came out) or I can just describe it in less words than I've already used: talk to someone for 5 minutes, bell rings, rotate to the next person, repeat. But have you heard of SpeedGeeking? It's a type of unconference. I found it when looking up the meaning of the word "unconference" (another of those "podcast" words that means something a lot more simple than it would seem: a conference driven by participants. AKA: a meeting? Why do geeks need to keep making up new words? And these so-called social networkers think they're all about open communication!?) So, speedgeeking. Now, I'm going to teach all of you non-tech-geeks (including myself, apparently, because I just read about this) something REALLY useful, so pay attention! It's another way of meeting other geeks, naturally. And you also find out about the new nerdy ideas and projects that they're working on. It's supposed to focus on technology that's being used for social change, but I'm sure it's just any software that's mildly interesting. And really, though it's supposed to be about things that you're developing, if they don't have enough demo'ers, then you can demo something that you just, well, LIKE. There are 2 sides to the groups: geekers (demo'ers) and participants (listeners/viewers). I almost wish that I were nerdy enough to have something to demo. I just can't figure out where most people find the time! I find it odd that people in my industry - and I do love the Web - spend so much time on it. They build sites that no one really goes to. They post and post and post... about marketing and what's cool and what's happening and they make up new words. And I really wonder why. I mean, I suppose I'm a hypocrite because I blog too and that's maybe kind of nerdy and one might ask what the point is. But I've always had a journal and it's really no different. (OK, it's a little different because I still write the more personal stuff in my offline journal.) But why has this sector become so hot, so saturated with the ultra-hip? And WHY, when all of this is supposed to democratize the Web, are we making up new words for things that can already be easily described? I'll tell you why: we want to seem like we're better than everyone else because we're "in on it." I salute people who are excited by these social technologies, as I salute anyone who's passionate about anything. I wonder if they've ever really thought about whether this is a worthwhile endeavour. If this is all about marketing, then I quit. But if this is just a fun hobby, then let's stop all this ridiculous hype. Do quilters have the same cheerleading section and media coverage? When they make money off of their creations, these artists and crafters, is anyone thinking that they're geniuses? Their quilting bees and conferences aren't so publicized. When a quilter makes a career of it, no one gets all crazy and says "ohmygosh, they discovered a new way of making a quilt, this is going to revolutionize bed coverings for generations to come!" I mean: do they? Admittedly, Web2.0 (another stupid term defined in an earlier post) is not the same thing. This is about communication, not linens. Still. This sense of self-importance is a bit much to take. It's just people doing their job. :: Cathy 9:35 AM [+] :: 1 comments :: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 :: I've recently experienced several situations that exemplify the difference between entrepreneurial and collaborative personalities and attitudes. They don't have to be opposing dispositions. The company I work for is supposed to be both collaborative and entrepreneurial, attempting to merge the characteristics of both into the leaders and companies we support. In the past, I have found that I am not one to exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit. I'm not certain exactly why that is. Perhaps I'm risk-averse or lack the confidence. But I don't think it's just that. I'm also not the best networker, self-promoter, nor do I really have the drive to do it. So I suppose that I've thought that the this was a difficult quality to cultivate. However, recently, I have been overwhelmed with the number of people in my life who espouse entrepreneurial characteristics. And I have found these same people to lack a collaborative attitude. They seem to be very individual and attack problems on a "I can solve it, just leave me to it" kind of way. I'm finding it frustrating, to be honest. I'm a very collaborative type of person. I suppose that I've always thought this was easy. Turns out that it is not. It is certainly difficult to collaborate with people who do not have the appropriate skills, do not want to share, or who simply let you down at every turn. How does one continue to collaborate with such people? Whine? Nag? Yell? Explain what is bothering you and how it can be improved and wait while they get upset and/or deny that they have done anything wrong? :: Cathy 9:17 AM [+] :: 0 comments So, how was my birth of the AntiChrist day? (6-6-06) I was sick. Very not feeling well. But otherwise uneventful. I'm looking at replacing my rollerblades with a comfortable version. Ya, they make them in non-feet-detroying flavours now! So I got a gift certificate to get some but had to leave the store after about 10 minutes due to overwhelming illness. Spent the rest of the night sitting very still, sipping water. Wishing I hadn't eaten that lukewarm chicken. Ugh. :: Cathy 9:16 AM [+] :: 0 comments
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