Here’s to the local shops. Those brave enough to risk everything for the love of what they do. Especially those who never give up and who are not afraid to reinvent themselves. We love you all.
Exciting changes happening at Dartmouth Shopping Centre @MattatallSigns @orlandomediaco — at Renegade Records.
It’s no secret how I feel about our beloved City of Lakes. When I moved here 20 years ago I saw Dartmouth as nothing more than a suburb of Halifax. Dartmouth, or as I was told repeatably, “The Dark side, was a dirty, crime-filled place to be avoided”. As someone who lived there, I didn’t understand this negative attitude nor agree with this description. We have come so far as a community and there is a distinct difference between life on this side of the harbour.
Dartmouth is not just a city name. It’s a distinctive community. Now it’s important to note that I love Halifax. This isn’t about bashing the city as a whole, but to acknowledge and keep a strong identity intact. The H/\LIF/\X branding has been the catalyst for this movement. Seeing it sloppily tacked at the top of the Sullivan’s Pond Community Board did not sit well with me. And obviously not with many of you as well.
Let’s show this city that we love Dartmouth. That we want to keep our identity.
Hashtag #RestoreDartmouth and let the city know how you feel!
– Frank
https://www.change.org/p/halifax-council-restore-the-name-dartmouth-ac23713a-9dd7-43dd-b79d-ae0cff841915
(Shout out to the Facebook group We Love Dartmouth for starting this petition)
Contact – Councillor Gloria McCluskey
http://www.halifax.ca/district05/contact.php
Contact – Mayor Mike Savage
http://www.halifax.ca/mayor/Contact.php
RestoreDartmouth-POSTER-LIVE (Downloadable PDF)
RestoreDartmouth-POSTER-WORK (Downloadable PDF)
RestoreDartmouth-POSTER-ALWAYS (Downloadable PDF)
RestoreDartmouth-POSTER-INCLUDES (Downloadable PDF)
(Click and select ‘Save Image As..’ to save to your computer)
Chronicle Herald – Petition: This is Dartmouth, not Halifax
http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1293155-petition-this-is-dartmouth-not-halifax
News 95.7 -Online petition wants ‘Dartmouth’ name restored
http://www.news957.com/2015/06/08/online-petition-wants-dartmouth-name-restored/
The Coast – 5 things you need to know Monday
http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archives/2015/06/15/5-things-you-need-to-know-monday
CTV Atlantic – Sign Storm
http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=630067
METRONEWS – ‘We worked hard to get what we have:’ councillor asks to have ‘Dartmouth’ restored to municipal signs
http://metronews.ca/news/halifax/1399010/we-worked-hard-to-get-what-we-have-councillor-asks-to-have-dartmouth-restored-on-municipal-signs/
GLOBAL NEWS Jun 16th – City councilors are being asked to restore Dartmouth’s name
http://globalnews.ca/video/2058383/city-councilors-are-being-asked-to-restore-dartmouths-name/
SOUNDCLOUD cas-31 jun 18 – #RestoreDartmouth: Is Dartmouth losing its identity in Halifax rebranding?
https://soundcloud.com/cas-31/restoredartmouth-is-dartmouth-losing-its-identity-in-halifax-rebranding
Global News June 17th Restore Dartmouth
I think our campaign to #RestoreDartmouth has broken twitter. I can’t view tweets from the last two days on my profile. #RestoreTwitter
— Brandon,BrandomIdeas (@knuf1985) June 20, 2015
My home town will always be #Dartmouth #RestoreDartmouth
— LW (@rannarae) June 17, 2015
I wonder if Halifax knows Dartmouth is updating it’s FB profile? pic.twitter.com/PHlgF9E7DX
— Andy Bowers (@evilpez4) June 16, 2015
For me, the by-election in Dartmouth South is a bigger priority than signs. I’m proud to live in Dartmouth AND “Halifax.” #RestoreDartmouth — Jennifer Taylor (@jennloveslaw) June 16, 2015
I live in Halifax, I work in Dartmouth. Both are part of a municipality that is still officially called HRM. #RestoreDartmouth — Library Al (@LibraryAl) June 16, 2015
As mayor of #Halifax , I will not shave H/\LIF/\X into Your poodles … — Brandon,BrandomIdeas (@knuf1985) June 16, 2015
My Terrible solution to the Dartmouth debate. pic.twitter.com/WFuVXA6mpl — HalifaxReTales (@HalifaxReTales) June 15, 2015
We can be community proud without being parochial.: http://t.co/KHWCOZXEqP via @News957 #Dartmouth — Kate Watson (@DartmouthKate) June 8, 2015
At the market today talking about the “art” within the name Dartmouth. 🙂 http://t.co/X16daO0rCf — GreenMonsterStrokes (@GreenMonStrokes) June 6, 2015
Image: Personal experience may not match as described, individual results may vary, may not be as pictured, offer not valid in some territories. Limits may apply. Only while in stock.
Finding the right fit with a creative can be a daunting task. But if you ask yourself these four essential questions you can find and build a lasting relationship that will be an asset to your company.
Do they understand your industry? No matter if your needs are marketing, design, or writing, your creative team needs to know your target audience. They need to have a clear understanding of your competitors and the world in which you exist, to be truly effective.
Do they keep up with your requirements? Taking the time to clearly define your needs and deliver is essential. If you are unclear of what is being delivered before you begin, it can spell disaster with ‘scope creep’, which could mean disaster for both your project and pocketbook.
Have you learned anything new today? Let me be frank (pun intended). No one knows it all. However you need to trust in your creative to have your best interests at heart. Learning to trust in your creative team may be difficult at first. Often times this requires going outside your ‘comfort zone’. Of course common sense should prevail. If you are in a relationship that feels wrong, it probably is. It may be time to shop around.
Can we talk? This one will sound pretty obvious but when was the last time you really talked to your creative? Does it seem like once you sign off on your mockups you’re left wondering what’s up. There should be an open and clear ongoing discussion on progress that is tailored to your needs. If you’re constantly wondering what is up then perhaps you should move to greener pastures.
We here at Phizr-Mannon-Cybnot-Enrom: Food Services and Animal Waste Removal Division, FSAWRD, know the value of customer turnover. We have put these steps together to ensure a customer’s lasting and distasteful view of our brand. Studies have shown a 89% adoption rate of customer abandonment which is a 46% increase from the previous quarterly reports. Be aware that there is still a 68% apathy return rate after a 6 month separation. Generally we have found that no matter how effective this technique is applied, some customers still return due to, “Pizza fatigue syndrome”. A consistent use of this technique must be applied at every customer contact to ensure maximum egress.
1. Receive order from customer: There are effective ways for taking an order incorrectly. This is an essential first step, be sure to place the customer on hold multiple times without asking through out the order process to ensure errors.
we suggest hiring males over females as preteen males have the least amount of charisma and problem solving ability
2. Irritate the customer: This is easier than it seems. But here are some examples of how to accomplish said irritation. Use drivers that are sloppy, have them crush the food so that it is mostly stuck to the roof of the box. Also a solid technique is not to deliver what they order. Pay special attention to food types, requested extras and sauces. The more you ignore the more effective you will be at angering the customer.
3. Hire tweens as management: To minimize your overhead be sure to hire children as young as possible. Put them in management roles. Special tip: If you skip training them you will save additional payroll costs! Be careful within the hiring process. While this cannot be policy we suggest, hiring males over females, as preteen males have the least amount of charisma and problem solving ability. By hiring a female preteen you may inadvertently end up with a well spoken problem solver who will present much older. This could be disastrous as they could diffuse an otherwise perfect customer loss.
4. Blame game: Remember to execute this step correctly you must ensure the order is completely wrong, at least 4 errors minimum. See step 2. Hopefully, if you’ve follow the previous steps correctly, you will have an irate call incoming from the customer. This is an opportunity where your first responders, see step 1, can drive up the irritation level before the hand off to management. If you follow our provided script for escalation #3471a ” A manager should adopt an indignant tone that include phrases like, ” What do you think you got?!” and “Nah we sent it right”. Be sure to deliver these lines with attitude!
5. Follow through: To ensure the customer reaches the level of anger, be sure not to offer a refund on the spot. Instead, always offer to resend the order. This is a excellent way to start the process over. Be sure to repeat steps 1 through 4. If by some chance a second or third attempt is necessary, simply increase delivery time. This will ensure ‘apathy/fatigue’ in the customer, which will break the order correction cycle.
IMPORTANT NOTE: A perfect finish to the customer experience is to demand the incorrect order is returned untouched. If challenged, use script response #8b4f,”it’s policy”. This response alone is an exceptional technique to close the client relationship. Repeated use is recommended. Be sure to insinuate that the customer is trying to get free food and/or feed their oversized family for free. Making a customer wait for an additional hour with partially edible food within reach can increase rage considerably. Families with children are especially effected by this technique.
Any helpful or professional connection with the client at any part of the process will retain the customer. Stay the course, use rudeness, be cheap and follow these steps to ensure customer loss!
Remember Phizr-Mannon-Cybnot-Enrom: Food Services and Animal Waste Removal Division, FSAWRD‘s motto! , “There are other customers, next!”
An innovative company focusing exclusively on Apple products, Crap Inc. has an excellent reputation for producing quality products. Among the top of their creative items are the Plastica cover 3000, Shelf-o-matic for iMac, and now the iPad Brick-in-a-sock stand.
Crap Inc. relentlessly launches new products to market, their items are well-designed to be obsolete within moments of new product releases and exemplify a keen eye for making the most money with the cheapest materials known to man. With less than four employees, they take the extra effort to ensure each of their products is an absolute must-have item. Each product is carefully crafted and produced in an exceptional way, even down to the packaging. The iPad Brick-in-a-sock for iPad stand is one fine example of Crap Inc’s innovative prowess.
When holding the iPad Brick-in-a-sock stand from the included cotton-poly-blend travel sleeve, it is merely four inches tall and nine inches long. The compact size makes it easily portable in a backpack, handbag, or purse and once you use the iPad Brick-in-a-sock stand, you will want to take it everywhere. Placing the iPad Brick-in-a-sock stand on any flat, level surface cradles the iPad at the perfect viewing angle; however, this angle is not adjustable.
Plain and simple: the iPad Brick-in-a-sock stand sits sturdy on any desk for displaying, using, or viewing your iPad.
The iPad Brick-in-a-sock stand orientation easily accommodates the iPad in portrait or landscape and works well for FaceTime conversations, Keynote presentations, playing your favorite games, or showing off your recent vacation pictures. If you will be using the iPad Brick-in-a-sock stand to type, simply lay your iPad on the edge and away you go.
Would you like a fashionable way to show off a set of pictures for company? Use the easel mode and iPhoto to loop images when friends and family visit. …better yet, prop up your iPad and stream music to your stereo using AirPlay and let your Album art generate conversation.
Comes in argyle, geriatric charcoal and gym sock
Honestly, you didn’t know you needed a stand until you own one. I love iPhone and iPad stands (I have several scattered across the house and in the office) and the iPad Brick-in-a-sock stand is at the top of long list.
Rating: 4.5/5
Finely crafted, portable, versatile, durable, sturdy, and stylish, the iPad Brick-in-a-sock ($89.99) is a must-have iPad accessory. Stop haphazardly laying your iPad around the home and place it lovingly in the cradled arms of the iPad Brick-in-a-sock stand. This small addition to my accessory arsenal will be traveling with me throughout the summer and making life easier on a daily basis.
If you do not currently own an iPad stand or are determining whether or not to purchase one, be assured the iPad Brick-in-a-sock stand is the only stand you need to consider, that or just lean it on whatever is laying around your desk. Crap Inc. has truly completed their mission to produce a must-have Apple accessory.
• Particularly portable
• Comes with its own travel sleeve
• Sock prevents scratching
• Forged from brick
• Stylish, practical, comes in argyle, geriatric charcoal and gym sock
• Eco friendly, made from natural materials
• The viewing angle is not adjustable
• It is a brick stuffed into a sock for $89.99
This is what happens when you do a find and replace on any article extolling the virtues of one of the million of the over designed and over priced i-accessories. Come on folks, when are we going to wake up a realize we don’t need to pay $100 for $1 worth of aircraft aluminum bent into an odd shape. Use your brain, keep your money.
And remember, you can build your own iPad Brick-in-a-sock stand yourself! Just send me $29.99 for your kit today! Includes sock AND brick! Shipping not included.
There was a time when Flash impressed me with its’ amazing ability to render clean, scalable animation with an insanely low footprint. For me it all started with Future Splash a little independent app that competed with Macromedia’s Shockwave. The days when we measured a web page by kilobytes, carefully calculating if we would go over 40kb. That pesky bandwidth was so limited. Here was a tool that gave us access to beautiful glorious animation with only a plugin to consider. It was a no-brainer. Flash was incredible.
First let me say this. I don’t give a tinkers-cuss about what Steve Jobs says on the subject. I don’t care about his motives, I don’t care how it hurts Shantanu Narayen and Adobe. All I care about is the user experience.
‘Flash-forward’ 15 years later.
First let me say this. I don’t give a tinkers-cuss about what Steve Jobs says on the subject. I don’t care about his motives, I don’t care how it hurts Shantanu Narayen and Adobe. All I care about is the user experience.
Today I loath Flash. It’s slow. I hate the way my machine literally whines when a page loads. I hate that the only time my browser locks up is when it has something to do with Flash. I hate that clients still have this fascination with splash screens and bouncing logos. Give me content. Let me read it the way I want to read it. Flash started as an animation tool and has bloated into a platform that does not lend well to mobile devices.
A last word. If Adobe does trim it down, clean it up, optimize etc. etc. I’ll surely give it another glance. But for now I’ll enjoy its demise.
After months of giddy waiting the next iOS update is finally here. Yesterday I dutifully upgraded my iTunes, started the morning by setting up iCloud online, by lunch installed the significant upgrade to Lion. Waiting patiently for the end of the day when the iOS finally launched. Laugh if you want but I really don’t see myself as an Apple fanboy, I like to think of myself as a device junkie. I don’t care who makes the software or hardware, if it’s something I want to play with, I’m all in.
Over these months I read article after article about the amazing features of amazing gadgetry which will propel my current devices into fresh new toys to play with. I wasn’t concerned about compatibility as I was only about 6 months behind the tech curve for hardware. Hell, the oldest device I owned was an iPad 1 which was a Christmas acquisition. I complete my install of iOS on iPhone and iPad and away I go.
Why no camera in the first generation iPad? Why can’t I sync music to video with the Airport Express? Why can’t I play any type of video file on the AppleTV? Why can I not use multitouch gestures on my 8 month old iPad?
Well it’s officially 2 hours in to playtime when, what I like to call, ‘the Apple effect’ kicked in. This effect can be identified by the discovery that things are missing, that something is not right. Specifically the removal of multitouch functionality from the original iPad. You may not even know what I am referring to. Multitouch is a function that allows the user to use the swipe of fingers across the screen surface, called gestures, to move between apps, close screens , pinch and zoom into text or photos. It’s an extremely handy bit of interface interactivity that I assure you once you use it you will wonder what you did before.
This function was a planned addition in an earlier iOS that was never enabled, most likely held back for the next release. In fact if you do a little online scrounging and have an i-device still running ios4 you can enable it and use it freely. I was one of those folks that had to give it a try and with little effort and had it working in less than 30 minutes seamlessly.
This brings me to THIS version No gestures. After futzing with settings, searching online for answers, I finally found the answer. Apple disabled this functionality. But only on the iPad 1. For iPad 2 owners, no problem.
Why? My device is certainly powerful enough to use it, it’s not like a new feature like the voice control AI that would need the latest processor. It’s a simple interface control that has made my user experience even better. But it’s been disabled. Let me say that again. Disabled. Its actually there on my device right now, hidden from view because of a marketing decision to make me want to upgrade my device. I could enable it by jail breaking and hacking my iPad. But I don’t want to do that. Why should I be forced to void my warranty to let me use a function?
I know gestures work on my iPad 1. Period. Give me that feature. Don’t restrict me from its use because you are trying to force me to buy the next device. When this iPad wears out I’ll be there with card in hand to get the next iPad but don’t mess with me now when I literally have the one model previous.
Control. They want us to buy the next device. They want us to need it. Salivate for it.
This brings me to Apple’s ‘one more thing’ culture. Made famous by the man himself Steve Jobs. Always dazzling us with that one more feature, that one more device that we scramble for. But what Apple users don’t talk about is that one little thing we do not care to admit pops up. That, ‘I was expecting it to at least do this’ feature that is left out, that as lovers of this wonderful tech accept again and again, because we know what we are getting is so far ahead of the rest of what is out there we make exception. Why no camera in the iPad? Why can’t I sync music to video with the Airport Express? Why can’t I play any type of video file on the AppleTV? Why can I not use multitouch gestures on my 8 month old iPad?
I’ll tell you why. Control. They want us to buy the next device. They want us to need it. Salivate for it. Waiting, hoping the next one will have that ‘one more thing’ that feature we should have had but didn’t get. They spoil us with these wonderful devices, but hold back just enough to keep us coming back. Brilliant.
A student of mine recently approached me with some questions about using an iPad in my creative practice. Being an active user I accepted and this article reflects the responses I presented to her. I think it is important to understand that even though I am talking about a specific product, an Apple iPad, I believe that my answers would be similar about any tablet-like device that shares a similar form-factor and functionality.
So, how has the iPad changed my working environment? For me personally, the impact has been tremendous on several fronts.
Peace of mind
While the ipad is an expensive piece of hardware, it is a fraction of the cost of a laptop and my stress level of loss / theft is greatly reduced. Data loss is not a concern as the very nature of the iPad is based on syncing. I am ensured of never losing anything as there are always copies of data at home base.
So, How has the iPad changed my working environment? For me personally, the impact has been tremendous on several fronts.
Presentation
The device has completely replaced my need to carry a laptop with me at all times. This is huge. Whether showing live sites or static mockups, the iPad works well for client pitches. It plays well as a one on one intimate presentation or connects to projectors for a group. Love this.
Note taking
This is a big one. I am a note taker. In meetings, traditionally, I jotted down scratch notes and then transcribed them when I returned to my office. Now this all happens direct. Notes, and URLs are saved directly, electronically, without the need for transcribing. It has halved the time in which I spent writing and trying to translate my own notes. Also these notes are available on all my devices instantly. Meaning anywhere I have internet I have my notes without the need to sync, transfer, or remembering to copy over by USB stick.
Testing
I often use my iPad as a test device to check out page and mockup design. Something about the small screen and the ability to leave the office environment provides me with a way to objectively look at creative in a different window. It is also a great way to get fast feedback from another team member or client with the hassle of printing or directing individuals to an online space. It’s stress free to just hand someone a screen and say, ‘look at this’, than the tedious, ‘OK, open your browser, go to XYZ.com/mockup0983/~34.php’. I am a lover of collaboration and this device is made for it.
I think I’ve covered the positives but here are some negatives.
This past year 4 iPads were purchased for my studio, with the intention that they would be floated out for note taking, and client presentations. What has happened was a surprise to me. No one uses them.
Production
While the device does content collection, delivery, display and presentation perfectly, it fails miserably on content editing. I have apps that do allow minor edits to blogs, or a quick edit to a photo. But I have yet to find a way, beyond note taking to add my ipad to the production work flow.
Adoption
This past year 4 iPads were purchased for my office, with the intention that they would be floated out for note taking, and client presentations. What has happened was a surprise to me. No one uses them. They sit collecting dust on their docks. There are only three people who use iPads daily in their workflows in the office, and I know why. Ownership. No one else owns an iPad. There is a direct correlation between use and ownership. I am unsure if the issue is the fear of breaking the device or the lack of adoption of new work flows. Either way the iPads are not being used.
Future thoughts
I think the future is pretty bright. With each iOS update there seems to be a move in the right direction. Copy and paste, gesture control, increase format support, iMessage, vastly improved calendar and mail apps. These all make the iPad a more effective stand-alone device. For me, as long as they work toward making it easier to edit content than just display it, that the device will have a future.
I want more screen, I use my device on a surface most of the time, so carrying is not an issue. A larger device would improve my user experience overall.
The market is so new no one truly knows the limits of what this new device will offer. There are hundreds of tablets being added everyday without an understanding of the user base. Right now manufacturers simply know they have to get a tablet of their own in the marketplace but are not sure why.
Save a tree
The dream of a paperless office is a nice one and a promise made as far back of when the Macintosh was invented. The tablet form factor is the first device that has a chance of making a dent towards a paperless environment.
Wants and needs
Specifically in creative terms there are two improvements in the technology I would adopt immediately.
Bigger is better. Right now the ipad is 9.7inches or something like that. I want a bigger device. The public, mostly consumer, is talking about smaller devices, 7 inches. A halfway point between the iPad and the iPhone/iTouch. This is useless to me. I want more screen, I use my device on a surface most of the time, so carrying is not an issue. A larger device would improve my user experience overall.
Somehow I want my iPad to double as a drawing tablet. I’ve purchased a few stylus and have not yet found it to be a sensitive enough screen to get a result I want. A larger screen would improve this. Apparently the third iPad will have a retina resolution screen that could improve the drawing experience.
In the last couple months I’ve been hearing about this new product being launched called Facebook Timeline. Today I watched a brief teaser that was shown at a social media conference by Facebook’s own Alfredo Tan, it was only a short minute-long promo and as I sat alongside of a room full of ‘oohing and ahhing’ marketers, and social media community, my initial reaction was discomfort and fear.
Yep. Fear.
So, Facebook Timeline. Here is this very cool idea – A natural progression for anyone using Facebook. People already post images, make comments, talk about what they did that day, and geotag said comments. Taking all that data and simply reorganizing it in a chronological order is a logical step. The attraction to be able to look back at what you were doing even a couple years ago to reflect on an event or even more likely the little minutia of everyday life is fuel for nostalgia, hell we are all personal voyeurs. Conversations with your Facebook friends could extend to comparing what you were doing the week of July 23rd, 2006. It adds a new level of dimension to viewing your content the same way Google earth took simple satellite imagery and allowed you to spin the globe itself and find your favorite old watering hole. It’s one of these head slapping, ‘of course’ Ideas that you know will be a winner.
The attraction to be able to look back at what you were doing even a couple years ago to reflect on an event or even more likely the little minutia of everyday life is fuel for nostalgia, hell we are all personal voyeurs.
There is this insane landslide in the industry whose current has swept me along with such force that I was not able to stop myself. It took me some time to grab on to a branch to stop the momentum. I think about how easy it was for me to post and share hundreds of pictures of myself doing everyday things, me at the pub, a party, my daughters birthday celebrations, you name it. How thoughtlessly I posted my whereabouts, my interests of the minute, daily health reports, the lot. How I literally cataloged all my likes and wants, who my friends and family were and where to find them. A veritable cornucopia of marketing data all hand delivered and stored by complete strangers. My mother would be mortified. Airing family business globally. I mean really.
So here’s Timeline. As I sat watching this teaser all I thought was, ‘is this right?’. I thought of my daughter, her life, first day of school, her prom, graduation, marriage, her kids, all stacked, cataloged, stored by this stranger. Just typing this makes me sick to my stomach. And I know the millions that will line up to give up all those precious details away.
I am reminded of a film that starred Robin Williams called, The Final Cut [imdb] . The premise being every person is embedded with a chip that records everything they experience from birth to death, the ‘footage’ is then edited by a cutter and played at their funeral, and held as a keepsake. A wondrous invention to be sure, but as many stories go, corruption is discovered and the footage is used and twisted unethically. Isn’t this the first step?
So why am I uneasy? For me it lies deeply in the same reason I quit Facebook months ago.
Trust issues. In this case, I don’t trust Facebook.
Facebook is not a stranger to controversy surrounding its practices on how they use the personal data (which is peaking out at 800 million active users and growing). The thought of giving up even more of our personal lives to a company scares the hell out of me. It’s a culture change I am not ready for. But slowly with the launch of iCloud, my files leave my hands to a strangers machine, floating God knows where, accessible to God knows who. Backed up, tracked, read, recorded, printed out, filed… it’s out there, and I don’t trust that it’s safe, or in good hands. But slowly out of convenience, out of my need to play, to experiment, off go these personal files, pictures, stories, too many commas in succession, I give away to strangers with the assumption my privacy will be respected.
For me this has crossed my comfort level. Perhaps the current will sweep me off my feet again and I will become another of the cataloged masses, but for now I will watch in morbid curiosity.
Well I must go, I have to tweet about this blog post in the hopes someone will read it and post it to their Facebook profile.
Let me be honest here. Can’t say honestly that I’ve made a concerted effort to use Google+. I jumped in immediately. Not excited to adopt yet another social media platform, but in my line of business was duty bound to explore its advantages and abilities. The buzz over this new environment is incredible. All the signs of a good product are there. A constant stream of ‘Facebook killer’ messages, the blazing fast adoption, from what I read over ten million new users in its short existence. [ mashable ] The kool-aid has been ingested and many are drunk.
But here I am, bewildered. I keep coming back to the same thought. What is the point? In this world of ‘Social media experts’ [groan] , a statement of dissent or even worse admitting a lack of understanding of Google+ could be akin to ‘social media expert suicide’. So here I am happily standing on the cliff edge.
Google+. I see it as a massive warehouse party, where millions of people attend but everyone is wearing headphones and singing out loud to themselves, yet all feel cool for being allowed in to this ‘exclusive’ event.
My first task I attempted was to simply communicate with another user. A basic task. Or at least what I assume would be. So I click on a user. Dead end. I click on another, this time I am presented with a button, “Send an email”. Obviously different users have different permissions for communication. OK. But I don’t want to email anyone I just want to strike up a conversation. Back to my profile page. Ahah! A chat area. No one is there. Strange because I know for a fact, that my buddy is using Google+ right this minute. I type in his name. “Oops, [name] looked invalid. Double check the address and try again.” Wait. So I can’t just add someone who is already my friend? Would it not make complete sense for this to just work? What is the point of arranging friends if not to be able to just quickly chat with them. Dead end. I commit no more time to this action.
Every day I receive at least three notifications from users to add me. Sounds exciting. I know what you are thinking. “This guy is popular and sexy, everyone wants to be his friend, maybe I could be too!”. You’d be correct about the sexy part. However, I don’t know ANY of these people. 1 in 10 are complete strangers. Many have profiles in languages I do not understand. My thought that there is a huge need to ‘collect people’. Those who we know of who see the value in maxing out the number of friends they have. Fine. I indulge them, after all we are part of this social community, we at least have this in common perhaps a dialog with strangers will unite this cold planet. So, I add them to my ‘Acquaintance’ group. No one ever calls, or is available for chat. Where is the social interaction? There is none that I am aware of. Dead end. I commit no more time to this action.
The one thing that sticks out in my mind was the ease in which I was sucked into Facebook. It wasn’t the user interface, it wasn’t the games or apps, it was the fact that everyone I knew was there. And I was able to just connect with them with very little thought and effort. Simple. But that ease is not present with Google+. That community is not apparent to me. I see it as a massive warehouse party, where millions of people attend but everyone is wearing headphones and singing out loud to themselves, yet all feel cool for being allowed in to this ‘exclusive’ event.
Perhaps it’s too early to tell, too green, too young for it to yet have its’ identity. To me Google+ needs time to mature. And for the time being I will hang in the club, not wearing headphones and looking for someone to dance with.
