Is it just "stuff"?

For some reason, I develop emotional attachments to "stuff" - especially clothing. I try to tell myself, "It's just stuff. If you need a memento to remember the memory, is the memory really worth remembering in the first place?" It is only the fear of seeing myself on an episode of Hoarders that keeps me from holding on to every piece of clothing I have ever owned.

I recently lost 35 pounds, and decided the time had come to go through my closet and root out the stuff that no longer fit. You can imagine my surprise when I found my college "fat jeans" (or as I now call them, "my jeans") sitting so far back in the closet I expected to find a gay man cowering and shouting at me to close the door. 

Here is just a sampling of what I found:

• The summer gown I wore to my brother's Ordination. It made me sad to look at it, because he recently left his ministry. Perhaps I will donate it...but oh, wait, it fits again.

• A Frederick's of Hollywood little black dress that I never had the courage to wear, because the neckline plunges to my waist (it did not look like that in the photo!). Maybe I will put it on eBay...but oh, wait, my step-daughter might want it. 

• My Hugo Boss white silk pantsuit that I only wore once - for my mother's birthday celebration at Waterfire, the year I finished college and could finally afford to take her someplace nice. I always meant to dye it cranberry, to match the chicken glaze stain that the dry cleaner could not remove. That was the first and last time I wore white silk...

• My Karin Stevens teal suede beaded dinner suit, the one I wore to an evening job interview in Buffalo, New York (just like Providence, only colder!). Note to self: When a man asks you on a "dinner interview", don't accept the job he is offering.

• My vintage Bloom County t-shirts!

• Five hat and matching glove sets from the 1980's, sans gloves, as they were all ruined because I wore them on my paper route, along with a set of padded pink Thinsulate gloves that one of my favorite customers bought me. I never had the heart to tell her that they were too bulky for me to move my fingers. Apparently, I never had the heart to get rid of them, either.

• And this:

photo circa last Tuesday

The beret is part of a hat and glove set (now sans gloves!) that I received from my 10th grade Marketing teacher, as a Christmas gift for the teacher-student Secret Santa gift exchange. The scarf is even older, having been purchased in elementary school with my allowance money (because apparently, I had a perfectly good scarf at home and if I wanted it I would have a to use my own money to buy it!).

I know I need to let go of most of this stuff (except for the suits; I love my suits!). I keep telling myself that it's doing nobody any good sitting in my closet, next to the evening gowns that no longer get worn but that I long to wear; that I should donate it all to someone who cannot afford nice stuff; that if I don't, the producers of Hoarders will eventually come calling.......................so maybe I can put off the pain of letting go until that day finally arrives?

I am starting to think it is about more than just clothes.

KJM
1.18.18

Walking through the neighborhood on a rainy afternoon

My car is in the shop today, so I decided to walk to the store. It’s only 2 miles round trip, and it is a decidedly mild day for January in New England; certainly not the winter in New England about which Robert Frost wrote and Barry Manilow crooned. In fact, it is raining – a warm rain, at that, with a beautiful warm breeze that hints of a spring that is still several months in the future. As I walk, random thoughts pass through my head...

I wish I didn’t wear this heavy sweatshirt, but it just seems wrong to be out in short sleeves in January…

I hate to think about what all this warm, wet weather is going to do to the mosquito population next summer. My guess is that there will be as many as to rival Minnesota. The”Land of 10,000 Lakes” also means that it’s the “Land of 1,000,000 Mosquitoes”. I bet they don’t mention that in their tourism brochures…

How many songs have been written about rain? There’s “I wish it would rain” by Phil Collins…”I think it’s going to rain today” by Randy Newman, and covered by Bette Midler and Peter Gabriel...”The Rain”, by Oran “Juice” Jones…wow, Casey Kasem would be proud of me! If he weren’t dead, that is. Oh, and how can I forget, “Blame it on the rain”, by whoever it was Milli Vanilli fronted…”Purple Rain”, by Prince…

In spite of the mosquito population, I would like to visit Minnesota; visit Paisley Park and the museums of Minneapolis…if I go in the winter I can avoid the mosquitoes and see the Packers play the Vikings…that is if it isn’t so cold my eyes freeze shut. If I go in October and the Twins are having a good year...yeah, that's probably not going to happen....

How is it that America’s Icebox has not been affected by climate change? I think I’d like to move out that way someday…I hear the people are very friendly and that the economy is good. Plus, a state that elected comedian Al Franken to the Senate – and then told him to resign for being an ass – sounds alright to me. How did I get thinking about Minnesota? Oh yeah, Prince. Or was it mosquitoes? It was mosquitoes…

Speaking of being forced to resign for being an ass, I wonder whatever happened to former Senator Lincoln Chafee? Resigned from his own political party because they wouldn’t give him the nomination for his re-election as Governor. Our very own Lyndon B. Johnson…no, wait, Johnson had the intelligence not to run for re-election. Did Chafee? I can’t remember. I know he decided to run for President. Maybe that was it…if you fail at aiming high, aim higher. I love Rhode Island. We are so quirky!

Great, now I have Phil Collins songs stuck in my head, and not even good Phil Collins songs…why couldn’t it be another member of Genesis? I wouldn’t mind Peter Gabriel songs. I like Peter Gabriel! Do kids today even know who he is? Do Millennials? Do I care?

I remember the first time I realized I was an adult: a teenager thought my music was dorky and I didn’t care. Now I remember the time I discovered my heavy metal friends knew what I thought was my deepest secret – that I liked Ann Murray and Dan Fogelberg and listed to Lite Rock 105. I was so touched that they thought it was adorable; that they liked all the parts of me, not just the parts that were like them…

“All of me” by John Legend. That song is the song I would choose as a love song to myself. I just have to reach that point of self-acceptance. I’m getting there. Didn’t Whitney Houston sing that learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all? That version was a cover, too, but I forget who sang the original. I’m pretty sure it was a country song…Whitney dipped into that well twice and twice came up a winner!

“All of me” was the name of a song recorded back in the 1930’s, but John Legend's song is not the same one. I like this one better…

WTF? Why is the rain purple? Oh…it’s just reflecting the color in the neighbor’s stained glass window. Still, that was pretty awesome…

Who puts a stained glass window on a raised ranch in the middle of North Providence? Lincoln, yeah…but NP? Now that I think about it, maybe I’ll get a front door with a stained glass panel. That would be pretty…

I should call my mother…

I should call my brother…no, he should call me. He never answers or returns my calls. Is that a guy thing, or just a brother thing?

I miss my gay BFF…Jimmy would have been 48 this month. It’s been 9 years since he passed…why does it still feel like a dagger through my heart?

Is that the rain on my face…or am I just sweating from the January heat?

KJM

1.12.18

The Story Behind #idontrun

A family member recently commented on my #idontrun tag that I have been putting in my posts with more and more frequency these past several months. He asked if I secretly wanted to get back into running, and was simply trying to push myself past my self-set boundaries. Knowing how important charity work is to me, he suggested I start with a 5K for a cause. I laughed, and told him that there are two meaning to #idontrun.

The first is the obvious and most understood meaning: My legs don’t move me faster than 4.0 miles per hour. I hate running. I have my reasons, and they are personal, so let’s just say that if you see me running, you had been run, too, because it means something evil is giving chase. The second meaning, one that is getting more use as of late, is political.

I was raised on politics. For as far back as I can remember, my parents, both proud and registered Republicans, believed in educating their children about the electorate. At age 6 my brother sang hate songs about Jimmy Carter, while I (age 5) put my Christmas money in an envelope and asked my parents to mail it to President Carter, “for the starving children in Africa”. I had no idea what a “bleeding heart liberal” was but my parents, afraid that they were raising one, started limiting my exposure to the evening news.

I volunteered for my first political campaign at age 19 during a gap year (gap semester?) between college transfers. My brother was running for the state General Assembly, and while we still disagreed on just about every political football out there, he was family; he needed my support, and I needed the free “plus one” tickets to the fundraisers he was invited to attend. I claimed it was because I wanted to meet the VIP’s in attendance – Senators and the like, now all dead, but no less impressive for their work – but the truth is, I wanted to meet the bartenders who did not check ID’s at the open bar. It was at one of these events that I was first asked when I was going to run for office, and my simple answer was, “I don’t run; I work behind the scenes to support those who do”. Over the next five years, I volunteered for many more campaigns, and I repeated that sentence so often I landed in Marketing after graduating college, working behind the scenes to support the sales people who ran product.

For me, it didn’t matter if the candidate sported an (R) or a (D) after their name; I supported the person, not the party (my brother said it was people like me that caused electoral gridlock in the Capitol. Like I said, we agreed on nothing). I was proudly Unaffiliated…until I met my match in my mentor, my Atticus Finch - a man I would have followed to the ends of the earth (and did follow across the Eastern US on two Presidential campaigns) simply because I believed in him. When he asked me to run for the same State Senator position my brother had run for eight years before, I told him I would think about it; he gave me the 20 minutes it took to drive from his house to mine before he showed up at my door with my candidacy paperwork. It was the first and only time I ever ran for public office, and I learned more about political science than I was ever taught in school.

At first, I was excited to run! If I won, I would be serving at the State House, doing my part to make a difference in my own corner of the world! And then, the phone calls started…

The first was from a self-titled Image Consultant. She wanted to give me a makeover, to make me look older (I was 27, and still looked about 17). I turned down her services; I wanted to run on my record of skills and accomplishments, not my looks. It turns out, when you are a woman, you run on your looks whether you want to or not (just ask Hillary Clinton).

The next call was from a photographer, who offered to do some head-shots of my for my campaign literature. He made me look like a cover girl. Everyone who saw the photos told me I looked beautiful (even my brother). I hated the photos. I looked like a supermodel, not a politician; not someone the world could take seriously.

More calls came in, these from local Pro Life and Pro Choice agencies – as if the issue can be boiled down to such simple terms – asking me where I stood on “the murder of the unborn” or “a woman’s right to choose”. My response was always the same – that the matter of Roe v. Wade is a Federal issue, and I was running for state office; therefore, the issue had no bearing on the election in which I was running. I was accused of dodging the question; the truth is that I was trying to educate. I spoke of my pride that Rhode Island was one of the first states to eliminate the death penalty (on February 11, 1852), but apparently Rhode Island Right to Life and I had differing opinions of what “right to life” meant. My conversations with Planned Parenthood went no better, and in the end I refused to request the endorsement of either group and made an enemy of both. Lesson learned: Politics forces you to make a stand on one side of the line or the other, even if you prefer to walk the line.

Other lessons learned were not as much fun as listening to random pollsters lose their composure over what they considered my vague or off-topic answers. I learned that politicians often have to nod and smile at personal insults – for me, the most memorable was the oft repeated play on my last name (Manchester) perverted into “Man, What a Chest on Her!”, but there were many others, including some from my fellow candidates who questioned my qualifications due to my age, but had no such concerns about the 18 year old man who was running for office that same year.

The most important lesson I learned from running for political office was that it was an experience I did not want to repeat - a lesson I must frequently remember in this new political climate. I like my personal privacy; I like being able to act the fool when I am feeling silly, and not worrying about whether or not it will affect my chance of getting elected. I like being able to voice my personal opinion and not receive hate mail for having done so. Most of all, I like being able to support causes on both sides of the political spectrum – from the Women’s March started by Ashley Judd to the Mother-to-Be Hope Chest run by the Rhode Island Right to Life – because when all is said and done, when the political malice has cleared and we can all see clearly, I am not a Red or a Blue, but a beautiful shade of purple.

KJM

01.11.18

My Beef With Boots: A Rant to Boot Manufacturers

Dear Boot Manufacturers:

I have worn a size 6-1/2 boot since I was 12 years old (and that is a long time ago! I am a LOT older than I look!). I still wear a 6-1/2 sandal and a 7 pump (due to ridiculously high arches, which is why I prefer boots over shoes). My point? I'll get to it; I just want you to know a little bit about me first. If we are going to have an intimate conversation about my tootsies, I want you to know them, to appreciate them, and to offer them a proper fitting boot!

Last year, I had to start wearing a size 7 boot because the 6-1/2 was suddenly too small. This year, I barely fit into a 7-1/2 boot. WHAT GIVES? I am NOT going to buy a size 8! My MOTHER wears a size 8, and I am NOT turning into my mother, in spite of the fact that this is what my husband told me this very morning! I'll have you know that I had my feet professionally measured, and they still measure 6-1/2 B, so it's not me - it's you!

While I have your attention, I would like to address the matter of wide calf boots. In addition to my small feet, I had ridiculously narrow calves. (I'd post a picture, but I need to shave my legs first, so you're just going to have to take my word for it). Anyhow, what's with the recent need for any woman with calves wider than the circumference of an infant's thigh to purchase wide calf boots?

Welcome to the world of "wide" calves, baby girl!

My legs JUST fit into a pair of regular calf width boots, and only if I am wearing nylons. There is no way anything - even socks - are going to fit in there, too, leaving me unable to wear my "stuck in the '80's" look of jeans tucked into boots with legwarmer overlay (which IS coming back! I just saw legwarmers on sale at JC Penney today!).

Viva la '80's!

 

Long story short, I purchased the wide-calf riding boots. But I am not happy about it. Women love purchasing boots because unlike their hips, they generally do not have to worry about their calves being too wide.

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The "SOCKS" Moment

As a writer, I painstakingly draft my work, edit, and rework it until I start to feel like I am stuck in the cycle of lather; rinse; repeat. Sick of the uncertainty, I set myself the goal of researching my writing process. Putting my Science degree to use, I set up a research project with my writing habits as the center focus and recorded not only my thoughts and musings but the way I went about recording said thoughts and musings. The process of completing a “post-write” after each of my writing projects has helped tremendously to answer my research questions: how did I construct my sentences, my descriptions? Did I use plain or sophisticated vocabulary? Are my attempts at humor universally understandable? Are there details that I leave out because they are too personal that might be included? Do I include too many personal details that might bore people? Do I use a no-nonsense business approach or a warm and inviting tone? Do I overcompensate in my attempts to sound polite? (I know I do this, especially in my query letters!). Worse, do I come off as meek and ineffective? Worst of all, does it sound like I am apologizing for being an interruption into the reader’s life? After reviewing all of my work, pumping up my weaker sounding paragraphs and paring the over-sized ones I eventually reach the equilibrium I seek.  The conclusions of my research on my writing boil down to what I now call the SOCKS moment.

SOCKS stands for the Spanish phrase, “Eso sí, que es!” which loosely translates to “That’s it, yes!” My eureka moment. I have discovered that, on average, it takes me five drafting/re-working sessions per article to reach my SOCKS moment. Some of these sessions – such as the original draft – can take several hours; others, mere minutes. This information is important for me to know because my career goal is to work as a successful writer. In order to reach this goal, I need to know that it is attainable. While it is one thing to be a good writer, it is another altogether to be able to maintain that level of proficiency while working against a deadline.

As I prepare to graduate, I am looking back on all the work I have done towards my Writing and Rhetoric minor – 21 credits worth of work, spread out over six classes. I am reminded of my younger days, when I was active in high school theater  Rehearsals and insane directors would make me gnash my teeth, which are the same effects that short deadlines and critical editors have on me; just like the in the theater  though, I find the finished project worth every ounce of effort put into it as I look forward to the next one. This is how I know that this is what I want to do for a living; how I know I should never have cast the dream aside for a sensible, “normal” life. How do I know that I am good enough to do this for a living? Faith and the 4.0 GPA I earned in my Writing and Rhetoric minor. (Yes, that last sentence was a brag, and not even a humble one, but I prefer to think of it as self-marketing).

Searching For Atticus...

Who inspires me to write?

The most influential man in my life - as a writer and as a person - is not a real person at all, but a literary character named Atticus Finch.  Ironically, Atticus came into my life the same summer my real father left it; the summer I was 12-years-old.
               I remember that summer well; it was the season that followed the spring that my dog got hit by a car.  Rascal lived, minus her lower-left hindquarter, and her resilience taught me that it was true what people say: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.  She learned how to run like the wind on only three legs when it came time to chase after me on my bike, as well as how to play the part of the brave invalid when in view of neighbors with dog treats.  The world may have shattered a bone or two in her body, but it did not break her spirit.  I wish I could say I had the same emotional fortitude as my dog did that summer, but that would almost be a lie – almost; because at some point that summer I became acquainted with Atticus Finch.  Who knew that a summer reading assignment would come to have such an influence on my life?

The school bell rang shortly after we had received our reading assignments, dismissing us to an awaiting ice cream truck and a world of summer freedoms; our summer homework assignments already forgotten, if just for the moment – our parents would see to it that we promptly remembered them.  Although our choices for entertainment were endless; our reading selections were not.  Accustomed to the usual Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume stories of our childhood past, we were a bit frightened by what the seventh grade had in store for us, as our assigned options appeared to reflect the démonté of our childhood.  I can still recall my friend Rachel repetitively droning on about how she planned to read To Kill a Mockingbird because she had heard it was a really good book.  She could not tell me anything about the story and I, who was making my way through the anthologies of Stephen King and J.R.R. Tolkien, thought the title To Kill a Mockingbird sounded far too much like the children’s poem “Who Killed Cock Robin?” I bought the book anyway because compared to my other choices – The Grapes of Wrath, The Old Man and the Sea and Animal Farm – it seemed to be the least offensive to my pre-teen sensibilities.  I considered myself to be far too mature to read about talking animals!  Once in hand I promptly decided that To Kill a Mockingbird was not worth my time.  This opinion was based on the book’s plain, un-illustrated, mustard-yellow cover.  Yes, bibliophile that I was (and still am), I judged a book by its cover. 

My copy of To Kill a Mockingbird – now creased and careworn – sat on my bedroom desk until the start of August which was when I realized that, like it or not, my mother was not going to allow me to buy the Cliff’s Notes version of it; the local librarian looked positively apoplectic when I had asked if she had a copy of the shelves.  Already miserable because my father had decided to take Paul Simon’s advice and “slip out the back, Jack” I figured my summer could get no worse.  I opened to the first page and read these words: “When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.”

“My brother Jem,” I thought.  “Isn’t Jem a girl’s name?” At the time Jem and the Holograms was Hasbro’s answer to Mattel’s Barbie.  I read a little further and discovered that the character of Scout was a girl and grew curious as to how people down South lived.  Being a native New Englander, I had only heard stories of the Deep South; none of them all that kind to Confederates.  As I got deeper and deeper into the tome that was my summer reading assignment, something inside me stirred.  My child-like sense of justice – of right and wrong being either/or but never both – flared inside of me.  Why did these people want to hurt Atticus?  What was wrong with them?  They were supposed to be his friends!  Why were they siding against Tom Robinson, an innocent man “whose only true sin was pity for white woman”? 

By the time I reached the end of the book I was so disgusted with Maycomb County that the enormity of what “Boo” Radley had done completely escaped me – which is why I read To Kill a Mockingbird again the very next summer; and the summer after that; and the summer after that; and every summer to this day.  It was on or around my twelfth reading of the book that I caught on to the fact that Jem did not kill Bob Ewell.  I cannot understand why I did not catch on sooner.  Perhaps it was my outrage at the sense of injustice I felt; perhaps it was my anger over being told (by native Alabamans) that not much has changed in Alabama since the Civil War, and that Harper Lee’s story could be as true today as it was when she wrote it.  I think the real reason it took so long for me to process the truth about who killed Bob Ewell was that Atticus could not process it.  Over the years, I had learned to look at Atticus as the father-figure I needed in my life.  To me, Atticus was a God among men; His only weakness his blind love for his children.  He was a man who believed in his children; a man who raised them to become the pillars of justice he sought for the future of humankind.  To a child who had been abandoned by her father, Atticus made a fine surrogate; a living example of all that was good in a world full of ugliness. 

I have spent the better part of my life searching for Atticus, inside and outside of myself.  I have never giving in to the pessimistic view that such a person can only exist in fiction; that the real world would have jaded him by now, worn his ideals down to a stub of their original grace or corrupted him in one of the many political trade-offs that occur in order to make the business of politics run, and keep the politics of business in check.  I know he is out there, though, for I have caught glimpses of him.  It is these glimpses that keep my hopes alive.  I know that Atticus lives; he lives in the hearts and the minds of all who seek to emulate him.
               It was the summer of my seventeenth reading of To Kill a Mockingbird that a young boy I watched over picked up a copy of it for himself.  He was eleven years old, a year younger than I was when I first felt the magic of Harper Lee’s masterpiece, and like me he was too young to process all of the goings-on in the world that Atticus, Jem, and Scout inhabited.  Small for his age, he curled in my lap and cried at the injustice of Tom Robinson’s conviction and death; at the blatant prejudice that engulfed the human psyche.  As he dried his tears, he looked up at me with watery eyes and said, “When I grow up I want to be just like Atticus!”  Holding back tears of pride, I kissed his forehead; rocked him gently; and told him I could think of no nobler calling. 

KJM

07.09.12

The Downside of Writing

Writing a daily column can be a real pain in the ass sometimes. Don't get me wrong - I love it, and would love for Ask Tazi! to go places financially, as well as socially (which is it currently doing) but sometimes I feel like I am not doing enough to promote it; and sometimes I feel like I am doing too much to promote it.

I love writing. Ever since I was a child, I have loved the creativity of it. I started reading Ann Landers when I was seven years old and read it every day until her final column. I owned the book she wrote until it got destroyed by water damage, and it was always a dream of mine to be an advice columnist myself - thus the purpose of continuing with Ask Tazi! The letters I get are real, but I sometimes wonder if I am choosing the right ones - those that an audience would find most interesting or most helpful or just most entertaining. I try to find a balance between offering serious help for widespread problems and letters that entertain others, in spite of the fact that they do reflect someone else's real-life issue - real enough that they felt the need to write to an advice columnist about it.

Having a degree in Communications helps me a lot in this career project (which is what it has become). I am able to read between the lines and tell if information is missing, or if someone is twisting the story. I can tell if a man is writing the letter pretending to be his wife or vice-versa (almost 80% of my letters are from women) and I can tell if a letter is real or fake. My degree specializations were Interpersonal Communications and Mass Communications, so I am happy to be using both to do something I love, but I still feel...afraid that it will all just end before I am ready to see it stop.

Ask Tazi! has its slow days. For some reason, traffic drags on Tuesdays. I have tried to increase it by printing what I think are the most interesting letters, but all that has done is result in less readership for some of my best topics. I have added a blog review feature, "Tazi Recommends..." for Sundays that seems to be going over well. I do not know if it attracting extra attention to the blogs reviewed, but it has certainly helped my numbers. And yet...

I know online pay-per-click advertising is a complete rip-off, but I do it anyway in the hope of getting something back for my efforts, in a financial sense. Thus the publication of Tails From Ask Tazi: Past Missives of Great Import (Vol. 1). I suppose I just lack patience...and that is the downside of writing. It is the downside of life, really: things move not at your pace, but the pace of the world around you. I'm just going to have to accept that fact...or spend my life aggravated.

Almost Famous

Ask Tazi! looked like it was going to go viral for a little while...but today the numbers are way down as the column that sent it skyrocketing fades with the passing of current events into political history. Interest in the Cranston Prayer Banner scandal in starting to wan, and the shot heard 'round the world is starting to lose its boom. The links remain on news-sources like WPRO-AM and FM, but page hits are again down.

On the same day as "Tazi" responded to a letter about the prayer banner decision, his column was picked up as a featured story in an international food and beverage organization's newsletter, adding to the international attention his column was receiving. I had to add a BabelFish Translator to the page, so everyone could read the column with ease. I have definitely attracted new readers - which is great, considering the book release of Ask Tazi! occurred yesterday - but I still feel a bit of a let-down. I knew the day would be coming, and it came much later than I expected; but it still leaves me feeling kinda blue...like my 15 minutes of fame ended five minutes too early.

On Plagiarism and Other Ills

Twice this week I have come across blogged articles that were blatantly plagiarized from known sources, yet no credit was given. These blogs were copied and pasted word-for-word - complete with accompanying pictures - yet the re-posters failed to acknowledge the fact that the work was not theirs. What is truly sickening is that one of these bloggers is a grad student, who should know better! At the end of the original blog she "apologizes" for not crediting the original author (who she could no longer find) but declares that she posted it in fun. Oh, well that makes it all better, doesn't it?

Plagiarism is one of the great ills of writing in an electronic environment. Because it is so easy for someone to "share" your work without properly crediting it, writers - and aspiring writers - often have their work stolen by those who mean no harm...and by some who maybe do mean to claim another's work as their own. The fact that Blogger offers copyright protection is of some help, but you still have to find the people who are stealing your work - something that is difficult enough when dealing with the printed page; nigh on impossible when publishing online.

I title this blog "...and Other Ills", but really it is just one other thing. The other day, I was watching an old episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, in which Frank decides he wants to be a writer after the Reader's Digest publishes one of his jokes. Suddenly, Frank feels he knows all there is about writing and goes wild sharing his prose with all he forces to listen. At his father's request - and out of pity - Raymond drops one of his father's "columns" in his Editor's inbox. The Editor calls the work "amateurish". Frank decides that the Editor does not know anything about writing, and proceeds to continue writing.

While watching the story-line unfold, I could see where it was going and could not help but compare it to real life. I have often complained about how, thanks to blogging, anyone with a keyboard can think themselves a writer (as opposed to one who writes). I know people who have never taken a Writing or Communications course beyond the General Education requirements of their college or university, yet they believe themselves capable of writing the Great American Novel. The truly sad thing is that although their ideas may be worthwhile, they refuse to take constructive criticism; seeing it as an insult instead of an assist. Furthermore, they will not allow anyone to suggest their precious prose be edited for wordiness. Oh no…every word out of their mouths is a sacred pearl of wisdom to be treasured! How dare someone try to toss these pearls before swine!

I have seen blogs go viral on the basis of one really good article; an article that is well-written, relevant, funny, and something to which the masses can relate. I am truly happy for writers who experience such unexpected success; but my happiness is tempered by the knowledge that pride often comes before the fall. I have seen the swelled heads that prevail after such viral success. Like a writer whose first novel becomes a New York Times Bestseller, they develop a large following very quickly; people clamor for more and the writer feels flattered to produce. However, often times what they produce is....amateurish. The lack of processing and editing is evident; as is the fact that the writer rushed to churn out something to please their legion of fans. As the quality drops, so does the fan base and the opportunity to grow at a slower pace shrivels. I call it the Hootie and the Blowfish syndrome.

For anyone who remembers the late-1990's, Hootie and the Blowfish rocked the scene with Hold My Hand - a bouncy tune that was easy to dance to and fun to sing. This song rocketed the band to stardom, and their CD sales were through the roof. Their follow-up CD, Fairweather Johnson, tanked due to a bad choice of opening release (Old Man and Me) and the band disappeared from the charts, reappearing briefly with I Go Blind (another pop-rock tune) before vanishing for good. The lead singer, Darrius Rucker (aka "Hootie"), is now a Country and Western singer. Whatever happened to The Blowfish is anybody's guess...

When I started writing Ask Tazi! I never expected to gain a following, let alone the continued interest people have shown; an interest that grows by the week. As I have said before, it was simply a class assignment to be launched and then dismantled over the course of a few weeks. I am pleased that it is doing so well, and hope that in time it will become a national phenomenon. I would love for it to go viral...but first, I would love for it to be picked up for syndication - just so I can stay one step ahead of the copycats who would steal my concept of an advice giving cat.

Icarus' Flight Plan Revisted

Last night, I decided to re-read the blogs I have posted this semester - the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly (as in that end-of-semester meltdown I had last week). As I write this, Tazi-Kat is sitting by my side (as usual), and I am reflecting on all I have learned - and the irony of one particular thing I wrote.

On September 15, 2011 I blogged about an article I had read on "blogs as clubhouses". It was a short reaction piece, in which I wrote:

...with the saturation of the medium this is where my thoughts split from the author's, who continues on to describe how your personal blog can become a money-maker. Unless you come up with a truly unique topic, such as the Julie and Julia blog; and you are a trained and/or professional writer; and you have the necessary knowledge to produce an accurate, well-researched blog, then the odds of such success occurring are astronomical. This is not to say that one should not try to beat the odds; just that one should not set their sights so high that they are blinded by the sun every time they look upward.

As you can see, in spite of my tendency to aim high, I keep my expectations quite low. I suppose it is so I will not rest on my laurels, but continue to give my all towards every project I undertake. This way of life can be quite draining, but it stems from something I learned while working in advertising: your own opinion of your work is not what matters. It is the opinion of the people who are judging your work that matters.

Now, I am sure there is a chorus of young - and not-so-young - idealists out there carping about how they would never alter their "art" to please another; and I can tell you right now that those same idealists will never make a living off of their "art" - be it writing, videography, film, or actual art. People may claim that they don't believe in commercial success, but those are generally the people who are either already commercially successful or who do not have to depend upon the income generated from their art in order to pay their way through life - or the people who have ended up like Vincent Van Gogh: poor, and more than a little crazy.

Anyhow, back to my main point: I find it ironic that my clubhouse blog may actually bring me commercial success. I wonder if this is how Icarus felt...

My Point Exactly! (A Promo For "The Art of Cyberdribble")

I normally don't repost other people's blogs for the simple fact that I can be a proprietory bitch when it comes to my blog-space; but this blog deals with the major issues of writing and communication in electronic environments, so I plan on promoing the crap out of it - just because I think it needs to be read by more people, especially Communications majors. Click on the link below to see what I mean!

The Art of Cyberdribble

There Is Always More To Learn

The learning process is a never-ending one; even though we may think we know all there is to know about something, there is always something that we do not yet know.

The final - FINAL - project for this class is to put together an online portfolio of our work. Sounds simple, right? My problem is that I once worked in the field of Marketing Communications, and had a stand-out reputation not only for my work, but for cutting-edge presentation, as well. While others were still supplying print versions of their portfolio, I was supplying mine of CD in order to illustrate my animated graphic work, as well as my print graphic designs. Even after I had returned to school, I still had the occasional headhunter calling me to see if they could woo me back into the field. Therefore, I am not comfortable putting just anythng online. If I am going to put a portfolio online, it is going to be a professional presentation of my work.

When it comes to online presentations, there is so much that can be done to keep the audience interested. However, you have to keep in mind that less is more. Too much stimulation results in overstimulation, and overkill of the presentation itself. I just finished reading an article on this very subject, and found myself agreeing with everything it had to say - especially the parts about choosing a theme and sticking with it; and understanding that your portfolio is a representation of your work as a whole - not a place to put every single thing you have ever written. Editing is key.

So what have I learned this semester? I have learned that if I step outside of my comfort zone, there is much for me to discover. In other words, I learned that there is always more to learn.

Okay, I am off to write Tazi-Kat's column for tomorrow...it is amazing the things people send to him. I suppose truth really is stranger than fiction - just one more thing that I have learned this semester!

Where's My Martini?

Somebody, get me a drink. I don't care that it is only 1:30 in the afternoon and that I just returned home from church, I need something to calm me before I post something I shouldn't.

My class is in the process of writing reflective essays on what we have learned this semester, and I noticed that Miss #%@^%# - the student I have been ranting about all semester - finally got her work in by deadline. Even though I was not assigned to her Peer Review group this time around, I gave in to the temptation to read what she had to say. She actually has the chutzpah to take credit for the work done on Project Three - website redesgin, the project where she did less than 1% of all the work involved and nothing towards the actual website redesign - and gives herself a large portion of credit for Project Four - original website design - even though she did nothing to contribute to the research or design of the project.

I am so angry I am surprised the heat of my temper has not caused me to spontaniously combust into flames!!!! The last time something like this happened to me, I was working for an advertising firm. My supervisor had secretly been taking credit for my work (which had led to a 125% increase in quarterly profits!). The man was promoted on the basis of my work, claiming it was his! I was so disgusted, I gave my two-weeks notice (I had been looking, and found a better job within a week). At least in that case I had the pleasure of hearing that three months after I left his dishonesty came back to bite him in the butt. When I left, so did my market research and forecasting skills; and quarterly accounts plummeted. The guy was demoted back to this old position and his former boss (who had left to look for better pay) was hired back as the new Manager, complete with the fat pay raise that had been my former supervisor's fat pay raise.

I will now take this anger and do something useful with it - like work on the book I am co-authoring. It is called The Obdicerous One (pronounced uhb-DICK-er-us), about a man who is the personification of "Excessive obnoxiousness, combined with a ridiculously inflated sense of self-worth to the point of being ludicrous; all rolled into one large package". My co-author came up with the word, a combination of "obnoxious", "ridiculous", and "ludicrous". Stay tuned for further details...my Wrting 235 class may be ending, but this process blog shall continue.

Peer Reviewing Reviewed

I have discovered that peer reviewing has its pros and cons and unfortunately, for this class, the cons are outweighing the pros as the semester wears on and approaches the finish line. I have learned a lot in this class, and one reason was the chance to receive feedback from my classmates on the work completed. In fact, it was assigned work that they do give feedback in the form of constructive criticism. However, that does not mean that everyone gave it on time (before deadline) or even gave it all.

For our first class asignment - clubhouse blogs - I got feedback from one student, and I have to say it really wasn't helpful. For some reason, she thought Ask Tazi-Kat! was an advice column for pet lovers, and that it should run tips on caring for pets. The column offers general advice on a range of subjects, and has hardly ever addressed issues dealing with pets. As of this writing, it is up to 1100 hits (in 11 weeks), with 100 of those hits coming in over the past 3 days and a third of the total hits coming in within the last three weeks; as well as an ebook of the archives planned for January publication through Amazon.com; and daily subscription numbers also on the rise. If I had taken the advice to change the format, I don't think it would have been so successful, as pet-care is a very niche market; nor is it my forte.

Project Two did offer some very helpful review advice on travel writing, offering hints on what people look for when they travel to Providence; but even so, one of the reviewers did not offer their thoughts until after the due date for the project. As luck would have it, I got paired with this person for the next two group projects; and as expected, all deadlines were ignored. Thank God that I lucked out on Project Three, as the other member of the three-person group - the only other person I consider to be a contributing member - is an amazing student and an amazing worker. I know I keep touting him, but he seriously is that good. He graduates in May, and I have no doubt I will be seeing his name in the Wall Street Journal some day! (FYI: He is a Business and Finance major).

For Project Three, the recreation of a restaurant website, only one person got their peer reivew in by deadline (others were a week late!) and he gave some very helpful suggestions that were incorporated, and acknowledged on our Peer Review forum message board (including the suggestion that we add a Directions page to the site). The remainder of the reviewers posted their thoughts a week late, and basically said the same exact thing as the first person - lighten the background and add a Directions page - ignoring the fact that the edits had been made a full week prior. Explanations as to why there were no pictures of the restaurant or its food were posted to the forum (after the first reviewer suggested they be added), and completely ignored. Criticisms that we should add some kept pouring into the forum. It was all I could do not to post in a bold, red font "PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOU A$$ AND READ THE G-D D-MN PROJECT UPDATE!!! FOR THE LOVE OF G-D YOU ARE A SENIOR IN COLLEGE!!! PULL THIS KIND OF CR@P IN THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD AND YOU WON'T MAKE IT PAST YOUR FIRST 90-DAYS!!!!!!!" Thankfully, I have been practicing the art of patience since leaving the professional world of Marketing, and managed to keep my cool. (FYI, part 2: just in case you were wondering, we used placeholders [generic graphics] in place of actual pictures, so as to leave the picture choice open for the business owner to visualize).

With Project Four, the three contributing members of the group all agreed that the criticisms received were bulls--t, and only offered up because the reviewers had to say something. We received criticisms such as:

"You have too many links" (several of the links were required for the project, and could not be removed; the others were essential to the opertation of the site)

"I don't like the sports theme" (the page name is Intercepting Traffick and its purpose is to raise awareness of child sex trafficking at major league sporting events. DUH!)

"I think you have too much information on your site",with the suggestion that people would get bored and move on to another site (the site itself is an informational site with a targeted audience, not a general interest site.)

I have always tried to make my criticisms constructive...which is why this blog has so often turned into a rant. It's all just part of the process.

Technology: Rely On It To be Unreliable

I have been meaning to write this blog for a few weeks now, and have just been so busy putting together my final portfolio that my process blog got shifted to the bottom of the priority pile.

If you have been reading my blog you will know by now that my final group project for this class involves creating a social issues site at SocialGo.com. (If you have not been reading this blog, I suggest you go catch up and come back here when you have). When the syllabus was put together, SocialGo was free; now, it is only free for two weeks before they start to charge. THANKFULLY the good people in SocialGo's Finance Department understood the pleas of my professor, and the charges for our project sites have been waived through the end of the year. However, this situation illustrates why putting our faith in technology is not always a good thing.

I am reminded of a letter to Ann Landers that I read several years ago, about a man who knew he was dying (of illness) and wanted to leave some letters to his young granddaughter, for when she was old enough to read them. In order to keep them confidential, he typed them and saved them to a 3-inch disk. After he passed, his wife was uncertain if she should print them out, due to changing technology and the fear the letters would be lost. Ann Landers agreed with her, and got a heaping pile of mail from those who disagreed with her, saying to print them out would be a violantion of privacy. As I recap that letter, I am asking myself "How long has it been since anyone used disks?"

It is truly amazing how much technology has changed in my lifetime. I still remember 5-inch floppy disks...the TRS-80...and yes, Pong, which I still think is a balls-ass awesome video game, if you will pardon the expression. I am not exactly sure what "balls-ass" means, but it is what popped into my head when I was thinking about how awesome Pong was, and how I miss its quaint simplicity.

I often wonder what technological advances will come in the lifetime of the Wikipedia generation, and hope that it will help them to understand where I am coming from when I talk about the importance of learning to do things old school, instead of letting technology do everything for you - because if the computer systems are down and that research paper is due, it is always nice to know how to use the card catalog.

Group Poop

I am titling this blog "Group Poop" because Group Sh!t does not make for a very polite headline. My final group project for this class was submitted this morning, and I am sooooo glad to be done with it! Although the cause is important to me, group projects tend to go like this: one or two people do all of the work, while everyone else sits back and lets them do it. This project was a bit different, but there was still one obvious slacker in the group.

My problem with the group project dynamic is that I am a "recovering workaholic". I am the type of person who will dedicate all of my time to my work/school projects, to the detriment of other areas of my life. Often time I have said that "there is a reason I am [insert age here], never married with no children". Although those reasons are several, one of the big ones is my dedication to my work - and the sense of perfectionism that I bring with it. I can't just let stuff slide and hope that someone else will do the work because every time I try that I end up working double-time to catch up because nobody else bothered to do the work, either! Because I am aware of my tendency to drown my life in my work, I must make a conscious effort to STOP and balance myself or see my personal life suffer for it.

As for the technical extent of this project, I realize that I have experience in web-building; but my experience is in web graphics/design and writing HTML code. Six or seven years ago, web building software was in its infancy, and social host sites like Yola.com and SocialGo were either non-existent or very, very expensive to use ($1,500+ per yearly contract, as opposed to $100 - $300 now). I have had to make the time to learn how to use these sites, just like everybody else. My experience with HTML coding allowed me to work around some of the limitations of the paid-subscription-only features on sites like WuFoo Forms (BTW: I LOVE THIS SITE!!!), but this does not excuse the fact that one of the "founders" of the site that has been our group project contributed NOTHING except her personal profile and a very short, barely researched blog! In fact, her one source of research was a YouTube video that another member had already posted to our site! How ballsy is that? This person has a semester-long history of phoning it in, so to speak, but this move takes that attitude to new levels!

Overall, the group dynamic of this final project has worked well, with each of the remaining members contributing in some important way; I am just wondering if my dedication hasn't made it too easy for my group-mates to blow off a large portion of the assignment - i.e. learning how to use the social host software, or how to create a WuFoo form. Then again, if I were not so dedicated, I am not certain our site would be as professionally done as it is. Fjavascript:void(0)or my last group project, I was partnered with a different student, and the work he contributed was amazing. For this group project, we are separated; and the difference in the quality of work is obvious. I am really not impressed with his group's site, even though I love the topic [responsible government spending].

I just hope that my influence helps to bring out the best efforts of others, without me coming off as a total b!tch...because behind the scenes - away from work and the formal settings of the university - I can be immature, unorganized, crazy, and loud; but boy am I FUN!

Website Update

Intercepting Traffick is now a working website...and I am very, very tired. Yes, there is a causal connection between the two; so whoever is reading this, please support my hard work by "Liking" the cause on Facebook; visiting the website; and at least consider supporting the boycott and adding your name to the pledge.

Facebook Causes and What I Have Discovered About Them

In researching Facebook Causes I discovered two interesting facts: The first is that they are a private company that uses Facebook as its web host; the second is that they are actively hiring new employees. Although I have no desire to work for them - I am quite content with my current job and geographical location - I thought it very interesting that this seemingly altruistic feature is actually a very clever marketing plan by a for-profit company.

The basis of Facebook Causes is simple: the parent company represents the cause by managing their Facebook presence. Unlike Facebook Groups, the Causes feature allows for the donation of monies to the cause directly through Facebook, and uses a multi-level marketing scheme (a.k.a. a pyramid scheme) to reward members who get others to join and to donate. Rewards are not made in cash, but in a gain of status level, like it is some sort of competition. Judging by the number of competitive games on Facebook, I can see why this formation would be successful.

Although I am not certain I like the whole idea of a pyramid set-up to raise funds for worthy causes, I do suppose the end justifies the means. I admire the fact that Facebook Causes (yes, that is the name of the parent company) chose to use Facebook as an already existing platform of over 20-million users to launch their project. It kind of makes me wish that I was [Facebook Founder] Mark Zuckerberg's college roommate instead of [Causes founder] Joe Green (maybe then Ask Tazi-Kat would be a profitable venture by now!).


Source:
TechCrunch.com

Am I An Over-Achiever?

My latest assignment was to work with a group to build a website dedicated to a social cause (for those of you who have not been following). My group's cause is child sex-trafficking at the Super Bowl, and our purpose is raising awareness of the issue.

I have logged over 40 hours into this project, between site design and formatting, graphic design, blog research and writing, and general research on statistics and headlines related to this cause. The site truly looks amazing; if I do say do myself! If you have time, I ask that you please visit Intercepting Traffick today!

One of the few remaining parts of this assignment is to review the sites the other groups have created, and critique them; offering thoughts on one thing that works and one that does not. I have to say, I was quite disappointed with the other groups' sites. I am trying to keep in mind that they are still learning the art of web design, but the web builder offered through SocialGo.com seems pretty user-friendly. Plus, I, too, am still learning the art of writing for online environments (although I must add that this class has taught me a great deal already). I am starting to wonder if I am an over-achiever, because it is difficult for me to believe that so many others are under-achievers. Thoughts?

Group Project Mom

I don't have children, yet somethimes, I feel like such a Mom. Here is the latest post I put on the Group Project Forum:

Our submission draft of the website is due on Monday at 11:55 PM. For the most part, the group portions are done and only individual contributions remain.

I will be working on a better Facebook/Twitter default pic/graphic/logo. In the meantime, here is a list of what still needs to be done:

1) Personal profiles and pictures. If your profile and/or pic are not yet posted, this is just a friendly reminder that they are a required part of the assignment.

2) 1 blog post (minimum) from each of us - also part of the assignment. After signing in, at the top of the page will be a small link that says "Post New Blog". Be sure to post it to "A Word From The Refs". This is our blog page. (Sydney and I have already posted our submissions.)

3) Videos. songs, commercials, etc. Essentially, media! According to the assignment parameters, we are all required to have a minimum of ONE posting on the "Let's go To Video" page.

4) Thus far, the Organizations We Support page has only three listings. We need more!!


5) Game Analysis is our "Forums" page. We each need to post a topic and respond to the posts others have posted.

6) Calendar of events...how do we want to work this? An interactive calendar? I have looked online and am having trouble finding one...do we just want to have a list of dates and events in text form? This could work if we set it up in datebook form.

Although this last one is not required, it would be a nice touch if we all signed up as "Members" of the site by having a SocialGo.com log-in - this also allows us to Take The Pledge by signing in the Comments section of that page.

If anyone has any questions about how to work with the SocialGo software or how to post anything, please look through the other threads on this forum to see if your question has already been answered. If you still can't find an answer, please post what you need posted to this site (in a new thread) and someone who knows how to do it can see that it gets done!

GO TEAM!!!

I just feel like if I hadn't taken change, this project would have languished.

P.S. If you haven't checked it out yet, check go to the Intercepting Traffick website now!

Activism and Amendments

One thing I cannot stand is when someone proposes a Constitutional amendment based upon their pet cause. I find the idea of a "Balanced Budget Amendment" absolutely laughable, considering the fact that only 11% of Americans live debt free. I hear people complain that a flat-tax will eliminate the mortgage-interest deduction and kill the already flat real estate market and in the next breath demand that Congress "live within its means". The double-standard makes me want to choke.

I understand that the Federal deficit is dangerously large; so much so that it will probably never be paid down, but people do not seem to realize just how difficult it is to pass a bi-partisan Constitutional amendment, let alone a partisan one. With the exception of the post-Civil War era of the "radical reconstructionists" it has never been an expedient process to get two-thirds of both Congressional segments (the House and the Senate) to pass a partisan bill and then get three-fourths of the states to agree with it. Yet, when you read the email that makes the rounds - regarding whatever alleged amendment has "recently been proposed" - it states that "once it gets through Congress, approval by only 3/4 of the state legislatures is all that is needed!" Wow, is that all?

It took the 19th Amendment - the removal of the sex requirement to exercise the rights of suffrage - sixty years of activist activity to pass both the House and the Senate, and then an additional two years to receive ratification by the states. The Equal Rights Amendment - first proposed in 1923 - did not receive Congressional approval until 1972 - that's 49 years, for those who are counting. To this day, only 35 states have ratified it (38 are needed for approval)...almost 40 years after it finally received Congressional approval. This past February, Virginia sought to be the 36th state to ratify it, but the issue was tabled in their House of Representatives. This past June, E.R.A. ratification bills were re-introduced in the U.S. Senate. The issue is still alive and awaiting ratification.

These examples are why I laugh out loud when people demand the passage of Constitutional amendments like the "28th Amendment" that I see Tea-Partyists referring to on Facebook (written as such, like it has already passed into law). If they pulled their heads out of their collective asses, they would know that there already IS a proposed 28th Amendment in the works, that it was proposed long before the passage of Amendments 20 - 27, and it has nothing to do with limiting the power of Congress - it is the E.R.A., whose supporters are not so presumptuous to call it the "28th Amendment", just as the 19th Amendment was called the "Susan B. Anthony Amendment" before its passage*! To put it in plainer language, the "proposed" 28th Amendment of which these people write does not exist! It has never been proposed ! Knowing that, I hardly think passage of such an amendment to be an impending reality, and this is in complete disregard of the fact that it can take a lifetime or more for a controversial amendment to pass. Considering that slacktivism is de rigueur right now, I don't think Congress has any reason to worry.


*Had the Susan B. Anthony Amendment been so presumptuous to call itself "the proposed 18th Amendment", it would have been judged poorly by history. Prohibition passed first, thereby making it the 18th Amendment.

A Cheesehead's Worst Nightmare

Last year, my Green Bay Packers went to the Super Bowl. The glory of this moment - and their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers - was tainted by my newly discovered knowledge that the Super Bowl is one of the largest child sex trafficking events in America. Pimps kidnap and transport young girls and boys across state lines - and last year, since the game was in Dallas, across national borders - in order to provide young prostitutes for willing customers.

Thanks to Trafficking 911 and Change.org word of this horrific practice was spread to the American people, and the NFL players themselves spoke out against this horrid practice in the form of public service announcements. The FBI and the Texas Attorney General's office worked in conjunction with local airlines to spot the young victims of sex trafficking, but there is still so much more that needs to be done.

As of this writing, my Packers are 8 - 0 on the season! They stand a very good chance of returning to the big dance this year, which will be held in Indianapolis. What troubles me is that, according to the scant bit of research I have done so far for this project (a social cause website against child sex traffickign at the Super Bowl), America's heartland is the core of the American sex trafficking trade. With young girls seeking to leave home and find their fortune outside of the rural confines of the Midwest, they are prime targets for those who would take advantage of them sexually.

I love my team, and I love the NFL; but I will boycott all that has anything to do with the NFL if they don't step up their game against child sex trafficking.

Social Causes a Go-Go...and a Closing Reference to a Grito Serpentiono Poem

My next (and final) project for this class is to create an online presence with regard to a social issue. I have always been what I like to call a "silent activist" - someone who quietly goes about raising awareness and funds without getting in peoples' faces about it. For example, many years ago a child I used to babysit (who is now a sophomore in college!) fell ill with a step infection in her stomach. She spent several days in Hasbro Children's Hospital, and came very close to dying. That Christmas season, I made a donation to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital - and have continued to do so every Christmas season since, regardless of my personal financial picture. Why St. Jude's? Because they treat children whose families are uninsured, and do not have the ability to pay for hospital treatment. St. Jude's does not even have a patient accounts billing department, because the patient never receives a bill for services.

In return for my donation, St. Jude's always sends me return address labels with artwork, most of it crudely drawn, completed by their patients. Although my preference would be to use a more sophisticated looking label on my Christmas cards, I use every single one of them in the hope that those who see it will be inspired to donate as well. (Many of my friends tell me that they have been inspired to do just that). This is but one example of silent activism that I have found effective.

With the ever-evolving Internet being a daily presence in most peoples' lives, social networking has become an easy way for people to show support for the causes they would like to support, without actually doing it. There is actually a word for this: slacktivism. By clicking a button on Facebook, I can "Like" Breast Cancer Research, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Disabled Veterans', and other causes that I support financially; but I can also "Like" causes like Stop Pet Abuse NOW! and other causes that may or may not be actual non-profit organizations. In his article Digital Natives As Self-Actualizing Citizens, W. Lance Bennett comments on this phenonmenon.

Bennett points out that many of today's youth generation (i.e. students and adults under the age of 25, or at least this is how I interpret it) use social media as a way to get involved with the political and civic processes of society. However, as Bennett so perfectly puts it, "the bottom line is that digital natives largely do not participate in civic affairs out of a sense of duty or obligation but a sense of personal fulfillment." Slacktivism, anyone?

This sense of "what's in it for me" activism is what divides the old-school activists from the new-school activists, or what Bennett calls the "Dutiful Citizens (D.C.'s)" from the "self-Actualizing Citizens (A.C.'s)". According to Bennett, D.C.'s feel a duty to vote in government elections; participate in government; and seek out information from trusted sources, such as trational media like newspapers and the nightly news; and show their support for a cause by joining a physical organization, one with a Board of Directors and a voting membership.

A.C.'s, on the other hand, are more likely to vote for their favorite American Idol contestant than for their preferred Presidential candidate. According to Bennett, they feel less of an obligation to vote and/or participate in central forms of government. In fact, they mistrust the government; and this mistrust is fed through their choice of alternative forms of media. A.C.'s are more likely to have an online network of "friends" than in-person social ties, and subsequently any social causes in which they involve themselves follow this loose organizational structure.

Having pointed out the differences between the older generations and the younger generations, Bennett suggests that "schools should help students to develop their own public voices by using various digital media, allowing students to find their own means of engaging with and learning about issues, and forming peer-learning communities." I suggest that this slope is a dangerously slippery one, for several reasons.

1. Online content is treated differently than book content

Online content is designed to be consumed in quick bites - small chunks of information delivered in easily processable wording. Even when the content is not designed this way, it has come to be expected. As a Science Tutor, many of the students with whom I work are assigned homework through ChemSkillsBuilder, an online software program that really does help students improve their grade...if they treat it like a regular homework assignment by writing down the problems, solving them, and typing in their answers. My experience in working with Chemistry students is that most will attempt to solve the online problems in their heads, never taking notes on how the problem is done, or reviewing the advice given after a wrong answer is submitted. Consequently, grades are lower, frustration is higher, and nothing is accomplished.

2. Online media is not always accurate

Conspiricy theory sites abound on the Internet. Marketing themselves as "alternative media", they spew absolute farce that they then present as serious journalism. Their sources - when revealed - are quite questionable and usually biased; and many times the "facts" presented are unchecked - and inaccurate. However, their fans have been brainwashed to believe that all reporting is true and accurate - and those who would say otherwise are part of the government machine that seeks to silence the truth.

3. Peer-Learning Communities are invariably unbalanced

When students are assigned to a group learning community, be it a group project or a study group, natural leaders tend to rise to the top. These are the students who take the initiative to organize the project and create a working timeline, based upon the work that needs to be completed by the deadlines assigned for it. Less organized students naturally seek to follow - many will hold up their end of the work, but just as many will allow others to pull the load while they sit back and reap the benefits of the group efforts.

Bennett suggests that the ideal way of teaching students would be to combine the old styles with the new styles, in order to embrace this new form of activism; but I feel he is a bit utopian in his belief that "young people are using their power as consumers to communicate directly with corporations." This may in fact be true, but what are they communicating? That they can type a strongly worded email? Did they write to the CEO of Sony to complain of the harsh labor conditions under which ossium metal (required in the manufacture of smart phones and video gaming systems) is mined? Did they make a credible threat to stop buying PS3 games and consoles and Sony smart phones until the inhumane treatment of workers - mostly poor children of African nations - improves? If the answer from America's collective A.C.'s is "yes", then please excuse me while I put my hip-waders on, because the bullsh-- is getting a little deep.

Bennett ends his article with the thought "the vitality of our democracy rests on reconciling changing youth civic styles with the more traditional notions of citizen engagement that still characterize most schools, governments, and public interest spheres." I could not disagree more. Just because something is popular does not make it right. The popularity of social media has dehumanized youth - cyberbullying is a prime example of this occurance. Rather than give in to the beast, I say fight it. This leads me to another article I read this week, Can Social network Sites Enable Political Action?, by Danah Boyd.

Ms. Boyd write the article in 2008, while a PhD candidate at UC - Berkeley. Her specific area of study was "youth engagement in networked places", like MySpace (remember them?) and Facebook, the Serena Williams of social media*. The title of the article intrigued me, and I was not disappointed by its contents.

Ms. Boyd states her thesis concisely:

Activists have fantasized about ordinary citizens using SNSes for political action and speaking truth to power. Yet these daydreams are shattered through even a cursory look at actual practices...Typical SNS participants are more invested in adding glitter to pages and SuperPoking their “friends” than engaging in any form of civic-minded collective action.

Just when I thought I could not agree more, Boyd ups the ante with an argument that shatters the idea that Facebook and MySpace are places where youth can interact with politicians and their government representatives, resulting in even more vigorous head-nodding on my part. She states, "By and large, when politicians and activists talk about using MySpace and Facebook, they aren’t talking about using it the way most people do; they are talking about leveraging it as a spamming device." A giant spamming device, at that; and a misleading one, considering that many people actually think that politicians - and not their staff and handlers - are the ones reading and responding to their posts.

Personally, I try to keep politics off of my Facebook page for the simple reason that it is a form of social media. The age-old rule of never discussing politics or religion in a social setting carries over to my Facebook page 99% of the time. (There are occasions when I slip and my outrage gets expressed, but I never allow the debate that ensues to turn uncivil). However, there are those that use their Facebook and MySpace pages as political forums for their beliefs. My question is, how much support do they actually hope to garner for their cause?

The Occupy Wall Street movement started out as a social networking movement, in response to the success of the Arab Spring movement. The difference between the two is that in the time it took the Arab Spring movement to topple governments, OWS has only managed to get Bank of America to change its mind about charging a $5/month debit-card fee. The difference in the results speaks directly to the level of commitment from those supporting the cause. In the Arab world, their youth are willing to fight and die for their cause; in America, our youth is unwilling to be inconvenienced. Many years ago, when I saw a performance by Grito Serpentino**, he recited a piece titled "When The Revolution Comes (Ain't Gonna Be No Cappuccinos With It)". I always wondered if that would be true. Now, I guess I know.

*Facebook is younger than MySpace; but just as Serena overtook her older sister Venus in tennis success, Facebook has far outpaced MySpace in popularity.

**The man, not the group, as at the time he was a with the San Jose (CA) Poetry Slam Team.

Looking Back To When I Was Green

I am taking this class - Writing for Online Environments, for those who forgot - as a way to update my Communications degree. I am enjoying it a lot, but sometimes I forget that my classmates are still learning...and that they haven't experienced life in an advertising agency or in the sales office of a TV station. I get aggravated over missed deadlines, and I supppose I always will, but it is more than that.

I forget that my classmates have probably not yet taken classes in Research Methods...that the extent of their writing experience ends with Writing 101, the universal college writing requirement...and that they have yet to learn how to balance their time. My boss tells me all the time that it is very easy for students to waste time without even realizing it, and then complain that they just can't fit everything they need to complete into their schedules. (As a Tutor, part of my job is to assist students in time management).

Sometimes, I forget what it is like to be young and "green". Kermit the Frog was right - it ain't easy being green - and although I can't see myself being more accomodating of missed deadlines, I can control my response to the situation.

That Was My Last Nerve, So Please Stop Getting On It!!!!

I think I have finally discovered what my "pet peeve" is! There are a lot of things that really p!ss me off - people who lick their fingers before turning the pages of a newspaper; bad drivers; and poor manners among them - but my annoyance with that stuff is usually quite fleeting. This group project and peer review forum on which I have been working has led me to discover an annoyance that has reached levels I have never before known; in fact, I did not know I could be so p!ssed and still manage to not to (literally) tear someone a "new one". What is this pet peeve of which I speak? Ignorance for deadlines, especially among Communications majors.

Having spent the first several years of my career working in media advertising, I learned the hard way that a deadline is just that - a deadline. A drop-dead date after which material cannot and will not be accepted for editing or publication. I have seen salespeople whine and cry and beg for understanding, suffering complete breakdowns, because they missed a deadline and their client's advertisments were not to air (and their commissions were not to be in their paychecks).

For this Internet re-design project, Peer Reviews were due this past Thursday, by Midnight. Only ONE person responded and posted on time. One person out of THREE! The remaining two responded today - Sunday. The project is due tomorrow!! If they think I am even going to consider any more changes at 9:20 PM they are high on something! I seriously fear for their future careers, because unless they pull their heads out of their asses and learn the meaning of "deadline" they are not going to succeed in this field!

RANT OVER!!!

Thoughts and Memories On Internet Marketing

One thing that Facebook is always doing is "updating" their look and organizational scheme, much to the dismay of their users. I think this is partially because people do not like change, but also because it makes the site difficult to navigate. One new feature that I do like is the "real time" status update and comment scroll of my "favorite" friends, in the right sidebar. This allows me to see what is important to me right away, without having to fish around for it.

In spite of Facebook's success, I honestly think that if business websites changed their organizational formats as often as Facebook did the entire concept of the Internet would be one giant FAIL, simply because people would get tired of having to adjust to a new format every few months. I think this is why - on the flip-side of the coin - so many businesses are reluctant to update their website layout, even if it is outdated and/or disorganized.

Over the past 10 years, American businesses have adjusted to the use of the Internet and email as a vital - and expected - means of communication. I remember back in the late 1990's how I was one of the few people I knew to include an email address on my resume, in spite of the fact that no potential employer ever contacted me via email - and I was applying for jobs in the field of Communications and "New Media"!

I remember how back in 2000 while working for an advertising agency - a place where deadlines are always looming, and fast communication is key - my supervisor chastised me for using email instead of the telephone to contact my TV sales reps, saying that "the telephone is quicker; people are more likely to answer it than email". Oh, how times have changed.

I remember the work I did in designing the very first website for Pride Auto Group (which has since dwindled from seven successful dealerships to just Pride Hyundai). I remember trying to sell the owner and Executive Vice-President on investing in the web-software I needed to create a first-class website...and I remember when they fired the HTML code designer (I only handled the graphics, Flash, and layout) because the owner reasoned that "a website is a waste of money; people aren't going to use the Internet to buy cars". This was in 2002 - only 10 years ago.

It has really only been within the past 5 - 7 years that an Internet presence has been considered mandatory for a company to have - complete with Facebook and Twitter accounts - and it seems like many of the haphazard efforts of creating one are still out there and in use. Hopefully, within the next 5 - 7 years, these disorganized efforts will be pulled together into something more appealing to potential customers.

Website Overload

When one person is doing something it is special, unique, and eye-catching. When everyone starts doing something, the bar is raised to remain special, unique, and eye-catching. I have lived long enough to watch the Internet grow from 16-mbps (or was it 16-kbps?) to a tool that can download complex flash-animation in seconds. Once upon a time, flash animation was special...now, it is expected. Once upon a time, interactive features were exiting...now, they are routine. Once upon a time, websites were unique...now, they all blend one into the other.

I have been browsing the Internet this week looking at the different styles and layouts chosen by different companies and industries, and quite honestly it has all started to blend into one big swirl. How is a company to stand out when attention spans are too short to catch for more than a few seconds? These are the thoughts I am processing this week...more posts on this subject will follow as I figure out what I am thinking.

Big Steps

Today, I took a huge step: I submitted my Ask Tazi! column for suggested publication. I felt knots in my stomach as I wrote the email, but I also figure nothing ventured, nothing gained. A rejection will not be a reflection of my writing, or of the popularity of the column - just of the needs of the publication to which I submitted it.

Today, a friend posted a picture on her Facebook page. It said, "'It's impossible', said Pride; 'It's risky', said Experience; 'It's pointless', said Reason;'Give it a try', whispered The Heart". So to my heart I listened.

Knowing Is Half The Battle

This project - redesigning a website, for those outside my class who might be reading this - has been enlightening. It has confirmed for me that I do NOT want to go back to working in website design! As much as I have enjoyed this project, it was the opportunity to go back to my past that made it so much fun; like when you spend the day watching television shows from your childrood. A full day of The Muppet Show is a treat; a daily diet of it gets old really fast.

As I get closer to graduation, I have to make the hard choices of which path to take. I do believe my heart is set on teaching and/or writing, but there is a part of me that is sad to know - for certain - that I will be shutting the door on Marketing. I was only 7 years old when I decided that was what I wanted to do with me life, and started educating myself with that goal in mind ar age 12; taking enrichment classes in videography and television production; Economics classes at 14; and Marketing through my city's vocational high school a year later. I eventually graduated as the Outstanding Student (the equivelant of Valordictorian), with a perfect 4.0 GPA and a head full of hopes and dreams.

For almost 30 years, I lived, ate, and breathed Marketing. I saw changes that people once thought impossible - the launching of a fourth major TV network (FOX); the turn towards computer design over freehand artwork; the birth of the Internet...the future is here, and I am content to leave it to a new generation and to step off in a new direction - but it is nice to wallow in the past every once in a whie, if only to remember from whence I came.

Deadlines Aren't Arbitrary

It is 2:20 AM and I cannot sleep because this group project is on my mind. I have to say, I am extremely impressed with how Group Member #2 took the draft/template website I created and turned it into the amazing finished product that it is, and how s/he managed to do it in such a short time. It blows my own efforts away (and I have been told that my efforts were quite impressive!), and I am happy to have been teamed with this person...I truly am; but at the same time I am somewhat annoyed that I have to be exclusionary of our third group member, who thus far has contributed nothing because "web design" isn't their "strong point". The beauty of this forum is that it is a classroom - if something is not your strong point, then that is what you are here to learn and it is all the more reason that you should be actively participating instead of taking a back-seat to others. Layout formatting isn't my strongest point, but I gave it a shot; and some of my efforts even made it into the final draft of the site!

The complete lack of communication from Group Member #3 also bothers me, although s/he claims to have left messages for me on Facebook. I double checked the link to my page that I posted, and it is correct, yet no messages have been received there. Anything posted to Sakai goes directly to my URI email, so there is no reason to post outside the closed forum of our classroom. I only provided my Facebook info because it is a quick way to get in touch with me in the case of an emergency - but then poor planning on someone else's part does not constitute an emergency on mine.

Having been asked to wear the mantle of Group Leader, I posted a thread about the final leg of this project today - the proposal memo. I was planning on doing it myself since Group Member #2 worked so hard these past few days in turning what started as my vision into a first-class cooperative; and, quite honestly, because the third member of the group has proven that s/he feels deadlines are arbitrary. I am really excited about this project, and if Group Member #2 agrees to it, I would like to submit the proposed website to the owners of the company who's site we chose to improve. Although I have no plans to return to design work, this site would be a huge plus for any portfolio, student or professional.

Anyhow, the reason I can't sleep is because Group Member #3 has requested the assignment of doing the proposal memo. Seeing how s/he has contributed nothing to the project yet, I realize it is only fair to give them the chance to do something...and yet I wonder: had I not posted the request for input into it, would s/he had taken the initiative to draft the proposal anyway? The assignment was posted 12 days ago, and here it is only 3 or 4 days before deadline before s/he makes an effort to contribute - and business writing is what s/he called their "strong point". If that were me, I would have jumped on it a week ago!

I guess I just feel that this group member is only seeking to contribute at this point because s/he would otherwise face the very real possibility of getting a zero for the entire assignment, considering that is what s/he has contributed to it. Therein is my quandry: Do I trust this person's motivation? Do I trust that writing the business proposal will play to their strengths, and thus strengthen the overall impact of this project?

What has me second guessing my decision to give this person the go-ahead to handle the proposal memo is that I can't even refer to their "reaction writing" for the last two readings (Palmquist's piece on what constitutes a good website and the "Design for Non-Designers" chapter) to judge whether or not assigning them the proposal memo would be a solid decision. S/he hasn't posted either of these required reaction responses to our group's forum, even though the first was due a week ago and the second due a few hours ago. See what I mean when I say s/he has proven that s/he finds deadlines to be arbitrary?

This proposal memo has become a monkey on my back, one which I would love to send sailing off of a cliff. I have a Physics exam on Monday, and studying for it is going to require a lot of my time this weekend. I want to believe that the proposal memo is in good hands, and that when I wake Tuesday morning, it will be posted to our group forum where the completed*** website now sits; but I can't...something tells me that in order to shed the monkey I am going to have to put together a back-up proposal just in case the assigned proposal is not posted in time to be included with the rest of the project.

[***I added these stars because one thought led to another, but I did not want to digress (for a change): Group Member #3 has informed us that s/he will review the site we created and add their own edits, which we can include or reject. When I commented that the site was complete unless anyone had any more edits, it was worded inclusively because it is a group project, but directed at Group Member #2 since s/he is the only other one who has been working on it!! As far as I am concerned, the website looks perfect - to add to it would be like putting lipstick on a pig - and Group Member #3 has no right to make edits to the website when s/he has contributed nothing to the creative process thus far.]

Well, it is now 3:21 AM, and I have a long day ahead of me...now that this is all out of my system, maybe I will be able to sleep.