digital optimism

This post was inspired by a tweet or two from Cydney Wuerffel about using quotes from Twitter in research papers. Cydney asked a great question- whether or not these quotes from Twitter would be acceptable in academia. Initially I thought, “hm, not sure about that.” Then I reconsidered; why wouldn’t a tweet be fair game for a quote? This brought up a bigger question. What is it about digital media that creates a sense of informality?

For whatever reason, communications via Facebook, e-mail, Twitter, etc. are perceived as less “acceptable” than traditional forms of media. I’m making a rather large generalization by saying that, but personally I’ve gotten that sense from myself and others. This is especially visible inside of organizations, where leaders often believe the only people on Facebook are college students posting their drinking pictures. I see blogs being received as less authoritative in comparison to a newspaper, or even an online edition of a newspaper. I recognize that the writing is generally more conversational in blogs and on social networks, but why would that make the information less valid? If Albert Einstein were (alive, and…) posting theories on a blog? What is it about digital that makes conversations less real? Is it the lack of face-to-face interactions and, if so, will video change that?

Photo credit: umbex (Flickr)

First and foremost- this is a random personal account that has absolutely nothing to do with what I usually write about. The story is still ridiculous so read on if you so wish. (And I do hope we can still be friends afterwards. )

You are going to think I’m insane. Seriously. But I want to know if this has ever happened to anyone else. Also, I want to be damn sure to document this before I forget it completely.

I fell asleep about 20 minutes ago and started dreaming. I can’t remember what I was dreaming about. But all the sudden I began hearing noises as though they were outside my window. I was frightened so I stood up. I was awake and going to shut the window. Except I wasn’t awake. I wasn’t moving at all. I felt myself stand up, but I was laying there unconscious, but completely conscious, yet incapable of any movement. What. The. Hell.

I tried to yell for my husband in the other room. I felt and heard myself speaking, buy again I was still lying down and not making any noise. I felt my arms moving, but they weren’t moving. I started yelling at myself to wake up. I was trying to force my eyes open, but could not open them. I continued yelling at myself to wake up until it finally happened.

This is not the first time this has happened to me. I vaguely remember this happening about two years ago. That time it only lasted about 30 seconds. This time it was at least 5 minutes. I think I’ve completely lost my mind. Perhaps I should think twice before posting this, since my sanity may be in question here. But I really want to know if this has happened to anyone else.

Was I dreaming? I dont know if I can accept that answer though, because I was so conscious of what was happening. Sleepwalking? Impossible, because I wasn’t moving. Am I on drugs? Nope. You probably don’t believe it, but I’m not, I promise!

Do I belong in the looney bin? Probably. Anyone got any answers?

Maybe I’m just so tired that I’m hallucinating or something. On that note, back to sleep I go.

So, I have some exciting news to share:

1. New job: On May 4th, I will be joining Haberman as an Interactive Storyteller, and I am thrilled. Though it’s hard for me to say goodbye to the great people at Questar, I’m looking forward to starting a new path with an incredible PR firm. It’s a fantastic opportunity and I can’t wait to start.

2. New blogging gig: I am now writing for examiner.com as the Minneapolis Working Moms Examiner. I will continue writing for the Minneapolis Metblog as well. Out of control blogger right here.

3. New house: My husband and I are buying our first home. We close the deal next Thursday. No more noisy old lady upstairs! No more smelly apartment hallway! No more evil landlords!  Booyah.

I am very, very happy about all of these new happenings. To everyone who has supported me along the way, thank you so much. There are plenty of individuals who deserve a beer on my dime, and I will make it happen in the near future.

That might be a dumb question. With corporations paying million-dollar bonuses to executives with tax payer money, I see why they’d want to keep that under wraps. But in some businesses, it feels like every decision must remain a secret. How can we explain this perpetual confidentiality?

I attribute it to one thing: fear. Company executives are afraid of how other people will react to their decisions. This fear is valid…sort of. We’ve seen how one bad decision can lead to an uprising of unhappy people (ie: Motrin baby-wearing ad campaign). So while it may seem like a valid fear, it’s really not.

I hate to be cliché, but you truly can’t win ‘em all. Fear should evolve into acceptance and confidence. Companies just need to embrace the power of reputation management. Decisions should be made with the expectation that it will be public knowledge. That way, a plan for response measures can be established. People just want some answers, and I mean employees and customers alike. I know that clear, honest communication can repair broken relationships.

Thanks to technology, company secrets can now be revealed to the masses. We shouldn’t fear this. Disgruntled customers now give us the opportunity to appease them with a response. Unhappy employees now have the opportunity to speak up, and businesses have the equal opportunity to reply. The act of responding is key.

Photo credit: vk-red (Flickr)