I’ve decided to start writing more about community management. I’ve been reluctant to do so, but after checking in with a few people who know me, I’ve given myself the go-ahead.
“Why hestiate? There are a ton of people blogging about community management already, and most of them are WRONG,” said one friend, a CM with years of experience. “You’re an expert!”
Watch this space.
*The title of my prospective memoir of a career in the dot-com trenches.
Filed under Community Management, Internet, Personal
Our firm recently moved from an old building with a sandwich shop in the lobby to a 39-story skyscraper that was once the second-tallest building in San Francisco. Instead of walking through a sulfurous onion cloud on my way to the elevator, I’m now greeted by a man in uniform who smiles and says “hello” as I enter the hive.
I find this highly annoying.
This performance is a terrible waste of resources. By my estimation, about 25% of us return the greeting; the remainder breezes past, oblivious to our goodwill ambassador. If building management wants tenant employees to feel good about coming to work, here are suggestions that might create real value:
These low-cost ideas promote the notion that building management cares about our happiness. Which is the only reason they’re paying someone to wave at me, am I right?
Filed under Community Management, Internet, San Francisco
I’ve been teaching myself to play baritone ukulele for almost a year; I started with a soprano uke, but my fingers were too large and I felt like an angry, uncoordinated giant whenever I tried to play. Hulk smash puny stringed instrument!
I sized up to a baritone, which is much less plink-y and more like a guitar, an instrument I’ve tried several times. Four strings is considerably simpler than six.
The idea of sharing the music beyond a very small circle is something I’ve talked myself out of a number of times. Not because I’m afraid of your feedback, but because I derive so much enjoyment from playing this damn thing that sharing it with others was barely a consideration. I could totally suck at it, and I’d still be having fun. Happily, I don’t totally suck at it.
Some of the most sublime moments in the last several months saw me sitting at a table while playing the uke and looking up chord diagrams online for songs I heard on the radio as a kid. The afternoon when I figured out the guitar hook from Heart’s “Barracuda,” I broke out laughing. When I found myself playing “Agua de Beber,” I was a little impressed with myself. And the day I played along to “Stairway” and blazed through the final verse, shaking my imaginary mop of hair? I felt like a complete badass.
Although I can sing and play, that seemed a little ambitious for a debut. Instead, here’s Meredith Wilson’s “Till There Was You.”
I’ll try to add a few more from time to time. Many of the songs I’ve learned are here, but there are others I’m adding to the repertoire. Stay tuned.
More Gaudy Patter 