Telecommuters Unite!

There is a quiet revolution going on in America and across the world. Our culture is shifting through gains in technology to a place where we can work anywhere. The concept of the office is changing - it is becoming a meeting place for collaboration. Then workers go off to their own spaces - in some places, their home and get their tasks done.

I work full time and work from home on Fridays. This allows me to keep my daughter home 3 days a week and in daycare 4 days a week, which is a much better balance. It is a challenge, but I have a laptop, cable modem, email access, MSN instant messenger and a phone/fax machine. With this, I am armed with the tech tools that I need to succeed. Being a marketer, a lot of the job is communicating between vendors, customers, editors, the sales team and IT. Balancing projects and making sure they move along is the game.

I believe there will come a day when a job will be open in California, and I will be able to apply and work from home in Georgia. When employers find good people, location shouldn't be a problem.

As far as working from home full time, that is another situation unknown to me. You have to have incredible discipline, a solid agreement with your management on measuring performance (both ways), and you have got to make contact with fellow employees face to face once in awhile. There is nothing like being around other employees to be in touch with what is going on behind the scenes when you are face to face. You pick up on more details when you are in meetings with people rather than on the phone. You see expressions, hand movements, eye rolling and the rest.

But for me, my Fridays are special. I get my work done and spend glorious time with my daughter. It can't get better than that.

Don't think you can telecommute or that management won't allow it? Make a case. Pitch the idea. Go through a 3 month test. It's worth asking, isn't it?

Telecommuting Resources
http://www.networkworld.com/topics/telework.html

Interagency Telework
http://www.telework.gov/

International Telework Association
http://www.telecommute.org/

War Damn Eagle. Auburn University Rocks.

I just wanted to note that Auburn University is one of the best experiences of my life. I recommend it for all college bound students. And last year's perfect football season was the icing on the cake. We hadn't been to the Sugar Bowl since 1988. That was awesome.

It's a quaint small college town with pride and love of the alma mater. It's a great college to send your kids to. When I run into people wearing Auburn clothes, we always say "War Eagle" to each other and talk like we are old friends. My sister thinks it's the weirdest thing. She went to South Carolina and they don't have that kind of brotherhood building saying.

www.auburn.edu


Not sure if you have seen this yet...its the 2005 pre-game football trailer they will be showing this year before the team comes out on the field.

http://www.auburn.edu/~chavdhk/AuburnPregame05.mpeg

"Believe me on this. Please. I have descended into college football's Grand Canyon. I have stood in its Alps. I have gazed at its ocean sunset. I have attended a game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. And I've been changed forever." – Bud Poliquin

Why the Burger King and Mentos ads are wrong and Ad Tunes and Family Guy is Right On Brother

That new burger king "King" creeps me out. It's not funny like the gnome that travels, it's just creepy with that stiff smile and no talking. What is up with that? It's not helping develop an image - at least McDonald's is building an image for healthier food options. When i think of the BK, I just think, creepy mask/helmet man.

And another thing, what's up with the mentos ads? They have to be foreign. Haven't they done their research and learned that what works in certain countries doesn't work in others?

Oh well. Just some late night advertising thoughts from a full time B2B marketer, part time consumer. The joys of marketing is never letting go!

Searching for TV commercial songs? Look no further - http://www.adtunes.com/

And I need to add that it is great to see the Family Guy back on tv where it belongs. God love Seth McFarlane and the whole cast for hanging in there. It really is a brilliant show. I hope you have many more seasons. I am a proud DVD owner.

Happy trails and good night!

Links relevant to my thoughts:

The Return of the KingBurger King is resurrecting a dubious icon. Why?
http://slate.msn.com/id/2107697/

Various ads
http://ad-rag.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Search&file=index&action=search&overview=1&active_stories=1&stories_topics[0]=38

Advertising mistakes
http://bears.ece.ucsb.edu/personnel/astornet/humor/humor91.html

Redheads and the people attached to them

Until I had my redheaded daughter, I never really knew just how special red hair was to the world. My mom and grandma have red hair. My grandpa gurney had red hair when he was younger. And my sister in law has red curly hair.

I have spent the last 21 months getting used to shopping and having all kinds of people suddenly stop me from whatever I was doing to admire Megan's red hair. (It's mostly older women who admit to trying to match Megan's shade of hair with over the counter hair color but I have had all types of people comment about her beautiful hair). I just wasn't aware of this phenomenon before I had her. I go out with Megan now and it's like she is a moving magnet for people everywhere. It's quite a trip, actually. It's a good thing Megan is good natured or she would have freaked out a few hundred times now!

I also never knew that in the fashion , haircare and beauty world, red hair is the only hair color that no one has been able to emulate. Sure, people like my great aunt marge tried to have red hair, but it always seemed a bit magenta to me.

What is the mystery surrounding redheads? Is it truly because you cannot "fake" being a redhead? The true uniqueness of red hair is like a target for those who seek it. So onward and upward, Megan. May your red hair guide you and your redhair followers everywhere you go. Red heads of the universe, UNITE!

Red hair fading out? Experts unsure
4 percent of humans have the red hair gene.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050510/LIVING/505100338

Red hair
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_hair

http://www.answers.com/topic/red-hair

Let's talk paranoid micromanagers and the drones who work for them.

Sometimes I wonder just how some people rise in the corporate ranks. I currently work for a paranoid micromanager who seems to be like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. One day he is upbeat and joking and the next three we have a controlling psycho to contend with.

If someone in the office does something to make him mad, he sends a random email to the entire company. "I just want to remind you that lunch hour does encompass 60 minutes..." Then everyone wonders who it was. We usually get these a few times a year.

The sales team has a revolving door as his management style doesn't seem to agree with anyone. We have had more people go than are currently here.

And don't even ask about holidays. We have five.

The guilt you feel asking for time off is unreal.

And please, when you are meeting with someone, don't look at your email. Look them in the eye. I could go on.

Movies like Office Space, Cartoons like Dilbert and TV Shows like The Office really hit a nail on teh head. The problem is, with this boss controlling and ruling our office, who is making sure he is doing his job properly? No one higher up asks the staff why there is such high turnover and there are no exit interviews. It is sad. Corporations need to also make sure that the right managers are in place rather than someone who is sinking in quicksand. All it would take is a simple interview. I feel better now having vented.

In honor of dysfunction in the office, here are some fun web sites:

www.dilbert.com Dilbert

http://www.bullshitjob.com/officespace/ Office Space fan site

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/officespace.html Sounds from Office Space

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice/ BBC's The Office

http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?BuzzwordBingo Buzzword Bingo

http://www.buzzwhack.com/index.html BuzzWhack

http://www.iworkwithfools.com/ - Anonymously vent about coworkers, bosses, it's gold.