The Trouble with Blogs
Oh, blogs have their place. Freed from addressing specific people (and, thus, being directly responsible for what you write to those people), one can use the blog to address darn near any issue--even if it's politically incorrect or Too Hot! for work. I've really been enjoying my blog. I watched a whole bunch of Sex and the City last week and in one episode Carrie, the columnist, denigrates her "little column" as having no real significance, especially in the face of intellectual heavyweights. Her intellectual friend says, Nonsense! You're contributing to the dialogue, and talking about things (sex) that have long languished under the socially-acceptable radar.
Well, I don't fancy myself quite that fancy, but as I watched I thought, Hey! I AM contributing something! It's not always delightful, but at least it's varied and, I hear, pretty interesting. During my DJ years, my radio show was called "Lulu's Wild West Show," partly because I was in the West, and partly because I followed no set musical format. I'm happy that my blog is taking the same path.
Anyway, the bad thing about blogs is the lack of instant response and easy dialogue that occurs when you email something funny or provocative. People comment, but you have to log on to read it, and there's no real vollying. For example, yesterday I started an email string about whether or not a person who didn't believe in God can have a sound moral code. The responses were near instant and thought provoking.
Today I want to write about a news item I heard on last night's "Marketplace." A software company in California will pay $5,000 cash to the first 200 employees who buy a hybrid vehicle that gets at least 45 mph. When the interviewer asked one of the company's execs how they justified this million dollar move to the shareholders, he said 1. the shareholders that he's heard from so far are proud to be associated with such a company and 2. the brass wants the employees to not only be proud of the company's product, but of the company's culture.
When will more companies/capitalists wake up to the "fact" that creating happy employees and communities is more beneficial to ALL than a few more bucks for the FEW?
Comments?
Well, I don't fancy myself quite that fancy, but as I watched I thought, Hey! I AM contributing something! It's not always delightful, but at least it's varied and, I hear, pretty interesting. During my DJ years, my radio show was called "Lulu's Wild West Show," partly because I was in the West, and partly because I followed no set musical format. I'm happy that my blog is taking the same path.
Anyway, the bad thing about blogs is the lack of instant response and easy dialogue that occurs when you email something funny or provocative. People comment, but you have to log on to read it, and there's no real vollying. For example, yesterday I started an email string about whether or not a person who didn't believe in God can have a sound moral code. The responses were near instant and thought provoking.
Today I want to write about a news item I heard on last night's "Marketplace." A software company in California will pay $5,000 cash to the first 200 employees who buy a hybrid vehicle that gets at least 45 mph. When the interviewer asked one of the company's execs how they justified this million dollar move to the shareholders, he said 1. the shareholders that he's heard from so far are proud to be associated with such a company and 2. the brass wants the employees to not only be proud of the company's product, but of the company's culture.
When will more companies/capitalists wake up to the "fact" that creating happy employees and communities is more beneficial to ALL than a few more bucks for the FEW?
Comments?
posted by lulu | 6:40 AM
4 Comments:
Henry Ford created a cheap car that was affordable to the general public, including his employees. AND it made the company TONS of money. But he had to do so on the stout backs of the people working difficult hours on the assembly line--devaluing work and dehumanizing the employees.
Also, he created a $5 a day wage (salary combined with a bonus=$5 per day), BUT he did so by awarding the bonus to those employees that met his Sociological Department's requirements. This gave his company the right to snoop into the private lives of the workers.
Of course, if you qualified, you got a pretty decent wage for the time (which allowed you to consider purchasing a Model T, helping out the company).
Ultimately, the purpose of a corporation is to make money. When/if this software company starts seeing declining profits, I bet this laudable program (which I applaud) is the first thing to go.
Mr. Cynical!
A company can have declining profits and still be profitable. It's all a matter of how damn greedy they are.
Check it out for yourself at www.hyperion.com.
Where do I start?
1. Carrie's intellectual friend (is that like my imaginary friend, Stretch, except existing only in Carrie's intellect?) is correct, of course, and Carrie should get over herself and enjoy participating in the discourse. So should we all, even if it's discourse about the discourse, like this.
2. I'm looking forward to hearing "Lulu's Wild Midwest Show" when it finds its way onto WCBE. I suggest Sunday night after "Blue Collar," when "All Access" has run its mediocre course.
3. Then, in-between spinning tunes, since it's Sunday you could bring the god-fearing citizens of central swing state up-to-date on new-fangled, post-medieval ideas like moral choices based on human needs, the greatest good of the greatest number in the community, salvation through good works, that kind of thing, appropriate for the sabbath.
4. Aside from the warm, fuzzy pride in the company's generosity, I'm guessing the stockholders are betting that the experiment will pay off in sales, great PR, and increasing exposure to their product and its advantages to consumers and their neighbors.
5. Henry the First was an enlightened visionary - for his time.
Jack is right that commenting is often ignored on these blogs.
I try to use them fairly regularly, but part of the drawback in this blogging structure is that they are not instantly visible when the blog is downloaded/refreshed. You have to first notice the comments, assess whether a new one has been added, and then choose to click and read.
Emailing is much more responsive--though that leads to its own problems of rapid, emotional responses that often occur "off the cuff."
At least with blogging comments there is a bit of a pause to stop and reason out what you want to say.
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