Blog

Some people weren’t made to network

Posted on by Brian Lee

This week, I was talking to someone at a networking event, when another person butted in and joined our conversation. A general rule of networking is that you leave two people alone, and that faux pas should have warned me about how rude this person was. After I nicely introduced myself to him, he mentioned his company already has a relationship with another agency, and that he wouldn’t be a good candidate for my business. WOW.

I’m about building relationships at networking events, not doing hard sales. I don’t see many other agency people at events, and the few that are there follow the same rules I do. Thus, I don’t know what would make this guy say that, other than he was just an asshole. Here’s to hoping karma comes back to haunt him.

A different filter for Instagram

Posted on by Emilie Buckman

I always have to preface these types of posts with this statement:  my feelings towards social media and technology vary greatly when talking about personal versus business use.

It’s fair to say I can be rather dismissive when it comes to the latest and greatest technology, gadgets, and all around high tech offerings.   Not because of some arbitrary feelings of nostalgia, but rather, it’s my need to avoid pointless fads.  (I can say with pride I escaped the pitfall of MySpace.)

A few months ago I wrote a fairly pretentious and completely judgmental post about the phone app and social media site Instagram.   Now I rejected joining long enough but, being that I work in social media, I wasn’t able to avoid it for too long.  So I broke down and started my new life with Instagram.  But if you are expecting this post to be a complete retraction to my less than enthusiastic evaluation, you will be sorely disappointed.

I will say, now I see the filters are amusing and how truly creative people can use the medium in ways that will impress even the most cynical of photography snobs. With all my reservations, I finally get that it is just plain and simple fun, even if you use the app to document your entire caloric and caffeine intake for the day. (It’s still annoying but I guess I can forgive it.)

What I won’t concede about is the necessity of a site in and of its self.  Using it on your phone is one thing but to trying to connect on a computer is useless.  You have to use an outside site, like Webstagram, which I don’t get.  And the best mediums to showcase your pictures are still Facebook and Twitter.  So I still have a separate site is pointless.

So at the end of the day my views might have softened towards Instagram but I am definitely not a convert.  But let’s be real for a second; I’m just salty no one wants to follow me and all the pictures I post of beers at the terrace.

Penn State and the NCAA

Posted on by Brian Lee

I’ve read a lot of columns and letters-to-the-editor calling for the NCAA to hand Penn State Athletics the death sentence. I’m against this, because why should the innocent athletes and coaches be punished? That solves absolutely nothing. Imagine your dad committed a crime, but you had to go to jail. Is that fair?

Instead, the Penn State leadership who participated in the cover-up should be–and likely will be–punished. But their punishment is beyond the reach of the NCAA.

The NCAA is making matters worse by not saying anything to the public. Its silence is causing people to reach their own conclusions about what punishment is warranted.

The NCAA should come forward and explain its limitations in this matter. I’ve never been a fan of the NCAA–for example, its supposed focus on academics is a crock–but it isn’t the bad guy here. However, its silence is stupid and baffling.

An organization that doesn’t come out ahead of the public storm only gets battered by it.