Please raise your right hand…
Dec|29|2008
… and repeat after me.
“I pledge allegiance to my time sheet, and to the satisfied Traffic Manager in which it stands, one web-based agency system, under deadline, with workflow management and task accountability for all.”
Remember, you’re under oath.
You CAN take it with you.
Nov|12|2008
The system I use each day to document my customers’ questions, record my time, submit project-related expenses, and get a quick feel for what’s moving through the IT Department, is CurrentTrack®. It’s an entirely web-based project management system — or, if you’re a fan of acronyms, SaaS — that enables me to work from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection.
Ok, enough shameless promotion.
I love the fact that CurrentTrack is “web-enabled.” On Monday, I found myself at home with an under-the-weather three-year-old. In between dispensing meds and fetching his favorite Webkinz, I was able to access my Task List, support customers around the globe (literally) and record each time increment along the way.
Regardless of which project management system you use, its being web-accessible will play an integral role in keeping up with the fast pace of business during the remainder of 2008, into 2009 (and beyond).
No one WANTS to work when outside the office with a sick child, an ailing parent or anything else life may throw their way. The reality of the situation is that we sometimes HAVE to. Why not make the information necessary to do your job more easily accessible?
Size does matter.
Oct|14|2008
I’m currently in Orlando, FL at the 2008 CREATE Chaos Conference and Expo. Our company, Developware, is exhibiting CurrentTrack.
The folks at Brahn Communications have done an exceptional job with strategic partnership development, advertising and media sponsorship, and overall logistics for the event. Sessions are clearly marked, lanyards and conference materials looks great, the bookstore is a nice touch, and the Expo hall is inviting.
If only the hotel was as “attendee-friendly.”
Don’t get me wrong; the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center is breath-taking. Especially when you’ve spent the last 20 min. walking down various corridors, through eateries and gift shops, riding the elevator, and circling the pool, all in a quest to find the conference.
I’m led to wonder, is it possible for a venue, or creative agency for that matter, to become too large? At what point does the comfortable and familiar become overwhelming? When is the cohesiveness of your team lessened? When is productivity decreased rather than increased?
Maybe Hansel and Gretel had the right idea — Breadcrumbs to help us find our way back.
Someone hit me with a monkey wrench.
Sep|23|2008
I’ve worked hard to earn my reputation as an, “extremely organized person.” I’ve “traffic” in my blood. Even when I was a child, I organized my toys, straightened the bookcase and frequently enlisted Grammy to help straighten up my room.
This morning, someone hit me with a monkey wrench.
I was scheduled to be in Atlanta, GA for the Second Wind Network seminar at 7 a.m.; breakfast with attendees at 7:30, opening session at 8 a.m.
At 4:30 a.m., as I was walking out the door to catch my flight, my three-year-old son awoke and wanted to change clothes. My eight-year-old, bleary-eyed, wanted a hug and kiss. The dog wanted to eat and the cat couldn’t believe my audacity, having moved her from the foot of the bed. My husband awoke, wandered into the hall, and asked what all the fuss was about — So much for slipping out of the house undetected.
I arrived at the airport at 5:04 a.m.; boarding closed at 5:05 a.m. I made the flight by, literally, one minute. I flew through security and ran down the corridor. Then I heard it.
“Will the young lady who left her jewelry at the security counter please return to claim it?”
At the end of the moving sidewalk (apparently, jumping over the side rail while in motion rouses suspicion), I did an about-face and ran back to security. A guard met me halfway with a bowl of jewelry, a smile and reassurance I’d make it on time. I never thought I’d write this, but thank goodness I was in boarding group eight.
Safely on the plane, I settled in and we landed 55 minutes later in Atlanta. My cab driver, apparently with no place in particular to be today, took me to the hotel. Believe it or not, I still made the seminar in time for Tony to introduce me.
The point of this story, you ask?
No matter how organized you think you may be in your home or workplace, there’ll always be monkey wrenches.
Even if you’ve devised the perfect project timeline, your copywriter will be out sick, the Client will change her mind (again), your principal will send you on a press check in the middle of the day. You can’t expect everything to go as planned, 100% of the time. You must be flexible and level-headed. Take a step back and assess the situation; make accommodations. If all else fails, duck.
“Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary”
Aug|29|2008
If ever there were a BLOG headline that set Spellcheck on its head, this is it.
“Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary: Or Why Can’t Anybody Spell?” by Vivian Cook is one of several books I’m in the midst of reading. I found it on the clearance table while shopping Borders in Chicago. I’m a sucker for the clearance table. So many great books are simply tossed by the wayside and sold at next to nothing.
I digress.
I’ve always been a stickler for proper letter, word and punctuation usage; especially in my former role as a Traffic Manager. Nothing makes me more irate than seeing a sign for “Kustom” this, “Rite” that and (LOL) the other. “Accomodating Brocolli” has been a wake-up call for me. There are so many grammar concepts I’ve taken for granted, never made the time to further explore or simply pushed to the back of my mind.
Here are a few, as outlined by Cook that I hope will make you take a step back and say, “Hmmmm.”
- “wh” occurs only at the beginning of words: when
- “ck” occurs only at the end: black
- “ch” occurs only at the beginning, “tch” at the end: chat, catch
- “q” has to be followed by “u”: quick
- single “z” occurs only at the end with an “e”: laze
- “i” before “e” except after “c” applies only when “ei” goes with long “ee” (“eel”) not with the “ay” (“pay”) sound of “beige” or with “ay” plus silent “g”: “eight.” However, there are still exceptions: some words have “ei” rather than “ie” despite having the long “ee” sound: seize, caffine; plural “-ies”: currencies, policies; dipthongs: society, science; when “c” is said as “sh”: sufficient, ancient
Remember homographs? Is bass a fish or an instrument? When I say buffet, do you think about food or pushing the person next to you? If I say reading, are we talking books or a trip to Pennsylvania? Is job your occupation or a character of the Bible? Subtle nuances in pronunciation, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation can bring about a whole new word meaning.
Soooo, the nex’ tyme UR lookin’ 4 a good bk to read, eye strongly sugjest “Accomodating Brocolli.” If nothing else, it’ll make you more aware of your own grammatical idiosyncrasies; correcting them will make the world a better place!