Privacy In An Online Age

The idea of online privacy is changing. As a consumer, there's simply some information I don't want to get out there. Phone applications like four square... Why do I want my stalkers to know where I am all the time?  I know they are out there just waiting for me to tell them how to find me. But seriously, I'm a private person and telling people where I am every second of the day feels like over share. I'm not that interesting and I don't usually find others to be either.

However as a business minded professional, I realize that kind of market research is invaluable... to someone. I haven't yet figures out to whom yet and I'm not sure what they would do with it; but to someone it’s gold.

Throughout my studies and even now, the topic of online privacy has come up. The most recent place is in an article I read about the five stages of publishing “The evolution of Book Publishing or, On the Trail to Stage Five” by Joseph J. Esposito found on www.ipda-online.org. I plan to give my thoughts on these stages in an upcoming post so stay tuned for that.

The part I will talk about here is this... the article states that small publishing companies are in a better position to go through the five stages of publishing. It’s in stage four that the issue of online privacy happens. Stage four is when publishers take a direct role in their sales and direct marketing begins. Direct marketing is collecting as much information about customers as possible, which is where online privacy comes into play; the more information given by the customers the better. But obviously, customers are afraid of giving out information like their zip codes, the number of people in a household, and the outstanding balance on a mortgage, with good reason. If the wrong people get this kind of information, there’s no telling what they would do with it (stalkers…)

But from a marketing perspective, all of this information helps publishers to sell products to their customers better. And in the end, all businesses are out to make money so…

A picture from the Google search of giant versus ant

What is needed is a standard practice for retaining and collecting information like this. There is nothing as of now because this problem has never come up before. So these small publishers have a chance to write the books, so to speak, in this area, because it takes a lot more for a giant to change directions over an ant. 

However, there is some big room for error here and in the words of Esposito, “it would be unfortunate if the organizations with the smallest regard for personal privacy set the standard”.

But publishing isn’t the only place where online security is changing. I mentioned a phone application above, soon power companies will also need a standard of information collection especially when the Smart Grid technologies come into play.  Will those policies be different? Do they need to be? Only time will tell right now. The only thing we know for sure is that as consumers we may need to understand that marketers find us the most interesting people in the world.   

Social Media Conduct

The nature vs nurture question is one for the ages. One I am truly not qualified to go into. But it comes up in this article: “The Talking Cure: Cleaning Up Online Conversation” from Harvard Business Review by Clay Shirky. It discusses the conversations held on social media that no longer show humans in their best light.  Everyone on social media is vying for the most attention, and unfortunately, on forums where everyone can comment, those with the rude and condescending opinions are the ones who get it. 

I’m ashamed to say I know this first hand, because I was that rude commenter not too long ago. What I said wasn’t particularly untrue, but the way I said it was rude and uncalled for. When called out on my misbehavior, I tried to explain my position a bit more calmly and diplomatically, but I’m sure my original comment made the owner of the book review less than receptive. 

She gave a very bad review on a book that she clearly didn’t read thoroughly. She missed some major story details and bashed it quite harshly. But what really got me emotional enough to comment on it was that there were many comments THANKING HER for saving them from reading the book. Well, I couldn’t stay quiet and told her if she can’t be bothered to read the book properly, she should be restricted from reviewing it. Or something to that effect. 

She called me “not a nice person”. 

I deserved that I guess. 

My point is that in a business setting I would have never written that as emotional as I was.  In a business setting, emotional responses are a big no no for me. When I get emotional, my vocabulary turns nasty – I think everyone can agree that’s normal. So I learned very early on that there are better ways to make a point. 

I made myself laugh once by re-reading what I wrote to a colleague with whom I had a disagreement  My vocabulary and demeanor in the email was overly polite. I said all I needed to and more and in the end it led to a very good discussion between us and we settled our differences. 

Why then is social media conduct any different?

Truth is, it shouldn’t be. But I’m not the only one who tends to be more than a little emotional in social media. This article discusses exactly that. Except they claim that humans aren’t naturally well behaved. So I’m sure the author adheres to the nurture side of the age old argument. Shirky also goes on to say that there are several ways to prevent emotional and non constructive comments. I’ll leave you to read the article if that interests you.  

http://www.usairwaysmag.com/articles/the_talking_cure_cleaning_up_online_conversation/

I’ll close this by saying I know that from now on, I’ll try to view all my online responses as business dealings. I don’t want to be called a “not a nice person” again. And honestly, behavior like that is just not called for. Not when I have the power to edit.

Happy New Year?

No, I did not get a publishing job and forget to tell you. In case you thought that was why I stopped writing. Fact is, I’m running out of ideas to write about. I mean, I have some… but they aren’t fleshed out enough. I have one planned about the library here in NYC, another on a generalized view of critique groups and their importance, and one about social media and reading. But the topics are really all I have here. And this was never meant to be a diary of my job search. Although if you’d like I can list the places I’ve applied to and how many applications I’ve placed in daily. But not even I want to read that. A review site wouldn’t be horrible, but there are so many other sites better suited for book reviews. Goodreads.com is one of them and I think it’s grand, now if only I found the time to enter in reviews!  

Still, two months is too long. 

Even if I were to count out how many resumes I put out there, December almost wouldn’t count. Everyone knows companies are waiting on the New Year to start new employees. It’s when they get their fancy new budgets and gleaming hope for bigger business. 

I’m happy to say that I share that hope. 

So I guess this my time now. Although, my year is starting out very much like last year. I’ve already paid for my ticket to this year’s SCBWI winter conference here in NYC. A hefty amount, but absolutely worth it. Now, I need to brush up on my elevator speech. 

Hi, I’m Lisa, I’m looking for a job in your company. And quite honestly, you couldn’t have a better employee. Here’s my list of references. Do make the paychecks out to my student loans company. Thank you so much!

Hmm. Not quite there yet. Maybe it’s a little too honest…

I’m also planning to return to the BEA this year but that’s not for several month yet and I hope to have a job by then so that I can strictly take advantage of the free books. I have my priorities straight, can’t you tell? 

I also have several more contacts in the business this year than I did last year,  so keeping up with them is another part of the plan. Other than that, I’m still hopeful that one of the MANY companies that I’ve sent resumes out to will reply this month.  And I’m going to keep at it. 

What is different about this year is that I’ve joined Figment.com, so the first chapter is up online for all to see if anyone is interested. I joined this site to see if my story could become popular, but it’s a tough site to deal with. Not user wise. It’s very user friendly. But followers wise. I have a very low number of followers and I want those who are following to actually read what I put up. I figure the best way, to not only practice my editing skills, but to also gain quality followers is to critique other writers’ stuff. A few other users have already come across my lengthy critiques and want some of their own. So things are looking up there. 

It not much in terms of new plans and of course I’m up for suggestions of any kind. I just know that this is the industry in which I belong and I’m 100% committed to being in it. I moved to New York in pursuit of this career for gosh sakes!

 Still, as a friend wrote on FaceBook recently “Hope springs eternal. But it does go into hibernation from time to time.”  Well hope, no sleeping on the job now. We’ve got work to do. 

There’s that darn persistence streak in me.

My Reverse Application

Anyone who has ever searched for a job will tell you it’s hard. They all have an opinion about it too. It’s all about who you know. Just keep at it. Quality over quantity.

I created this blog to talk about my journey into the publishing world. One thing I've steered far away from is the hardship of finding that place. Honestly, before now I wasn't sure how to phrase it so that I seemed continuously hopeful. But sometimes it feels like hope is, in fact, lost.

It’s the nature of the beast.

I am talking about this now because I have been going through a beasty phase recently. My most recent best hope for breaking in fell through. Discouragement about my future is kinda a given.

But I have an amazing supportive boyfriend who always tries to lift me up from my beasty times. And he sent me a link that gave me an idea (hence this entry).

The Link? The reverse application by Andrew Horner.

http://www.reversejobapplication.com/

On this site there is a detailed description of what this guy is looking for in an employer and an application for the company representative to fill it out. Genius!

Now, while I may be done talking about what I want to do and ready to get in there and do it. I am not ready to completely rely on Andrew’s strategy, which is to sit back and let employers come to him.

I have no idea if this worked for the man. For all I know, he is still sitting at home waiting for someone to fill it out - living with his mother because he has no money to pay rent. Moms are awesome.

Or he could be working for the company of his dreams, in the job he wants and making millions. Like I said; I have no idea. But the idea struck me as brilliant - I mean why shouldn't I also create a list of qualities that I am looking for in a company?

So, using Andrew’s site as a template and some of his descriptions as well:

ABOUT ME

I AM:

• Creative. I am a writer, it’s a given.
• A leader. Leadership comes in many styles. I am verse in nearly all of them.
• Willing to tackle tasks outside my comfort zone. This means I like learn new things. Some people call it a lifetime learner.
• A local and global thinker. I am detail oriented for sure, but I keep a constant eye on long terms goals.
• Willing to ask questions. Because so many do not, and I find you learn so much from asking.

I AM NOT:

• A robot. I am an individual with my own thoughts, opinions, and ideas. And I will let you know them.
• A mercenary. There are jobs I am not willing to do for money alone. I have to be happy with my daily life.
• Opposed to relocating. I will go where I need to for a great job. Just give me some warning please.

 ABOUT YOU

YOU MUST:

• Be passionate about your industry and your work. If you don’t love what you do every day, then why should you expect me to?
• Be flexible. Stand out in your industry, by changing with it. Be open to new ideas and try a few new things.
• Believe in ethics and helping the community. I like to help others, help me to help them.

YOU SHOULD:

• Have a sense of humor. It’s important to laugh with others.
• “Encourage me to make new friends. Networking opportunities will help me grow and ensure that my ideas stay fresh. “
• Take risks: consumer trends require companies to think outside the box and try things no one else has before.

So there you have it. The main qualities I am looking for in a company.

As I said before I am not willing to rely on this tactic in order to find a job. However, I’m also not opposed to employers contacting me if they happen to see this and feel the need to hire me immediately… my email is pretty easy to figure out LisaWicks01(at)gmail(dot)com.



Novel Nirvana

First off, I think you should know; Nirvana is my title for my book but it will not actually be the title for the book. I struggle with the titling of it now because 10 years has changed a lot and it’s no longer about a dream like state – and yet it is. IT’S COMPLEX.

Ok so… I said I was going to write my novel via my cell phone for a week and I did. In fact I started it the exact day that I wrote “Writing in the City” and on that day I wrote a total of TWO paragraphs. “Wow! That’s a lot Lisa.”

Hush inner sarcastic me.

Truth is – it was more than I had written in a long time. I stopped going to my NY SCBWI group because I wasn’t feeling the support from them. I have yet to find another one and I suspect that starting a group of my own, like I did in Florida, may just be the added investment I need. My excuse for not doing so yet is that my current job schedule varies weekly.

Anyway, this week proved to be inspiring…. Writing for me has a domino effect. If I start writing, I will continue writing. So two paragraphs turned into two pages and then two more pages and by the end of the week, I had a total of …

Did you add it up yet?

FOUR PAGES!

Some days during this week, I wrote more than others. On the weekend, the trains seemed to be faster and more jerky; so I wasn’t able to write as much. But in all; I very much think this is a very viable way to finish writing my book.

Now, the pages need to be edited. But as a rough draft, they are pretty good if I do say so myself. Next, I need to set aside a day to look it all over and fix it up.

Since this experiment has worked out so well, I’ve decided to keep doing it. “Sounds like a great idea Lisa!”

There’s really no need to be cheeky inner sarcastic me.  ^.^'

Writing in the City

My typical morning is getting ready for work then leaving an hour and a half before my shift starts to ensure I get there in time. You never know with the trains, especially on the weekends. Fifteen minutes of that hour and a half is occupied by walking to the train station. My train ride is then about 30 minutes into the city with a few minutes walking to my work. That is a lot of time wasted sleeping on the train or what have you. Time that, if I had a car would be spent driving.

I have actually gotten use to the motions of the train to be able to read. But books are heavy – especially 700 page hard backs that my mother lends to me. Audio books and e-readers cost disposable income I simply cannot spare right now, so...

Chair with a "No distractions" hood!

I’ve been working on my book for 10 years. Nearly every detail has been planned and the characters are as fleshed out as I can make them. I’m currently writing version 3.2 of the first book. Version 1 was written in high school and since then four other books have been planned. At this point, I simply need to write the damn thing. But I get tired after work and the prospect of writing something I’ve already written gets me down. Still, my dream and ultimate goal is to get it published. And if I locked myself up in a room with no distractions, I can guarantee it would be done quickly if I don’t get caught up in editing as I go; which usually happens. Anyway, needless to say – I don’t get the motivation to write often; except while traveling or right before I go somewhere.

Motivation can come at the most inconvenient times.

Because during these times of transient motivation – I have nothing to write with. Which is why I am and always will be a fan of the classic paper and pencil. You could carry those. The only major problem with them is that eventually you need them digitized. So once again – I end up writing what I’ve already written. Maybe I should be such a fan anymore.

And now that I'm not driving to and from work, there's a lapse in time that I would like to use for writing. My laptop is too big to deal with even though it’s relatively small. And an IPAD, which I suspect is the perfect size with the optimal storage power necessary to hold my entire book - so that I can simply continue to write from my last position - is expensive and simply not in the budget at this time. Which leaves the next smallest device that simply doesn't have the capacity as of yet to hold my growing document (that I know of). In addition, writing from the last sentence made can become confusing and I worry about continuity. However, it could just be my perception.

For example, I have no issue writing myself an email with notes for my next blog or even writing the whole thing while I ride the train (which is pretty much what I did here). But a book ...

I mean don't get me wrong the first draft of a blog post written on my cell is full of text speak and in need of major editing. But I'm ok with editing. But … books have dialogue and… other stuff.

However, I am reminded of lessons learned at the BEA.

http://www.figment.com/

I wrote about this before and I gotta say it made a big impression. Cell phone written books made by Japanese school girls posted to the web inciting followers, generating feedback, and eventually making it to print. I mean, why not me?

Figment.com is currently in its beta stage. When it’s up and running it will attempt to bring this Japanese phenomenon to America. I don’t think I’m ready to post anything on the web yet, it’s marketed towards teens anyway. But I see great potential for this site and for the motivational opportunities it will provide writers. I started in the SCBWI to have an audience who would analyze my work, keep me motivated with a deadline, and help to make it better. This site would serve this purpose as well.

However, writing on my cell phone? Dare I do it? I suppose trying it out wouldn’t be a bad idea. I mean – it’s just like writing an email to myself right? I can do that. I just have to transfer it over to my larger document and edit out the text speak.

I feel like I sound old – being averse to writing with a blackberry - I have no issues texting with it all day long. If it gets my book done faster… and it’s not as if I’m ever without my phone.

I’ll try it out for a week and see how much actually gets done.

Printed Magazines

I want to start this out by saying; I’m not a magazine subscriber. I hate having them around the house. They just sit there. I keep them because I tell myself that I’ll get to the article I want to read eventually, but I never do. I end up throwing them out half a year later unread and then I feel dirty for wasting the paper like that. There can never be too many trees.

However, the one type of magazine I love to have around the house is interior design magazines. I have cut outs of everything I like and might someday own if I had a house. Now, that does mean that if there is a magazine in my living space then there may be some pictures missing here and there, maybe a page or two. But it’s literally the only type of magazine I will sit down with immediately to look at. My favorite is “Southern Living” (I mean who doesn’t love that one?). My future home collection is made from mostly that and catalogue cutouts.

There has been a lot of talk recently that many of the things we are used to, such as books and newspapers, are going out of print. Now, books going out of print – that’s just silly. I mean that won’t happen until YEARS from now. And even at that, I don’t think that they will ever really go away, I just think that the default will be digital. There’s a whole book about it by my technology management professor at Crummer that talks about this trend; it’s called “The Future of Less” by Allen Kupetz. A little ironic isn’t it. There’s a book about going digital. It makes me giggle.

Anyway, while out I perused a magazine that had a brief one page thing in the October issue of “Real Simple” about why magazines would not be going out of print anytime soon. The reason: “magazines do what the internet doesn't”.

What their saying is that magazines create brand loyalty by providing what the internet articles can't, and that is time. "Neither obsessed with immediacy nor trapped by the daily news cycle, magazines promote deeper connections. They create relationships."

The one page blurb also states that magazines are still the number one medium for driving sales. And I can believe that because hey – I started by telling you that I have cut out of things I want for my future not-yet existent house. So, in case you were worried about your favorite magazine going out of print or your collection of cutouts staying small. No worries.

Special note: I love fall!