Technology Helping to Fight Breast Cancer
In October, I took advantage of LaunchSquad’s volunteer time off policy to participate in the San Francisco Bay Area Breast Cancer 3 Day benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The 3 Day visits major cities across the U.S. to organize thousands of walkers through a 60-mile course over 3 days. The event helps to raise millions of dollars and infinite awareness for breast cancer.
I once participated as a walker in the Los Angeles 3 Day and was unbelievably impressed with the seamless orchestration of such a massive event. This year, I decided to sign up as a crew member (unknowingly checking the “captain” box in spite of my lack of crew experience), which helps organize on-event to make sure things run smoothly and the walkers are taken care of. My assignment was captain of the check-in team, which meant scanning walkers out of camp every morning and into camp every evening of the walk.
Given that we were to spend four days outside (camping at Chrissy Field) with a lot to do, I was actually looking forward to giving up technology and modern conveniences for a weekend. I figured I’d spend time outdoors, get some exercise, enjoy the gorgeous fall weather and generally disconnect, all while supporting a great cause.
But wait, technology is everywhere, even on the 3 Day.
Forgive me for stereotyping, but given the demographic of 3 Day participants (women over about 40) and the personal and emotional elements of the cause, I didn’t expect technology to play a huge role. But then I would be underestimating just how widespread the everyday use of technology and social media are in our lives.
Check-in crew team member Robin Shannon, an inspiring 6-year breast cancer survivor, led the Twitter initiative (@Walker4Life), tweeting throughout the event from her iPhone. She communicated with walkers out on the route while we were back at camp, exchanging pictures and giving updates on walker progress. Seeing the walker perspective in real-time – views from Ocean Beach and the Golden Gate Bridge, supporters who dressed up and came out to cheer, the infamous and fabulously decorated 3 Day Pit Stops – added depth to the experience and made it more complete.
I myself was decked out from head-to-toe in tech gear with a bar code scanner, walkie talkie and Nextel radio – none of which I knew how to use very well, even though I was supposed to be the young, tech industry maven. When I said goodbye to my crew members (all of whom I loved and was so lucky to work with!), we not only exchanged phone numbers, but Twitter handles and Facebook pages as well.
In advance of the event, all walkers and crew members were given online fundraising pages and I even downloaded a Facebook fundraising application for my friends to donate to the cause and see my fundraising progress.
The San Francisco Bay Area 3 Day included 1400 walkers, 250 crew members and raised more then $4 million for breast cancer research. Each person’s experience and each dollar raised was, to my surprise, enhanced by technology and social media.
This year’s 3 Day season has come to an end, but be sure to follow the 3 Day on Twitter to see how you can sign up for 2010!
Athletes and Social Media – A Match Made In … Well, Somewhere
The rise of social media has been a gold mine for sports fans. First, sports blogs – like the essential Deadspin and Kissing Suzy Kolber, which is currently the apex of American sportswriting – cut through the veneer of hero worship and an almost mysticism that had been a part of sports coverage, and stopped taking games and athletes and those that covered them, so seriously. But social media tools, chiefly Twitter and UStream, have given athletes a direct line to fans without the filter of the media, agents and the leagues they play in.
More specifically, the absence of filter has allowed the, ahem, eccentricities of some athletes to shine through. This isn’t always a good thing, but it’s certainly entertaining. Some highlights that range from hilarious to genuinely sad.
Chad Ochocinco: A Bit Crazy, But Hilarious
By just reading him name, it’s pretty easy to see that Cincinnati Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco is a bit different. The former Chad Johnson (he had his name legally changed) has embraced both Twitter and UStream with a passion. Since joining Twitter on May 16 of this year – 102 days ago – Ochocinco has Tweeted 6,679 times. That’s an average of 65.5 Tweets per day, which is … just mind blowing. He’s called out reporters, the NFL and updated us on every mundane detail of his life. He even mourns the inability of Jennifer Aniston to keep a steady boyfriend. “The Chad Ocho Cinco Show” on UStream is pretty much the same thing – hours and hours of Ochocinco’s life: Leading a locker room tour at the New England Patriots’ stadium before a game, sitting at his Web cam talking to fans for literally hours on end, or watching football with friends.
Stephon Marbury: Star Wreck
Anyone who has followed Marbury’s NBA career can tell you the storyline: An immensely talented athlete storms the league for a year or two, then starts to fade as doubts about his commitment and discipline surface. Time passes and he becomes an overpaid bench warmer until he stops playing, or even suiting up, at all. Then he gets a huge star tattooed on his bald head. Now out of the NBA and assumedly unsure of what to do next, Marbury decided to live stream his life for a weekend in late July. The result was an outlandish 72 hours in which Marbury claimed to see Jesus in his shower, got angry at … something, broke down crying while listening to a Kirk Franklin song, and, best of all, got into what seemed like a hit-and-run accident while streaming live in his car:
Michael Beasley: An Actual Sad Story
While Ochocinco is just a weird guy having fun, and Marbury is dancing around the edges of sanity while somehow not stepping outside the lines, Michael Beasley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, started a three-day spiral last weekend that ended with him checking into rehab, by posting a picture of his new tattoo to his Twitter account. In the bottom corner of the picture was what looked like a rolled up bag of marijuana. Sports blogs quickly pointed out the potential indiscretion and, as the news gained momentum, Beasley posted a couple more updates to (now shut down) Twitter account:
“Y do I feel like the whole world is against me!!!!!!! . . . I can’t win for losin!!!!!!!!!!”
“Feelin like it’s not worth livin!!!!!!! I’m done”
“not feelin this at all!!!!!”
The next day, he checked into rehab and his father announced that he was going to get treatment for depression.
There are countless athletes who use the Web and use it well: Shaq’s Twitter feed is a goldmine of hilarity, and Washington Redskins’ tight end Chris Cooley is a social media machine. But there seems to be something about social media that enhances that special brand of crazy that can only come from being handed millions of dollars and unlimited fame at age 20.
iPhone 3GS: The New Auteur
Add “filmmaker” to the lengthy list of things the iPhone can do. In a stroke of DIY genius, Seattle hip-hop group Dyme Def recorded a video for its song “I’m Gone” entirely on the iPhone 3Gs, using the phone’s new video capabilities. The video obviously has that homemade feel and a little of the shaky, bendy quality you get from camera phones, but it’s safe to say that’s what Dyme Def was going for. The whole thing has a very fun, spontaneous feel to it, as the group – obviously having a good time – walks through Westlake Center in downtown, while getting stared at by passing pedestrians, picking up stragglers to march with them, and ultimately ending in a breakdance session.
It’ll be cool to see the proliferation of spontaneous, DYI video that will be an obvious byproduct of finally having a credible, widely used video platform for phones. The iPhone 3GS isn’t the first phone to do video, but it’s the first really popular phone to do it well. It’s not going to be too long until we send video around the same as we do text now.
Also, very cool to see hip-hop leading the way on this. Dyme Def is heading up a resurgent and extremely creative Seattle rap scene, so this type guerrilla film making utilizing new tech isn’t surprising. Seattle is a major tech hub beyond the Bay Area and the hip-hop scene in the Northwest, though not always as vibrant as it is now, has a history of progressive thinking and music making.
Mind Over Manners
Since moving to California, where everyone has smart phones, I’ve long been stifling mild irritation with friends who, at dinner, would have their iPhones or BlackBerry’s out doing God-knows-what for minutes at a time. Could you really be that bored with the conversation and company that you would care to check Facebook again?
Social grace is a dying art. While the practices of manners and etiquette are seemingly lost on the digi-generates of this world – looking at you Hannah Montana fans – those of us that can recall our parents telling us to chew with our mouths closed and to use “please” and “thank you,” should figure something out in order to fight off this trend that threatens our last few shreds of civility. Our increasingly mobile selves, egged on by our much-beloved mobile devices, need to remember our manners.
In a panicked effort to reverse what I see as an impending doom of a lack of interpersonal connection and epidemic of self-involvement, I asked an expert for some guidelines here.
Mindy Lockard is an etiquette consultant based in Eugene, Oregon who runs a business, blog and a brand around all things manners and gentility and wouldn’t know you it, her pet peeve is “cell phones ringing in pubic.” Her online magazine, ManneroftheMonth.com, is an interactive publication that teaches manners and etiquette to everyday users as well as industry professionals. Mindy will take us beyond the norms of expectations, and to the polished heights of social graces. These are her words of wisdom.
Using Intelligence When Using Your Smart Phone
When I teach my “Cell Phone 101″ class to teens new to the mobile phone world, I often reflect – like my grandparents telling the story of walking up hill to school in 5 feet of snow – about the first cellular phone my mother had. This cellular relic would not be recognizable today since it came with its own case, was the size of a small piece of luggage, and had to be plugged into the cigarette lighter. Much has changed in the world of technology since those days in the early nineties, but while the jumbo models of the early nineties have slimmed down to tiny all-in-one devices, the value of those we are talking to or around hasn’t changed.
Occasions and events when it’s inappropriate
“Can you hear me now … ?” This infamous line from a commercial has become synonymous with the cellular phone industry, and the answer from those standing around us while we talk on our phones is, “YES. WE CAN HEAR YOU!” Keeping our smart phone conversations to a minimum in public places is the minimal amount of respect toward those near us. Even if we are surrounded by strangers, we should be mindful of their personal ear space. Step outside if you must take a call. In an airport or other setting where you can’t go outside, do your best to get away and take the call in an area that isn’t densely populated.
Texting, checking e-mail, Tweeting or updating status…
Public spaces are the best place to text because texting allows us to communicate without disrupting those around us. Of course, texting during a presentation or performance is inappropriate and disrespectful – it communicates to the performers or speakers that you aren’t interested in their efforts. During a movie, the lights on a phone and the clicking of buttons can be very distracting to fellow moviegoers. If you have to text, remove yourself from the performance and take care of your communication. Or, even better, save your communication until the end when you can go outside and return the call.
Texting, checking e-mail, Tweeting or updating status in front of other’s faces
Typing into our phones in front of others is just as disrespectful as talking on the phone in front of them. Even checking your phone to read the message should be avoided. Don’t try to hide your communication under the table or out of sight. Even if the phone isn’t visible, the top of your head while you text is, and the person in front of you will not be fooled. Just because the technology is easy and accessible doesn’t mean it should not be used with respect and discretion.
Making calls
When making a call, be prepared! Using smart phones makes it easier to conduct business in situations when you are not entirely focused because you are driving or out in public. Think before you make a call. Have all necessary information available. The sound of shuffling paper or delayed speech because you have lost focus will give the impression that you are disorganized or don’t care.
Remember to always ask at the beginning of the phone conversation, “Is this a good time?” or “Do you have 5 minutes to answer a couple of questions?” Asking about time or giving the amount of time you need will help you and the caller accomplish the tasks at hand.
Taking calls
If you are in the company of another person or in a situation where you can’t easily focus or don’t have the necessary materials available, ask the caller if you can call them back. Schedule a time that works well for both of you, then call when you say you will call.
When you take a call, stop and focus on the person calling. Always have paper and pen available to take notes, so when you return to the office, you will have the necessary documentation.
Should it be allowed at meals?
When dining or meeting face-to-face with another individual, turn your smart phone off unless you are expecting an emergency phone call. (By the way, your afternoon plans are not an emergency.) If you know you have an appointment at one o’clock and are leaving a message for a friend, tell the friend that you will be unavailable between one and two o’clock. Putting those in our presence “on hold” by taking a call non-verbally communicates that they are not as important as the person on the phone. Even if you ask the person in your presence if they mind and that person politely says, “It’s fine,” chances are they do mind and are merely trying to be polite.
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Please regard these with a “one step at a time” kind of attitude. It’s worth it – manners and etiquette are very becoming on you.
Recovering Reality Addict Step One: A Pledge
Here’s a little confession for you: I like “The Real Housewives” series. And “The Hills.” And various other reality shows. Yep, I said it. And I’m gonna go ahead and say that I’m probably not the only (relatively) normal, well-educated young professional that likes this garbage. I said that too. GARBAGE.
That aside, it’s just entertainment, right?! Like most of us, I work very hard, I pay my bills almost always on time, and if I want a little brain candy on a Tuesday night for 30 minutes to an hour, I think I’ve earned the right. But what happens when Speidi jumps out of my television screen and invades entirely too much of my virtual space after their 15 minutes of fame should have expired? Because believe you me, these days, it is starting to feel like Spencer is everywhere. And I’m scared.
When reality television first came into existence, the “stars” served duty in their respective time slot and that was it. Sure, a few Real World starlets parlayed their status into college campus tours, and Trista and Ryan regaled a few US Weekly covers with their undying devotion to one another. But as time progressed, and reality shows gained momentum and overall ridiculousness (“The Search for the Next Elvira” was a real show at one point), reality stars ascended into a stratosphere of self-imposed fame, running amok among the legitimately famous like Frankenstein’s Monster. I can barely read NYMag.com anymore without seeing Jon Gosselin in an Ed Hardy t-shirt. How did this happen?!
To be honest, as much as it pains me to say it, we* did this. “We” tuned in to watch, “we” read Perez Hilton’s blog, and the next thing you know we’re following Bethenny Frankel on Twitter and learning how to make a Skinny Girl Margarita. Our devotion to these folks in an arena that should be reserved for those worthy of our time is what’s gotten us to this point. It’s like a slow decline into meth addiction that needs an “Intervention“-like breakthrough moment to pull us out.
As we all know, the last 2-3 years have been a tailspin of growth for more mediums of virtual entertainment, creating even more platforms for reality show participants to gain exposure, create spin offs, and remain overwhelmingly present in the virtual world. Katie Couric has 40,000 followers on Twitter. Heidi Montag has half a MILLION. Not to mention a slew of other ventures in the works: fashion, books, music all being “leaked” and routed through You Tube, Facebook and Tumblr. There is no escape from Mrs. Spencer Pratt.
Or is there? порно фото блондинок
I’m making a pledge: From here on out I pledge to be a responsible reality television viewer. I will put DOWN the remote once the show has ended and leave it at that. No more gossip blogs or TMZ.com. We too can be responsible participants in the world of social media, following The Michelle Obama News Twitter feed and not Whitney Port’s. Michelle’s hubby said it best: “YES WE CAN!”
I suppose the MTV producers knew putting Heidi on MTV was like giving alcohol to an alcoholic – this circus-like worship of reality celebs was the inevitable. Now it’s time to enroll in AA. Actually, make that RA.
*Please note that “we” is only referring to those of us that actually partake in reality entertainment.
Thin Mints 2.0? Not So Fast
Every year as girl scout cookie season rolls around, I think back on my first forays into sales and the art of effectively hawking the mass-produced, yet deceptively delicious baked goods that have come to define many a girl’s early springtime. Standing before each foreboding doorstep, staring up at the closed door ahead and nervously gripping my clipboard and ballpoint pen, I remember being filled with a distinct sense of fear crossed with nervous excitement — who would be waiting on the other side? Would they be nice, rude or indifferent, and most importantly, would they buy?
It has now been over a decade (wow) since I (not so begrudgingly) abandoned my Girl Scout sash, but it’s amazing to see, for better or worse, how little the cookie sales program has changed. In this week’s Newsweek, reporter Kurt Soller writes on the issue, highlighting the program’s resistance to even a gradual shift towards E-commerce and larger seeming opposition to technology in general.
Soller mentions the story of 8-year-old Wild Freeborn, whose tech-savvy father created a YouTube video of Wild in her Girl Scout outfit repeating the oft-used sales pitch: “Buy cookies! And they’re yummy!” While simple, the video proved effective, generating more than 700 orders in two weeks.
However, Wild’s seemingly innocent plea was not met with friendly high-fives from other parents (jealous, perhaps?) or local Girl Scout officials. Freeborn was instructed to take down the site and questions were routed back to the organization’s FAQ, which stated, “The safety of our girls is always our chief concern. Girl Scout Cookie activities are designed to be face-to-face learning experiences for the girls.”
Yet it doesn’t seem like safety could possibly be the issue here. Perhaps I have become a little too ensconced in the Web world, but I can’t see how selling cookies online could be markedly more dangerous than sending young girls wandering door-to-door? I understand the organization’s wariness and the fact that standards and rules must be clearly established before a formal E-commerce strategy is initiated — yet, it seems the organization is already (at least) a few years behind the times.
It’s 2009 — and adolescents live on the Web. If the Girl Scout organization doesn’t wise up and find a way to appropriately evolve and acknowledge this fact, both the cookie program and perhaps even the organization as a whole may risk becoming irrelevant.
I don’t mean to say that Girl Scouts should stop selling cookies on street corners, but why should technology be shut out? I know I’m not the only one hoping to be able to buy my annual box of Peanut Butter Patties for years to come — so let’s give three cheers for little Wild and here’s to hoping that soon the rest of the organization follows suit.
The iPhone Musician
Music and technology. How the two keep introducing themselves to each other in new ways. As a musician though, finding another way to stream music and get song recommendations is cool, but actually not improving my ability to make music. I just discovered a few new tech innovations that are though: GigBaby and Cleartune for the iPhone.
Gigbaby is a digital 4 track recording application and Cleartune is a very simply designed, entirely functional tuner. Yesterday, I tuned my guitar and then recorded a spur of the moment chord progression, all with my iPhone. I actually then composed a beat directly in Gigbaby and synced it to the guitar recording – I tapped out the rhythm on the phone, which allowed GigBaby to register the beats per minute (BPM).
This is really cool. I have been recording guitar licks onto the voice memo function of all of my previous cell phones for years – they all sound terrible, and I could barely hear what I was playing. The exponential leap that the iPhone has allowed me to take with recording music on the fly is very welcome and genuinely stands to improve my songwriting process – I’m now able to develop songs more quickly and keep a better record of my ideas. Will this lead to better music being made in our increasingly tech-driven culture? Probably not. But Cousin Chris is geekin out and enjoyin it.
Boulder, I’m Lookin’ And I’m Likin’
Anyone I’ve talked to lately knows I’ve been rather obsessed with the Boulder (Colorado) tech scene, even revamping my REI-chic/enviro-hipster garb for the occasion. I voraciously started subscribing to the blogs and Twitter feeds of various tech enthusiasts like Andrew Hyde, a driving force behind rad initiatives like Startup Weekend and Techstars.org, Robert Reich who founded OneRiot, Micah Baldwin who runs business development for Lijit Networks and has a sweet blog and of course there’s Brad Feld, who planted the seeds that started it all. I even watched their live broadcast of Ignite Boulder 3 this last week. Yeah, I really did.
What is it about the Boulder scene that makes me yearn so to be a part of it? My curiosity-turned-fascination-turned-safe-distance (I swear)-obsession was probably fueled by the fact that I can’t be part of it. My location prevents it and they just don’t seem interested in pursuing me as a remote member of their clan, though, granted, no overt outreach was established from my end. Following them on Twitter started out cool because I got a window into their mountainous world, but turned into a curse when they never seemed to want to reach (or follow) back. OK, no big deal. The initial pain of rejection led me to conduct an investigation on the essence of Boulder’s “cool”. Furthermore, I wanted to bring to light why we should all pay attention to Boulder now because – and even Sarah Lacy was astonished by this – Boulder won’t tell us why it’s so rad.
Let’s take a quick look at Boulder itself – not the tech scene – just Boulder.
- College town – Colorado University’s there.
- We know that there are a lot of bikes in Boulder
- There’s natural beauty like you wouldn’t believe
- Apparently the US Curling Olympic trials are there this year, being held this week, I’ve been told
Now let’s think Tech:
- Startup Town
- The afore-mentioned forward thinkers
- The sweet green tech innovations happening there
- In Boulder, you can be a geek AND athletic
- Most of their tech events are beer-centric vs. cocktails– SO cool
- They are geographically flanked by the Rockies on one side and the Mississippi on the other, trapped from the two traditional coastal sources of technological progress and yet they continue to generate technology and media innovation at an astounding and intriguing rate.
But Silicon Valley’s got plenty of mojo, right? Developers and entrepreneurs flock to the Bay Area because they have the next big thing that’s going to take “it” to the next level, going to change the world! So what differentiates Boulder? Here it is: COMMUNITY. There is an electric current that runs through Boulder that is powered by the intense support system that can only exist in a tight-knit community. That’s what TechStars.org IS. It’s for the mentoring and guiding (and funding) of sweet startups. I don’t know how you couldn’t succeed with that kind of backing.
Community must play a huge role in the success and acceleration of the startups and even the stewing of brilliant ideas among the mountains of Colorado. Looking through their blogs, seeing their Twitter activity, even being friends with just one of them on Facebook (and happening to peruse their profile with envy on a weekly basis), you understand the respect and friendship that is the lifeblood of the innovation, creativity and savvy that flows in that town. It’s really palpable if you watch some of the videos of their tech events– I mean, they have inside jokes! Yes, I may have spent an afternoon watching videos of Boulder tech meetups. Not a big deal.
Commradery, though, brings up another factor (and huge asset0 lending to their tight-knit environment: They’re still a small city. The Bay Area could never attain that level of intimacy. People come to The Bay Area to build great businesses that they can ultimately sell to go live in Boulder or, if it comes to it, run from Boulder (or somewhere of the like, you get it). People in Boulder love Boulder and never want to leave Boulder.
As a native Oregonian, my obsession with Boulder’s tech scene might be misplaced (sorry, Portland), but I can’t help feeling a little jealous of this embracing socio-professional (petty sure it’s a real term) environment. It’s not even the technology that really gets to me. It’s the people who make up this community – bloggers, entrepreneurs, copywriters, software engineers, consultants, and developers – that love what they do and want to see each other succeed.
Tell me where that community/clique/coven (?) is in the Bay Area and I’m there. Until then, I’m waiting on the edge of my seat for the next installment of “Where the Fun’s At“.
UPDATE (1/24/09): Joining Fox News in an effort to be “fair and balanced,” I wanted to highlight a response post by Brian Burns, a Boulder resident and copy writer: “Boulder Is Nice. Not Paradise”. A great read, and brings some local insight to the subject.
Managing Your Personal Brand Online – Or at Least Your Rep
The recent and frantic digging into the lives of Sarah Palin and her ilk has made me ponder the importance of managing one’s online persona – especially given how easy search engines and social networks have made it for complete strangers to get information about each other.
Although most of us don’t have the vice-presidency hanging in the balance of our online dirty laundry, almost all of us will have relied on our Web persona for a job sometime in our professional lives. Those jobs will almost certainly be worth more than “a warm bucket of spit” as well.
Long ago, when I graduated from college and was looking for a job in the real world, I began to seriously consider how my online presence may help or hinder my attempts to secure gainful employment. At the time, this simply entailed cleaning up a few areas of my Facebook account.
According to the results of a recent survey conducted by Careerbuilder, this was a good move on my part. The report found:
“Of those hiring managers who have screened job candidates via social networking profiles ([22 percent of all hiring managers surveyed]), one-third (34 percent) reported they found content that caused them to dismiss the candidate from consideration.”
This content included the following:
- 41% – candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs
- 40% – candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information
- 28% – candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee
- 27% – candidate lied about qualifications
- 22% – candidate used discriminatory remarks related to race, gender, religion, etc.
- 22% – candidate’s screen name was unprofessional
- 21% – candidate was linked to criminal behavior
- 19% – candidate shared confidential information from previous employers
These are all fairly simple – not to mention obvious – mistakes to avoid when it comes to your web-presence. This is especially true with social networks where the user is the one who controls what content appears on his or her profile. Facebook’s granular security controls put the onus squarely on the user to ensure that their profile reflects well of them.
It’s a slightly different game when the content isn’t so directly controllable, as is the case with much – if not most – information online. I found some good tips for managing this kind of content/information:
- Ask the owners of the site to remove or amend the questionable content. A friend of mine was mortified to discover the first hit for his name on Google was the results from a less-than-reputable athletic competition from his college days. He simply asked the site owners to remove it and offered a brief explanation why and the site was happy to comply.
- Crowd out the bad results by posting comments in blogs or forums using your full name. This is most effective with popular sites that are likely to have a good online ranking themselves. *hint* Make sure the site doesn’t require a login.
- Make online profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook and other networking sites. Not only will these help to drive the less-glowing elements of your online persona lower in the search rankings, but a prospective employer is likely to start their information-gathering campaigns on these sites. While crowding out negative content doesn’t eliminate it, for Internet searches, out of sight truly is out of mind. Think about it: when was the last time you went beyond the second or third page of results for a query? Instead of worrying about expunging all negative content, just try to push it onto that fourth page.
- Set up Google alerts for your name. This may sound megalomaniacal (and it is) but you’d be amazed at the variety of old content that gets crawled and dredged up every day. If you see it, it means others can too. At least this way you can be prepared.
This all may be moot if more countries follow Finland’s lead. Finland has dealt with this issue with the simple – if draconian – approach of banning employers from conducting Google searches on potential employees.
The best advice is simply to exercise prudence online – and in real-life situations that may be documented online. Either that or regularly change your name…
Telecommuting: More Attractive Than Ever
I am writing this post from the sun-kissed porch of my parents’ house in beautiful Bellingham, Washington.
Jealous? You should be.
LaunchSquad has been immensely kind to let me work remotely this week so that I can spend some time with my family.
I have been collaborating with my coworkers via email, instant messenger, webcam and the phone. With online document repositories, I have access to the exact same data as I do at work. There are essentially no elements of my job that I cannot perform remotely.
Let me be honest up front: I confess that the implications of telecommuting that I discuss below were not factors in my desire to work from home. They are, however, great reasons for more businesses to allow their employees to work remotely.
1: Environmental Implications
More people working from home means less people driving to and from work every day. Sun Microsystems estimates that its more than 18,000 employees who can choose to work at home or the nearest office avoid buying 135 gallons of gas a year. This prevents more than 2,600 lbs of greenhouse gases – more than one ton – from being emitted PER EMPLOYEE.
Furthermore, by decreasing traffic congestion, commuting times are also reduced for workers that are unable to telecommute. This enables people in the retail and service industries, among others, to burn less gas.
2: Economic Implications
Let’s go back to the example of Sun. With with gas prices fast approaching $5 a gallon, the economic impact of avoiding buying 135 gallons of gas per year is far from inconsequential. For Sun, each worker’s annual savings from telecommuting is nearly $600.
Costs of gasoline and car-maintenance aside, the economic incentives for telecommuting as a result of time saved are enormous.
The US Census Bureau found that the American workers spend between 100 and 200 hours a year commuting to and from work – excluding errands along the way. That’s 12 to 25 entire work days during the year that are spent doing nothing but transporting a worker’s body from home to work and back. These hours/days could certainly be spent more effectively.
In spite of these figures in support of working remotely, a recent study by the Telework Coalition estimates that only about 26 million workers telecommute even occasionally – or less than 20% of the workforce. Another study found that only 5% of the US workforce telecommute on any regular basis while nearly 40% have jobs that would allow them to.
If they did, the study indicates that these new teleworkers could annually save 625 million barrels of oil (roughly equivalent to 80% of our Gulf Oil Imports), reduce greenhouse gases by 107 million metric tons of CO2 each year, and save almost $50 billion.
They would also save themselves – and the economy/environment – 1.3 BILLION work days that would otherwise have been spent commuting. That’s the equivalent to nearly 10 billion hours each year. To give you an idea, if each one of those hours were spent working a job that paid the federal minimum wage of $5.85, the earnings would total nearly $61 billion. That’s enough money to pay off the national debt in 156.5 years or to pay the entire New York Yankee’s salary until the year 2252.
Obviously, given advances in collaborative technology and the increasing need to improve our environmental practices, telecommuting will become more and more popular with employers and employees alike. Factor in the less quantifiable sorts of benefits that telecommuting provides such as being able to work with this “office” view, the prospect of working remotely has never been more beautiful.
View from my "office" - LaunchSquad Bellingham