Linda Mickey - Reflections

Parents Steal Car and Christmas

2011-12-14T16:46:00.002-06:00

Surely you've seen the ad - the young man arrives at his parents' house, Christmas packages in hand, and he can't find his parents because they took off in his Audi.

So how did the father get the keys to the car? It is obvious that the son did not give them to his father as the son is confused about where his parents are.

However a more significant question is what's with these parents?

Are they so heartless and so self-centered that a ride in their son's car is more important than spending time with him? More important than greeting him upon his arrival?

The father tells his wife that "he'll be all right." Why mention it unless there is some concern that their son will not be all right. And, let's face it...would you be all right if your parents treated you this way? The fact that the son is an adult is immaterial. The parent-child relationship remains intact regardless of age. So, in this case, simply stated, the son is of less value than a ride in a car.

I can't help but think that Audi is sending a strange message. Apparently Audi cars are for people with no compassion, no family values, and no interest in anyone other than themselves. Audi is for those who think a car has more worth than a child coming home for the holidays. Who approved this commercial? The Grinch?

After watching this ad, I can see it is not the car or car company for me. I wonder how many other people feel the same way?

Manufactured Bullies

2011-11-17T16:23:00.000-06:00

Recently I heard about three separate cases of bullying at local schools. The children involved were male and female; the schools were public and parochial; the grades were 4th, 6th, and 8th.

Why so much bullying? It's all about power.

As we see in the media, power is everything. Reality show contestants bully one another, politicians attack one another, sports figures trash-talk. We allow all this into our homes and let our children watch it thereby giving tacit approval to the behavior. We may even bully our children ourselves in an attempt to force certain conduct or beliefs on them.

In short, we are communicating, in so many ways, that it is OK to be a bully. Bullies achieve wealth, power and the respect of others. Bullies get their own TV shows. Bullies become rich and famous.

Our children become what we teach them to be. They do not pop out of the womb anxious to be bullies. We have bullies because we, as a society, create them.

Next time you watch television or personally comment on a topic, give some thought to who is in the room with you. Is your child about to learn that being mean is how one gets on TV? Will your child discover that being cruel is a good thing because you are that way yourself?

Every time certain housewives or politicians are on, I cringe over their lack of respect for one another and their willingness to wound one another. These demonstrations of bad behavior might garner great ratings and even provide a laugh or two. But at what cost?

Sealed Lips Sink Ships

2011-11-11T08:29:00.001-06:00

So much has been written about the Penn State nightmare that I hesitate to address it here. However, I noticed that the underlying thread to all of the reports is the lack of communication. So many people did not speak out. And what did that get them?

Sadly, there are predators hiding in many places of authority. These wolves, clad in their sheep’s clothing, look and act like what they pretend to be - whether that is a priest or a coach. We worship them. We make them gods. And we pay dearly for that unquestioning reverence. Nonetheless, it happens.

Once abuse occurs, what comes next? In the sad examples of both the Catholic Church and now Penn State, nothing happened when it should have. Reports were made but the people in power chose to ignore or cover-up the issue. There was a communication breakdown. The buck stopped short.

I don’t know why witnesses to the abuse decided to tell a coach instead of calling the police. Nor do I understand, once it was obvious that the coaches weren’t going to react appropriately, that people did not go to law enforcement. This was a crime! And every single person who knew about it and did nothing is equally guilty.

Was anything accomplished by this silence? No surprise - keeping quiet just made things worse. Thankfully, the truth finally came out…but not before additional people were wounded.

I will not address the moral implications of this tragedy. Readers can see for themselves what happens when we make gods out of men or when we let money make our decisions for us.

Just think about how different things would be today if this abuse had been properly reported and addressed instantly. Who knows how many boys would have been saved? Paterno would be a hero still instead of the dog he is. Perhaps only one man would be in handcuffs and all the others would have clear consciences.

There should have been plenty of communication all those years ago. Instead, there was none.

No Care in Health Care

2011-10-16T10:18:00.002-05:00

My mother recently experienced a heart episode. She is lucky to be alive and that has nothing to do with her heart.

Have you been in a hospital lately? Did you notice that no matter who walks into the patient’s room there is a computer that accompanies them? It may be hand-held or pushed on a cart, but the machine is ever-present.

The trouble with my mother began when the ER doc announced she had pneumonia and a heart murmur. (She has had the murmur since she was 12, the result of a nearly fatal bout of scarlet fever.) The ER doc ordered a battery of tests, including a chemical stress test.

First, let’s begin with the fact that my mother did not have pneumonia. The fluid in her lungs was caused by reduced heart function. She is 85 and knows her heart is failing. Everyone, including her pulmonologist and her cardiologist told her not to take the stress test. At her age and in her condition, the test was not warranted and could be harmful.

Shortly after my mother was transferred to the cardiac care unit (CCU), the floor nurse came in pushing a computer mounted on a tray table. In front of the monitor was an array of syringes. I stopped the nurse and requested an explanation of whatever she was about to administer to my mother. A diuretic. Fine. A multiple vitamin. Also fine. A blood thinner. Not fine. When I questioned the blood thinner, the nurse told me that is was protocol, standard procedure for heart patients with high blood pressure. My mother does not have high blood pressure. After some resistance, the nurse finally went away. It is important to note here that the doctor had not ordered the blood thinner specifically. The nurse was following a computerized protocol and wasn't paying any attention to my mother's chart.

The next day, sure enough, the orderly showed up to take my mother for her chemical stress test because it was still in the computer. I had to get quite forceful to prevent them from taking her anyway. And during the night, my mother bled through the improperly-inserted IV. Had she had the blood thinner, she could well have bled to death.

So I warn all of you - for your own protection and for that of your loved ones. Be very, very careful. Computers, not medical personnel, are handling your heath care. And machines are not capable of caring about anything.

Don't Talk to Me; I'm Busy Communicating

2011-09-14T16:47:00.000-05:00

“You mean I have to talk to them face-to-face?”

Such was the lament of a college student who recently discovered there is more to getting a job than sending out resumes through Monster.com and waiting for offers to roll in. This young man was aghast that he had to go to an office and submit to an interview – in person. Yikes.

The hot thing right now is social networking. Like all technological advances, it has its good and not-so-good points. The good is found in expanded business opportunities, renewed acquaintanceships, more contact with family members, and the ability to share our lives with others, often people who are separated from us by many miles. Among the not-so-good points are the inability to read body language or facial expressions and hear vocal inflection. Social skills suffer as people no longer know how to dress appropriately or behave while dining. Those consumed by social networking may be unable to establish priorities and might even endanger themselves and others. There have been plenty of stories about all these issues.

As I drove home the other day, I observed a mother and her two children out for a walk. It was a beautiful afternoon with temps in the mid-70’s and hardly a cloud in the sky. What struck me was that all three were holding cell phones, their thumbs flying across the keys. This mother and her children had no relationship to one another other than their physical proximity.

This reminds me of the commercials currently running for the Toyota Venza. (See one of them here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lOgtmJrdiE.) Obviously I am not the only person to notice the strange trend in which mechanized contact is preferable to any other form.

Don’t get me wrong. I love technology. However, I am concerned with the loss of so many necessary skills. Parents teach children. If parents aren’t teaching their children, their children cannot teach their children. Everyone will know how to use a keyboard but will they remember how to speak? Seem a little farfetched? Maybe, maybe not.

One thing’s for sure – it will be difficult to solve our problems if we are so busy communicating that we forget to how to have a conversation.

9/11 Memorial Police Car Misses the Point

2011-09-02T07:28:00.002-05:00

The tenth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001 is almost upon us. There will be much focus on that awful day with multiple tributes and retrospectives. Locally, it began nearly six months ago when, in May, a suburb unveiled its 9/11 squad car (http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110526/news/705269895/). The burning twin towers are on its hood, an American flag represented on its doors.

What are we saying when we spend thousands on a special squad car that lists the names of the dead and nothing on the affected human beings who are still with us and need our help? What about the families of those who were killed? What about the survivors who are disabled or jobless? What about the thousands of wounded soldiers returning home from a war that began on 9/11?

September 11, 2001 was dreadful. Like Pearl Harbor for the generations before us, 9/11 influences how we perceive and respond to the world around us.

Nearly ten years have passed since that day. What happens this year on that date will say much about who we are as individuals and as a country. Will we focus on the loss or the gain? Will those who died on 9/11 be proud of us or embarrassed by us? How would they feel about what we say, think, and do all these years later?

The Discovery Channel recently aired a program about rebuilding at Ground Zero. One of the commercials urged me to donate funds to first responder charities. I couldn’t help thinking about all the money being spent on memorials around the country and wondering if those funds could be better used by the people most impacted by the attacks.

I fully support commemorating those who lost their lives on September 11. May the memorials and monuments do them justice. As you watch the programs or read articles about that day, give some thought to what is being said. Are we honoring the living or just the dead?

It’s about communicating. Does a painted squad car send the right message?

Debt Crisis Accord

2011-08-04T10:58:00.000-05:00

The debt crisis, the potential for default, and the last-minute compromise were the hot items on the news and talk shows for weeks. Buried in all that were lessons to be learned that have nothing to do with world finance or economics.

Remember, I do not take political sides. I look at how the message is delivered and how we react to it. We would do well to consider the communication, or lack thereof, that we recently witnessed.

At a recent party, a Democratic friend voiced an idea for saving billions while at the same time addressing the drug problem and the immigration problem. The Republicans there loved it. It was a good idea. It was logical; it made sense. It solved four problems simultaneously.

I have friends who are Republicans and I have friends who are Democrats. As I spoke to them, taking my own unofficial poll, I found they agree on most major points regarding the debt ceiling and the budget crisis. If they are in accord, how can their representatives in Congress not be?

Was this a case of poor communication? Is there some other way the electorate should be telling their representatives what they want?

Perhaps the root of the problem is buried in the word “representative.” Its definition, from Merriam-Webster.com, is [emphasis mine]:

1. Serving to represent

2.a : standing or acting for another especially through delegated authority b : of, based on, or constituting a government in which the many are represented by persons chosen from among them usually by election

We do not live in a true democracy where everything is put to a vote and decided upon by the citizens. We live in a republic. We select people to represent us. Those individuals are acting for us, not for themselves – according to the definition above. And that must be the point of the communication breakdown. Either we or they do not understand what it means to represent.

I sure hope that gets resolved or it won’t matter how good the communication is.

Storm Stories

2011-06-22T13:11:00.000-05:00

If you watched the news or The Weather Channel last night, you probably saw that fierce storms rolled through the Chicago area around 8:30. They were impressive storms: the wind picked up a full-sized jet at O'Hare airport and moved it thirty feet. Three tornados were sighted and a big chunk of the north suburban area was under an official tornado warning.

This blog, however, is not about the weather. It is about communication. The citizens of northern Illinois needed it last night and, in many cases, we didn't get it.

Channel 20 (a PBS station), alerted its viewers to the issuance of a tornado warning. However, the station switched to the Emergency Broadcast System, which our Comcast cable box promptly locked out, making the information unreadable. We had to turn the television off and then back on to get to another station to find out if the warning applied to our area. We found two stations (Channels 2-CBS and 5-NBC) had their weathermen delivering reports but we missed most of it because we had been forced to "reboot" the TV. And the radio was no help. We tried two stations and learned the Cubs game was delayed. Nothing was said about the tornado warning during the time we listened.

Back to the television. As soon as CBS and NBC delivered the weather report, both stations returned to network programming. One station, which continually brags about the amount of money it spends on weather instrumentation, had no live reports during any of the times we left The Weather Channel to check local station coverage. This is not the fault of the weather people who work for the stations. The decision to interrupt regular programming is made by management and management obviously decided that commerical revenue was more important than alerting Chicagoans of impending bad weather.

Suffice it to say that Chicago was very lucky last night because it escaped a castatrophe. Since the local stations didn't think the storm was important, no one else did either. Imagine leaving fans in their seats at the ball park or seated outside at an open-air concert when 80-mile an hour winds were about to hit them. How irresponsible can you get?

So, thank you, Channel 20 for taking the warnings seriously. And thank you Weather Channel for your coverage last night. We would not have known what was coming or what to expect had it not been for you understanding how dangerous that storm could be. You communicated: efficiently, effectively, and continously.

Referrals are a Reflection on You

2011-06-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

Referrals are a unique form of communication. When we make one, we put our own reputations on the line. People follow our recommendations if they trust us and respect our opinion. If our referral turns out to be a bad experience, our reputations suffer.

In the last post, I mentioned that I had product issues with two companies. One responded in an overwhelmingly positive fashion and now my family is recommending it to everyone they know. The other was polite but that was about it. We tried both products as the result of recommendations made by friends.

In my networking group, this very topic came up recently for discussion. A member reminded us that when we make a referral, we put our own reputations on the line. It is one of the reasons we do not have a referral requirement in that group. No one should be forced to recommend any person, product, or company. Recommendations are not made unless the member is willing to stake her own reputation on it.

That discussion made me think. How valuable is our personal reputation? Apparently, not very.

People do things like pose nude, have affairs, and fudge on their taxes; all things that sully their reputations. Is it any wonder that we no longer trust each other? We have no reason to believe in each other and that is a direct result of not protecting our own reputations.

I am careful now when I make a recommendation because I have had people or products not perform as I said they would. Those I referred were disappointed in both the service they received and in the person who sent them there - me.

I want people to be happy with the product or company I recommend to them. A good referral reflects well on me and hopefully, those I pass on to others will come back to use me and my product…because they trust me - because I made a good referral.

Standing Behind Your Product

2011-05-29T07:19:00.000-05:00

Recently I had two product issues and the manner in which those issues were handled is the subject of today’s post.

It is bound to happen. As careful as companies try to be, mistakes are made and the resulting product is not up to standard.

What happened to me? I found a long, dark, curly hair in my sealed yogurt container. In a separate instance, the product arrived punctured and was a mess. In both instances, I sent emails to the companies involved. Particularly in the case of the yogurt company, health standards were a concern. I am happy to report that I received responses to those emails and each company offered to make up the loss. The yogurt company proposed coupons and the coffee company said they would reship the order.

The yogurt coupons never came. A deduction could be made that the offer was an empty one and the company doesn’t really want to persuade me to return. That is probably just as well. I don’t know if I could make myself buy it again. That kind of breach is hard to get over. I had a similar experience with a local bagel shop and have never returned. Still, without the enticement of free product, I know I will never buy it in the future.

In the case of the coffee, I did not expect a refund or replacement. The actual value of what was damaged was about $1.00 and I wrote the company merely to make them aware of a potential shipping problem.

So what did these two companies communicate to me? I went to both as a result of referrals from friends ( another form of communication I will address in the next post) but I will make future purchasing decisions based on how these two companies responded to my problem.

These are hard times. Like most people, I carefully consider where to spend my money. There are plenty of yogurt and coffee companies out there. It is very easy for me to make a switch. In one case, I have.

Posting the Winning Job Ad

2011-05-18T08:40:00.000-05:00

Many things are taught in college business schools and some of them are actually useful in the real world. Writing skills are usually not part of the curriculum and no communication courses include instruction on how to write a help wanted ad that gets you what you want.

I just finished reading Bait and Switch, a book about a job hunt experienced by the writer, Barbara Ehrenreich. Out of curiosity, I looked at some of the jobs currently posted on job boards and found them to be as dreadful as I remember. It’s no wonder hiring managers are inundated by resumes that are not suitable. My post today is not about Ehrenreich’s book or about job searches. It is about communication.

What follows are just four tips for writing ads that may help you find the perfect team player and keep a few hundred irrelevant resumes from hitting your desk.

First, keeping your company’s identity a secret is understandable but you should name your industry. This will weed out those who cannot or refuse to be associated with it, whatever it may be. Specific industries can also be attractive. To get a team player, advertise for someone who wants to be part of your particular league.

Second, give a general geographic area, particularly in large metropolitan areas. Also state if the location is accessible by public transportation. Public transportation is a two-way benefit.Your employees arrive without the frustration caused by an hour drive on a busy roadway and you get them focused and ready to work.

Third, indicate if background checks and drug testing are required. This will discourage from applying those who cannot pass these tests. It may also mean that the resumes you receive are based in truth.

Finally, why include words like energetic, dynamic, or friendly? Isn’t that assumed? How many employers are seeking applicants who are lethargic, non-reactive, or grumpy?

Employers expect applicants to communicate well in cover letters and resumes. It is only right that companies reciprocate. Tell applicants what you expect and what you really want. Maybe, through clear and concise communication, you’ll get it.

A Vineyard?

2011-05-07T09:10:00.000-05:00

You’ve probably seen the ads. A brokerage firm uses a technique in which the actors appear as animation. It is an eerie affect but effective in that it grabs our interest. And our attention is exactly what this advertiser wants.

The gist of the commercials is that this particular brokerage firm deals in reality. It will help its clients prepare for an achievable retirement. It offers guidance that makes sense in today's economy.

I am not commenting on the pros or cons of using this brokerage. My purpose is to ask you to consider the effectiveness of the ad itself. Have you noticed it? Do you listen to the script? Does it speak to you on any level?

The rotoscope animation caught my eye instantly, as it was designed to do, and I was fascinated by the effect. How do they do that? It reminded me a little of the way The Polar Express was made with image capture technology.

This ad campaign intrigues me as a writer. The script tells the story succinctly and gives voice to what many of us are feeling. How often have we seen commercials from other investment firms that show us long, deserted beaches, foreign travel destinations, and, of course, the California vineyard? How did we react to those ads?

To be effective, writing must give voice to what people are thinking and feeling while, at the same time, imparting fact and truth. The reason some written work has been with us for centuries is that the authors were able to do that. In A Tale of Two Cities, as an example, we recognize our own penchant to become an unthinking mob while we retain the hope that we could be as self-sacrificing as Sidney Carton.

The brokerage ad campaign is not Dickens. However, it has been around since 2005 and it does tap into what I’m sure many people are thinking - a vineyard?

And that’s good writing.

WMA versus MP3: Another Tech Turf War

2011-04-20T17:29:00.000-05:00

Last month, I finally reacted to the newsletter from my library that encourages downloading audio books and decided to put an audio book on my iPod.

Some of the local libraries have offered downloads of audio books for some time but since the library had loads of books on CD, I never investigated using my iPod for this purpose. Recent family events have found me sitting in hospital waiting rooms so I decided it was time to make better use of technology.

The library newsletter has often reported that a majority of acquisition funds are allocated to digital material. I assumed that included audio books. It does – sort of.

People over the age of 30 will remember the first format war of Beta vs. VHS. Apparently there is another – WMA vs. MP3 – also known as Microsoft vs. Apple.

What does this have to do with my library? It means that, contrary to what is touted in the newsletter, I am not able to easily download audio books. I scroll through the titles and find several that look interesting. Then I read the fine print and see that the format is WMA and WMA (Microsoft) does not play on iPods (Apple). Of the approximately 1,000 titles available in MP3, nearly all are always checked out and there are waiting lists. Apparently my library is licensing more WMA books than MP3 books.

I don’t know about the rest of the world but in my library district almost everyone owns an iPod. So why would the library invest in books that we can’t listen to? Are the licenses less expensive? I don’t know but I intend to find out.

I the meantime, I am listening to the only book available – The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law vs. The Mob. It’s not a bad book but it isn’t what I would have selected had I the option of listening to all those WMA titles.

Thirty Seconds Worth 1,000 Words?

2011-02-19T07:08:00.001-06:00

It is an old cliché but one that certainly applies to the Super Bowl commercials. Now that a couple of weeks have passed since the big game, I am intrigued by my co-workers conversations about the ads. At roughly $3 million each just to broadcast, the commercials and the products they pitched should stay in people’s minds. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Volkswagen scored big. They knocked it out of the park. People are still talking about the little Darth Vader. I don’t think I’ve reacted so positively to a commercial since the Pepsi ad featuring the Labrador puppies scampering over the little boy. Another contender for #1 was the Dorito commercial in which the fish and the plant were revived by eating Doritos. My coworkers continue to laugh about it. Congratulations, Doritos. You have a winner.

The Doritos ad used humor. Volkswagen tugged our heart strings. All the winning commercials over the years have connected a universal human emotion to the product. In Volkswagen’s case, we remember how it felt to believe in something so thoroughly that we knew it must be true.

Other commercials were memorable this year but perhaps because they were poorly done. Everyone reacted to Kim Kardashian but no one remembered what she was selling. Most thought it was a sports drink. And all recalled “those babies” but couldn’t name the brokerage firm they represented.

It is important to convey the message but it is critical that the whole message be received to be successful. Think back. Can you name the products featured in your favorite Super Bowl ads? Which ads were the real winners?

Mayhem Makes Me Flip

2010-12-23T08:26:00.000-06:00

Have you seen the Allstate Insurance Mayhem commercials? They are the ones in which “Mayhem”(the condition of chaos, bedlam, and turmoil) is personified in a human male wearing a scruffy suit and a three-day growth. The actor is seen in a variety of situations in which bad things happen to cars as a result of Mayhem’s presence. Mayhem, representing a puppy, eats the car’s back seat. Or Mayhem causes a tree branch to fall and crush a car. Mayhem is a comely female out for her run. There are several variations on this theme.

The point of the commercials is that Mayhem can strike any time. Allstate covers these types of accidents where some of their competitors may not. The ads are effective in that my 84-year old mother, who doesn’t drive, got the message. I wonder if the demographic Allstate wants also gets it.

I understand the point of the ads. I got it right away myself. However, I do not watch these ads. I hate them. I cannot grab the remote fast enough.

I have nothing against Allstate or its insurance. I like the ad about the hazards of frying the Thanksgiving turkey; I just can’t stand the Mayhem ads. My aversion to them interested me so I thought about it. I decided the concept was fine but I just don’t like the character. (I’m not supposed to like Mayhem - I get that.)

What it is that repels me? His appearance? Mayhem isn’t nice and neat. Mayhem is supposed to be a mess. Could it be what he does? No. All those accidents would bring mayhem into our lives. I don’t know. I haven’t figured it out. I just know that I click to a different channel the moment one of the Mayhem ads begins.

I wonder why. Your thoughts?

No Sale for Black Friday

2010-11-22T17:12:00.000-06:00

Black Friday is a black mark on those who promote it. Let me explain.

The Friday following Thanksgiving is a retail extravaganza that is the official start of the holiday shopping season. The term "black" applies here because stores hope to show profits following the spending spree. Retailers hope to be "in the black." The original meaning has conveniently been set aside.

At first Black Friday denoted the financial crisis of 1869 and then the term was given by law enforcement to the shopping day after Thanksgiving because of the traffic snarls and large crowds.

There remains nothing good about Black Friday.

Does opening at midnight make any sense at all? Some retailers will even open on Thanksgiving Day.

Obviously Thanksgiving is irrelevant as a holiday. Perhaps we should ask Congress to abolish it. The retailers move from Halloween directly to Christmas anyway. We can't blame them. In fact, we encourage it. Nothing is more important than a dollar and being thankful does not contribute to the bottom line. Thanksgiving is just another day off. So let's keep the day off but we'll call it Black Thursday and make it a national day of uncontrolled spending.

Seriously, what I thought of first when I saw that Carson's would open at 3 AM was the employees. Black Friday means those who work in the stores cannot enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. The Target or Best Buy worker has no time for a big meal with family and friends. No time for chatting or watching football or doing anything that resembles a holiday celebration. No chance to be thankful.

Come on, you CEOs of Wal-Mart, Bon-Ton, and all the others. Are you up at 3 AM and in the stores? Did you give up Thanksgiving with your families to work? I'll bet not.

So have your early morning Black Friday deals - online - and open your stores at a reasonable hour. Happy, well-rested associates make fewer mistakes and better sales. Stop the mania and we might all get through the day without anyone being injured or killed.

I dare you to bring sanity back to the holiday shopping season.

Forms

2010-09-05T09:18:00.001-05:00

My parents recently decided that they no longer wanted to handle their routine finances so they turned everything over to me. This is a fairly common occurrence in families and most of the people in my generation have already had this happen to them.

My parents are a progressive pair. All the paperwork for this and future family needs was already in place. I’ve been signing on their checking account since the mid-nineties when they started traveling extensively.

Although I was a signer on the checking account, I wanted online banking access so I took my power of attorney form in and asked that my name be added to the account. What a can of worms that opened. Seems that having power of attorney is not enough. I had to have a Declination to Act form in which my parents said that they were unwilling to do the banking and had, in fact, passed that responsibility to me.

My parents immediately got the necessary forms. Everything is now as they want it. In addition, the attorney is aware that these forms will be required by this particular bank, even though the forms are not required by state law. She will be able to advise other clients who use the same bank. I don’t argue with the bank's special requirements. They are in place to protect its older customers from senior abuse and, sadly, such abuse is a real problem.

Why do I tell this story in a blog about communications? Because I realize again how important it is that we communicate with each other. This incident involved a very large bank. It would be helpful if attorneys had knowledge of this requirement so their clients would be prepared. The bank needs to communicate with the bar associations.

In addition, families must discuss their wishes for their futures. We will all grow older and may not wish or be able to handle things - particularly as life gets more complex. Fading eyesight, trembling hands, or unwillingness to drive in bad weather are all good reasons for passing the banking reins to someone else and have nothing to do with mental capacity. Paperwork should be in place and all family members should be in agreement on what will or should take place.

This is not new advice. I repeat it because I just learned again how important good communication is.

American Greed

2010-08-27T08:05:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? There is a television program on CNBC titled “American Greed.” I ran across it in the TV listings while searching for something else.

I could write an entire posting about greed as an American affliction but many have already done that. Since I focus on communication in this blog, I am more interested in what this program, or its existence, is communicating.

First, if one is greedy enough, one will be featured on a television program devoted to the behavior.
Second, greed is so prevalent in our society that the producers feel there is an audience for this programming.

Searching for more information, I learned that the program is a six-part series produced by Kurtis Productions. Bill Kurtis is a Chicago journalism legend and is well-acquainted with political greed. Now he is focusing on monetary greed. He is undoubtedly fascinated by what drives these people (primarily men) to lie, cheat, and steal their way to fortune and fame. Since all great societies have suffered from the illness, I am not surprised that we have succumbed but I leave it to the sociologists to analyze why success breeds greed and why great nations ultimately become so avaricious that they create their own downfalls.

The network program directors and the producers of American Greed could claim this program is a deterrent. They might also say they are attempting to understand the behavior. I don’t buy that. All television programming is designed to attract viewers and thereby earn advertising dollars. Bottom line, they are in for the money. By itself, that is not a bad thing. Like any other businesses, television programming provides jobs and income for those associated with it.

However, in a sense, those who produce and air American Greed are as greedy as the men they showcase. In electing to celebrate the behavior, don’t they condone it and subsequently reward it?

What does that say about them...and those of us who watch?

Taking Chances

2010-08-06T14:24:00.000-05:00

Mega-spectacular movies filled with lots of explosions and car chases, buoyed by some kind of super hero, fill our screens with pictures that make millions at the box office but have little to say. Please don’t misunderstand. I like Bumble Bee as much as anyone. Sometimes, however, I like films that ask me to think about things a bit.

I see it this way. I read both Sherlock Holmes and biographies of historical figures. One is purely for entertainment; the other can be inspirational and educational. I write mysteries and I wrote a non-fiction book. Both serve their purpose. I treat movies the same way. Die Hard was great entertainment. Lewis and Clark: The Journey instructs.

I took a chance on Taking Chance. I knew little about the film but any movie starring Kevin Bacon is apt to get my attention. I brought it home.

"Reflections" is about communication so I am writing about a film that did exactly that. It spoke to me on many different levels, something that hasn’t happened with a movie in a very long time.

Kudos to Ross Katz, the director, who knew the importance of the long shot, giving me time to absorb the scene and react to it. Praise to the editor who cut from one tight close-up to another, moving the audience between alternating points of view without jarring it out of the spell cast by the scenes. Congratulations to Bacon, who conveyed more with his body than could be said in pages of dialogue. And finally, a special thank-you to Katz, the writer, whose bare-bones script said what needed to be said…and no more.

There are several significant messages in this film. Although I think they are important for all of us to consider, the reason I recommend you watch Taking Chance is not just its thought-provoking story. I advocate this film because of its artistry and the skill the cast and crew used to bring it to you. This film tells its story in a whisper.

This movie really communicates.

Telemarketers Send the Wrong Message

2010-06-27T11:32:00.001-05:00

Ring, ring. I check the caller ID. It is a telemarketer. How do I know? I recognize the name – or lack thereof. And as soon as I identify myself, the caller hangs up in my ear. I know what they want. They want to speak to my boss. It isn’t going to happen. My boss does not take calls from salespeople. She hired me to do that.

There are three problems with the callers hanging up so abruptly.

First – It is physically painful to me. The disconnect often causes a loud clang in the receiver that hurts my ear.

Second – It is discourteous and I don’t do business with people that are rude.

Third – It indicates the caller has made some assumptions. The caller assumes that if he hang up and tries again, a different person will answer. OK. Let’s say that I am busy so an associate picks up the call and then tries to pass the caller to the boss. The boss will not take the call and the telemarketer is no further along than before. Another assumption is that I am a mere receptionist. Guess what – the mere receptionist can prevent anyone from speaking to anyone else. In addition, in a small office like ours, the receptionist is also the office manager. I make many buying decisions independently plus recommendations on the really big purchases. Get me angry and you go nowhere on your sales pitch.

I doubt telemarketers think of these things. They just start speaking when the computer completes the connection. However, the marketer is the one who disconnects the call. By doing what they do, over and over again, they tell me that they truly are not trying to sell me anything at all. They are just logging calls while telling me in effect “the company I work for is so awful that one should never buy anything from it because it hires people like me.”

Somehow I doubt that is the message any reputable company wants me to receive.

Computer calls next time.

Talking to Ourselves

2010-06-11T16:53:00.003-05:00

Not long ago, I read a column on www.miceage.com in which Kevin Yee speculated that if Walt Disney had been playing with an iPhone instead of watching his daughter on a small merry-go-round, Disneyland might not have been created. Busy texting or playing a game, Disney’s mind would not have been free to imagine a place where he could go on rides with his child.

Every post in this blog has been about outward communication. Yee’s column asked me to consider the conversations we have with ourselves and the movies that play in our mind. We label it imagination or, when we are feeling uncharitable, we call it daydreaming, inattentiveness, or even ADD. We worry if we talk to ourselves, even if it is silently. Are we going crazy?

How tragic that we feel we have to be busy all the time. Why are we afraid to let our minds wander? What’s wrong with sitting on a park bench and imagining that things can be different? What would our world would be like if DaVinci had not stared at cracks in the wall, if Einstein hadn’t stared out the window or Disney had not sat on a park bench? What if they all had been busy playing Tetris on an iPhone instead of turning their minds loose?

We claim to support “thinking outside the box.” That can only happen if we give ourselves a chance to do it. We must communicate internally, turn thoughts over, and reap the rewards of the creative energy we all posses. It’s OK to be doing “nothing.” It’s even OK to talk to yourself – just don’t let your lips move.

I cannot imagine the losses our society suffers because we are so busy doing that we no longer do nothing.

I am so thankful that Walt Disney did not have an iPhone.

Military Service - Talk About It

2010-05-30T07:23:00.003-05:00

Memorial Day is tomorrow. Many of us will go to picnics and enjoy a day away from our jobs. Some of us might go to a parade and may even give a brief moment of thought to those who served in the military.

My father never talked much about his time in the Army Air Corps because he didn't think he did anything special. He went, he did his duty, and then he came home. When the base where he was discharged closed, I finally got Dad to tell me a bit. He spent only one day at that base but he will never forget passing through it because he was heading home. He also won't forget the heat of New Mexico where he was stationed for the latter part of WWII.

Yes, in 1945, Dad was serving at Alamogordo, New Mexico. Do I need to tell you what was happening in New Mexico at that time? He remembers how the sky lit up like it was daylight, even though that first atomic blast was 60 miles away. He said he could have easily read the newspaper in light that has been compared to that of several suns.

After describing the events of July 16, 1945, Dad mentioned that he belonged to a flight crew that spent several months in Colorado for secret training. The flight crew of the Enola Gay was not the only one in training for the mission.

It made perfect sense. There had to be more than one crew in case anything happened. This had never occurred to me nor would I have associated my father with this historic event.

Our fathers and grandfathers are rapidly leaving this world. They all have tales to tell that are part of our heritage. If you don't know what your relative did in military service, find out. Then pass that along to your children. In communicating our own history, we honor those who went before us and tie the generations together.

God bless all those who serve and those who wait for them to come home.

They Want to Communicate

2010-04-30T07:22:00.000-05:00

The local middle school holds a career day for its students every spring. Because I have some of the same kids year after year, I try to come up with a new viewpoint for each presentation. This year, I focused on writers who are making a good living but whose names are not in the public spotlight. It turns out, that was a good move. Only one student mentioned JK Rowling. Last year, she was the role model for at least ten of them.

I put six names on the board – three men and three women. They included a screenplay writer, the head writer for a video game, a lyricist, and the writer of a famous ad campaign. I talked about all the ways a person can make a career from writing.

The kids had not considered this. In their minds, writers do one of two things: writers are journalists or writers are novelists.

From conversations with coworkers, I know that writing is not a focal point of modern education. Students do not spend a semester diagramming sentences or learning about past participles. The lack of understanding about how their own language works is causing problems. What surprised me was that the kids said as much. They told me that they are sometimes confused by their friends’ Facebook postings or things they read in class. They complained about poorly constructed sentences and words that don’t mean what the writer intended.

And guess what – most of the kids wished they liked to read and had the opportunity to do more of it. They realize that reading is as important to their futures as writing.

These kids want to communicate effectively. We do them a terrible disservice if we assume that writing skills are no longer useful. It falls to us to provide them with the tools they require to lead fulfilling lives. Will the kids moan and complain? Sure they will. That’s part of growing up. But it is our job to push them and prepare them for their futures. Let’s make sure they get what they need – and obviously want.

It's Not Their Fault

2010-04-17T07:29:00.003-05:00

Thursday was tax day. Like many others, I stood in line at the post office waiting my turn to mail returns. It was a long line so I overheard several conversations at the windows. In the half hour I stood there, several people angrily accused the window workers of everything from theft to greed. I work for a tax accountant so I experienced a bit of that myself this year. People blame the post office employee or me because they don’t like the way their tax dollars are being spent.

First of all, I think we all agree that greed in Washington is hurting our country. Greed in our states and greed on Wall Street are doing the same thing. Contrary to what the character Gordon Gecko proclaimed in a movie, greed is not good. That said, let’s move on.

Much of what I overheard is indicative of citizens who are not well-informed. The post office does not get funding from Congress. In 1970, President Nixon signed an executive order that created the United States Postal Service. The Post Office Department ceased to exist and was no longer a cabinet post. Control of the new service passed from Congress to the executive branch. The postmaster general was replaced by a board of managers and a service CEO.

The postal service sells bonds to cover its deficits. Sound familiar?

Is the post office poorly managed these days? Undoubtedly. Is that the fault of the people who work the windows? No more than badly-run AIG is the fault of a middle-manager’s secretary.

If you are angry about the way in which your tax dollars are spent, write or call your political representatives. In other words, focus your communication efforts where they might do some good. Making some poor postal worker the target of your rancor hurts both of you.

How Soon is Soon?

2010-04-05T06:24:00.004-05:00

In January, a friend told me that she would soon receive a promotion. In March, my bank emailed an announcement to its customers that soon it would have a new program for its business accounts. Last week, my boss reminded us that tax season would be over soon.

According to Webster’s dictionary, “soon” means “almost immediately, shortly, rapidly, in a short while.” To my mind, soon is within a week or two at most.

So, my friend, whose promotion will effective on June 1, received her promotion eventually, nearly five months after she was told about it. My bank still has not issued any information about the new program so their “soon” is actually defined as “when they feel like it.” The only statement remotely close to being accurate is the one made by my boss because the official end of tax season is April 16 – even though my colleagues and I will be doing payroll tax returns until the end of April.

One of the things my editor cautions me about repeatedly is that I must understand the meaning of words when I use them. Language is the key to communication in all its forms and if we do not properly convey our intended meaning, we confuse those for whom the communication is intended. Wars have started for lack of good communication.

Perhaps we use “soon” when we are reluctant to be held to a specific time frame but “soon” has some expectation of immediacy built into it. If you tell me at the end of February that my account will be credited soon, I expect to see that credit before the end of March.

I suppose “soon” is like many over-worked words in our language. We use it because it is convenient and the meaning is somewhat nebulous.

I will soon end this entry with the hope that “soon” will soon be replaced with other, more precise words and that companies or people live up to "soon" whenever they use it.

Now is a good word. I will end this column now.

Allergic Reaction

2010-02-21T14:20:00.002-06:00

My father recently collapsed. At the hospital, my mother and I were bombarded by human and mechanical communication as doctors reported test results and machines whirred or beeped.

Eventually my father was diagnosed with a whopping case of pneumonia and the doctor admitted him so IV antibiotics could be administered. Within moments of the drug being added to the IV, my father's arm began to itch. As it turned bright red, I ran for the nurse.

The nurse hurried to my father. She was joined by another caregiver who said a reaction happens frequently with that particular medicine. My obvious thought – then why give it? What this woman said was a concern – not because my father had hives - but because of all the things that were implied in her statement.

What I heard was: we should have expected this, we should have remained in the treatment cubicle to be sure it didn’t happen, why does the doctor prescribe something that is a known allergen, these allergic reactions require time that could be spent on other needs or patients. She was clearly exasperated and I could tell it had nothing to do with my father as a patient.

My father’s chart is no longer void of medications to which he is allergic. We found one. I am grateful that the allergic response was confined to hives and it occurred in a setting where medical intervention was readily available. I am sure that some patients have a stronger and more dangerous reaction.

I wonder if any of this is communicated back to the drug companies or the FDA? I doubt it. I’ll also bet that the drug to which my father reacted is more expensive than the one that he was ultimately given.

Am I being too cynical?

I Hate Government Spending - Unless I Get Some

2009-11-28T06:53:00.002-06:00

Not long ago I overheard a man complaining about the federal deficit and how the government should stop giving away money. He was fed up with fancy stimulus programs and bailouts.

In the very next breath, he said he hoped Congress would extend and expand the first time home buyers’ credit because, as a mortgage broker, it was good for his business. I suppose that is similar to senior citizens who use Medicare saying they don’t want government health care programs.

I do not bring this up to begin a political discussion. I mention it because I do not understand what these people are saying.

Mr. Spock, the ultimate in logical thinking, might use this example of deductive reasoning: The Social Security Administration is part of the federal government. Medicare is part of the Social Security Administration. Medicare is a health care program. Therefore, Medicare is a government health care program.

Someone over age 65 arguing against government health care while at the same time charging their doctor visits to Medicare is not logical thinking. The same applies to the mortgage broker. A person cannot oppose government stimulus packages and then hope that the home buyers’ credit program is extended.

If I apply deductive reasoning to both these situations, I must assume that these people are not capable of logical thinking or they are communicating something else.

If I understand correctly, these citizens are saying that they are opposed to government spending programs unless they are on the receiving end of them. They don’t want their tax dollars to be used for government programs but they are happy if my tax dollars are used that way.

I wonder what Mr. Spock would say.

What Are They Thinking?

2009-11-05T17:12:00.004-06:00

You may have seen the news that the Disney Company wants to change Mickey Mouse. I have no problem with updating The Mouse. I have a huge problem with the attributes they have given him. Apparently the Disney Company is telling us that a cunning, selfish, and naughty Mickey is better than an honest, cheerful and friendly one. Good Lord – what does that say about the Disney Company and about us? Below are excerpts of the letter I sent today to Robert Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

Per the New York Times, “Mickey won’t be bland anymore, either. I wanted him to be able to be naughty — when you’re playing as Mickey you can misbehave and even be a little selfish,” Mr. Spector said.”

Selfish? Naughty? Isn’t there enough of that in this world? Aren’t we in economic turmoil because people are selfish and naughty? It seems to me that Wall Street, Washington and board rooms are overflowing with “cantankerous and cunning.” We get enough “edgy” on the evening news. I think you’d better take a look at the Mickey frame shown on MSN.com today. His look isn’t edgy. It’s evil.

My family, including the teens, likes Mickey because he is NOT bad. He is honest, warm-hearted and cheerful – all attributes we wish were more plentiful in the world. What is next to the Harry Potter poster? A stuffed Mickey. What do you see on car antennas everywhere? Smiling Mickeys. Who gets the biggest hug when we go to Florida? Mickey.

Mickey can and should do new things – place him in new situations, have him use new technology. Mickey can street dance, he can text. He is static only because you didn’t pay any attention to him for years. Approving an evil Mickey is not the way to make us spend more money on him. I guarantee that we will not visit a cunning Mickey at Walt Disney World nor we will buy a game that features a selfish Mickey.

I strongly encourage you to rethink your vandalism. Mickey can be updated (we have a poster that shows his evolution) but do not make him just another slug in our society.

If you feel the same way, you might want to contact the Disney Company and tell them what you think. The mailing address is 500 S Buena Vista St, Burbank CA 91521

Bowing Our Way to Better Health?

2009-10-09T11:04:00.002-05:00

Where I live, it is common practice for people to greet each other with a hug. The closeness or tightness of the embrace is determined by the relationship and level of feeling one person has for another. For those they love, it is a tight embrace. For others, they may offer the hugging version of an air kiss.

Having recently attended a party where I watched a lot of hugging and kissing, I was reminded that the Japanese bow to one another. They are known for their reverence for personal space. Our hugging behavior is indicative of our casual style. We often communicate our feelings through touch. The Japanese say just as much, but they don’t need to handle one another to do it. The various levels of the bow indicate the intensity of formality, respect and emotional bond.

For health reasons alone, bowing makes a lot more sense to me than casual hugging or kissing. Aren’t we all exposed to enough flu viruses without eagerly pushing our noses into someone else’s space to inhale more?

As I head to the local pharmacy to get my annual flu shot, I debate bowing to the nurse practitioner. While I have no doubt that my family and friends will think I’ve lost my mind if I suddenly substitute a bow for an embrace, I sure am tempted.

Tell, Don't Show

2009-09-03T11:16:00.002-05:00

Recently several friends upgraded to the latest and greatest in cell phone technology which includes video capability. Now I routinely receive short clips of the cat, the beach and anything else that strikes their fancy.

All this live-action contact made me wonder – does a picture really say a thousand words?

Thirty seconds of the cat sleeping under the hosta was charming. A clip of vacationing friends at the beach made me jealous. Interestingly, all I received in my email inbox were the video clips with no written commentary accompanying them.

How often are G3 phone users letting video do all the talking for them? While I enjoyed receiving the videos, the lack of words was interesting. One particular friend is a reporter and words, or the lack thereof, will never be an issue. However other friends are somewhat verbally challenged either because they are shy or they communicate best in other ways.

So I wonder – will short video clips replace telephone conversations? Instead of my friends calling or emailing me to tell me about the cute kitty, will I receive only video from now on?

And what about that vacation at the beach? How did my friends feel about their time together? Did they form closer bonds as a family? Did they do anything other than sit on the beach? Why was Grandmother sitting off by herself?

There is an adage in writing – show, don’t tell. However, the opposite can be said for the current video rage. It shows a lot but doesn’t tell me much.

JOHN ADAMS - ACROSS THE CENTURIES

2009-08-19T12:45:00.004-05:00

I just finished reading the biography of John Adams by David McCullough. What a fascinating read! I discovered that Adams was more astute than I thought and Jefferson was no saint. The country struggles today with the same issues that plagued us at our birth.

In light of our current political climate, I was impressed by Adams’ statement, "There is nothing I dread so much as a division of the Republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader and converting measures into opposition to each other." Political parties, he also said, are to be "dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution."

Even as two political parties were forming and the struggle for domination of our country began, Adams communicated his concern in such strong words that they reach us more than 200 years later. Our founding fathers were mere mortals and as subject to the allure of great power as politicians are today.

How do we know this? Because we have their letters. Much of the McCullough biography is based on the letters the Adams family wrote and received. We also have Adams’ books and essays about various topics he felt were important.

In an earlier post, I alluded to the loss we will suffer because people no longer write to one another. Adams’ biography is a perfect example. What I now know about our second president would not have been possible without his written correspondence.

Somewhere a future president is happily texting her friends or parents. Centuries from now, Americans will not know much about her because her thoughts will be lost in cyberspace. I hope that changes. I enjoyed getting to know Mr. Adams and I think future generations will want to learn more about their leaders, too.

LIBRARIES STEALING RIGHTS?

2009-08-12T15:39:00.004-05:00

According to the article posted at: http://www.writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/005522_08052009.html, libraries are grabbing rights from unsuspecting writers. Authors, who want to donate a copy of their book to local libraries, are sometimes asked to sign a “gift contract.” Thinking they are signing a donor acknowledgment form, writers are actually signing away the rights to their work.

I grant there is a big difference between my donation of a single copy of a Kyle Shannon mystery and the donation of a collection of rare books. Perhaps the libraries that take rights intend only to affect the second type of donation. However the moment they use the same form for the Kyle Shannon book as for the rare collection, they cross a line.

Let’s take a quick look at what these libraries are communicating through this behavior:

1. Theft and cheating are OK.
The library advocates stealing. They cheat authors out of their rights by disguising a surrender-of-rights document as a donor acknowledgement form. Royalties and the sale of written work is how writers make their income. By stealing rights, libraries are literally taking away a writer’s grocery money.

2. Nothing is more important than money.
One must assume that the reason libraries are stealing rights from authors is for money. Imagine the lucky library that acquires the rights to the next international best seller (a certain youthful wizard comes to mind) through these nefarious methods. They will be sitting on the proverbial gold mine.

3. No one can be trusted.
Libraries are generally run by elected officials and are supported by tax dollars. Is this the handiwork of more crooked politicians or are the librarians themselves at fault? In either case, apparently writers cannot trust anyone, not even the local librarian.

I have several friends who are librarians. One called this practice “scary.” I agree. What are we to think when libraries sponsor writers groups and then steal rights? I grant that writers should be more aware and careful about what they sign. I cannot say the same for the libraries. It is obvious that many of these gift contracts were written by attorneys. The libraries know exactly what they are doing.

We count on libraries to support us, not to appropriate our livelihood.

The Journalist's Job

2009-07-27T08:06:00.007-05:00

Walter Cronkite died two weeks ago. Many people couldn’t care less. They were not alive in 1963 when Cronkite told the nation about the assassination of President Kennedy or in 1969 when he shared the national excitement about men on the moon.

After I learned of his passing, I went to the Internet to read more about him. There were many tribute articles and long lists of quotations. One in particular got me thinking. Cronkite said, “"It's not the journalist's job to be patriotic."

I disagree. One of the most patriotic persons I can think of is the journalist who is doing his or her job - ferreting out and telling the truth, however painful or unpleasant that truth may be.

Where would we be today if journalists had thoroughly investigated Wall Street or mortgage lending practices or the state of affairs in Iraq? Would not the country be better served by reporters who investigate facts and tell us the reality behind corporate or governmental press releases instead of parroting the words from them? What if all those talking heads had taken the time to explain to us derivatives, interest-only mortgages or Persia as Cronkite did Watergate?

There are people in broadcasting who call themselves journalists but who don’t have the faintest idea how to do the job. They spend a lot of time telling us how patriotic they are but they don't "present a detailed account" of anything but their own opinions.

Is the patriot the one who fawns over the emperor’s finery or is the true patriot the one who tells us the emperor is naked?

Communication is one of the most precious gifts we humans have. How we use it determines our fate. With Cronkite gone and those who followed him retired, who will communicate the facts to us? Where will we go to learn the truth so we have the knowledge necessary to be patriots ourselves?

Walter Cronkite and his journalistic integrity will be not be missed by most. The majority of people don't know what they've lost with his passing.

Video Tells the Story

2009-07-18T07:34:00.003-05:00

For those who have been trapped in a cave: pop singer Michael Jackson passed away and there has been a media frenzy for the last three weeks. There’s a lot of communicating going on right now so I can’t help but analyze its effectiveness.

While I agree that, in general, the media coverage has been excessive and repetitive, there are nuggets of real information buried in the hype. One of those bits surfaced this week in the form of video footage showing Jackson sustaining third-degree burns to his scalp during the filming of a Pepsi commercial.

There was footage released to the public in at the time but it was shot from the front and the severity of Jackson’s injury could not be seen. I did not understand what all the fuss was about in 1984; as of now, I do. Because of one bit of film, I saw that Jackson was badly burned. Many medical experts have explained, in connection with other stories, that burned skin remains extremely painful forever. The injury does not excuse Jackson's apparent drug abuse but it explains it - in part.

The media had some facts about the Jackson case wrong from the start and probably still do. I guess I can’t fault that too much. A number of newspapers reported there were no casualties on the Titanic. Fact verification is not a new problem. This video is a good example of what happens when the media does its right – finding new information that provided perspective the audience did not have before.

I hope, as the Jackson story progresses, that the reporters and journalists will stop speculating and ferret out real information instead. I’m sure there’s plenty to be had.

I'll follow a story but only when it’s worth my time. Much of what has been communicated lately about Jackson's death hasn’t been. A rare exception was the video clip.

Iran, Michael Jackson, and the Internet

2009-07-09T07:45:00.004-05:00

News events that two years ago would have had absolutely nothing in common were tied together last week by communication capabilities – the Iranian election protests and the death of Michael Jackson. Several articles have been written in recent days about the impact Twitter had on both stories. The information could not be contained and, although it was not always completely accurate, people had it instantly.

As news spread, through Twitter and other outlets, people hopped onto the Internet to learn more. There were so many Google searches conducted that, according to BBC News, Google thought it was under cyber-attack. In her June 26, 2009 article on www.bbcnews.com, Maggie Sheils said, “Google’s trends page showed that searches for Michael Jackson had reached such a volume that in the so-called “hotness” gauge the topic was rated “volcanic.”

One newsman commented that journalists once confirmed stories like these with two reliable sources before releasing them. There would have been a potential delay of several hours as information was gathered and verified. Now, a member of the paparazzi on stakeout at the Jackson home alerts the media and the news is in Japan in seconds. A cell phone in Iran records a demonstration and people thousands of miles away watch it on Facebook moments later.

Technology is reshaping our world. The communication “cat” is out of the bag and nothing can stuff it back in. Governments and celebrity families must accept that no matter how hard they try to suppress it, news about them will be around the world before they can blink. Concealing information is almost impossible now. Whether the news is about a suppressive government, a crooked state politician or a troubled rock star, we will know about it in an instant. While this may be a terrible burden for the Jackson family and the Iranian government, it is a ray of hope for the rest of us.

Congratulations to the Organizers

2009-06-28T07:24:00.003-05:00

In my final essay about the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, I want to commend the designers and organizers. Apparently the lion’s share of the kudos goes to BRC Imagination Arts, the principal designers of the exhibits at the APLM. However I want to applaud the people who made the decision to hire BRC. That decision fostered one of the best museums I have ever visited. Why do I think the museum is so good? Because it does its job – it communicates.

Many museum exhibits are dry and without context. Countless museums place objects in glass cases with carefully prepared labels that tell us what the article is. The visitors read the facts and try to put the empty bottle or dead bug into some kind of context. But when you’ve seen one fern fossil, you’ve seen them all. There is no way to appreciably relate to most of what we see.

The ALPM is different. Upon entering the museum, one is confronted by wax figures of the Lincoln family that are startling lifelike. That encounter sets the stage for a sensory experience that replaces the Lincoln myth with facts that humanize the sixteenth president, making him even more remarkable.

Like many, I thought Mr. Lincoln was an impressive former president. Now I see him as an extraordinary human being who, like all of us, was flawed but who had great inner strength tempered by compassion. The more I learned about Mr. Lincoln, the more I felt I knew him as a real person. So much so that when I reached the final display, I was deeply moved.

So, thank you to the organizers and thank you to BRC. Your efforts to communicate and inform are highly successful. Your message was received and is greatly appreciated.

Mary Todd Lincoln - I Know You Better Now

2009-06-18T11:38:00.004-05:00

One of the supporting characters in the Lincoln drama was his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. During this bicentennial year of Lincoln’s birth, much has been speculated about Mary’s mental condition. I submit that Mary Todd Lincoln has been mislabeled and maligned, even today, by people who do not credit her for withstanding an inordinate amount of tragedy.

Let’s look at the facts:

Mary Todd Lincoln’s mother died when she was seven. She lost her second-born son before he turned four, her third son died shortly after she became First Lady, and a beloved brother died in the Civil War. As First Lady, she was not accepted by Washington society. Being a Southern woman married to a Northern president, neither side welcomed or trusted her. Both thought she was a traitor. No friends or support here.

Then her husband was shot just inches away from her. Anyone who watches CSI knows what that means. The word “spatter” should convey the idea. Then Mary was pulled forcibly from her dying husband’s side because her grief was considered an inappropriate display of emotion.

Following her husband’s death, Mary was inconsolable and suffered a terrible depression coupled with great fear. Finally, her third son died before he reached adulthood.

Mary Todd Lincoln suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. No therapy or counseling for Mary, however. Instead, her eldest son had her followed and then forced into a mental institution.

What does all this have to do with communication?

It demonstrates what effective communication can accomplish. Thanks to the excellent work of the historical institutions in Springfield, this woman suddenly became real to me. Mary Todd Lincoln is no longer a shadow behind the 16th President. She stands on her own. And I admire her.

BTW – I recently discovered I am not alone in my assessment of Mary Lincoln. Read Anna Quinlend’s column in Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/id/185921

The Great Communicator

2009-06-07T08:04:00.003-05:00

The media placed that label on President Ronald Reagan. I beg to differ. Reagan was an actor so he was comfortable in front of cameras and reporters. He thought quickly on his feet. Reagan delivered the message well but Peggy Noonan wrote the speeches he gave. Should she be wearing the title instead?

I ask the question because I recently returned from a trip to the Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library in Springfield, Illinois. One of the many things that I learned during that visit was that Lincoln wrote his own speeches. He toiled over them, carefully selecting words and crafting phrases that would properly convey his intent.

Lincoln was a reader. He had to be. There was no television, no Wii and no film to entertain him. We all know the stories about him reading by firelight. He became a lawyer and wrote all his arguments. When he ran for political office, it was his own words that he spoke in campaign speeches.

Lincoln could not text 140 words to anyone. He couldn’t even make a telephone call. He had to write. And what a benefit to all of us that he could. Our 16th president crafted words so well that he changed us as a nation. What would have happened, both to him and to us, if he had not given his all to the “House Divided” speech, the Emancipation Proclamation, or the Gettysburg Address?

We owe a great deal to President Lincoln. He was our greatest communicator.

More next week.

What's It All About?

2009-04-19T07:10:00.003-05:00

First, let me state that I am a strong believer in balanced budgets and low taxes. I believe that fiscal responsibility is essential to the health of our nation and our future.

On April 15th, there was a tax protest that I found befuddling – the “tea party” sponsored by Fox News and certain members of the political right.

The Boston Tea Party of 1773 happened, in part, because the colonists felt the taxes on tea and other goods were unfair as they had no elected representatives in Parliament. The April 15 protesters have two senators and several congress people representing them in Washington so lack of representation cannot be the problem.

Nor are high taxes the real issue. The highest federal tax bracket today is 35%. The top bracket in 1950 was 91%. Even if Congress raises the top rate by two percent, the rich are not paying higher taxes now.

Finally, the protesters cannot be angry about the large federal deficit. If the deficit is the problem, they would have held this demonstration in 1984 when the federal deficit hit an all-time high. They had another chance to protest four years later when the deficit went even higher and another in 2004 when the deficit set another record. But they were silent.

So I ask myself, what was this latest "tea party" trying to communicate? As shown, lack of representation, high taxes, and the growing deficit are not the issues.

Do you see my dilemma? What was that really all about?

Madoff and Three Airplanes

2009-03-22T08:03:00.001-05:00

"This country has nothing to fear from the crooked man who fails. We put him in jail. It is the crooked man who succeeds who is a threat to this country."
Theodore Roosevelt, Memphis, TN, October 25, 1905

A friend recently told me about this quote and said that for years we allowed the crooked man to succeed. We all worshipped at the altar we built to money. We lied, cheated and stole from each other so we could have larger televisions, bigger cars and monstrous houses in an effort to prove our worth to ourselves and to others. My friend reminded me that the great Roman Empire let its greed become a cancer and it rotted from within. He asked if the United States was any different. The lofty ideals that founded this country had been replaced by materialism and all levels of our society were infected with the illness.

Although I hated to hear what my friend said, I couldn’t entirely disagree with him. We created a huge bureaucracy to protect us from terrorist attack but isn’t the harm Madoff and those like him did to our country every bit as bad as what was done to us by three airplanes? In focusing on one type of terrorism, we ignored another.

So how does all this connect to communication, the focus of this blog?

It has to do with what we tell ourselves and the rest of the world. The goals for which we strive say everything about who we are. If we grasp for money and its trappings, that says something about us as human beings. On the other hand, if we strive for non-tangible wealth in health, education and peace, we convey a different message.

Now, as we push forward through these troubled times, we have the opportunity to set aside petty politics and money-grubbing. We can focus on the things that are truly important to our future – honesty and charity. If we do not, we tell the world and our children that we have learned nothing, that money is still the idol we worship and that we deserve our destruction.

I pray the story we tell is one of which we can all be proud.

Necklace of Trouble

2009-03-01T09:58:00.004-06:00

The real estate meltdown gets all the blame for the world’s financial problems but it is just one bead on a string of troubles having to do with greed. There are plenty of others on the necklace: investment ponzi schemes, toxic loans disguised and sold to unsuspecting investors, millions siphoned from failing companies, credit cards maxed out, no-bid contracts. The list is endless.

What made us so discontent that we were willing to do anything to have more and better stuff? I submit that communication got us here. Twenty-four hours a day we watch people have more, get more, do more. Repeatedly we see granite countertops or eight cylinder cars where laminate and four cylinders will do quite nicely.

There are several programs that illustrate my point but let’s look at just one – a prime time series about surviving in a jungle settling. The show is not about overcoming difficulties in the wilderness. It’s about one person lying and cheating more successfully than anyone else. There are no negative consequences for this behavior. The best liar is handsomely rewarded for it and millions of people see it happen.

Thanks to Madison Avenue and a corporately-owned media that is itself concerned primarily with wealth our desire for riches is incessantly nourished. Instead of rooting out the vice in our midst, the media built an altar to it and erected celebrity idols on it.

Do I blame the media for the financial problems that currently beset us? Mostly I blame “we the people.”

We willingly worship at that altar. When our children cheat, we blame the teacher. When industry leaders steal from us, we continue to do business with their companies. When our politicians lie to us, we re-elect them. We ignore what we know is right and instead do what we think will make us rich.

The strongest form of communication is action. What we do or don’t do says everything about who we are. For years we told ourselves that what a person could buy and what someone owned was the key to determining that person’s significance. The tragic results of that focus are all around us.

As we struggle with the consequences of our self-indulgence, what will we communicate to each other and our children going forward? Will our actions tell a different story? I certainly hope so.

The Title Says it All

2009-02-04T06:47:00.003-06:00

Last week, I mentioned a couple of cable reality shows that use housing and remodeling as their premise. There is another program that raises questions and has since its debut.

The idea for the show is to provide a deserving family a brand new house filled with everything any person could want. Often these people are in financial difficulty because they are underemployed and/or face debilitating medical expenses. In order to survive, the family let housing fall to the bottom of their needs list.

In earlier days, the builder often paid off any existing mortgage that burdened the family. Builders even provided college funds or paid off medical bills. That type of donation is noticeably missing from the series this year. Add higher insurance, utility and property tax bills for the new structure and one must wonder how the family will pay for the on-going costs of maintaining the huge house they win. Are any of these homes now in foreclosure? The answer, sadly, is yes.

Since the beginning, the program has provided more house than most of these people need or can maintain. The series ignores the adage “It’s not the cost – it’s the upkeep.” By flagrantly disregarding the future, what does this show communicate to those who watch it?

I do not begrudge these deserving people a new house but it would be nice to see this program cut back a bit. It can show us an amazing makeover each week and still provide the families with housing they can handle.

Responsible ownership plus concern for one’s neighbors and community is exactly what we need to survive today’s struggling economy and move into a future based on something other than greed. This show has two of these elements already. Add the third and it would be communicating a trio of values that will keep it a winner.

Part III next week.

Reality Missing in Real Estate Reality Shows

2009-01-25T12:21:00.003-06:00

Television advertising feeds our desire for more of everything from cell phones to drugs. We expect that from commercials. It is the real estate reality shows found on cable television that currently confuse me most. In them, we are repeatedly exposed to houses and home improvements most of us cannot afford and do not really need.

Not long ago, I watched a program about first-time home buyers. A couple with no savings and one child fell in love with new construction that was the largest of the three houses that viewers saw them tour. It had everything – nearly three thousand square feet, four bedrooms, wood floors throughout, a high-end kitchen. The only thing missing was landscaping. There was none.

I looked forward to hearing their realtor explain to them the financial facts of life, helping them select a house they could afford. Instead, the realtor and the builder showed them how to finance 110% of the value of the house so they would have cash to pay for the move with a bit left over to buy a tree or two.

That program was followed by one that featured extensive kitchen and bath remodeling. Only top-of-the-line product was used and the family went into considerable debt to make their “dream” come true. Once again, the opportunity to educate was lost. Simple alternatives that would have saved the couple thousands of dollars were never mentioned. Instead, viewers repeatedly heard how creative financing made all this possible.

Hello! Buying what we cannot afford and creatively financing it in hopes that our property appreciates substantially or we never lose our jobs? Isn’t this a significant part of how we got ourselves into our current economic mess?

If there were follow-up programs, would these couples still own their homes? We’ll never know because bad endings are rarely shared with viewers. I assume sad endings are bad for ratings.

In general, these programs communicate a lot – including a total lack of responsibility on the part of the networks and the producers about the message they send to viewers. I realize these shows were taped months before they aired (or they were repeats), but televising them now without a disclaimer seems irresponsible.

Our current economy proves that we can’t have it all – contrary to what real estate-based programming is still trying to tell us.

Part II next week.

Tennyson & the Governor of Illinois

2009-01-10T09:09:00.002-06:00

“One equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield," said Rod Blagojevich, the impeached governor of Illinois, quoting Tennyson’s poem, Ulysses.

I wonder if the governor has actually read the entire poem and if he understands its meaning. Tennyson wrote Ulysses, in part, as a tribute for a dear friend who had passed away. In the poem, Ulysses is old, reflecting on his life and its approaching end. Tennyson’s words have great meaning when repeated by an old warhorse like Ted Kennedy. They make no sense at all when spoken by a 52-year old - unless he is eulogizing his own career. I assume Blagojevich hoped to give the impression of a fighter, someone who goes down swinging.

The entire Blagojevich situation is unfortunate but this writer is particularly rankled that the governor so glibly uses words to which he has no connection. He conveys, yet again, that he does not think about what he is saying. As much as his expletives offend, so does his use of Tennyson.

"We are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are.”

That much is true, Mr. Blagojevich. You are what you are.

George Washington & the Governor of Illinois

2008-12-20T07:52:00.002-06:00

“The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it.” – George Washington

Much has been made of the expletives used by the governor of Illinois and caught on the surveillance tapes. By George Washington’s definition, Governor Blagojevich is not a person of sense or character. The citizens of Illinois probably agree.

There was a lot of material on the tapes and eventually we will hear all of it. Regarding the segments that were released to the media, much was made of Blagojevich’s profanity. For awhile it appeared that his use of the F-word was more important to reporters than anything else on the tapes. I was surprised by the hubbub. Dropping the F-bomb has become so commonplace.

Why all the attention to one word and its derivatives? Perhaps it was because we the people hope for exemplary performance from our leaders and that includes their use of language. We do not expect our leaders to dissolve into emotional rants laced with expletives.

I have heard many writers in workshops and in interviews state that when expletives are used routinely it demonstrates a lack of skill.

According to George Washington, it demonstrates more than that.

I am Sorry for Your Loss

2008-11-26T07:38:00.002-06:00

The phrase “I am sorry for your loss” is familiar to anyone who watches crime dramas on television. The standardized sentence gives the law enforcement officer something to say when there are no words adequate to the occasion.

I recently used the phrase myself when a neighbor lost her mother after a long illness. I never met her mother so the bereavement was not a personal one.

Using the sentence made me think about what I was actually saying. I decided this group of six words is quite powerful. We can communicate a lot of meaning when we use it.

“I” is as personal as it gets. Those of us with any life knowledge at all have experienced the loss of something dear to us whether it was a relative, beloved pet or a favorite toy. Things are mislaid, pets disappear and people move away or die. When we say we are sorry, we are sympathetic because we have some idea of how the other individual feels.

“Sorry” has a number of synonyms including sad. Because I didn’t know my neighbor’s mother, I wasn’t sad but I have been. Although my parents are still alive, my grandparents are deceased and one of my dearest friends has died.

My neighbor and her mother had been close so in addition to losing a parent, my neighbor lost a good friend. While death is one of the passages of life, knowing it is inevitable does not ease our pain when it comes to those we love. This kind of loss makes us hurt both physically and emotionally.

On one or two of those crime dramas, the characters disparaged the phrase they must use so often. I, however, appreciate it. When I used it with my neighbor, I meant it. I knew my neighbor was grief-stricken and I felt badly about it. Those six words said it all.

I am sorry for her loss.

Our Past Can Speak to Our Present

2008-10-15T07:56:00.006-05:00

I’ve kept a journal for years in a Week-at-a-Glance calendar. That format kept the entries short as just a few lines are allotted to each date. I told myself that if I had limited space, I would be more apt to write a bit each day. And that proved to be true. I have about twelve years of personal history recorded in those calendars.

Recently I decided to read through my journals because I was looking for specific information to use in the fourth Kyle Shannon mystery. I was out of touch with one part of my life and since it is the subject of my next novel, I needed to revisit it.

While I read, I discovered something in those pages I wasn’t expecting. Approximately every three months, I had a cold, sinus infection or bronchitis and it always the worst in the spring and fall. Aha, you say. Allergies. I had the same reaction.

I’ve taken enough antibiotics in my life to keep Abbot Laboratories in business for the next twenty years so I began allergy treatments with an acupuncturist. I am pleased to say that the treatments are helping.

The subject matter of this blog is communication. When I started it, I expected to write commentary on advertisements, things I saw in the news, or my writing journey. I had no idea that the Linda of the past would be communicating so significantly with the Linda of the present.

Years from now, your journal will remind you of how you felt when your neighbor passed away or when your child brought you a lightning bug in a jar. You’ll remember the warm winters, the cool summers, and all the little bits of life that make up the bad times and the good. Your journals may even help you recognize a health care need.

People tell me that they don’t have time to keep a journal. I suggest that everyone has five minutes per day. That’s about all the time it took me to jot a few quick sentences into those Week-A-Glance calendars. I urge you to do it, too. The payoff may come years from now and it may surprise you.

Pious to Arrogant

2008-09-28T09:49:00.001-05:00

Developing character studies is a technique that writers use to hone their skills or to prepare for an upcoming work. Within the analysis of the character are many adjectives, words that communicate the outward appearance or the substance of the personality.

Some adjectives tell us how a person looks: The old man was as thin as the cane that supported his wobbly legs. Others tell us how a person sounds: Like a barker at a carnival with sharp, clear tones that penetrated the crowd.

It is when writers examine a character’s soul that we have to be particularly careful with the words we select. Connotations can change over time but all words convey specific meanings. A word may have several synonyms and they do not necessary all have the same basic definition.

For example, the word “religious” has several synonyms, including faithful and pious. One of the synonyms for “pious” is sanctimonious. A synonym for “sanctimonious” is smug. Among the synonyms for “smug” are self-righteous and arrogant.

The more I work with words, the more I understand why my editor insists that I be careful how I use them. Her caution applies to all of us, whether student, journalist or mystery author.

If we’re not careful, the path to “religion” can take a turn to “arrogant.”

Drugs and TV

2008-09-14T09:40:00.002-05:00

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain

Twain’s words made me think of the direct-to-consumer marketing of drugs. This fairly recent phenomenon includes television commercials in which pharmaceutical companies attempt to convince me that only their drug will cure my ills. Whether I am too happy, too sad, too fat, too thin or just too un-drugged, there is a medicine out there that will fix me.

While the advertisements show me all the wonderful things that will result from my taking a particular drug, it is what the side effect list communicates that always catches my attention. Usually buried at the end of the ad, the list of side effects is rattled off like so many niggling details. One can almost hear the marketing people sighing with annoyance that federal law requires they include these pesky particulars.

Have you listened closely to the lists? Call me crazy but I would count “death” as a pretty serious side effect. The drug commercial that had “death” in its list was recently redone and the word “death” was removed.

Since death is no longer a side effect, I can only assume that the patients who died have miraculously been reborn. Therefore, wouldn’t it be more accurate to list both death and resurrection as side effects?

I make this sarcastic statement because I do not understand how a drug can be advertised on television and sold to the public if one of the known side effects is death. I also wonder how that side effect got removed from the list. I assume the drug company decided “death” was not something they wanted me to know about.

It may not sound like it, but I am a big fan of good drugs. The right medication applied in the correct way to a specific problem can be a miracle. Penicillin saved my life when I was a child. However, we must remember that drug companies do what they do to make money. That is the only job of any company.

The drug ads communicate on several levels. While the drug may be intended for good, we should take that list of side effects seriously. It doesn't make sense to demand that our doctors give us a pill that will kill us.

Thinking Clearly

2008-08-31T08:06:00.003-05:00

During a Charlie Rose PBS interview on July 7, 2008, David McCullough, writer of best sellers about some of this country’s most interesting history, said, “To write well is to think clearly.”

That struck me the moment I heard it. There is magic in words that are on target and that exactly convey the message. As readers, we recognize good writing even if we don’t always agree with the statements it contains.

Thoughtful contemplation is rare in these times. We rush to communicate, tapping out text messages, grabbing our cell phones and firing off emails. However, the more instantaneous the words, the less meaning they seem to carry.

I once taught a business communication workshop in which a young man complained that his emails prompted cubicle visits from angry colleagues. As we examined his process, we discovered that he replied immediately to emails. Instead of taking a moment to digest what he had read and organize his thoughts about it, he responded right away because he thought that is what he was supposed to do. Unfortunately his desire to be high-speed was promoting tension in his department and jeopardizing his career.

Taking a few extra moments up front saves time later. For our intent to be clear, we must understand what we are about to say. We must examine every word for its true meaning and we have to consider how our words will be interpreted by our readers. By being precise in what we say initially, we don’t have to restate it later.

McCullough is right. I write my best when I am knowledgeable about my topic and when I have carefully considered what I will say and how I will say it. In other words - when my head is clear.

Election Campaign Truth

2008-08-16T07:28:00.008-05:00

Candidates in England get about six weeks to campaign, the election is held, and then the politicians get back to the business of running the country. I sure wish it worked that way here.

Political campaigns in the United States give me a headache. There is precious little communicating and a whole lot of pontificating in campaign ads, speeches and from talking heads pretending to be journalists. The closer we get to the election, the more ridiculous it gets. Thank goodness for www.factcheck.org and www.votesmart.org.

Our country was founded on a great ideal but it works only if the citizens who live here take an active part in governing it. Sadly, we got lazy. Now we make our decisions based on the emotion generated by 30-second TV ads.

Why do we do that? We know politicians lie to us yet we believe what they say without question – no matter how preposterous it all sounds. We put our common sense on the shelf and hope that the people who run for office, whether school board trustee or president of the United States, can be trusted. Unfortunately, recent history shows us that many people asking for our support are lying to get it.

For those who care about the choices they make, there is a Web site that sorts fact from fiction. www.factcheck.org is a non-partisan site that shows us the truth behind the claims made in speeches and ads. www.votesmart.org tells us, among other things, where the millions of dollars come from that finance a candidate’s campaign and provides a view of a candidate’s actual voting record. Both sites include races for Congress and the Senate in addition to providing information about the presidential contest.

Perhaps the reason we no longer seek the truth is that, as one famous movie character stated, “You can’t handle the truth.” I remain optimistic that we Americans will ignore the television ads and find out the whole story on the candidates. If we don’t, we have lost the one thing our founding fathers fought so hard to gain – the freedom to govern ourselves. If we blindly believe what we are told, we might as well go back to being ruled by a king.

Please. Before you trust what any politician tells you in a campaign ad, find out the facts. Visit www.factcheck.org and www.votesmart.org often.

One Caption Makes a Big Difference

2008-08-12T06:52:00.000-05:00

The current family project is cleaning out my parents’ basement. What we find is often junk – scraps of old wrapping paper and empty shoe boxes - or items for donation to Goodwill and the library. But other things are bits of family history.

One of those bits is my grandfather’s photo album. The leather is so old it crumbles into dust when touched but many of the pictures are in pretty good shape. I did not know my grandfather well. He was a very private person and passed away when I was a child. Consequently, I am very interested in those photographs.

In taking the pictures and carefully placing them in a leather bound album, my grandfather told us these people and places were important to him. But sadly, not one of the photos is labeled. We recognize my grandfather, of course. My mother can identify his parents and sister. We have no idea who else is in the pictures and why the people or events were significant.

We will throw many of the photos away. Because my grandfather did not effectively communicate with us about them, they are meaningless. That makes me sad. I never thought that the caption on a picture would be so important.

I have a lot of digital pictures stored on CDs and have not taken the time to add captions to the files. After seeing my grandfather’s photo album, I made a promise to add captions to ten pictures each day. In no time, they will all be labeled so those who follow me will know something about me through the images I saved.

Communication takes time and we all have precious little of it. Based on this experience, I believe the messages you leave behind for your family are vitally important. Long after you are gone, your words, even simple captions on photographs, will connect you to those left behind. Your family will thank you.

Too Much Communication?

2008-08-03T12:24:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I praised email because it is uniquely suited to a specific communication need. That got me thinking about the recent history of various forms of communication that I routinely use.

I am just old enough to remember when the technological advance called a fax machine appeared. It was a giant leap forward and many businesses resisted the expense. Little did we know that form of “instant” communication in the early 1990’s – not even twenty years ago – would lead to people staying connected via email or cell phone – even when on vacation.

As technology takes us down new roads, I look at the way we conduct business and shake my head. Business managed just fine when the fastest form of written communication we had was the fax machine. Is business doing any better now that we are constantly connected to one another? Are American companies healthier and more stable with the advent of instant communication? I think not.

As a society, Americans have convinced themselves that inactivity is evil. If we are not doing something every minute, we must be slackers. So we show everyone how hard we are working by making calls, writing lots of emails and sending text messages.

There is a problem however. All this communicating leaves little time for thinking. If we do not reflect on our business, we cannot change it to meet new challenges. Years ago, Toyota saw the need for a hybrid car but GM did not. How many GM managers were furiously downloading emails to their cell phones back then instead of thinking about the future marketplace and its desire for a Prius?

Perhaps we would do well to dust off the fax machine. Or better yet - smoke signals anyone?

The Fabric of Email

2008-07-24T08:29:00.000-05:00

In her day, my mother was a darn good seamstress. Sadly, she no longer sees well enough to sew; her machine sits idle on a table in the basement. Last weekend, we cleaned out the sewing corner and I removed three boxes of fabric remnants.

I sorted the material: usable pieces went into one pile and spoiled ones into another. I disposed of one pile instantly but what to do with the other?

I decided to offer it to someone who quilts. When the only quilter I know turned me down, I sent an inquiring email to a dozen friends.

Email makes communication with others delightfully easy. People who wouldn’t normally correspond will send emails. Sure, I get the occasional email that contains an urban legend or some type of wiggling angel offering me blessings. Coworkers frequently use email when a phone call or letter would have been better. But generally what I get is appropriate – a to-the-point, unembellished message.

What I love about email is that, when used as intended, it generally works quite well. It saves time; it is short; and it keeps us connected in a way no other form of communication can.

MAC vs PC

2008-07-12T10:07:00.000-05:00

I’ve been using PCs since 1991 (the technological Stone Age) and the forcible upgrading routine began with that Intel 286. Microsoft created new operating software and the hardware manufacturers developed machines to accommodate it. I bought a new computer every few years when my existing software stopped working because technology had passed it by.

Recently I decided to buy a laptop so I could write anywhere I traveled. The laptop would not replace my desktop PC. It would be an addition.

After reading Consumer Reports, I got recommendations from guru friends before heading to the store. There I was confronted with Vista, the new operating system from Microsoft. Vista is so unpopular that some retailers, for a fee, will remove it and install the old operating system, Windows XP. I also learned that the new version of Word was not compatible with the old version without downloading fixes. Finally, I experienced a hard sell about hiring the retailer to “clean up” the laptop because Vista is a software pig. Without professional tweaking, Vista will use up memory and the new laptop will not run efficiently.

Let me state that I understand Microsoft is a business and businesses are all about making money. Upgrades and new software products are how Microsoft makes its money. My problem lies with the way it does it. A computer comes with the operating system Microsoft decides I must use. That system is so “inefficient” that I must spend additional money to have the retailer “clean it up.”

Previously I would have grudgingly bought a Windows-based laptop and lived with my dissatisfaction. I didn’t do that this year. What made the difference was those amusing commercials from Apple.

As I said in my first post, it’s all about communication. We make choices every day. Hopefully those choices are based on solid information obtained through careful research. Yet what drives us to the research is often an emotional reaction to something that has been communicated to us.

Microsoft conveyed their message. Apple told me something completely different. I heard both companies loud and clear.

I will have a PC as long as my business needs require it. However, as I type this on my MacBook, I can only hope that my communication efforts are as effective those made by Apple.

TV Ad Made Me Greener

2008-07-05T09:06:00.000-05:00

Being green isn’t easy, as Kermit the Frog warned us. Although he spoke about discrimination, it also applies to taking care of the natural resources entrusted to our care.

There is an American Petroleum Institute advertisement (http://www.api.org/aboutapi/ads/index.cfm) running on television that talks about the amount of fossil fuel that remains for us to discover and use. An attractive blond actress says that we have plenty of resources - “enough for 60 years.” They intend to reassure me that all is well.

But wait!

“Enough for 60 years” means that we will run out before the babies in the neighborhood reach retirement age. We will run out of oil in their lifetime.

That commercial communicated something to me all right – that we have to get off oil and we have to do it in a hurry. Sixty years is nothing – it’s a mere blink in the eye of time. If we do not get serious about this, we sentence our children to what? I hate to think.

The API commercial got through the din of the messages that bombard me every day and connected. Although my response was probably not what API intended, I heard the words.

As I age, I remember things my grandmother told me and I find I am applying her wisdom to my own life. She frequently cautioned me to hear both sides, to get all the facts and to think carefully about what I am told. She also told me that ants move mountains and if I want to see change in this world, it has to start with me.

I’ve made a lot of decisions lately that are based entirely on energy conservation. I made some of those decisions because of the API ad. In sixty years, I’d better be using an alternative energy source.

So what am I doing? I stopped buying water in plastic bottles. We are recycling at work and I take a recycling bag with us to family outings. Before I buy something, I think about what will happen to it when I am finished with it.

I have a long way to go but it’s a start. Thanks API. I hope others get the message, too.

Properly vetted

2008-06-28T10:40:00.000-05:00

A writer friend of mine insists that the restrictions placed on membership by professional genre fiction writing organizations and conventions are there because it assures the writers applying for membership have been properly vetted.

The term means that a writer’s work has been confirmed as accurate, that agents have screened it and editors have honed it. Of course, my friend is ignoring the obvious – no writer is properly vetted anymore. The big publishers refuse to pay for it and the small ones never could afford it. James Frey and Margaret Selzer are just two recent examples of writers published by major publishing houses who were exposed as frauds. Sadly, this lack of real vetting applies to journalism as well.

How does all this happen? We readers allow it. We settle for less than the best. We do not demand excellence. We accept what we are told without question because it comes from our newspaper, television, the Internet or an email from a friend. How many false stories circulate because no one stops to check the facts? Thank goodness for www.snopes.com.

In All the President’s Men, a book about the scandal that forced Nixon from the White House, the reporters dug out the facts, they followed the trail and they told us what was happening. They did not partner with the government; they exposed it. Why can we trust what they revealed? They had to obtain confirmations of their facts from at least two separate sources and those sources could not be other reporters. Their editor would not allow the story to go to press without that substantiation.

As citizens, it is our responsibility to question everything we are told. We should not assume that our representatives in government will act honorably – especially since there is so much proof that they will not. Greed and graft has been part of government since time began. This country is no exception. Mark Twain said it best. “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”

All writers should produce work that is properly vetted. All editors should require confirmation, checking sources and validating the facts. I’d like to see the population demand that higher standard.

We will be better for it – as readers and as citizens.

The Sandwich Generation

2008-06-16T06:18:00.000-05:00

When I wrote the first post for this blog, I said I would deal with issues of communication and how it impacts us.

For the last few posts, I looked at changes in the publishing industry that created levels of discrimination within the writing world. Today, I return to my central theme – communication – and what all this says about who we are as writers and as people.

This is a hypothesis for sociologists to explore but I suggest that the flood of DIY and subsidy published books is a demonstration of our need to tell our stories. Sure, some people publish with the idea of becoming rich and famous, but many others just want to share their human experience. They think writing a book will get people to listen to them.

Long ago we shared our lives around the campfire, passing our wisdom and feelings from one generation to the next. That evolved into cave painting and then into writing. Letters maintained the link between families and friends and established our history.

We no longer gather around burning logs (or the dinner table) and very few of us use paper and pen to maintain contact with friends and family. If we communicate at all, it is in short, quick bursts of text boiled down to the fewest possible words and letters. DIY publishing and blogging have replaced the campfire.

I advocate all the things that we consider part of good writing: sound premise, good structure, and correct grammar. I also believe that the marketplace will deter or dissuade those writers who produce a product that is not worth buying. Once their story is told, they will not exert the effort to market it or to write another.

Peg Herring, a writer friend of mine, suggested that we are in the “sandwich generation” in more ways than one. Not only are we the caretakers of two generations, we are caught between the old publishing paradigm and the emerging new one.

As I considered her words, it occurred to me that no matter how poorly written a book or blog may be, someone made the effort to write it. Someone took the time to put words into sentences in an attempt to convey a message. When writers discriminate against other writers and try to silence their voices, if we block the road for those coming after us, we put out the campfire.

Communication is so important that the founding fathers of the United States put that freedom first on the list in the Bill of Rights. I hope that my fellow writers do all they can to nurture other writers and teach them how to do it well. It is up to us to keep the campfire burning.

Cold Logic in these Hot Times

2008-06-04T19:07:00.000-05:00

The interesting thing about discrimination is that it doesn't prevent inevitable change. Puritans established a new home in North America, an Irish Catholic became president, African-Americans got the vote.

It doesn’t take much research to see how often advances do not earn out and how many books go unsold. Publishers know they will save millions if they stop paying advances and discontinue the practice of printing books no one buys. In business, it is always about the money. The bottom line rules.

The paradigm has already shifted. Nothing writers’ organizations do can prevent it - no matter how hard they try.

So what do I see in the future? In the near term, some chaos. Publishing is a big ship and it will turn slowly. As it alters course, all the people associated with it will be forced to change as well.

No advances means cash flow shifts for all parties.Publishers will have to improve their sales reporting so writers and publicists can capitalize on successful efforts.

No returns means no royalty hold back.

No large print runs means promotion and advertising will focus on content and credentials, not quantities shipped. No print runs also means fewer trees consumed and fewer books ending up in land fills.

The symbiotic relationship between publisher, agent and writer will transform. Income will be totally sales driven. Agents will redefine their roles and the services they provide. Book stores, if they continue to exist, will be forced to control their inventory - just like every other business. Everyone connected to the industry will operate differently in the future than they do today. The publishing industry paradigm was fine sixty years ago but it doesn’t make good business sense in today’s economy.

Do I welcome the change? For the most part, I do. Since I have never been part of the traditional publishing establishment, I am accustomed to managing my business. I work hard to promote myself and improve my product. The decisions about contracts, publishers and marketing are all mine. So, as the industry morphs into something new, I will feel less pain than some other writers because I am already dealing with it.

Perhaps those genre writers groups don’t think I’m lower quality. Maybe they discriminate because they are jealous?

Discrimination - Part Three

2008-05-22T08:06:00.000-05:00

There is a Web site, hosted by a genre fiction magazine, where writers can check out publishers, agents and others prior to doing business with them. This informal clearing house warns writers away from fraudulent situations and scams.

I applaud these efforts. Scams and frauds should be exposed.

My concern is that this group paints with a very broad brush. Their home page states the site is for serious writers – with an exclamation point. On another page titled Warnings, they provide rules for spotting scam publishers. Using their rules, all subsidy publishers are scam perpetrators. I don’t think that is accurate or fair. To say all subsidy publishing is a scam is like saying all doctors are quacks.

First, I am very serious about my writing and about my writing business. Second, if I contract with a company for a service and receive that service in full, I have not been cheated.

I hear many grievances about subsidy publishing. Primarily, those doing the complaining did not read the contracts they signed, expected something for nothing and dreamed of fame and wealth without doing any of the hard work necessary to achieve either one. In their effort to attain unrealistic goals, they sometimes get taken. There is an adage that covers this – if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

For my first three books, I used a subsidy publisher. I decided on this company by reading the contract, comparing their services to competitors’ options, and interviewing other writers who had also used this and other subsidy publishers. I even checked the Web site referred to in the opening paragraph. I got exactly what I expected and what I paid for. That is not a scam.

I have no doubt that the original intent of this site was to protect writers. Now their reasoning seems more self-serving. By convincing writers that publication by any company other than those on an “approved” list is a scam, they preserve the status quo. By discriminating, they hope to stave off change just a bit longer.

I suggest writing organizations go back to providing real service to their members and all writers. Instead of denouncing alternative publication methods, help writers understand the changing business. And expose the real scam artists – there are plenty of them out there.

Think I’m the only one addressing these issues? Please visit http://pmibooks.com/blog1/.
These eloquent essays are well worth your time.

Discrimination - Part Two

2008-05-19T08:33:00.000-05:00

When Greased Wheels debuted in 2002, the local mystery writing community welcomed me. I was considered an odd duck for using a subsidy publisher but there were other writers in the area who self-published and whose work was respected. My publishing choice was a matter of some interest and I spoke on convention panels about it.

By the time Horse Power was published in 2006, things had changed substantially. My writing improved; my standing among my fellow mystery writers did not. Even though I moderated panels at two of the largest conferences in the world, conference organizers congratulated themselves on preventing my participation in the future. Professional writing organizations to which I belonged blocked my participation in certain events.

Instead of judging me based on the quality of my work or the success of my business, they proclaimed that I am not a legitimate writer because I did not receive an advance, I did not have a print run of at least 1,000 books, and my books are not returnable.

I was once told that I didn’t need to earn as much as a man because I would never have to support myself. I was assaulted in an elevator by an officer of the company that employed me. I am a woman. I have experienced discrimination repeatedly.

The discrimination currently promoted and practiced by the established writing community is particularly unfortunate because it comes from people who claim to be open-minded and progressive. By closing ranks and blocking my participation in traditional marketing venues, they hope to maintain the status quo.

I have one word to say to these groups – HarperCollins.

HarperCollins is a large New York-based, “traditional” publisher. It publishes some of the big names including Sidney Poitier, Mario Batali and Faye Kellerman. If I was published by HarperCollins, I would be “legitimate” in the eyes of these groups. I would have received an advance against royalties, had a press run of over 1,000 books and my books would be returnable.

However, on April 4, 2008, HarperCollins made a startling announcement. It is embracing a modern business model. For its new imprint (division), it will not pay advances against royalties and it will use print-on-demand technology – books printed to order. No more large print runs. And the final slap at tradition – these books will not be returnable.

The HarperCollins announcement did not receive much attention because it came at the same time Amazon was making waves. It is, however, solid proof that change is flowing into the publishing business like water through a broken levy and nothing the old guard does will stop it.

Part Three coming soon.

Discrimination - Part One

2008-05-09T08:03:00.000-05:00

Discrimination is an integral part of our lives. To be labeled discriminating when selecting a car or a coat is a good thing.

There is, however, a dark side to the act of discrimination. We go there when we make choices or decisions that have nothing whatever to do with individual merit. We go there when we are afraid.

At a mystery conference a few years ago, I listened to a best-selling thriller writer deliver the opening speech. In it, she bemoaned the loss of readers in general and then condemned independent and subsidy-published writers for flooding the market with books that readers chose over hers.

Several rebuttals come to mind immediately.

First, librarians tell me that reading is up. It is the manner of reading that is changing. People are reading with their ears rather than with their eyes. Audio books, in all formats, are flying off the shelves, so to speak.

Second, books are expensive and they take up a lot of space. I stopped buying books some time ago. I patronize my library. Now, with the focus on environmental responsibility, libraries make even more sense. This writer should be careful not to confuse readers with buyers. Sales may be down but her readership may be up.

Finally, that thriller writer may have declining sales because readers no longer want to read what she writes. People’s tastes change. She should examine her product and decide if it needs to be altered or replaced with a new one. She would not be the first writer to do that. We all love Spenser but we like Jesse Stone, too.

Writing is a craft; publishing is a business and that business is rapidly morphing into something entirely different. If this thriller writer owns an iPod, she is part of the change that happened in the music business. Similar changes can be seen in book publishing. She probably feels the revolution in the music business was good. She benefits from it. Obviously she, and others like her, feel those same changes in the publishing industry are not good. They are afraid.

In their fear, they lash out. They announce that the writers who have embraced the change are lower class and unworthy. They close doors to marketing opportunities. They prevent us from participating in conferences and professional organizations.

In other words, they discriminate.

Subsidy Publishing - It's Your Business

2008-05-04T10:07:00.000-05:00

Before my first book came out, I paid particular attention to what writers said about their relationships with their publishers. They often spoke about the time and effort required to meet their publishers’ demands for sales. Since publishing is a business and publishers expect to make money off their authors, this was not a surprise to me. However, I was taken aback by how quickly authors were expected to produce new titles. In one case, the author was under contract to deliver a new manuscript every nine months. In addition, she was traveling to promote herself and her work. She was deeply concerned about honoring her commitment. She could not afford to leave her part-time job because it provided the funds for her promotional efforts. Plus she had children who needed her.

I shared similar problems so when I heard virtually identical stories from other writers, I decided to seek an alternative. Self-publishing was the obvious answer; however, I didn’t have the time or funds for that. Then Derek Hart (http://www.derekhartbooks.com/) suggested subsidy publishing through an Internet publisher. Technology to the rescue. Print-on-demand removes press runs from the equation, allowing writers to self-publish without having to fund an inventory. Some of the subsidy publishers also handled distribution. Another problem solved.

I read every subsidy publisher’s Web site, printed out and compared contracts and made a choice. All three of my mysteries have been published through a subsidy publishing company. This option met my needs perfectly.

Greased Wheels was released in 2002. Since that time, thousands of writers have published more than 300,000 titles annually, many through subsidy publishers that did not exist when I began. Some don’t even charge a fee to produce a title. A writer can be in print for zero investment.

And that leads us to the problem with subsidy publishing. Anyone and everyone can publish a book. They do not ask themselves whether or not they should.

I do not include the people who create books to preserve the family recipe collection or grandfather’s World War II memories. These books are not intended for general consumption and subsidy publishing is a wonderful way to save our history.

I address those writers who feel that, merely by publishing, they will become rich and famous. They make no investment in their work – no editing, no proofreading and, in some cases, no payment for the actual printing.

A librarian recently shared that a local writer brought her a subsidy-published book expecting the library to stock it and host a signing event. Inside the book, the librarian found multiple typographical and grammatical errors and an amateurish writing style with badly constructed paragraphs and confusing sentences. The book was poorly bound and printed on low quality paper. The author was oblivious to these flaws.

I applaud the changes in technology that allow writers to be in print. However, like all good technologies, it has bad points. The biggest is the ease and accessibility of print-on-demand printing allows writers to bypass many of the steps that are part of producing a good book.

If you are considering this form of publishing, ask yourself if you would pay the cover price for your work if someone else wrote it. Remember that self-publishing puts the burden on you. It is up to you to hire an editor and get a proofreader.

If you self-publish, you are in business. And, as any business person will tell you, doing it yourself is hard work. It may not require a lot of money but it does demand a major investment of effort and time.

Writing is a great art and a rewarding endeavor. Publishing is a business. Make sure your book is the best product you can make it.

Amazon and Me

2008-05-03T08:15:00.000-05:00

I’ve started and abandoned several ideas for postings, primarily because by the time I decided what I wanted to say, the landscape had changed. The publishing industry is morphing into a new beast and as a member of that industry, I am watching with fascination and admittedly, some unease. First, however, I need to address the Amazon situation.

During the last week of March, 2008, Amazon announced that unless certain publishing companies (mine included) use Amazon’s printing company, Amazon will not sell the book. An article in Business Week pointed out that Amazon’s real goal is to print ALL the books it sells on a print-to-order basis. Why? Because warehousing is costly. If Amazon switches to a print-on-demand business model, it will save millions of dollars in warehouse and labor costs. It’s a smart business move on their part and they have the marketplace muscle to pull it off.

There’s one big problem. Amazon’s print company, Booksurge, is not a good printer. iUniverse (my publisher) and others switched to Booksurge’s competitor because of quality issues. The Internet is full of complaints about Booksurge’s poor quality. (Some copies of my first book, Greased Wheels, had green pages that matched the cover.) In addition, Booksurge cannot meet the current demand for the titles it prints. How will it handle the additional production load?

Amazon is playing rough. Unknown to me at the time, during a period in January, the “Add to Cart” buttons on my book pages were removed. In the first week of April, the “Add to Cart” buttons went dark on all the books from a publisher called PublishAmerica as Amazon proved its power.

The marketplace told Amazon what it thinks of Booksurge. It’s unfortunate that Amazon chose to use threats and manipulation to get print business instead of competing honestly for it by providing quality, service and value.

As I said in my first post, as a writer, I deal with communication. For this story, there’s been precious little. I haven’t seen this reported outside the publishing world, with the exception of the Business Week article. Why not? This affects every publisher, every writer and every reader. Consumers will pay the same price for a book of potentially inferior quality.

My bottom line is this: I want to assure my fans that my books are available at many other book selling Web sites. My titles are listed at Baker & Taylor and Ingram Group so they can be ordered through any bookstore. Please remind your friends and fellow readers that Amazon is not the only place to buy books. As things stand now, if they order from Amazon, I cannot guarantee the books will ever ship. By the way, Barnes and Noble has a $25 free shipping program, too.

As always, thank you for your support. Happy reading!

Just Starting Out

2008-02-23T17:02:00.000-06:00

Many of my writer friends encouraged me to start a blog. Obviously the purpose is to promote my work and thus facilitate books sales. However, I suspect there's more to it than that. As I read other blogs, I realize that people have interesting points of view and often have very good ideas about a number of things. So here I am, writing my first post and thinking about communication. A broad topic, I admit.

For blogs, it's all about content and I realize I will say more and the readers will get more here than in most 30-second sound bites on broadcast news. It is obvious, however, that the audience here is infinitely smaller and therefore, I have little impact. Still, if my musings strike a chord so both writer and reader enjoy the exchange, we will have accomplished a level of communication. And if we both have cups of coffee in front of us, so much the better.

I love to write. I also love to eat. To buy groceries (there's a topic), I work full time. My postings will appear only weekly or unless there is something about which I feel compelled to expound. In addition, I know my fans want me working on the next Kyle Shannon mystery and I do not want to disappoint them.

So, here we are, a brief start to test the waters. Welcome and I'll communicate with you soon.