Joining the Thin Club

Killing Media or "Transforming" It

"If everyone felt like you, we'd be out of business," the publisher groaned in her emailed response - when I told her I hadn't seen the article I edited because it was not one of the online offerings and I get my news from the Internet, from twitter, facebook and online news sources.  The implication was - I'm killing off the publication.

Killing media?  I begged to differ.  People who get their news online - and who no longer depend on traditional media to clog their homes with paper and noise - are transforming media - not killing it.  The future is now and while their are cadres of people who resist it, they will happily retire and eventually die like the dinosaurs did.  And yes, I have a problem with articles that cannot be posted on twitter, I explained.  It limits the scope of my readership.

Is there even room for traditional media in this day and age, I ask myself as I listen to my (very uncomputer savvy) mother quote radio host Michael Savage word-for-word, or watch my equally computer deficient father pour over the latest newspaper which resembles the paper version of a shrunken skull--thinner, shorter, sparser, and more pathetic than even our local Pennysaver.  Publishers still producing print had better keep in mind that their readers are bound to be older, requiring BIG, bold typeface and that this last hurrah for print is just a temporary state of being.

But this doesn't mean that media is dead.  It's simply changing.  Just as surely as it did when I first launched myself into the workplace at Paramount Pictures Corporation, and a "telefax' machine the size of a large file cabinet was only available on every fourth floor of the Gulf & Western Building (now the Trump International Hotel) in New York City.  We were warned that it was expensive to run, and only to use it for urgent missives to company brass.  And now we've got email.  Free, instant, complete letters and scans available in milliseconds.  Life changes, evolves and we have to anticipate the changes and jump into the future.

So, I'm sorry Madame Publisher, that I don't subscribe to your printed news source...and I apologize for asking you to forward me a hard-copy--the only copy of my published article.  As I explained to you, I get my news from the web.  And, were that article on the web, your sending me a link to that story could have saved you so much postage.  Perhaps next time...?

My Report Card - Dealing with the Job Hunt Blues

With one more week left in my daughter's marking period, I decided to give MYSELF a report card.  For those of you following my blog, you know that I was "laid-off" in March - one of the early ones in the parade of pink slips, to be let go from the major department store where I was a Regional Public Relations Manager. 

It's interesting, the progression that happens when you've become a pink-slipped veteran (I prefer not to use the word "victim" - that word would imply that I gave up and have succumbed to the out-of-control helpless feeling of negativity--NEVER!).  So here is my Report Card--complete with comments.  Do you think I'm making the grade?

1. Attitude - B+

While Judy has an overall positive attitude, she, like many in this unstable financial environment, has a tendency to slip into negative thinking. She should turn off the radio and stop watching those scary statistics coming over twitter and digg.  She must make sure she thinks one positive thought per hour--even when it doesn't come naturally.

2. Food & Fitness - C

Because she is afraid to go out and inadvertantly spend money that she doesn't have, Judy has been confined to quarters, forced to quit her gym and she has been eating foods that she thinks makes her feel better.  As soon as the weather gets warmer and the ice melts, Judy must go outside and walk in the sunshine.  In the meantime, she must exercise for at least 45 minutes in the house each day on the treadmill, in front of the TV and with her Kettlebell and free weights.  She should allow herself twice-a-week trips to the produce market to buy fresh vegetables and fruits and she should make sure to keep herself gainfully occupied instead of raiding the pantry and/or refrigerator during work hours.

3.  Web 2.0  - A

Judy has taken time to learn new skills that include navigating new social networking sites, hence making new friends and contacts!  Way to go, Girlfriend! Keep blogging!

4. Social Skills - B

Sadly, unemployment has taken a toll on Judy's social life, which is largely facilitated by online dating.  Judy has to get out more - explore new horizons and try to meet people in person instead of online.  Although it is hard for her - since she feels like a freak since she is unemployed, the good news is that with all the other unemployed people out there, she is certainly not alone.  The question is, does she really WANT to meet other unemployed people?

5. Job Hunting - A

Judy has been actively sending out resumes, engaging new clients, writing creative PR proposals and going on job interviews.  She looks over her portfolio at least once a day to remind her of her amazing lifetime achievements.  That keeps her attitude positive and puts her in touch with all the talent she brings to these new opportunties.

6.  Respect for Authority - A

Judy has become acutely aware that G-d is in charge and that He provides her sustenance.  She talks to Him daily and begs him to help her continue to find enough work to give her food and shelter and she thanks Him for all He does for her that she frequently doesn't fully appreciate.  She knows that He has a plan and when the time is right, she will find the right job and the right husband and will live in stability ever after!