EatonGolden ProjectPath Site

We wanted to let our clients know that as of October 1, 2008 the vendor (37 Signals) that provides our ProjectPath online application (Basecamp) will no longer support Internet Explorer 6.0. If you are using this browser the site will display an alert to upgrade to a newer browser. You can read their blog post about it here.

What does this mean for IE 6 users?

1. You can still access the site, but you may not be able to use some of the new features they add.
2. It is unlikley that this change will impact you in the near future, but future upgrades might not work with IE6
3. It’s a good excuse to contact your IT department and see if they can help you upgrade.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please let us know if you have any questions or difficulty accessing the site.

The Way Words Were

I recently made a post in my personal blog that I think is also relevant to this forum:

The Way Words Were

I stumbled upon the “Campus News” page of Lake Superior State University website, where a story discusses the university’s annual list of words and phrases that should be banished. I paused on the following posted comment:

Back in the day, we used “back-in-the-day” to mean something really historical. Now you hear ridiculous statements such as “Back in the day, people used Blackberries without Blue Tooth.”

While I understand the commentator’s point, I began to wonder: What is an acceptable time frame for something to be considered “really historical”? Is it the amount of time that has elapsed, or is it the degree of change in society? How do we pin down proper word usage when the context is constantly changing?

If new technology represents a historic change, then things will now become “historical” much more quickly. I’m sure those who have acquired an iPhone are marveling at their pre-iPhone life, and wonder how they managed. Every instance of “back in the day” that I’ve heard used in the manner mentioned by the commentator has had a tongue-in-cheek quality, an understanding that the phrase is being used in a new way. It’s an acknowledgment of how quickly we are making history with new technology every day. I’m sure the tongue-in-cheek manner of usage will drop away eventually as it is used more and more to refer to something from the recent past, and the phrase will truly change in meaning.

Such is the evolution of language, and technology will continue to quicken its transformation, especially now, in this interactive age. People can publish and spread anything to a vast interactive audience. Language aficionados and purists can continue to thrash madly against it, but as long as a word or phrase used in a particular way still has utility, and the meaning is understood by its contemporaries, it will continue to be used.

I sympathize though. At times, I seem to be possessed by a crotchety old man with a shuffling step and a brown corduroy blazer with elbow pads, who wishes language would just stay put. I have passionate singing sessions with the choir (the choir being other English majors), in which we scoff with exasperation over this or that affront to proper English as we know it.

Each generation has its own misgivings regarding changes to language, while its members have already acquired a previous set of changes and accept them as correct. I had a seventy-year old humanities professor, who lamented, “’Awesome’ used to mean that something was jaw-dropping amazing, worthy of awe. Now people use it to describe the Snickers they just ate!” I have committed this offense. In fact, I’ve also used “awesome” to indicate my pleasure with dinner plans being confirmed. I don’t associate the word with jaw-dropping awe because I’ve heard it used too many times to describe things that are not awe-worthy.

There is a line to toe, and because I have purist sympathies, I will always strive to correct my own blunders. I still look to a dictionary to confirm the meanings of words, and I usually have a writing handbook nearby, as does every writer I know. I care about language and want others to care as well. I want the evolution to happen in a sane and mindful way. But, as my cousin the doctor said, “Evolution is messy and disordered, and it always lurches forward without our control.”

Corporate Blogging: Can you speak for the organization and be part of the community of real people?

This post is inspired by the MIMA Summit Blog Carnival topic:

CORPORATE BLOGGER: ANGEL OR DEMON? IS IT POSSIBLE TO BOTH SPEAK THE VOICE OF THE ORGANIZATION AND ALSO “FIT IN” WITH A COMMUNITY OF REAL PEOPLE?

In my career, I was lucky enough to spend three years at Sun Microsystems. You may not know it, but Sun was one of the first companies to open up corporate blogging to its employees, encourage it and promote it. I became one of the legions of corporate bloggers that ’spoke for Sun’. They had a very smart policy, just don’t say anything that will get us in trouble.

Corporate blogging speaks to the culture of a company. At some companies, it would not make sense and probably not be very interesting. I think the thing that makes it successful is when there is a mutual trust between employer and employee and the employee is allowed to be authentic. If there isn’t some personal quality that comes through, it will be an unpopular blog. Nobody is going to read blogs that are essentially press releases. It is when you start to engage a reader that the readership is built. If you have employees that are passionate about what they do and willing to write about it, that is an untapped resource.

It’s definitely a challenging and blurry line.  It’s also not something that is easily quantifiable on a spreadsheet. But to succeed in business, evolution is essential. Evolution can only happen when the tools of business are well understood. Blogging is a new tool. It would be wise to try and understand it and determine how it applies to your business and what value it could bring.