Guite Up

I’ve just started reading Guy Kawasaki’s latest book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions. I love it so far but his very first footnote led me off on a thought tangent. And here I share that tangent with you. What fun?!

First, the footnote:

This is the first instance where I could pick a masculine (he) or feminine (she) pronoun, use a plural pronoun (they), or the ever-awkward composite (he/she). In general, I use she when the person is a positive example. This is my small effort to counteract the short-changing of women in literature for thousands of years.

Now, my thought tangent:

My initial reaction was that of appreciation. Just to hear that authors are thinking like this is something I’m excited about.

But on further thought, I started to feel like this tactic might not be useful. Afterall, as a feminist, I believe that everyone is equal. Therefore, why should men get short-changed now? Isn’t this a classic example of blowing out another’s flame to make yours shine brighter?

Ok, ok, so quit your bitchin’, Guite, and be part of the solution! I hear you. I propose that if Guy really wants to “counteract the short-changing of women in literature for thousands of years,” he should use “she” in ALL instances.

I already read lots of publications by women who already do this and therefore think this is an easy switch. I’m sure others would protest (and I often say, “eff ‘em” to that) but, I mean, it is the word ”she” that contains “he” and “women” that contains “men,” amirite?

But I digress. What do you think? Is Guy helping? Hurting? Neither?

Sometimes, I write letters. This one was provoked by this LivingSocial deal for a shooting range.

Dear LivingSocial,

Aw man, you had me with this deal (and about 5 of my women friends) until I read that this is for people who “really want to feel like a man.”

I understand it’s “Man Week” (which is a marketing device that you may think is working well for you) but you may want to be a little smarter than that especially since I have many other services like yours to choose from. It’s 2011 after all, and some women may want to shoot guns while some men don’t care about doing “manly” things.

Besides, don’t you want to stand out from the heteronormative bullshit out there? Especially when marketing to the DC demo??

I expect better from you. Don’t make me go to Groupon. Please.

Sincerely,

Lauren

The Washington Capitals won their first playoff game against the Rangers 2-1 last night. Here are just a few of the wonderful sights and sounds on the road to the Cup!

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This post is intended for hockey fans 21 and older.

Since the NHL playoffs start tonight, I thought I’d explain what my social networks will soon be witnessing: going game 7 (or 5 or 2 or 1). This all started when my boyfriend and I became season ticket holders for the Washington Capitals 4 years ago. Since then, we’ve been allowed the pleasure/pain of attending all the home playoff games all while drinking…heavily. For those who don’t know, hockey is one of, if not, THE MOST passionate and physical of sports. Which also means it is one of the fastest.

Since a season ticket holder gets to go to 42 regular season games, you might think we’d be pros at drinking while spectating. Not true. The playoff games are like no other. The intensity, anxiety, joy and upset is all multiplied by 10. I submit to you, as an example, this video of The Fed’s game 7 game winning goal from the last time the Caps played the Rangers in the playoffs.

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For a 30-something who has been involved in social media for over a decade, defining the very thin, fuzzy line between work and personal use on social networks is common sense. But for others, it’s a big enough concern to keep them off (and sometimes skeptical) of the social web.

You might also be dealing with the other extreme. Those who’ve grown up with social media and mobile phones are used to overexposure. For these people, the line might not exist.

You can start to put everyone at ease by creating your own social media guidelines. 
Here are some tips to get you started:

• Start with your gut. If you are the one who deals with social media the most at your organization, chances are you know the most about best practices and the biggest hurdles you are facing. Create a simple list of these.
• Assemble a diverse team. What is obvious to you might not be obvious to somebody else. Ask people from different departments to give input. Don’t forget to include HR and traditional media folks.
• Look at examples from others. Give more attention to the organizations that are most like yours.
• Decide what kind of tone you want to use. For instance, someone dealing with a work culture that is resistant to social media will want to approach this differently than someone dealing with a more embracing work culture.
• Provide very specific examples. People outside or new to this space will need lots of context to make sense of it all.

For a more in-depth look at how we came up with social media guidelines for Environmental Defense Fund employees, check out Kira Marchenese’s blog.