Why Image is Everything
Ever notice that the best blogs are written by people who either don’t have a day job (ie: they don’t work for Corporate America) or blog anonymously?
I think I figured out why today.
I have a lot of experiences that I would love to share here that are funny, witty, and sometimes downright hilarious. I also find interesting things in taboo subjects that almost get posted but then the draft gets deleted.
I self-censor myself sometimes harder than any employer would.
The reason being is that this blog will probably be a major part of my future resume whether I like it or not. More and more employers are Googling their future employee prospects before extending an offer. I don’t want something offensive on this blog to kill one of those offers.
I have also blogged anonymously at other URLs in the past, but it never gets the same tone of authenticity that transparency does.
Why am I even mentioning any of this?
Simple.
I read this article on Rob’s blog. I almost spit Diet Mountain Dew out of my nose! I have had experiences like that in the past but would never put them online for the fears listed above.
(BTW I talked with Rob yesterday over IM and he is a great guy just trying to be involved with the next great thing on the internet like the most of us!, I highly recommend his blog.)
Anyway, maybe my philosophy should change. Maybe I should post items like that to “keep it real”. Actually when I think about it, I don’t want to work at a company that would not hire me after reading a post like that.
I have experience with companies that are “stuffy” and it’s not fun. Too many good ideas get thrown out because they are “over the top” of accepted practices.
I don’t buy into that. Companies grow by being ahead of their market. Ahead of their times. Able to react quickly to the market. If they are going to be so tight and “stuffy” that spells disaster to me. Yes they may be stable for the time being, but they aren’t growing. They aren’t willing to take risks.
Look at Microsoft. I don’t see them as a major player in 20 years. Too big. Cannot move fast enough to meet the market. Google can. Not as much as before, but they are still ahead.
Everyone likes an underdog. Loyalty is going away.
Look at people from the baby boomers generation. They would go to the same bank they have done business with their entire life. I don’t. I go where I get the best rate. Small town banks are gone. No favors are extended for loyalty anymore. You are nothing but a number. Why make them rich? If a bank across town will save me interest, I’m there.
The next 50 years will be interesting. Customer loyalty has changed. Brand recognition is big, but for how long? Word of mouth is still king. If you can create buzz, you are in. Look at Apple, look at Google. They may not have the best product at the best price but they have one thing that Microsoft is losing fast: rapport with their customers.
Why has the iPod continued to outsell the Zune even though the Zune adds more features at a comparable price? Because it is not cool. Kids don’t want to do business with the geek in the commercials. They want to be cool, like the Apple guy.
Image is everything.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:16 pm
🙂 Thanks for the link! I decided in 2004, when my entire department (that I managed) was outsourced to India, that I would never work for corporate America again. So I am not really concerned about what I write in my blog – or who I might offend.
I do NOT recommend this approach to many people – especially not young people. But as a consultant I’ve found that my customer’s actually like me more because of my blog – they feel like they have a good sense of who I am. And sinse I am so open in my blog, they start the relationship with some feeling of trust. That’s been extremely helpful.
And even though my blog is not a “work blog”, most of my clients found me through my blog. So what I think ends up happening is that people who read my blog and don’t like me based on it, or are offended by it, don’t call me. And that’s fine – because the people that do call are people who I have gotten along with extremely well – they already know what to expect, in a way.
But the bottom line is that I just decided I didn’t give a crap what anyone else thought about me – and that I wasn’t going to work with idiots or asses again 🙂 It’s really an amazing feeling of freedom when you no longer care what anyone (besides family and friends) thinks about you!
Besides – the story needed telling. Pert Fresh is some really evil stuff!
Rob