Introverts or: I am Lion, hear me...think?

Susan Cain : The Power of Introverts

    I recently watched Susan Cain's TED Talk about the importance of the Introvert and their needed impact on society. Having an embarrassment of resources to choose from at TED Talks, I decided to go with one that I not only found interesting, but I could also relate to.

    The essence of her speech, as well as her book Quiet : The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, is that while our modern day society and culture are built around those that are outward leading and charismatic, or extrovert, there is also plenty to be gained and learned from those of us that tend to delve within, rather than out. She asks the audience (or viewers, as it were) to spend less time constantly engaging and collaborating with one another and instead take time to ourselves to experiment in deeper thought. She goes on to argue that while many of the world's greatest leaders were extroverted and charismatic, many others such as Ghandi and Eleanor Roosevelt made large impacts to the world around us while remaining reserved and more "mellow". 

    That is not to say that she is calling for a rise of the proverbial "Meek" to take hold of their inheritance, but to highlight the importance of both co-existing with one another. There are times when you need some one to take control of a situation and "rally the troops" to achieve a goal. There are also times when it's best to refrain from such knee jerk reactions and take stock of a situation before acting out any decisions.

   Ms. Cain's speaking style, while disjointed and repetitive at times, merely speaks to the challenges that introverted people face in today's societies. It's a credit to her ability and desire to overcome these nuances so that she can share her message in a way that less natural to most other people. We may not care to engage in lots of small talk or come off as anti-social, but really we're just trying to figure how to do what we do best. Quietly. Thoughtfully. And Awesomely.

Companies really like you (just not in that way)

Social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, have gained a large following due (in large part) to their ability to provide an arena for people to go to tell the world how happy they are, sad they are, mad they are, informed they are or how their Taco Bell taco is visually different from any other you've seen.

While the personal social sites have been around for awhile, businesses are beginning to join the party, as well. What better way to inform inundate your potential consumers with ads, tweets, and postings telling them of all the wonderful products you're offering. Even if they don't know that they want to know. And some companies do a better job than others. Companies can also get direct, unfiltered feedback from their customer by way of comments to Facebook posts and replies to tweets the company sends out to its followers.

Samsung Mobile USA / MillerCoors

Samsung and MillerCoors' (nee: Miller Brewing Company) Facebook pages do a good job of keeping their fans up to date on their latest products. Visitor's to their pages can find posts of new devices that are released (Samsung) or what their seasonal offerings may be (Miller). They also post TV commercials (the headphone jack is on the BOTTOM) or - for Miller - pictures of events at festivals. They also 'like' relative services such as the mobile carriers that offer their products, in the case of Samsung, or other breweries owned by MillerCoors, in the case of...well, MillerCoors.

The Twitter side of things (@SamsungMobileUS | @Miller) doesn't deviate much from either's Facebook approach, but they do seem to do a good job of not duplicating stories or promotions. Customers can follow both media and not feel like they're just repeating everything. 

Both companies have similar audiences (the general public, aged 18-24 years) and both do a very good job of keeping their customers informed and happy. 

Now excuse me while I take MillerCoors' suggestion of a few Miller Lite's while I window shop Samsung's Facebook page, pining for the Galaxy SIII. Ooo, and they're on Verizon...

Why I am at MATC or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dysfunction

I've been in and out of college (twice at UW-Milwaukee and now on my second tour of learning here at MATC) since I got out of the USMC in the Fall of '04. I'd gone from Journalism (UWM) to Logistics (MATC) back to Journalism (UWM) and then finally Computer Support here at MATC last summer. Somewhere in there I also went to PC Pro School for a couple months (don't bother). 

Around spring time last year my wife and I had recently gotten engaged and I decided it'd be a good idea to finally finish some kind of a degree (Y'know, because working full time, remodeling a house and planning a wedding can only fill your day up so much). I wasn't exactly dead set on anything in particular, but I decided that it was going to be something computer related since that's always been my natural inclination anyway. 

I had some classes transfer from prior semesters here at MATC as well as a few from UWM, so I wasn't starting entirely from scratch, but I wasn't getting any younger either. Around the same time I started teaching myself some basic VBA code at work so I could redesign some word forms we used along with customizing some spreadsheets. I already knew some SQL so I figured, given the time, I could hodge podge things together. However, the more I taught myself, the more frustrated I became because I started getting ideas on things to do, but I had no idea how to do them. So I'd pound Google for answers. It's kind of like knowing you want to take the scenic route through the mountains on your way to California; only you don't have a map. 

So, after spending two semesters in Computer Support and taking my A+, Databasing I decided I'm not, nor will I ever be, a hardware guy so I made the dive and enrolled in the Programmer/Analyst degree. 

At work I design Database reports and queries and customizations on our ERP system. So I regularly use the things I learn in class to both code GUI interfaces as well as the SQL knowledge I need to get the data I need.

It's been a long hard road, and the road beyond is tougher still, but with a little luck (and some cooperating program schedulers) I'll have my degree by next Fall. Next stop : Bachelor's degree before I'm 50.