Virtual Handshake

I'm terribly sorry for this late post. My broadband connection has been ADHDing the entire weekend, and then BANG! the power adapter to the router decided to take a dirt nap. Its a miracle that I can even write this blog in time.

Moving on...

I used to belong to an underground Japanese manga translation group, maximum7. We all met online from different corners of the world every week to translate and produce English versions of Japanese comics. Most of us, if not all, never met face to face. The recruitment was done online, the work was done at home and sent out to an editor through the web, who then releases it online.

Everything was done virtually. Everything can be done virtually, and now-a-days, that includes networking.

This leads to me to the article I was reading about virtual networking. The Six Degrees of Cooperation by Yasmin Gharemani, which reminds me a lot about this article about Lois Weisberg that I read earlier this semester. It's all about who you know. And Now-a-days, that doesn't always mean you've met face-to-face.

Sites like LinkedIn, and Facebooks are now the future of networking. Just like search engines, these will and some already are integrated into major corporations. These applications can maximize firm wide resources. Contacts and buyers can be shared. Talents can be found. There won't be redundant hirings, because someone within a firm may already have the skills to do a job. It saves money and increase revenue. Theoretically of course.

Why only theoretically? because this is still untested water. Sure networking sites has been around for a while now. Everyone knows how to use them, and everyone do use them. However, business networking is in a totally different ballpark. There needs to be guidelines, and incentives. The application must be able to protect contacts as well as share them. Concerns of the employees must be addressed. The potentials of these apps are great, but these points must be taken into considerations before implementations.

Okay...onto other topics.

Redskins. Holy crap did they get reamed today. I hope they finally realize how bad they are and finally shape up, instead of continuing to coast, like the last 7 games. (I'm still a fan! for now anyway)

Well that's it for now, hopefully next week I won't have as much trouble getting my blog published. =P

*edited 10:00am 10/29
because I published the wrong draft v_v; GIVE ME A BREAK virtual GOD...sheesh

Theories For Dummies: Things everyone know, but apparently there's a need for doctors to explain it to you.

I'm usually a very patient and calm person, but there are moment of late that I haven't been. These moments usually start with a phone call to Hewlett-Packard's customer service line, ending a hour later with me cussing at the dead phone like it just insulted my entire family including my dog and my hamster.

Why?

It's a long story, but the gist of it is that my laptop has been in service for 2 months and I still haven't gotten it back. Plus it would seem all the case managers in HP seem to be too busy to deal with me, despite me calling in the morning, the evening, the afternoon, the beginning of their shift, the middle or the end. They're so diligent in fact, that of the 8 times their technicians say they'll call me back, they have called me zero times.

I was reading the other day about network theories and I was thinking why are there even a field of study there? It seems like things everyone should know, things like how people connect to each another and how to make that connection better comes naturally. You don't need lines and diagrams to tell you why A and B connects and why C is left out, its human nature to know how social network works. Even a socially inept person knows the rules of social network, they're just people that aren't motivated or is afraid to change what's making them inept.

However after speaking (or not speaking) to HP customer service, I understand why there's a need for network theories. Because BIG COMPANIES apparently loses sight of how to maintain good relationships with their customers. If they can't even do that, how do they manage their own employees?

I'm not sure where I'm going with this but I'm gonna be back later and elaborate after I marinate on this thought a little.