We sure do live in interesting times. Each day, we’re greeted with news about another newspaper fading away and the struggle of the printed word on paper to remain relevant.
Will electronic readers, in whatever iteration, save us? Maybe.
The flexible plastic sheet due out on the market within a year or so looks to be the next generation of e-readers. And it looks pretty cool. This may be the thing that gets me hooked.
Sorry for any confusion if you were looking for this blog anytime in the last week.
It seems a little gremlin found its way into the back end, merrily strolled through, and wreaked havoc.
Thanks to Adam at Digital Loom, all is well again.
Happy weekend…
Love this term! Maybe it’s just the alliteration, but I think I like the concept as well…survival of the fittest marketing media.
It is, to paraphrase Strategy + Business:
The challenge newer, more innovative digital marketing developments, caused in part by increased consumer control, pose to existing marketing and advertising platforms. The three dominant traits needed to survive: relevance, interactivity, and accountability.
It’s funny now to remember the day I was excited to bring home my brand new, impressively fast, industry changing 2400-baud modem. And to remember how long it was before it became too slow to handle the load. (Sigh!)
It’s quite thought-provoking how important one’s perspective is to writing about and understanding an issue.
Right now, my work has me focusing on the history of the manufacturing industry in the United States. (My forthcoming book is a guide to careers in manufacturing, and I’ve been working on the industry history chapter.) In a way it never seemed before, the entire history of this country is all about manufacturing and business interests.
History for me has always been social or urban. Never military or business or religious or any other thing. So it’s quite an eye opener to be looking at the same stories and the same basic information from a different perspective.
It really opened my eyes. And it makes me realize that purposefully looking at the same information from another perspective is a good exercise to help my writing be more inclusive and perceptive.
Plus, it’s just really fascinating to see in a different light something I thought I knew.
What are your experiences of looking at something with a new perspective?
Okay. So you’ve hired a freelancer or small agency for creative services on a project. You’ve found a trustworthy partner, who has the resources to do this job, and who fits with your company’s culture and personality.
You’ve sent all the information needed, answered all questions, made available every resource imaginable, and set a deadline. Now you just sit back, awaiting delivery of the masterpiece. On the appointed day, you open your email to find it. Breathless with anticipation, you open the attachment. And hate what you see.
Uh oh. Now what?
This isn’t really a disaster, even if it feels like one. There are only two possibilities here–either it’s terrible work or you just don’t like it. (And there are those who will argue that the latter is automatically the former.)
No matter what is wrong with the deliverable, the first step is to contact the freelancer or agency and discuss what you see is wrong, and how it can be righted. If the work is not to your specifications, it may be as simple as a misunderstanding, and can easily be corrected. Give the contractor the chance to make it right. Once, I gave a client fifty words when he asked for fifty characters. Why? I don’t know. The specs said characters, we discussed characters. But when it came to the writing, something in my head said words. The simple email back to me was to the point and friendly. I rewrote the piece that same morning. No harm done.
If the work is not to your liking, but is technically correct, there’s a subtler conversation in your future. Perhaps the work is not in the proper style, or you just don’t like it. Again, just say so. Writers, photographers, editors, and designers all expect occasional pushback. It’s possible for them to do good work and still somehow not quite give you something your audience will respond to.
If the work is sloppy or filled with errors, the situation is a bit different. There are few good excuses for sloppy work, but you do need to give the contractor a chance to explain. If the explanation isn’t good enough for you, or you don’t think the problems can be rectified, you’re within your rights to end the working relationship and find someone new for your project.
The best way to avoid a messy situation, by the way, is to take a few critical steps in advance.
If worse comes to worse and the freelancer or agency isn’t delivering what you need, even after discussing the problems with them, it may be time to find a someone new. It’s okay to hire someone to finish the job if it was left unfinished. And it’s okay not to hire the freelancer or agency again, if it really didn’t work out. But remember: unless the work was on spec or the contract specifically mentioned situations in which you don’t have to pay, you still have to pay any freelancer or contractor for the work they did for you.
Working with freelancers and small firms feels very different than working with large service providers or an internal team. Because it is a bit different. You’re getting a more personal level of attention and creating a different kind of relationship.
Outside contractors, whether freelance or part of a small creative agency, are just working people, too. People who want to help you achieve your goals. They just don’t sit in the cube next to you.