I’ve never really understood the union movement. To be honest, I think it rewards longevity over initiative. If you’ve been punching the clock the longest, you’re in line for the promotion, regardless of how slack your work ethic has become. And if you do get lazy, good luck getting fired, because it will get grieved and nothing will happen.
We all get complacent and comfortable in our jobs. Look at the Canucks. Who puts in more effort Ryan Shannon or Markus Naslund? Ryan is at the bottom, fighting to keep his spot, while Nazzy’s been doing it for 15 years, has millions in the bank and can get by without “really trying.”
I get why unions came into existence, but I think in 2008, they stifle innovation and creativity.
Actually, you don’t have to be in a union to have that happen. The way of the webbed world is passing many a media veteran by, and those who understand how to work in this new media are quickly replacing those who were more comfortable editing their copy on an Underwood than with Google Docs.
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After 32 years of writing sports for the San Berdardino Sun, Paul Oberjuerge was let go. And instead of bitching and moaning and whining …. Okay, there is a bit of bitching and whining and bitterness in his original list, I’ve cut it down to the stuff I think is relevant.
Embrace the web. It’s going to be extra work, and you’re going to be on your own 24-hour news/opinion cycle. But that’s how it is; you can rest up when you’re dead. Management is keenly aware of the foot-draggers on this front.
Don’t wait to be ordered to “serve other platforms” of the paper. Volunteer. Blog. Post photos. Consider video. Offer podcasts. Do web-only quick-and-dirty news stories. You’re a multi-media machine now!
Go to staff meetings. Speak up. Volunteer ideas.
Produce. This is no time to coast. This is no time to insist you have more time to work on a story. Even at the metros. Get your byline in the newspaper at every opportunity. Like, daily.
Achieve excellence. Five years ago I would have listed this first. Now, it barely makes the list. Competence is a defense, but it no longer is first, second, third or ninth. But, all things being equal, if the cut is between you and someone else who is just as fat and bitchy as you are … the person who is better at their job will survive. (Till next time.)
I’ve been on about how radio needs to change the way it thinks and approaches new media. Right now those in print are feeling the pinch, radio could will be next.
Those tips were written by a print guy trying to tell other print guys how to diversify and save their ass. He could also have been writing it for everyone in radio on how to save the industry.
If you’re on air, and not doing the things above, you’re not just hurting your career, you’re hurting the industry. We need people to take initiative, have fresh ideas, and new ways of thinking.
Punching the clock simply won’t cut it anymore.
The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?
Jen, Z and I went down to Yaas Bazaar on Lonsdale to pick up some fab kebabs and rice for dinner last night. Just to make it all right for the season, I served up a Guinness on the side. Now that’s multicultural!
It happens on the last Tuesday evening of the year. Every family gathers several piles of wood or brush in the streets or parks to be lit shortly after the sunset. Then all the family members line up and take turns jumping over the burning fire and singing “sorkheeyeh toe az man, Zardeeyeh man az toe” (I give my paleness to the fire and take fire red healthy color.) Yellow or paleness symbolizes the sickness and pain and red symbolizes heath.
There are some other random things you can toss on your table, such as painted eggs, which represent fertility, a mirror that represents image and reflection of life, and a goldfish in a bowl that represents life.
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