5/30/1997
The late Marshall McCluhan said, “Communication is the key to understanding.â€
If that statement is accurate…and I believe it is as accurate as most…then a lot of us are locked out. Living in the ’90s is a bitch. Communicating in the ’90s is confusing at best. Seeking the means by which one must communicate is often chaotic.
When Marshall McCluhan made the statement, communication was pretty straightforward. One could speak in person, pick up a phone, write a letter or send a telegram.
Today, those are only your basic options. Although face-to-face meetings are still the most advantageous, the variations on the rest are enough to drive a normally sane person right over the edge.
Shall I call? Where? At home? At the office? Which line should I call? In his car? What about his mobile? Maybe I should page him? Or should I leave a message on voice mail?
What about a letter? Regular mail? Overnight? Morning or afternoon delivery? Telegram? Get serious.
Why don’t I just send e-mail? Do I have his e-mail address? Home or office? There’s also video conferencing on the Internet.
By the time you decide the means of communications to use, you’ve forgotten what you wanted to say.
In the past few years, our business has gotten more than a little bit crazy…and it’s driving many of us right around the bend. Time constraints have made one-on-one communication harder to come by.
This is the very reason Network 40 came up with the Summer Games concept. Face-to-face communication between people in our business has become so rare that we want to put everyone in a place where relationships…and really getting to know each other…takes its rightful place at the head of the line. Given our schedules, few of us have time to do this. That’s why we’ve made time.
Once upon a fairy tale, a promotion person’s job was to live on the road each week meeting with programmers. Now, a promotion person’s additional responsibilities make road trips more the exception than the rule.
Add to this the increased responsibilities of most program directors. Taking time to meet with promotion people must be carefully scheduled. “Drop by anytime and we’ll have dinner,†is now an inoperable phrase.
So, we communicate more and more by phone…and in this decade…by e-mail. Not so many years ago, you could cruise the Internet with little regard to oncoming traffic. Today, the Internet is busier than the Hollywood Freeway at rush hour.
There are many advantages to e-mail. When communication becomes impossible or time constraints make it difficult to share all of your information, e-mail can help.
There are certain rules to keep in mind when using e-mail. These rules aren’t written on the great website in the sky; I made them up. But I believe they’re valid. What say you?
Rule #1: Never let e-mail take the place of person-to-person or telephone conversation. No matter the nature of your relationship with a person, e-mail is an impersonal medium. You must be relentless in your pursuit of personal relationships with those in our business.
Why would you expect someone who won’t return your phone calls to read or return your e-mail? It doesn’t make sense.
“She didn’t return my e-mail,†isn’t an excuse…it’s an admission of defeat. Don’t use it unless you want to prove you have no juice.
Rule #2: Use e-mail as a backup, not as your primary contact. Because your time with a programmer is usually limited, e-mail is a perfect way to augment your conversation. Rather than running down the latest PPWs or sales figures, mention them briefly and say you’ll put the rest on the PD’s e-mail.
Rule #3: Make your emails brief. Don’t try to impress the recipient with your eloquent use of the keypad. Don’t be boring. E-mail only important information. Leaving reams of figures on someone’s e-mail is an invitation to be trashed. The recipient probably won’t read it and certainly wont’ be happy the next time emails is left by you.
Short, cryptic notes are most acceptable. Leave only basic information with a note that if more is needed, you’ll be happy to send it.
Rule #4: Be careful of forwarded e-mail. Junk e-mail is received with as much fervor as junk mail. Do not think you’re making points by forwarding jokes or stories. If you think they’re so good, cut and paste, then send them. That way they are short, easy to read and personal.
Never, under penalty of Karpel Tunnel Syndrome, forward chain e-mail. Anyone who sends you chain e-mail should be permanently deleted from your database.
Communication through the Internet will continue to expand. Tomorrow’s e-mail will make what we have today seem downright archaic. Be careful what you type. Big Brother is reading. CDs are being downloaded and scanners make it possible to see a picture. Next year, you’ll be able to hook up directly with real-time video. Then you’ll have to dress up before getting on the Net.
Many are already saying that the Internet is taking the place of bars as a meeting place. Are we as a society becoming so numb to personal communication that we find it easier to type what we feel?
Hey, I’m a man of the ’90s. I’ve tried the other ways. Besides, cruising the Net saves me the cost of drinks. I’m game to go looking for love in all the wrong places. It won’t be the first time. I already have my personal ad.
Desperately Seeking Someone.
I’ll get back to you.