Growing up is optional

By Nathan Haines

Get it.

It’s an instruction, not a request.

Nice Zambuka

…mmmmm

I worked in a pub while I was studying at university. It was good because I could work a lot of hours over the weekend and at nights while studying during the day.

Since leaving in 1996, I have been back there (for a beer, not to work) on only a few occaisions. There are a couple of things that I have learnt.

Firstly, nothing changes: I was amazed at the number of faces that are still going there (more worse for wear than when I worked there). I haven’t changed that much but most only a vague recollection of who I am, although I was their source of sustainance for 2 years. Probably a combination of time and alcohol. I remember them, and their favourite ale.

Secondly, people in bars all over the country are the same, only the faces are different. Every time I go into a bar I meet another Bob the car salesman that sneaks in for a quik beer on his way home, Fred the builder that has no life outside work and the pub, the old granny that comes in on pension day to blow the week’s pay on pokies, the has-been rugby player, the young know-it-all that thinks he’s fantastic (but will end up being the next Bob), the old guy that lived here for 60 years and reackons he owns 1/2 of the pub because of how much he has spent. (Names changed to protect the guilty).

Going to the pub for these people ‘do’. The publican is like their pimp: sending them out to work every day, where they make money that they gladly hand over to him at the end of the day.

The work suited me well but I’m glad I don’t work there any more. I’m even more glad I’m not Joe the ‘could have been if he didn’t blow it on beer’, whoring for the publican.

I have just upgraded to WordPress 1.2. So far, so good

It’s about time.

Andrei and the team (The Design Fab Five) have done a great makeover of Jacob Neilsen’s latest alert.

I’m surprised UseIt hasn’t already shown up on White Space

The neglect of my blog over the past few weeks has had me thinking about content management in general. It seems that I spend hours chasing content, harrassing content experts for information, chasing managers for approvals (which was ‘urgent’ until it gets to their desk). Sound familiar?

I presented at a GOVIS forum event in 2002 on this topic. My arguement was simple: content management is a ‘people issue’, not a technology. The right tools make it easier (and can help encourage participation), but the issue is primarily trying to motivate content authors, contibuters and subject experts to give you their stuff.

I don’t know what the answer is, but from my experience the following helps (a mixture of carrot and stick, not all will work in all situations and everyone’s different):

• Ensure accountability

  Build it into contracts, whether employment contracts, development contracts, memoranda of understanding or whatever. Make sure someone is accountable and hold them to it.

• Play dumb

  Give experts a chance to show off. Do it in a manner that allows them to demonstrate their expertise.

• Demonstrate value

  Show the expert that providing you with content will benefit them

I’ll add more as I think of it…

Others’ contributions welcome…

It can be difficult to step into a new role. Knowing where to start, particularly when the role has been vacant for a few months and the workload has backed up is a nightmare.

I’m starting with the big picture. Obviously there are day-to-day tasks that have to be done, but the most important thing for me is to learn the organisation: Who are its stakeholders, where is the source of power, who gets thing done, what are we trying to achieve, how am I meant to contribute?

I started at ERMA New Zealand today. So far so good…