Have you embraced the Hive Mind?

I will be the first to admit that I am an Old Fashioned Girl. This is not to say that I am stuck in the dark ages, in fact, I am proud and delighted that I am still learning. In some cases, the learning curve is steeper than others. In this case, I am referring to the ways in which we gather information.

As a young clerical worker, I was very good at finding things out. I loved libraries, librarians, people with experience and a love of sharing, encyclopedias, and newspapers. As technology advanced, I was a few beats behind and was often frustrated by hitting brick walls when I tried to do things the old fashioned way. Luckily, I worked at the university and was surrounded by bright young things, many of whom were my support staff in the form of work-study students. I was amazed when I would dish out an assignment to one student in particular who would startle me with the speed of finding the answers to my myriad questions. When I asked how she did that, she smiled sweetly and said, “Google.” I thought, “Huh.” Of course, I was familiar with this search engine, but did not quite grasp the broad range of what I could learn there. The other resource I discovered was YouTube, with videos about everything. Not only did I want to learn how to install a ramafram into my plumbing, but it seemed that I was clearly not the only one. I enjoyed the various approaches that folks took in their presentations (some had clearly been drinking) and often had to watch 5 or 6 to find the video that best suited my needs.

The hurdle that defeated me the most was customer service. Who knew that you could no longer call a company and speak to a knowledgeable professional? I suppose everyone but me. After hours spent trying to get answers from the utility companies and manufacturers that own my life, I started to catch on. As much as I still hate chatting to bots, I have found the secret passageways to knowledge by asking the right questions. Yelling “OPERATOR” into the telephone no longer works, I am afraid. However, if you let the bot ask you a few questions (yes, you have to be nice to them, too, if you want to get the answers) you will soon learn the clues to have them ask an actual person to call you.  What a miracle! And – this is the best part – they love to chat! There are still customer service operators out there, and they know the answers! Circuitous, yes, but rewarding in the end.

I would tell you the secret questions, but they are different for every service. If you try to use this method, please don’t give up. The results will pay off (eventually) and will not include driving over to their office, just to be met with blank stares from The Manager. Oh, and another hint – forget telephones, emails, or websites. They all really want you to download their app to your phone. That is where the technology is concentrated. Trust me on this. It’s a tiny keyboard, but this is the future.

A side note:

During our get-togethers at Friday Night Salons, this subject kept coming up: so many people have been told, quite pointedly, that they just don’t “have it.” This comes from critics, teachers, parents, and the general public. DO NOT BELIEVE IT! I was also told this when I was a newly fledged pattern-maker, and I went on to start my own garment manufacturing company that was quite successful and rewarding.

AND, the most important message on the subject: please be very careful how you talk to children about their talents, their art, or a job they have done. They will remember your comments for the rest of their lives, and those comments may keep them from trying new things. Walk a mile in their tiny shoes – you won’t regret it.