Years ago in San Francisco found myself concerned while at work, with the realization social media could intrude. Careful to do things on breaks at least a few times found myself drawn to my social media as breaking political news was piling up. Sure was a position I called my day job, since I knew was working to figure out much, but prided myself on my professionalism. And one of the most important basic things as a business professional? Is showing up.
And physically being there at work is of course important, but also mentally being there and completely focused on the tasks at hand is part of business professionalism. My mental focus was wavering at times, and found that distressing though had not to my knowledge negatively impacted my job performance--yet. Where I primarily did data entry at a large insurance company. A position had started as a temp and turned permanent.
My job tasks were many, from handling ordering of office supplies, to some work talking to customers on the phones, but primarily I entered legal invoices into the company database, and also wrote checks for many.
Was a comforting position for me as a solid amount of work, could help me handle my continuing disquiet with web things. And understand better now, as the web has disrupted much.
At THAT time was trying to process learning that my web efforts were routinely garnering attention from over 100 countries.
Like with my own efforts at figuring out math, had found out that my math blog had annual visits from 125, which have repeated often for about a decade now. Yeah, math can draw that kind of attention learned personally.
The web quite simply can leave you--unsettled.
And why wouldn't it? Back then puzzled if the web stats were even real. Like, who were these people all over the world? Why were there no other indicators seemed to me? Where was the HUGE of WHATEVER thought should connect with such a thing as global on that scale? Reflexively looked for what I now realize are celebrity markers based on what I thought I knew primarily from the American entertainment industry.
Was not in an entertainment arena. And now have realized really didn't know much from what television told, and I thought I saw, when would even bother paying attention to celebrity things.
Being a business professional requires that you show up, both mentally and physically for work.
That simple sentence is one I understood then, but what I realize now is, yeah even if you are not sure what exactly it means to be global in our web age that will impact your ability to stay focused in most job arenas. And I wasn't even sure! Maybe one day, it would all click and whoosh!!! Then I would be gone, leveraging my global attention levels appropriately, possibly to have my own business.
Instead found my ability to even manage a day job crumbled. After I FINALLY put up a current picture on the web, and I do not blame that company if that was why I ended up in a general layoff.
Web is so new really. What exactly is the business risk with someone getting attention from around the globe?
For me that is not a question can leave unanswered and is not one where have had a good answer when contemplating employment now. Monetization of the web is a hard problem that is crushing entire industries, or completely remaking them.
Is cool to know your ideas can draw attention that is global.
But then is daunting to realize am a pathfinder. Looking around much am constantly searching for answers as watch others. The global messed me up for a LONG time as expected too much from it. And it still bothers me that with that important thing, figuring out how to make money is not automatically a part of it.
Even the numbers for people still push against my preconceived notions--as how then so few? But do know lots of people are not showing up in how that data is collected. So many countries but registering such a small number of people. Now realize the web stats hint more than tell the full numbers. And now feel is better to ask, how does anyone in this or that country even know who I am, and why would that motivate a visit to one of my blogs? Or to anything I have on the web?
Plenty of times can get a better sense then as can check which parts of blog are drawing interest from where. Is wild, looking over my own writing, and asking myself what brings certain attention from certain countries at a certain time.
Another reason to go self-referential, and pay attention to when I notice some person myself, and learn of interesting stories of others, around the world thanks to the web. Which emphasizes to me, is not the easiest thing really.
This blog is quieter across the board though. Which is also telling.
Never big country numbers as typically around a dozen. That differential helped me realize--is real. If was just some random thing, then would look same across my blogs. Is HUGE reason to have more than one web thing, to compare across them.
While some of my blogs were routinely drawing interest from 50+ countries annually, this one never moved much, even if I tried to promote from the others. Its stats just would not react that I noticed which is yet another web puzzle.
But then again, is just more evidence. People know what they want and go to get what THEY want. I cannot simply direct them this way or that, and myself am same way. Web sites cannot simply direct me in efforts to promote some other web site. I have to have a reason from my own interests to go to one web site from another.
So yeah it does make sense with time and thought. Are real people out there with real needs, and they know why they are doing what they are doing. YOU reading are a real person. My thinking with this post though is like am chatting with someone and talking these things through. Oh and thanks for your interest! Have learned helps me to give that appreciation, as grounds me more. Helps feel real.
Can tell now what draws global more, and even relate to what notice from others. Have tested the potential many ways, while the money struggles continue.
Maybe it is helpful to put out there. Writing a post like this one not only helps me get a better handle, can explain for others and maybe even help others.
The global attention can come ahead of anything else. And that global attention can be disconnected from so much else.
You can struggle massively both to comprehend, process and handle, while being pressured still to work.
And as a business professional, you should show up, which I will do. And my commitment to professionalism will not waver. My focus on work will always be to show up, both physically and mentally. Understanding helps massively, and have a better handle how to maintain my standards still as web things become more...familiar.
Challenges from the web have better helped me appreciate exactly what so much more means.
Welcome the lessons learned, but is much like being forced to get a law degree I tell myself, while needing to get work as a lawyer, while the law is in constant flux. Where replace with having to figure out the web, while needing to somehow get a paying occupation with web impacting much, while the web continues to evolve.
Now I look at struggling INDUSTRIES and am like, oh, ok. You have people with billions US in monetary assets and thousands of people needing to figure it out, and they're still struggling.
Necessity does not create the knowledge. We have to figure it out. And THAT process takes time and immense effort.
James Harris
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