corporate sucks
Okay everyone. Rachel (of GNI) said she still has no idea what I do for a job. Seriously, I think 90% of people I work with, no take that back 99% of people I work with have no idea what I do. Here it is in a nutshell… probably more of a walnut shell than a peanut shell.
I work for a lighting company (www.prulite.com) We make lighting fixtures for all kinds of places… some example are Sea World Florida, Disney World, hotels, hospitals, etc). The company has been here for 50 years. The trouble is that when we get an order, there is no way to communicate to the factory what was ordered and how to make it. Everything works through the experience of the employees that have been here for about 25 years. This is not particularly effective. This is where I come in. I am an “expert” at implementing MRP systems into companies that do not have a computerized system. Basically I am taking all the information that has been gathered about what parts go into what fixtures, how they are made, how long it takes, and how many we keep in inventory. I am putting this into a computerized program that, when installed, will take an order placed by a customer, look at our current inventory levels and make a work order that says exactly what we need to make. It will also tell us what machines are to be used to make the parts, how long it should take, and when we can ship the order out. The hard part is organizing the information so that it goes into the system right and setting the program up so that the information comes out correctly. Make any more sense? Didn’t think so.
Here is something that is REALLY bugging me today. Talk Shoe has decided not to pay their hosts anymore. To anyone who did not know, those of us who host podcasts though the talk shoe service get a payment for each download and for the live participants. Mind you, per download this is not a large amount. It does however allow for us to do things like give out prizes and offset some of the costs of production like bandwidth. There are some hosts who depend on this income to produce part of their show even to supplement their income.
Talkshoe has decided to discontinue this payment plan. Great, though I disagree, this is their prerogative. Where I have issues is with the fact that they did not bother to inform us mere hosts about this decision in any way. They also did so with NO notice nor grace period to allow for the adjustment . They will not be paying out the May benefit…. We were told this on the 29th! To me, this is just wrong. Apparently Talk Shoe has lost the feeling that they are a company for and of the people supporting the web 2.0 revolution and now are simply another faceless corporate presence not afraid to step on the same people that put it on the map. Sigh.
Hi JME!
Yes, that explanation DOES help me understand what you do, actually. It sounds like you will be able to avoid the mistake many companies make when implementing “The Big System to Solve All Our Problems.” Usually The Big System is chosen by executives who see a sales presentation, and implemented by consultants from The Big System Company. Next comes time and cost overruns, and a general feeling of despair. It’s good to know you’re directly involved, and I’m sure it will turn out great.
Yeah, Talkshoe’s decision sounds like they’re running out of money fast. After angering all their hosts, they will be running out of content soon too. The live participation is great, but I imagine hosts will find other ways to do it. Hopefully Talkshoe will see the error of their ways soon.
Fred
| Posted 1 year, 5 months agoFortunately (or unfortunately, depending on one’s viewpoint), TalkShoe’s decision don’t affect me TOO much. I have yet to make their minimum monthly payment in nearly a year of doing my own show there. (I was grandfathered in because I joined the program prior to their setting minimums.)
So I won’t miss the payments… because I don’t even receive them. No big.
What irks me about it is really two things: 1) You already touched on this; the move was made with no warning. No notice. Not even any communication. It took someone commenting on missing their report for them to even make a passing reference. And to those who don’t check the blog (which TS rarely uses) or the THIRD PARTY site (which TS doesn’t make much effort to monitor either) may STILL not know about it. It was like they tried to sneak it in under the radar, and (to quote a certain JME I know and heart), “that’s JUST not okay!”
2) The other thing that irks me is that the report they took away as a result of “pausing” the program is actually the one I use to monitor my show’s activity/progress. I like looking at the monthly report over the weekly report, for some reason. A weekly report is prone to fluctuation, while a monthly report is more accurate for watching the steady rise — or decline — in listenership. Even if they could break it down daily, I’d accept that, because then I could manually import it into a monthly report — while the weekly one will have overlap at the end/beginning of each month. Grr.
The money is not an issue for me. It was never in danger of being an issue. I would have been lucky to receive a “regular” payout before my 18-month mark. I do take serious issues with companies that don’t communicate policies that affect their users and then act like all is hunky dory in the world.
(Granted, this is not enough to make me stop using the service — but dang, someone needs to remove a cranium from the gluteal area, already!)
| Posted 1 year, 5 months agoI agree with Fred. I think that hosts will find other ways to do their podcasts, because Talkshoe’s quality is not so great that everyone will want to stick with them. How many times do participants get kicked out of the chat or can’t hear audio, etc.? I agree that discontinuing that payment is their prerogative, but they really need to give people 30 days notice. That is ridiculous!
| Posted 1 year, 5 months ago