A Case for the Sims in Life Coaching & Counselling

For those of you who are wondering...yes I am referring to the popular EA game. For those of you who were living so far under the rock you don't know what I'm talking about...I can't help you dears. Please set an appointment with Dr. Google at the earliest possible date.

Back to what I was saying. Of course the thought came to me while I was playing a game of Sims 3. I thought to myself, "this game, with it's built-in parameters, is so carefully and intricately patterned off of real life (well a version of it anyway)?." What if it can be used as a simulation tool for people (not just students)  who really need to get a grip on their lives and learn lessons such as the importance of time management, family planning, working towards career and life goals, working hard in school, maintaining relationships, fitness, budgeting, paying bills on time, understanding how attraction works...etc...the possibilities are endless.

Of course, in this grand age of shared knowledge, stimulation and inspiration it's hard to believe that I could be the only person in the world having this same or a similar train of thought. Here's a recent post from EA about the use of Sims in schools through SimCityEdu. For more information about this amazing initiative visit the SimCityEdu site and sign up for their updates.

Have you heard of any other instances of gaming in coaching, counselling or in the classroom?

For more on technology and social media news visit Social Media Daily.

Skype Disadvantages

Photo courtesy of blog.cycle-interactive.com

Well to answer my own facetious question...the only thing right about Skype is that it burst unto the scene first. Since then, Skype has been struggling to live up to the expectations of first-born child in the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) family.

Skype Issues

1. Frequent dropped calls. As if it weren't bad enough that one person has to turn off their video to "video chat"...on a good night don't even try having a long-distance voice call with a family member, friend or client.

2. More money for poor quality. In order to have a group video chat involving more than two persons you have to fork up the Moolah and that's still no guarantee the call won't get dropped.

3. Skype is no N'Sync so watch your Back Street boys. In other words be careful how you switch from device to device using the same account. Your previous chat history may never sync with another device;  for example when you switch from work laptop to home laptop or even from laptop to mobile phone. In-the-moment messages can even get delayed as one device receives the message while the one you are actually Skyping on does not. This even sounds confusing typing it...imagine in real life? Dios Mio!

Thankfully there are other notable siblings (read alternatives) in the VoIP family. One worth mentioning is the fun younger sibling, Google Hangout, on the infamously redundant Google+ social network. Quite recently I was asked to give a presentation on Skype. I did a Prezi and half way in the presentation I felt so foolish presenting on Skype so I started talking about Google Hangout :S... the notable attributes of which will be discussed in a follow-up post. So look out for that. In the mean time...

"What has been your experience of Skype?" 

For more thought-provoking articles on social media check out Social Media Daily.

YouTube Abuse

No doubt, YouTube is one of the superstars on the social media scene right now. That is why I must get off my chest a problem that has been bugging me. I recently did some research on the brand for MSL Worldwide  for Advertising Week 2012 and YouTube has had an impressive five year history. What makes the site so great is that it is a repository of rich and unique content 'for the people by the people'.
I really appreciate the opportunity to share but...

I really appreciate the opportunity to share but...

 It absolutely grates on my nerve when:

1. Half of a person's presentation is swallowed up by a random YouTube video - even if the video is instructional. Please do not waste people's time. Quite likely a person is listening to you to receive 'your' insight on a topic; not the views of 'purplelollipop350' who uploaded the video. Once again, if people have ready access to it, don't belabor the video in the presentation unless it is an important lead up to your information.YouTube has an entire section dedicated to instructional use by schools where content is sorted by subject matter on YouTube Edu. If this is the kind of session you have planned for your audience, please let them know in advance.

2. People just pluck videos from the site for use in major professional presentations and workshops with no credit to the person who created it. Who are these presenters trying to impress, really? I for one am not. I also have access to YouTube and when I search the title of the video I can not only see that you did not create it but that you are one of 756,000 people to have viewed it.

3. Okay I wanted a third thing but there really are just these two main things.

For fascinating YouTube stories check out their FiveYear anniversary channel.
For more social media info check out SocialMediaDaily.

Drop a comment to share your own YouTube abuse observations.

The Real QR Code Fail

Not so long ago Mashable put out an interesting little article about QR Code fails featuring codes on cupcakes, codes on a headstone (which I thought was pretty cool) and QR code subway ads (#4). Picking up where this article left off, I have to draw attention to the biggest QR fail in the Communications industry and that is what I call the 'QR Solo Ad.' a.k.a (QRsad) It is a disturbing trend that early adoptors have rebounded  from but late bloomers are still (even as I type) contemplating. Below is a prototype of a 'QRsad' :
 

Can you guess what is wrong here?

 "A QRsad is one that features little to no text and is marked by the presence of a large QR code and the absence of a printed website address, email or contact information."

A QRsad is one that features little to no text and is marked by the presence of a large QR code and the absence of a printed website address, email or contact information, which means:

1. People without a smartphone (yes, these homo sapiens do exist) will not be able to access whatever product, service, event or idea is being advertised. If that was the aim then forgive my insight, if not then #fail

2. People who do have smartphones but do not know how to scan a QR code or even better, who do not know what a QR code is will not have access to whatever product, service, event or idea is being advertised. #fail x2

3. Let's just throw into the mix, the fact that these ads are often placed in inconvenient places such as inside the train and bus. So even if you do know what a QR code is and you in fact have a QR code reader, you  grab your phone to zoom in on the code but the train is going too fast, so everything is a blur resulting in capture not being decoded. #fail x 3

4. How about you reach for your phone to zoom in on a code and just when you think you've got it...*click*... you just snapped another passenger picking their nose. #fail x infinity

 The message is clear here. Communicators must never sacrifice what's relevant, effective and in the best interest of the target audiences for what is novel, innovative and trending. If you can find a way to meet both sets of objectives, the world will thank you for it.

For more on QR code fails read the original  post on QR fails. For other relevant social media articles visit Social Media Daily.

 

Dear Future Me

Dear Me at 40,
Just thought I'd write this letter to let you know some things about yourself.  First off, by all definitions you are no longer a young chicken. You are now a seasoned (err old) successful communicator and you have been in the business for a while now.  You have traveled the world almost to the point of being jaded; been to Paris, Italy, Britain and all the states in the U.S. You've met and collaborated with the biggest and the best in the industry. You have handled tough projects, big clients and had to overcome various communications and business challenges (and ego trips) and you're still going strong. You've won various Communications awards. You have figured out the delicate balance between work life, home life with children, pets, husband (maybe...if he behaves) and me time. As a matter of fact, you even think you have it down to a science. Whatever you do please remember these next few words...Do not get comfortable! You have not arrived at your destination. Success is a journey. Don't fall into the trap of stagnation.

"Do not get comfortable, You have not arrived!" 

There is so much more to learn, so many new communication theories, so many advances continually being made in social media and innovation; younger smarter people coming up in the field and they're changing the way people 'get it done' in the field of Communications. You may feel overwhelmed trying to swim against the current but...It's okay, don't panic. You have two options (or maybe both) :

 

1. Ensure that you attend at least three industry conferences a year. While you're at it, enroll in short courses so that you can up your qualifications and keep up with all the latest trends in Communications.

2. Collaborate with the brightest and the best communicators coming up in the industry. Value them and let them know that you have not arrived and that you are open to learning (genuinely learning) the new tools and strategies they are using to 'get it done' in the field of Communications.

If you put this advice into practice. I guarantee you that you will continue to experience the newness and excitement you felt when you first got started in the industry. You will also experience breakthroughs in the projects you work on. I guarantee that you will soar to the front of the line as a thought leader because you are experienced yet you understand that the most important building blocks of communication ,throughout the age, remain; authenticity, currency and relevance.

All the best, from the younger, hopeful and excitedly fabulous you. Get it done! For more inspiration on  career tips and getting ahead catch up on some of the latest articles on Brazen Careerist.

Facebook Addiction

Below is a poem I wrote in 2009 about Facebook addiction. There are several Facebook references to decode. Facebook has evolved so much since this, a new one is in the making:

What's on your mind today?
What kind of person are you?
These are very challenging words
Even for other people you may know.
How long will you pet society?
Or feed on the lives of others?
Like a vampire or like the maffia;
Waging wars without a real cause?
Your brain must not be very big after all
to miss the new events that seek to alter
your privacy settings.

This is not a quiz but somehow you fail to notice the mounting 
requests -of unthinkable kinds- that are 
thrown at you daily.
Or maybe you like poking away at the wall
of indifference and self-indulgence?
I wish that you could see that this is not 
affecting only you, or some of your friends 
or all of your friends, or friends of your friends
but your entire social network!
I do not think I need to further sketch a
portrait of what your life will be like if
you refuse to block and delete this way of 
thinking...this way of being...
Or maybe within the last 10 minutes you have
been too busy uploading pictures from the
past and present to notice that you are 
100% facebook addicted!

For more on social media addiction read PR Daily's recent article, Social Media Addict and Social Media Daily.

If social media could be owned...

I've often wondered...

'If social media could be owned by one person or entity...who would it be?" Would it be the wealthy tech guru Bill Gates, the charismatic Oprah Winfrey, the regal Queen of England or the powerful US White House? The reality is that no one owns social media and no one ever will. Social media is governed by the people who use it to share information and to make connections.

"The reality is that no one owns social media and no one ever will."

Any attempt to drastically regulate it or make it authoritarian will probably result in disuse. The communal ownership of social is what has given rise to this new and exciting era of uninhibited sharing.  Even the creators of platforms have watched as their ideas morphed beyond their expectations based on user habits and patterns. Social media continues to evolve and we social media enthusiasts continue to marvel at the ways in which people are able to connect and carve out meaning from endless streams of information. It's always interesting to read up on the history of these social platforms and how they came to be. An interesting movie to see if you haven't seen it is, the Social Network, based on the evolution of Facebook . Check out the trailer below:



For more on all things Social Media check out Social Media Daily.