Professionalism: A Decency Lost? 6
Ed.’s Note: Before I get into this, I would like to say that this post is not pointed at anyone in particular, so if you feel like I’m talking about you and singling you out, get over it; this is just a general— albeit disturbing— trend I see in my professional dealings.
Recently, I’ve been involving myself in several projects involving groups of people, both online and offline. In all of these instances, a fair amount of professionalism is an unspoken necessity. However, I’ve found in all of these projects, that many people lack the trait— or that their level of professionalism is lackluster at best.
I find my self sitting there, wondering, then, if that is what the future holds: bickering, instead of making decisions; fighting tooth and nail, instead of compromising; being off-topic, off-color, and flat out rude, instead of focusing, and doing what needs to be done.
And while I know most of these projects don’t have the corporate background where people would typically derive their professionalism (since they need it to make a living, most of the time), it’s still an important asset in any project, I think. Without it, projects quickly go into a nosedive, and— as I, and many others, have encountered first hand— it’s very hard to pull out once you’re in that dive. No one wants to be in that situation, especially with a project they put their heart and soul into.
Being professional, being open-minded, being decent about everything, and willing to compromise— these are all keys things in any project, yet so many people lack the ability to perform in those aspects. Maybe it’s a lack of training, or experience, or know-how, but either way, it should be common to anyone involving themselves in-depth with a project, yet…
So, to address the title of this post: is professionalism a decency lost? Well, not yet. Do I think it’s going to be? Not in a corporate setting, no, too much money is on the line there; small projects, however, and Open Source projects, they, I think, will suffer from this plague of immaturity and closed-mindedness. Those who do it for the love of doing it, with little or no money, but with big dreams— they will suffer, and it will be tragic, and sad, for them. C’est la vie.
To Elliott Back: 4
Elliott Back wrote an entry about his experience with the Wordpress Codex, so I think I’ll join Peter Westwood and write a response, here.
The Wordpress Codex is a community-driven effort with a set of guidelines, like any documentation effort. Yes, it is a wiki, and that would give off the impression that you can treat it as a such; but again, I think you have to realize that this is a documentation effort, not just a wiki. I think if you actually read some of the articles, and looked at the quality, you would know they are edited and cleaned up, and not just another wiki posting.
If you’re such a “highly paid software engineer” like you said you are, Mr. Back, then you should know something about documentation. You can’t have crap thrown all over the place, and you have to have a specific aim, especially if it’s a community-driven effort. If you think the Codex is a waste of your time, I’m not going to try to change your mind. The Codex is the Wordpress resource for thousands of people everyday, and we have to set a bar of standards and guidelines. That being said— and excuse me if you get offended by this— there is no honor in denouncing the work of hundreds by saying that the Codex is a waste of your time, or insulting the personality, or the representation on the Codex thereof, of one of the best people I know, and lovable admin, Lorelle. If you don’t want to help, that’s fine, but don’t belittle the effort.
Today in #wordpress… 5
<jalenack> “today in #wordpress, we were complaining that no one blogs on sunday. So I am blogging. Ok, yah. Bye”
Done, Jalenack :P
The Office (As It May Be) 5
So, it’s trickled down to me. It started with Silly Oxton, passed to Phil Roche, then to Chris Garrett, to my good friend Tommy Park, and now to me— and amazingly enough, I didn’t have to steal it this time. So I’ll have at it.
Herbie, accompanied by his friend and companion, teh Monit0r!, his mouth (the almighty speakers, one shown), and his ear (the mic in the lower left corner), and other needed gadgetry and junk spread across the desk and on-top of Herbie himself.
Betsy, in her normal environment, my bed.
Main PC (aka Herbie)
- Windows XP Home
- 2.8GHz Intel Pentium 4
- 80GB Hard Drive
- 512MB RAM
- 48x CD-RW/16x DVD-ROM
Dell Inspiron 5000e (aka Betsy)
- Windows 98SE
- 5GB Hard Drive
- 600MHz Intel Celeron
- 192MB RAM
- CD/DVD-ROM
- iPod
- Sony Studio Monitor Headphones
- Mouse
- Keyboard
- 19″ Monitor
- New speakers
- 21+” monitor
- More RAM
That Online Music Gravy Train 5
Apparently, the masses need appeasing; I don’t write and you all get antsy, geez.
Anyways, I caught word of this here news story while watching TV and thought I should put down some words about it.
Basically, if you don’t feel like reading the whole article, the gist of it is that album sales are down about 7% compared to this time last year, and music sales online have nearly tripled from where it was at this time last year. And the record companies are sad because they don’t get money from selling their $18 CDs (oh, boo hoo *cough*).
I’ll keep my point short and to the point. If the record companies can’t see that now is the time to get on the online music sales gravy train, completely, then they’re blind. With mp3 players jumping all over the scene, especially the iPod, and the demand rising, I think perhaps the big guys should maybe rethink they’re marketing strategy? You say not? Well, go back, compare +300% to -7% and enjoy your meal (that being your own heart). I’m not saying CDs should be done away with, because I know I’ll still buy and use them, they’re still a valid format. I just think the shift should be made now, gradually— if that isn’t glaringly obvious.
