http://www.cocomment.com/comments/katiekonrath Copyright 2007 coComment.com 2009-11-24T23:29:10.434+01:00 http://www.cocomment.com/images/logo4rss.gif http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=katiekonrath&conv=1033691&comment_id=20259884 Katie Konrath Jason, I wasn't implying that you should have spent the 20 minutes ramming the need to get on LinkedIn or blogs into their heads. Just lamenting that those really smart students weren't becoming a part of the amazing online world. Perhaps I'm jaded from too many years of seeing professors teach things that are out-of-touch and out-dated. My immediate reaction was that it was a failure of the business school to at least make those students aware of the possibilities out there. And it's true that many, many people have no clue what's going on online. I'm reminded of that everyday in Germany when I say something and am rewarded with a blank stare (and not just because of my horrible German.) In the real world, blogs are still quite uncommon, and it's good for us to remember that. But I believe that since those MBA students are training to be leaders in the business world, it's a real shame that they're not aware of the significant effect that blogs are having on it. And they'll be at a real disadvantage when they do have to face the blogosphere on graduation. 2007-10-10T23:36:38.266+02:00 2007-10-10T23:36:38.266+02:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=katiekonrath&conv=1033691&comment_id=20239524 Katie Konrath As someone who is just graduating from a Masters program, I have to say that blogs and social networking sites were a great part of my education. Not because they were required (they weren't) or encouraged (I'm not sure my professors even know what a blog is), but because they filled in the gaps. Blogs are real, they're about what actually happens... they're not an academic analysis. And they've been so helpful to me. Coming from that viewpoint, I'd be a little worried about the MBA students you talked about above. Yes, they could be using their time to make face to face connections, and build strong networks personally and through older means. But they might not. Not all students build for the future when they're in school--many of them are way too occupied with school work and their personal lives. MBA students are too old to be a part of the original Facebook crowd. I see this because my graduation year was one of the first to be a part of Facebook. Most of the students from my year have used it, but not the year above me. The age gap is really clear. And if the students aren't reading blogs yet, or doing anything with social networking, they're also missing out on the movement of older professionals towards Facebook and LinkedIn. Jason, you could be right that the students are refreshingly networking the old-fashioned, personal way. And that they'll eventually jump in. But there's also one thing to remember: business schools are the ones who have trained many of the current company leaders who are resisting blogs and social networking. Perhaps the students are being trained to think Web 2.0 is just a silly fad that they shouldn't bother getting involved with. If a MBA student is trying to learn how to be a leader of the future, it's never a good idea to bury one's head in the sand and ignore the changes that are sweeping through the business world. Blogs and social networking are very important right now, and if those MBA students aren't aware of that... maybe the teaching they're getting is out-of-touch. 2007-10-10T07:38:35.321+02:00 2007-10-10T07:38:35.321+02:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=katiekonrath&conv=1018952&comment_id=19707326 Katie Konrath And don't forget: make the screen strong so it doesn't break! I love the idea though. Too many phone companies just throw on flashy accessories, without actually seeing how normal customers use their phones. 2007-09-27T22:00:16.957+02:00 2007-09-27T22:00:16.957+02:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=katiekonrath&conv=1014226&comment_id=19398787 Katie Konrath I didn't care for the Hardee's commercial. It just seemed like too much of a stretch, and wasn't really about buying hamburgers. The Clearasil ones are funny though. They're more on target (e.g. teenagers who want to feel better about their looks) and go a little overboard in a comical way. I like the twist to them. I actually saw the Bob-male-enhancement one on tv, and it drove me crazy. It's a little stupid, but I think they just ran it way too much. But still, the Hardees ad irks me. 2007-09-24T17:50:38.764+02:00 2007-09-24T17:50:38.764+02:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=katiekonrath&conv=1007757&comment_id=18901602 Katie Konrath Becky, your experience sounds like a classic "we hooked them and they're stuck with us now" attitude. The company wined and dined you when you had something to give to them, but now they're treating you as the irrelevant time-sapper you've now become. Let's face it. You just spent thousands of dollars to buy a long-lasting item from them. This means they're probably not going to be selling to you again in the near future. All they're going to be doing is fixing that expensive contraption that is keeping you from buying another car. They're probably not thinking too much about the after-warranty repairs. From what you said, it doesn't look like they're trying to establish a relationship with you--so maybe they just assume that you're going to go to someone else. If this is how they regularly treat customers during repairs, most customers probably head off to another cheaper and nicer mechanic as soon as they can. Of course, they don't make this connection. They probably just think that since customers don't stay with them anyways, there's no point in going out of their way to be nice. Do I think this is right and a good practice? Not at all--there's nothing worse than destroying an image that they worked so hard to create. But after so experiencing the same reluctant service from a lot of other long-term purchases (phones, computers, etc.), I'm convinced that many companies stop caring about their new customers as soon as the agreement is signed. 2007-09-19T16:28:17.279+02:00 2007-09-19T16:28:17.279+02:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=katiekonrath&conv=812005&comment_id=15803144 Katie Konrath Wow, I'm just amazed by those drawings. Not only is the result fabulous, I can't imagine the creative conception needed to create something like this. I am continually in awe of people with such artistic ability! 2007-06-18T15:18:49.042+02:00 2007-06-18T15:18:49.042+02:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=katiekonrath&conv=781617&comment_id=15193625 Katie Konrath That's similar to Reveral, one of the techniques of Lateral Thinking. Try negating the statement too... it can also have interesting results. For example: We pay our customers for our product. Perhaps some incentive program, or a company paying for used-up containers for a recycling initiative. -or- Our customers don't pay for our product. Someone else could pay as a sponsor, or other ideas along those lines. 2007-06-07T16:21:37.587+02:00 2007-06-07T16:21:37.587+02:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=katiekonrath&conv=781595&comment_id=15192907 Katie Konrath I saw that video before, but it's amazingly funny. Congrats on making the first page of Digg. You have a really good blog and it's nice to see quality work rewarded! 2007-06-07T16:15:01.003+02:00 2007-06-07T16:15:01.003+02:00 http://www.cocomment.com/sidebar?object=people&context=explore&mode=detail&id=katiekonrath&conv=769991&comment_id=14958116 Katie I like it. A fun look, the flexibility that will make it work for smaller kitchens, and the ability to put it away when it's not needed. Kudos! 2007-06-03T21:24:29.805+02:00 2007-06-03T21:24:29.805+02:00