Cornered Office
with Mir Kamin
I'm a freelance writer and mother of two working from home, which theoretically means I can set my own schedule so as to best accommodate my family. In reality, "flexible hours" often equals "working too much." Yes, I'm my own boss; no, that doesn't mean life is easy. It's hard to leave the office when you live there. But I love what I do and feel very lucky. And not just because I get paid to work in my pajamas.
To learn more about Mir, check out her profile on Work It, Mom! or visit her blog at http://www.wouldashoulda.com/
|
(Pictured here: Not my actual computer, which was not harmed in the making of this post.)
So, I consider myself pretty savvy in the ways of the online world, you know? I blog for a living. I know my way around the keyboard and I’ve been around the Internet a few times. This isn’t my first rodeo. And while you’ll never see me claiming to be a “social media expert” (I know some people really are that, but I also know that pretty much anyone with a computer feels justified calling themselves that, these days), I feel like I’ve done a decent job keeping up with the various online outlets which allow for networking and socializing and staying abreast of what’s going on.
I also usually have a good chuckle whenever anyone starts complaining about changes in any sort of free online service as if it’s actually something that matters. Sort of like… oh…
… that. Because it’s just Facebook! Or Twitter! Or Klout! Or LinkedIn! Or Google+! Or… whatever.
Really, most of the time, I don’t think about it much.
I don’t know if there have been more changes, lately, or if I’m getting old, or I’m under more stress than usual, or if it’s some weird combination of all of these things, but lately I feel like I’m turning into the Internet equivalent of the cane-waving “you damn kids get off my lawn” lady.
Because… now they’ve gone and mucked with my beloved Google. I mean, Gmail is insisting that I may want to change over to their “new look” on my email—which I don’t—and it’s already started showing me my documents in some weird interface. Furthermore, I went to read blogs today, and Google Reader looks all… weird.
And just like that, I became that indignant person complaining about the changes to the free stuff I like.
I had to take a break from that and go give a bunch of people some Klout. (Not because I really care about Klout, you understand, but because they sucked me in with their Perks. I like the Perks, I can’t lie.) And then I spent some time on Facebook, where people were complaining about Google Reader. Suddenly I realized that maybe I’m not quite as up-to-date and adaptable as I assumed.
Thank goodness I can still complain about it on Twitter. Why, that’s practically a requirement of the profession, at this point.
Subscribe to blog via RSS
Oh, me too! They changed Blogger and wouldn’t tell me what changed so I had to experiment (just let me blog already!) and then Reader looks all thin and weird and yuck. I tell myself I’ll get used to it, but I don’t like it. And you get off my lawn!
ccr in MA | November 1st, 2011 at 6:26 pm
I hate that not too long ago, Reader suddenly started marking unread items read after 30 days. I would go to look for something I had put off reading and it would be gone.
I made a decision to spend less time online, but I don’t want to miss out on any of my favorite bloggers, so i switched my “not daily” blogs to Feedreader and kept my daily blog-reads on Reader. Why, Google? Why?! (On a side note that doesn’t bug, bug me, but kinda makes me wonder: Why did they go with a black/white/red theme on everything? I don’t want words to turn red, because I have color blindness issues! They don’t stand out and seem fuzzy when they are red.)
One complaint is the “Do you want to see the old format instead” stuff (on Google Docs for sure). Why are you making the change if you aren’t going to make people change to it? And when you DO force the change (I’m assuming that will happen eventually), then they still won’t be used to the new format, so why does it matter when you force them to do it?
I work at a small, private school that is on Google Apps, and all these changes are confusing the not-tech-savvy staff and faculty, which causes me mega-headaches.
/end rant
Jessica | November 1st, 2011 at 6:51 pm
I kind of felt the same way when you changed your personal blog’s design. Funny, huh? “But I loved it the old way, why did she have to go and change it…???” Like I had any right to whine… Still reading however. I did find that if I Control + while on FB I only see the newsfeed and don’t have to look at all the other stuff.
Doesn’t get rid of it, but I don’t have to see it so La La La it’s not there…
Midj | November 2nd, 2011 at 11:13 am
I Do NOT get Klout. And, I’m tired of all the Klout Komplaining and (flip side) Kongratulating. Unless it is about shoes or football, I don’t care. Is it? I mean, about shoes or football…
elz | November 2nd, 2011 at 2:31 pm
EXACTLY, from beginning to end. It’s just that i LIVE fully and completely in the Google bubble! lol
Miss Britt | November 2nd, 2011 at 5:42 pm