Marc on "Technology and Communication"

Lack of communication skills: Totally agree with you there, but I think that for the generation coming up behind us, they don't understand any kind of distinction. In other words, they don't see a "lack" of communication skills because they don't know that there is any other kind of communication environment other than informal. It's easy to blame it on schools, but I think they are certainly contributing to the problem. Kids don't have to treat teachers like we did. But a lot of it (as with many other things) can be traced back to how children are taught at home at a very young age. When we were kids we all knew that when we talked to adults, we had to speak differently, address them differently, and even use a different tone of voice. We learned that from our parents. We called our aunts and uncles "Aunt whoever" and "Uncle Whoever". We said yes sir and yes ma'am. From a very young age we were taught that different situations required different types of communication, and that there were consequences if we were out of line. I'm not sure that kids are taught that these days. I personally can't stand it when our friends' children say, "Hey Marc." It should be "Mr. Marc."

Handwritten notes: I think they mean something simply because of the time factor involved. ANY gesture that takes a little bit of time (as opposed to the 8 seconds it takes to send a text or one-line email) is going to have more impact. Also, I would add that regardless of the time it takes for the gesture, the true value of it depends on the relationship that has been cultivated prior to the gesture in the first place. Admiral Mullen, who is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, could send me a handwritten note and I would say, "Wow, that was a nice gesture." But in the long run he doesn't know me, and I don't know him; there's no relationship. As a result, it's value is limited.

Companies spending money of social media: I don't have an MBA like you smarty pants, but I'll give you an amateur's perspective. In this world of internet shopping, it's not enough to get a quality product on the shelves, because I (the consumer) may never go to the store to see it sitting there. So, let's just say I'm looking for a bike trainer (which I asked you about the other day Brad). If I plug in "bike trainer" on THE GOOGLE I get 4,160,000 hits and who knows how many brand names. Where do I start? Well, if I've been exposed to a certain brand through social media, that might be the brand name that I recognize and take a look at first. Or, I may even plug that name in my initial search to limit the results. I won't even see the other brands. That's the value of social media. I'll agree that I don't think you can quantify it easily, but I can see the value.