Start up impressions - working for a young technology company

I'm going to try to keep more content coming in to this space on a more regular basis, some topics may just be about "me" while others may take on a more work - life - hobbies tone.

I've been with my new employer for three months now, well into my initiation period. I now see my contributions making a difference (in a small company most everything makes a difference in some way!). Our management team had a good conversation today about the future of the company (we get together every two weeks for financial and strategy sessions) and I truly appreciate the amount of involvement I have with these decisions. There are moments when I want things to happen much more quickly, though. That's my impatient side coming through and I tend to ignore the guy on my other shoulder whispering "you better watch what you ask for!"

Currently seeking job opportunities

What a great experience at Compendium! Now I'm on to other exciting opportunities and would love to share my experience and know-how with your company. Please see my profile by clicking on the image below, or contact me directly.

This topic now on hiatus; new adventure begins.

So I enjoy the idea of blogging so much I have now turned my profession towards helping corporations use blogs to most effectively communicate with their customers. I'll still be blogging, though it'll be a Compendium blog, and hopefully at some point I'll dedicate this space to another topic. I'm very happy to be starting this new adventure, wish me luck! Cheers.

Eight Random Facts

I've been tagged by Nancy of The Zen Birdfeeder share my Eight Random Facts.

Here are the rules for Eight Random Facts:

1. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

And here are the eight random facts:

1. My last name is "Bird" and I work for Wild "Birds" Unlimited. (How many times have I been reminded of that?)
2. In high school, I played varsity baseball. In college, I just played.
   
3. I was born in Yokosuka, Japan while my dad was in the Navy, moved all over the west coast and attended three different schools during my 3rd grade. One in California, one in West Virginia, and one in Indiana.
4. I was a 4-H Junior Leader.
5. In 9th grade biology class, I once said "circumcised" by mistake while reading aloud from the textbook.
6. I rode a moped in high school.
7. I once passed out in an airplane (while waiting on the tarmac) and had to be hauled out, loaded in an ambulance and taken to the hospital. (It's a long story.)
8. I love to drive my car really fast (in a safe and closed environment, of course).

Tagging these bloggers: (I'm supposed to do eight, whatever.)
Bo over at resourceful.
Dad at Lakeview Golf Course.

Chipmunk invited to lunch

I'm lucky enough to have an office with a large window out of which distractions often prevent me from focusing on my work. Like Cedar Waxwings feasting on service berries, Canada Geese wandering the parking lot and small families of chipmunks darting in and out of the under brush, one look outside can provide a day's worth of entertainment. ("Focus!" I keep demanding of myself.) Today's entertainment turned very quickly into a horror movie I won't soon forget.

A Cooper's Hawk had seen enough of the playful chipmunks and I assume since it was about time for lunch anyway, decided to invite one of them over for a meal. It was not a pretty sight, that hawk up in the tree feasting on it's prey. I understand this happens every day but come on, right outside my window? Do me a favor and keep this graphic behavior where it belongs, on TV. ;-)

Digital photos to the rescue - another happy customer.

Over the fourth of July holiday my uncle emailed me with a problem. You see, he knows I work for a bird feeding company and can help him find the product he needs. He is trying to find an alternate way to mount his bird feeding setup on his deck. He scoured the internet but just did not find the part he needed right away. What did he do? He email some digital photographs to me, I consulted with one of our in-house product managers and with the help of one of our local stores, the parts were identified, ordered and drop-shipped directly from the supplier. My uncle will have his parts in 5-7 days. And he's a very happy customer. Mind you, he is about 70 years young and lives 2,000 miles from me.

Lesson? Don't think your customer base is not using the internet or is not current with the latest technology. My uncle may not be an technology expert, though he has a digital camera and uses the internet regularly to research and shop. Don't underestimate your customers.

Disclaimer

This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. Additionally, my thoughts change from time to time, therefore opinions I expressed at some time in the past may not represent my opinions today. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. This blog makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site & will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.

New Blog Begins

I'm normally faster to the punch with newer technology, eager to be among the first on the block. Honestly, I did experiment with a few blogging platforms, though couldn't come to publish them live. WordPress is one that is very attractive for it's ability to conform to your tech tweaks - but for those without time to spare you might find yourself into tomorrow as you experiment endlessly. I'm sure I'll find plenty under the hood to tinker with here on the Google offering and soon find a niche in the blogosphere.