Archive for the ‘living well’ Category

Why Service Always Matters

Posted by Neal Shaffer on Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

I met one of my best friends, illustrator Daniel Krall, when we both worked the café at the Borders book store in Towson. We served coffee and brainstormed together. We goofed off a bit, too, but we also made some mean cappuccinos. Along the way we planted the seeds for our first published work. Those were good times.

We’d often take our lunch break, or some time after a shift, and head up the street to Souris’ Saloon for food and beer. It’s a great spot, steeped in history — open since the 1930s and retaining many original details. The food is very decent and very affordable. The atmosphere is unflinchingly pleasant.

Alas, neither of us has worked in Towson for many years, which means we haven’t been Souris’ regulars for some time. I think the last time we were there was five or six years ago. Until Monday when, on a whim, we decided to drive up and grab lunch.

Walking in felt great — outside of the addition of a few nice TVs virtually nothing has changed. It’s still a window to the past, still a comfortable place. We took a booth and settled in. We ordered, we drank, we ate.

Time came for the check and our server, Stephanie, eyed us with a bit of curiosity before asking, “Didn’t you guys used to work down the street at the bookstore?”

What? How?

She was genuinely glad to see us. She asked what we’d been up to and we told her. We chatted for a minute and reminisced. She said she hoped she’d see us again soon. The whole experience was as authentic and pleasant as any I’ve ever had in a customer service setting. It kind of blew my mind.

I came of age working retail and restaurants. I was fairly damn good at it and I learned a lot — to this day part of me wants to go back to that world. But I have to be honest: I was never good enough to remember someone six years out. That’s just exceptional. Insane in every right sense of the word.

As Daniel and I left to head back to the grind we talked about how we should probably try to turn Monday lunch at Souris’ into a regular thing. It’s a little out of our way, sure, but Stephanie works Mondays. That counts.

I’m tempted to spill another two hundred words on exactly why it counts, but the truth is that if you don’t get it then, well, good luck. Service always wins.

Posted in advice, business, living well, misc. | Comments Off

Why (and How) You Should Spend More Here

Posted by Neal Shaffer on Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

Over the first few months of writing this blog I’ve revealed, among other things, an obvious interest in crafted, US-made goods. These things excite me. I value the work of craftspeople and domestic businesses and I believe their work is important. I figure maybe it’s time to explain.

I don’t like to draw hard lines but I’ll say this: if a choice exists between a handcrafted and/or US-made product vs. a foreign product, the former is nearly always a better option. Why? Because work is the economy. If people here aren’t working then they’re not spending, and bad things happen if they’re not spending. It affects livelihoods. Which means even less spending…which means even less work…and on and on. Obviously that’s an oversimplification but it’s true at the core. Buying things made here supports the people who work here, which supports the system that keeps this nation of ours churning forward. However flawed it may be.

It’s not a black-and-white issue and I’m not here to claim that there isn’t value in the work done by people in other countries. Of course there is. I’m not against the global economy — it’s a functional reality and it’s not automatically bad. It’s important to remember, though, that every purchase is an investment.

I believe in supporting the upstart, the entrepreneur, the independent. That’s not an argument against anything, it’s an argument for something.

There’s no getting around the fact that the kinds of goods I’m discussing usually (but not always) cost more. A lot more in some cases. I know that’s tough and I’m not suggesting that anyone other than the very rich could or should attempt to purchase only this one class of goods. It’s not realistic.

What I’m suggesting is consideration of the issue and an attempt to, where possible, prioritize. I buy plenty of foreign goods and will, like most people, continue to do so. But I’m moving the balance slowly. I’m looking for opportunities to buy local and/or US-made. When I’m faced with the choice of “now” vs. “better” I’m trying hard to wait a little while and go with the latter. Piece-by-piece I’m making decisions that help prop up artisans, craftspeople, and the US economy as a whole. I do what I can and that’s all I’d ever ask of anyone else.

Maybe there’s an argument against it. Actually, I’m sure there is — it’s a complex issue. Even when I hear that argument, though (and the comments are open), I doubt my priorities will change.

I side with the people who are making a go of it. And my hunch is that on some level, they side with me. That goes a long way.

(photo via Flickr user Markusram)

Posted in americana, business, living well | 4 Comments »

Rethinking the Exclamation Point

Posted by Neal Shaffer on Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

exclamation_pointFor many years I flat-out refused to use exclamation points. Whether writing fiction, journalism, an email, an instant message, whatever, I just wouldn’t do it. No matter what.

My reasoning was that exclamation points are cheap and flimsy. They have a tendency to make whatever you’re writing sound as if it’s being spoken by a cheerleader. That, it seemed to me, was clearly something to avoid. The practice served me well and I believed it always would.

Perhaps not.

Within the past two or three years the exclamation point has started to make a move on me. It started with text messages, then occasionally showed up on Twitter. Nowadays it even occasionally — very occasionally — ends up in an email.

What happened? I ran into (as everyone does) one of the biggest shortcomings of modern communications technology: the inability to accurately convey tone. When everything is flat, just letterforms on a screen, there’s no body language or voice to help tell someone how I feel. No way to let them know that I’m very excited and not just interested in whatever’s being discussed.

For example, there’s a big difference between typing “Thanks.” and “Thanks!” Sometimes only the latter will do because the former seems too cold, maybe even (depending on the context) sarcastic. Similarly, “f#*k off!” only feels flippant if accompanied by an exclamation point. And if flippancy is intended in a situation like that, it better be there.

So now I’m ready to admit that not only is the exclamation point occasionally useful, there are times when it’s actually essential. Amazingly enough.

That said, a plea. When you encounter a need for exclamation points in the wild, keep three rules in mind:

  • Always use them sparingly.
  • Never use them in any situation more formal than Twitter or a text. Keep them out of your blog posts, the bulk of your emails, and anything business-related.
  • Always double-check before going live. Is it necessary?

One final note: nothing I said above also applies to emoticons. The less said about those, the better.

Posted in advice, living well, misc. | 5 Comments »

How Jeep Got Advertising Right

Posted by Neal Shaffer on Monday, June 21st, 2010

There’s nothing inherently evil about advertising. There are a lot of things wrong with it, and certainly some practitioners treat it as a black art, but it isn’t always or even usually that way. More often than not it’s neither good nor bad.

Occasionally, it can be great.

Case in point: Jeep’s one-minute spot for their 2011 Grand Cherokee.

YouTube Preview Image

They made a bold choice here in that this isn’t really about Jeep or the Grand Cherokee. It’s about American heritage, the importance of manufacturing, pride in a job well done, and the classic “we can do anything we put our mind to” ethos. And the writing is just fantastic.

“The things that make us Americans are the things we make. This has always been a nation of builders. Craftsmen. Men and women for whom straight stitches and clean welds were matters of personal pride. They made the skyscrapers, and the cotton gins. Colt revolvers, Jeep 4X4s. These things make us who we are.

As a people, we do well when we make good things and not so well when we don’t. The good news is, this can be put right. We just have to do it.

So we did.

This, our newest son, was imagined, drawn, carved, stamped, hewn, and forged here. In America. It is well-made, and it is designed to work.

This was once a country where people made things. Beautiful things. And so it is again.

The new Jeep Grand Cherokee.

“The Things We Make, Make Us”

I have my doubts about whether the Grand Cherokee can actually live up to this spot, but that’s a different discussion. For me this is a pleasant reminder that advertising, when done well, can be a great vehicle for storytelling.

Kudos to Jeep and and the (unfortunately anonymous) creatives at Wieden + Kennedy for making it happen.

Posted in advertising, entertainment, living well | 11 Comments »

Writing Tips For Modern People

Posted by Neal Shaffer on Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Field Notes by Flickr user basbPersonal blog posts. Twitter and/or Facebook updates. Emails. Text messages. Etc. The proliferation of instant communication has brought with it an important (but little discussed) rise in writing. I have no stats to back this up but my sense is that folks are probably doing more writing now than ever before. This is both a good and a bad thing.

It’s good because written communication is inherently good. It’s a good way to relate, filled with possibility. The bad comes in the fact that most people have little to no background on how to do it well.

I’d like to help with that. Before I do, though, let me draw a clear line: there is a huge difference between the kind of day-to-day writing I’m talking about here and the notion of actually being a writer. They’re not at all the same thing. Just so we’re clear.

With that said, here are a few easily-implemented ideas for improvement. Keep them in the back of your mind and you’ll be on your way to becoming a more effective and trusted communicator.

(more…)

Posted in advice, living well | Comments Off