DygiScape

Big Business VS. Small(er) Business

Having come from a large corporate empire to a smaller, mid-sized company, I’ve seen a lot of polar opposites when it comes to getting work done. Read on for a side-by-side comparison of these two work environments. More »

Unloading the E-Mail Overload

Jeremiah at Web Strategist blogged about the how e-mail is consuming us in today’s business culture. Often, a lot of employees in almost any sized organization, are bogged down doing e-mail instead of getting work done. There is some hope — some technical solutions and some process improvements. More »

Insight Into Yahoo’s Exiting Employees, Comparison to AOL

Boris Epstein of BINC, a professional headhunter service, blogged about some of the troubling thoughts from former Yahooligans who left the company in the past few months. The upcoming merger with Microsoft is only hemorrhaging employee morale even more. Check out the original blog entry listing the top nine reasons why talent is being lost out the front door of Yahoo. More »

It Feels Good To Be Home (Again)

My intermission of blogging has ceased. I feel at this point I am finally “home,” back in Arizona, with my new employer. (Before I fully disclose my employment status here, I think it’s a good idea to run it by the bosses to let them know before they Google me and find out that way.) It was a fun, long and enjoyable three weeks of packing and traveling across the country to re-establish myself.

It was somewhat frustrating though because as I left, the weather where I lived became livable at 60F. Only those who live in NoVA would understand, that 9/12 months of the year it’s cold, overcast and it’s disappointing to be homebound for all that time. In addition to the fortunate weather pattern, there were many headlines that broke that I would’ve loved to dish my two cents on. Well, I digress from that, and will opine on the following headlines that I recall:

• Hillary Clinton Allegedly Releasing Adverse Photos of Barack Obama — Alright, I know it’s politics, but I find it incredibly disappointing that another opponent in the same political party would release photos of someone who was in a cultural ceremony, wearing a Turbin, completely playing on the fear of Muslims in America, further, denying all knowledge of it.
• Use of Barack ‘Hussein’ Obama by the Tennessee RNC — In a campaign speech (dare I even call it that), Bill Cunningham, said numerous disparaging statements with exaggerated Armageddon-like references against Barack Obama. McCain rightfully responded that he disapproved of those statements and intends to conduct his interactions with other candidates with respect. It’s disappointing to see that all it takes to attack someone in this day is to use their middle name.
• Gas Prices Expected to Soar Above $4.00/Gal. — While not surprising, it’s interesting to see that despite the upcoming (or present) recession, Gasoline continues to increase while Exxon rejoiced in their highest 4th quarter earnings, record breaking at that. What about that whole “blood for oil” thing that people were talking about? In any case, I live two miles from work, so I won’t be truly affected, but I do feel for those who have to sit on the 495 or commute in excess of five miles daily.
• Barack’s Pastor’s Remarks, Racially Motivated — While I do question Obama’s mechanics on how he plans on resolving healthcare, social security and the economy, I do not doubt his views. Since when is it appropriate to bring someone’s pastor into the media and chastise a politician on someone else’s remarks? I agree the Pastor made some rather radical statements, but I do not believe those are necessarily anything that falls into Obama’s agenda. So far, all three attacks on Obama all based on fear, insecurity and race — are we still stuck in the 60’s?
• Hillary’s ‘Who do you want to answer the call at 3am’ Propaganda — I usually try to cut Hillary some slack, but her TV commercial crosses the line. She has no right to claim “fear-mongering” from the right, when her own ad insinuates another terrorist attack at 3am, and she somehow believes she is in a better position to answer the phone. Sorry, Hillary, McCain is probably a little better equipped to handle a Military situation than you.

I don’t claim to be a political pundit by any means, nor do I believe I have all the answers, but I just want someone to shrink the size of government. This will accomplish two things: force people to become independent thinkers, lower taxes and once again restore the very qualities that makes America the best, freedom. I’m tired of empty promises, facist propaganda and corporate interests in DC! As I ponder this deeper, expect a future entry dissecting the very values of the two political parties, since that too is on my mind.

Another topic that I’ve had some time to think about — Photo Traffic Enforcement. For those who may not know, Phoenix was one of the first cities to deploy technology that combated Red Light Running (since, they’re #1). That technology eventually matured to include speed enforcement. I think it’s a great idea to make intersections safer and a good way to exploit technology to allow human resources (police) to handle higher priority matters. On the contrary, I disagree with speed enforcement, since speeding is subjective since it varies with the conditions of the road. My five priors are evident of this belief, but I must say the enhanced Radar speed limit signs that blink when you exceed 5MPH are keeping me off the gas pedal. Also, I am less likely to accelerate to beat the yellow mainly since if I get tagged, I will get two tickets in the mail and I wouldn’t exactly want that.

My new apartment is very spacious, good views, good neighborhood (sans theft) and I’m loving my Cox Cable package. The results speak for themselves:

I feel I got out what was on my mind for a while. My apologies for the lack of any pictures. Most of my driving took place at night, and there really wasn’t anything that interesting on the way. When I eventually get my pictures off my camera I’ll post them.

~Joe

Coincidence?

I checked my mail and what do I see?

More »

Last Blog Entry for Work

I’ve finally posted my last blog entry on my employer’s blog. I’ll be leaving the company tomorrow. I just wanted to thank everyone that supported (and challenged) me along the way. I look forward to carving a new path for myself.

This decision was one made outside of my control, and I will truly miss my time at AOL. That is, all the customers, the workers and the technology.

Thanks,
Joe

Empty Cubicles

You might already know that a large restructuring took effect today at my employer. It’s always a shame to see talent, skill, and centuries of experience leave their empty cubicle with one to four boxes of their belongings.

I wasn’t in this round (which makes 0-3 for me). But plenty of colleagues that I worked with were. It was sad to see them already packing their desks in a form of box. Many expected it, thanks to the rumor-mill tech gossip blogs, but some were still surprised.

I really wish you were here still with us. Stand strong and keep your head up. There’s plenty of opportunity that awaits you in the D.C. area. In your pursuit for a new paycheck, check out EMurse. You might like it — very Web 2.0, free, and helpful for formatting your resume on the fly.

Lastly, if you read this — keep in touch. Bother me with random IMs when you’re bored, I’ll chat.

When I’m not Working, I …

… don’t do anything. Okay, okay, not really. A co-worker asked me this today and I realized that I had to think about this. I’ve just been so caught up in work, I lost my sense of personality — briefly.

I really don’t have any interesting hobbies though. On my Friday and Saturday nights, I was with my friends. Now, I don’t have that network of friends, and I don’t feel all too comfortable making new ones where I am. I don’t know, because it just seems more complex than it is.

Right now, I live in a suburb of Leesburg, there isn’t anything to do or anyone to see for like 10 miles. And at that, I’m not looking forward to maze in DC.

In this moment of deep thought, I occasionally apply some thoughts from work to help me make a decision. Sure, it’s risky to meet new friends, but what about the risk of not meeting new friends? Yeah, I know, I get a little nutty sometimes.

So this weekend’s goal is to find a hobby. Srsly.

What am I doing?

A few things. I’m a little busy with work and all, but besides that…

I added some basic blog comment policies here and listed my blogging disclosure. I’m trying to use twitter more and more, but the site is just so slow… (ack!). I’m also doing other stuff too but it’s probably not interesting. (…or is it?)
I’ll be happy to field questions from readers tonight. If you have any questions for me, share them in the comments.

9 Must-Read Tips Before You Relocate With Your Employer!

Some of you might know that I relocated with my company from the southwest to the mid-Atlantic. As a result I admit that I’ve made some mistake in this process and I’ll do anything to help someone else from making them like I did.

So you just landed an awesome job promotion and you’re moving with the company, known as relocation, congratulations! Don’t get caught up in the moment yet, you will need to get started performing in-depth research.

I’ll be honest. I’ve made some mistakes, but I can assure you that they won’t be made again. Onward we go …

Mistakes I’ve made during my relocation:

• Inadequate research
• Trusting people’s advice without verifying
• Not setting a financial road map
• Not paying debts before moving
• Procrastinated to prepare vehicle
• Making a large purchase too soon.

Given I’ve made a few mistakes, I can say I’ve earned a degree in how to properly move from one side of the ‘States to the other. Shifting from my experience, here are some excellent tips to help you relocate across the country with your employer:

• Make a financial plan. Sticking to a financial plan is challenging, however, taking a lot of time to create a financial boundary on things will give to a better overall understanding of the financial impact purchases have.
• Keep all receipts of transactions. This is a staple if you will be compensated for travel and relocation costs. However, even if you are not being compensating; having a hard-copy of transactions will help you understand where the money went.
• Understand the Cost of Living differences. I’ve done my homework on this, but I can’t stress enough how important it is to compare the cost of living between your state and where you’re going to. Consider spending some time filling out online calculators to get an idea of the differences. Use these calculators with 65% confidence because reality varies.
• Network, network, network. Wherever possible, make your best effort to network with contacts on your interview to understand the culture differences, current events and suggestions on living there. This will help give you some starting points of research before you sign any leases and will give you a better understand what current events will be impacting you during your move (e.g. construction, tax increases, etc.)
• No matter how much your salary is — DO NOT BUY ANYTHING LARGE! Be extremely careful in your first few months of settling in. I made a mistake of purchasing a car because of my error of evaluating my upcoming finances. Please, learn from me and don’t purchase a car until you live in your residence for a few months. This will provide a more accurate financial outlook with bills, taxes and your ability to make the ends meet.
• Research Rental properties and get $100! Perform intensive research into your new home. You can narrow down your search by location, price and amenities based on your needs. While considering your apartment, check out what current and former tenants said about it on Apartment Ratings.
• Set aside time to explore the area. Just drive around, practice your route (and alternative routes) to your work, home, shopping centers and malls. This will help you become more relaxed when you need to travel to a new place.
• Negotiate the job offer. When they make an offer, don’t immediately accept — say something along the lines of, “Thank you, is it alright if I look this over and get back to you in few days?” This accomplishes a few things: the ball is in your court, you have the option to negotiate, and you now have some time to finalize your research, set a baseline and your target salary to negotiate with. Keep in mind, that you may not necessary want a raise in annual salary, if you can garner a reimbursement package, a sign-on bonus, or other perks like vacation available upfront. Again, it’s a negotiation process, employers (should) respect that moving across the country is a major change.
• Relax. If you make any rushed or urgent decisions, most likely, they will be poor decisions. Take the time to relax and consider your options, financial obligations, and life’s goals. Give yourself the time to relax and let the tension go, otherwise it will all go to your head.

Using these tips will help you be more prepared when moving across the country. Let my mistake become your insider’s advantage!

[tags]Relocation, Living, Salary, Employer, Employee, Jobs, Promotion, Information, Reference[/tags]