Have you ever gone to a blog and noticed that all they seem to do is rant and rant and rant some more.  About what you ask?  About anything that will create controversy. 

Does this help anyone?

Yes.  The person who is ranting has gotten what they want- audience.  But does it help you? - No.  In the end, all they are doing is lowering their blog to the level of a second rate forum.  You know the type of forum that does something called, “flaming,” to new users who are inexperienced.  Or they start a topic that they know will create a heated debate.  This isn’t conversation, constructive, or even productive- it’s childish. 

Again, keep the ranting to your bedroom and buy a book on anger management.  Don’t dirty your blog with your negative attitude.  If you don’t like something, be constructive and only offer advice.  Don’t tell me how much you hate, despise, etc…  I left your blog in an instant when I noticed how much you complain.  I like most people am not here to listen to someone complain.  When I surf the net, I do so to find inspiration, creativity, innovation, and like minded individuals. 

In the end, negativity in any form will only push people away.  People enjoy positive people and the presence they create. 

Working as a group can be very difficult for some people. For me personally, I also find it challenging at times. When you work as a team, you have to make sure that your teammates are, “on the same page,” in a sense, or things will quickly unravel.

I’ve talked about brainstorming ideas collectively in the past, but after that I never really wrote much about my joint projects. Today I’d like to touch upon a few things that I feel are crucial when working with another person or even a group of people.

Management of Tasks

This is usually the first thing that people do when they start a group project because of the amount of work that has to get done. However, if you don’t do this, two or more people might work on the same thing. One person might do nothing. Then again, and it’s highly unlikely, everyone will do what they need to reach the goal.

So the first thing that you have to do when starting a group project is to layout or outline every task that needs to be done. The process is quite easy and I don’t think I need to go into it in too much detail right now. Just make sure that you write down everything, and then make a task out of it. A simple example is, “The website needs a better design.” Let’s have someone work on the logo. Get the point? You just want to make sure at this stage that you have tasks. It doesn’t matter what the tasks are, just as long as you and everyone else know what they are.

Deadlines

I read an old JohnChow post awhile back about success and dreams. Even though I have lost the link to the post, I still remember the basic idea he was trying to get across. If you don’t set deadlines on your dreams, then they will remain dreams and never become goals. The same goes for any project you are working on, even a group project. Don’t set a deadline on that logo, and it will remain a dream that may never reach completion.

Setting deadlines is a lot easier than people think. Deadlines are already all around us in our every day lives and we usually are so used to abiding by them that we forget they are there. If you work for someone else, then you know how to follow deadlines, and that is the best place to start and even learn.

The simplest way to set a deadline is to be completely realistic. In your head or on paper, layout everything that you are currently working on, then place the item you want to have a deadline with all the others. Will it take a day, a week, a month? - It’s up to you. Pull up a calendar and write down that event on that day and stick to it.

communication

We work in groups to get things done more quickly than we would if we worked on our own. Another advantage to working in a group that should be fully exploited is the fact that you have multiple minds converging on one goal and should have a much richer, fuller, and developed product. Communicating with your fellow developers is the key to reaching the ultimate goal and also staying on track. Without the necessary means of communication, your project will reach a standstill while you sit around and wait for someone else to give you their input.

Here are a few tips on communication within a group:

• Find an efficient way to communicate. Use Gmail and Google Documents to share information easily.
• Be clear, concise, and to the point. Using e-mail is just like any other form of communication, you have to learn how to express yourself effectively.
• Pick up the phone or get on a video chat. You’re still a human, so why stick to written forms?
• Break down confrontation and conflict before it even starts. This is actually a lot easier than most people think. Conflict usually occurs when you didn’t take care of a problem weeks ago. So stay on top of problems and deal with them as they arise.

Do you have any experience working with other people on a project? I’d love to hear what you have to say…

Lately you have probably noticed a lot of complaints being passed around about the new Facebook Gift feature.  Well, as far as I am concerned I don’t think it was a bad move on Facebook’s end at all. 

Imagine a product that takes only a short time to create and then you can sell it again and again.  You also don’t have to worry much about cost for creating the product because it is an image.

If you managed millions of people within a social network, would you not produce and “optional” form of communication?  It is not as though Facebook is telling their members to use the gift feature.  They are simply supplying a product and giving the user the choice of using it. 

So you can’t get upset or angry with Facebook because they are just trying something out to see if it is profitable.  If you are still going to complain, then you really don’t understand good business.

Do you ever have trouble writing?  I’m talking about actually sitting down and writing something on the computer or in a note book etc..?  If you do, don’t be discouraged because I found a way for you to still get the words down on paper in a sense yet still portray an express yourself. 

I recently started using a program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking.  It is a program used for dictating what you say through a microphone and it in turn creates text on your computer.  That is the simplest way I know to explain this program.  The interesting thing I’m finding about the program though is not the complexity of its inter-workings, yet what it allows me to do on a more creative level. 

Now I have never had a problem typing quickly, but that’s not the reason I tried using this software.  I was actually more interested in seeing the difference between my writing and my speaking voice.  That’s right the voice inside of my head versus the voice that I use when actually speak.  I like to think of it in the simplest terms as telling a story versus writing a story.  The two are very different indeed… 

When you sit down and start writing on your computer or in a notebook, you are allowing your mind to synchronize itself with the speed at which you type.  Most people do this but don’t realize that it is happening- most just see the keyboard as an extension of the written voice.  The same goes for the past before computers were created and before people use computers to type their thoughts, people used the pen to express themselves.  Of course, I’m sure that speed was limited by the wrist. 

On the other hand, when you use your actual voice to speak and tell a story, a completely different process occurs.  Instead of overcorrecting what you say, planning your thoughts, and deciding, you are instead allowing your thoughts to stream endlessly. 

Both forms of expression have their place.  Writing, whether hand written or typed gives you time to make order of your thoughts.  On the other hand, speaking allows you to pour out thoughts in a pure form.

A new feature I will have at the bottom of every article from now on.  Have you ever wondered what inspired me to write a certain article?  I will list the thoughts or source of the idea- whether web related or not.