I got asked the other day at the it@cork (their writing style enforces no capital letters) business conference whether I’d be toning down my brashness/style now that I was a serious business person. It got me thinking about this and it’s a popular enough question. Personal comes first, then business. To me. Business people are people first. To me.
If my personality has to suffer to get more business then I’m doing this wrong. I get into a lot of trouble for what I say and do and I wouldn’t be in these interesting places if I was some toe-the-line sycophant. At the same time I needed to get new business cards as I’ve run out of my current cards. To reinforce my philosophy of taking risks, the new cards will probably make some people choose not to hire me from the cards alone:
As always, the cartoons and doodles have been designed by Hugh MacLeod.
Will the other side of the card still say “Professional ****stirrer” like the other card?
Was that designed specially for you?
Not quite 🙂
Damien, at the risk of attracting your ire towards my own online activities I think this is a bad idea.
Your writing style on your blog is certainly refreshing and I am consistently delighted that we share plenty of view points regarding the fate of the communications business in Ireland, particularly as it spirals towards self anihilation through neglecting new media. I think your card and the ‘cross pollination’ of language and approach between your regular blog and your professional blog is a bad move.
One sure way of causing information fatigue in opinion leaders/customers/blog readers is to be overtly sensational constantly.
When Bob Geldof swore for the first time (for him?)on TV in 1985 it was a historic expression of frustration at the inaction of the international community in the face of a devastating famine in Ethiopia. After two decades of Bob Geldof F-ing and blinding the powers that be, he has lost the ability to give impact to any subsequent argument he might to highlight.
If everything is ‘fucking important’ then nothing appears ‘extra fucking important’ when required. If some things are expressed as ‘important’ and other things are ‘fucking important’ then you regain that power to highlight with an expletive.
Using hysterical language constantly risks diminishing your arguments as time passes and you pick up new audiences. I suspect there are generation of people who need to know this stuff that might better relate to more formal language.
P.s. I’m not a prude. I’m just worried for you. I care etc…