1 Story from Experience
I remember when the Slack App was catching on and being used by the Tech Department of our company. We were always the early adopters of new tech in the company, obviously. We had used a handful of other chat apps as we started to implement the Agile methodology into our organization more fully, and that required a better communication method than email. We loved Slack, we used it everyday for pretty much everything, and you could connect it to any of your systems as something that resembled a ubiquitous notification dashboard. It was interesting to see how it began to change the face of work as we know it. It was a combination of the speed of adoption and the power of it’s adaptability that it managed to disrupt email in the workplace so fast. The timing of its adoption was perfect as well, as we didn’t know that only a couple years later, the working world would have grinded to a halt during Covid if we didn’t have Slack to collaborate remotely. Now there are many Slack Competitors, most notably with Google Spaces and Microsoft Teams. With the full weight of these Workplaces Monstrosities, they can get people to switch or use them by sheer Financial Bullying.
“You pay for Office365/Google Workspace anyways, we’ll give you this Slack Alternative included in your bill. Such a nice offer!”
Yet still, adoption is always an equation you have to solve first before committing to a platform, especially when you have to realize your employees loyalty to their current platforms. Not everyone is as Tech-Forward-Minded as you and your colleagues. People like using what they like using, and getting them to try anything else will take a lot of teeth pulling.
So what do you like using? Where would you like to spend most of your time with some others System Administrators like you? Where would you prefer your Online Digital Clubhouse to be?
2 Ideas from me
I need a nerd Gym Membership. Not only would it have a Full Gym of things that would get me to actually work out, like Laser Tag and VR Rooms, but also just breakout rooms to hang with friends. Maybe like a Convenience Store built in, or a cafeteria. Some form of entertainment, bowling or something really nerdy. A couple gaming computers and gaming tables to play some Magic the Gathering or DnD. Almost like a Dave and Busters but not like a fully turnt up chuck-e-cheese. Give me a Third place that isn’t work and isn’t home that I can meet nerdy friends and do nerdy things and just have a chill time.
Make all frozen dinners Air Fryer compatible. and actually make good frozen dinners. I just want to throw a Chicken Burrito bowl in the air fryer, throw it on a tortilla and enjoy. Why hasn’t Chipotle come out with it’s own frozen burritos yet?
3 Quotes from others
“I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay… small acts of kindness and love."
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
“It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish.”
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
“Deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings