Sleepless Nights

Blog

  • You don’t get to police the Internet

    Say that something gets written. Something you don’t agree with. In fact, it’s something that your moral standards find so terribly offensive that you’re moved to write something grumpy and grumble to your peers.

    And say, that in your grumbling, more offensive things are said. The torches get lit and the pitchforks come out. The mob moves in, only to find itself met by another, equally angry mob.

    People demand that everyone mark everyone else as spam on twitter so that the offensive content cannot continue. It doesn’t matter what side of the argument you’re on, the other side is WRONG and you must shut down the discussion, in case someone hears it.

    Offensive remarks are made on all sides and suddenly, there’s a flame war happening, with torches and BURN THE WITCH and shouting. Everyone is a bit hot under the collar.

    While I can see that Mob A has some valid points, Mob B has some valid points too.

    It all just feels like mud slinging, until someone shouts “LET’S TELL ON THEM! SHUT DOWN THE OFFENSIVENESS! STOP IT SPREADING!!”

    Because I have been here before. I have seen this happen before and no doubt I will see this happen again. Chickenliver vs Boobs, Injuries and Dr Pepper anyone?

    Cries of “BREACH OF TOS” “HORRIBLE HUMAN BEING” “I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!!!!!” get thrown around and people get angry. Blogs get reported (here there and everywhere, because everyone has a pitchfork by this point) and everyone feels vindicated.

    BECAUSE I’M RIGHT.

    Only, what if you’re not right? What if the other side is right? What if neither of you is right? What if this is not a black and white issue, but the whole thing is various shades of grey?

    Do you have the right to police the Internet, just because you’re standing on the (slippery) moral high ground and think that you’re right?

    Do you have the right to incite a mob to flag and mark as spam, just because something doesn’t fit with your sense of moral standards?

    The Internet is a huge place and there is something to offend everybody. There is also a red X in the corner of your screen that you can click to make the offensiveness go away.

    You can choose to stay silent, or speak out, as you choose. But whatever you do, you have to own that choice and wear the consequences. You have to own your words and stand by them.

    There is always someone who is going to disagree with you and there is a whole other conversation that needs to be had about transparency and business practices, but right now, I’m watching the mobs try to police each other and wondering why no one has realised that this whole thing isn’t really all that important.

  • In the aftermath of rain

    Sometimes, I forget how beautiful it is where I live.

    I’ve had a serious bout of insomnia lately and it’s left me feeling vaguely zombie like. Yes, there are things I want to talk about, but who has the energy?

    Instead, I took photos.

    You’re welcome.

  • Dramatic Light

    Sometimes, the light hits the surrounding hills just right, and I manage to catch how it looks in the 45 seconds before it disappears.

    These are the moments that I take to breathe, and to remind myself that everything will be okay.

  • Why businesses using social media badly, is worse than them not using it at all.

    Finally, small businesses have jumped on the social media bandwagon. Sure, it took them two years to catch up to the rest of us, but here they are finally, tweeting and facebooking away.

    It’s good, isn’t it?

    Well…. maybe not.

    When I find a new product that I love, the first thing I do is hunt them down on twitter, or facebook. This way, I keep track of lots of products I enjoy, through various social media channels – although twitter is the biggest way I follow.

    What I’ve noticed happening though, is businesses using social media badly. Things like not responding to questions, refusing to acknowledge new followers and generally acting like they’re “bigger” than everyone else out there in this pond.

    News flash: Social Media has lowered the barriers between businesses and consumers and consumers are not wanting to be talked at anymore. They want a conversation and a business they can relate to.

    It’s called SOCIAL MEDIA for a reason – you use it to be SOCIAL.

    When I spot small businesses on Twitter not following back their buyer base, I get grumpy. You’ve got 300 followers, but only follow back 30 people and refuse to reply to me if I ask you a question, or respond to your tweets? Sorry, but maybe I don’t want to buy your product anymore.

    I see a lot of Tassie businesses wanting my money and yet, they won’t follow back on twitter. They won’t be drawn into conversation, they won’t respond to my tweets and a few of them have been downright rude.

    If you can’t be polite to your clientele, then how do I know that you’re a business I want to support?

    I can see that a lot of businesses are aiming at being “exclusive” and I call bullshit.

    Exclusivity in your conversations does not make your product more desirable. It doesn’t make me want to visit your restaurant or buy your product, knowing that you have 800 followers and only follow back 30 of them. How is that the POINT of SOCIAL media?

    It’s just mind boggling to me, that businesses would treat their customer base like they’re unworthy to be spoken to.

    Here’s the thing – you don’t have to be knowledgeable about social media to do it well. You just have to be friendly.

    That’s all we want.

    And honestly, having a rude social media presence is worse than not having one at all.

  • The Sleepless Nights Gift Guide to Christmas

    I know a lot of you will have completed your Christmas shopping by now and to those of you who have, I bow down before the altar of your organisation. I’m mostly done, but I’ve yet to get stocking fillers and it’s all just a bit much.

    So I present to you, a bunch of things that you might like to get your children, or yourself, if you are so inclined.

    Stocking Fillers

    Chuggington Magnetic Board Kit:

    These are all over my fridge at the moment and I keep finding Isaac quietly rearranging them, playing. Bonus points for the fact that they will stick school notices to the fridge at the same time.

    RRP $12.95

    Barbie Glitter and Sparkle Craft Box.

    This had A LOT of glitter in it. Amy was practically in heaven, with the sparkles and the stickers and the glitter glue and etc. Isaac was also a fan, making himself a mask and then shouting at me all day.

    If you’re a slightly pedantic parent (like Nathan) this craft box has the potential to be very messy. You’ve been warned.

    Funky Fun Minis

    I haven’t tried these myself, but they look like something Amy would love. And at RRP $6.99 each, they’re definitely affordable.

    Presents

    Chuggington Die Cast Training Yard Set with Loop

    Because while the title is a mouthful, the toy is actually really awesome. We were sent one to review and Isaac played with it steadily for nearly two days and it has been in high rotation since. Anything that has a loop and a battery powered spinny thing to shoot trains is going to be a winner here though.

    For parents of children with sensory issues based around auditory processing – this toy with batteries in is quite loud. Isaac coped well with it (better than I expected once I heard how loud the spinning wheels were), but for children who are more sensitive, maybe not the best toy.

    RRP $59.95

    Zhu Zhu Pets

    I know that a lot of people told me that they hated Zhu Zhu pets because of the noise, but I can’t say that they bother me. Both kids love them and thankfully, we’ve now got two Zhu Zhu pets for them to play with.

    I know that they were voted best toy for girls, but Isaac loves the wheels and the fact that they change directions, so who am I to argue?

    These are almost cheap enough to be considered a stocking filler, but with the accessories provided, can be a large present in themselves.

    RRP $19.95 – but I’ve seen them at Big W for $9 lately.

    For yourself

    Kindle

    I bought myself a Kindle for my birthday, knowing that I needed something lightweight to read books on. My hands and wrists are painful and sometimes holding a book isn’t something I can do.

    Honestly, I always thought that I would hate it. I love books, the smell and feel of them and to replace my beloved paper with something electronic? I thought it would be awful. Instead, I found myself a chapter into the first book I bought, having fallen in love with the small grey device. It is brilliant.

    As for some people who were worried about book choices and prices, I can say that so far, prices at Amazon are just about the same as my much loved Book Depository, sometimes better. And I LOVE that I can carry around a small library in my handbag, without worrying about the weight dislocating my shoulders. Love.

    I bought mine for $139 at Big W.

    Busby Pure Tissue Oil

    I’ve been using this on my stomach and arms for a few weeks now and it’s gorgeous. I love how it feels and smells and, the most important part, it hasn’t given me a rash. As someone with skin that has a hissy fit over the smallest things, it’s nice to have a product that doesn’t cause issues.

    RRP $17.95

     And there you have it!

    The Sleepless Nights Gift Guide to Christmas.

    Disclaimer:

    I received these products in the mail to review. I’ve only shared the ones I liked here, so that I’m not recommending things I didn’t enjoy.

    I did not receive a Kindle in the mail, I bought it myself for my birthday. I thought I’d tell you what I liked about it, because I couldn’t find any decent reviews online prior to buying one myself and had to ask Twitter what e-reader they liked. Kindle won, which was nice, as it was the easiest one to find and buy.