As I was working online today a few thoughts popped in my head and thought I would go over a few and see Are You Guilty too.
We have gotten into this fast pace world so much online that we don’t seem to have patience anymore – we want it now, we want faster timers, we want, we want, are you guilty. Well it’s not easy to admit but I found myself falling into this trap and forget that life happens, things break, and there are humans behind these screens – not machines
As you all know, I’m a big surfer as I like to get the sites all over and do you log into a site and think to yourself wow that is a great offer – buy, buy, buy and the next thing you realize that you broke your budgeted amount you had put aside for the month – are you guilty. Again, I am – I have come to the conclusion that I’m shopaholic – not that I go out to stores and spend, spend, spend but I sure like clicking that buy button especially if it’s a great deal. Will I stop – no – but I do have to watch closer on what I spend.
Have you spent hours surfing a site and are so excited about moving on to the next one because you have a set amount of time put aside in your schedule for surfing – then realize that you forgot to assign your credits, banner and text impressions – are you guilty – again I am and I think instead of going back right away and doing it I tell myself that I will do it the next time around – hmmmmm do you know how long my stuff is not getting seen because I didn’t take the time to follow thru before I left the site – are you guilty
Well this one gets me all the time and I miss out on so much free advertising – when I do remember to assign everything – I still am rushing on to the next site that I forget about the bonus in the surfers rewards – are you guilty. If you are like me, but the time you remember oh crap I didn’t collect the surfers rewards – it’s too late as the site has already reset for the day.
One more before I call it a nite – are you so waiting for the next set of icons to come up that you just glance at the site and then click. Then are pissed at yourself when you get to the next page and it ask what was the site you just seen and you go oh crap – I just looked at that page and pick what you think you saw to come find out you are wrong – are you guilty? You would not believe how many times I yell at myself – yea I said yell – you can ask my cat as he takes off to the other room – poor cat.
Well would love to hear how many of you will admit and comment on this one as all this is NOT easy for admit because in our mind we are superwoman and superman and can’t admit to costly mistakes like this – are you guilty? Well I was until tonight and thought – you know if I do these silly things – bet there are others.
Don’t know about you but I have hard time shutting the brain down when I go to bed and thought of one more that is important. When you signup at a new site and you are so excited about getting in there to click the required pages that you just check that box that says I have read the terms – are you guilty. Yep me too and will even take it one step further – how about jumping to add your sites and start surfing that you don’t even look the site over – the members page, the FAQ’s page or even click any of the other buttons to find out about what the site is all about – are you guilty. Yea this is hard one to admit but I have kicked myself in the hinder so many times later when I realize that I am missing out on some awesome features that the site is offering.
My name is John Brewer….. and I’m guilty of all the above. 🙂 🙂
Yes Nancy. You hit the nail on the head with this post. We have become very very VERY impatient these days. This is not good for our industry.
Sure, we only have a few seconds to attract someone’s attention to try to get them to “buy our stuff,” but does that mean that we as marketers should be so obsessed with surfing and reading safelist emails as fast as the speed of light so that we can get on to the next thing on our list? Yes, we are marketers, but we are also consumers. Maybe we should look at things a bit differently.
I have missed so many “surfer rewards” because I forgot to claim them or were too lazy to do it for some reason. That is free advertising thrown out the window. I am also guilty of not assigning my credits until the next time I surf.
I do keep an eye out for good products and good deals that I think would be beneficial for myself or for my customers, but sometimes I click that “buy” button a little too fast, hoping that I can, but knowing that I may not be able to pay for something else (like a tracking service or TE upgrade) the next time the payment is due.
Nancy, thank you for this post. It was serious food for thought 🙂
Keep up the good work!
Thanks John – I know this post probably could go on and on – each one of these could be a post by themselves even. Sometimes a person just has to step back and take a deep breathe and even smell the roses once in awhile – hope that is what most get from all this.
Nancy, you sure pegged us all, everyone.
Those are the little things that hold us back. We lose in a tight race to get things done. Silly us.
Perhaps, each of those reasons is a better reason to create check lists BEFORE we get started AND to adjust during the process?
The older I get, the more I realize, it is the little things I too am forgetting. Time to give myself a break and make better use some of the tools I thought I was already using.
Anybody seen a spare mind running around out there? Send it on home, please?
Oh I hear you Fran – I know I tell my partner all the time – each day we work on the Daily Mail at the sites and the next thing you know another week has gone by. We schedule them the 1st Monday, Tuesday, etc of the week and all of a sudden the week is gone – then you do the same thing for the 2nd Monday, Tuesday, the 3rd – the 4th and wowwwww all of a sudden the whole month is gone. You do this month after month and wowwwwwwww you are thinking where did the year go.
AND you are right it’s the little things that make a difference. Maybe picking up the phone and yaking with a friend, stopping into Skype just to say Hi or even more leaving a message to someone saying WOW awesome job on your ad, thank you for all that you do – another one that could be added to the post. I know I’m guilty – but lot of us forget there are HUMANS behind the screen and sometimes these little things can make a persons day and really how much time did it really take you – make the effort as good intentions only leads to regrets later on.
LOL Nancy, Yes, I am guilty..lol.. I believe all this has happened to the best of us. I know the one that gets me quite frequently is the “which site you just looked at one”, that says “you are human”..lol.. I am always so happy when I guess it correctly. And can’t believe it, when I get it wrong…I know I just saw the page, how could I not remember it that quickly? It’s funny how one’s mind works. Just have to remind self to slow down and pay more attention.
I see many members that forget to collect the surfer rewards or don’t even bother to claim the prize or promo code for chance at an upgrade or additional advertising. I often wonder is it they just need to be reminded? Why would they bother to surf and not claim the rewards for all their hard efforts?
It reminds me of that Alabama song “I’m in a hurry to get things done…I rush and rush til life’s no fun” …
I believe it all boils down to learning better time management and balance. We are human and we do make mistakes and we do tend to rush through life often missing out on a lot of great benefits.
Great post Nancy…here’s to slowing down and taking time to enjoy life and the benefits of our efforts!! 🙂
Yes Vicki I’m always shocked when I get that wrong also – and yes very funny how the mind works. Oh I love that song and the lyrics are sooooooooo true – we do get to the point that life is no fun – we are getting so programmed to keep making that money to make ends meet that and most of the time it’s because we are living beyond our means (budget) I’m a firm believer that God provides for our needs as I see it soooooooo many times in my life – we just expect all our wants to be provided also. It’s kinda say in a way that we don’t put more emphasis on making as many memories as we can because in the end it’s the memories that you have – all the money in the world can’t buy that.
Hi Nancy,
Great post Hon! I know I am guilty, and I am sure we all are at some time or other. Just yesterday I had an email telling me about this fantastic DEAL that for ONLY $29, and sure enough I went to check it out. I was going to buy it because it was just $29, and I clicked on the PayPal button and even went into PP, but before I did the actual purchase I said to myself – do I really need to send this money on this? Do I really need this product? And I told myself NO, and I clicked out of the page! I was really proud of myself for not buying the item.
It is so easy to buy things now days since all we have to do is sit at our desk and press a little button. We all need to stop and really ask ourselves before buying that next great deal if it is really something we need, and if we do that 9 times out of 10 I am sure it really isn’t a NEED at all.
The surfer rewards and adding credits are definitely things I forget myself many times, and I will sometimes think about it after I have logged out of the site and moved on to whatever I am going to do next. Once in a while I will go back in, but usually I tell myself I will assign credits the next time I am at the site, but that could be a while so I am really missing out on advertising my sites. I am trying to get better at both things, and if I log out I try am trying to tell myself to log back in because it will only take a minute of my time, and I NEED the advertising.
I think we all just need to stop and slow down a bit, and take time to do the things we need to do, and take time to enjoy the world around us. I think we all tend to forget to do that when we are working online so much. And as Fran said, we also forget to take breaks which is so important to do – I am definitely guilty of that, and when I don’t I suffer because of my bad back.
Thanks again for your great post because it did make me stop and think.
Thanks Marilyn for the comment and you are right – we should think about our NEEDS more than our wants – I think that would help us in the long run to enjoy our lives more.
I a guilty of a Lot of things and many on your list.
But i do soul surf meaning one site at a time. I know this seems old fashioned But its what i do I make check marks next to the sites im seeing often and not of the ones i have never seen.
I also have missed prize pages and sites i want to join because i was doing other things and remember im only surfing one site. So how do you go from guilty to Got IT?
Oh hear you James and in this fast pace world we live in I’m not sure how we slow down at this point – but we are missing out on sooooooo much these days – thanks for the comment
Hi Nancy wow you’ make so many valid points. I find when ever I have money I lose all control I send spend spend both online and offline. I also find that when I join a site I jump right in. Like the other day I joined a Te confirmed added my site and started surfing. Yes I did eventually take the time to look around. But it that always being in a hurry mentality. Everyone is always in a hurry. You see it everywhere you go. I call it the Rush Rush society
Thanks Scott for the comment and that is a great name as yes we are a Rush Rush Society – I really like that name. The sad thing is what are we teaching the future generations.
Hi Nancy.
Of course I am guilty too……….. 🙁 However sometimes I succeed in really putting credits to my sites, banners, text adds and square banners………
Indeed everyone is hasty and eager to surf, because that is what you WANT 🙂
Perhaps it would help (?) the moment you push the “surf-button” to be remembered to add your adds before surfing…….. 🙂
Thank you for your post 🙂
Thanks Jo and it does amaze me how many don’t even take the time to even add a banner or text and that one I just don’t understand as they work
Yes i do a lot am guilty of some things just don’t take the time. This is the first time i have read this or said any thing but i had to this is so right on.
Thanks Eva and thanks for reading and commenting – it’s actually easier than a person thinks 🙂