Pre-Ramble:  Ho-ho-ho … Lest your sunny disposition be waning in the hustle of the holidays, consider this very cool mechanism — the Fuhlometer.

Literally translated, “feel-o-meter,” this 16-foot-wide illuminated emoticon uses face-recognition software to analyze the expressions of people in a specific area to capture a general mood — a smile, frown, or something inbetween – which then beams from the giant neon face.

The revealing surveillance device was created by three Berlin-based artists and most recently installed on a lighthouse in the Bavarian village of Lindau (shown at right).

The Take-Away:  ”You better watch out, … you better not cry, … you better not pout, … I’m tellin’ you why … ” … the Fuhlometer could be coming to a town near you –

Happiness is contagious — let your good vibes shine out into the Universe! 

Pre-Ramble:  So, this Seth Godin blog post (11/18/11) was liked on Facebook and retweeted over 1,000 times …

No.

No, we don’t take clients like that.

No, that’s not part of what we offer.

No, that market is too hard for us to service properly.

No, I won’t bend on this principle.

No, I’m sorry, I won’t be able to have lunch with you.

No, that’s not good enough. Will you please do it again?

No, I’m not willing to lose my focus, and no, I’m not willing to compromise.

Since we were toddlers, saying “No!” has held a fascinating form of power that cuts across the vast and murky sea of middling-maybes, or the waffling contortions of “kind-of” or “I don’t know … “ or “well … umm … gee, let’s see … “

“No” is generally regarded as a negative concept … “indicating a negative response, used to refuse, deny, or disagree with something.“ “No, I won’t go out on a date with you” … “No, I won’t give you $10,000” … “No, I won’t go fetch your scepter” ….

Synonyms for “No” are “rejection, refusal, rebuff (hate the rebuff), nix, thumbs down and veto.”

Having “No (fill-in-the-blank)” can mean there is nothing, non, notta, nope, …

When delivered in a sincere, respectful manner, however (not hollered at point blank range or accompanied by a wagging finger), “No” can be a really clean and direct way to communicate your agenda.  What a concept!

In fact, I’ll venture to say that being able to say “No” is imperative to your own well-being. It is the only way, for example, that you can prevent that icky, pit-of-the-stomach feeling that you get when you reluctantly say “Ok … “ when you really want to say “No way!”

YES!  I get it – there is power in setting boundaries, claiming space, and honoring standards around how you conduct yourself and/or your business – well, and simply how you will agree to spend your time.

The Take-Away:  Saying “No” can be a way of putting yourself and your priorities as #1.  The only trouble I see with a liberal use of the power of “No” is if it becomes an uncompromising, knee-jerk reaction that prevents you from deviating from your own possibly misguided/bull-headed path to explore something which has the potential to be quite wonderful. I guess the challenge is to be able to determine when to take that risk, and when to stick to your “No” guns.

Pre-Ramble: Well, like a tetanus shot (only way more painful), the successful professional needs to keep their profile picture/headshot up-to-date.  In this age of Google, Facebook, Linked-in and Skype (YouTube is a whole nother animal … ), … you and every other person out there is potentially just one click away from disaster … (Do I even need to reference Brett Farve or Representative Weiner here?)

The prevalence and consequence of personal photography brings a whole new meaning to Nicholas Negroponte’s “Being Digital.”  The technological revolution has created the need for a professional “presence” in the digital marketplace. Not only do you need a clean, professional looking website, you also need a clean professional-looking photo of yourself to post there.

“Say Cheeeese!” A good headshot is not optional, it’s imperative. It’s bad enough that relatives and high school chums you haven’t seen in years can click you up on Facebook and see samples of your squirrely mug candid camera style, … 20 million people, including potential clients, can do so as well.  Interested parties want a glimpse into who you are and what you do, and, as they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

This is good news/bad news for all those generation X, Y and Z’ers who grew up with a camera in their face. These kids are not only tech savvy, they are also extremely well-versed in taking pictures of each other and themselves — a ridiculous number of pictures — usually at arm’s length in dorm rooms.

As an old school gal, I probably have less than 20 pictures of myself IN LIFE that I would consider “good.” As a mom, I’m usually the one behind the camera capturing all the little golden moments, … which actually works out great, as the prospect of calling in my hair and make-up people on the short notice required to look stunning in spontaneous family photos is limited.

Face it. While the thought of having a professional portrait taken is excruciating, at some point, you just have to face it.  Using a picture of yourself that you have cropped out of a group photo is NOT professional. Same goes for the one where you are clearly on vacation in a tropical climate and all but have a fruity umbrella drink just off camera. (I have done both of these.)

The Take-Away: So, to this point, I will invite you to stay tuned as my personal photographer (love the sound of that … he’s actually a very talented, master of all things tech, whom I have adopted as a front line business support services resource) puts the finishing touches on what will be my new professional profile picture. At that time I will also provide a couple of professional photography pointers, from the perspective of the photograph-ee.

Pre-Ramble:  Plenty, that’s what!  A friend of mine … well, an admired acquaintance really, is a partner in Pollywog, “an unconventional branding agency” … an enterprise that comes up with highly purposeful/catchy names for businesses, organizations, products, services, events – you name it. (heh.)

Made up of creative professionals from some of the world’s largest advertising and marketing agencies, the group positions a successful name as an investment in a key piece of “intellectual property”… an invaluable foundation for any new business. 

To that end, Pollywog has developed a patent-pending “power positioning process” that “reveals the essence of a brand, sets the tone and stakes out a place in your customer’s mind that no other brand occupies.”  They cite 17 key characteristics that give a name its power …  

“These key traits help us determine which names will be the most effective in the marketplace. A “Power Name” has impact, high memorability and a solid connection to your brand promise … [it] creates a buzz and makes people want to tell others about your brand …”

Successful names are:

•  instantly understood
• unique
• engaging; provoking interest
• high impact
• easily remembered
• very different from competitors’ names
• readily spread by word of mouth
• a factor that boosts the effectiveness of all marketing communications/materials
• inextricably connected to the brand itself

 (Clearly, my blog and the essence of my writer-ness could benefit from an investment of this sort … But, I digress … )

The proof is in the pudding.  Last week, Saint Paul Public Schools and the City of Saint Paul announced the launch of a network of nonprofit organizations, city departments and other community partners offering out-of-school-time opportunities for kids. The program promotes and coordinates over seventy after-school youth development programs currently available in the Saint Paul metro area … programs that feature arts, athletics, science, leadership, multi-cultural and other academically and socially relevant activities. The new community network is called “Sprockets.”  

Sprockets!  What a great name! And, yup, it was developed by the Pollywog team.

Owning to the Pollywog brand promise, this multi-faceted name really has teeth. Not only fun to say, Sprockets immediately conjures up all sorts of colorful, interlocking, moving, bits and pieces … I can almost see and hear the blinking and beeping emmanating from the essence of the word.  It invokes a sense of playfulness, hands-on energy, tinkering … curiosity and wonderment.  The concept of interlocking movement also reflects the structure of the community network itself, hundreds of resources all linked together, humming and whirring in a dynamic web of high-quality enrichment opportunities for kids.

The Take-Away:  Well done!  And, beyond the glow of a successful naming exercise, the Sprockets project brings way more to the party than immediately apparent.  Mired in a series of budget cuts, union issues, declining enrollment and a persistent and staggering gap in achievement between student groups, the Sprockets “power name” provides a very strong platform and hopeful ray of sunshine that the strife-ridden local education environment can use as a flash-point to spark a fresh approach to things.

Let’s hope that in addition to engaging and inspiring struggling students in our urban education environment, the vibrant, value-add of the Sprockets brand can give a much-needed extra-curricular boost to the tone and essence of the struggling district leadership as well.

Post-Note:  I’d link you to the new Sprockets website, but there apparently isn’t one yet.  Hope the visual branding (logo, website, communications materials, etc.) can pay off the A+ power name.

Post-Post-Note:  Oops, … looks like there IS a Sprockets website … we’ll save the critique on that for another day.

Pre-Ramble:  It’s been all over the news … outcomes of a recent poll of 1,112 pet owners nationwide indicate that 25% of dog owners believe that their dog listens better than a spouse, and one-in-ten pet owners talk over their problems with their pets. 

Los Angeles veterinarian Karen Sueda suggests that,

“Pets are great because they provide us with unconditional support, … never talk back, … give us their opinion, … and they are always there for us.”

Well, sure, that sounds like a good synopsis of the human-pet relationship. To test the premise and veracity of the poll and its findings however, I checked in with my highly astute and insightful assistant and muse, Daisy (shown above). As many of you know, Daisy, is a Pointer/Brittany Spaniel mix, and has been a featured guest blogger here on the site several times.

Not one to hold back, the Dais-i-nator immediately had a bone to pick with Ms. Sueda’s assessment of the human-canine dynamic.  Says Daisy,

“Of course dogs are stellar listeners and the go-to resource for talking out your troubles, but that just scratches the surface of the communication skills and therapeutic value that a good dog can provide.”

She goes on to suggest that in the day-to-day human-canine interaction, the dog’s role is far from passive and that it is a common misconception that dogs never talk back or give their opinion. Don’t let their relaxed demeanor or blank stare fool you – dogs are excellent communicators, insists Daisy, citing research which indicates that “animal communication is often more complex and subtle than previously believed. 

Listen up! Combined with other body language in a specific context, many gestures such as yawns, directional vision, or a wagging tail convey meaning. For example, even a simple tail wag can be used to communicate many subtle messages including:

• Excitement (“Look at this awesome squirrel I just caught!!!”)
• Anticipation (“Where are we going; and can I take the squirrel??”)
• Playfulness  (“Guess where I hid that gnarly squirrel!?”)
• Contentment (“I could lay here in this sunny spot on the carpet all day … “)
• Questioning the intentions of another animal or human (“Are you suggesting that I move off of this sunny spot on the carpet?”)
• A tentative role assessment, such as upon meeting another animal (“Who’s top dog?”)
• Brief acknowledgement (“I hear you” and/or “I hear you, but I’m still not going to come/sit/stay/heel …”)
• Statement of interest (“I want your lunch.”)
• Uncertainty or apprehension (“Oh, I don’t like the looks of this … You win … Here’s me rolling over onto my back…”)

Human whisperer. There’s a reason why they are known as “man’s best friend” – in addition to being great companions, dogs are way better communicators than most people. Beyond those big floppy listening ears, dogs are actually field ready to provide insight, offer consul, and fetch a stick if necessary. Dogs tell it like it is. If I’m about to do something stupid, Daisy is always standing by to give me the, “What the heck?!” look. When I’m taking myself too seriously, she will do something ridiculous to remind me that fun is part of the big picture. If I get too caught up in must-do’s, she’ll gently remind me that at the end of the day, we still need a walk up to the lake to sniff out the squirrels and watch the sun sparkle on the water.

The Take-Away:  Sure, your dog is listening to you, and there’s huge value in that. But the other half of the equation is, are you listening back? Woof!! 

Post Note:  Woof, woof, woof, … WOOF!  … Couldn’t have said it better myself, Daisy – communication is a two-way street (a concept which may work well in those human-to-human interactions as well).

The Pre-Ramble: Now that the mercury has dipped below eighty-degrees, we Minnesotans begin to brace ourselves for the coming winter months and the inevitable return of the simultaneously dreaded and revered s-n-o-w. Without going too far adrift here, it has been noted and debated that the Eskimo language has between four and one-hundred distinct words for the concept of snow. Seriously. There is an Eskimo word to describe “snow on the ground” (aput), “falling snow” (qana), “drifting snow” (piqsirpoq), “a snowdrift” (qimuqsuq), and even a word to describe the state of being “covered in frosty sparkling snow” (patuqutaujuq). Beyond flakes, flurries and blizzards, the English language is pretty much limited to the four letter “s” word.

Where am I going with this: In their theory of linguistic relativism, lingual anthropoligists, Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf hypothesize that the language we speak both affects and reflects our view of the world. According to Ed and Ben, if there isn’t a word for it, the unnamed entity or sentiment defies expression. It would also follow that we are also lacking in awareness of the infinite shades of meaning between established words. A scary thought, yes? Well, sit down.

Forget about a critical shortage of words – I’m here to tell you that we aren’t even getting maximum mileage out of the few pitiful words we do have!

Given the dramatic increase in the use of the written word, particularly via email and text message, significant shades of meaning are being lost wholesale due to a phenomenon which I will call, Big Limitations In Punctuation (BLIP) . Minus the cues conveyed through body language and vocal inflection, written expression is further hampered by huge gaps in punctuation. Never mind that there is only one word for the “standardized nonalphabetical symbols used to organize writing into clauses, phrases, and sentences…” there are several punctuation options that are simply missing from the program.

We need, for instance, something between the period and the exclamation point. The period is so flat and cold, while the exclamation point is far too “I’m-so-fourteen-years-old” exuberant. Something like a “mid-clamation point” would fill the gap, indicating that one is interested and supportive, but not over-the-top excited. A rhetorical question mark would also be useful, as would a variation which could denote sarcasm (a personal favorite). I think I’d also get a lot of use out of something special which could mark a mildly pejorative comment like, “YOU BONEHEAD!” or soften more emphatic verbiage that could be interpreted as mean like, “YOU #@!?$%? BITCH!” Now, see…right there, in both instances the exclamation point is all wrong! (And, it was wrong following the word “wrong” just then…) There is such a need for this.

The Take-Away: Our capacity to express new kinds of thoughts and to communicate with each other via the English language may be greatly hampered by the limited number of punctuation options currently available. Clearly, we need new punctuation that can make written communications more precise and meaningful (and less unintentionally inadequate or snarky). 

The Challenge: Our challenge here is to come up with some new punctuation; preferrably markings which can be created using the existing cast of characters on the standard word processing keyboard.

Game on??