GRRR #MeasurableImpact is what I want to see. Too much money is squandered on things that sound cool but actually have little long-term impact. #changemaker #latenightrant via Facebook
#ProTip: Stop posting fake videos, images, memes and all that other stuff that you did not make trying to be inspirational. A green background with gold text talking about how awesome life is really has no value and you know it. You just end up looking like a gullible monkey. I am so sick of seeing all that crap that is only created to get people to click.
Go out and BE inspirational. Post REAL videos, images, memes and all that other stuff that you DID make to be inspirational. I don’t care what some rich guy said 100 years ago. I don’t care about some click-bait video from Clickworthy. What I DO care about is what YOU are DOING. Stop copying other people. Be the inspiration.
#LateNightRant via Facebook
Okay seriously #Facebook, your mobile app is idiotic. I look like a fool commenting on posts from like 3 days ago! What the hell is up with the random posts that show up in my mobile? It makes the whole thing basically useless because it randomly places shit anywhere from 3 minutes ago to 3 days ago or more right next to each other. Billions of dollars in the bank and you morons can’t fix this?
#latenightrant (not so late) via Facebook
#LateNightRant: You know when you take a perfectly good website that is working fine and rearrange it for no good reason? Yeah, quit doing that Eventbrite and Google AdSense and all you others that think it is cute to update for no reason. Haven’t you ever heard the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Illiterate rednecks are smarter than you. via Facebook
#LateNightRant I hate it when everything says “intuitive interface” when it clearly is not. via Facebook
#LateNightRant Anybody else in South Beach on Atlantic Broadband right now and having entirely shittastic service? Their connections has been such utter crap recently. Goes down randomly. Even now, when it is up, it is slower than a good f**k. I would seriously like to go kick every f**king executive of that company in the nards really, really hard. These people are just the scum of the earth with the epic horrible service they offer, but we have no choice being South Beach residents. I hope their mothers are totally ashamed to be seen with them. via Facebook
#LateNightRant: I am SO sick of holidays. Every year about this time, I get this feeling of “can’t we just get on with our life???” Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, all within a period of just a little over two months. What idiot stuck all the big holidays together? We couldn’t have spread them out over the year?
Not to mention that, for most people, they stuck the holidays in the worst weather of the year. Fortunately, here in Miami, November-December is actually pretty nice, but when I go to visit friends and family for the holidays, I usually end up having to endure unpleasant weather. The planning here was epic fail.
I have to admit, I’m not much of a sentimental person. I like getting work done, it feels good to accomplish stuff, and these repeated interruptions, especially around the end of the year, really make it hard to get rolling for the new year. For almost two months, it’s hard to get anyone on email or the phone or in a meeting. Everyone falls way behind, they are all on vacation or holiday or shopping for food or gifts or cleaning up after parties or hosting guests or being guests, or whatever, but not working.
Yup, that’s it, you can call me Scrooge, but that is tonight’s rant. via Facebook
So, for those of you who know me, you know I am not always the most positive person. My Facebook #LateNightRants are fairly (in)famous. I drunk rant on Twitter sometimes, also to much acclaim.
But, it is more than just being a lunatic on social media. I pretty much just tell it like it is. I try to keep it somewhat reserved, but if you ask me “How are you,” you may get more than you bargained for. If I have an event that sucks, or business is doing bad, or I am not feeling well, I don’t do very well at hiding that. I admit it. I even wrote a long description of my breakdown of a couple years ago.
Yet, I have been counseled, numerous times, to keep things on the bright side. If an event does not go as well as planned, keep a positive spin on it. Keep things positive. If things are not going good, put on a sunny smile, anyway. It is actually a common strategy and one that many, many people and businesses use. And if it works for them, great.
But, I don’t buy into that. I’m more into “keepin’ it rrreahh”. I like to be “representin'”. (Bonus points for identifying those quotes.) You know, life is what it is, sometimes good, sometimes bad. I think people appreciate it when you are more like a human and less like a billboard. I think that letting people know that things are not always sunshine and flowers lets them trust you more.
If all you ever do is accentuate the positive, even when things go wrong, how will people trust you? How will they know that you are not just leading them along? If all you ever say is good stuff, while hiding the bad, then people have no way to know whether you are being truthful at any given time.
People know I will tell it how it is. If things are going badly, they know I will tell them. That way, when I say things are going well, they can also know I am being straight-up. I guess this is what they call being genuine.
Of course, same issue applies in reverse, you don’t want to overdo it and be a negative-nanny or whiner, so just admit when things aren’t perfect, but don’t overdo it and complain all the time.
#SMCSFblog 24/30
It is time for the world to wake up and realize that Miami is different than it once was. Miami is now more than just beautiful beaches, awesome nightlife and rabid corruption (though we still do have all those things). Recently, the Miami New Times reported that the Huffington Post ranked Miami “Eighth Most Overrated Place in the World”. (Actually, pretty much the entire list is nonsense. Where would they like to visit?)
Of course, all they mention are the overpriced drinks, humidity and nightclubs. It is time for the world to wake up and realize Miami is much more than that. Just this week, we are in the midst of the Miami Book Fair International, one of the largest and oldest annual literary gatherings in the world. In a world of video games and social media, that is really something of which to be proud.
Following almost immediately on that, of course, is the Art Basel Miami Beach week of art. Thousands upon thousands of people from all over the world come to Miami to take part in the dozens of art fairs and shows. It has even far surpassed the original Art Basel in Basel.
Aside from our big cultural fairs and festivals, we have a growing arts and cultural establishment. The Adrienne Arsht Center has grown from the early days of empty seats to regularly sold-out shows, with some of the most prestigious companies passing through their doors, as well as a host of unique, alternative productions. The Perez Art Museum Miami (forever Miami Art Museum to me) is nearly finished with its spectacular new space. For those who have not seen the amazing renderings of the new Miami Science Museum, you really have to check them out. The HistoryMiami museum is taking over the old Miami Art Museum space in the Miami-Dade Cultural Center and will have greatly expanded exhibition and program space, including a theatre.
In addition to the big institutions, more and more arts and cultural groups are popping up all over. Life Is Art, Miami’s Independent Thinkers, YOMiami, Cannonball, Locust Projects and many others have started supporting the arts over the last decade or so (a few are a little older).
The tech scene is small, but growing. Places like MEC261 and LAB Miami are helping to bring the tech community together and provide resources. We have resource groups forming to help entrepreneurs find investors. The Beacon Council works diligently to court business big and small to move to Miami.
I will skip over our food scene due to time constraints, but suffice it to say, we have many excellent food choices, once you get your head out of the… tourist traps.
So Mr. and Mrs. HuffPo, and you, the rest of the world, yes, we do have amazing weather, beautiful beaches and some of the best nightlife in the world (stop being jealous), but we have much more than that and are growing every day. Come by and I will be happy to give you a tour.
23/30 #SMCSFblog
Tagged #SMCSFblog, Art, Beaches, Culture, Food, Growth, Huffington Post, Miami, Miami New Times, Nightlife, Tech
Toilet Paper. The answer to the question, “How do you tell you are at a poorly organized event?”
I have been to some bad events in my time. Recently, I have been to some really terrible events. It seems like we have an event-epidemic these days. I am not going to name names, so don’t bother to ask. Even if organizers are good intentioned and “doing their best”, if the event is poorly executed, it reflects badly on not just the organizers, but on other similar events. It brings everyone down. The more bad events that are produced, the more likely people will not attend future events, even if by a different organizer.
You guys know this is a pet-peeve of mine, that anyone who can pick up a phone and rent tents thinks they are an event producer. Event production takes careful planning and execution, and to create truly great events takes lots of experience and understanding of what the attendees want.
So, toilet paper. Toilet paper is one of those small things that makes a big difference. Running out of toilet paper is a huge no-no. Ladies, especially, hate it when there is no toilet paper, and when the ladies are in a bad mood, you know the gentlemen are, too. The thing about toilet paper is that this is so easy and cheap to fix, yet many inexperienced producers forget about it.
Sure, if you have a TON of money, you can rent massive stages and glorious tents, and make it look all pretty, but if you forget the toilet paper, this is a clear indication that you do not know what you are doing. It is like the canary in the coal mine. I can guarantee you that any event that runs short on toilet paper also has issues backstage. I would bet you that if you asked the performers or participants, they would tell you a horror story. Poor communication, bad marketing, disorganized execution, delayed payments, schedule running behind, all of those things are likely happening behind the scenes. There is no chance that an event producer who forgets toilet paper runs everything else smoothly, it is a clear indication of bad organization.
Now, so what? So, please stop supporting bad events. Buy continuing to buy tickets from the same bad organizers, you continue to encourage this bad behavior. There are so many bad events in Miami and the reason is that attendees have low standards. Raise your standards. So what if your favorite band is playing, they will be back soon. Spend your money with those who do a better job and soon either the bad producers will go away or learn their lesson, which improves the event scene for everyone. But, you have to raise your standards!
As more poor events are produced, more sponsors get burned by these producers, which means that they will be less likely to sponsor other events, even if my different organizers. This means less money for the good events and fewer good events. These bad events really do ruin it for everyone.
If you are one of those whose events ran out of toilet paper PLEASE GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS and let the ones doing a better job grow. You know who you are and you are making us all look bad. There are better ways to make a living and it does not matter how good your intentions are, if you are doing a bad job, you are hurting everyone.
19/30 #SMCSFblog
