COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN

Hmmm, maybe that’s a touch too dramatic, or maybe I’m on a real Led Zeppelin tangent.

Things have been moving and shaking here as kinks are ironed out and programming is adjusted. I was amazed to see the numbers that have come out so far; people seem really psyched about the network. This could have something to do with a couple of ads going up on the “barker channel” on Rogers. But one thing is clear: people like to chat. A lot. Our evening chat programs are seeing a lot of traffic. Not a surprise: shows like “Sxt it Up” are pretty popular. But the amount of noise coming in regarding the recent passing of the health care bill in the US caught me off guard.

Even within the relatively democratic realm of TXT-TV, plenty of people got caught up in the passion of the moment and hotly debated the topic; similarly to some of the debates that we’ve seen coming out of the US. Sometimes I think there might be a real problem of communication though. As we saw on CNN and the CBC over the last year – yes, an entire year – the conservatives south of the border pulled out every trick in the book, every method they could come up with, to make Americans fear health care.

And what’s to fear? Being healthier? Not paying for operations or medication? Not being refused service at a hospital? What were they on about anyways eh?

As I slowly digested their half-cocked arguments, I realized the problem wasn’t the issue (health care) at all. The entire year of debate wasn’t even a debate. It was a lot more like a professional wrestling match. Shouting, taunting, back-flips, folding chairs and tight spandex – that’s how it came across to me. Oh, and crying, lots of crying.

I still have hope though, despite the constant noise, because I know how the real world operates (ok – not fully, I just turned 25, but I can fake being a 30 year old pretty well). The real world operates pretty efficiently, because we’re all speaking the same language and we’re not trying to confuse each other. That’s why TXT-TV encourages me.

People are having a real conversation, they exchange ideas and thoughts and the moderators keep things moving fluidly. Some people are definitely more opinionated than others, but the conversation keeps rolling along, it doesn’t get stuck in a ditch, y’know? Either way, this new medium lets people speak in a new way – so we’ll speak our way and understand each other, and everyone else will just have to catch on.

Like a Kid in a Candy Store

So a few days back I’m standing outside TXT-TV HQ, enjoying my coffee, when I see a bunch of pre-school kids being led into the candy store across the street.

And it’s one of those high-end, luxury, candy stores too.

Did those kids have the slightest idea what they were getting into?

I can picture it in my head: the day before on the playground the tikes had a meeting:

“The rumours are true! I got the email confirming it! Tomorrow we go to El Dorado!"

"Then the prophecy has come to fruition my friends – today we rejoice, tomorrow we gorge!”

And then the kids lit off some illegal fireworks they got their hands on; and they were all very happy – like this:

Right now, I feel like a kid in a candy store.

Candy stores are about the anticipation of choice; you know you’ll like pretty much anything in the store, so for kids, the point is about considering your options, and having free reign to choose whatever they want. Quantity isn’t the issue, quality is – and no one knows candy quality like children. It’s part of their culture, and we should respect that.

Another thing: Tomorrow I turn 25.

Been getting a lot of the ‘what’re ya gonna do wif yer life?’ from el familia.

As TXT-TV’s official blogger, I think I’m doing alright for myself. A quality life so far, eh? A new TV network, new ideas, everything so new it has a nice shine, and feels plush like warm velour.

And a new job means new opportunities – and again, quantity isn’t the point, quality is.

Meeting people who honestly care about their jobs is a big part of the process. It makes everything so worthwhile. What’s more, it energizes your spirit, adds to your commitment, and makes you think about all the possibilities.

A quality job and a quality product can go a long way, especially in times like these. All around we see what has happened to a society that stopped producing, and drifted off towards limitless consumption. People are angry, they don’t have answers to their problems, and everyone wants a scapegoat. We all got so used to quantity; we didn’t notice the quality of our lives had taken a hit.

Which is why you need to pay attention to the youth. 

Despite the inexperience and folly of youth, my own as an example, there is something to be said for the purity of spirit of a small child. The same child that will confer with his or her friends, debate the merits of Gobstoppers and Runts, and carefully choose the ideal candy for this special occasion. Regardless of what they choose, they’ll be happy they had the choice at all, and for that reason they’ll choose purposefully.

I’m standing on the ground floor of a major local company; a company that produces something very valuable: open and public conversation. What’s more, I fill an interesting space; moderating, blogging, tweeting, writing.

The product we offer is evolving quickly, and I can only imagine the entire process of developing a new television network behind a radically innovative idea to be, essentially, a long process of careful consideration. So many different combinations of offers, rules, constraints, capabilities and costs to deliver the new, the cutting edge. So many decisions that worked out for the best, the result of deliberate calculation. And best of all, we have the viewers who are adding to the content we generate, giving more options, a higher quantity of quality content and ideas. We’re in the candy store with you, working to achieve the highest amount of total satisfaction.

Earlier this week saw a celebration for the launch of the network.

We’re having champagne at eleven in the morning in the conference room and I realize we either have too many employees or our conference room is simply too small.

On the other hand, a small conference room packed with people having a drink is a nice moment to have, to share with other people. It’s a mitzvah, especially when it comes with a round of sincere kudos for a job well done.

I’m enjoying how this experience is unfolding, to say the least.

But most of all I’m enjoying watching the human condition evolve, and see a group of committed and passionate people do what they like doing to the best of their abilities.

It’s a rewarding and thoroughly cathartic situation to be in when you’re turning a quarter century old.

Here’s to three more quarters!

Blast Off!

Well now we've done it.

What's that? What is it we've done?

We launched a TV network.

What are you doing right now?

Texting in to TXT-TV? Good to hear.

It makes me wonder what people were doing when they launched the first TV network. Like ever. That first black and white screen, with some sweaty guy reading the newspaper, occasionally looking up and wondering if anyone was watching, if the idea would take flight.
He probably thought it was going to fail. After all, they had radio, vaudeville and the 'talking picture' - who'd want a television?

Alexander Graham Bell had it easy. He called his assistant in the next room and asked him to come over. The assistant came over and they popped the cork - the telephone would change everything.

Guglielmo Marconi had it easy. All he had to do was send a quick message across the Atlantic by wireless - the old wireless, wireless radio - and he had the whole town of St-John's Newfoundland to help him out. Radio would change everything, and he knew that.

The Wright Brothers? For sure they had it easy. After spending several years building and repairing bicycles they figured they'd see if they could build an airplane. Sure people thought they were crazy, but the Wright Brothers knew - if it worked, they'd change everything - if it didn't work, only they would be changed, permanently.

And on that fateful day, Orville and Wilbur’s parents gave them this terrible advice:

“My sons, don’t sell the bike shop. When you’re done playing with your airplane toy, Mr. Nicholson’s Penny Farthing needs a tune up."

For those of you who’ve had your dreams crushed by old fashioned people, don’t give up.  For those of you not born in the 19th century, a penny farthing:

So here it is, we've gone live. Years of work and several months of really intense work have all led up to this day, and I wonder what the future holds.

True to form, some of the best answers come from the past. The first ever, experimental text message was sent in 1992, but it wasn't until 2000 that text message services were integrated into the cell-phone package. 10 long years ago, and a world of difference in those ten years. 

Now, texting is an entirely new mode of communication, with a new language, new expressions etc. New social issues we never had to consider before, like texting while driving (don't do it!) or sexting (do it!), or the fact that doctors now diagnose 'Blackberry Thumb,' have now surfaced. We all saw the pictures and read the text messages of Iranian youth, protesting in the streets of Tehran last year, and high-society has caught on to; we've got texting etiquette (textiquette?) now.

On that note, a couple of rules from Emily Post:

• CAPSLOCK means you're shouting, please use your indoor texting voice.
• Keep it brief, i.e., if its longer than 140 characters, call the person instead.

I guess there's still plenty to worry about, but it seems like we all took a collective sigh of relief today. Everything's going smoothly. Problems and hiccups are being dealt with, not freaked out upon. The big TV in the middle of the office is like the window into the newborn ward at the hospital, a collection of new parents wander by to see how their kid is doing. Each time they pass and see everything's alright, they let the sleep deprivation get to their heads.

Everyone gets a little giddy.

When I was a kid I used to get giddy watching the Space Shuttle take off. I still do.

I feel the same way now.

I wonder if this means I can play astronaut after work?

Countdown to Launch

So the last few days have been really crazy here.

Crazy good though, crazy busy.

The team’s been put together and we all graduated from TXT-TV Academy (it’s true, and I have the signed diploma to prove it). As newly-minted moderators, we’ve been busy putting the soft and hardware through its paces. It’s been a tough process – there are a lot of oddball rules and regulations you need to know, almost by hand, to get a TV station off the ground. So we’ve been testing and training, trying to see what will work and what won’t. It’s been a pain, but at least we’ve had fun doing it. We also got to know our more seasoned co-workers, who spent the last few days leaving outrageous messages and curveball references for us to sort through.

I’m starting to think my boss only deals with sick twisted people. 

But, y’know, sick and twisted in a nice, older-sibling kind of way; like their obscenity is more about teaching you how to use it than really offending someone. I suddenly have the warm fuzzies.

Starting a new job has other challenges too. Typically, at home, with friends or in class, I’ve got a bona fide goofball personality. I joke around a lot, mostly to make people laugh and take the edge off meeting people for the first time. It’s weird, I like breaking the ice – quickly. But at the same time, when I’m nervous, I can be irreverent, maybe a bit distant. Trying to figure out how to present yourself in a serious/ fun/ creative environment can get tricky, and I’ve seen a lot of people wear many hats. So you sit back and relax, focus on the job and know in time those nervous first steps will start to even out. I’ve been told by enough people not to let it get to me, but what can I say – even Joe Cool has his off days right?

I made introductions to more established members of the TXT-TV team and felt a nice rush of calm come over me – off on the right foot. They tell me they were much the same on their first days with the company, but the atmosphere is just right to get things straightened out pretty quick. Was introduced to a guy named Tony Dynamo, and yeah like the name suggests, he’s a live-wire.

So what did I learn here over the last couple of days?

There’s no need to be nervous: going with the flow and being yourself is the only way to go. I guess the key is to be aware that being nervous can make you a smidge unlike yourself. Feel like I’m lighter all of sudden.

Hmmm, what else?

There are action figures everywhere, and they all seem to be in boxes, for show. Someday something epic is going to happen to all those toys, but I’m biding my time. Actually, as I write this I’m sipping brandy petting a snow-white cat – a purrfect way to be patient. Too lame?

You should’ve been there for the last couple of days of TXT-TV testing: you know how when people haven’t had a lot of sleep but have had a lot of coffee, and they start cracking silly jokes about words they find funny, and then that ends up an endless stream of terrible puns? Yeah, that’s been the last few days. I know the days coming on down the pipes will be hectic, but I can deal. We’ve crossed the threshold now, the anticipation is building to the launch…

… 3… 2…1...

Hello, my name is...

Every once in a while you find yourself in the middle of a great idea.

This blog is about the launch of a new TV network and the cast of characters who will make it work. It’s a new idea and we’re all new to each other, and I’ve been given the enviable job of letting you see behind the scenes.

Now, before I dive headlong into this post, you should know that, aside from the boss, no one knows who’s writing this blog. There may be more than one of us.  You can call me anonymous if you want. Just know that you’re getting unscripted reality in the raw, just the way you like it.

So a few months ago I saw a post on my school’s online job bank –

“New TV network being launched and we need you!”

Me, really?

I was honoured.

“A brand new television experience, TxT-TV! Engage in a fully interactive television experience! Chatting! Games! Trivia! Voting! Contests! Exclamation points!”

They needed people to help moderate the discussions, introduce topics of conversation, make sure no lunatic hijacks the whole thing with endless conspiracy theories. I thought to myself; “Oh, ok, the usual.” I played it over in my mind and I saw Cartman saying ‘respect my authoritay’ – I was sold.

Fast forward a few weeks and I’m sitting down at a big table in a big office. An orange-red-yellow office, with a copy of F*** My Life on the coffee table, inflatable neon furniture; I feel like I’m walking onto the set of a sitcom about twenty-somethings doing something techy. Tattoos and piercings and Warhol and rockstar attitudes – and that’s just the boss!

Sitting around the table’s a bit dull, the powerpoint a bit too long, aimless. We had been given homework, to read through the manual, learn how the system worked etc, and I was psyched to get going. We get the gist of the idea – user generated television, text messaging meets TV.

We get introduced to the programs – a chance to chew the fat, to let-loose, to vent or to prove how smart you are. We meet the people involved, and see what had been prepared for us to test. I look around the table and see a bunch of people not unlike myself, different yet similar. A mom, an actor, a singer, a chef, a writer, a manager, a promoter – I’m convinced we all carry these jobs around with us. Ever felt you’ve tried your hand at all that’s been tried before?

The boss is confident. The managers are confident. The office – though it really is more of a studio – is confident. Everyone’s confident except us – eight people sitting around a table, unsure of where this is going, whether we’ll succeed.

After what seems like an eternity discussing the intricate details of our jobs as moderators, we finally get to test the system and see what we’re made of, though we’re all caught off guard. We blush: “What song did you lose your virginity to?” is the topic.

Let me give it to you straight – this question can tell you a lot about people you barely know, and as far as icebreakers go, well, let’s say we all got real comfortable real quick. True to form, those I had pegged as geeks, nerds, shy etc were the complete opposite. Since we were just screwing around to test the system (and our abilities as moderators) we let fly – weeks of anticipation, frustration and trying to figure out a work-in-progress came out in a torrent of pure unadulterated raunch.

I think I’m in good hands.