one little cog

Just took that from a Barenaked Ladies song that I was listening to … dating back from 1994 ?

It’s been a tiring past couple of weeks.  With presenting to the Association of Canadian Publishers, talking with publishing students, setting up the company’s booth at Book Expo Canada, working at the booth at Book Expo Canada, tearing down the booth at Book Expo Canada and attending a Booknet Canada speaking event in the latter part of this past week — I definitely feel like I need to blank out for a while.  I guess things should slow down at work from now until September but knowing my situation, that most likely won’t happen because Dundurn is working on developing a website and I’m involved with that.

It was quite interesting hearing people at the Booknet Canada speaking event talk about internet marketing.  Three facts that make me wonder.

1. The fact that people believe that internet marketing is something so new and mysterious leaves me wondering why.
2. The fact that people focused on parts of internet marketing that actually required large amounts of money leaves me wondering how.
3. The fact that I stated those two reasons above makes me wonder who am I to talk?

All those questions just really makes me wonder what is so new about what is happening now.  Perhaps the technology may be new but the idea definitely isn’t.  I still remember reading all those books about space with the amazing illustrations of space stations.  Very much utopia-like but I can’t wait to see what happens–now if only humans can only stop killing and hurting one another.  (wow … there’s a loaded statement)

Where I work, I am a generalist — seriously … a generalist in big capital letters.  I walk in and I am responsible for internet marketing and maintaining our ONIX database but my day is rarely ever only filled with only those two tasks.  Since I had arrived, I gained an understanding of almost every system and process in the company — so much so that I get inquiries from every department about a wide range of things.  There are pros and cons to this of course, but I ran across an article that the CyberJournalist pointed out which involved a Q&A with a radio reporter, Howard Berkes, talking about his experience with working online.  It seemed like he actually becomes more a generalist because of how the world wide web functions.

To relate honestly, as a so-called “web worker/slave” I find that we have to be generalists.  I don’t have the time for the design department to extract art files for me or the editorial department to copyedit all my work (although sometimes I do get them to do so), I need to be able to write copy, and I definitely need to know my market, what my partners are looking for as well as know how to code a simple XHTML or PHP web page.  Sometimes I even need to work with Flash  and/or audio/video clips so I also need to know how to work with them.  I also need to firm understanding of design, photography, the eccentricities of the Internet, latest trends or applications and still have time to do everything else that may require my attention (i.e. teaching people, fixing processes, plumbing in the office kitchen sink!).

Sounds like a career for life?  Perhaps … but I definitely can’t settle on a job title.  Maybe web plumbing agent might work.

In the meanwhile, I think I’ll keep on running as long as I can keep getting up at 5am.

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