The Musings of Peter DeHaan

Gamification

2012-05-16T11:00:00Z

I was quite skeptical about "gamification," the use of game concepts to motivate desirable behavior among customers (or employees).

I reasoned that while expecting customers to "play games" might result in a short-term increase in brand involvement or purchases, I doubted if it was sustainable. However, I am rethinking my knee-jerk assessment.

As a Netflix customer, I was likely involved in a basic gamification effort. As I posted movie reviews on their site, I was given a "reviewer rank." As I posted more reviews, my rank would improve. At one point I had worked my way to the neighborhood of 5,000 out of several million reviewers. Bettering my reviewer rank became a game for me. Yes, I enjoyed watching the movies and, yes, I found it rewarding to share my input with other Netflix customers, but the validation of my efforts came through watching my reviewer rank improve.

However, if it was a "game," the problem was I didn't know the rules. I assumed more reviews was good, more readers of my reviews was beneficial, and more people flagging my reviews as "helpful" in comparison to "not helpful" was also a factor. But this could not be verified, as everything I did was competing with what others did. So I could do something to improve my reviewer rank, but if others did even more to improve theirs, my rank would actually decrease.

I reviewed 71 movies and then abruptly stopped when I realized I no longer enjoyed doing so.

It seems gamification may work after all -- at least for a while.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

The Birds Are Singing

2012-05-09T11:00:00Z

I've worked at home for over eleven years.

With a home office it's critical to have a professional, work-like environment. This is especially true when you are on a phone call (or video call). There can be no household noises, such as blaring TVs or radios, crying children, barking dogs, or talking spouses. These sounds can all be picked up on the phone and heard by callers.

This has never been an issue for me -- until now. Not that any of the preceding have become an issue, but I have introduced another decidedly non-business sound.

Last year I moved my office from a windowless room in the basement to an unused bedroom on the main floor. When the weather is nice, I open up the window for some fresh air.

Recently, while on a phone call with the window open, the person I was talking to asked, "Do I hear birds?"

Indeed she did. A musical concord of songbirds were serenading me outside my window. Though melodic and soothing, they were also quite loud. But I would have never guessed their unrestrained happiness could have been heard on the other end of my phone call.

Singing birds may be unprofessional, but I'm okay with that.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Going Paperless

2012-04-25T11:00:00Z

There is a trend of sending customers their invoices and statements via email. Businesses that do so save the expense of printing and mailing paper documents. For consumers, they receive their information faster and can file it digitally, without the need to waste paper (but I wonder how many print it anyway).

This is a practice that I both love and hate.

I love it when companies email me my invoice as an attachment. It is easy to access, view, and file. Time is saved and natural resources are not consumed.

I hate it when the email notice simply tells me my invoice or statement is available online. Then I need to go to their website, login -- often a multistep process, navigate to the appropriate page, select the desired document, download it, open it, and then save it -- which in some cases requires I convert it to a PDF file first. The process might be a tad easier if I click on the link provided in their email, but I don't do that in order to protect myself from being victimized by a phishing scam. (To make this even more frustrating, one financial institution won't even notify me via email when my statement is ready -- I need to go through all these steps just to check.)

I understand these steps are required to protect my information from being accessed by the criminally-minded. But really, being forced to go paperless is not a customer-focused practice. If a business is truly interested in serving their customers, they wouldn't force them to jump through all these hoops just to receive their statements, they would offer options: paperless or paper. It is the right thing to do.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Stop Trying to Upsell Me

2012-04-18T11:00:00Z

I needed to order some ink cartridges for my printer -- the kind I can only buy directly from the vendor. There was a problem with the website, so I picked up the phone to place my order.

I told the agent I wanted to order two black ink cartridges.

Not surprisingly, she suggested I buy a package that included two color cartridges as well. "No thank you, just black."

Upon discovering the age of my printer, she tried to sell me a new printer. "No thank you -- I just need ink."

When I acknowledged that I own several computers from her company, she asked if they were working okay and did I... "No I just want to buy ink."

Then she offered me a special price on anti-virus software for only..., "No, I only want ink!"

Next, she inquired if I was interested in a maintenance plan to... "NO, just ink!"

Perhaps she was supposed to try to upsell me five times or maybe she was on commission. I don't know for sure, but I do know the call took twice as long as it needed to, I became irritated, and the likelihood of me buying another printer from them is highly unlikely.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

A College Education for Everyone

2012-04-11T11:00:00Z

A few years ago, there was a concerted political push to increase home ownership rates. The idea was to help renters become buyers. This, it was argued, would have many benefits for those who made the jump, including: an increased standard of living, greater self-esteem, and financial security (by building up equity). As a result, many people who shouldn't have bought houses, were pushed into doing so.

This was exacerbated by some lenders who got greedy, sub-prime loans, the assumption that balloon payments would not be a problem, and the belief that the housing bubble would not collapse. We now know that these forces conspired together to create a perfect storm for economic disaster.

The truth is now known that not everyone should own their home.

It seems that the political emphasis has now switched from owning your own home to getting a college degree. Indeed the current mantra is "a college education for everyone." Never mind that not everyone is college material. Some need to pursue a trade, join the service, or directly enter the workforce. Sending the ill-equipped, the unmotivated, and or uncaring to college will do nothing to make them better, but will saddle them with student loans, as well as harm the overall learning opportunities offered at the institutions they attend.

Plus if everyone were to obtain a college degree, then those seeking to distinguish themselves will be needlessly pushed into grad school. Indeed some fields are already like that.

If this effort to send everyone to college succeeds, the result will not be them getting a better job, but merely an upward push on required qualifications, as well as more money spent on schooling and increased student debt.

It will only be a matter of time before the college bubble bursts -- just like the housing bubble before it.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

One Kid or Two?

2012-04-04T10:12:29Z

In my family there are a lot of two-children families. My bride and I both came from two-children homes. We have two children ourselves and both of our kids' spouses hail from two-children families. Plus, my sister has two children. So my mom has two children and four grandchildren. If the trend continues, she will have eight great grandchildren.

Contrast this with China's one-child policy, which has been in place since 1979 (33 years). A child born in China today will be the only child of two parents and the only grandchild of four grandparents. If the trend continues, he or she will eventually be the only great grandchild of eight great grandparents. This child will also have no uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, or nephews.

While this may be an effective means to curb population growth, it has two most negative outcomes:

First, a Chinese child will be the only child of two parents and of four grandparents. That means that six people are placing their sole generational focus -- good or bad -- on that lone child. There will be a tendency to spoil their only child and grandchild. And there will be tremendous pressure placed on that child to do well, succeed, get married -- and have his or her one child. That's a lot of pressure to put on one kid. Plus, all these overly indulged, "only-child" kids, being the center of their family's attention, will most likely be narcissistic and selfish.

Second, a Chinese child will be the only grandchild to care for four aging grandparents and later the only child to care for two aging parents. There will be no siblings or cousins to share in these duties. That's a lot of responsibility to place on one child.

In societies with no procreation limits, parents rightly make their own decisions on the number of offspring, be it ten, two, one, or even none. That is good and right, but when a whole society is forced to limit themselves to one, the ramifications are significant.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Don't Wash Your Hands

2012-03-28T11:00:00Z

As I made my way through airport security on my recent trip, I was randomly selected for a chemical scan. After passing a gauze-like material over my hands, the female TSA worker popped it in a machine for analysis. To my shock and her dismay, the machine beeped and turned red.

This development earned me the special attention of receiving a pat down. As she guided me past a long line of fellow travelers, I wondered if this unexpected development might actually end up saving me time going through security. I was wrong.

While we waited for a male TSA worker to conduct the pat down, I wondered aloud how I managed to set off the sensor. "I just washed my hands," I mused.

"That does seem to catch a lot of people," she replied.

If soap is setting off the senor, I reasoned to myself, than either the machine is too sensitive or they need to buy different soap.

I was quite apprehensive about the pat down, but the male TSA agent carefully explained the process and conducted it with great gentleness. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Frankly I think it bothered him more than me. I passed the pat down and assumed I was good to go. Not so. He then did a chemical check of his gloves and the sensor again beeped and turned red. A supervisor arrived quickly and I was ushered into a private room. I began to wonder if I was going to make it home.

The supervisor and agent both put on new gloves and this time the supervisor gave me the pat down. If the scan of his gloves came back testing positive for chemicals, I was hosed. Fortunately it did not. I was free to go.

While the first scan may have come up positive because of soap residue on my hands, that didn't explain the positive match on the second test. Then I realized that neither the first or second scan was done by an agent wearing new gloves. They likely had chemical residual on their gloves from other passengers, fellow travelers who passed through security undetected and would be getting on a plane with the residue of potential bomb-making chemicals on them.

Although I would be boarding a plane after a rigorous security ordeal, I didn't feel any safer.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

What Happened to Spring?

2012-03-22T00:04:56Z

Yesterday was the first day of spring -- and the temperature hit a record-breaking 86 F. The average high for this time of year is 48. That's an astounded in 38 degree difference. And today, the high temps pushed 90.

Interestingly, the average high temperature for us in three months, the first day of summer, is only 84 degrees. That implies that our seasonal temperatures are about three months ahead of schedule.

Now if this difference continues and the high for the first day of summer is also 38 degrees above the average, that would put it at a sweltering 122 degrees. While I don't think that will actually happen, I do suspect we are in for a hot summer this year.

What is the weather like where you live?

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Time Change and Jet Lag

2012-03-15T21:39:44Z

I've never been a fan of our twice-annual time change, in and out of daylight savings time. My perspective is to pick a time and stick with it. This is in part because of the hassle of resetting clocks, but also because it takes my body about a week to fully adjust.

I also struggle with jet lag after traveling. That, too, takes a few days for my body to recover.

This past weekend, I was able to experience both, the switch to daylight savings time Sunday morning and an airplane flight, spanning two time zones, Sunday afternoon.

I think that the first partially offset the second. But then there was the return trip, from which I am in recovery from the jet lag.

Even so, dealing with the adjustment to daylight savings time simultaneously with jet lag, is better than dealing with them on separate occasions.

What do you think of daylight savings time?

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Could Spring be Right Around the Corner?

2012-03-02T23:28:59Z

Technically, the first day of spring will not be for a couple more weeks (this year on March 20 -- unless you live south of the Equator, then you have a much longer wait).

However, the seasons seldom line up with the calendar.

For me, the best sign of spring is when I see a robin for the first time. That happened today.

Another typical sign of spring's arrival is bulbs whose new growth begins to emerge from the ground. Unfortunately, for me, that indicator is flawed this year, as my tulips got confused with a warm fall and actually began showing their greenery last October.

Bravely these early arrivals, with their one-inch stalks, stood guard all winter long, despite repeatedly being covered with snow. Though they are no longer a vibrant green, they did nonetheless maintain their general color all winter long.

And now, with warmer temps, they seem to be growing again. It will be interesting to see if they have enough energy left to produce flowers later on, but nevertheless they do assure me that spring is on its way.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

What Day Is It?

2012-02-29T15:16:28Z

This morning I sat down in my office and glanced at my "Atomic Clock" -- the kind that displays the date, day, time, outdoor and indoor temperature, and even the phase of the moon.

Then I did a double take. For it told me that today was Wednesday, March 1 -- not Wednesday, February 29. Apparently, my clock does not know that this is leap year and that today is leap day, which squeezes an extra date into the calendar.

I assume that once it does its daily synchronization with the satellite as it flies by, that order will be restored and it will correctly become Wednesday, February 29.

Until that time, I will be glancing at the display every couple of minutes to see if it has self-corrected.

Of course, I could manually adjust the date, but what fun would that be? I don't want to fix it myself; I want to know that it will make the adjustment for me.

But until that happens, don't ask me what the date is; I may tell you the wrong one.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Michigan Voting

2012-02-27T12:23:38Z

Tomorrow is the primary presidential election in Michigan. I am glad that this day is upon us -- for two reasons.

The first is that this time our votes will actually matter. Eight years ago, by the time it was Michigan's turn to cast our ballots, the leading candidate of my preferred party had the nomination sewn up before we could vote. Four years ago, in an effort to be relevant in the nomination process, Michigan moved up the date of our primary. The ploy so angered party officials that they punished us by disregarding our delegates. So much for voting early. This time, however, the nomination is still undecided and our voice will matter.

The second reason I am looking forward to the primary election is that it will put an end to the incessant robo calls that we are being deluged with. Initially we were getting one call a day, then two, and then more. Yesterday, I believe it was six. Who knows what this day will bring. But come Wednesday, the phones will go silent, albeit until the general election in the fall.

Aside from the annoyance of their interruption, the calls are not helpful -- and from my perspective they do more harm than good. For me, each call actually serves as a negative mark against the sponsoring candidate. The one with the most money to spend is calling the most often, greatly decreasing his standing in my eyes. Stop spewing the tired rhetoric, the twisted truth, and the out-of-context inferences.

I am wearied by the political process, but at least this time my voice will be heard.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Please Turn Off All Electronic Devices

2012-02-23T19:29:52Z

I have owned and enjoyed an iPod Nano for many years. Though I don't use it much for music, it is a regular source for listening to podcasts and lectures.

Almost from the start, however, I've encountered intermittent difficulty in turning it off. There are some tricks to accomplish this posted online, but they only work some of the time. When these workaround solutions don't resolve this issue, I either just let the battery run down, forcing it to turn off, or dock it with my computer, thereby bypassing the problem.

Although this is mildly irritating, it's not a big deal. At least not until recently.

In preparation for a trip, I loaded my iPod with hours of recordings. While waiting to board my plane and during the preflight process, I listened to it.

When the instruction came to turn off and stow all electronic devices, my iPod was unresponsive. And the tricks to make it cooperate didn't work either.

What would a flight attendant do with a device that can't be turned off? I didn't want to find out, so I pretended that nothing was amiss and shoved it in my bag, feeling only a slight twinge of guilt for my non-compliance.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Super Bowl - Super Ads

2012-02-08T12:37:54Z

Like many people I watched the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl Ads.

The game was a good one, with the outcome in doubt up until the very end.

The commercials were good, too. Many were creative and smart. But I was so drawn in by others that I missed the product being promoted. Although I was entertained, these ads failed at their primary mission: to inform or sway.

As always, I enjoyed the e-Trade ad and Doritos user-generated spots. I especially appreciated Matthew Broderick playing off his Ferris Bueller role, but don't know what product he was promoting.

The ad I enjoyed the most, however, as a local spot that I believed aired at 5:59, right before the official coverage began. In it, US Senate hopeful, Pete Hoekstra, had a great ad that cleverly called his opponent Debbie Stabenow, "Debbie-Spend-it-Now."

Although some people without a sense of humor are decrying the ad as racist, these purveyors of political correctness are choosing to miss the point. Michigan's current senator has spent too much of taxpayer dollars, while her opponent, "Pete-Spend-it-Not" has a different idea.

Regardless of the controversy, that ad is my Super Bowl highlight.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Woodpecker Wars

2011-11-12T12:10:27Z

I used to like woodpeckers, admiring their colorful beauty and stately appearance, being amazed at their peculiar characteristic of using their beak as a drilling tool to find food or make a shelter.

However, when I learned that woodpeckers had taken an interest in my neighbor's house, I immediately checked mine. Unbeknownst to me, they had been hard at work on the shutters on the south side of my home -- fortunately, it was only the shutters.

My bride, an amazing cyber-sleuth, quickly learned that:

It is usually just one or two woodpeckers that attack one's abode, not a flock of them.
There are a variety of motivations: looking for food, establishing a nest, or trying to attract a mate.
There is no one guaranteed solution, but a list of possible ones -- that may hinge on their motivation for pecking.
Anything that hurts or kills a woodpecker -- or disturbs their nests -- is illegal; they are protected. (Not that I would want to harm them, but recalling the tenacity and rapidity of their work, courtesy of the old Woody Woodpecker cartoons, I can envision things quickly escalating out of control.)

As a first step, I filled and painted the holes.

That solved the problem -- for a few days. Though they never returned to the south side of my house, they moved their focus to the shutters on the north side, which have now been filled twice and repainted.

I now make a daily walk around my home's perimeter, scrutinizing it for the telltale signs of a woodpecker at work. I am now pleased to state that I have been woodpecker free for seven days.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

The Domino Effect of Home Improvement

2011-10-27T17:43:27Z

This summer my bride and I began working together. This required that we convert an unused bedroom into her office. At the time, she made the reasonable request to paint the room first. I noted that this would also be an ideal time to replace the carpet. I had planned to ditch the aged 25-year-old carpet throughout our home next year anyway, so we picked out and ordered the carpet for the entire job.

Candy's office was painted and re-carpeted on schedule. However, re-carpeting the rest of the house set in motion a chain reaction, which I call the domino effect of home improvement.

It was pointed out that before installing the rest of the carpet, it would be preferable to have all the non-carpeted areas redone first, not later. That too, had been planned for next year.

However, the existing bathroom cabinets -- also planned for replacement in two years -- had a larger footprint than what is currently available. So, new cabinets were picked out and installed first. Between the cabinet replacement and redoing the flooring, both bathrooms have been out of commission for a couple of weeks. (Fortunately, the guest bathroom was still functional.)

Of course, this was an ideal time to repaint the bathrooms.

But, with the flooring tore up, it was the window of opportunity to try to fix the squeaking floors. The list goes on...

In the midst of this, I decided to move my office next to my bride's, as opposed to being at the opposite end of the house on a different level. This meant buying a new desk, since the other one wouldn't fit in the new room.

At this point, every room in the house -- save the guest room -- is either in various states of remodeling or is storing furniture from the other rooms.

I think that our home is currently at the peak of disarray and can now anticipate steady movement towards getting back to normal.

As for dominoes, I think I've had enough of them for a while.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

There Has to be a Better Way

2011-10-19T11:19:22Z

I don't know if I wasn't listening or am slow to catch on, but it wasn't until later in life that I realized how to land a job:

The purpose of a resume is to secure an interview,
the purpose of an interview is sell yourself well enough to receive an offer, and
the purpose of an offer is to negotiate a compensation package for your new job.

Silly me. I thought that people should just hire me because I could do the work -- and would do it well. (I wouldn't have applied if I didn't believe that.) I viewed the application/resume and interview steps as unnecessary irritations in the process. As far as compensation negotiations, just skip that part and pay me what I am worth.

The sad reality is that -- except for a few positions, such as sales or marketing -- being able to pen a compelling resume or conduct a convincing interview is no measure of one's ability to actually do a job, merely their ability to obtain a job. The result is that unsuited people are hired and -- I fear -- good people are overlooked. There has to be a better way.

The same is true in politics. You need to be able to raise money to campaign and you need to be able to debate well to raise your poll numbers and you need to speak with conviction to create interest among the electorate. But these skills have little bearing on your ability to lead well.

Whether it is obtaining a job or being elected, the conventional processes do not allow the best person to prevail. There has to be a better way.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Tantilizingly Close

2011-10-08T12:13:50Z

In the ongoing saga of running fiber optic cable to my home (for high-speed Internet, digital telephone, and video services) things moved one step closer to completion this week.

I watched with excitement as a third construction crew showed up in our neighborhood and then began running the fiber optic cable though my yard, from the distribution canister to my house.

Then I realized they were just taunting me. Although the cable is now run to my house, it is merely leaning against the outside wall of my abode -- they did not install an interface box.

Apparently, another crew will need to do that. I don't know when that will be or if that will mean they are ready to connect me -- but I am certainly ready to be connected.

As the saying goes, "Good things take time."

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Partner or Employee?

2011-09-22T10:42:58Z

Last month, after much planning and consideration, my bride joined me in my publishing business. Her long commute to her prior job was becoming wearisome and with winter approaching, bad weather would make it even longer and more of a worry.

As we shared this possibility with others, the idea was met with raised eyebrows and skepticism. One doubtful friend directly stated, "Married people should not work together." A wise friend, however, advised that we consider whether Candy would be my employee or my partner. That was a great question and we opted for partner.

We even did a trial run this spring when she had some vacation time to use up. The test went quite well, so we moved forward with our plans. Now, six weeks into it, we are pleased with the results. It was a good move and I wish we had done it sooner.

The only occasional hiccup is that sometimes she acts like an employee and sometimes I view her as one. Still we are steadily moving towards the goal of becoming business partners and I suspect as she more fully understands the business, that goal will be realized.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

One Step Closer to Fiber Optics

2011-09-16T01:33:06Z

In June, I reported that a fiber optic ring was being installed in my area, offering high-speed Internet, video, and digital telephone. The first sign of tangible progress in my neighborhood occurred in August. First, all the underground utilities were marked: natural gas, electrical power, telephone, and cable. By the time everything was identified, I had 54 flags poking up in my yard, signifying the various buried utilities that needed to be avoided. I know that there were 54 markers, because I had to mow around everyone for three weeks -- but that was a small price to pay for promise of high-speed Internet.

When they began work, my DSL was having technical difficulties and I naively envisioned that within a week or two, I would be connected to something better. Alas, that was wishful thinking. I called the fiber provider, who gave me a vague timetable of "by next spring."

All the crew was doing was laying the conduit that the cable would eventually be run through. Even so, I found myself finding excuses to take peeks at their progress throughout the day. Three weeks later, they moved on to the next street.

I feared that all we would have would be empty conduit until next spring. Then today, a new crew showed up. They began pulling the fiber through the conduit and installing cans, which would later serve as distribution points. Again, I found it hard to work, as I would have preferred to watch them work. They made good progress and I suspect will have all the fiber pulled in my neighborhood in a day or two.

Still, I will need to wait longer, as the next step will be to run fiber to my house. I know, I'm a geek about such things, but I can hardly wait.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.