O is for online

A trip down memory lane

Remember the days when you’d have to use an encyclopaedia to finish off your history report? Or when you’d buy a DIY book for inspiration for your next craft project? What about the days when you’d send a letter or a postcard?
Coming back from a holiday meant inviting everyone over to flip through vacation photos, and taking a photo of yourself involved using the timer on the camera then quickly running across the room, getting into position while hoping your hair didn’t mess up and your smile looks good and you’re not squinting and- BOOM! picture taken.

You might have a (slight) problem

Do you still remember all of your friends’ phone numbers by heart- do you even call them anymore?
Do you feel an incessant need to snap a photo of everything and share it with the world?
Do your Facebook ‘friends’ really care about your cat’s face when it’s sleeping, or how many reps you did at the gym, or about the romantic meal you just had with your better half, or the amazingly yummy ham and cheese toast resting on a bed of lettuce you had at 3am because you couldn’t sleep because your neighbour’s cocker spaniel wouldn’t stop barking after a cat ran across the road and climbed up a tree and…..
Yeah. No.

O is for online. And oh are we online!

Let’s start here – we love the digital world. We find it fascinating, the things that can be managed through the internet are amazing. For example, this week Mark Zuckerberg announced that 1 Billion people were on Facebook at the same time- that’s 1 out of every 7 people in the world! The ALS foundation raised about $100 million through the ALS ice bucket challenge last Summer while creating huge global awareness. Families who might be separated by distance can speak to each other in real time through Skype, WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber… or anything else.
However there is a big but (and we cannot lie).
The ‘but’ is that we, as a digital marketing agency know what it’s like to be logged in almost all day long. Whether it’s reading up on the latest news, monitoring different social media accounts, or analysing the latest trends, we’re more or less connected all day long. The e-mails and notifications don’t really stop, but we don’t mind because it’s what we do. Then when work’s over our computers might be off, but we’re not. We’re connecting with friends and family, discussing the evening’s plans, taking photos of our mouth watering meals, or curating our Pinterest boards – we’re always there…. 24/7, tapping away.

So when does it get too much?

Everyone has their own limits, some can be ‘logged in’ longer than others, but the reality is that everyone needs a break. That’s where our activities come in – we eat together as often as we can, we’ve moved into an open plan space, and we have our weekly brainstorming sessions and occasional nights out. Why? Because we understand the value in disconnecting and enjoying each other’s company the good old fashioned way. We enjoy walking to the supermarket in the scorching heat – just because it gets us away from our desk and lets us stretch our legs. We enjoy making tea for the whole office just so that we can visit everyone’s desk and say hi. We leave sticky notes instead of sending e-mails, and we occasionally give a stressed out colleague a high five as we pass them in the corridor, or surprise them with hot chocolate on their desk as their deadline fast approaches.
These are simple things – but they make a huge difference.

A small request

So we have a small request… or even a task. Call your friends and have a chat, get up off your chair and say hi to your colleague the good old fashioned way, organise a day out with your staff.
The digital world is a beautiful one, but it’s not the only one. So, as advocates of the beauty of going online, we’re asking you to take the time to switch off and connect the good old fashioned way.
What do you think?