Category Archives: Using social media

Can It, Please!

August 13, 2023 Walter Leave a comment

I recently whined on Facebook about the number of email assaults I receive regarding real estate, noting that most violate Federal Law and ethical considerations. I also suggested that I might write a blog post highlighting some of the provisions of the “CAN-SPAM Act.” Since the Facebook post received a few (very few) “likes,” I am proceeding.

Real Estate Peeps may feel free to ignore it but do so at your own peril. When you send emails regarding listings and open houses to groups of people, it is considered commercial email, and the CAN-SPAM Act regulates it.

The CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act) is a U.S. federal law enacted in 2003 to regulate commercial email messages and prevent spam. Here’s a summary of its essential requirements:

Unsubscribe Option: Commercial emails must include a clear and conspicuous way for recipients to opt out of future emails. The unsubscribe mechanism must be functional for at least 30 days after sending the email. This is one of the most common violations I see.
Identification: The email must clearly identify itself as a commercial message and include accurate sender information. Sender information includes the sender’s physical postal address. Note that you can run, but you cannot hide.
Deceptive Subject Lines: Subject lines must accurately reflect the content of the email. Misleading or deceptive subject lines are prohibited. This should be obvious.
Sending Practices: It’s prohibited to use false or misleading header information, use deceptive routing or relay techniques, or employ any other deceptive means to hide the origin of the email. Again, you can run, but you cannot hide.
Honor Opt-Out Requests: Once a recipient opts out, the sender has ten business days to honor the request. The sender cannot transfer the recipient’s email to another entity for sending additional emails.
Monitoring of Third Parties: Companies using third-party marketers to send emails on their behalf are still responsible for ensuring that those emails comply with CAN-SPAM. You can delegate the job but not the responsibility.
Penalties: Violations of the CAN-SPAM Act can result in substantial penalties, including fines per email sent in violation of the law. The most significant penalties are alienating potential clients and losing the respect of others.

I think the most significant penalties are alienating potential clients and losing the respect of others.

Regarding penalties, here’s a funny story for you. I (and, I’m sure many others) received an unsolicited email from a self-proclaimed marketing expert who promised to increase my business geometrically. It did not contain much humility and assured me the expert knew many marketing secrets and tricks. It also violated a number of the provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act.

I figured out how to reply to it (not usually a good idea, but I thought it would be entertaining), expressing interest in the magic offered, particularly given that the marketing the expert was doing on their own behalf violated Federal Law on many points.

I have not heard from the SPE (Self Proclaimed Expert) since.

It’s important to note that this summary provides a general overview of the CAN-SPAM Act, and there may be additional details and nuances in the full text of the law. It’s essential for businesses engaging in email marketing to understand and comply with the Act’s requirements to avoid legal consequences.

Note this does not address the advertising rules enacted by the Maine Real Estate Commission, other federal and state marketing regulations, or company policy.

Causes and Friends, Communication, Uncategorized, Using social media

Memorial Day, Where Are You?

May 28, 2023 Walter Leave a comment

Something is missing. Since I often say, “Nothing is ever lost as long as it’s remembered,” I should perhaps explain. What seems to be missing or lost this year are the formal opportunities to remember and honor those who (if we’re going to be precise) died in the service to our country, at least according to some sources.

Like so many things, Memorial Day has “evolved.” Thanks to technology, it’s not too difficult to trace the official history, but the subtle history can be a bit more elusive. As originally conceived (Decoration Day) in 1868, it was meant to be for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the military.

By the time of my earliest recollections, it seemed to have “morphed” into a day for honoring and mourning military personnel who died, not necessarily while serving in the military. Perhaps because of the day’s roots as “Decoration Day,” the focus seemed to be maintaining the graves of those who served–those who died in service and those who died since serving. We spent, literally, hours improving grave sites, planting flowers, and placing flags. Parades often ended in cemeteries. in a sense, we “decorated” graves with our presence.

Thanks in part to social media, some are trying to restore the original meaning. Perhaps with this blog post, I have joined that informal group. But when I read the posts and comments, I disagree with many.

One that makes sense but is also troubling points out that today is for those who have died and instructs us “not to thank a living veteran, today is about honoring those who died in service to our country.” My grandfather and dad would be left out based on that technicality. Sorry, but that doesn’t feel right. Both were proud veterans, and both paid a price by serving.

Many died while serving, more are dying since serving, and many are currently serving. Is there an occasion when we should NOT be grateful to those who have served and those who are serving?

Another “suggestion” is that we “remember that Memorial Day isn’t about picnics and having fun.” My earliest recollections are of a day that was both somber and fun. Those emotions are not opposites.

And, perhaps more importantly, if we stick to the original definition of who we honor, I think they would be pleased to know we are having fun. They died so we could. Having fun honors them.

I find it difficult to criticize anyone who celebrates the meaning of this day in some way. Distance means I can no longer visit my father’s and grandfather’s resting place and make sure they “look right” for this day. I may not find a parade to watch this year. But I will hang out the flag tomorrow and spend some time in contemplation and remembrance.

And I will have some fun, if only because I can. You should too!

The “decorated” graves of Walter Boomsma, Sr. (served in WWII) and his father Jan Boomsma (served in WWI). Jan served in the Australian Expeditionary Force, thus two flags.

Causes and Friends, Learning, Mental Health, Mental Hygiene, Teaching, Using social media

Twain on Training

May 11, 2023 Walter Leave a comment

I couldn’t resist the alliteration, even though this is about education (which many think is different from training).

“Covid Crazy” isn’t on the DSM yet (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), but I won’t be surprised when it appears. I wish I could remember who said, “We got used to staying home, and it’s like nobody wants to crawl out from under the blankets.” Most of us have days when that sounds good–the pandemic seems to have increased the trend geometrically. It will be fifty years before we even begin to understand the impact of the pandemic and our collective response to it, including how it impacted our happiness and enjoyment.

He’d be tarred, feathered, and lynched in today’s world, but my college psych professor was memorable for saying, “If rape is inevitable, you might as well enjoy it.” It is a horrible statement, but he was trying to make the point that we should approach things we have to do with an upbeat attitude. There’s probably a better example, but it was memorable. (I also remember him biting an apple and throwing it at the class.)

I taught a course years ago that aimed at increasing job satisfaction. Many people became so focused on hating work they were missing opportunities. It was/is a question of focus. At the time, I coined the phrase “ritualistic complaining.” One of the ideas behind the course was to get out of the habit of focusing on the negatives.

We’ve scratched on the surface of its effect on education, but education has had some systemic issues for at least fifty years.

I am often disappointed with how many students attend educational events with a “let’s get it over with” attitude. I’ve always believed part of my job is to make the experience enjoyable and meaningful, even for those who came with a “let’s get it over with” attitude.

Most people enjoy learning. A lot of education takes the joy out of learning. It’s also human nature to want to learn. If we didn’t, we’d still be crawling around on our hands and knees. There are a lot of Facebook users who never attended a class, but they are adept at using it. Some of those same people complain that they don’t get good training at work.

Mark Twain quit school when he was 11. He later said things like, “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.” Another favorite is, “Some people get an education without going to college. The rest get it after they get out.” The longer I’m in the education business, the more apparent it becomes that the model could stand some improvement. He also said, “One can be both entertained and educated and not know the difference.”

(I’ve not vetted these quotes, but they sound like something he’d say.)

A proverb (not attributed to Mark Twain) suggests, “Ignorance is bliss.” It has some value as a coping mechanism. We can avoid unpleasantness if we hide under the covers and remain ignorant. Perhaps it would be more accurate to suggest we can avoid thinking about things we find unpleasant. It doesn’t change the things we are avoiding, but it does change our feelings about them. A non-clinical term for it is “sticking our heads in the sand.” If you’d like to go clinical, Google the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

I occasionally acknowledge I’m prone to being a crusader. I don’t think I have a messiah complex. I definitely have no desire to become a martyr; apparently, that often involves dying. But I just might become an education reformer.

“If ignorance is bliss, why isn’t the world happier?”
Mark Twain

Causes and Friends, Communication, Mental Health, Personal Growth, Using social media

What Are You Plugged Into?

February 25, 2023 Walter Leave a comment

According to the Pew Research Center, about three in ten adults say they are “almost constantly” online. Teens spend up to nine hours a day watching or using screens. *

Those numbers don’t surprise me. What surprised me was that I hadn’t until recently discovered The Unplug Collaborative until recently and that March 3/4, 2023, is a National Day of Unplugging. An email from the CEO of US Cellular gets some of the credit. They have introduced “Phones Down for 5,” a challenge built around a simple action: taking a phone break for five days, five hours, or even just five minutes to reset the relationship we have with our devices.

That’s not an unreasonable challenge, although I know a few folks who would suffer anxiety if they couldn’t look at their phone for five minutes!

And there are good reasons to do it. Note that this isn’t a call to reject technology. It is a call to manage it. If you do some research (using technology, ironically), you’ll find some references to “digital detoxing” and “media fasting.” I liked one suggestion that we “put down our phones and listen to nature.” But we might also put down our phones and listen to our friends and our children.

If you’re more concerned with scrolling through Facebook than paying attention to the people right in front of you, it may be time to unplug. Even if you only commit to one hour per day.

The collaborative has over 200 unplugging ideas. One I particularly liked was creating a smartphone “napsack.” It’s a small drawstring bag that you can put your phone in. The idea behind it is that you give your smartphone a nap while you become more awake and alive.

Technology has the potential to bring us together, but it also can separate us. One story I read while researching this post was written by a young girl who lives in New York City. She described the change she experienced when she took her earbuds out and put her phone away while walking on the streets of the city. It started with some smiles and she’s now running a non-profit organization called Knock Knock, Give a Sock. In her Instagram Post, she says, “When I unplug, I’m able to give a smile.”

Maybe it’s time to unplug from the Internet and plug into those around us.

*Unplug Collaborative (n.d.). Why Unplugging Matters. Global Day of Unplugging 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023, from https://www.unplugcollaborative.org/why-unplugging-matters

Walter Boomsma (“Mr. Boomsma”) writes on a wide array of topics including personal development, teaching and learning. Course information is also available here!