THE MEDIA ... AND THE MAN-NERS

It started in New York.

[Of course.  But betcha San Francisco ain’t far behind.]

The media, yes, from coast to coast, has glommed onto a phenomenon known as “manspreading,” where men take up more than their fair share of seats with legs opened in a V-shape.  Public campaigns are now being waged in Manhattan via subway posters and publicity.  The tag?  “Dude, really” with a Courtesy Counts banner.

News reports and editorials make light of the practice, even though many females are outraged – and snapping pix to share on social media.  A Philadelphia spokesperson for a similar campaign denies it’s an endemic practice (though we in the Polar Vortex city claim otherwise). 

What will be fascinating, if metrics are included, is to see the behavior change and the numbers.  Visuals and media coverage notwithstanding, we guarantee that it’ll take more than an ad/PR war to confine the offending males to one seat. 

Ask change experts: 

  • Train a gaggle of key spokespeople to hop on and off trains and (nicely) confront the manspreaders. 
  • Give subway conductors a few public announcements to voice at every stop (until all 8-something million New Yorkers get the message). 
  • Con native celebrities to film a few PSAs … for social media, in taxis, on the Web.
  • Tag it to the cause of sustainability – and making sure everyone has a fair ride.

Is rider etiquette all that important?  Change starts small …

BIRDS DO IT MORE. THEY SHOULD

Call us the “reluctants.”

A few months ago, we were gently persuaded by colleagues to establish a Twitter handle.  [Facebook and Instagram, to us, are very personal spaces; we don’t use either for business.]

We did.  And promptly forgot about it.

Which is why, when more and more social media experts are shouting that, in this job-hungry market, seekers need to actively manage their personal brand via Web sites and postings and group contributions to drive personal visibility, we politely say “humbug.”

First, Google knows you … intimately.  As do the other search engines.  Chances are, whatever you say about yourself in an e-space will have already shown up.

Second, we truly get the need to social-media-ize.  For business, that is.  LinkedIn pages and postings, Twitter notes about events and ideas, Instagram visuals:  All good, if they’re done with care and without braggadocio.  Nothing annoys us more than egregious publicity for publicity’s sake.  [Many celebrities practice it; why should we?]

Third, it’s about value.  Got a clarifying comment for a discussion or a footnote about certain references?  Add it.  Want to talk about your expertise in a non-promotional fashion?  Those seven to ten critical steps or three to five “gotta dos” about a hot topic make for a great blog or mini-thought paper.

Finally, Mom always told us to speak only when we had something to say.  That’s awfully good advice today.