When you’re the poor sucker who gets stuck with the general newsroom phone line at a news organization, you get a lot of weird and wacky calls. Sure, you can be the first one to get the breaking news tips, but you’re also in for a world of crazy requests, silly questions and “great” story ideas.

During my term at the helm when I was a reporter for a local newspaper I got story tips on everything from giant and or oddly-shaped vegetables, to an old tree that got knocked down in a storm (believe it or not, I had to cover that last story). Sometimes it was just acting as a general knowledge base for a population of people that don’t have access to or don’t know how to use Google.

We all lamented our turn with the general tip line, but what I had never considered was that those who work in the IT and technical support field get screwball questions and requests every day as long as they are in the field. I should have realized this – my computer programmer husband to this day still gets funny requests from my family on how to fix their computers.

But it wasn’t until I read over a press release of a survey of chief information officers around the United States about some of the ridiculous requests and questions that I realized reporters have nothing to complain about; never once have I been asked, “How do I clean cat hair out of my computer fan?” or “Can you come over and plug this cord in for me?”

Here are some other doozies:
“How do I remove a sesame seed from the keyboard?”
“I need help drilling holes in the wall.”
“Can I turn on the coffee pot with my computer?”
“I dropped my phone in the toilet, what should I do?”
“How do I pirate software?”

These get even better:
“I’d like to download the entire Internet so I can take it with me.”
“How do I start the Internet?”
“Will you show me how to use the mouse?”
“My computer won’t turn on or off.” (The computer was unplugged in that case.)
“How do I send an e-mail?”
“How do I click on different files?”

Yes – these are all legitimate questions that have been asked by people across the country. It seems like there is still quite a digital literacy gap in the population, which requires patience and understanding by the IT or help desk support staff.

What questions have you heard others ask – or you yourself asked – of your IT staff? Chime in and see if you can beat some of those previously mentioned.

It’s safe to say there is always room for improvement.

And while it’s possible that you’ve made (and already broken) a few goals or resolutions for personal development in 2012, (did someone say they were going to do 100 sit-ups every morning or cut back on caffeine?) you shouldn’t forget to focus on improving your job performance as well.

The job market is a tough one, so while valuable, hard-working employees remain on the payroll, employers also understand that there is a wealth of talent for them to choose from should their employees begin to fall short.

Instead of sitting by complacently, make 2012 the year you follow through on your boss’ suggestions from your performance evaluations and take the necessary measures to continue to improve professionally.

To help you get started, here are a few helpful tips, courtesy of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.:

• Find opportunities for more responsibility, which shows your employer that you are up to the challenge, thus increasing your value for the company
• Depending on the size of the company you work for, this one might already be accomplished – go out of your way to meet leaders at least two levels higher on the corporate ladder
• Become a joiner; and by that we mean join a committee – help plan the next company outing on the Fun Committee or join in with healthy workplace policies on a Wellness Committee. It can help you bond with co-workers you don’t normally interact with and shows your willingness to be involved
• Get a mentor or become one – the benefits are endless
• If your company offers any professional development courses or career-enhancing programs, take advantage of them
• Increase your efficiency while decreasing costs. Employers are looking for ways to tighten up the bottom line, so they’ll be happy to take your suggestions under consideration and make a mental note that you’re working on their behalf
• Learn everything you can about something and be the go-to person on the subject at your company; it will make you the most valuable player for that particular topic.

Decided 2012 is the year for a career change? Be proactive about it – increase your skill set, remain positive and do whatever is necessary to improve yourself both personally and professionally.

How do you plan to grow and evolve in the workplace this year?

Back in September, there were reports of Will Ferrell running around Terre Haute.

The actor, famous for his starring roles in “Elf,” “Talladega Nights” and “Anchorman” (his signoff phrase as a news anchor: “You stay classy, San Diego”), was seen by residents and local media wearing a cheesy polo shirt, khaki shorts, tube socks and sandals (yikes) and standing in the middle of a busy city intersection with a small camera crew.

It was rumored at the time that he seemed to be carrying around a can and was potentially shooting a commercial of some kind – though details were vague at best.

Finally, if you live in the Terre Haute viewing area, you’re likely to see the result of Ferrell’s antics at the intersection of Wabash and Seventh streets and along the railroad tracks near 10th and Ohio streets (there are two commercials).

In one commercial posted here on YouTube, Ferrell waxes philosophical for a few seconds on being in the Crossroads of America and then proceeds to crack open a frosty cold Old Milwaukee brew. In the other,  you can see him walking along a railroad track going on about rusty trampolines before popping open the beverage.

The Terre Haute Tribune-Star reported that the ads were Ferrell’s idea and were produced by his web site, FunnyorDie.com (beware: probably salty language), Ferrell reportedly shot three commercials in Davenport, Iowa and at least two in Terre Haute. For now, the newspaper reports, the commercials will only be aired in the markets where they were shot – but you can watch them online no matter where you live.

If you paid attention to the news at all in Indianapolis last week, most likely you’ve heard about the “Indy Super Bowl Shuffle” video and surrounding hullabaloo.

I vaguely remembered a co-worker saying something about a “Super Bowl Shuffle,” but in all honesty didn’t pay attention – I’ve never actually seen the original. I was born the year the thing came out, am not a Chicago Bears fan and have never apparently been bored enough to look it up on YouTube.

The Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association (ICVA) created a parody video called the “Indy Super Bowl Shuffle” to demonstrate all of the city’s hotels and amenities. An article in Thursday’s Indianapolis Star said the video was created to attract meeting planners who are headed to Chicago for some big tradeshow. And, apparently on the level of attracting these planners to take a look here, it worked – at least one is now considering Indianapolis for a big convention.

But after an apparent backlash from Internet-goers, the ICVA took down the video from YouTube (though it’s back up now and linked at the bottom of this blog). I’ve read some of the comments posted and most are just downright mean and nasty. Someone even took the time to make a Facebook page petitioning to take the video down.

Finally, I got the chance to watch the five-minute-long video, expecting to see the most ridiculous thing of my entire life. And you know what? It wasn’t great.

But it wasn’t as terrible as everyone made it out to be. I caught myself giggling and rolling my eyes and thinking about all of the great hotels we have here in Indy. It also reminded me of every Weird Al Yankovich parody I’ve ever seen and people fawn over that guy – something I’ve never understood.

All of the people in the video just looked like they were having fun, and obviously this wasn’t ever something to be taken very seriously. We get to host a Super Bowl – we should use that to our advantage at every possible turn. And, the video did exactly that: it built up interest in Indianapolis to a variety of convention planners around the country.

Have we completely lost the ability to laugh at ourselves? I’m thinking there are real issues that we should be concerned about – and a silly video promoting Indy’s hospitality district is not one of them.

In the grand scheme of things, this will all likely be forgotten. But we need to remember to relax and regain that ability to just have fun and be silly. It’s not going to kill us. Watch the video below and decide for yourself.

If you’ve ever seen any of your family members or friends suffer from the effects of diabetes, you know just how serious the epidemic is becoming around this country.

Just recently, my family has been dealing with some of the consequences of diabetes – or actually, the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes. A series of medical events led to my grandfather having a quadruple bypass surgery about a month ago. We’re very blessed that he came through the surgery successfully. However the surgeon talked to us about just how thick my grandfather’s heart muscle was due to uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure.

He’s still in the hospital, dealing with lingering effects of other diabetes-related health issues and we’re hoping he’ll be able to come home soon. I’d seen the statistics about what the diabetes epidemic is doing to the country, but this was truly the first time I’ve put a face on the disease. It’s a wake-up call to make sure we’re eating right, exercising and taking care of our health.

While we know the steps to take to help prevent diabetes, those with diabetes need support to help them keep it controlled so they can live longer and healthier lives.

That’s why I’m very happy to see Marsh Supermarkets, Inc. announce the launch of the Marsh Diabetes Care Program®. Marsh pharmacies are now offering seven oral diabetes medications as well as lancets for testing blood sugar for free (with a doctor’s prescription).

That is fantastic news. One of the biggest problems with controlling a disease is the patients’ non-adherence to prescribed medications and drug cost is one of the reasons for that issue. Another important piece to the Marsh plan is the free monitoring kit, newsletter with recipes and tips for managing diabetes, and online and in-store access to a Marsh pharmacist. I also didn’t realize that Marsh shoppers have online access to a full-time registered dietician at AskMarshDietician@marsh.net.

Not only is this new offering great news for Hoosiers with diabetes and their families, but it’s also good news for employers who offer health care. The Marsh press release notes that the estimated average annual health care cost for a person with diabetes in the United States exceeds $11,000 – compared with $3,000 in health care costs for a person without diabetes. If the diabetes is well-controlled, employees will be healthier and save money for themselves and their employers.

This is a perfect example of how a business can truly make a positive change in the community.

Information about the program is available at www.marsh.net. 

I’ve been with the Indiana Chamber for just over a year now and in that time I’ve gotten to write about many of the Chamber’s initiatives and programs. The more I learn, the more fascinating I find the work they do for the state of Indiana. One that has really been catching my attention lately is Ready Indiana, the Chamber’s workforce education initiative.

In fact, I think of Ready Indiana every time I see anything about the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement.

I know it doesn’t seem these two have a common link, but hear me out. I’ve been reading through various news articles and posts on Facebook and talking to what supporters I can find to try and figure out what exactly the OWS group is upset about (still haven’t found one actual common theme – to me it just seems that everyone who is angry about anything has backed this movement).

One of the gripes I’ve seen most often, however, has been about the fact that college students are graduating with major amounts of debt to enter a job market without well-paying jobs. Another facet of the movement is upset about the fact that the older generation doesn’t have the skills for the new jobs that are being created, or the money to go out and get the necessary education.

These two points are where Ready Indiana (and any other workforce development or education initiative across the nation) comes in – opportunities do exist for the experienced workers and those who are right out of school. Below are just a few examples.

On the Ready Indiana web site, www.readyindiana.org, there’s a long list of middle-skills jobs that Indiana can’t do without (computer support specialists, nurses, fire fighters, police officers, lab technicians, heavy truck drivers, and many more). The list includes the number of job openings in each field and the median earnings for 2009 – the lowest median earning on that list is $33,407; the highest is $67,280.

These middle-skill jobs require more than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year degree. Employers, community colleges, private career schools and apprenticeship programs offer the necessary training and skills for these careers. High schools are also beginning to offer more technical courses so that students don’t have to graduate and venture into the job market with huge debt.

To combat the workforce skills gap, Ready Indiana recently announced a partnership with the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC), which will allow employers to train their current and even prospective employees in-house through a nationally-recognized training program for manufacturing and logistics. On-the-job training grants are available, and the completed certification is also good for six credits to Ivy Tech Community College.

There are jobs available – in fact, a common complaint by employers is that they cannot find qualified workers to fill their many open positions. This BizVoice® story that appeared in the July-August edition features Westfield Steel and is a good example of Hoosier employers practically begging for qualified applicants.

These are just a few small hints into what is available to Hoosiers who are willing to do the research and find existing job opportunities. Personal responsibility is an important key to finding employment, whether you’re fresh out of school or making a comeback into the workforce.

Protesting might get your anger or frustrations out, but it doesn’t give you an income, access to health insurance or a sense of security. Utilizing resources like Ready Indiana and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, however, can lead to those important measures.
 

The leaves are changing colors and there’s a crisp bite to the morning air. We all know what that means: It’s time to register for the 2011 Indiana Logistics Summit on October 12-13!

Okay, the changes in the weather and trees also mean that fall is upon us (which is probably what you thought I was getting at with that first sentence).

But how better to celebrate the fall season than by simultaneously celebrating the logistics, transportation and distribution industries during the two-day conference that features presentations by more than 20 industry experts, networking opportunities, booth displays, a reception at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, golf at the Brickyard Crossing, Speedway track tours and more.

This year’s summit also coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – where the event will be held – as well as the 50th anniversary of the Ports of Indiana. Special events are planned to recognize both. The event is co-hosted by Ports of Indiana and Purdue University.

You’ve got to move fast to register for the conference. The full agenda and online registration is available at www.indianalogistics.com.