Think Before You Post!

I wish I could say this was an April Fools' joke, but it's not. 

Yesterday a video was posted online of an African elephant being shot and butchered.  The video starts out talking about how the elephants were damaging a crop field for the villagers, then shows darkness for a while until the elephants were spotlighted and shot in the night, after that pictures of the shooter with his trophy kill were shown. The video was concluded with locals skinning and butchering the elephant.  What made this online video so publicized?  The shooter was the CEO of GoDaddy.com and the locals butchering the elephant were wearing GoDaddy.com hats. 

While some people would feel that killing the elephants was necessary to protect the crops and that its good to use the food to feed the locals, many will not understand that stance.  African elephants are an endangered species, shooting animals at night is a form of poaching, and the CEO was pictured in many poses with his trophy kill.  Also, if you have a 43 million dollar company you can afford other ways to protect the crops from elephants without killing them. 

Many people are upset with GoDaddy.com for the decision to post this video online.  Online domain company NameCheap.com even set up a deal for people to switch their domain service from GoDaddy.com at a discounted rate and will donate a portion of the proceeds to Save the Elephants. 

Some companies love bad press and some do not.  Before you post things online, on blogs, or on other social media sites think about the possible consequences.  

 To see the video go here. 

 

Celebrating the Old, Looking for the New

Every three years, in a small town, in Pennsylvania, they hold a celebration designed to attract families to the town. Old Home Week started in 1902 and was initially only for the men to get together and see each other. Three years later it was a week for the men AND their families.
A smart move in my opinion.

Now, over a hundred years later, Old Home Week is celebrating it's 37th reunion and it just keeps getting bigger. Thousands of people descend on the town to celebrate being together. The week long celebration includes a parade, fireworks and dozens of displays and events. This is a long-standing tradition - people are already planning for the next Old Home Week.

When you start your first business or you just start your career, think about the traditions. It's the traditions that make companies entertaining and keep employees together. Just remember that every once in a while the traditions might need a little updating. I imagine Old Home Week wouldn't have the same celebrity if it was still Old Boys Week.

Traditions that alienate or mock people aren't the kind of traditions you want to keep and sometimes it's alright to start a new tradition.

So celebrate the old and keep looking for the new this week.