A Million and One Way to say Happy Birthday!?

How does one say Happy Birthday now? Because you do have several options to choose from! Phone Call? Text? Tweet? Facebook? Email? Video Chat? Or you could just say it to somebody 5 different ways! As my close friends and families’ birthday come and go, I always think about what way people prefer to say “Happy Birthday”.

Usually I call the person with a phone call and if they answer great, then I don’t have to send a text. However, a facebook post is necessary after “just because its facebook”. If the person doesn’t answer the phone, I’d leave a voicemail then I’d send them a text and then post on their facebook wall. Sounds crazy right?

Birthday usually have a tradition. Card, Cake, Presents, Family/Friends, Drinks, etc. Those traditions don’t seem to change, but, our ways of communicating “Happy Birthday” can be said in many ways now. And all you want to do at the end of the day is tell that person “Happy Birthday” and let them know you care and are thinking about them, even if you can’t get together for their birthday.

So how do you guys say “Happy Birthday?” Please share some stories because there isn’t just one way to wish somebody a “Happy Birthday”.

Message Failure! Damn!

Ever send a text message that didn’t go through? I think we all have. It is amazing how much we rely on technology today. When we don’t get the message out and across quickly we flip a switch! I know I can’t stand it when I don’t have service and panic when I can’t find my cell phone. Yes it has come to the point that our cell phones are our best friends.

Ever pace around a room waiting for a text and it doesn’t come for like an hour from somebody? Roar. Yes I pace when the phone doesn’t ring. I could not imagine not having a cell phone because text messaging is how we communicate. I often think about text messaging as the new writing because nobody can seem to write anymore. Writing and getting your message across in an effective way especially at work is crucial! So make sure you write a to the point, clear, and concise email or else your message will fail!

My first job I had out of college was in medical device sales and I was responsible for the New England Region. My manager and mentor at the time who is much older (keep in mind it’s a generation thing) did not like the way I wrote. And at first I was thinking, “What do you mean?”. I write pretty well. She compared my writing to a text message! Anyhow she gave me some tips and before I knew it I was a better writer…even though I never wrote an email like a text: How r u? No that never was written. However, my emails got the message across to those health care professionals.

Therefore, when you send a text and it doesn’t go through it’s such a big deal! We question “Why isn’t my text going through? Like I have service!” It reminds me of when I worked for the medical device company who at the time did not pay our bills that and our IPhones got shut off. I freaked out because I did not have a land line in my condo and relied on my cell phone. Therefore, I had to go to my gym to use a phone to call out to my company and find out what was going on! I had no contact to anybody in the world it was scary. I didn’t know what to do with myself until my phone was turned back on. No messages or emails when through=Message Failures!

So let me leave this thought….How horrifying is it to think that we could lose our cellphone or any technology and not be able to get our messages out?! Please share your stories of technology/message failures.

Hello world!

Hello! This is my very first blog post. Bare with me as I get this site up and running. I am very excited to start blogging as I have wanted to do this for a very long time. Here you will be able to see my work and current resume. Looking forward to hearing from you!