It could always be worse
Because most of us don't have the benefit (like I do) of seeing how other associations are managing their data, we tend to think our situation is much worse than it really is. So I like to collect stories of organizations that really ARE in bad shape. Here's the latest example:
A Wall Street Journal article entitled "What Can’t the Internet Handle in 2022? Apostrophes" discusses how certain data management systems are unable to manage certain characters (e.g., umlauts in names).
One of the examples is Aer Lingus. From the article: "Aer Lingus’s booking system, called Astral, is nearly 60 years old and doesn’t cater to special characters." SIXTY YEARS OLD!
And what special character can't it handle? Apostrophes. This in a country where many surnames have apostrophes!
So when you really start feeling down about how bad your systems are, remember, it could always be worse! Your system could be 60 years old and not accept apostrophes!
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
AI is perpetually patient
AI is perpetually patient My friend and colleague Noel Shatananda of fusionSpan was providing me some […]
User adoption is (almost) all that matters…
User adoption is (almost) all that matters… I was speaking with an association recently about their […]
When “overcommunicating” becomes overwhelming
When “overcommunicating” becomes overwhelming There is a common belief in project management and general business management that overcommunicating […]
Communicating when there is a major technology change
Communicating when there is a major technology change For those of you who are ASAE […]
Everything works, until it doesn’t.
Everything works, until it doesn’t. “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” – […]
Some things are unknowable
Some things are unknowable One of the most challenging aspects of moving to a new […]
Do we have access to that data?
Do we have access to that data? When I work with my clients on a […]
The three “buckets” of contact data
The three “buckets” of contact data Broadly speaking, when collecting data on contacts (individuals or organizations), […]
Balancing what is possible with what is realistic
Balancing what is possible with what is realistic When I work with clients on technology […]
“Humans want to be surrounded by beauty.”
“Humans want to be surrounded by beauty.” “Humans want to be surrounded by beauty.” – […]