Monday, June 11, 2012

Thank You Skype

So last week I sort of ranted a bit about working in digital. I want to clarify, I actually LOVED most of my jobs. I have worked with amazing people and have built a network that is full of the most talented people I know and am so proud to be part of this digital community. So I figured in the interest of staying balanced I'd like to thank a few services out there in the digital space.

For those of you in the space - I don't need to tell you what an incredible industry it is. We work hard and play hard and it really is a tight community. Heck it's changed the way all of us live our everyday life - and we all know it and that's why I became and plan on staying a part of it! We collectively have made life better for hundreds of millions of people. Social networks have reconnected old friends, information is available on billions of topics with the touch of a button, you can talk face to face with someone thousands of miles away FOR FREE - we are living in the Jetson era and it's all possible because of the digital tech world.

Skype is a big reason why my new life has become possible and why it came to fruition. I could have never imagined this when I took that vacation to St Barth 14+ months ago that it would be remotely possible for this all to happen and today I have Skype to thank for the strength of my relationship AND the ability for me to work in this great industry from afar.

While our relationship was starting, we mainly used skype to communicate. It allowed us to get to know each other even though we weren't in the same room. In this age of texting and email,  we were able to talk face to face on an almost daily basis even though we were close to 2000 miles apart. We even said those very special words for the first time to each other on Skype - there are two girls that I am sure are reading this (CP & KS) that know EXACTLY what I am talking about - btw - thank you girls for helping to keep me sane that day :)

In my professional life, I was able to set up a consultancy based in the states but am able to run it from where ever in the world I am because I was able to get a US skype number and have skype on my cell and iPad so no matter where I was I could make and receive calls and no one needs to know exactly where I am.

For me, Skype is the most obvious contributor to my current position so I call it out specifically. But for those of you not in the space, I know many of you complain about "privacy" online or get frustrated when free services change the ways they work. I urge you all to remember that these services are free and there are thousands of people working their buts off to make them possible. Think about these services that most of you use without spending a dime and the benefits you get for using them: Facebook, Google, Skype,  ANY online publication, Spotify etc. I'm lucky enough to be consulting in the mobile space now too - so many companies that make our every day lives easier. So for me - THANK YOU is a small token of my appreciation to an industry that, while at times has driven me nuts, has also given me so very much.






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