Friday 14 March 2014

Where is the line between helpful feedback and losing friends?

A chat with a friend triggered an internal debate about how people perceive constructive feedback. Often I feel like I'm a martian among humans when pointing out opportunities for improvement. Despite the "launch and iterate" mentality that I am surrounded with, it seems that Dale Carnegie in "How to win friends and influence people" is right when he says that it's better for the interpersonal realm to NOT point out errors made or, as they call it, suggest opportunities for improvement.

I regularly read a blog from an acquaintance which has great substance but poor form. The grammar nazi that I am cringes at errors like the famous it's / its, plural apostrophes ("two apple's and two orange's", anyone?) and other such hooplas that often make me completely unable to focus on the blog's contents and have my inner Hitchens violently tugging at the chains that keep him from unleashing his righteous fury in defense of the English language. I can't tell you, dear reader, how often my fingers itch to write to the author and serve up a fresh shit sandwich of constructive feedback ("great blog, mate, but PLEASE check your grammar...").

Monday 10 March 2014

Notes from Tech for Good meetup

Tech for Good is a meetup that tracks how technology can help with social issues. Lily Ash Sakula- partner at Bethnal Green Ventures chairs the event.
I came in towards the end of @markoneinfour's presentation


1. Mark Brown - One in Four Magazine. Doc Ready App
Problems when developing apps for people with mental health issues:
Too little horizon scanning in mental health, and too little money