In your work, sweating the details matters. The muse this month is to encourage you to continually focus on the details in your work. For an example, we are discussing our work coordinating implementation of new Internet services in a new facility into which we will be moving next month.

One part of the selection process for a new facility was the high speed and scalability of the Internet services available in the buildings we considered. Being that many of the training programs we host connect to an off site server, the need for significant bandwidth for the learners is high

The leasing agent said that there was fiber wired into the building. It was noted on the information we were given. After signing the lease and working on details for moving into the new location, one of which was to research and select two Internet providers (we have one for back up), we were told that the fiber in the building was only for use by the major tenant in the building.

In taking this back to the leasing agent, he was surprised about this. In the many years that he has been marketing this building, he was not aware of this. His lack of attention to detail was evident.

I took this up with the building manager and the landlord. After discussions, we were able to work out an arrangement for a public location for fiber Internet connection into the building. One aspect of the arrangement is that the landlord charges carriers to allow their Internet services to be available to their tenants.

We assumed that when the leasing agent said that there is fiber in the building, that it meant that access by all tenants who subscribed to fiber Internet service (which is TWTelecom in this instance). He did not know any better. We assumed he was properly representing his product. This was not the case in this instance.

Use of Social Media: Communications methods of different age groups

This week, in doing work with one the universities in our area (Northern Kentucky University), I was made aware that the students with whom I am doing work spend more time on Facebook than in their e-mail application. These individuals are in their twenties.

My step son Alex (who is eighteen) sends and receives several hundred text messages daily. The fastest way for me to communicate with Alex is texting. He normally does not answer his smart phone when I call him. Often, he answers his text immediately.

I spend between two to six hours daily communicating with individuals via e-mail messages. I am 51 years of age. Most of my peers in business (who are in their thirties, forties, fifties, and sixties) tell me that e-mail is a main mode of communications for them. Because my time is at a premium, e-mail is my preferred mode of communications. I can make the necessary communications at a time convenient to me so as to work on items in order of priority. It also allows me to communicate while doing another activity that does not require much of my attention (e.g. while also attending a webinar).

For urgent communications, I use voice (cell phone or land line).

On of my conclusions is that the primary communications methods used by individuals is affected by the demands on their time. Some adults I know spend several hours on Facebook playing games (e.g. building their "farms"). Oh, to have the luxury of two to three free hours a day.

Alex, while he attends school 5 hours a day on the weekdays and works (at a fast food restaurant) 10 - 25 hours per week, has 50+ hours of free time (assuming 53 hours of sleep). Text away!

With 60 hours of my time each week committed to work, 2-4 hours of volunteer work, 0 - 10 hours of home (e.g. mulching our garden beds, ironing, fixing items, etc.). 10 - 30 hours of time with our children, 5 hours for exercise, and 7 hours of time for cleanliness and nutrition (e.g. showering, eating food), I have around 10 hours of free time each week (assuming 53 hours of sleep).

I surmise that the college students have 40+ hours of free time each week.

My general conclusion is that those who have the luxury of free time use social media (e.g. Plaxo, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) more often.

My feeling is that texting, because of the urgent nature of the request (i.e. like a phone call) is not used as frequently by those who have a lot of demands on their time.