tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60364242952479300012012-02-16T10:09:32.490-05:00Want to talk about job search strategies? The use and management of technology in the workplace? How about how well (or not well) the media does its job, especially in this critical election year? The Rick Chronicles addresses these topics - and more - in this forum, authored by someone who has seen it all, and then some, over a few decades.Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.comBlogger201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-83512174814670736702009-03-01T10:07:00.004-05:002009-03-01T10:36:48.576-05:00

A recently launched discussion on LinkedIn generated several comments (including mine). Which is worse: plagiarism or censorship?I suppose that anyone whose work has ever been plagiarized would find that the bigger offense. The only time I recall my work being plagiarized was when a radio anchor repeated - verbatim - the lead paragraph of a story I had on Page 1 the day before. I wasn't all that

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-20840624179559774772009-01-18T17:34:00.013-05:002009-01-18T18:11:07.847-05:00

There was an intriguing question posed the other day on one of the LinkedIn groups of which I'm a member. The question asked group members to read an article from CNN.com that said more media outlets were sending more work to freelancers in the middle of the current recession.I found it easy to agree. Media outlets, specifically print, and most especially today, will look to freelancers if doing

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-6252220739359358212008-12-21T16:42:00.023-05:002008-12-21T20:38:28.458-05:00

Baby Boomers catch a lot of flak for not being as technically adept as their younger peers. Yes, the "Echo Boomers" (aka, the Millennials or Generation Y) have the distinct advantage of having been weaned on technology for the past 10 to 15 years, and I learn a new techie thing each week from my two teenagers.So, taken as a whole, the Echo Boomers have a distinct technological advantage over

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-25996957650136835692008-11-10T06:50:00.018-05:002008-11-11T20:00:01.537-05:00

Not so long ago, when I was an IT outsourcing analyst, one trend that was clear was that outsourcing was becoming a more widespread practice in countries that are trying to lift their economies. What began in India is also being performed today in places like Russia, Brazil, Romania, and Pakistan.As the world hunkers down under the darkening cloud of a global recession, and businesses struggle to

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-28799356314236329452008-11-09T20:29:00.005-05:002008-11-09T20:35:17.921-05:00

Hi! It's been a while since I posted to this blog, but I invite you to check out my most recent post on The Pongo Blog that addresses five job search lessons from Barack Obama's victory.By the way, I'll be adding a timely post this week as I dust off this blog.Cheers!Rick

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-64091459195281090702008-07-16T20:39:00.016-04:002008-07-16T21:34:29.066-04:00

The New Yorker had to engage in some major damage control after the cover of its latest issue, a caricature of Barack Obama wearing a turban, fist-bumping his wife, Michelle, in military garb with a semi-automatic weapon slung over her shoulder, as they stood in the Oval Office. To the right of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee: an American flag ablaze in a fireplace, under a

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-11248545167967890872008-07-06T20:25:00.014-04:002008-07-09T22:29:26.651-04:00

Back when I was in elementary school (yes, it was a long time ago), there was a lot of emphasis - maybe a bit too much - on using proper grammar. That was fairly endemic of American education, from pits and pieces of stuff I've picked up over the years. Later, U.S. schools changed to de-emphasize mechanics in favor of allowing schoolchildren to freely express themselves in their writing.While all

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-13952855081243972252008-06-22T16:06:00.027-04:002008-06-22T17:32:33.487-04:00

The Boston Celtics won their 17th NBA championship this past week. While that is a story unto itself, and a satisfying victory for we fans who have waited more than two decades since the 16th championship, the bigger story is how their ownership put the team in position to win through savvy marketing.The lesson here, after you read this article from CNNfn.com, is this: You can succeed as a team

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-43175429885590186702008-06-07T15:10:00.013-04:002008-06-07T15:37:43.133-04:00

My post this week on The Pongo Blog tackled a question that perplexes many a hiring manager today: Would you hire a job hopper? The topic, when it was addressed last month on the BNET blog, garnered more than 100 responses, which is danged good for a business blog (Frankly, I'm more than a bit jealous, but hardly anyone in the blogosphere knows me through this blog).My most recent Internet

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-14093716975859126242008-05-26T15:38:00.014-04:002008-05-26T16:02:32.871-04:00

Earlier this month, Seth Godin had a decent post on his blog on how the news media enjoy a flair for the dramatic (Read it here). I quote:"There's media bias in favor of drama. Most of us are inclined to believe that government officials, doctors and the media are making an effort to tell us the truth. Actually, just like all marketers, they tell us a story."I agree with Seth - to a point. He

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-24168264440671724872008-04-23T12:29:00.019-04:002008-04-23T14:14:37.247-04:00

During much of my tenure as an IT journalist and research analyst, the general perception of the corporate IT organization by the rest of the business was one of disdain. In short, IT got no respect and, in some cases, it deserved little or no respect. It was seen as insular, a place where the geeks hung out - usually in a corner - to test new whiz-bang technology that may not necessarily be a

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-69675984019667343542008-04-21T15:18:00.012-04:002008-04-21T15:48:37.844-04:00

I have to admit being somewhat amused with the cross-generation sneering match I sometimes see between Generation Y (aka, the Millennials) and the Baby Boomers when it comes to work. While the former are largely trying to find their way in the workplace, they tend to butt heads with the latter, the ones who are running much of corporate America today.For instance, close to 20% of North American

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-51645290350354463052008-03-19T19:17:00.017-04:002008-03-19T20:40:21.315-04:00

Let me see if I get this straight: We have an economy that's as resilient as Humpty Dumpty. We have a health-care system that might put Humpty together again if he were adequately insured (for thousands of dollars per year). And meanwhile, all the king's soldiers are on the other side of the world fighting in a war whose cost may be headed for the trillion-dollar stratosphere.Yes, we've got

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-39036857412210944862008-02-24T21:18:00.008-05:002008-02-24T21:46:16.891-05:00

I still get a newspaper delivered each day in a bright green Boston Globe tube at the end of my driveway. The day just doesn't seem right without a look at the sports section, the front page, the editorial page, and even a couple of other sections.But newspaper circulation is in decline everywhere in the U.S. with the rise of the Internet as a news medium and as a better way for advertisers to

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-63308183878355560652008-02-16T15:40:00.004-05:002008-02-16T15:44:37.028-05:00

Hey! My company now has a blog presence! Check out our insights and musings on the key components of the job search and career management: resumes, cover letters, interviewing, and work/life issues. See you on the Pongo Blog!

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-50127071763161508872008-02-10T09:30:00.000-05:002008-02-10T09:54:29.687-05:00

In the early 1980s, when I was a daily newspaper reporter, USA Today made its debut and revolutionized the industry. Say what you might about it (e.g., lots of glitz, not enough depth), but while many of my contemporaries back then were scoffing, I looked at it and concluded: "What's the problem? Their pages are colorful and attractive to the eye. And their stories are shorter and easier to

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-59708662114791943212008-01-27T15:37:00.000-05:002008-01-27T16:18:54.712-05:00

News item: The Los Angeles Times fired its top editor earlier this month after he rejected a management order to cut $4 million from the newsroom budget, 14 months after his predecessor was also ousted over a budget dispute, the newspaper said. (AP)A dozen years ago, I left the daily mainstream media, disillusioned with the direction of the industry and, frankly, more than disgusted with how

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-36683005684129260372008-01-13T15:21:00.000-05:002008-01-13T16:40:41.378-05:00

During the several years I spent as a journalist and research analyst in the IT space, the call for chief information officers to become more business savvy and less "techie" was so loud it bordered on being a tiresome cliche (To some, it probably was). Well, several years later, guess what? That call hasn't gone silent, or least muted. The perceived "gap" between the CIO and the rest of he

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-33698512992516768962008-01-06T21:06:00.000-05:002008-01-09T16:21:11.273-05:00

The gauge watchers of the economy have been saying it for months and last week's news that the unemployment rate rose to 5% has turned up the volume on the prospect of a U.S. recession in 2008. I have yet to be convinced, though. I may change my mind come the spring to see how the housing industry performs.Still, the possibility is haunting, especially if you work in an industry that is most

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036424295247930001.post-41470291342926416752007-12-27T20:18:00.000-05:002007-12-27T20:34:27.025-05:00

I live by lists, which help keep me organized and focused. So, now that I'm writing this first post for my new blog, I will soon cross off one of the 25 or so items on my list for the holiday season (Check! There we go! Next on the list: Meet a friend for lunch tomorrow.). I've always believed that having a longer-than-usual break from work as the one I'm enjoying now offers me an opportunity to

Rick Saiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12553302230103364597noreply@blogger.com0